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World reacts to US-led missile strikes on Syria

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Syria's capital has been rocked by loud explosions that lit up the sky with heavy smoke as U.S. President Donald Trump announced airstrikes in retaliation for the country's alleged use of chemical weapons. (AP)
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The Damascus sky lights up with missile fire as the US launches an attack on Syria on April 14, 2018. (AP)
Updated 14 April 2018
Agencies
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World reacts to US-led missile strikes on Syria

  • The US, UK, and France launched missile strikes on Syrian regime positions and bases early Saturday morning
  • Regime allies condemned the attack while those in favor of the strikes called them an “appropriate response”
Updated 14 April 2018
Agencies

DUBAI: The United States, United Kingdom and France launched missile strikes on Syrian regime positions and bases early Saturday morning in response to the chemical weapons attack conducted by Syrian President Bashar Assad on Douma.
Regime allies condemned the attack while those in favor of the strikes called them an “appropriate response.”

United States

President Donald Trump on Saturday praised the pre-dawn strikes against Syria's regime carried out jointly by the US, Britain and France, saying they "could not have had a better result."
"A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military," Trump tweeted.
"Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!"

The Pentagon said on Saturday that US strikes in Syria overnight had successfully hit every target and were aimed to deliver an unambiguous signal to the Syrian government and deter the future use of chemical weapons.
The strikes significantly crippled Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's ability to produce chemical weapons, officials told reporters at a briefing, and the Pentagon was not aware of any civilian casualties resulting from the strikes.
Lieutenant General Kenneth F. McKenzie said the strikes were precise, overwhelming and effective.
Though some of Syria's chemical weapons infrastructure was still left, "I think we've dealt them a severe blow," McKenzie said, adding it would set the program back for years.
Despite severely damaging the infrastructure with the strikes, McKenzie said the Pentagon would not rule out that the Assad government still had capability to use such weapons again.
"I would say there's still a residual element of the Syrian program that's out there," he said. "I'm not going to say that they're going to be unable to continue to conduct a chemical attack in the future. I suspect, however, they'll think long and hard about it."

France
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that the joint military operation in Syria was legitimate, limited and proportionate.
The French military on Saturday targeted Syria’s main chemicals research center as well as two other facilities, French Defense minister Florence Parly said, adding that Russia had been informed before the strikes were carried out.
The minister was speaking hours after President Emmanuel Macron ordered a military intervention in Syria alongside the United States and Britain in an attack on the chemical weapons arsenal of the country’s regime.
“We are not looking for confrontation and refuse any logic of escalation, that is the reason why we, with our allies, ensured the Russians were warned beforehand,” Parly told journalists in a short statement alongside Foreign minister Le Drian.
Parly also said cruise missiles had been fired by the French military.

UK

UK PM Theresa May said in a televised statement that "there is no practicable alternative to the use of force to degrade and deter the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime."
"This is not about intervening in a civil war. It is not about regime change."
"It is about a limited and targeted strike that does not further escalate tensions in the region and that does everything possible to prevent civilian casualties," she said.
May said "a significant body of information including intelligence" pointed to Syrian government responsibility for a suspected chemical attack in Douma last Saturday.
She said the strikes would "send a clear signal to anyone else who believes they can use chemical weapons with impunity".
"This is the first time as prime minister that I have had to take the decision to commit our armed forces in combat — and it is not a decision I have taken lightly.
"I have done so because I judge this action to be in Britain's national interest," she added.
In her comments, May also alluded to a nerve agent attack in Britain last month on a former Russian spy and his daughter.
"We cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to become normalized — within Syria, on the streets of the UK, or anywhere else in our world," she said.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia holds Assad’s regime responsible for Syria’s military attacks, according to a statement read out by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The raids on the regime's sites came in response to chemical use, and we fully support military operations against military targets in Syria,” the statement read.
The statement continued by saying that “Saudi Arabia fully supports the strikes launched by the United States, France and Britain against Syria because they represent a response to the regime's crimes.”
The strikes were prompted by the “Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians, including women and children,” reported the Saudi Press Agency. 

The Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Khaled bin Salman said that Saudi Arabia supports the accurate strikes against the Iranian-backed Assad regime.

Ambassador Prince Khaled bin Salman also said that the Kingdom hopes that the strikes will deter the regime from using chemical weapons. The strikes send a message to Assad, Iran, and its sectarian militias, he added.

Israel
Punitive US-led strikes on Syria are justified because of the “murderous actions” carried out by the Damascus government, an Israeli official said.
“Last year (US) President Donald Trump said that the use of chemical weapons would violate a red line. This night, under America’s guidance, the United States, France and Britain acted accordingly (because) Syria continues to carry out its murderous actions,” the official, who declined to be identified, said.

Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin has expressed his support for the punitive strikes carried out against Assad's regime.
"Canada supports the decision by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France to take action to degrade the Assad regime's ability to launch chemical weapons attacks against its own people," Trudeau said in a statement Friday.
The strikes came after an alleged chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Douma that killed more than 40 people, according to medics and rescuers.
General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the strikes hit targets related to Syria's chemical weapons program — a scientific research center near Damascus, a weapons storage facility west of Homs, and a third location nearby containing a command post and an equipment storage facility.
Turkey
The Turkish foreign ministry welcomed US, UK and France strikes on Syria as an “appropriate response.”

"We see the operation carried out against the Syrian government by the United States, the United Kingdom and France... as an appropriate response," the source said.

Ankara said the attacks, with weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons, that indiscriminately target civilians, "constitute crimes against humanity" and they should not go unpunished.
"The Syrian regime, which has been tyrannizing its own people for more than seven years, be it with conventional or chemical weapons, has a proven track record of crimes against humanity and war crimes," the ministry said.
"The conscience of the international community is in no doubt about that."

NATO

The head of NATO expressed his support for the Western strikes.
“I support the actions taken by the United States, the United Kingdom and France... This will reduce the regime’s ability to further attack the people of Syria with chemical weapons,” Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.

European Union

European Council President Donald Tusk said Saturday the European Union stood by the United States, France and Britain over their air strikes against the regime in Syria for alleged chemical attacks.
"Strikes by US, France and UK make it clear that Syrian regime together with Russia and Iran cannot continue this human tragedy, at least not without cost. The EU will stand with our allies on the side of justice," Tusk said in a Twitter message.

EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said this was not the first time that Damascus had used chemical weapons against civilians "but it must be the last.
"The international community has the responsibility to identify and hold accountable those responsible of any attack with chemical weapons," Juncker said in a statement.
"As it enters its 8th year of conflict, Syria desperately needs a lasting ceasefire respected by all parties that paves the way for achieving a negotiated political solution through the United Nations-led Geneva process, to bring peace to the country once and for all."

United Nations

"I urge all member states to show restraint in these dangerous circumstances and to avoid any acts that could escalate the situation and worsen the suffering of the Syrian people," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement.
He urged the UN Security Council to agree on establishing an inquiry that would identify the perpetrators of chemical attacks.
Russia this week vetoed a US proposal to set up such a panel on the suspected attack in Syria.

Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday backed air strikes by the United States, France and Britain as a "necessary and appropriate" action to warn Syria against further use of chemical weapons.
"We support the fact that our American, British and French allies have taken responsibility in this way as permanent members of the UN Security Council," Merkel said. Merkel this week had said Germany would not take part in any military action against Syria.

The Netherlands

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has expressed his understanding of the military strikes by the United States, Britain and France against facilities in Syria.

Mark Rutte said in a statement on Saturday that the military operation is proportionate and appropriate under the current circumstances, noting that the Dutch government believes that it is likely that the Syrian regime used poison gas against its citizens in Douma.

“The use of chemical weapons is a grave crime and a flagrant violation of international law,” he said, stressing that the international community cannot accept that.

Amnesty International

"All precautions must be taken to minimize harm to civilians in any military action," Raed Jarrar, advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa at rights watchdog Amnesty International USA said in a statement.

Syrian Rebels

A prominent Syrian rebel faction said on Saturday that Western strikes against government positions were a "farce" as long as Assad remained in power.
"Punishing the instrument of the crime while keeping the criminal — a farce," wrote Mohammad Alloush, a key member of the Jaish al-Islam rebel group.

Russia

The Kremlin on Saturday condemned Western air strikes on Syria where its armed forces are backing Assad.
"Russia severely condemns the attack on Syria where Russian military are helping the lawful government in the fight with terrorism," the Kremlin said in a statement, its first reaction to the strikes.

 Russian President Putin says strike on Syria by US and its allies will exacerbate humanitarian catastrophe in Syria.
“Again, we are being threatened,” Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, said in a statement.
“We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences. All responsibility for them rests with Washington, London and Paris.”
“Insulting the President of Russia is unacceptable and inadmissible,” added the envoy, after President Donald Trump directly called out his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over his support for the Assad regime.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Lavrov said at a briefing on Saturday that the actions of Western countries in Syria are unacceptable and lawless.

Russia has also asked the UN Security Council to condemn the "aggression" against Syria from military strikes carried out by the United States, Britain and France, according to a draft resolution seen by AFP.
Russia circulated the measure ahead of a Security Council meeting to discuss the military operation by the three allies in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack.


Iran
Iran’s foreign ministry in a statement that “Undoubtedly, the United States and its allies, which took military action against Syria despite the absence of any proven evidence ... will assume the responsibility for the regional and trans-regional consequences of this adventurism.”
Tehran officials have said Western powers are using last week’s alleged chemical attack on a rebel-held stronghold as an excuse to undermine the Syrian government’s recent successes on the battlefield.
“This aggression is designed to compensate for the defeat of the terrorists” in Eastern Ghouta, an area recently recaptured by Syrian government forces, Iran’s foreign ministry said.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said an attack on Syria by the United States, France and Britain on Saturday was a crime and would not achieve any gains.
"US, allies will not gain any achievements from crimes in Syria. Attacking Syria is a crime. US president, UK prime minister and the president of France are criminals," Khamenei said in a speech cited by Iranian TV.

Syria

Syrian President Bashar Assad said Western strikes on government military installations Saturday only made him more keen to fight back against his opponents, in comments published by his office.
“This aggression will only make Syria and its people more determined to keep fighting and crushing terrorism in every inch of the country,” Assad, in his first reaction to the strikes, told his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani.
The Western attack will not have any impact on the Syrian army’s resolve to press the fight against militants and restore control of the entire country, the Syrian foreign ministry said.
“The barbaric aggression ... will not affect in any way the determination and insistence of the Syrian people and their heroic armed forces,” state news agency SANA cited an official source in the ministry as saying.
“This aggression will only lead to inflaming tensions in the world” and threatens international security, it added.
A statement carried by state news agency SANA said the strikes aimed to block a probe by the OPCW global chemical watchdog into an alleged gas attack outside Damascus.
The attack “aims at hindering the mission’s work and preempting its results”, said the statement quoting a source at the Syrian foreign ministry.
Hezbollah
Lebanese movement Hezbollah sharply condemned the barrage of strikes, saying they would not achieve their objectives.
"America's war against Syria, and against the region's peoples and resistance movement, will not achieve its aims," the group said in a statement published on its War Media Channel.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard

 An official in Iran's Revolutionary Guards said that the fallout from US-led attacks on Syria will be at Washington's expense.
"With this attack...the situation will become more complex, and this will surely be at the expense of the United States, which will be responsible for the aftermath of upcoming regional events that will certainly not be in their interest," Yadollah Javani, the Guards' deputy head for political affairs, told Fars news agency.

Iraq

Air strikes carried out by the United States, France and Britain against Syrian military targets could give terrorism an opportunity to expand in the region, the Iraqi foreign ministry said on Saturday.
The air strikes marked a "a very dangerous development", the ministry said in statement.
"Such action could have dangerous consequences, threatening the security and stability of the region and giving terrorism another opportunity to expand after it was ousted from Iraq and forced into Syria to retreat to a large extent," it said.

Topics: Syria United States France United Kingdom missile strikes us-led strikes Syria air strikes Massacre In Douma

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Israeli strikes across Lebanon kill more than 55 as US officials push for ceasefire

Updated 8 sec ago
NAJIA HOUSSARI
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Israeli strikes across Lebanon kill more than 55 as US officials push for ceasefire

  • At least 20 were killed and 66 wounded in a strike in the heart of Beirut
  • Air strikes also killed 24 in eastern Lebanon and 14 in the south, health ministry says
Updated 8 sec ago
NAJIA HOUSSARI

BEIRUT: Lebanon said Israeli air strikes on Saturday killed more than 55 people, many of them in central Beirut, as Israel’s defense minister vowed decisive action against Hezbollah, in a call with his US counterpart.

It was one of the deadliest strikes in a day since Israel escalated air strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on September 23, after nearly a year of limited cross-border exchanges of fire, in which Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it was acting in support of Hamas.

One strike on Saturday in the heart of Beirut brought down a residential building and jolted residents across the city.

The strike on the working-class Basta neighborhood killed at least 20 people and wounded 66, Lebanon’s health ministry said in a revised toll.

A Lebanese security source told AFP that the central Beirut strike had “targeted a leading Hezbollah figure,” but a Hezbollah lawmaker, Amin Sherri, denied to Lebanese media that any official was present at the time of the attack.

Similar strikes carried out without warning outside of Hezbollah’s traditional bastions — which include southern Beirut but not the center — have tended to target senior figures.

The health ministry said Israeli air strikes also hit eastern Lebanon, killing 24 people including 13 in the town of Shmostar overlooking the Bekaa Valley, another Hezbollah stronghold.

In Lebanon’s south, at least 14 were killed including five in the coastal city of Tyre, the ministry said.

Rude awakening

Residents in Beirut's Basta neighborhood were asleep and had not been given prior warning to evacuate, according to a civil defense source.

Four bunker buster missiles hit the building in the densely populated Al-Ma’moun Street.

It resulted in the complete or partial destruction of adjacent structures, while the targeted building was reduced to rubble, leaving a deep crater.

The sheer number of residents who sustained various injuries overwhelmed local hospitals that issued urgent calls for blood donations.

“We saw two dead people on the ground... The children started crying and their mother cried even more,” said Samir, 60, who lives in a building facing the one destroyed.

The attack in the capital was followed by others in the city’s southern suburbs after calls by the Israeli military to evacuate.

Israel has not commented on the strike in central Beirut but said it had again hit Hezbollah targets in the city’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of the Iran-backed group.

A military statement said that over the past week, the air force “struck dozens of Hezbollah command centers, weapons storage facilities, and terrorist infrastructure in the Dahieh area.”

Survivors recounted the moments of terror they experienced during the airstrikes and how they narrowly escaped death as parts of their homes collapsed.

Among the victims of the raid was a family of 10 from the southern town of Shaqra’s Hourani family. They had been displaced to the Al-Salam neighborhood in the southern suburbs of Beirut but chose to move to Basta, “believing it offered greater security than the southern suburbs,” according to a relative.

The bunker buster munitions resembled those used in the assassinations of the former chief of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and another top official, Hashem Safieddine.

A building about 100 meters from the new target was attacked about a month ago.

Confusion over the targets

About 12 hours after the raid that shook Beirut and its suburbs, Hezbollah MP Amin Sherri, while inspecting the targeted site in Basta, said: “There was no Hezbollah member in the targeted building.”

Information circulating at the time of the airstrikes suggested that the target of the raid was a “prominent Hezbollah leader” taking part in a leadership meeting.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that the “target was Sheikh Naim Qassem, the secretary-general of Hezbollah.”

But the Israel Broadcasting Authority reported in the morning, citing a security source, that the target was Hezbollah official Mohammed Haidar.

However, the Israeli source did not confirm at the time whether he was killed or survived.

Haidar, a former member of Lebanese parliament, represented the Marjayoun-Hasbaya district from 2005 to 2009.

He served as a military aide to Nasrallah and was a member of the Jihad Council, regarded as Hezbollah’s highest executive leadership for military and security operations.

Haidar is one of the three prominent members of the council alongside Talal Hamieh and Khudar Yussuf Nader.

Additionally, Haidar serves as head of Hezbollah’s operations room.

Channel 12’s military reporter said that the official “was residing in a hidden apartment,” adding that the Basta attack “was an attempt to assassinate him.”

Israeli attacks against Beirut, especially against Hezbollah commanders, prompted internal backlash.

Independent MP Waddah Sadek said: “Hezbollah should take the moral and courageous decision of protecting Beirut’s residents and displaced people.

“Beirut is not an operation area, but a city that welcomed our displaced people only.”

Former Beirut MP Rola Al-Tabesh said: “The magnitude of the Israeli enemy’s criminality and blood-shedding is condemned and indescribable.”

Diplomatic solution

In a telephone call with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Saturday, Washington's Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “reiterated US commitment to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon that allows Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return safely to their homes on both sides of the border,” a Pentagon spokesperson said.

A spokesman for Katz said he commended the US efforts toward “de-escalation in Lebanon” and underscored that Israel would “continue to act decisively in response to Hezbollah’s attacks on civilian populations in Israel.”

United States envoy Amos Hochstein was in Lebanon and Israel this week, meeting with both countries’ senior officials, to try to negotiate an end to the war.

After talks in Beirut he said a deal was “within our grasp” but as he headed to Israel both sides put out statements that dented hopes of rapid progress.

Lebanon says more than 3,670 people have been killed in the country since October 2023. Most of the deaths have been since September this year.

Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 44,176 people, most of them civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.

In the pre-dawn darkness of Gaza on Saturday, one strike killed seven people including children at a house in the Zeitun area of Gaza City, civil defense agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

AFPTV footage showed victims being brought in to Al-Ahli Arab Hospital including a bloody and dust-covered man, as a boy on a bed beside him struggled to reach the man and called for his father.

“We were sleeping, I was lying here. What happened?” one survivor, Abu Shaker Shaldan, said, lost for words at the scene of the strike, with blood trickling down his head.

Tensions escalate

Meanwhile, confrontations between the Israeli army and Hezbollah have escalated, reaching the second line of villages across the southern Lebanese border.

The escalation included Baalbek, Brital and Chmistar, where three children and their mother were killed.

Israeli drones targeted several fishermen on the beach of Tyre, killing two.

Hezbollah said it was now using cruise missiles to target Israeli military outposts in northern Israel.

Beirut’s southern suburb has been subject to a series of Israeli raids since the early morning. The airstrikes targeted not only single houses and buildings, but also residential and commercial compounds.

The attacks were preceded by evacuation warnings issued by the Israeli army, along with a map showing the targeted locations.

Raids reached Burj Al-Barajneh, Hadath, Choueifat, Amrousieh near the Lebanese University and Haret Hreik.

The Israeli army claimed that it targeted “many Hezbollah headquarters, weapon depots and military infrastructure.”

Clashes intensified in the southern town of Khiam between Hezbollah and the Israeli army amid fierce militant resistance.

The Israeli army carried out detonations, described as “very violent,” in the heart of the town, and homes were destroyed in Shamaa and Tayr Harfa, which the Israeli army entered a few days earlier.

Reports suggested that the Israeli army took control of large areas of the coastal town of Al-Bayada.

Media reports spoke of Israeli soldiers entering between the border towns of Al-Taybeh and Rab Al-Thalathin.

The Israeli army fired heavy munitions toward the outskirts of the town of Naqoura.

Several people were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting motorcycles on the roads in the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts.

Airstrikes targeted frontline and second-line towns, and in the city of Bint Jbeil, about 50 shells hit residential neighborhoods within a two-hour period.

Israeli jets struck Chehabiyeh and Zefta, killing three people, and the vicinity of Al-Bazourieh, Chaaitiyeh and Roumine, where five people were killed, as well as Khirbet Selm and Mayfadoun.

Airstrikes hit the town of Roum in the Jezzine district, resulting in three deaths and two injuries.

- With Agencies

UAE foreign ministry says monitoring case of missing Moldovan citizen

Updated 55 min 50 sec ago
Arab News
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UAE foreign ministry says monitoring case of missing Moldovan citizen

  • Zvi Kogan, a Moldovan citizen, was reported missing since Thursday
  • Ministry says it is “in close contact with his (Kogan’s) family to provide them with all means of necessary support.”
Updated 55 min 50 sec ago
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RIYADH: The United Arab Emirate’s foreign ministry on Sunday said it is closely monitoring the case of Zvi Kogan, a Moldovan citizen who was reported missing since Thursday.

In a press statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is “in close contact with his (Kogan’s) family to provide them with all means of necessary support.”

Majed Al Mansoori, MOFA director of foreign nationals affairs, was quoted in the statement as saying that the ministry was also in contact with the Embassy of Moldova in Abu Dhabi about the case.

Mansoori further said the Ministry of Interior “is implementing extensive measures in its search for the missing person, affirming that the relevant authorities in the UAE have initiated the search operations and investigations immediately following the receipt of the report.” 

Wire agencies reported that the missing person was a rabbi who also held Israeli citizenship and that the Israeli prime minister’s office on Saturday night acknowledged Kogan’s disappearance, without elaborating.

The UAE has a burgeoning Jewish community, with synagogues and businesses catering to kosher diners. 

However, Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza and increasing aggression against Lebanon have sparked deep anger among Emiratis, Arab nationals from other states and others living in the UAE.

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Gunman shot dead, 3 police injured in shooting near Israeli embassy in Jordan

Updated 24 November 2024
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Gunman shot dead, 3 police injured in shooting near Israeli embassy in Jordan

  • Many of Jordan’s 12 million citizens are of Palestinian origin, they or their parents having been expelled or fled to Jordan in the fighting that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948
Updated 24 November 2024
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AMMAN: A gunman was dead and three policemen injured after a shooting near the Israeli embassy in neighboring Jordan, a security source and state media said on Sunday.
Police shot a gunman who had fired at a police patrol in the Rabiah neighborhood of Amman, state news agency Petra reported, citing public security, adding investigations were ongoing.
Jordanian police had earlier cordoned off an area near the heavily policed embassy after gunshots were heard, witnesses said. Two witnesses said police and ambulances rushed to the Rabiah neighborhood, where the embassy is located.
The area is a flashpoint for frequent demonstrations against Israel. The kingdom has witnessed some of the biggest peaceful rallies across the region as anti-Israel sentiment runs high over the war in Gaza.
Police had called on residents to stay in their homes as security personnel searched for the culprits, a security source said.
Many of Jordan’s 12 million citizens are of Palestinian origin, they or their parents having been expelled or fled to Jordan in the fighting that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948. Many have family ties on the Israeli side of the Jordan River.
Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel is unpopular among many citizens who see normalization of relations as betraying the rights of their Palestinian compatriots.

 

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How should Arab Americans deal with Trump administration?

Updated 24 November 2024
RAY HANANIA
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How should Arab Americans deal with Trump administration?

  • Michigan-based businessman Ned Fawaz tells “The Ray Hanania Radio Show” the community should opt for engagement, not boycott
  • Civil rights attorney David Chami sees a double standard that plays down anti-Arab racism while amplifying pro-Israel narratives
Updated 24 November 2024
RAY HANANIA

CHICAGO: A prominent Arab American businessman from Michigan has called on Arab and Muslim communities to abandon the boycott strategy they adopted during Donald Trump’s first presidency and instead engage with his administration to address pressing issues, including the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. However, an Arizona civil rights attorney cautioned that the plea coincides with what he views as a concerning surge in anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia.

Speaking on “The Ray Hanania Radio Show,” Ned Fawaz, president of the Lebanese International Business Council and founder of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce in Michigan; and David Chami, a civil rights attorney representing students sanctioned by Arizona State University for anti-Israel protests, urged the community to prioritize dialogue over boycotts. They acknowledged what they view as Trump’s polarizing reputation and pro-Israel cabinet appointments, and argued that there is a rising tide of hatred toward Arabs and Muslims, but also highlighted the importance of engagement to influence policymaking.

Fawaz said that dialogue is essential to influencing US policy. “It’s bad to boycott. After all, we’re American. We have issues (other than just) the Middle East as well. And I think we should all dialogue and talk, and be ready to communicate with the president, with any administration, because we cannot just sit aside and do nothing.”

Donald Trump meeting with Arab American leaders in Dearborn, Michigan, on Nov. 01, 2024, days before the election./ Getty Images/AFP)

He urged Arab Americans to seize “every opportunity” to push Trump to end the violence and foster a climate for lasting peace, including support for the two-state solution for Palestinians. “Yes, always, negotiation makes better sense than boycotting. We believe in evolution. We do not believe in revolution. So, that’s the way it should be,” Fawaz said, highlighting the importance of engaging with the US president regardless of who holds the office, to address issues affecting both Arab American citizens and the Middle East.

Trump, who defeated Democratic rival Kamala Harris in both the electoral college and by popular vote on Nov. 5, remains a controversial figure in the Arab American community. However, as suggested by a pre-election survey by Arab News, many view Trump as the leader best equipped to end the Gaza conflict, despite his perceived closeness to Israel.

During his first term, Arab Americans overwhelmingly supported Democrat Hillary Clinton during the election and grew frustrated with Trump’s policies in office, including his anti-immigration stances and strong backing of Israel. The community boycotted several key initiatives, such as the 2020 Peace to Prosperity Conference in Bahrain, organized by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and opposed the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and some Arab states like the UAE, Morocco and Bahrain.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest in support of the Palestinians who have died in Gaza outside of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, on August 11, 2024. (AFP)

Adding to an already complex geopolitical situation, on Thursday, after months of deliberation, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas official Mohammed Deif, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The charges stem from the war in Gaza and the October 2023 attacks that triggered Israel’s extensive offensive in the Palestinian territory.

While the suspects are unlikely to appear before judges at The Hague — since Israel is not an ICC member — the announcement could influence the dynamics of the conflict. The full extent of its repercussions remains unclear.

In an almost bipartisan statement, the US strongly condemned the ICC’s decision, diverging from the more cautious responses of its allies. President Joe Biden called the arrest warrants “outrageous,” saying: “Let me be clear once again: Whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.” Mike Waltz, the incoming national security adviser, dismissed the ICC’s credibility, claiming its allegations had been refuted by the US government. “You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC and UN come January,” he said.

Donald Trump meets with Arab American leaders at The Great Commoner cafe on Nov. 1, 2024 in Dearborn, Michigan, as he campaigned for the community's support for his presidential bid. (Getty Images via AFP)

Fawaz, while analyzing Trump’s potential influence in the region, acknowledged the former president’s unwavering support for Israel and his close alliance with Netanyahu, describing it as a possible obstacle. However, he highlighted Trump’s personal connections to the Arab community, noting that his daughter Tiffany is married to Lebanese American Michael Boulos, whose father, Massad Boulos, was a vocal supporter of Trump and the Arab Americans for Trump group.

However, Fawaz acknowledged the significant challenges posed by Trump’s cabinet selections. Many of his appointees are staunchly pro-Israel and have made controversial statements about Palestinians. These include the former governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, nominated as US ambassador to Israel, who once claimed that “there is no such thing as Palestinians” and opposes the two-state solution. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, expected to serve as secretary of state, has openly supported Israel’s military actions in Gaza, opposing calls for a ceasefire while advocating for additional funding and weaponry for Israel.

“The secretary of defense also has an extreme Zionist position. I think, even with all of that, we must continue to negotiate, continue the dialogue, to interact with the administration,” Fawaz said, referencing the nomination of Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Iraq war veteran. “Hopefully there will (be) some people who are fair, who are good for the US government, they are good for the US people, good for the taxpayers and they see some fair issue,” he said. “They will not allow this kind of genocide that has taken place in Lebanon or in Gaza.”

Since the outbreak of the conflict in October 2023, the US administration has consistently voiced its support for Israel, which has drawn widespread criticism for what many experts describe as excessive use of force. In 14 months of conflict, about 44,000 people, including one-third of them children, have been killed in Gaza, while more than 3,500 deaths have been reported in Lebanon, many caused by US-made and supplied weapons.

Speaking on a separate segment of the show, attorney Ahmad Chami claimed that there has been a surge in anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia, which he said is not an aberration, but a continuation of systemic hostility toward Arab and Muslim Americans, exacerbated by Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Chami criticized the inconsistent responses of US politicians, claiming they are quick to act against discrimination targeting other groups but hesitant to address anti-Arab racism or Islamophobia for fear of being labeled antisemitic.

“We are too easily the villains for our government and our media,” Chami said, citing the Arizona State University lawsuit as an example of the suppression of pro-Palestinian protests. “We’re so worried about the perception that this anti-Israeli policy protest is going to have on the poor innocent Jewish Americans that we are willing to suppress free speech, and pass bills, and attempt to pass bills labeling Students for Justice in Palestine as ‘terrorist sympathizers’.”

Chami described this as a double standard that minimizes public attention to anti-Arab racism while amplifying narratives that favor Israel, and pointed to a rise in hate crimes against Arabs and Muslims in the US — an increase of 71 percent in the first half of 2024, according to Chami — that has been “vastly underreported.”

Citing the recent attack by a 64-year-old Jewish woman in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, who verbally and physically assaulted a Muslim man and his pregnant wife at a coffee shop because the husband was wearing a sweatshirt with the word “Palestine” on it, Chami argued that this atmosphere allows people to “feel protected and emboldened” to attack Arabs or Muslims with impunity.

“That is a systematic problem,” he said. “That is a problem with our government allowing these people to feel like, I can attack an Arab, I can attack someone I perceive as Muslim or even pro-Palestinian, and I’ll be fine.”

Chami linked this environment to political factors portraying Arabs and Muslims as terrorists, which he said devalues Arab and Muslim lives while elevating those of pro-Israel or Jewish individuals. Chami also revealed that documents from his lawsuit against Arizona State University suggest the Anti-Defamation League lobbied university officials to treat anti-Israel protests as acts of violence.

“They (ADL) call themselves a civil rights organization, but they’re very clearly, in my view, an organization that is a political organization that is intended to protect not only Jewish Americans, but more importantly, Israeli interests,” Chami said, accusing the group of pressuring institutions like the ASU to silence pro-Palestinian voices.

Fawaz echoed the need for change at both local and international levels, pointing to Trump’s administration as a potential avenue for such transformation. “Change is always possible,” he said, citing Trump’s frequent cabinet reshuffles during his first term. While Trump has yet to appoint Arab Americans to key roles, Fawaz said that there are many qualified individuals in the community. “There are some capable Arab Americans in politics, all over the US,” he said. “And he can select someone who is fair, who can be our voice.”

He also highlighted efforts by Massad Boulos to act as a liaison between Trump and the Lebanese community. “We hope Boulos succeeds and secures a position where he can make a difference,” he said.

Although Biden initiated outreach to Arab Americans during his first year in office and appointed two dozen Arab Americans to White House and State Department roles, Fawaz criticized the administration for curbing their influence by barring them from speaking publicly on Middle East issues. He expressed hope that this would change under Trump’s leadership, though, in this increasingly intricate political landscape, much remains to be seen.
 

 

Topics: US Election 2024 Spotlight Battlefield Lebanon War on Gaza Editor’s Choice

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Jordan slashes EV tax rates to boost green transition

Updated 23 November 2024
Arab News
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Jordan slashes EV tax rates to boost green transition

  • Fully EVs with customs value between JD10,000 and JD25,000 will be taxed at 20 percent, down from 40 percent
Updated 23 November 2024
Arab News

AMMAN: The Jordanian government on Saturday announced a reduction in special taxes on electric vehicles (EVs) until the end of 2024, in a move aimed at easing financial burdens on citizens and importers while encouraging the adoption of eco-friendly transportation.

Under the decision, fully electric vehicles with a customs value between JD10,000 ($14,100) and JD25,000 will be taxed at 20 percent, down from 40 percent, Jordan News Agency reported.

For plug-in hybrid EVs exceeding JD25,000, the tax rate will be reduced to 27.5 percent, compared to the previous 55 percent.

The policy, effective immediately and set to expire on Dec. 31, also includes provisions for retroactive refunds.

Owners who cleared EVs under the previous tax regime before this announcement will be eligible for reimbursement of the difference.

The decision, made during a Saturday cabinet session led by Prime Minister Jaafar Hassan, followed a two-month review involving experts and stakeholders.

It addresses concerns about EVs already stored in bonded warehouses or free zones before the decision was implemented.

“The government sought logical solutions to ease the burden on citizens and importers while enabling them to complete clearance procedures,” officials stated.

To further promote accessibility, the government confirmed that EVs with a customs value below JD10,000 remain fully exempt from taxes, aiming to make electric mobility affordable for middle-income families.

The reduction underscores Jordan's commitment to sustainable transport while balancing economic pressures on its citizens. However, the government emphasized that the exemption was non-renewable, marking the end of tax relief on Dec. 31.

Topics: Jordan electric vehicle (EV)

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