ARABINFOCUS

  CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE THE END OF THE YEAR 2024 Christian peoples are governed by the Gregorian calendar, which determines the end of the year 2024 to-day December 31. Muslim peoples do not celebrate this date, which according to the Hegira corresponds to the 30th of Joumada Al Oula in the year 1446. Therefore , Muslims will not celebrate or take into account as a holiday, December 31 at midnight. The Islamic calendar is purely lunar, with 12 synodic months (12 x 29.53 = 354.36 days), alternating 29 and 30 days. The main adjustment of the Islamic calendar to the solar calendar is that in each group of 30 years, there are 11 with one more day: the years number 2, 5, 7, 10, 13, 16, 18, 21, 24, 26 and 29. Muslim philosophers point out: "Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve, for He decreed it so on the day He created the heavens and the earth. Of these, four are sacred: Muharram, Rajab, Dhul Qa'dah and Dhul Hijjah. Thus it is established in the true religion, so do no...

CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE THE END OF THE YEAR 2024 Christian peoples are governed by the Gregorian calendar, which determines the end of the year 2024 on Tuesday, December 31. Muslim peoples do not celebrate this date, which according to the Hegira corresponds to the 23rd of Joumada Al Oula in the year 1446. Therefore, Muslims will not celebrate or take into account as a holiday tomorrow, December 31 at midnight. The Islamic calendar is purely lunar, with 12 synodic months (12 x 29.53 = 354.36 days), alternating 29 and 30 days. The main adjustment of the Islamic calendar to the solar calendar is that in each group of 30 years, there are 11 with one more day: the years number 2, 5, 7, 10, 13, 16, 18, 21, 24, 26 and 29. Muslim philosophers point out: "Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve, for He decreed it so on the day He created the heavens and the earth. Of these, four are sacred: Muharram, Rajab, Dhul Qa'dah and Dhul Hijjah. Thus it is established in the true religio...

  WHAT ARE TRUMP'S ARABS LOOKING FOR? Donald Trump begins his second presidential term on January 1, in which he has promised to end the war in Ukraine and continue to support Israel in all its war adventures, including Gaza and Syria, also hinting that he would maintain his positions on the Atlantic Alliance Organization (NATO), which he considers less necessary in its militaristic phase, once better relations with Putin's Russia have been established. The Arabs who possess wealth in natural gas and crude oil constitute the group that interests Trump the most, in the context of his relations with the Arab world. For Trump, it is essential that the Organization of Exporting Countries (OPEC) does not act against the interests of the United States; which means at least a stability of prices and the level of extraction. Trump does not want a crisis with the oil-producing countries, but he can pressure them when he considers it necessary. The Syrian case points to a...

                          2024 THE YEAR OF ISRAELI-IMPOSED GENOCIDE IN GAZA It will not be forgotten because it will remain indelibly in the memory of the Arabs; of other Muslims and of other men who respect human rights. The Christian year 2024 will close with the genocide that continues in Gaza: 45,000 Palestinians dead; more than 100,000 wounded; hospitals and schools destroyed; refugee centres bombed. This is the balance sheet that the Jewish state leaves us. And Netanyahu will surely applaud these results. The Western countries have not intervened in Gaza, leaving Israel to turn it into a shapeless pile of rubbish. In Lebanon, the West imposed a halt to the aggression of the Hebrews. In Yemen a new conflict has dawned in which Israel does not lack allies: the United States, France; the United Kingdom and other countries intervene in the Red Sea. And behind all these disasters, the hand of Israel is clearly perce...

                                   GAZA: 5 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN ISRAELI ATTACK The deaths of journalists working in Gaza continue without respect for the work of reporters. Israeli forces killed 5 journalists by firing a missile at the car they were travelling in, which was completely destroyed. The Palestinian journalists were working in the Nseirat refugee camp, in the centre of the enclave, when they lost their lives in another attack that affected the reporters. The Jewish Prime Minister, Netanyahu, announced some time ago that they would not respect journalists even if they wore the PRESS sign on a bulletproof vest, as well as a helmet on their head. The number of journalists who have been killed in Gaza exceeds 300 according to sources from the Palestinian Ministry of Health. It is a real bloodbath that shows how far Israel will go to prevent the work of reporting. What happened in Gaza is ...

                                          UNCERTAIN FUTURE IN SYRIA, IRAN SAYS Iran has made it known on Wednesday, in an official statement, that it considers the future of Syria to be “uncertain”, taking into account the current situation, although without clarifying which aspects of the political panorama of the latter country it refers to. Damascus has requested, for its part, that alarmist statements not be spread that could complicate the process of normalization underway. In this regard, the foreign minister of the new Syrian government, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, has formulated a direct response, asking the countries that maintain relations with Damascus “not to contribute to the opening of a period of chaos” It is evident that the changes that have occurred in Iran, with the end of the years presided over by Bashir El Assad, have caused unrest in Iran, where the Islamic leader...

                       ARAB DELEGATION DISCUSSES WITH NEW SYRIAN LEADERS Several delegations from Arab countries met in Damascus on Monday with the new Islamist leaders to find out what direction they intend to take in the context of possible internal changes and a new foreign policy strategy. In this context, the Jordanian head of diplomacy met with the de facto leader of the new Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa The new Syrian executive wants to convince its guests that it does not intend to share power with the most radical Islamist groups, such as SIS, which has hinted that its aim is to build an Islamist Syria with the help of the groups that are part of the “Daesh” coalition. This coalition includes ISIS; the “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIL), as well as small Salafist formations. All of them intend to have at least a fraction of the new power in Syria. Several Syrian families, some of whose members died or were tortured...

                                  THE HORROR OF ONE OF ISRAEL'S GREATEST CRIMES We could talk about genocide and Israel's crimes at hand, but it is impossible to avoid tears when learning about one of the biggest crimes that occurred this Saturday: Seven children from the same Palestinian family died in a bombing by the Jewish air force in the Gaza enclave. Pope Francis condemned this bloody act, stating that "we are not talking about war, but about the greatest cruelty." It is true that the death of 7 children from the same Palestinian family has no justification. It is horror at its extreme and, despite this, Israel accuses the Pope of "using two different measures to condemn the aggression." And once again, Israel stated that the children died "because a group of terrorists had mixed in with them." One can say that it is not a barbarity to justify a crime, but the explanation of the Hebrew state is a...

                                                  THE PROPHET OF THE SOUL Christians will celebrate the birth of Isa (Jesus) on the 25th, a symbolic date that is the object of great joy and a deep respect for their beliefs. But for Muslims this is an ordinary day; although respect will be shown for the first Christian prophet. We must not forget that the prophet Isa came before the prophet Muhammad and this has great importance for the monotheistic religion. The prophets Isa and Muhammad were both ascetics, devoting themselves to spiritual perfection. Both followed the path traced by the One God. Isa, therefore, deserves the respect of all those who submit to the word of the one God.´´ For Muslims, Mohammad is our only prophet that Allah sent to us to communicate the sacred book of the Quran. Every Muslim submits to the divine word. And in the Quran, there is onl...

                                         ISRAELI EXPANSIONISM DOES NOT STOP The Zionist regime installed in Tel-Aviv has taken advantage of the defeat of the Assad clan in Syria to announce that it will advance its troops in the Golan Heights another 100 km, which it falsely presents as a security measure. Israel has always taken advantage of the weakness of a neighboring country to expand a territory that does not belong to it. An expansionism that the United Nations has formally condemned. Weeks ago, Prime Minister Netanyahu already stated that in the Golan Heights the Israelis must advance their border in view of the danger posed by the new fundamentalist regime installed in Damascus, with the possibility of strengthening ties with other terrorist groups. Netanyahu explained that Israel “is well prepared for what could happen in that buffer zone that although it is not vital for ...

        WESTERN COUNTRIES BEGIN CONTACTS WITH SYRIAN REBEL GOVERNMENT Finally, Western countries have begun direct contacts with the rebel government formed in Damascus, to find out the political direction they intend to take, given that for the moment they continue to consider themselves close to the fundamentalist networks installed in the Middle East. Germany has been chosen to establish contacts with the rebels in Damascus, representing the United States, France and the United Kingdom. Several governments of the Arab countries have joined in this effort, which are considered the first interested in knowing where the HTS rebels are headed; the formation that managed to defeat the Assad clan. Yesterday, Monday, Bashir Al Assad broke his silence since he took refuge in Moscow with his family, in an interview with the British channel BBC in which he denied having betrayed the people of his country or its armed forces. “It is propaganda to claim that our army bombed ...

                                                                                                                THE DESERT We may have heard at some point that “With so many wonderful and green landscapes on earth, why talk about the desert?” The phrase is correct but it seems a bit short, because I know from personal experience that anyone who has visited the Sahara, even just a part of it, has been somewhat enchanted. Because the desert also has its own beauty, even if sometimes this is dangerous and treacherous.” During the more than 30 years that I stayed in Algiers, I went to the Sahara 20 times, including the 12 times that I had to leave for Tindouf for work reasons. All the journalists who lived in the Al...

                             US ESTABLISHES FIRST CONTACT WITH SYRIAN BELLS The US Secretary of State had his first contact with Syrian rebels of HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) earlier this week, who according to Antony Blinken gave guarantees that they will not accept the inclusion of Arab terrorist groups in their movement and maintain their commitment to form a provisional government that “respects international laws and human rights”. Blinken added that in Syria “they must move from words to actions” and added that for the moment the United States and other Western countries are not going to recognize the executive formed at the request of the rebel leader, Mohamed Al-Juliani, because they maintain that HTS is an international terrorist group. After 13 years of war, an offensive by Syrian opposition groups ousted Bashar al-Assad as Syria’s president in just 11 days. Israel has taken advantage of the fall of Basi...

US HAS NOT YET DECIDED ON RELATIONS WITH NEW SYRIAN REGIME The United States is closely monitoring developments in Syria, where the HTS rebels have taken power, but has not yet outlined the type of relations it might adopt with the fundamentalist coalition led by former Al Qaeda member Mohamed Al Juliani, a figure who is partly overlooked by the intelligence services in Washington. White House security adviser Jake Sullivan has held several meetings with the heads of the Israeli intelligence services, the Mossad, who are considered to be the best informed of the situation in Damascus, and in particular the possible plans of the HTS to form a larger coalition. Washington's main concern is that ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) will participate in the coalition that took power in Damascus, and in the long run, that terrorist movement could be the dominant factor in rebuilding a Caliphate in Syria, which would have a very unfavorable effect on the region. For Secretary of Sta...

                                SYRIA: THE DISCREET ROLE OF TURKEY AND QATAR The threads that explain the incredible speed with which the regime of Bashir El Assad collapsed, in a matter of days after having occupied Aleppo, Syria's second largest city, on November 20, are gradually being revealed. Damascus fell into the hands of HTS (Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham) practically without a single shot being fired. The army soldiers threw their weapons on the ground and abandoned tanks and artillery pieces in the streets. Why was this victory of the fundamentalist leader, Mohamed Al Julani, so swift? It was known that he had belonged to Al-Qaida and was a fundamentalist radical, but the military capacity of his movement was unknown. US intelligence, the NSA and the CIA, claim that the rebel leader had long been in contact with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and that the latter promised him significa...

  ISRAEL AFFIRMS IT WILL REMAIN IN THE GOLAN DESPITE CHANGE IN DAMASCUS The Israeli government has reiterated today that it has no intention of withdrawing from the Golan Heights that it occupies in Syrian territory, a decision that Tel Aviv described as “irrevocable” and that was immediately condemned by Qatar; Iran; Iraq and Saudi Arabia, while the Jewish state's air force bombed various places in the country that is now in possession of the fundamentalist group HTS (Hayat Tahrir Al Sham). For his part, the Turkish president, Racip Erdogan, informed NATO that his country wishes that the new Syria does not fall into the hands of Islamic terrorism. Erdogan claimed during the call that Turkey “has supported the preservation of Syria’s territorial integrity and stability since the very first day of the civil war. Israel has denied that it intends to penetrate Syrian territory, although it considers that both HTS and the radical groups it has allied with represent “a terrorist threat”...

                            SYRIA REGIME CHANGE DID NOT LEAD TO MASSACRES The regime change in Syria, where President Bashir al-Assad was defeated by a coalition of rebels led by the HTS (Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham) group, was relatively peaceful, as the Syrian national army did not put up much resistance and laid down its arms; a decision that the Arab countries have accepted, given that there were no massacres, as has happened in other similar cases. Saudi Arabia indicated that it is satisfactory that the regime change has taken place without bloodshed. For Riyadh, the new power has been a sovereign decision of the Syrian people and, therefore, it must be accepted, especially since it was the population that decided that the power of the clan led by l-Assad should end. “The institutions and capabilities of the new regime have been preserved,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah said, though some a...

  BACHIR AL ASSAD'S REGIME FALLS. DAMASCUS IN REBEL HANDS The last 12 hours have happened when few expected that in such a short space of time the HTS rebels would take power in Damascus, forcing Bachir Al Assad to flee, at a time when everyone expected that Putin's Russia would defend the regime in power, which has collapsed with unexpected speed. The coup d'état in Syria has succeeded against all expectations. Finally, Al-Assad's power was a paper tiger. The main generals have abandoned him and Putin, who had assured him of his full support, has let him fall into the hands of the HTS rebel group led by the fundamentalist Al-Juliani, a man who was a member of the ranks of Al Qaeda in the days when Osama Bin Laden still existed. The speed with which the rebels have entered and occupied Damascus has surprised all Middle East specialists. In particular, the fact that Russia, which has two military bases in Syria, has done virtually nothing to support Assad. Syrian Prime M...

ERDGAN SUPPORTS REBELS. HTS LEADER STILL ALIVE AND CLAIMS CONTINUING RELLION As usual in the conflicts that shake the Middle East, a “fake news” claimed that the Syrian rebel leader, Al Juliani, had died in a bombing. Yesterday, the head of HTS (the main opposition group to Damascus) appeared in an interview with an American television channel, proving that his death was fake news. Meanwhile, Turkish President Racip Erdogan showed his support for the rebels and expressed his hope that they would be able to overthrow President Bashir Assad. This position is understandable since a victory by HSD (Hayat Al Tahrir) could create a serious situation for the Kurds who occupy a sector of northern Syria, which the Turkish president accuses of being a "band of terrorists." The defeat of Damascus, which is requesting massive support from Russian forces stationed in Syria, cannot yet be taken for granted. Putin is acting very cautiously and has only authorized a few bombings by the Russi...

 SYRIAN REBELS CONTINUE TO ADVANCE TOWARDS HOMS DESPITE RUSSIAN SUPPORT The support of the Russian air force stationed in Syria has not managed to stop the rebel forces fighting the Damascus regime, which after occupying Aleppo and Hama are now heading towards the holy city of Homs. Thousands of people are fleeing Homs in view of the imminent entry of the HTS (Hayat al Tahrir) rebels led by the former member of Al Qaeda, Al-Juliani, although in Damascus he is presumed dead in a bombing by the Russian air force. This information has not been able to be officially confirmed. The fragility of the Syrian armed forces is surprising, as they have only retreated since the loss of Aleppo. Nor is it known how many militias have joined the HTS, the main rebel group, which has several thousand followers. Homs is a city located in the west of the country and is the third most important city in Syria. In Damascus, the press claimed that it would be defended with all the resources of the forces ...

    OPPOSITION FORCES TO DAMASCUS OCCUPY HAMA IN NEW OFFENSIVE Despite the support that Syrian President Bashir Al Assad receives from Russia, the opposition forces to Damascus have occupied the city of Hama, in the center of the country, this Thursday, after taking control of Aleppo, Syria's second largest city. It is a hard setback for Damascus It was thought that the Syrian army, supported by Russian combat aircraft, would dismantle the rebel offensive, but the opposite has happened. The opposition forces claim to have captured hundreds of Syrian army soldiers, without conclusive evidence. The opposition is part of the group called "Hayat Tahrir Al Sham" (HTS) which in the past was a branch of Al Qaeda. The leader of HTS is Abu Mohamed Al-Juliani, but it is not known whether he is still alive, as Damascus claims he died in one of the attacks by the Russian air force, which supports the Al-Assad regime. The objective of HTS and other less important rebel forces is to fo...

                     SAUDI ARABIA AND FRANCE ESTABLISH STRATEGIC RELATIONS. French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman Al Saud met in Riyadh on Monday with the aim of establishing strategic relations in both countries and contributing to creating an atmosphere of peace in the Middle East, where the situation remains tense due to the war in Gaza and violations of the peace agreement established between Israel and the Shiite group Hezbollah. France, which is part of the observation force on the Lebanese border, said it had verified 52 violations of the agreement by Israel. The Hebrew state claims that Hezbollah has also violated the agreement, although for the moment a fragile peace remains between the two warring parties. Macron's state visit has various political and economic objectives. France hopes to sell Riyadh a number of Rafale fighter planes built by Dassault, and it is worth noting that the Fr...

                        RUSSIA AND IRAN SUPPORT DAMASCUS TO RECONQUER ALEPPO Pro-Iranian militias have started today the fighting to reconquer the city of Aleppo that fell this weekend in the hands of the opposition to Syrian President Bashir El Assad. Russia, for its part, has also come to support the forces that hold Damascus, to prevent the current Syrian regime from entering into a new war with its opposition. The situation in Syria was normalized a few months ago when the opposition forces were defeated. The Damascus army conquered Aleppo and other cities, except for the small strip to the north where there is a Kurdish force, which Turkey accuses of terrorism. But the resurgence of the opposition to El Assad has been a surprise for Damascus, which was unaware of the reorganization of the opposition militias. The army had to retreat in the face of the advance of militias opposed to the current regime, which is supported b...