Opinion Archives - Page 14 of 40

The Argentinian Priest of Gaza

CrossFireArabia
July 20, 2025

Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader

Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, a young priest of the Society of the Incarnate Word founded in Argentina in 1984, was the first priest to arrive in Jordan for pastoral and spiritual service since 1996. I had the honor to be one of the first people to welcome him during my work in Madaba. He came to learn Arabic and he mastered the language.

Fr. Gabriel represents notable priests and pious pastors who live with their people. I recall that on September 30, 2023, he was in Rome to participate in the investiture of Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa of Jerusalem as cardinal in the universal Catholic Church. A few days later, events erupted on October 7, 2023, and Fr. Gabriel remained in Rome for several days until he returned to Jerusalem. He was very sad when he saw the aggression taking place on Gaza while he was in Jerusalem, and he had a daily longing to go to Gaza to be with his people.

At the time, Fr. Yousef As’ad, an Egyptian affiliate with the same religious order, was there living with his people in Gaza. Since October 7, he had to do everything at hand, and he truly excelled in depicting the image of the good and faithful shepherd. What encouraged the people of Gaza to remain steadfast was the almost daily phone call by the late Pope Francis, except for days when communications were disrupted in Gaza. However, this phenomenon provided the people of Gaza with reassurance, courage, patience, and steadfastness.

We have seen wounded Fr. Gabriel Romanelli while he was checking on the wounded and caring for them. He was not concerned with his own wounds; he rather cared for the wounds of his people in Gaza. Gaza’s small number of Christians has dwindled due to the bitterness of time and the bloody events that have taken place in this distressed strip. The Christian presence in Gaza was bright, pioneering, and wonderful, yet it has dwindled to a few hundred people sheltering next to the Church of the Holy Family and the Church of Saint Porphyrius.

Where pain, wounds, and death prevail, then sectarianism and competitiveness diminish, while humanity emerges in its most glorious manifestations. We were very jubilant during feasts when seeing priests–despite the harshness of days—accompany their people, while going from one church to another conveying well wishes to pastors of churches and their blessed people.

The suffering and bloodshed to which the Christians were exposed in Gaza is only part of the suffering experienced by all shades of the Palestinian people, and experienced daily through this bloody conflict that dates back far beyond October 7, namely spanning 76 years of daily suffering and daily avid and athirst for freedom, peace, justice, and independence.

We greet the Palestinian people on their legendary steadfastness, which history will one day mark as being one of the stories of steadfastness and heroism experienced by people on daily bases. Congratulations are conveyed to the Palestinian people for their national unity as well as Christian- Muslim cohesion. This is the greatest message of confronting an occupation force, which has occasionally sought to create a schism between the religious shades of people by claiming that Christians are neutral.

Christians in Gaza are an integral part of the Palestinian people’s composition. Consequently, the martyrdom of three people in the church marks Palestinian national unity, whereby independence will one day be attained on national soil.

Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader wrote this for the Jordan Times and it is reprinted here in crossfirearabia.com

Opinion

Bombing Damascus, Arab Silence!

CrossFireArabia
July 17, 2025

In a scene that reflects its utmost political and military arrogance, Israel, Wednesday, bombed the Syrian General Staff and the Republican Palace in the heart of the capital, Damascus.

This blatant attack crosses all red lines, interfering in Syria’s internal affairs as if it were the world’s superpower, openly defying international law and humiliating some Arab regimes with its silence and suspicious incompetence.

This is not a passing event, nor is it merely a “security message,” as Western media attempts to gloss it over. It is a blatant aggression against the sovereignty of an Arab state, striking its most important symbols of sovereignty in broad daylight.

The military strikes are a declaration of rebellion against international law and an insistence that Israel remains “above the law,” capable of destroying any Arab capital without fear of punishment or even blame.

What does Israel want?

It wants to brazenly say:

“I decide who lives, who is bombed, and whose voice is forcibly silenced.”

It seeks to impose the logic of force and dictate new rules in the region, titled: There is no place for an Arab state with independent decision-making, capable army, or a resistance project.

What is happening in Syria today has happened and is happening in Gaza, in southern Lebanon, in Iraq, in Yemen, and in every region trying to breathe outside the Zionist orbit.

The challenge is not only facing Syria…but all Arabs.

Anyone who thinks that these raids target Syria alone is delusional.

Every Arab country is now on the waiting list.

Today, Damascus is being bombed, and tomorrow… who will be next? Baghdad? Beirut? Yemen, Khartoum? Riyadh, Cairo? No one is immune to this arrogance as long as silence is the only response.

It is the Arab silence that has encouraged Israel to persist. The disagreements, divisions, and humiliating normalization are what have reassured Tel Aviv that no one will hold it accountable, or even condemn it.

What’s needed now: Break the silence and stop the collapse.

It’s time for the Arab nation to wake up from its slumber and realize that what is happening is not a “Syrian crisis” but a “collective Arab setback.”

Overt and gratuitous normalization with Israel must be halted immediately.

The Joint Arab Defense Charter must be activated, even if only verbally at first.

The steadfastness of Syria—its people, army, and institutions—must be supported, because the ultimate target is every Arab state. Everyone’s turn will come if Arab silence continues.

Israel is not destiny… and if the Arabs want to, they can.

Our history is full of moments of steadfastness and victory, but we need an awakening of conscience and a political will to halt this unbearable collapse.

Israel does not respect the weak, nor does it take into account those who remain silent.

Unless it is curbed now, every Arab state will one day find itself in its crosshairs, without support or dignity.

This opinion was written by Awni Al Rjoub in Arabic and published in Jo24.

Opinion

Middle East in a Cracked Mirror

Dr Khairi Janbek
July 16, 2025

By Dr Khairi Janbek

Every time the “new Middle East” which by the way has exciting resonance, be it conspiratorially or optimistically, is raised, one sees the new concept as exactly resembling exactly the old Middle East or is of the same replica.

We have grown accustomed to seeing the big turmoil in the Middle East, wars and regime changes, and each time we fall into the trap of seeing a conspiracy to change the boundaries of the Middle East, boundaries created with accords between Britain and France after WWI and which all countries of the region decry and condemn yet ironically fighting tooth and nail to preserve.

But what is this bogey which insinuates conspiracies and evil behind the cloak of a new Middle East.

Infact it started off idealistically as a reformist movement, basically economic as well as political reform, but with constant instability in the region, the term started to take another meaning, basically new alignments and new political understandings for the countries of the Middle East.

Essentially the way one sees it, the term now refers not to geography or reform – economic or political – but rather who are going to be the major players in the regions, who will be pulling the strings and will they relate to each other despite their contradictions and convergences.

For much of the recent history of the region the Trinity of Turkey, Israel, and Iran were the frame which contained the Arab problems within the Arab world, but as we have been seeing in recent history, these major players became part of the problems of the Arab world through their interference, seeking expansion or guaranteeing what they claim to be their national security concerns.

Now, and in the Donald Trump era, the concept of a new Middle East is still on track regarding the notion of who will be the new forces pulling the strings in the area, as for all intents and purposes, Iran as it seems has been relegated to a more background position regarding the affairs of the region, and Turkey with a circumscribed role, especially that the PKK, the leitmotif of Turkish interference in the area have laid down their arms.

Of course, now Israel is the power par excellence and the major player, but it needs a balancing actor from the Arab world this time, and the most likely candidate is Saudi Arabia.

However a Saudi balancing actor to Israel, is just not an easy feat to achieve, because such an actor cannot be based on contradictions alone, but also requires convergence. And this supposed convergence relies on the point of principle, the two-state solution to the Palestinian problem.

Now one is really not aware of the reasons behind Netanyahu’s rejection of the two-state solution, but certainly he is a hostage of his political alliances that keep his government afloat, thus making him avoid going back to court, and even worse, a possible jail term. As certainly for his allies, the rejection of a two-state solution is a point of principle.

Consequently, one believes, without the common ground with Saudi Arabia, of putting back on the table the issue of the two-state solution, there won’t be a new Middle East of two major actors, but rather one temporary major actor, being Israel for a temporary new Middle East!

Opinion

‘Mauritanians See Israeli Normalization Sinful’

CrossFireArabia
July 14, 2025

By AlDaho Sohaib

Mauritania is not a marginal country or a geographical anomaly. It is a country of silent history, long patience, and sovereignty that cannot be bought. It is the land of jurists who taught the deserts the meaning of light, and poets who made pulpits of wisdom from the sands.

Our president visited the United States, as Arab and African presidents do, not to beg or sign anything that violates conscience, but to knock on the doors of partnership and convey the voice of a small country with great pride. Has every visit to the West become an accusation? Is anyone who meets with an American official considered suspect in the eyes of those writing from behind the media veil?

Mauritania stands independently, making its own decisions, and choosing its partnerships, far removed from dependency or empty alignment.

We know that there are those who are unhappy to see Nouakchott sitting with Washington without tutelage and negotiating its interests without permission.

We say it without hesitation, and in a high-pitched voice: Mauritania is not about to normalize relations with the Zionist entity, not now or tomorrow.

Not only because it would be a betrayal of a principle, but because normalization, for Mauritanians, is an unforgivable sin, as long as Israel occupies Arab land, desecrates our holy sites, and persecutes our people in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.

Anyone who knows this people knows that Palestine, in their conscience, does not represent a card in political discussions, but rather a constant, unwavering call.

The President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, known for his political moderation and adherence to national principles, has never wavered from his position in support of Palestine, and neither he nor his government has issued any indication of a deviation from this line.

We write not to offend, but to preserve the weight of this position. We respond not because we are weak, but because we refuse to have the image of an entire nation reduced to a single, insinuating line, or to have a fleeting accusation pinned on his sovereign visit. Mauritania is built on principles, not on momentary positions.

It is read through its history, not through tweets written from behind a political veil.

If you want the truth, Mauritania has never sought testimony from anyone, and it will not accept anyone dictating whom to visit or whom to talk to.

It follows its own path, does not sway where the wind blows, nor does it follow an extended shadow.
It sits with the great, engages in dialogue with partners, and raises the Palestinian flag in its heart as well as in its streets. It does not need anyone to remind it of those who have always been with it, in good times and bad.

The writer is a member of the Mauritanian Parliament

Opinion

What to Do About Hamas?

Dr Khairi Janbek
July 3, 2025

By Dr Khairi Janbek

The avowed declared intention of Benjamin Netanyahu, remains the destruction of Hamas, as he repeatedly says that the war against Hamas will not stop until it is totally disarmed and there will no more ‘Hamastan’.

This is while on the other side of the world is President Trump who is very much interested in a ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages while blowing hot and cold in his habitual manner of ambiguity regarding the future of of the Islamic organization.

This may cause a divergence of views between Netanyahu and Trump in their up coming discussions, despite the fact that Trump went the extra mile as he threatened to withhold aid to Israel if Netanyahu is taken to court whilst Netanyahu responded by returning the compliment, saying that a couple-of-months ceasefire and the release of the living hostages as well as the dead bodies, are not mutually exclusive with the ultimate aim of destroying Hamas.

Admittedly, one always had one’s own doubts about the destruction of Hamas, probably because one always believed that the objectives of Israel’s foreign policy is to have a weakened PNA by Hamas and Hamas weakened by the PNA, which meant that neither should be destroyed, rather, to be weakened as circumstances required.

However, having said that, the most recent menacing Israeli government voices are talking about more dangerous developments, the first being taking control of the West Bank, which basically means either the end of the PNA or merely becoming an Israeli Bantustan administration, rendering the concept, let alone the fact, of a Palestinian state superfluous.

While the other development, is the call for Gaza , with or without Hamas, to be under a future Arab administration. Now which Arabs are going to be part of this administration is still unclear, but certainly the implications are clear, basically the financing of reconstruction which requires wealthy Arab participation, by default a participation of normalizing Arabs with Israel, with enough muscle to keep Hamas at bay, armed or otherwise.

In any case something may well be hammered in Washington when Trump meets Netanyahu, and the Arabs are bound to know its consequences.

Dr Janbek is a Jordanian writer based in Paris