Eyad Abu Shakra

Most Lebanese hope to escape their difficult circumstances, and can hardly be blamed for that. They have every right to build on any glimmer of hope and to wager on any opportunity, however risky.

Israel this week rejected Lebanon’s request for a ceasefire during the direct negotiations now underway in Washington.

Once again, Itamar Ben-Gvir staged his extremism at the Al-Aqsa compound, surrounded by a crowd of his fascist supporters, repeating his claim of Israel’s “exclusive ownership” of the site.

Few observers were surprised by the local election results in Britain last week. Opinion polls had already shown that the ruling Labour Party was heading toward a painful defeat under its weak, opportunistic leadership that lacks substance, conviction and charisma.

Before the momentum generated by Lebanon’s breaking of the taboo by engaging in direct negotiations with Israel began to subside, there began to emerge European reverberations that complemented the projects of Benjamin Netanyahu for the future of the Middle East.