After the ICC finally issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant last week, Anthony Dworkin signalled its importance and laid out what European nations must do next. In his piece, he says, “This is the first time the court has issued a warrant for the head of government of a major Western ally. European states must abide by it and not follow the US in condemning it.”

And while the warrants upset Netanyahu, it’s not all bad news for the Israeli premier. Michael Horowitz examines President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks, calling them a “dream line-up for Israel.”  He says, “The general feeling within Netanyahu’s entourage is one of jubilation. In fact, they couldn’t have picked more favourable appointees themselves.”

For his part, Bryn Haworth pens a piece titled Trump picks shed light on Christian Zionists' dark fielty to Israel. In it, he says, “Christian Zionists have long prided themselves on their undeviating support for Israel, but a closer look exposes an allegiance rooted in white supremacy, antisemitism, and Islamaphobia.”

And Ibrahim Hamidi asks Could the 1974 Golan pact be a model for Gaza and Lebanon? He says, “Israel and Syria agreed to create a demilitarised buffer zone that has brought decades of calm. Military planners in Tel Aviv are looking to do the same between northern Gaza and southern Lebanon.”

For his part, Khaled Kassar looks at the situation in Lebanon and opines that it may be the economy—not the battlefield—that has the final word. He says, “Lebanese citizens now face catastrophe. The burdens of the post-war battlefield will be psychological, physical, social, and financial, with repercussions expected to last for years.”

Meanwhile, next door in Syria, “Moscow has boosted its military presence near deconfliction lines with Israel in the south. And its revitalised interest in being a key regional player hasn't gone unnoticed in Israel.” Find out Why Russia is reasserting itself in Syria in Haid Haid’s piece.

And in a separate development that has riled Moscow, outgoing US president Joe Biden authorised Ukraine to use long-range ATACM missiles to strike into Russian territory. Con Coughlin examines Washington’s decision to up the ante in the Ukraine-Russia war ahead of Trump’s presidency.

Meanwhile, Russian thinker and philosopher Aleksander Dugin—considered the mastermind behind Putin's policies by many in the West—writes about the significance of the Arab-Islamic summit that took place in Riyadh earlier this month. He says, “To realise its immense potential as a cohesive pole in this new global order, the Islamic world needs to decide on the best way forward. Inspiration can be found in the Abbasid model.”

Switching gears, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu,  the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, and José Luis Castro, the WHO Director-General Special Envoy for Chronic Respiratory Diseases, co-authored a piece titled Silent killer: Why COPD deserves global attention. With 85% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries, leaders should prioritise making prevention and care accessible to all.”

And Toufic Chanbour asks the question, Will artificial intelligence soon run central banks? In his piece, he says, “Using this powerful new technology to crunch data, produce forecasts, and detect risks seems like a no-brainer for our economies’ custodians, but how they do it will be key.”

And finally, in Culture, Mohamed Abi Samra honours the iconic Lebanese songstress Fairuz on her 90th birthday. Calling her the “voice of Lebanese nostalgia,” he details her illustrious career and profound impact on Lebanese and Arab culture.

Last but not least, Antoine Jockey reviews Abdellah Taïa's latest novel, Tower of Tears, which explores the alleyways of his painful past. The Moroccan writer tells a story about two friends who experienced child sexual abuse at the hands of men in their childhood city. Jockey writes, “At its core, the novel asks: do we forgive those who fractured our childhood or stood by indifferently, or is revenge the only way to rebuild?”