Tuesday 7 Teves – Report warns candidates to lead Muslim Council of Britain have ‘deeply disturbing views’ – US to ease curbs on supplies to Syria but keep sanctions in place – IDF says two soldiers killed, two seriously injured in northern Gaza combat

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Both candidates to lead the Muslim Council of Britain have “deeply disturbing views”, a new report finds.

Wajid Akhter, the frontrunner to lead the MCB after elections this month, says UK Muslims should teach their children to identify primarily as Muslim, not as British, the Policy Exchange has found.

The only other candidate, Muhammad Adrees, praised the Iranian Revolution “when the great leader [Ayatollah Khomeini] led the nation to its destiny” in a publication linked to the Tehran regime.

One of the two will be elected to replace the current MCB secretary-general, Zara Mohammed, on January 25.

Khalid Mahmood, Britain’s longest-serving Muslim MP from 2001 to 2024, said:

“The views exposed by Policy Exchange are deeply disturbing.

The US is set to announce an easing of restrictions on providing humanitarian aid and other basic services such as electricity to Syria, while maintaining its strict sanctions regime, people briefed on the matter told Reuters.

The decision by the outgoing Biden administration will send a signal of goodwill to Syria’s new Islamist rulers.

It aims to pave the way for improving living conditions in the war-ravaged country while keeping US leverage in place.

A spokesperson for the US Treasury did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

US officials have met several times with members of the ruling administration, led by former Al Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, since a lightning rebel offensive brought a sudden end to decades of Assad family rule on Dec. 8.

HTS has renounced its ties with al-Qaeda and fought against the group but the US continues to designate HTS as a terrorist entity.

Washington wants to see HTS cooperate on priorities such as counterterrorism and forming a government inclusive of all Syrians.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden administration approved the easing of aid restrictions over the weekend, saying the move authorizes the Treasury Department to issue waivers to aid groups and companies providing essentials such as water, electricity and other humanitarian supplies.

Under growing pressure from his own party, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he will step down and end his nine-year stretch as leader.

Trudeau said he would stay on in office until his Liberal Party can choose a new leader, and that parliament would be prorogued – or suspended – until 24 March.

“This country deserves a real choice in the next election and it has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election,” he said during a press conference Monday.

Trudeau’s personal unpopularity with Canadians had become an increasing drag on his party’s fortunes in advance of federal elections later this year.

“Last night, over dinner, I told my kids about the decision that I’m sharing with you today,” he told the news conference in Ottawa.

“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process,” he said.

The president of the Liberal Party, Sachit Mehra, said a meeting of the party’s board of directors would be held this week to begin the process of selecting a new leader.

Two Palestinian terrorists opened fire at close range on two cars and a bus on Highway 55 in the northern West Bank near the Palestinian village of al-Funduq, killing three people: Rachel Cohen, 73, Aliza Reiss, 70, and Israel Police St.-Sgt.-Maj. Elad Yaakov Winkelstein, 35.

security forces were still searching for the attackers, who escaped by car from the scene, are from Jenin, and are affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Over the past few weeks, the PA has operated in the city to attempt to root out any terrorist activity, leading to a rise in tensions in the area.

Winkelstein was in a car with his young son. The police officer managed to shoot two bullets towards the terrorists until he was killed. He lived in Ein Hanatziv with his wife, two daughters, and son. He had previously lived in Kedumim, serving as the town’s security coordinator.

Cohen, 73, was a school counselor and a mother of five daughters. Reiss, 70, was also a school counselor and is survived by her children and family. Cohen and Reiss were in the same car when they were shot.

Emergency medical personnel said they treated the 63-year-old bus driver who sustained serious wounds, a woman in her 60s in moderate condition, and six other people with various light wounds. They were transferred to the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus in Petah Tikva and the Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba for further treatment.

Two IDF soldiers were killed and two others were seriously wounded in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, the military announced.

One of the slain soldiers was named as Cpt. Eitan Israel Shiknazi, 24, a deputy company commander in the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion, from Eli.

The name of the second slain soldier was to be released later, the military said.

The IDF added that two other soldiers of the 932nd Battalion were seriously wounded in the same incident in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun.

The two deaths brings Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip to 397.

Two other soldiers with the Nahal Brigade’s reconnaissance unit were seriously wounded in fighting in northern Gaza earlier in the day. They were evacuated to Israel for treatment.

Israel will be “forced to act” if Hezbollah does not pull back from southern Lebanon as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Sunday.

“Israel is interested in the implementation of the agreement in Lebanon and will continue to enforce it fully and without compromise to ensure the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” Katz said during a visit to an Israel Defense Forces base in northern Israel, where the military has set up a display of captured Hezbollah weapons.

As part of the truce agreement signed by Israel and the terror group on November 27, the IDF is required to cede all of its positions in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese army within 60 days. At the same time, Hezbollah is required to retreat north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border with Israel.

An Israeli official told The Times of Israel Sunday that Israel was recently signaling it could remain in Lebanon after the initial 60-day ceasefire to pressure the Lebanese Armed Forces to fulfill their obligations before the period ends.

Israel would very much prefer to have the Lebanese army deploy across southern Lebanon and ensure that Hezbollah retreats fully from the area, the official said.

Israeli forces have so far withdrawn from two towns in southern Lebanon — Khiam and Shamaa, but according to the International Organization for Migration, they remain stationed in some 60 others, and around 160,000 Lebanese remain displaced.

Meanwhile, the IDF has continued to carry out strikes against Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure in south Lebanon. It has denied violating the terms of the agreement, saying that the strikes have targeted Hezbollah’s own violations.

“But the first condition for the implementation of the agreement is the complete withdrawal of the Hezbollah terror organization beyond the Litani River, the dismantling of all weapons, and the [removal] of the terror infrastructure in the area by the Lebanese army, something that hasn’t happened yet,” Katz said.

“If this condition is not met, there will be no agreement, and Israel will be forced to act independently to ensure the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” he added.

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