English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For January 23/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 03/01-16/:”Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? ‘Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 22-23/2022
Lebanon to start virtual talks with IMF on Jan. 24
Visit aims to rebuild trust with Lebanon: Kuwait foreign minister
Lebanon’s Hariri 'Most Likely' Not to Run in Elections
Reports: Hariri, Mustaqbal Won't Run in Parliamentary Elections
Hariri, Jumblatt convene at Center House
Economy Minister vows to close breaching stores, work on legislations to protect consumers
FPM: To expedite the adoption of a budget that reflects the required reforms
Daher: Do all sides actually want to save the country or each has an agenda?
This government does not represent me. This parliament does not represent me./Jean-Marie Kassab

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 22-23/2022
Russia Toughens Its Posture amid Ukraine Tensions
Russian and UK defense ministers to meet over Ukraine
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speaks during a joint press
UAE official Gargash meets US special envoy to Yemen
Houthis, Aid Group: Death Toll from Prison Airstrike at 82
Arab League delays annual summit as COVID-19 bites again
Turkish journalist arrested for insulting President Erdogan: Report
Jailed British-Iranian man begins hunger strike
Third Day of Deadly Fighting between IS, Kurd Forces in Syria
Canada/Minister Joly meets with NATO Secretary General
Canada/Minister Joly concludes trip to Europe in support of Ukraine

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 22-23/2022
Thanks to Biden Administration's Weak Leadership, Iran-China Threat Growing/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute
Biden's Colossal Failure on Iran: Redesignate the Houthis a Foreign Terrorist Organization/Pete Hoekstra/Gatestone Institute
Jesus Christ as Palestinian Terrorist?/Raymond Ibrahim
Why now is not the time for elections in Libya/Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News
Cowardly ayatollahs wage proxy terror by remote control/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 22-23/2022
Lebanon to start virtual talks with IMF on Jan. 24
Reuters/22 January ,2022
Lebanese officials will start talks with the International Monetary Fund on Monday, an official government source told Reuters. An IMF spokesperson also told Reuters on Saturday that a team will start virtual talks with Lebanese authorities next week. The Lebanese government has said it hopes to reach an initial agreement with the fund for financial support between January and February. Lebanon is in the grip of an unprecedented financial crisis and an IMF deal is widely seen as the only way for it to secure aid. The fund said in December it was assessing a $69 billion figure announced by Lebanese officials for losses in the country’s financial sector. Disagreements in Lebanon over the size of the losses and how they should be distributed torpedoed IMF talks in 2020. The central bank, banks and political elite rejected figures set out in a government plan that was endorsed by the IMF at the time. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in September that the financial recovery plan to be drawn up by his cabinet will include a fair distribution of losses suffered by the financial system, but the cabinet hasn’t convened since October. It will convene again on Monday to discuss the 2022 budget, but no clear details have been released about the recovery plan. The Lebanese financial system collapsed in 2019 because of decades of corruption and waste in the state and the unsustainable way it was financed. The trigger was slowing inflows of hard currency into the banking system, which lent heavily to the government. Several reforms the IMF would likely seek, including cutting subsidies and unifying the numerous exchange rates in Lebanon’s chaotic cash economy, are already becoming realities as hard currency dries up, political sources say.

Visit aims to rebuild trust with Lebanon: Kuwait foreign minister
Reuters/Published: 22 January ,2022
Kuwait’s foreign minister said on Saturday he was visiting Lebanon to rebuild trust with the country and show solidarity with the Lebanese people, adding that the move had been coordinated with other Gulf countries. Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah’s visit to Beirut was the first by a senior Gulf Arab official since a diplomatic rift over comments made by a former Lebanese minister that were critical of Saudi Arabia’s role in the Yemen war. Sheikh Ahmad was speaking after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Mikati’s office announced the visit in a statement. The Gulf Cooperation Council had called on Lebanon in December to prevent Iran-backed Hezbollah group from conducting “terrorist operations,” strengthen its military and ensure that arms were limited to state institutions. Sheikh Ahmad is expected to meet Hezbollah allies President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Sunday, according to Lebanese official sources. Aoun and Mikati have called for dialogue with Saudi Arabia to resolve the diplomatic crisis, which has piled onto an economic meltdown now in its third year.Forum.

Lebanon’s Hariri 'Most Likely' Not to Run in Elections
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 22 January, 2022
Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Saad Hariri has held meetings with members of his Mustaqbal Movement, and ex-PMs Fouad Siniora and Tammam Salam to discuss with them the latest political developments. Hariri is expected to announce his decision regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections amid reports that he will “most likely” refrain from running as a candidate. Hariri is expected to complete his consultations and meet with Speaker Nabih Berri soon. A well-informed source revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the former PM does not intend to announce his candidacy or back the electoral lists of al-Mustaqbal. He pointed out that Hariri is about to take his decision to abstain from interfering in the parliamentary elections or even backing independent candidates. The source said that Hariri will also leave it to the current members of his parliamentary bloc and his Movement to decide whether to run in the elections or not, at their own risk. Hariri’s announcement regarding the elections is crucial and can affect political alliances in the vote.

Reports: Hariri, Mustaqbal Won't Run in Parliamentary Elections
Naharnet/January 22/2022
Ex-PM Saad Hariri has told al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc and al-Mustaqbal Movement’s political bureau that he has decided not to take part in the upcoming parliamentary elections -- neither in person nor as a political movement, media reports said on Saturday.
Referring to the meetings that Hariri held on Friday, Mustaqbal bloc sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper that the ex-PM “demonstrated the political scene in general, stopping at the disastrous impact on the economic and financial situations due to the policies adopted by the current presidential tenure.”“Hariri stressed to the conferees clearly and frankly that he has decided not to take part at all in the elections, neither in person nor through his political movement,” the sources added. “Some of the bloc’s MPs expressed their rejection of this decision as others expressed their fears, insisting that ex-PM Hariri should stay in this race. Hariri, however, underlined his insistence on the matter and told them that it is final and irreversible,” the sources revealed. The sources added that Hariri told the conferees that he would not endorse any candidate and that those wishing to nominate themselves can do so in their personal capacity.
The ex-PM is meanwhile scheduled to hold another meeting with his bloc on Monday, after which he would officially announce the non-participation decision. Al-Joumhouria for its part reported that “intensive contacts are underway in a bid to convince ex-PM Hariri to reverse his decision, especially that such a step can lead to unpleasant scenarios.”“Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat does not prefer Hariri’s exit and considers it -- should it happen -- a big mistake,” the daily said. “The contacts with ex-PM Hariri have not stopped,” PSP sources told the newspaper. Speaker Nabih Berri is also exerting efforts with Hariri through his political aide MP Ali Hassan Khalil, stressing the importance of “ex-PM Hariri and his political movement’s representation, both on the Sunni level and on the general political level,” al-Joumhouria said.

Hariri, Jumblatt convene at Center House
NNA/January 22/2022
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri received this evening at Center House, Progressive Socialist Party Chief Walid Jumblatt, accompanied by “Democratic Gathering” bloc members, MPs Taymour Jumblatt and Wael Abu Faour, in the presence of former Minister Ghattas Khoury.
Talks during the meeting centered on the upcoming parliamentary elections, the latest political developments and the general situation in the country.

Economy Minister vows to close breaching stores, work on legislations to protect consumers
NNA/January 22/2022
Minister of Economy and Trade Amin Salam affirmed today that "the state is capable of protecting the citizen and the consumer." Speaking to “Radio Free Lebanon” Channel this morning, Salam assured citizens that his Ministry is keen on preserving their interests, pledging to close any violating stores that fail to abide by set prices and that take advantage of the current circumstances to their own benefit. “This is an important issue that concerns the livelihood and sustenance of the citizen,” he said, adding, “We are keen on providing answers directly through the media so that the citizen really feels that the head of the pyramid in this responsibility is dedicated and decisive, so the role of the state and Economy Ministry’s monitoring function are not underestimated.”Salam pointed to a current legislative flaw in the Consumer Protection Law, namely the absence of any cost effect of violation records due to the depreciation value of the Lebanese pound, thus resulting in these records not being taken seriously. Hence, he assured that a huge legislative workshop is being planned to address this matter.

FPM: To expedite the adoption of a budget that reflects the required reforms
NNA/January 22/2022
The Free Patriotic Movement’s political council held its periodic meeting on Saturday, headed by its Chief, MP Gibran Bassil, with discussions centering on latest developments especially the awaited cabinet session to approve the state’s annual budget. In an issued statement following the meeting, the council stressed that “the Lebanese are waiting for the Council of Ministers, which will resume its meetings, to assume its responsibilities in expediting the approval of a budget that reflects the required reforms and integrates with the financial and economic recovery plan to get out of the current collapse.”
The Movement warned that “any budget that includes austerity measures, lifting of subsidies or new taxes, must coincide with a logical correction of wages in the public and private sectors, since employees cannot be left with such miserable salaries.”While expressing understanding towards raising public service tariffs in light of the collapse of the value of the Lebanese pound, the FPM council emphasized the need for this step to be accompanied by an improvement in the standard and quality of services along with ensuring the highest rate of levying to fairly include all taxpayers in all regions.

Daher: Do all sides actually want to save the country or each has an agenda?
NNA - Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdallah Bou Habib, will receive his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, at six o'clock this evening at the Civil Aviation Building at Beirut Airport.
Another meeting is scheduled to take place between both Ministers at 1:15 p.m. on Sunday at the Foreign Ministry.

This government does not represent me. This parliament does not represent me.
Jean-Marie Kassab/January 22/2022
This government does not represent me. This parliament does not represent me.
The three presidents do not represent me.
The next parliament (if elections happen) will not represent me.
They all work within and under the Iranian occupation.
Unless we take a bold move, things will not change and Lebanon will be lost.
Actions have to be taken. Now. Time has run out.
We should act now, further and beyond Resistance. We should be audacious.
One thing to do…
Will you help? Answers are expected.
Vive la Résistance
Vive le Liban
Jean-Marie Kassab
Task Force Lebanon
https://www.facebook.com/taskforcelb

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 22-23/2022
Russia Toughens Its Posture amid Ukraine Tensions
Associated Press/January 22/2022
With tens of thousands of Russian troops positioned near Ukraine, the Kremlin has kept the U.S. and its allies guessing about its next moves in the worst security crisis to emerge between Moscow and the West since the Cold War. Amid fears of an imminent attack on Ukraine, Russia has further upped the ante by announcing more military drills in the region. It also has refused to rule out the possibility of military deployments to the Caribbean, and President Vladimir Putin has reached out to leaders opposed to the West. The military muscle-flexing reflects a bold attempt by the Kremlin to halt decades of NATO expansion after the end of the Cold War. In talks with the United States, Russia demands legally binding guarantees that the alliance will not embrace Ukraine and other former Soviet nations, or place weapons there. It also wants NATO to pull back its forces from countries in Central and Eastern Europe that joined the alliance since the 1990s. Putin has described NATO membership for Ukraine and the others as well as the alliance's weapons deployments there as a red line for Moscow, warning that he would order unspecified "military-technical measures" if the demands aren't met. Putin pointed to NATO drills with the Ukrainian military, increasingly frequent visits of the alliance warships in the Black Sea and the flights of U.S. bombers near Crimea to emphasize the urgency of Russia's security demands. He argued that by creating training centers in Ukraine, Western powers can establish a military foothold there even without its joining NATO. "We have nowhere to retreat," Putin said. "They have taken it to the point where we simply must tell them: 'Stop!'"Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, has denied it intends to attack its neighbor. Last year, however, Putin issued a stark warning that an attempt by Ukraine to reclaim control of the areas in the east controlled by Russia-backed separatists would have "grave consequences for Ukrainian statehood."While Ukrainian authorities denied planning such offensive, U.S. intelligence officials concluded that Russia had already deployed operatives to carry out acts of sabotage in the rebel east and blame them on Ukraine in a "false-flag operation" to create a pretext for possible invasion. Russia has rejected the claim as "total disinformation."Putin has repeatedly asserted that Russians and Ukrainians are "one people," and says large chunks of Ukrainian territory are historic parts of Russia — arbitrarily granted to Ukraine by Communist leaders during Soviet times. Over 14,000 people have been killed in nearly eight years of fighting in Ukraine's industrial heartland called the Donbas, where the Moscow-supported insurgency erupted shortly after the annexation of Crimea. A 2015 peace deal brokered by France and Germany helped end large-scale battles, but a political settlement has stalled, and frequent skirmishes have continued along the tense line of contact. In early 2021, a spike in cease-fire violations in the east and a Russian troop concentration near Ukraine ignited the invasion fears, but tensions abated when Moscow pulled back the bulk of its forces after maneuvers in April. The military buildup near Ukraine resumed in the fall, with Ukrainian and Western officials warning that the increasing troop concentration could herald a multipronged Russian attack. Putin noted with satisfaction that Russia has caused a "certain stress" in the West. "It's necessary to keep them in that condition for as long as possible," he said in November, ordering his diplomats to push for binding guarantees against NATO expansion. While the U.S. and its allies rejected the Russian demands for a halt to NATO expansion, some observers note that Moscow's insistence on a written reply may reflect an intention to use it as an argument for a possible escalation. "At this stage, the parties don't intend to compromise and want to shift responsibility for a potential conflict," said Kirill Rogov, a Moscow-based independent analyst. Adding to an estimated 100,000 troops deployed near Ukraine, Russia also has moved more troops from Siberia and the Far East for joint drills with its ally Belarus, which also borders Ukraine. In those exercises, Russian military units have moved to areas near Belarus' southern border, which is about 75 kilometers (47 miles) from Kyiv. Earlier this week, the Russian Defense Ministry also announced a series of naval maneuvers in the Black Sea and more distant areas such as the Mediterranean, northeastern Atlantic and the Pacific. The exercises that will start this month and last through February would involve over 140 ships, dozens of aircraft and more than 10,000 personnel. Amid the tensions, Putin also worked to strengthen alliances with the countries opposed to the West. He has hosted Iran's hard-line president for talks on expanding cooperation and is set to travel to the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing where he will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In recent days, Putin also spoke by phone with the leaders of Nicaragua and Venezuela, and a Russian government plane was recently seen cruising between Cuba and Venezuela in a possible harbinger of the next Kremlin moves. After the U.S. and its allies rejected Russia's demands for a halt to NATO expansion, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov kept the door open for the deployment of military assets to Cuba and Venezuela. While voicing concern that NATO could potentially use Ukrainian territory for the deployment of missiles capable of reaching Moscow in just five minutes, Putin has warned that Russian warships armed with the latest Zircon hypersonic cruise missile would give Russia a similar capability if deployed in neutral waters. Fyodor Lukyanov, a leading Russian foreign policy expert, observed that with Russia and the West taking intransigent stands in the talks, an escalation appears inevitable. "Tensions will be high, including demonstrations of force not necessarily near or in Ukraine," Lukyanov wrote in a commentary. "Real talks with some room for maneuvering and a broader agenda would ideally begin only after the next round of escalation in order to ease tensions."

Russian and UK defense ministers to meet over Ukraine
AFP/22 January ,2022
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has accepted an invitation to meet his British counterpart Ben Wallace to discuss the crisis on the Russia-Ukraine border, a senior UK defense source said Saturday. “The Defense Secretary is glad that Russia has accepted the invitation to talk with his counterpart,” the source said. “Given the last defense bilateral between our two countries took place in London in 2013, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has offered to meet in Moscow instead,” added the source. “The Secretary of State has been clear that he will explore all avenues to achieve stability and a resolution to the Ukraine crisis.”Tens of thousands of Russian troops are massed on Ukraine’s border, along with an arsenal of tanks, fighting vehicles, artillery and missiles. Russia has denied it plans to invade but the White House believes an attack could now come “at any point.”British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned on Friday that Moscow risks becoming embroiled in a “terrible quagmire” if it invades. In a speech in Australia, the UK’s top diplomat issued a blunt and personal warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he is on the brink of making a major strategic blunder. He “has not learned the lessons of history,” Truss told Sydney’s Lowy Institute. “The Ukrainians will fight this, it could be a quagmire” she said. Britain is among a handful of Western nations rushing weapons such as anti-tank missiles to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speaks during a joint press
AFP/22 January ,2022
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Saturday slammed Germany for its refusal to supply weapons to Kyiv, urging Berlin to stop “undermining unity” and “encouraging Vladimir Putin” amid fears of a Russian invasion. With tens of thousands of Russian troops massed on the Ukrainian border, fears are mounting that a major conflict could break out in Europe. Ukraine’s calls to Western allies to bolster its defense capabilities have seen the United States, Britain and Baltic states agreed to send to Kyiv weapons, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles. Kuleba said on Twitter that Germany’s statements “about the impossibility of supplying defense weapons to Ukraine” did not match “the current security situation.” Ukraine’s minister stressed that “today the unity of the West in relation to Russia is more important than ever.”“The German partners must stop undermining unity with such words and actions and encouraging (Russian President) Vladimir Putin to launch a new attack on Ukraine,” Kuleba said. Ukraine is “grateful” to Germany for the support it has already provided, but its “current statements are disappointing,” he added. Earlier on Saturday German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said that Berlin will send a field hospital to Ukraine, while once again rejecting Kyiv’s calls for weapons. Berlin has already delivered respirators to Ukraine and severely injured Ukrainian soldiers are currently being treated in Bundeswehr hospitals, she told Welt am Sonntag newspaper. “Weapons deliveries would not be helpful at the moment – that is the consensus within the government,” Lambrecht said. Moscow insists it has no plans to invade Ukraine but has at the same time laid down a series of security demands – including a ban on Ukraine joining NATO – in exchange for de-escalation.

UAE official Gargash meets US special envoy to Yemen
Ayush Narayanan, Al Arabiya English/22 January ,2022
The diplomatic adviser to the UAE President Anwar Gargash met with the US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking on Saturday, the official WAM news agency reported. The officials met five days after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis attacked the country’s capital city, Abu Dhabi. Lenderking reiterated that the US stands with the UAE in the face of “the Houthi terrorist attack,” WAM reported. The UAE official also held a phone call with Hans Grundberg, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Yemen on Friday, where the duo reviewed the nature of the Iran-backed Houthi attack in Abu Dhabi that led to a fuel tanker explosion killing three. In both these instances, Gargash stressed the need for the international community to take a “firm stance against these hostile and terrorist acts that threaten international peace and security.”He stated that the group repeatedly violated international laws and agreements, primarily, the Stockholm Agreement, which Gargash says is evident in the port of Hodeida which is reportedly being used for “maritime piracy and war financing.” According to the WAM report, Gargash renewed his appreciation for the US’ position which condemned and denounced the attack and called for working with the US and the international community to stop the Houthi disregard for the security and stability of the region. Referring to the position of the UN Security Council, which unanimously condemned the attacks, Gargash says that the Iran-backed militia requires a “serious international position towards the encroachment on the security of the countries of the region and the Yemeni people, and their continuous threat to international maritime navigation.”The UAE official also reiterated that “appropriate international pressure” may help reach a ceasefire agreement and aid in finding a political solution to the Yemeni crisis. “The Houthis have never committed to any agreements and pledges, and will not do so without clear international pressure,” WAM quoted Gargash as saying. The Iran-backed militia frequently target civilian areas and energy facilities in Saudi Arabia with explosive-laden drones and ballistic missiles. The Arab Coalition has been carrying out attacks against legitimate military Houthi targets in Yemen in recent months, warning civilians to not approach or gather around the targeted sites beforehand. However, the recent drone attack in Abu Dhabi marks the first reported Iran-backed Houthi incident on UAE soil.
Lenderking's Gulf visit It was announced earlier this week that Lenderking is heading to the Gulf and London to “reinvigorate peace efforts,” the US State Department said announced. “The Special Envoy and his team will press the parties to de-escalate militarily and seize the new year to participate fully in an inclusive UN-led peace process,” the State Department said ahead of his visit.He will focus on the “urgent need to mitigate the dire humanitarian and economic crises facing Yemenis.”

Houthis, Aid Group: Death Toll from Prison Airstrike at 82
Associated Press/January 22/2022
The death toll from a Saudi-led coalition airstrike that hit a prison run by Yemen's Houthi rebels climbed to at least 82 detainees, the rebels and an aid group said Saturday. Internet access in the Arab world's poorest country remained largely down.The airstrike in northern Saada province Friday was part of an intense air and ground offensive that marked an escalation in Yemen's yearslong civil war. The conflict pits the internationally recognized government, aided by the Saudi-led coalition, against the Iranian-backed rebels. The escalation comes after the Houthis claimed a drone and missile attack that struck inside the United Arab Emirates' capital earlier in the week. It also comes as government forces, aided by UAE-backed troops and airstrikes from the coalition, have reclaimed the entire province of Shabwa from the Houthis and pressured them in the central province of Marib. Houthis there have for a year attempted to take control of its provincial capital. Ahmed Mahat, head of Doctors Without Borders, a charity mission in Yemen, told The Associated Press they counted at least 82 dead and more than 265 wounded in the airstrike. The Houthis' media office said rescuers were still searching for survivors and bodies in the rubble of the prison site in the province of Saada on the border with Saudi Arabia. Saudi coalition spokesman Brig. Gen. Turki al-Malki alleged the Houthis hadn't reported the site as needing protection from airstrikes to the U.N. or the International Committee of the Red Cross. He claimed the Houthis' failure to do so represented the militia's "usual deceptive approach" in the conflict. The Houthis used the prison complex to hold detained migrants, mostly Africans attempting to cross through the war-torn country into Saudi Arabia, according to the humanitarian organization Save the Children.
But Mahat, of Doctors Without Borders, said the airstrike hit a different part of the facility housing other types of detainees. "The migrants there are safe," he said. The Saada attack followed another Saudi-led coalition airstrike Friday at the Red Sea port city of Hodeida hit a telecommunications center key to Yemen's connection to the internet. Access to the internet has remained "largely down for more than 24 hours" in the country, advocacy group NetBlocks.org said Saturday. The Saada air attack, one of the deadliest of the war, was not the first to hit a Houthi-run prison. In September 2019, an airstrike hit a detention center the southwestern Dhamar province, killing more than 100 people and wounding dozens.Rights groups have previously documented that the Houthis use civilian detainees as human shields by placing them in detention centers next to military barracks under constant threat of airstrikes. Friday's airstrikes in Saada and Hodeida have renewed criticism of the coalition from the United Nations and international aid and rights groups.
Saudi-led coalition airstrikes have hit schools, hospitals and wedding parties, killing thousands of civilians. The Houthis meanwhile have used child soldiers and indiscriminately laid land mines across the country. They also launched cross-border attacks using ballistic missiles and explosives-laden drones on Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The latest escalation of fighting in Yemen was the most intense since the 2018 battle for Hodeida and comes after a year of U.S. and U.N. diplomatic efforts failed to bring the two sides to the negotiating table. The rebels have repeatedly pushed back against U.N. and U.S. calls to halt the offensive on oil-rich Marib province. The Houthis have been trying for a year to take Marib to complete their control of the northern half of Yemen. That would likely give them an upper hand in any future negotiations. "The coalition has pulled the stops out to prevent a collapse in Marib and to shift the conflict towards a military equilibrium," said Peter Salisbury, Yemen expert at the International Crisis Group. The conflict in the Arab world's poorest country began in 2014, when the Houthis took the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, forcing the government to flee to the south, then to exile in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition, backed at the time by the U.S., entered the war months later to try to restore the government to power. The conflict has since become a regional proxy war that has killed tens of thousands of civilians and fighters. The war also created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, leaving millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and pushing the country to the brink of famine.

Arab League delays annual summit as COVID-19 bites again
AFP/22 January ,2022
The Arab League has announced it is delaying its annual summit scheduled for March 22 in Algiers because of COVID-19 after two years of cancellations due to the pandemic. “Every year, the summit is held in March, but this year, there has been a delay,” the pan-Arab organization’s assistant secretary general, Hossam Zaki, said in televised remarks Friday, a week after returning to Cairo from a visit to Algiers. The last Arab League summit was held in Tunis in March 2019. The past two years’ gatherings have been cancelled due to the pandemic. Zaki added that Algeria “preferred the option” of delaying the summit, noting that the critical mass of Arab leaders and high-ranking officials needed for the summit could not be guaranteed due to the public health situation. Arab foreign ministers are expected to announce a new date for the summit during their scheduled meeting on March 9, Zaki said. Zaki said that there were “no political reasons” behind the delay, but the time could be used to “improve political climates” in the region. The summit is important for Algeria, which has been seeking to expand its political sphere of influence, against the backdrop of heightened tensions with Morocco. No agenda has been announced for this year’s summit, but the Arab world remains plagued with multiple conflicts and crises.These extend from the war in Yemen, which has killed nearly 400,000 people since 2015, to the 2021 coup in Sudan that resulted in its suspension from the African Union, as well as protracted crises in Libya, Lebanon and beyond.

Turkish journalist arrested for insulting President Erdogan: Report
Reuters/ 22 January ,2022
A Turkish court on Saturday ordered well-known journalist Sedef Kabas to be jailed pending trial on a charge of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, CNN Turk said, targeting her with a law under which tens of thousands have been prosecuted. Police detained Kabas at around 2 a.m. (2300 GMT) and took her first to Istanbul’s main police station before transferring her to the city’s main courthouse, where a court subsequently ruled in favor of her formal arrest, the broadcaster said. The alleged insult was in the form of a palace-related proverb that Kabas expressed both on an opposition television channel and on her Twitter account, drawing condemnation from government officials. “The honor of the presidency’s office is the honor of our country... I condemn the vulgar insults made against our president and his office,” Fahrettin Altun, head of Turkey’s Communications Directorate, wrote on Twitter.
Merdan Yanardag, chief editor of the Tele 1 channel on which Kabas made the comment, sharply criticized her arrest. “Her detention overnight at 2 a.m. because of a proverb is unacceptable,” he wrote on Twitter. “This stance is an attempt to intimidate journalists, the media and society.”
The law on insulting the president carries a jail sentence of between one and four years. Last October, Europe’s top human rights court called on Turkey to change the legislation after ruling that a man’s detention under the law violated his freedom of expression. Thousands have been charged and sentenced over the crime of insulting Erdogan in the seven years since he moved from being prime minister to president. In 2020, 31,297 investigation were launched in relation to the charge, 7,790 cases were filed and 3,325 resulted in convictions, according to Justice Ministry data. Those numbers were slightly lower than the previous year. Since 2014, the year Erdogan became president, 160,169 investigations were launched over insulting the president, 35,507 cases were filed and there were 12,881 convictions.

Jailed British-Iranian man begins hunger strike
Arab News/January 22, 2022
LONDON: A British-Iranian dual national imprisoned in Iran will begin a hunger strike on Sunday in support of an American former hostage of Tehran who is staging his own hunger strike outside the nuclear talks in Vienna. Anoosheh Ashoori is staging the strike in solidarity with Barry Rosen, 77, who, as then-press attache at the US Embassy in Tehran, was held hostage for 444 days between 1979 and 1981. Ashoori was arrested in August 2017 and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for espionage. He is now jailed in Evin prison in Tehran. His wife Sherry said: “We are extremely concerned for his health as he approaches his 68th birthday, but having failed to see any progress in the UK Foreign Office’s efforts to secure his release, and no sign of the welfare of hostages held by Iran currently being a priority of Western governments, he will begin his hunger strike.” Rosen says hostages should be released as part of a new nuclear deal, and has also been joined on hunger strike by Lebanese US resident Nizar Zakka, who was detained by Iran between 2015 and 2019. Rosen told The Guardian: “I am receiving heart-rending messages from Iranians, and I am absolutely humbled that Anoosheh is doing this in support of me.
“I support him completely in return and I urge him to be careful and look after himself. I am starting to feel tired and weak, but I am determined to continue. “I am here to call on the Americans and the Europeans to make the release of the hostages a condition of any agreement to renew the Iran nuclear deal.
“This has been going on for 40 years, and people are being thrown in jail with no evidence. There has to be an agreement that this will end.”Rosen said he is concerned that Western countries are not taking Iran’s hostage-taking strategy seriously. “It is like herding cats. Each country seems to deal with its dual national hostages on its own,” he added. “There is no sense of commonality, so they leave Iran to pick each country off. Something is missing here. The Iranians seem to be dividing and ruling. “I decided to do this (campaign) two weeks ago. I am just an individual, and thought I might be a lone eagle, but it feels like a movement might be starting.”

Third Day of Deadly Fighting between IS, Kurd Forces in Syria
Agence France Presse/January 22/2022
Fighting raged for a third day Saturday between the Islamic State group and Kurdish forces in Syria after IS attacked a prison housing jihadists, in violence that has claimed over 70 lives, a monitor said. The assault on the Ghwayran prison in the northern city of Hasakeh is one of IS's most significant since its "caliphate" was declared defeated in Syria nearly three years ago. "At least 28 members of the Kurdish security forces, five civilians and 45 members of IS have been killed" in the violence, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. IS launched the attack on Thursday night against the prison housing some 3,500 suspected members of the jihadist group, including some of its leaders, said the Observatory. The jihadists "seized weapons they found" in the detention center, said the Britain-based monitor, which relies on sources inside war-torn Syria for its information. Hundreds of jihadist inmates had since been recaptured but dozens were still believed to be on the loose, the Observatory said. The prison was surrounded by Kurdish forces with the support of the international coalition, it added. "Fighting is taking place on the northern side of the prison," Farhad Shami, spokesman for the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said, calling the situation "exceptional". The jihadist group said in a statement released on Friday by its Amaq news agency that its attack on the jail aimed to "free the prisoners".
- 'Fat target' -
IS has carried out regular attacks against Kurdish and government targets in Syria since the rump of its once-sprawling proto-state was overrun in March 2019. Most of their guerrilla attacks have been against military targets and oil installations in remote areas, but the Hasakeh prison break could mark a new phase in the group's resurgence. It was not immediately clear Friday whether the prison break was part of a centrally coordinated operation -- timed to coincide with an attack on a military base in neighboring Iraq -- or the action of a local IS cell. Analyst Nicholas Heras of the Newlines Institute in Washington said the jihadist group targeted the prison to bolster its numbers. The Islamic State group "wants to move beyond being the terrorist and criminal network that it has devolved into, and to do that it needs more fighters," he told AFP. "Prison breaks represent the best opportunity for ISIS to regain its strength in arms, and Ghwayran prison is a nice fat target for ISIS because its overcrowded," he said, using another acronym for IS. The prospect of a repeat of the attack remains very real, said Colin Clarke, research director at the New York-based Soufan Center think-tank. "The SDF needs a comprehensive strategy to deal with this threat," he said. The Kurdish authorities have long warned they do not have the capacity to hold, let alone put on trial, the thousands of IS fighters captured in years of operations. According to Kurdish authorities, more than 50 nationalities are represented in a number of Kurdish-run prisons, where more than 12,000 IS suspects are now held. The war in Syria broke out in 2011 and has since killed close to half a million people and spurred the largest conflict-induced displacement since World War II.

Canada/Minister Joly meets with NATO Secretary General
January 21, 2022 - Brussels, Belgium - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, yesterday met with Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
During the meeting, Minister Joly shared insights from her recent trip to Ukraine as they discussed Russia’s military buildup and its other destabilizing activities in and around Ukraine. They also discussed the NATO-Russia Council meeting held on January 12 and the way forward.
Minister Joly expressed Canada’s deep concerns over Russia’s continued buildup and recent developments. She reiterated that Canada will continue its unwavering support of Ukraine and for NATO’s efforts to engage Russia and to encourage immediate de-escalation.
Minister Joly and Secretary General Stoltenberg agreed on the importance of Russia abiding by its international commitments, including on transparency of military activities. They also discussed the severe consequences and costs of any further violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Minister Joly reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to a united approach with fellow NATO allies and European partners and to continuing to seek dialogue with Russia in order to find a peaceful solution.

Canada/Minister Joly concludes trip to Europe in support of Ukraine
January 21, 2022 - Brussels, Belgium - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today concluded her trip to Ukraine, France and Belgium, during which she met with European counterparts and reaffirmed Canada’s steadfast support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. This important work builds on engagement in recent weeks and months, including with NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and G7 counterparts.
Minister Joly began her trip in Kyiv, Ukraine, where she met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal, as well as with Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff to President Zelenskyy, to discuss pressing issues facing the people of Ukraine, including the economic instability caused by Russia’s ongoing aggression and destabilizing activities. Minister Joly reaffirmed Canada’s intention to provide additional support to Ukraine.
Minister Joly made clear that Canada stands with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. Minister Joly underscored that Canada is resolute in its commitment to the preservation of global security, and she personally thanked those helping to safeguard it when she visited Canadian Armed Forces troops deployed to Canada’s training and capacity-building mission Operation UNIFIER.
In Paris, France, Minister Joly met with Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, to exchange perspectives on issues of common interest, namely Russia’s military buildup in and around Ukraine. The ministers agreed that the only viable path forward for Russia is to engage in meaningful dialogue and de-escalation. Minister Joly also met with Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of La Francophonie, to discuss ways to better support democracy, human rights and gender equality in the francophone world.
To conclude her trip, in Brussels, Belgium, Minister Joly met with Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, to discuss NATO’s unified stance on Russia’s military buildup in and around Ukraine and NATO’s ongoing efforts to call on Russia to take steps to de-escalate the situation. She also met with Charles Michel, President of the European Council, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, and Sophie Wilmès, Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade. In these meetings, Minister Joly discussed the importance of defending multilateralism and the vital role of a co-ordinated responses in deterring Russian aggression in and around Ukraine, including through sanctions.
Throughout her visit, Minister Joly expressed her sincere thanks to her European counterparts for their warm welcomes, and she emphasized Canada’s unwavering commitment to the rules-based international order and to Euro-Atlantic security, including the security of Ukraine and its people.
The Minister will return to Canada on Saturday, January 22. All COVID-19-related public health rules and guidelines will be followed.
Quotes
“Canada’s support for Ukraine is unwavering. In the face of Russian aggression, Canada is proud to stand with those who believe in Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. As I leave Belgium today, Canada’s commitment to Ukraine and its people is stronger than ever.”
Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Quick facts
Since Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 440 individuals and entities, many in coordination with its NATO allies.
Canada’s contributions to NATO demonstrate its unwavering commitment to the alliance and to maintaining strong allied capacity to respond to the evolving security environment.

The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 22-23/2022
Thanks to Biden Administration's Weak Leadership, Iran-China Threat Growing
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/January 22, 2022
"China's leading diplomat underlined his country's readiness to expand cooperation with Iran in financing, energy, banking and cultural sectors despite" the US sanctions. – Tehran Times, January 15, 2022.
The agreement grants China significant rights over the Iran's resources and help to Iran in increasing its oil and gas production. Leaked information showed that one of its terms is that China will be investing nearly $400 billion in Iran's oil, gas and petrochemicals industries. In return, China will get priority to bid on any new project in Iran that is linked to these sectors. China will also be able to pay in any currency it chooses.
The partnership is not only going to assist the Iranian regime to skirt US sanctions, it also enables Iran to gain access to funds, empower its militia and terror groups in the region and continue advancing its nuclear weapons program.
The agreement between China and Iran, defying and challenging the US, also has a military dimension. Iran's armed forces are currently holding a joint naval exercise with China and Russia. Iran, posing a threat to the region and the United States, will also, in all probability, step up its acquisition of advanced weaponry and nuclear technology from China.
As the largest importer of Iranian oil, China will also have authority over Iran's islands, gain access to the oil at a highly discounted rate and increase its influence and presence in almost every sector of Iranian industry, including telecommunications, energy, ports, railways, and banking.
The real horror, as China and Iran's military and strategic partnership intensifies, is that the Biden administration's reluctance to take a firm stand against the mullahs and Beijing -- as with Afghanistan and now Ukraine -- can only have incalculably severe repercussions for the national security interests of the US and its allies, who may feel the need to start "hedging their bets" and seeking out presumably more reliable protectors, who may not have our best interests at heart.
The agreement between China and Iran, defying and challenging the US, also has a military dimension. Iran's armed forces are currently holding a joint naval exercise with China and Russia. Iran, posing a threat to the region and the United States, will also, in all probability, step up its acquisition of advanced weaponry and nuclear technology from China. Pictured: Iranian, Russia and Chinese warships during a joint military drill in the Indian Ocean on January 21, 2022.
The ruling mullahs of Iran are strengthening their ties with the Chinese Communist Party as well as conveniently violating US sanctions without facing any repercussions from the Biden administration.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited China on January 15, 2022 and met with his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. During his visit, the regimes announced the launch of their new 25-year partnership. As Iran's leaders and news outlets celebrated, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian pointed out:
"At the start of New Year 2022, I am very pleased to visit China on my first official visit as foreign minister. Mr. Wang Yi, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister, and I reached an important consensus in the beautiful city of Wuxi, Jiangu Province, over a wide variety of topics ranging from the Comprehensive Partnership Program to consultations on the Vienna talks... Simultaneously with the talks in China, we had prepared the groundwork for announcing today the day of the start of the implementation of the comprehensive agreement on strategic cooperation between the two countries."
The plan that the Chinese and Iranian leaders are referring to is linked to a 25-year deal reached between Tehran and Beijing in March 2021; it now enters the stage of its implementation.
According to the agreement, China will continue to import oil from Iran in spite of US sanctions. According to the Tehran Times: "For his part, the Chinese foreign minister approved of his Iranian counterpart's views expounded in his op-ed published in China's Global Times. Wang said that the Iranian foreign minister's views show the promising horizon in relations between Tehran and Beijing. China's leading diplomat underlined his country's readiness to expand cooperation with Iran in financing, energy, banking and cultural sectors despite" the US sanctions.
The agreement grants China significant rights over the Iran's resources and help to Iran in increasing its oil and gas production. Leaked information showed that one of its terms is that China will be investing nearly $400 billion in Iran's oil, gas and petrochemicals industries. In return, China will get priority to bid on any new project in Iran that is linked to these sectors. China will also be able to pay in any currency it chooses.
The partnership is not only going to assist the Iranian regime to skirt US sanctions, it also enables Iran to gain access to funds, empower its militia and terror groups in the region and continue advancing its nuclear weapons program.
China, when it was recently asked to cut its imports of Iranian oil according to the US sanctions, brushed off the Biden administration. Beijing is most likely aware that the Biden administration will not be taking any tangible actions against either China or Iran. China anyhow, despite the sanctions, has been buying a record amount of oil from Iran and Venezuela. By comparison, during the Trump administration, China's oil imports from Iran had reached their lowest level.
The agreement between China and Iran, defying and challenging the US, also has a military dimension. Iran's armed forces are currently holding a joint naval exercise with China and Russia. Iran, posing a threat to the region and the United States, will also, in all probability, step up its acquisition of advanced weaponry and nuclear technology from China.
China, for its part, will be deploying 5,000 members of its security forces on the ground in Iran. As the largest importer of Iranian oil, China will also have authority over Iran's islands, gain access to the oil at a highly discounted rate and increase its presence and influence in almost every sector of Iranian industry, including telecommunications, energy, ports, railways, and banking.
Iran also, after many years of trying, has become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). In September 2021, the SCO -- despite the Financial Action Task Force global financial watchdog having placed Tehran on its terrorism financing blacklist -- agreed to elevate Iran's status from observer to full member.
The real horror, as China and Iran's military and strategic partnership intensifies, is that the Biden administration's reluctance to take a firm stand against the mullahs and Beijing -- as with Afghanistan and now Ukraine -- can only have incalculably severe repercussions for the national security interests of the US and its allies, who may feel the need to start "hedging their bets" and seeking out presumably more reliable protectors, who may not have our best interests at heart.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 2022 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Biden's Colossal Failure on Iran: Redesignate the Houthis a Foreign Terrorist Organization
Pete Hoekstra/Gatestone Institute/January 22, 2022
The Houthis serve as Iran's proxy in the civil war in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia, which backs the internationally recognized Republic of Yemen government. The UAE, which hosts U.S. military forces at Al Dhafra air base, has been a part of the Saudi coalition to support the official Yemeni government.
With its decisions to delist the Houthis, sideline the Abraham Accords, and focus on diplomacy all within days of each other, the Biden administration demonstrated the lengths it would go to reenter the deeply flawed, Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran.
The State Department most likely realized early on that its decision to delist the Houthis [from the List of Foreign Terrorist Organizations] was doomed to failure. Only two days after they were removed from the terrorist list, the State Department was forced to condemn the group for its continued attacks. State Department spokesperson Ned Price lamely said that the U.S. remains "deeply troubled" by the group's actions.
Given the clear evidence that its policies are not working, it is time for the Biden administration to shift direction. The administration must redesignate the Houthis as the terrorist organization it is.
Given the clear evidence that its policies are not working, it is time for the Biden administration to shift direction. The administration must redesignate the Houthis as the terrorist organization it is. A picture shows a partial view of the Msaffah industrial district in the Emiarti capital Abu Dhabi on January 17, 2022. - Three people were killed in a suspected drone attack that set off a blast and a fire in Abu Dhabi today, officials said, as Yemen's rebels announced military operations in the United Arab Emirates. Two Indians and a Pakistani died as three petrol tanks exploded near the storage facility of oil giant ADNOC, while a fire ignited in a construction area at Abu Dhabi airport.
A recent drone and missile attack by Iranian-backed Houthis rebels on Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has laid-bare the ongoing failures of the Biden administration's approach to Iran and foreign policy in general. The attack, which was deliberately aimed at civilian instead of military targets, shows the limits of appeasement and diplomacy in a region where Iran, figuratively and literally, tries to call-the-shots for and against its neighbors.
Think back to the week of February 13, 2021, roughly four weeks after the inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the United States. For the Middle East, this week marked a clear signal that American foreign policy was headed in a new direction. Diplomacy with Iran would now consist of "hedging geopolitical bets" to see if toxic nations in the region could be "diplomatically" persuaded or cajoled or possibly bribed to refrain from malign activities in the region – if not forever, at least not on current president's watch. The theory seems to be that to strengthen ties between brutal theocratic tyrannies -- Iran has been identified by the US Department of State as "the world's worst state sponsor of terrorism" -- and the United States. There seems to be minimal awareness, if any, that brutal tyrannies are likely to accept whatever is offered and keep on doing exactly what the offer was designed to prevent. US Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, for instance, offered $5 billion to North Korea not to build a nuclear program; North Korea took the $5 billion and used it to build its nuclear program.
Currently Iran boasts control of four Arab capitols: Damascus in Syria, Beirut in Lebanon, Baghdad in Iraq and Sana'a in Yemen. In addition, Iran has aggressively meddled in the internal affairs of Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain.
The Abraham Accords, the most successful diplomatic initiative in the Middle East in the last 40 years, was moved to the background, and the administration would make little effort, if any, to expand it to more countries. Eleven months later, this change in emphasis may prove to have even more devastating, long-term strategic consequences than Biden's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Among the self-inflicted disasters that happened during this critical week of February 12, 2021, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken formally revoked the designation of the Iranian-backed Houthis as a Specially Designated Terrorist Group. Later the same week, the Biden administration announced that, "The United States would accept an invitation from the European Union High Representative to attend a meeting ... to discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran's nuclear program."
This diplomatic approach with Iran mirrored the State Department's view of Yemen where it reaffirmed, "our strong belief that there is no military solution to this conflict." The era of "Biden Diplomacy for the Middle East" had arrived, and U.S. foreign policy was quickly melding with what I observed while serving in Europe. Diplomacy, basically talking, was – often catastrophically -- seen as the solution to almost every problem.
It is obvious that these two events are related. The Houthis serve as Iran's proxy in the civil war in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia, which backs the internationally recognized Republic of Yemen government. The UAE, which hosts U.S. military forces at Al Dhafra air base, has been a part of the Saudi coalition to support the official Yemeni government.
With its decisions to delist the Houthis, sideline the Abraham Accords, and focus on diplomacy all within days of each other, the Biden administration demonstrated the lengths it would go to reenter the deeply flawed, Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran.
President Donald Trump had withdrawn the U.S. from the Iranian nuclear agreement because it failed to put any limits on Iranian state-sponsored terrorist activities and allowed for continued Iranian development of its ballistic missile program, as well as permitting Iran to have, at the "sunset" of the agreement, as many nuclear weapons as it liked. The Trump strategy was to use forceful measures to confront Iran, paralyze its economy through tough economic sanctions, and strengthen regional allies to defeat Iranian-sponsored threats. Iran would pay a strong price for its destructive and dangerous actions, and the U.S. would stand, in a forceful show of commitment, with our allies against Iran's efforts to destabilize the region.
The State Department most likely realized early on that its decision to delist the Houthis was doomed to failure. Only two days after they were removed from the terrorist list, the State Department was forced to condemn the group for its continued attacks. State Department spokesperson Ned Price lamely said that the U.S. remains "deeply troubled" by the group's actions.
The situation in the region during the last 11 months has not improved; it has only continued to deteriorate. Fighting has escalated, culminating with the Houthi drone and missile attack against the UAE that killed three people and left at least six injured.
The Biden administration might have hoped that its concessions to Iran and the Houthis would change their behavior and open the door to resume the Iran deal and ease the humanitarian crisis caused by the Yemeni civil war. That is not, however, what has happened.
What results so often when the U.S., or any country, shows weakness through unearned concessions is that the enemy takes advantage, and Iran is clearly determined to test the U.S. When the Biden administration created space between the U.S., the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, Iran, through its proxies, moved into that gap and has been attempting to wedge it open. Our friends in the region are uncertain as to whose side we are on; Iran, seeing the uncertainty, is working to leverage it. Iran also recognizes that the Biden administration is unlikely to use the powerful options at its disposal, as it keeps assuring the countries that would neuter it, and will focus instead on "diplomacy." That is why Iran's latest poke in the eye of the U.S. and its regional allies—conducting joint naval drills with in the northern Indian Ocean with China and Russia the same week as the Houthi attack—comes as little surprise.
Given the clear evidence that its policies are not working, it is time for the Biden administration to shift direction. The administration must redesignate the Houthis as the terrorist organization it is. It also must build a strong, resolute coalition to confront and hold Iran accountable for its destructive behavior in the region and focus on expanding the Abraham Accords as the best option for peace, economic prosperity, and an effective counter to Iran's malign efforts. A Middle East destabilized by Iran and its proxies, given the room to develop nuclear weapons, poses a grave danger to the safety of America, the region, and the world.
Peter Hoekstra was US Ambassador to the Netherlands during the Trump administration. He served 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the second district of Michigan and served as Chairman and Ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee. He is currently Chairman of the Center for Security Policy Board of Advisors, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.
*© 2022 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Jesus Christ as Palestinian Terrorist?
Raymond Ibrahim/January 20, 2022
Not only has Islam transformed Jesus Christ into a Muslim, and a "Palestinian" one at that; Palestinians are apparently trying to transform him into a "heroic martyr"—a term often translated by those on the receiving end of such heroism as a "terrorist."
As a January 14, 2022 article by PMW explains:
The PA uses many euphemisms and terms to refer to terrorists, and they are applying two of them to Jesus. The first is Fida'i, literally "self-sacrificing fighter." For example, terrorist Ashraf Na'alwa, who brought a rifle to work, tied up a young mother of a 15-month-old, and then murdered her and another coworker, was called by Fatah: "The heroic Fida'i." Fatah official Rawhi Fattouh applied this status to Jesus: "Jesus the first Palestinian Fida'i."
The second term is Shahid – Islamic "Martyr" – the word the PA uses for every terrorist killed during his/her attack, including suicide bombers. Senior Fatah leader Tawfiq Tirawi applied both terms to Jesus: "The first Fida'i and the first Martyr, the messiah Jesus."
It must, of course, be remembered that for Palestinians and Muslims in general, those who sacrifice their lives for the cause of Allah—and Allah is very much interested in things like land and territorial disputes—are the apple of that deity's eye, deserving of the highest paradisiacal rewards. As the Muslim prophet, Muhammad, explained in an oft cited and canonical hadith, "the martyr"—the shahid— "is special to Allah":
He is forgiven from the first drop of blood [he sheds]. He sees his throne in paradise. . . . Fixed atop his head will be a crown of honor, a ruby that is greater than the world and all it contains. And he will copulate with seventy-two Houris [celestial sexual women—"big-bosomed" and "wide-eyed" says the Koran (56:22, 78:33)—created by Allah for the express purpose of sexually gratifying his favorites in perpetuity ].
In this context, Jesus Christ, whom Muslims have appropriated and transformed into "Isa the prophet," is a great martyr—not because he was crucified for the sins of mankind (Islam teaches someone else was crucified in Christ's place at the last minute), but because he gives his life to fight infidels and uphold sharia.
To understand the true nature of Islam's Jesus, consider what some of the most canonical hadiths say about him (translations of the following are from Muslim Sources of the Crusader Period by James E. Lindsay and Suleiman Mourad).
In one, Jesus approvingly quotes Muhammad saying that whoever makes him, Muhammad, Christ's equal—and thereby contradicts the oldest Christian Creed (1 Cor. 15: 3-7)—will go to heaven: "Whoever testifies that there is no god but God, alone with no partner, and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, and that Jesus is His servant and messenger ... Allah will admit him to paradise for saying that."
In another hadith, a woman says to Jesus, "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breast that suckled you." To this, a shocked Jesus replies: "No, but blessed is he who reads the Qur'an and follows what is in it!"
In Islam's "end times," Jesus will die fighting the Antichrist.
But it is only when he returns in Islam's version of the "end times" that the Muslim Jesus truly shines. According to Islamic teaching, he will return to "break the crosses, slaughter the pigs, end the jizya tax on non-Muslims, making warfare against the People of the Book (e.g. Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, etc.) and others licit." In the midst of the final showdown between the forces of Allah and the forces of Antichrist (al-Dajjal), Jesus will first appear "praying behind" an Islamic leader. Then, "after Jesus finishes his prayer, he will take his lance, go toward the Antichrist and kill him. Then Jesus will die and the Muslims will wash him and bury him."
In such a manner is he a "martyr"—no different, for many Muslims, than his supposed Palestinian kinsmen who blow themselves up in the service of Islam.
Here, then, is yet another stark reminder that Islam's appropriation and subsequent mutilation of biblical figures is not a source of "commonalities" and "bridges" between Islam on the one hand and Judaism and Christianity on the other, as the "ecumenists" insist. Rather, it is Islam's way of manipulating the figures of Judaism and Christianity for its own agenda and precisely against Jews and Christians.
*Raymond Ibrahim is the Judith Friedman Rosen Fellow at the Middle East

Why now is not the time for elections in Libya
Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News/January 22, 2022
It was inevitable that after a decade of tumult, the next phase of Libya’s pursuit of a sovereign civil state could come only through tenuous compromises and complex deals between diametrically opposed interests. To most observers, such shaky foundations doomed any prospect of elections, and progress toward a stable post-conflict situation.
The primary goal for most actors was never to allow Libyans to deliver a decisive mandate stripping them of their power, influence, and lucrative access to Libyan resources and revenues. Even worse, several actors continue to use this influence, and intimidation via force of arms, to escape culpability for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and trafficking in persons, arms, and contraband.
The inexplicable inclusion of malign actors in the electoral process afforded them opportunities to derail progress, claiming their participation was evidence that they too wanted the elections to proceed. Whether they would accept the results, however, was entirely another matter. Ultimately, the leader of the House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, will poison the well by ramming through a legislative handicap for warlord Khalifa Haftar, disguised as electoral law —dealing a decisive blow to any hopes that the elections will proceed as planned.
Given how events in the election saga spiraled out of control last month, it is essential to avoid yet another deadline. If it was unclear then, it should be now. Simply picking another arbitrary date for the elections without addressing underlying woes risks a repeat of the events that ultimately dashed the hopes of nearly 3 million voters and sank Libya deeper into hopelessness.
The last thing Libya and Libyans need is a dictated electoral timeline that pays little heed to what must happen now to make the vote possible, and also risks sending close to half the population to the polls with no credible options to choose from or confidence that results will be respected, and with no security infrastructure in place. Furthermore, there are no safeguards to ensure the integrity of both the presidential and parliamentary elections, nor do proper governance systems exist to implement the results, or even settle the inevitable disputes that will emanate from them.
Surprisingly, in the aftermath of that year-end debacle, there were immediate calls to postpone the vote by about a month. It was as if the mounting pile of electoral woes would simply vanish, and not create new tensions as Jan. 24 crept closer. There was, and still is, no urgent examination of what went wrong, except for the back-and-forth mudslinging between all the now illegitimate and discredited political bodies and personalities, as each tries to shift blame for what happened in December. Meanwhile, malign actors have taken advantage of the election chaos to consolidate their recent gains or intimidate the opposition.
Given how events in the election saga spiraled out of control last month, it is essential to avoid yet another deadline.
Saleh’s bypassing of legislative procedures to enact a controversial electoral law full of flaws aimed at preventing elections from taking place ended up with an inevitable delay, resulting in his remaining as leader of the parliament. Had the elections taken place anyway, it would have been according to rules he set, while being a candidate himself. That is just one of numerous examples of why holding elections this year, or even later, will be possible only in an almost paradoxical way — that is, if Libya's political elites can continue manipulating the process to prolong their grip on power.
Other actors are trying to create a new roadmap for elections on another make-believe date in June, with “guidance” from the UN. From the UN perspective, elections are the only way state institutions can regain their credibility and legitimacy. Ironically, the UN itself lacks these same attributes. Its view is flawed because it puts the cart before the horse. Libya is fragmented to the point where perceived institutional gains in one part of the country are construed as a loss in other parts.
It is highly unlikely there will be any elections this summer, especially under a controversial electoral law that the House of Representatives has refused to repeal or amend. Proposing elections this summer reflects an almost infuriating refusal to acknowledge the glaring vulnerabilities in existing processes and the criminal forces monopolizing the public stage in Libya.
Instead, arbitrary deadlines must give way to constructive engagement and strict conditions aimed at improving institutional capacities, and preserving the integrity of those parts of Libya’s judiciary tasked with resolving electoral disputes. For instance, the international community must not endorse any move to unseat the interim government while it remains integral to keeping the state functioning in what will probably be an extended period of political malaise, bordering on renewed conflict.
Unfortunately, the signs are not promising that the international community is eager to learn from lessons of the recent past, and tailor its interventions to better support sustainable outcomes that are not detrimental to the average Libyan. So far, the most concerning development, in addition to the sad attempts at legitimizing either the thugs in suits or thugs with weapons as guardians of Libya’s future, is the shifting perspective on the persistent presence of foreign fighters and mercenaries. The UN is suggesting that these groups may be necessary to maintaining a ceasefire, rather than being corrosive threats to Libyan sovereignty.
In addition, the lack of appetite for dealing with well-known vulnerabilities by simply insisting on new roadmaps is not going to accelerate the realization of Libya's democratic aspirations. After all, most actors seem more willing to sideline or subvert the will of Libyans by promising much but accomplishing little if anything. For now, and in Libya's near future, the only progress to come out of feverish attempts to restage the vote will only be repeated mirages, quickly erased by mercurial interests, and actors invested in perpetuating the status quo.
If an election magically takes place in the next few months, the only result will be that Libyans will simply elect their next dictator, who will never give up power again.
*Hafed Al-Ghwell is a senior fellow with the Foreign Policy Institute at the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Twitter: @HafedAlGhwell

بارعة علم الدين: الملالي الجبناء يشنون هجمات أرهابية على أبو دبي بالريموت كونترول بواسطة أذرعتهم الإجرامية
Cowardly ayatollahs wage proxy terror by remote control
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/January 22, 2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/105787/baria-alamuddin-cowardly-ayatollahs-wage-proxy-terror-by-remote-control-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%b9%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a/
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were unable to resist gloating about their murderous strike against Abu Dhabi, even erecting an immense celebratory banner in central Tehran. So why are people talking about a “Houthi” attack? Who ordered it? Where did the weapons come from? Which authority gave the final approval? This drone attack had precious little to do with Yemen and everything to do with Iran intimidating its neighbors.
The Houthis also claimed responsibility for the Sept. 2019 attacks against Aramco’s oil facilities, briefly disabling 50 percent of Saudi Arabia’s oil production, but it was subsequently discovered that these coordinated drone and missile strikes had been launched from Iran and Iraq.
The Houthis have become a mere appendage of the Quds Force; a Houthi football team even played a match wearing shirts printed with Qassim Soleimani’s image. When a former Lebanese minister provoked a confrontation with GCC states last year, the Houthis declared him a national hero. Houthi leadership figure Mohammed Abdulsalam was in Tehran on the day of the UAE attack.
The strike is an eye-opening game changer — not because of any deviation from Tehran’s usual terrorist playbook, but because it comes in response to sincere Emirati efforts to establish a minimal level of diplomatic engagement with the Islamic Republic. Tehran has no red lines, no reservations about attacking civilian targets in peace-loving states with whom it is not at war. These theocrats are by definition deceitful and duplicitous, and there is no agreement they can be expected to honourably abide by.
The Abu Dhabi attack also coincided with the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s dispatch of diplomats back to Saudi Arabia to operate their office at the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, at the same time expressing hope for the re-establishment of full diplomatic relations with the Kingdom. The ayatollahs are such sociopaths that they believe bombing civilians is an appropriate component of diplomatic outreach!
Iran’s leaders are also cowards. They are responsible for thousands of missiles and drone attacks against Gulfand international targets, yet they choose to hide behind proxies, waging war by remote control.
From the Vienna talks on Iran’s nuclear program, even if Tehran agrees to some temporary constraints ithopes to emerge with its position consolidated as a nuclear state, a ballistic superpower, and the commander of regionwide paramilitary armies. The unfreezing of billions of dollars in assets, the removal of sanctions, and a huge expansion in oil production would supply the war chest it needs to massively expand its murderous programs.
Tehran has no red lines, no reservations about attacking civilian targets in peace-loving states with whom it is not at war.
Despite crippling sanctions, Iran has starved its citizens while exhausting its budget on ever more advanced missiles and munitions for overseas warmaking. Its proxies managed any funding shortfalls by massively increasing criminal revenue generation — such as Hezbollah reaping billions from narcotics, with tons of Captagon and other contraband goods turning up at Gulf ports.
After weeks of brinkmanship between Iraqi factions over forming a government, Quds Force Commander Esmail Qaani arrived in Baghdad to engineer a realignment within the pro-Iran factions with a view to retaining them in government, just as all previous Iraqi governments were brokered by Qaani’s late and unlamented predecessor Soleimani. These Hashd militias hubristically claimed to have defeated Daesh, yet in provinces that the militias control, such as Diyala and Salahuddin, why is Daesh being allowed to rapidly regain strength? Are the Hashd grossly incompetent, or does Tehran desire to see Iraq disabled and destabilized?
For months, Hezbollah prevented the Lebanese government from meeting as it tried to block investigations into how “the resistance” managed to blow up half of Beirut — and if Hezbollah aren’t to blame, why are they so determined to prevent the truth coming out? Why is there no investigation into how Hezbollah has reducedthe entire nation to a state of starvation, unemployment and poverty, in service to a hostile nation’s treasonousagenda?
A portion of the blame for Iran’s escalations falls on the shoulders of Western states, with the US in particular holding up the delivery of weapons necessary for the defence of Gulf nations, while being lukewarm in commitments to regional security. When allies fail to stand firmly together, it’s unsurprising that opportunists in Tehran ruthlessly exploit cracks in this relationship. Western states condescendingly play down Gulf security concerns, despite all evidence demonstrating that Tehran-backed paramilitary armies are consistently escalating hostile activities. The Biden administration’s de-prioritization of the Middle East doesn’t miraculously render strategic threats emanating from this region less threatening.
The curtain has definitively closed on a great age of diplomacy, and the UN-cenetred mechanisms of international law and conflict resolution have become effectively non-existent. It is in this context that Iran is charging full-steam ahead to become a military nuclear power while expanding its ballistic and conventional military capabilities, at the risk of triggering all-out war with Israel. The West’s strategy for managing this threat is ever-deeper denial.
Iran’s terrorist strike on Abu Dhabi is our wake-up call. It interprets engagement, dialogue and diplomacy as weakness. The mullahs comprehend only the logic of confrontation.
According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia more than doubled in 2021, to 78 attacks a month compared with 38 in 2020. As happened with Hezbollah, it is a matter of time before a nuclearized Iran starts arming the Houthis to the teeth with more advanced, longer-range and more destructive missiles, fundamentally upending regional security.
Like all bullies, Iran is at heart a coward. Its leaders must be compelled to back down by demonstrating to them that terrorist attacks against peace-loving states will not be responded to merely by symbolic gestures in Sanaa, Beirut or Deir Ezzor, but by directly and definitively striking at the head of the snake itself.
*Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.