English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 06/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.
John 06/48-59: “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. ’The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’ He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 05-06/2022
UN Chief Urges Free, Transparent Elections in Lebanon on May 15
President Aoun chairs meeting attended by Ministers Bou Habib, Hajjar
Hezbollah Accused of Seeking to Eliminate Electoral Opponents
Elections Supervisory Commission reminds media and candidates of electoral silence provisions
Army chief meets families of Tripoli boat victims: Investigation has taken its legal course and will be completed with all...
Saudi daily slams 'Iranian-bearded' Hariri, accuses him of 'political Shiitization'
Lebanon launches operations room for expat voting
Electoral silence begins for expat vote, low Shiite turnout expected in Gulf
Berri lashes out at 'suspicious' sedition stirrers
Miqati slams electoral money, says KSA not interfering in polls
Mikati urges Lebanese expats to have their voices heard in elections
Hariri’s call on Sunnis to boycott elections likely to serve Hezbollah, Iran
Lebanese Elections: Perpetuating Ties with the 'Resistance Axis' or Being Canceled/Hussam Itani/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 05/2022
Lebanese must seek drastic change to rein in Hezbollah/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/May 05/2022
The significance of Syria’s exit from Lebanon/Khairallah Khairallah/The Arab Weekly/May 05/2022
A Lebanese online archive chronicles Arab immigration to Latin America/Eduardo Campos Lima/Arab News/May 05/2022

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 05-06/2022
Three people killed in attack in central Israel
Israel says Putin apologised for foreign minister's Hitler remarks
Israeli police enter al-Aqsa as Jewish visits resume
Congressmen Urge Blinken to Pressure Israel to Protect Christian Community in Jerusalem
62 senators, including 16 Democrats, vote to oppose nuclear-only Iran deal
US Prepares for a World Both With and Without Iran Nuclear Deal
Iran Prepares for Protests Amid Fears of Nuclear Negotiations Failure
Fighting prevents evacuations of civilians trapped under Ukraine steel plant
Ukraine Repels Some Attacks but Combat Rages at Steel Mill
NYT: US Intel Helped Ukraine Target Russian Generals
Mariupol steel mill battle rages as Ukraine repels attacks
French Ecology Minister Confident in Russia Oil Ban
Heavy Rain and Floods in Afghanistan Kill 22, Destroy Hundreds of Homes

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 05-06/2022
Kremlin is targeting Ukraine resupply infrastructure, officials say/Abigail Hauslohner, Dan Lamothe and Hannah Allam/The Washington Post/May 05/2022
The Palestinian State Bill: Palestinians Ask That More Arab Repression Not Be Allowed/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/May 05/2022
Biden: ‘So Many Muslims Are Targeted With Violence’ and ‘Oppressed for Their Religious Beliefs’/Raymond Ibrahim/May 05/2022
A Message to the Biden Team on Ukraine: Talk Less/Thomas L. Friedman/The New York Times/May 05/2022
Phares: America’s 5 Strategic Challenges in Asia/Dr. Walid Phares/May 05/2022
Why any new nuclear deal with Iran is destined to collapse/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/May 05/2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 05-06/2022
UN Chief Urges Free, Transparent Elections in Lebanon on May 15
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
The UN chief called for Lebanon’s parliamentary elections on May 15 to be "free, fair transparent and inclusive" in a report circulated Wednesday and urged the quick formation of a government afterward that gives priority to implementing reforms addressing the country’s multiple crises.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the report to the UN Security Council that political polarization in the country has deepened and the Lebanese people "are struggling daily to meet basic essential needs." He pointed to frequent protests across the country sparked by "public frustration with the political situation and the economic and financial crisis."The May 15 elections for parliament are the first since Lebanon’s economic meltdown began in late 2019. The government’s factions have done virtually nothing to address the collapse, leaving Lebanese to fend for themselves as they plunge into poverty, without electricity, medicine, garbage collection or any other semblance of normal life. The elections are also the first since the August 4, 2020, catastrophic explosion at Beirut port that killed more than 215 people and wrecked large parts of the city. The destruction sparked widespread outrage at the traditional parties’ endemic corruption and mismanagement. Guterres, who visited Lebanon last December, said no one has yet been held accountable for the explosion and the Lebanese people are demanding "truth and justice." He reiterated his call for "a swift, impartial, thorough and transparent investigation" and stressed that "the independence of the judiciary must be respected."
In the May 15 election, a total of 103 lists with 1,044 candidates are vying for the 128-seat legislature, which is equally divided between Christians and Muslims. Self-declared opposition groups remain divided along ideological lines on virtually every issue, including over how to revive the economy, and as a result, there are an average of at least three different opposition lists in each of the 15 electoral districts, a 20% increase from the 2018 elections. Guterres noted that proposals submitted in the past two years for a women’s quota were still pending in parliament, and he urged that the new government be quickly formed "with full participation of women and young people." The secretary-general's semi-annual report on implementation of a 2004 Security Council resolution reiterated that its key demands -- that the Lebanese government establish its sovereignty throughout the country and that all Lebanese militias disarm and disband -- have not been fulfilled. Guterres said Hezbollah’s maintenance "of sizeable and sophisticated military capabilities outside the control of the government of Lebanon remains a matter of grave concern." He noted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s February announcement that it now has the ability to transform thousands of its missiles "into precision missiles" and has been manufacturing drones "for a long time." The secretary-general urged the Lebanese state to "increase its efforts to achieve a monopoly over the possession of weapons and the use of force throughout its territory."
"I continue to urge the government and the armed forces of Lebanon to take all measures necessary to prohibit Hezbollah and other armed groups from acquiring weapons and building paramilitary capacity outside the authority of the state," the UN chief said, stressing that this violates Security Council resolutions. Guterres said Hezbollah’s continued involvement in the war in neighboring Syria also risks entangling Lebanon in regional conflicts and undermining its stability. He called on countries in the region with close ties to Hezbollah to encourage its disarmament and transformation into "a solely civilian political party." Both Syria and Iran have close ties to Hezbollah.

President Aoun chairs meeting attended by Ministers Bou Habib, Hajjar
NNA/Thursday, 5 May, 2022  
Foreign Affairs Minister, Abdullah Bou Habib, asserted that the Lebanese position in the “Supporting Syria and the Region” conference, which will be held in Brussels on the ninth and tenth of May, will be based on the directives of the President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, that Lebanon can no longer tolerate the Syrian exodus on its lands.
“Lebanon does not want help the displaced on its lands. We will take care of ourselves if the displaced Syrians return to their country” Minister Bou Habib said.
The Foreign Minister also stressed that “We will implement the cabinet decision that was taken in the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab in this context, and we want to cooperate with the United Nations, but we must take into account our interest, not that they dictate our interest”.
Minister Bou Habib’s words came while the President chaired a meeting this morning at Baabda Palace, attended by Minister Bou Habib, Minister of Social Affairs Hector El Hajjar and representatives of the government's presidency, Ambassador Boutros Assaker and Mr. Ziad Mikati.
Minister Salim Jreissati, General Director of the Presidency of the Republic, Dr. Antoine Choucair, and advisors Raymond Tarabay and Osama Khashab also attended the meeting.
The meeting was devoted to discuss the Lebanese position that will be communicated during the Brussels Conference, which will be held with the participation of representatives of governments, international and regional organizations and civil society organizations.
Statement:
After the meeting, Minister Bou Habib made the following statement:
“We discussed with the President Lebanon’s participation in the Sixth Brussels Conference, which will be held next Monday and Tuesday to help the displaced Syrians in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan.
The meetings will be on Monday in the form of seminars and the Minister of Social Affairs will participate in them. On Tuesday, the general meeting will be held and I will be present in it. The European Union and the United Nations are calling for this conference, but due to the disagreement between the two parties because the European Union objected to Russia’s invitation, the United Nations refused to participate in it. We took the President‘s directives, regarding the Lebanese position, which is that Lebanon can no longer tolerate the Syrian displacement on its lands. We take care of ourselves if the displaced Syrians return to their country. I think that most of the Syrians who go to Syria and return take hard currencies with them, because the Lebanese pound there is a hard currency, these people work and move between the two countries and they should not be here.
We will implement the decision of the Council of Ministers which was taken in the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab in this context. We implement it without cooperating with the United Nations? We no longer want anyone to dictate anything to us. This is the Lebanese position in Brussels”.
Questions & Answers:
Question: Is there an understanding with the Syrian government, especially since the international community was not cooperating with Lebanon in the past in this regard?
Answer: “There is no understanding with the Syrians, but one of their duties is to take people from their country, and there are many Syrians who go to Syria and take money with them because in Syria it is not possible to use the dollar or the Lebanese pound, and the large part of the hard currency goes from Lebanon to there.
This is legal and we do not say it is illegal. We know that the international community, and who is the international community is not Africa, but Europe and the United States, we know that these do not want refugees to migrate to their countries. We are no longer able to prevent them from migrating at sea. We do not have this possibility, so what happened a week ago? We cannot take on a responsibility of this kind again. Will they help us compensate people? We asked the international community last week to give us mechanisms that can go down in the sea to a depth of four hundred meters, and so far we have not received an answer. Does the international community care about Lebanon’s interest? No, Lebanon’s interest concerns the Lebanese, not the international community, which cares about its own interest, and the same applies to Europeans who care about their own interest, as it is more important than Lebanon’s”.
Question: Do you expect any reaction from the international community, and secondly, what do you think of Turkey’s initiative to return about a million Syrians to their country, and can Lebanon not follow Turkey’s example?
Answer: “Lebanon cannot do what Turkey is doing, especially since the latter occupies Syrian lands on which it can build houses. Lebanon cannot do that. Syria does not accept, just as Lebanon does not occupy Syrian territory, and it does not have this kind of hostile relations to some extent with Syria”.
Lebanese Ambassador to UAE:
The President met Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Fouad Dandan, today at Baabda Palace.
Ambassador Dandan briefed President Aoun on the preparations made by the Lebanese Embassy in the UAE to hold the parliamentary elections next Sunday in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, especially since the UAE is the Arab country in which the largest number of voters registered around 25,000 voters.
Moreover, Ambassador Dandan briefed President Aoun on the situation of the Lebanese community in the UAE, in addition to other issues dealing with Lebanese-Emirati relations.
Dandan also presented the communications that accompanied the release of Dr. Richard Kharrat after his arrest in the UAE, where the President praised his efforts and follow-up of Dr. Kharrat’s case since his arrest until his release.
Dr. Kharrat:
The President met Dr. Richard Kharrat, and a delegation from his family.
Dr. Kharrat thanked President Aoun for his interest in addressing the issue of his arrest in the United Arab Emirates on March 30, and the efforts he made to secure his release and return to Lebanon on April 29.
Fitr Feast Congratulations:
President Aoun received additional Eid al-Fitr congratulations.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune stated:
“On the occasion of the blessed Eid al-Fitr, I am pleased to extend to you, on behalf of Algeria, its people and government, and on my own behalf, my warmest congratulations and most sincere fraternal wishes, asking God Almighty to repeat this feast with good health and wellness, and to your brotherly people with more progress and prosperity, and to our Arab and Islamic nation with general good and security and stability.
I pray to the God Almighty to accept the fasting and prayers of the blessed month of Ramadan, and to unite our Arab and Islamic nation after uniting our hearts with faith in God and His Noble Messenger.
I also take this opportunity to renew our keenness on our brotherly relations, and our constant readiness to strengthen them in the service of our two brotherly peoples. Please, Mr. President, and my dear brother, accept my sincere expressions of appreciation and respect”.
Kuwaiti Prince:
Kuwaiti Prince, Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah stated:
“I would like to extend to you my sincere congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, asking God Almighty to repeat this feast to the Arab and Islamic nations with goodness and blessings, and to achieve more progress, development and growth for the Lebanese Republic and its brotherly people, and to perpetuate your Excellency with good health and wellness”.
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Kuwaiti Crown Prince Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also sent Fitr congratulatory cables.—Presidency Press Office

Hezbollah Accused of Seeking to Eliminate Electoral Opponents
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) and Lebanese Forces warned that the Hezbollah party and its allies were waging a "battle of elimination and existence" in the parliamentary elections. Addressing an electoral rally in Mount Lebanon, head of the Democratic Gathering MP Taymur Jumblatt said: "You want to eliminate us, but we want partnership with everyone. You want to destroy the nation for others, while we want to build it for the Lebanese people." "You want to hold Lebanon hostage of negotiations to protect the regime of killing and a nuclear Iran. We want a sovereign and independent Lebanon," he declared."Let us come together in partnership instead of elimination. This is a nation for everyone," he stressed. The elections are set for May 15.
LF MP Antoine Habshi said Hezbollah was waging an existential battle against the Lebanese Forces in eastern Lebanon.Speaking at a press conference he remarked that the electoral battle in the Baalbek-al-Hermel district had recently taken a turn towards violence and intimidation instead of freedom and democracy. He held the Interior Ministry and security forces responsible for the violations. He also said Hezbollah would be blamed for "any drop of blood spilled." The MP had held the conference after three out of six Shiite electoral candidates withdrew from the same list that is backed by the LF in the Baalbek-al-Hermel district. The LF said they were forced to quit the race after being pressured by Hezbollah. Moreover, Habshi charged that Hezbollah was bribing opponents a million Lebanese pounds and voters two million pounds so they would not take part in the elections. He added that the party was even confiscating the identification cards of Shiite opponents to prevent them from voting. The party dismissed the claims, saying they were part of a smear campaign against it. Party MP Hassan Ezzedine said: "We are competing so that the turnout would be very high We are therefore seeking not only the victory of Hezbollah lists, but also the national ones that were formed through alliances between Hezbollah and its allies across the country." He stressed that the party had formed national lists and were competing for victory in the elections that "would shape a new political scene that wants to address the country's crises and the people's suffering."

Elections Supervisory Commission reminds media and candidates of electoral silence provisions
NNA/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
The Supervisory Commission for Elections reminded, in a statement on Thursday, of the obligation to abide by the provisions of the electoral silence. Under the electoral silence, al media means, candidates, lists and political sides shall remain silent as of midnight of the day before the parliamentary elections day until the ballot boxes are sealed. Army chief meets families of Tripoli boat victims: Investigation has taken its legal course and will be completed with all...

Army chief meets families of Tripoli boat victims: Investigation has taken its legal course and will be completed with all...
NNA/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, on Thursday received at his Yarzeh office, a delegation of the families of the victims of the sinking boat off Tripoli’s coast, in presence of Army Intelligence Chief, North Lebanon Intelligence Branch Head, and Naval Forces Commander. The delegation presented their affliction due to the loss of their loved ones, pointing out that the stifling economic conditions prompted them to flee by sea. As the delegation renewed their trust in the military institution and its wisdom in addressing this file, they appealed to continue the search operation to recover the remaining missing persons.
For his part, General Aoun affirmed that "this tragedy afflicted everyone, and the boat victims are the sons of the homeland, that is, the sons of the military institution," stressing that "the investigation has taken its legal course since the first moment of the tragic incident, and it will be completed with all transparency and impartiality."The army commander pointed out that "the relationship between the army and the sons of Tripoli is solid," calling on the families of the victims "not to allow this case to be exploited." He assured them that the army is continuing its search operation.

Saudi daily slams 'Iranian-bearded' Hariri, accuses him of 'political Shiitization'
Naharnet/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
Saudi newspaper Okaz slammed Thursday former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, criticizing his "Iranian-like beard" and accusing him of "political Shiitization.""By urging the Sunnis to boycott the parliamentary elections, Saad has done a great favor to the killers of his father. He left the elections arena to terrorist Hizbullah and to the Free Patriotic Movement at the expense of his country and his sect," Okaz said. The daily added that "Saad today is not the same young man whose tears were wiped by Saudi Arabia after the assassination of his father in February 2005, seeing as Saad has allied with the FPM and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri."Okaz said that Hariri must bring Lebanon back to its Arab identity, instead of "subordinating" it to Iran. "This is your historic chance, and maybe you do not deserve it. Choose your country first and your sect second," Okaz addressed Hariri.

Lebanon launches operations room for expat voting
Naharnet/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
Prime Minister Najib Miqati and Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib launched Thursday at the Foreign Ministry an operations room for overseeing the expat voting that will start on May 6. Miqati urged all expats to vote in the parliamentary elections that will be held "with all integrity and transparency" even though "there had been doubts about carrying out the elections."For his part, Bou Habib said that all efforts have been made to make sure the elections will succeed "on the widest possible geographical scope." "We are keen on organizing the voting abroad in a professional manner while keeping away from political agendas and calculations," Bou Habib affirmed.

Electoral silence begins for expat vote, low Shiite turnout expected in Gulf
Naharnet/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
Lebanon entered at midnight the first electoral silence period for expat parliamentary polls, which will be held Friday in the Gulf countries and Iran. During the silence period, candidates are forbidden from campaigning through media outlets. The period ends after the closure of ballot boxes on Friday evening. The second round of expat voting will be held Sunday in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Australia. According to al-Liwaa newspaper, those registered for voting in the Gulf and Asia represent 25.29% of the total number of expats registered across the world. With their total number standing at 56,939 voters, 36.09% of them are Sunni, 23.54% are Maronite, 13.46% are Druze, 9.39% are Greek Orthodox and 9.36% are Shiite. As for electoral districts, 16.63% of them are registered for Beirut’s second district, 15.73% for Mount Lebanon’s fourth district and 9.85% for the North’s second district. According to the Interior Ministry, 225,114 expats are registered to vote in the May 6 and May 8 elections outside Lebanon. Ad-Diyar newspaper meanwhile quoted “highly-informed senior sources” from Hizbullah and the Amal Movement as saying that “the Gulf’s (Lebanese) Shiites did not register at their places of residence in the Gulf countries because they fear persecution.”They have “real fears,” the sources said, adding that “some of them might be in Lebanon on May 15 to practice their (voting) duty.”“As for the Shiites of Africa and Europe, efforts are underway to encourage them to perform their duty and partisan delegations have traveled to them for this purpose,” the sources added.

Berri lashes out at 'suspicious' sedition stirrers
Naharnet/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday warned against “sedition stirrers,” during a meeting in Msayleh with a delegation from the al-Kraydin Arab tribes. “Love of homeland is part of religious faith and sedition stirrers under any circumstances, be it in elections time or not, are suspicious in their national and even religious belonging,” Berri said. “Sedition and its instigators are cursed in all Abrahamic religions, and sedition’s results only serve the interest of Israel, which has been and will always be the enemy of Lebanon and Arabs, be them Muslim or Christian,” the Speaker added.

Miqati slams electoral money, says KSA not interfering in polls
Naharnet/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
Prime Minister Najib Miqati has criticized "unprecedented dollar amounts" that have been pumped into Lebanon in the past few days, as Lebanon prepares for its parliamentary elections in May 15. "There are violations," Miqati said in a televised interview, as he praised Minister of Interior Bassam al-Mawlawi for "doing a great job" to achieve the elections successfully. Miqati also praised the Arab countries and the KSA ambassador to Lebanon. He said that Ambassador Walid al-Boukhari is part of the Lebanese fabric and that his presence is essential in the Lebanese elections. "Yet, I haven't sensed any direct interference from Saudi Arabia in the elections," Miqati went on to say. "If only the Lebanese loved their country as much as the Arabs do," Miqati said. On another note, the PM accused those opposing the capital control law of doing so for the sake of increasing their chances in the upcoming parliamentary elections. "Have they read the law proposal before objecting," he went on to ask. The capital control law, according to Miqati will protect the rights of the small depositors who constitute 86% of the depositors. Miqati said he doesn't mind replacing the Central Bank governor after completing the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, asking the Minister of Finance to suggest candidates.

Mikati urges Lebanese expats to have their voices heard in elections
Najia Houssari/Arab News/May 05/2022
Expat voting is ‘a key moment during this round of elections,’ says PM
Opposition political groups are relying heavily on overseas votes to achieve change
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati has urged expats to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections to ensure their voices are heard and they can achieve the changes they want.
Mikati’s appeal came as he inaugurated the operations room for managing and monitoring parliamentary elections abroad. “It is a key moment during this round of elections,” he said. The parliamentary elections, which will be held on May 6 and 8 abroad, and on May 15 at home, are the first since the economic collapse began in late 2019. The authorities have permitted 225,114 Lebanese expats to vote after 244,442 overseas registered voters were reviewed. They will vote at 205 polling stations in 59 countries around the world, except in Ukraine. Overseas voters constitute a significant proportion of the 3,967,507 total Lebanese voters. The political movements seeking changes in the crisis-hit country are relying heavily on expat voting to make a difference. The government, mired by a political impasse, has taken limited steps to address the national collapse, leaving the Lebanese to struggle with the crisis on their own while plunging into poverty, without electricity or medicines. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the election arrangements as “the largest logistical operation in Lebanon's modern history.” A total of 103 lists made up of 1,044 candidates are competing in the elections, some of whom withdrew after the deadline.
Political groups seeking radical change and some opposition parties believe the majority of expat voters resent the ruling authority and are victims of its corruption, and their presence abroad makes them immune to the pressures that internal voters are subjected to and the pressure to re-elect the same faces.
These groups are hoping for a strong turnout from the Lebanese who left after the Beirut port explosion in 2020 and the popular protests in 2019. As of Thursday, all candidates and political parties are no longer allowed to address voters and media outlets can no longer interview them until polling stations close on Sunday night.The Supervisory Commission for Elections prohibits electoral teams from sharing their estimations on the number of votes.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib said Lebanon “has made all possible efforts, within our modest capabilities, to facilitate the voting process, and set up the largest possible number of polling stations, as allowed by the laws governing the countries in which the Lebanese abroad reside.”He added: “We insist on organizing the voting process abroad professionally while steering clear of political agendas.”
Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said that the government is committed to its ministerial statement and will indeed hold the elections.
He added: “To those who took to the streets to demand that elections are held, I tell you this is your chance to voice your opinion.”
He stressed: “Failing to vote serves no one, especially not the country.”
Mawlawi added that all logistical and security preparations had been secured. “Grants to the military forces participating in the elections, and compensation to employees, professors, and judges who will participate in the elections will be sufficient and appropriate,” he added.
He said: “The elections will be held successfully, there is no reason for them not to. We are attentive to all details.”
While the UN has been following up on all the election arrangements, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka met with Mikati on Thursday.
“It seems that all measures have been taken from an administrative and security point of view, and this is an important matter,” Wronecka said.
She added: “I asked the prime minister what can be expected before and even after the elections, and I sensed the seriousness and interest on his part to follow up on every detail.”
In a new report to the Security Council, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for “free, fair, transparent and inclusive parliamentary elections in Lebanon.”He further urged “the quick formation of a government afterward that gives priority to implementing reforms addressing the country’s multiple crises.”Guterres said that the political polarization in the country has deepened and the Lebanese “are struggling daily to meet basic needs,” pointing out the frequent protests across the country sparked by “public frustration with the political situation and the economic and financial crisis.”
He noted that proposals submitted in the past two years for a women’s quota were still pending in parliament, and he urged that the new government be quickly formed “with full participation of women and young people.”Guterres said Hezbollah’s maintenance “of sizeable and sophisticated military capabilities outside the control of the Lebanese government remains a matter of grave concern.”

Hariri’s call on Sunnis to boycott elections likely to serve Hezbollah, Iran
The Arab Weekly/May 05/2022
In some of the streets of Beirut and its suburbs, banners that are supportive of the "Future Movement" and its leader, Saad Hariri, are calling for the boycott of the parliamentary vote.
Thursday 05/05/2022
As banners of the "Future Movement", in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon, continue to call for the boycott of the forthcoming parliamentary elections, Lebanese political analysts are voicing dismay at the implications of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s call on Sunni voters to stay away from the country’s legislative elections, scheduled for May 15. The analysts emphasise that by doing so, Hariri in fact puts himself on the side of Hezbollah and Iran, whose interests would be served by a low Sunni turnout. The boycott call, they point out, is for now confusing and dividing the Sunni community. Many Sunni voices are however challenging it. Lebanese political activists say they find it strange for Hariri to talk about “Iranian hegemony” as if it is a recent occurrence, when all the Lebanese know that he himself had contributed to the consolidation of Hezbollah’s hold on power. This he did by taking part in a weak government whose main task was to offer political cover for the ruling alliance between Hezbollah and the President Michel Aoun. In that sense, Hariri has only himself to blame for Hezbollah’s unchallenged rise to hegemony. Experts are also intrigued by the lack of any “Plan B” offered by Hariri to Lebanese Sunni voters as he calls on them to shun the elections. They believe the best chance for Sunni and Christian forces to alter the lopsided equation in Lebanon is to enter the election fray and try to defeat Hezbollah or at least clip its wings. The May 15 elections for parliament are the first since Lebanon’s economic meltdown began in late 2019. The government’s factions have done virtually nothing to address the collapse, leaving Lebanese to fend for themselves as they plunge into poverty, without electricity, medicine, garbage collection or any other semblance of normal life.
The elections are also the first since August 4, 2020, catastrophic explosion at Beirut port that killed more than 215 people and wrecked large parts of the city.
In the May 15 election, a total of 103 lists with 1,044 candidates are vying for the 128-seat legislature, which is equally divided between Christians and Muslims. On Tuesday, in some of the streets of Beirut and its suburbs, banners supporting the "Future Movement" and its leader, Saad Hariri, called for the boycott of the parliamentary vote. Analysts add that Hariri may be trying to draw attention to himself, especially since the Saudis have kept silent about his role. Riyadh also voiced support for an active and effective participation by Sunnis in order to guarantee the community a substantial margin of influence in parliament or in government formation consultations.The former prime minister, they note, has so far eschewed talking about Saudi Arabia’s decision to ignore him since his failure to face up to the designs of Hezbollah and Iran and offer a political counterweight to their encroaching role. Keeping the Sunnis on the margin of Lebanese politics would only penalise them for Hariris’s personal setbacks; they add. Last January, he announced the suspension of his political activity and his decision not to participate in the May elections. At the time, Hariri said that "there are no positive prospects for Lebanon in light of Iran’s influence, international confusion, national division, sectarianism and pressures within the state."
According to official figures, the Sunnis represent the largest number of voters in Lebanon (1,081,520 million), followed by Shia, the Maronites and then other sects. On Monday, the Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdul-Latif Derian, warned of the danger of boycotting the vote, saying such a move would squander "an opportunity available to achieve change."In his Eid al-Fitr sermon, the Sunni sheikh said that “refusing to participate in the elections is the easiest way for bad and corrupt people to come to power,” noting that “the parliamentary elections are an opportunity for us to ensure change. So let it be a change for the better ... through active participation”. He pointed out that the Lebanese today are able to "rebuild their country anew and to restore the crumbling institutions of their state, based on their choice of members of parliament, that being the gateway to coveted reform."
Derian called on the Sunni community to be "focused on national change and national rescue, rather than on a rush towards emigration, even if the price is to be swallowed by the raging waves of the sea." Experts say that the “March 8 forces” (the allies of Iran and the Syrian regime) are showing greater cohesion than the alliances of “the March 14 forces” (which are close to Riyadh and Washington). Recently, many questions have been raised about the reasons for the decline of the political role of the Sunnis amid the state of confusion and division prevailing within the community, in contrast to the growing role of Iran through its ally, Hezbollah. These developments coincided with the breakdown in relations between Beirut and Riyadh from late last October after disparaging statements about the Saudi role in Yemen war were made by former information minister George Kordahi, which led him later to resign.
After an absence of more than five months when the crisis erupted, the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Yemen have returned to Beirut in early April.

Lebanese Elections: Perpetuating Ties with the 'Resistance Axis' or Being Canceled
Hussam Itani/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 05/2022
The objective of the upcoming Lebanese parliamentary elections is nothing less than tightening the country's ties with the "axis of resistance" and its project for the region. Several impediments stand in the way, which raises the specter of the electoral process being sabotaged at the last minute.
The vicious campaign launched by Hezbollah and its allies against the Christian opponents of the Free Patriotic Movement, especially the Lebanese Forces, can only be properly understood as part of the effort to limit the erosion of Christian support that the FPM has been giving the party. While it may be the county's strongest military force, it also needs to ensure a presence within other sects to avoid being isolated at the national level.
Hezbollah has been following this strategy since 2006, the year it signed the Mar Mikhael Agreement with the Aounist movement, and it has done everything in its power to maximize Aounist influence within state institutions and the FPM's popularity among Christians. The political benefits of the strategy were evident during all the misadventures that Hezbollah imposed on Lebanon - from the July 2006 war to the broad and bloody interference in the Syrian war, which began in 2012, up to the various ways in which the party became implicated in Yemeni war (allowing Houthi television stations to operate from Lebanon and helping the Houthis with their media, financial and logistic tasks are only a few examples).
In addition, the goal of tying Lebanon to the Iranian nuclear project, explicitly and repeatedly reiterated through threats to strike Israel in the event that it openly launches a military attack on the project, is very much on the axis of resistance agenda. This axis seeks to reproduce its domination of Parliament and achieve results similar to those of the 2018 elections. Given the rising improbability of the 2015 nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran being revived, Iran will certainly not give up on the tools to safeguard its project at its disposal, and Hezbollah is among the most prominent of those tools.
In the same vein, there is no harm reproducing a Sunni parliamentary bloc subservient to the party that mirrors the Consultative Gathering Bloc, which emerged after the last parliamentary elections and enlarged the image of "national support" Hezbollah is keen to maintain.
On the other hand, this effort is hindered by the extent of the socio-economic crisis that continues to shape the Lebanese people's lives two and a half years after it began, during which no initiative to contain it or vision to resolve it were put forward.
It goes without saying that the ruling coalition in Lebanon, whose primary guarantor is Hezbollah, has put all of its weight behind totally depoliticizing the economic crisis and hindering its association with the country's political system. They worked hard to draw the boundaries between socio-economic issues and the political significance of what has been happening since 2019.
The ruling clique refuses to accept the link between the policies that led to the great collapse and the manner in which Lebanon has been governed for years. Even before Michel Aoun became president, rivals were being assassinated and terrorized on a regular basis, and hostility to Arab countries was insisted on.
Thus, the candidates advocating reform and an alternative vision pose a direct threat to this project for the future of Lebanon, a key component of which is electing a new president that keeps the country in its current political orbit. At the same time, these candidatures could open the door to rapprochement with the Arab world if the regional climate allows. In other words: The task of the next president of the republic would be to monitor the changes in Arab-Arab and Arab-Iranian relations and benefit from them without leaving the "axis of resistance."
The realization of this policy requires a compliant parliament, which would be undermined by a bloc of deputies who are not concerned with this objective and insist on radical reform. The electoral battles in a number of Lebanese regions - including the North, Beirut and some districts in Mount Lebanon - could be shaped by "rogue" elements seeking to alter that electoral landscape that the Hezbollah coalition and the Aounist movement hope to see.
Against this background, we have seen hints that the electoral process could be aborted if it becomes apparent that the Free Patriotic Movement has indeed lost its capacity to provide adequate Christian cover for the party and if opinion polls reviewed behind closed doors and seen by a limited number of political leaders indicate unpleasant surprises for the axis. That would exacerbate the threats to the electoral process, and violent incidents could be provoked to leave the country with a new vacuum added to the absence of economic and financial solutions.
The entire narrative that there is no link between the ongoing collapse and the country's politics, which is intended to convince the Lebanese that the causes are purely economic and that it is the fault of a handful of corrupt officials, as well as obscuring the deep link between erroneous choices of Lebanese policymakers and the abyss into which it has descended, will be put to a tough test on election day. So far, the "actual ruler" is still reassured that his narrative of what had happened and his project for what will happen are safe.

Lebanese must seek drastic change to rein in Hezbollah
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/May 05/2022
By all accounts, both internationally and domestically, Hezbollah’s weapons are today classified as illegal.
First and foremost, full implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006) require the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon. Moreover, pursuant to the Lebanese Cabinet decision of July 27, 2006, there should be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the state. This illegal status of Hezbollah as a “state within the state” or “above the state” is the main grievance of all independent Lebanese. With its absolute obedience and loyalty to the Iranian regime, Hezbollah’s illegal status has been a poison for the country.
But what if this changed? What if Hezbollah’s military arsenal became legal? What if Iran gave the green light to Hezbollah to follow in the footsteps of Iraq’s Shiite militias? In 2016, Iraq’s parliament voted to fully legalize the state-sanctioned militias, adopting legislation that promoted them to a government force. Would Hezbollah and its allies do the same if they achieved an absolute majority in this month’s parliamentary elections?
The action in Iraq found an excuse with the need to “deter” the security and terror threats facing the country, especially Daesh. Hezbollah can find many more in Lebanon. Since the decree passed in Iraq, members of the Popular Mobilization Units, an assortment of Shiite militia groups, have been granted many of the same rights as members of the military. The law in Iraq brought the PMU into the state apparatus, with the militias reporting directly to the prime minister, who is guaranteed to be a Shiite under Iraq’s governing system. Yet, in reality, the real boss is Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Such a step, which would be the first in changing Lebanon, has never been considered until now. Today, however, regional and domestic signals are aligned for this dangerous step. Hezbollah has weakened the state in a methodical way and rules over it. It has targeted the judiciary, the executive and all aspects of state sovereignty and authority in order to reach this point. Iran, even as the nuclear deal negotiations drag on, could choose this option as a way of solving the issue while empowering its own proxy. The situation in Ukraine also favors Iran thanks to Europe and its gas needs.
A new Lebanon needs to be built — a Lebanon that brings back the greatness and ingenuity of this country and its people.
This action would institutionalize Hezbollah within the state and, as a recognized force, it would forever change the fate of Lebanon. Any independent Lebanese voice would be silenced and the country would transform. This is what is at stake in the May 15 elections. And this is exactly why voting is of the utmost importance for all Lebanese. It is absolutely vital to stop this action. However, it should not be the only objective of voting and of future actions. Lebanon needs to change. A new Lebanon needs to be built — a Lebanon that brings back the greatness and ingenuity of this country and its people.
Lebanon moved from the Syrian military occupation to the Iranian military occupation in a blink of an eye. Worse, and to prove how broken this political system is, some voices are now pushing the idea that the return of Syria into the political decision-making fold could be a solution. They hope that the new regional alignment will permit this and that this will bring order and stability. This is insanity.
There is no doubt that the current political system is a complete failure. It has kept Lebanon in vicious cycles with deeper problems. This confessional, transactional system is in constant need of a patron to rule over its clans and keep everyone in check. It is a system that does not stand against occupation but invites it and welcomes it. If still needed, this is the proof that this system needs to be destroyed and a new one built in its place.
This is why not only should the Lebanese people keep opposing Hezbollah’s status in the coming elections, but they should also seek deeper change. Lebanon needs a new constitution and new institutions. This change needs to take place before it is imposed. The elections are important in order to stop Hezbollah from benefiting from the capitulation and despair of the Lebanese people. Not a single vote should be wasted in the effort to stop Hezbollah from taking over the country by legalizing its actions. But we should also be aware that this will not solve anything. This is why there needs to be a push toward a dialogue for a new political system, followed by a referendum. The agenda remains the same as 40 years ago — and it is about implementing neutrality and federalism.
Every single state institution keeps being ruled and taken advantage of by the nepotism of the ruling clans. In order to keep their people’s loyalty and obedience, they live and thrive at the expense of the state, masking it all under a grandiose global ideology. Neutrality and federalism will flip the situation around and make them all accountable to their own community. It is the best way to stop Lebanon’s descent into obscurity.
There is no doubt Hezbollah opposes federalism, yet it has built a parallel system that is equivalent to an autonomous region. Indeed, alongside its own military, Hezbollah does its own policing and it runs its own schools, hospitals, communication networks and financial system. Everything that relates to its community is decided by Hezbollah. And so why shouldn’t the rest of the Lebanese be allowed the same privilege?
*Khaled Abou Zahr is CEO of Eurabia, a media and tech company. He is also the editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.

The significance of Syria’s exit from Lebanon
Khairallah Khairallah/The Arab Weekly/May 05/2022
Seventeen years after the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Lebanon, it can definitively be said that Lebanon is finished … And so is Syria.
On April 26, 2005, Syria’s army left Lebanon along with its security services. The army was subordinate to the security services, as is the case in Syria itself.
Seventeen years after the withdrawal of those Syrian forces, it was inevitable that Lebanon would be in a worse situation than it was before. The fate of the country is now at stake. But Syria itself has been in a state of collapse since its regime covered up Iran’s decision to car-bomb Rafik Hariri’s motorcade.
Seventeen years after the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Lebanon, it can definitively be said that Lebanon is finished ... And so is Syria. Lebanon and Syria both paid the price for the Iranian decision to assassinate Rafik Hariri. Bashar was party to this decision but was ill aware of its ramifications and consequences. Rustom Ghazaleh was the last Syrian officer in charge of Lebanese affairs, as the “high commissioner” of the Syrian occupation authority to Lebanon.
Ghazaleh, who was Sunni, had succeeded Ghazi Kanaan, who was Alawite. Kanaan shared with Army Chief of Staff Hikmat Al Shehabi and Vice-President Abdel Halim Khaddam, the belief that Bashar al-Assad was not worthy of his father's succession and that he would take Syria to ruin. This is what actually happened. Ghazi Kanaan committed suicide and it was said that the regime made him commit suicide, while Hikmat Al Shehabi and Abdel Halim Khaddam died later.
The fate of Rustom Ghazaleh, who was assassinated by the Syrian regime after his return home, sums up the tragedy of both Lebanon and Syria. The Sunni senior officer from the Houran region was liquidated, in stages and in horrible fashion, ten years after the car-bombing of Rafik Hariri's motorcade.
It is difficult to ascertain whether Ghazaleh knew the exact details of the car-bombing. The particulars of such a fateful decision with huge regional and international ramifications were bound to have remained within a very narrow circle in Damascus and Tehran. Hariri was after all the author of the last attempt to bring Lebanon back to the map of the Middle East. But Ghazaleh probably had an inkling of what was in the works. Like many others in Lebanon and Syria, he knew something about Bashar al-Assad’s mindset and about the Iranian expansionist project.
Since the exit of the Syrian army from Lebanon, Ghazaleh has died a slow death. It took him ten years to die. It is known that he died on April 24, 2015. That is, ten years after the last Syrian soldier left Lebanese territory.
In Syria, Ghazaleh returned to being nothing more than a Sunni officer; a second-class officer who had to report on a daily basis to his Alawite superior. Despite the wealth and prestige he had amassed in Lebanon, he had no other task to perform other than to show loyalty. Loyalty meant in the first place practicing all possible brutality towards Sunni regions, which had been rebelling against the regime since 2011, like other Syrians.
Many have been liquidated since the assassination of Rafik Hariri, but the fact remains that what Rustom Ghazaleh went through gives an idea about ​​the impact that the withdrawal from Lebanon had on the Syrian regime itself. It changed from a partner of the Iranians in Lebanon to their subservient follower in both Syria and Lebanon. The Syrian military’s withdrawal from Lebanon was not a passing event, in the light of two pivotal developments. The first was Iran's ability, through Hezbollah and its weapons, to fill the security vacuum left by the exit of the Syrian army. The second consisted in the domestic consequences of the withdrawal inside Syria itself. Syria paid dearly for the regime's belief that it could use Iran and the Revolutionary Guards in particular to blackmail other Arabs states and the world. With the passage of time, it became clear that the difference between Hafez al-Assad and his heir was that the former was aware of the co-straints of power balances in the region. Hafez al-Assad did not undertake any adventure without planning a way out in case his scheme failed. There is no doubt that the “Islamic Republic” knew how to take advantage of him and waited for his death in order to attack Lebanon and Syria at the same time. Its first ally in the onslaught was Bashar al-Assad, who did not understand the meaning of his participation in the killing of Rafik Hariri, nor in covering it up at a time when the man had become a symbol of the Lebanese’s rejection of the notion that their prime minister could just be a tool for the Syrian intelligence officer who went by the name of Rustom Ghazaleh and who ruled Lebanon at the time.Whoever did not understand at the time the meaning of the Syrian army’s exit from Lebanon, less than two months after the car-bombing of Rafik Hariri’s motorcade, cannot understand at the present time the meaning of the Syrian and Lebanese collapse and the cost of their falling under the domination of Iran.

A Lebanese online archive chronicles Arab immigration to Latin America
Eduardo Campos Lima/Arab News/May 05/2022
Most of the migration occurred in the final decades of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th
Project of Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Jounieh highlights individual journeys of the Arab pioneers
SAO PAULO, Brazil: Although an estimated 18 million Latin Americans can trace their ancestry to the Arab region, little effort has been made to chronicle and conserve the writings, photographs and news clippings that document the history of their migration and settlement — until now.
Most of the Arabs who moved to Latin America did so in the final decades of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, with the majority of them traveling from Syria and Lebanon in search of fortune and a fresh start far from the Ottoman Empire.
To collect and highlight the individual journeys of these Arab pioneers and their contribution to the New World, an archive dedicated to telling their stories has been created by the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, also known as USEK, a private, not-for-profit Catholic university in Jounieh, Lebanon.
Inaugurated at the end of March this year, the collection currently includes about 200,000 pages from Arab newspapers and magazines, stacks of photographs, and other illuminating documents that help shed light on the diaspora’s presence in Latin America.
Brazilian-born Roberto Khatlab, director of USEK’s Latin American Studies and Cultures Center, or CECAL for short, conceived the project after spending several years working in the cultural department of the Brazilian embassy in Beirut and conducting independent research on Lebanese migration to Brazil.
Some of the documents that have been digitized and now are part of USEK's archive, including magazines Oriente and A Vinha. (Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB) / USEK / Supplied)
“Over the years, I gathered lots of documents concerning that history,” he told Arab News.
During a trip to Latin America a few years ago, Khatlab realized a wealth of important historical material was at risk of being lost unless it could be properly collected and collated.
“Over time, such documents end up in the hands of grandchildren or great-grandchildren who do not speak Arabic and do not know what to do with them,” he said.
As a result, many people end up throwing away family collections or donating them to local libraries, which are not always equipped or qualified to adequately catalog them.
In addition, newspapers produced by early Arab immigrants were often printed on cheap, poor-quality paper that does not always stand the test of time, and so surviving copies can be extremely fragile.
“I have received 100-year-old newspapers which literally disintegrated as we tried to take them out of the envelope,” said Khatlab.
Syrian-Lebanese immigrants created the first Arabic-language Latin American newspaper, called Al-Fayha, in 1893 in the Brazilian city of Campinas.
In the local Portuguese language, its name was Mundo Largo, which translates as Wide World. As the author of several books about Brazil’s historical relationships with Lebanon and the wider Arab world, Khatlab recognizes the value of such historical documents for academic study and posterity.
Latin America has close to 18 million people of Arab origin, most of them in Brazil. (AFP)
“Under the Ottoman Empire, many intellectuals were not able to publish their ideas in the Arab world at the end of the 19th century,” said Khatlab. “In the nascent Arab press in countries like Brazil and Argentina, they found the space they needed.
“Many times, the articles published in the Arab press in Latin America by such thinkers were sent back to the Arab world and disseminated there in intellectual and political circles.”
Most of the early Arabic newspapers in Latin America were produced by Syrian or Lebanese migrants but there were also a number of Egyptian publications. Over the years, the Arab community launched newspapers that reflected a variety of viewpoints based around political ideologies, religious creeds, social clubs and the arts.
“Many poets and writers published works in the Latin American Arab press,” said Khatlab. “Some of them were renowned in the Arab world, while others disappeared. But their production and the ideas conveyed in their texts have great importance to Arabs, even now.”
The archive has attracted the support of institutions across Latin America that have connections to the Arab community and they have provided small teams who are helping to collect and digitize materials, using equipment donated by USEK.
INNUMBERS
Estimated Arab population by country
Brazil: 7-12 million
Argentina: 4.5 million
Venezuela: 1.6 million
Mexico: 1.5 million
Colombia: 1.5 million
Chile: 800,000
Source: Atlantic Council
One such institution is the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, or CCAB for short, which helped to collate full collections of magazines, including Revista Oriente (Orient Magazine), one of the most prominent publications produced by the Arab diaspora in Brazil during the 20th century.
“Different libraries and institutions had partial collections of Oriente,” Silvia Antibas, the director of CCAB’s cultural department, told Arab News. “Now, we managed to gather and digitize all of them for the first time.”
The Brazilian team also managed to assemble a collection of the magazine Al-Carmat, known in Portuguese as A Vinha (The Vineyard). It was edited for many years by a female Syrian-Brazilian author called Salwa Atlas.
The CCAB has also contributed to the archive an illuminating collection of photographs that provide a window on the social and domestic lives of the diaspora through the years.
“The pictures we collected show not only the community’s social events but also the architecture of houses, the fashion trends of those years, and how immigrants financially progressed and integrated into Brazilian society over time,” said Antibas.
The cover of one edition of A Vinha, published for years by Syrian-Brazilian intellectual Salwa Atlas, who was a pioneer among female intellectuals of the Syrian-Lebanese community in Brazil. (Clube Homs / USEK / Supplied)
The Jafet family — who ranked among the most illustrious families in Sao Paulo in the early 20th century — contributed a superb collection of photographs depicting the palatial homes built around that time by the city’s industrial bourgeoisie.
“Benjamin Jafet, my great-grandfather, came to Brazil in 1890 and worked as a ‘mascate’ (a word used in Brazil for an Arab door-to-door salesmen) for a few years in the countryside until he founded his first shop in downtown Sao Paulo,” Arthur Jafet, a 38-year-old lawyer and businessman, told Arab News.
Over the years, Benjamin and his brothers built one of Brazil’s greatest textile manufacturers and became wealthy leaders of the Lebanese community in the country.
As important philanthropists in Sao Paulo, the Jafets helped to fund not only Arab institutions such as the local Orthodox cathedral, the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital, and the Mount Lebanon Club, but also publications such as Revista Oriente.
“Their small palaces pointed to a rather European taste, with visible influences of the French neoclassical style but also oriental aspects,” said Jafet.
One of the photos in the collection shows Camille Chamoun, Lebanon’s president between 1952 and 1958, staying at one of the Jafet family’s opulent homes during a trip to Brazil.
As director of the Institute of Arab Culture in Sao Paulo and an adviser to the CCAB, Jafet is part of a new generation of Arab Latin Americans taking a renewed interest in their cultural origins.
Paulo Kehdi is the executive director of Chuf magazine, the in-house publication of the Mount Lebanon Club. He is among a number of Lebanese community leaders who launched Lebanity, a movement dedicated to encouraging Lebanese-Brazilians to rediscover their cultural roots.
“There has been a deliberate effort to reconnect Lebanese-Brazilians to their motherland, incentivizing them to obtain Lebanese citizenship, to visit the country and to help it during donation campaigns,” he told Arab News.
Lebanon's President Camille Chamoun with members of the Jafet family in São Paulo. He visited Brazil in 1954 and stayed at one of the family's palaces. (Arthur Jafet / Supplied)
The situation is similar in Argentina, which is home to an estimated 3 million people with Syrian or Lebanese roots.
For several years, Ninawa Daher, a journalist of Lebanese descent, hosted a TV show in the country devoted to reviving the interest among younger generations in their Lebanese origins. After her death in a car accident at the age of only 31 in 2011, her mother, Alicia, created the Ninawa Daher Foundation to continue her legacy, and it has partnered with USEK for the archive project.
“With Ninawa’s contacts, within a very short time we had already been able to obtain access to several wonderful collections of the community in Argentina,” Alicia Daher told Arab News.
The team has gathered stacks of newspapers, photographs and other rare materials, including two books written and autographed by renowned Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist Khalil Gibran.
“The Syrian and Lebanese people had a tremendous cultural impact in Argentina,” said Daher. “Now, more and more people and institutions are approaching us in order to offer materials about the immigration.”
In Beirut, meanwhile, Khatlab is hopeful the archive will continue to grow as the work on it expands to other Latin American countries and to include other types of documents, such as letters, film footage and even passenger manifests of the vessels that brought Arabs to the region.
Access to the archive is free and it is open to the general public.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2076336/middle-east

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 05-06/2022
Three people killed in attack in central Israel
Reuters, Jerusalem/05 May ,2022
At least three people were killed in an attack in the central Israeli city of Elad on Thursday, health officials said. Police said the incident, which occurred as Israelis celebrated independence day, appeared to be a terrorist attack and they had set up roadblocks to try to catch the assailants who apparently fled the scene. Elad’s mayor, speaking on television, called on residents to stay indoors while security forces were still operating. The Magen David Adom ambulance service said three people were killed and two others seriously wounded. There have been a spate of Arab street attacks in Israel in recent weeks. Prior to Elad, Palestinians and members of Israel’s Arab minority have killed 15 people, including three police officers and a security guard, in attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have mostly targeted civilians. Israel has responded with arrest raids in Palestinian towns and villages which have often sparked clashes and brought the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of the year to at least 40. The casualties include armed members of militant groups, lone assailants and bystanders.

Israel says Putin apologised for foreign minister's Hitler remarks
Reuters/May 05/2022
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had apologised for his foreign minister's comments claiming Adolf Hitler had Jewish origins. Putin also told Bennett in a phonecall that Russia would allow civilian passage from the besieged Azovstal steel works in the Ukrainian port of Mariupol via a humanitarian corridor handled by the United Nations and Red Cross. Bennett's office said Israel's prime minister had requested civilian passage from the steel works after an earlier conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Israel lambasted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov this week for saying Adolf Hitler had Jewish roots, describing the remarks as an "unforgivable" falsehood that debased the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust. Lavrov made the comment on Sunday when asked why Russia said it needed to "denazify" Ukraine if Zelenskiy was himself Jewish. "When they say 'What sort of nazification is this if we are Jews', well I think that Hitler also had Jewish origins, so it means nothing," Lavrov told Italy's Rete 4 channel, speaking through an Italian interpreter. After the call with Putin, Bennett said he had accepted the apology and thanked the Russian leader for "clarifying his regard for the Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust." Israel, which has sought to keep good ties with Kyiv and Moscow, has acted as an intermediary, although an Israeli official said Bennett had suspended those efforts in late March to deal with a spate of Arab street attacks in Israel.
The latest phone calls with Putin and Zelenskiy suggested Israel may be resuming mediation efforts. (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Edmund Blair)

Israeli police enter al-Aqsa as Jewish visits resume
Associated Press/May 05/2022
Israeli police entered a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem to clear away Palestinian protesters on Thursday, after Jewish visits that had been paused for the Muslim holidays resumed. Recent weeks have seen several rounds of clashes at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third holiest site for Muslims, which is built on a hilltop that is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. It lies at the emotional heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As the visits resumed, dozens of Palestinians gathered, chanting "God is greatest." Scuffles broke out when the police went to arrest one of them. Police fired rubber-coated bullets on the sprawling esplanade as some Palestinians sheltered inside the mosque itself. The police could later be seen just inside an entrance to the mosque. The police said they responded to dozens of people who were shouting incitement and throwing stones, and that one police officer was lightly injured. But unlike in previous confrontations, Palestinian witnesses said there was no sign of rock-throwing initially. Some of those who sheltered inside the mosque began throwing stones when police started to enter the building. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.
Under informal arrangements known as the status quo, Jews are allowed to visit the site but not pray there. In recent years, they have visited in ever-increasing numbers with police escorts and many have discreetly prayed, angering the Palestinians as well as neighboring Jordan, which is the custodian of the site. The Palestinians have long feared that Israel plans to eventually take over the site or partition it. Israel says it is committed to maintaining the status quo, and accuses the Islamic militant group Hamas of inciting the recent violence. The visits, by mostly nationalist and religious Jews, resumed Thursday after being paused for the last 10 days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr holiday. Thursday is also Israel's Independence Day, and in recent days fringe groups had called on Jewish worshippers to celebrate by waving Israeli flags at the holy site. The calls were widely circulated by Palestinians on social media, along with calls to confront any such display. Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official who serves as the main liaison between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, tweeted about the controversy, saying that raising the flag would show "outrageous disregard" for Palestinian feelings and mark the "continuation of extremist racist campaigns. "Hamas warned Wednesday that Israel was "playing with fire and dragging the region into an escalation for which the occupation bears full responsibility." Clashes in and around Al-Aqsa last year helped ignite an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas.

Congressmen Urge Blinken to Pressure Israel to Protect Christian Community in Jerusalem
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
Eight Republican and Democrat Congressmen sent a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging him to pressure Israel to ensure freedom of worship in Jerusalem for Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Congressman Joaquin Castro and Gus Bilirakis led the bipartisan letter, expressing deep concern about a "disturbing" rise in recent Israeli extremist attacks against Jerusalem’s Christian community. In the letter, the lawmakers stressed that the protection of religious freedom abroad must be a critical element of the United States' foreign policy. “Freedom of religion is a cherished American value and universal human right, our own experience compels us to advocate for the rights of vulnerable and underrepresented people around the world,” it read. Signatories of the letter said the US should maintain its unwavering support to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief for all.
It listed several incidents, including the attempt by an Israeli man to set fire to the Church of All Nations located on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem in December 2020. “In the span of one month in 2021, the Monastery of the Romanian Church in Jerusalem was the target of four acts of vandalism. Christian clergy are also targets of attacks,” it added. In May 2021, an Armenian priest was attacked by three Israeli youths as he made his way to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the letter added, noting that these are just a few examples of the attacks sustained against clergy and church properties.
Despite general protections afforded to minority religious communities by the Israeli government, the lawmakers said actions of radical groups pose a grave threat to the long-term viability of the Christian presence in Jerusalem. “Throughout the Holy Land, Christians have become the target of frequent and sustained attacks by fringe radical groups.”
Since 2012, there have been countless incidents of physical and verbal assaults against priests and other clergy, attacks on Christian churches, with holy sites regularly vandalized and desecrated, and ongoing intimidation of local Christians who simply seek to worship freely and go about their daily lives. These tactics are being used by such radical groups in a systematic attempt to drive the Christian community out of Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land, they warned. Lawmakers said the decline of the Christian presence in Jerusalem is not only a blow to religious freedom but also has humanitarian consequences.
Ministry programs organized under the auspices of the Christian churches in Jerusalem meet the medical, educational, and humanitarian needs of many disadvantaged people regardless of religious affiliation.It further warned that if the radical groups succeed in driving out the Christian community, many of these programs will no longer be able to operate. Additionally, the actions of radical groups who are able to act with impunity directly threaten the religious freedom of the Christian community in Jerusalem and undermines the rich history of interfaith cooperation within the city. The congressmen asked the State Department to work with the Israeli government to uphold its stated commitment to the freedom of religion and worship for all religions and to hold accountable the radical groups who are engaging in sustained attacks against Christian clergy and destruction of church properties. During his confirmation testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, Rashad Hussain pledged, if confirmed, to “carry out the United States’ abiding commitment to championing international religious freedom for everyone everywhere.”

62 senators, including 16 Democrats, vote to oppose nuclear-only Iran deal
Marc Rod/Jewish Insider/May 05/2022
The measure calls for addressing a wider range of Iranian activity and opposes removing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ terror designation
A majority of senators, including 16 Democrats, voted on Wednesday night in favor of a non-binding Senate measure that opposes entering into an Iran deal addressing only the regime’s nuclear program as well as the removal of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ terrorism designation. The final vote on the measure was 62 to 33.
Wednesday’s vote came on a motion introduced by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), as part of the Senate’s consideration of the United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) aimed at countering China.
The motion instructs the senators negotiating the final bill with the House to “insist” that the legislation include language requiring any nuclear weapons agreement with Iran to include provisions “addressing the full range of Iran’s destabilizing activities,” including missiles, terrorism and sanctions evasion; does not lift any sanctions on the IRGC; and does not revoke the IRGC’s terror designation.
The Biden administration has sought to rejoin the 2015 nuclear agreement, from which the Trump administration withdrew in 2018. The original deal did not address issues beyond Iran’s nuclear program.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Jon Tester (D-MT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) voted for the measure.
The measure had reportedly become a matter of contention in the Senate, with some Democrats trying to block the vote. Lankford allegedly threatened to block Senate proceedings on the bill unless guaranteed a vote on the measure.
Iran has demanded that the U.S. withdraw the IRGC’s Foreign Terrorist Organization designation. Secretary of State Tony Blinken told Congress last week that the group would have to cease its support for terrorism in order for the designation to be withdrawn, but also argued that the designation is largely ineffectual because other IRGC sanctions would remain in place.
Shortly after the vote, Coons — a close administration ally who has been referred to as President Joe Biden’s “shadow secretary of state” — said in a statement that his vote “does not undermine my continuing support for the administration’s efforts to negotiate an agreement” and that he “maintains an open mind towards any potential outcomes.”
He explained that he voted for the motion “in order to encourage the Biden administration’s negotiations to push for the strongest possible deal that addresses Iran’s nuclear weapons program and many other malign activities.”
Lankford suggested that the measure was pertinent to USICA because Iran exports much of its oil products to China.
“This bill does not address China’s practice of purchasing and stockpiling sanctioned Iranian oil to the black market,” Lankford said in a speech prior to the vote. “The procurement spike by China directly correlated with the spike in terrorist activities by Iran and its proxies in the Middle East… This particular Motion to Instruct goes straight at this illicit activity from Iran that’s facilitating the terror activities.”
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) argued in response that “this motion asks the Senate to endorse” the Trump administration’s Iran policy, which, he said, “was a complete and total failure,” in pursuit of a “mythical comprehensive agreement.”
Lankford’s motion was the second measure on Iran to come up for a vote on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, 86 senators voted in favor of a motion, introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), stating that terrorism-related sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran and the IRGC “are necessary to limit… cooperation” between Iran and China.
The Cruz motion instructs the Senate’s negotiators on the competition bill to “insist” that the final bill include language requiring the administration to report to Congress on cooperation between China and Iran.
Twelve senators — Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tom Carper (D-DE), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Rand Paul (R-KY), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) — voted against the motion.

US Prepares for a World Both With and Without Iran Nuclear Deal
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
The United States is now preparing equally for both a scenario where there is a mutual return to compliance with Iran on a nuclear deal, as well as one in which there is not an agreement, the State Department said on Wednesday. "Because a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA is very much an uncertain proposition, we are now preparing equally for either scenario," Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a briefing.
Western officials have largely lost hope the nuclear deal can be resurrected, sources familiar with the matter said last week. While they have not completely given up on the pact, under which Iran restrained its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions, there is a growing belief it may be beyond salvation.

Iran Prepares for Protests Amid Fears of Nuclear Negotiations Failure
London - Tehran - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
Iranian authorities issued "secret directives" to the security and the judiciary units to prepare for public protests after an increase in food prices due to fears of the collapse of the Vienna talks, Iranian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. The sources said that the security services, police, riot control, the judiciary, and public prosecution offices are on alert to face possible disturbances within the next three months.A judicial source said that the instructions refer to "more severe protests than the previous public protests," with growing public discontent, especially after increasing prices of essential food commodities. The military and security services, especially the riot control, police stations, and checkpoints, increased their daily and night patrols at the entrances and exits of cities. On Monday, education staff employees launched protests in dozens of Iranian cities.The Teachers' Trade Association said that the authorities continued to arrest teachers and participants in the International Workers' Day rallies, which coincides with Teacher's Day in Iran.
Negotiations collapse
On March 11, last-minute Russian demands threatened to derail the near-complete process of reviving the Iran nuclear deal. After the Russian issue was overcome, the negotiations faced another obstacle when Tehran demanded the US removes the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) from the list of terrorist organizations. A source said that Iranian officials know they will not reach an agreement in the short term, and the current government prefers to continue negotiations without signing anything. Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Irish counterpart Simon Coveney held a telephone conversation on Wednesday. Abdollahian said that the US has to adopt a realistic approach and modify former US President Donald Trump's illegal behavior, and take steps in the direction of developing political initiatives.
The ministry said that Iran will continue the path of diplomacy until achieving a final agreement in the Vienna talks. In addition to developing and proposing political initiatives, Iran has shown that it has the necessary will to reach a "good," "strong," and "lasting" agreement in the Vienna talks, the top diplomat was quoted as saying. Coveney described Iran's initiatives in the Vienna talks as commendable, highlighting the necessity of reaching a "good" agreement through the diplomatic process that would be capable of safeguarding the interests of Tehran's interests and the other parties.
Inflation
Meanwhile, despite objections among the middle and poor classes, inflation hit the Iranian markets, which was reflected in the chants during the state rallies on the occasion of al-Quds Day. Conservative members of the parliament criticized the cabinet last month following the new wave of inflation. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi ordered the regulatory authorities to set new measures that regulate markets and control prices.
State-owned media reported that the monetary decisions of the government led to a decline in annual inflation from about 60 percent to 46 percent in March. Last month, the government announced it was revoking its subsidized exchange rate system for imports. However, observers are concerned after essential commodities, especially bread, continue their upward trajectory. The Jamejam website, affiliated with state television, quoted the Director General of the Basic Commodity Price Control at the Ministry of Agriculture as saying the news of the bread price increase was a "rumor." Reports stated that the price of one piece of "baguette" rose from 3,000 rials to 10,000 rials. The cost of a 40kg bag of flour reached 600,000 rials, up from 260,000 rials.
The IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency said the government increased the prices of flour and pasta following a rise in global inflation due mainly to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It is estimated that every Iranian citizen consumes half a kilogram of pasta a month. The US dollar was selling for 28,250 rials, according to the foreign exchange site Bonbast.com.
Water Crisis
An official source, who spoke on anonymity, said the authorities fear the water crisis will coincide with deteriorating living conditions and basic goods. A judicial source also confirmed instructions from the higher bodies regarding the possibility of protests erupting due to water scarcity in the country. The Ministry of Energy announced that water levels in dams had decreased 60 percent before the summer season. The Executive Director of the Water and Electricity in Ahwaz Governorate, Abbas Sadrian, said that the province's dams have 4.7 billion cubic meters, equivalent to 36 percent of the total volume of dams explaining that 64 percent of the dams' capacity is empty. Experts warn of the dire consequences of the drought for the second year in a row in the provinces affected by the government's water policies. Based on these estimates, officials expect the water protests to erupt in the Arab-majority province of Ahwaz in the south. An activist said the authorities launched an intense campaign through Friday prayer sermons in the affected areas, fearing that public discontent would lead to protests.

Fighting prevents evacuations of civilians trapped under Ukraine steel plant
Alessandra Prentice and Natalia Zinets/Reuters/May 05/2022
Scores of civilians, many of them women and children, remained trapped on Thursday in underground bunkers at a steel works, the last Ukrainian holdout in the devastated city of Mariupol, but Russia promised a new lull in fighting to allow them to leave.Ukraine's dogged resistance at the vast Azovstal plant has underscored Russia's failure to capture major cities during a 10-week war that has united Western powers in arming Kyiv and punishing Moscow with sanctions. In what would be a major historic shift sure to infuriate Moscow, Sweden and Finland may shortly decide to join NATO. Russia's military promised to pause its activity in Azovstal during Thursday daytime and the following two days to allow civilians to leave, after what Ukrainian fighters described as "bloody battles" prevented evacuations on Wednesday. The Kremlin said humanitarian corridors from the plant were in place.
However, nobody from Azovstal was among more than 300 civilians evacuated on Wednesday from Mariupol and other areas in southern Ukraine, the U.N. humanitarian office said. Pictures released by Russian-backed fighters appeared to show smoke and flames enveloping the Soviet-era Azovstal complex. Ukrainian officials believe around 200 civilians remain trapped along with fighters in a sprawling network of underground bunkers there. In an early morning address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine stood ready to ensure a ceasefire. "It will take time simply to lift people out of those basements, out of those underground shelters. In the present conditions, we cannot use heavy equipment to clear the rubble away. It all has to be done by hand," Zelenskiy said. Ukrainian fighters inside Azovstal are fighting "difficult, bloody battles," Denis Prokopenko, a commander with Ukraine's Azov regiment, said late on Wednesday.
Ukraine's military general staff said the assault on the plant included air support.
Its chief commander said Ukraine's armed forces needed multiple launch rocket systems to defend against resumed Russian cruise missile strikes around the country. Russia has in recent days targeted railways, weapons dumps and fuel depots. The U.S. Congress is debating an aid package for Ukraine worth $33 billion, largely for weapons. If it gets more supplies, Ukraine could launch a counter-offensive in mid-June, an adviser to Zelenskiy said. Mariupol, a port city in southeast Ukraine on the Sea of Azov, is now under Russian control apart from the steel works, after a weeks-long siege. It has been an important target in efforts to cut Ukraine off from its coastal grain and metals export routes, as well as to link Russian-controlled territory in the east of the country to Crimea, seized by Moscow in 2014. The United Nations and Red Cross evacuated hundreds of people from the city and other areas earlier this week, including dozens from Azovstal during a short-lived U.N. brokered ceasefire. "God forbid more shells hit near the bunkers where the civilians are," said Tetyana Trotsak, an Azovstal evacuee among dozens who reached a Ukraine-controlled town this week, describing her two-and-a-half hour walk to get across a short stretch of ground at the plant strewn with rubble. Nordic neighbours Sweden and Finland - which also shares a 1,300-km (819 mile) border with Russia - stayed out of NATO during the Cold War, but Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has prompted them to rethink their security needs.
Sweden received U.S. assurances that it would receive support during the period that a potential application to join NATO is processed by the 30 nations in the alliance, Foreign Minister Ann Linde said on Wednesday.
Russian President Vladimir embarked on the war partly to counter the expansion of the NATO alliance, which Ukraine also wants to join.
Sweeping sanctions from the United States and its European allies have hobbled Russia's $1.8 trillion economy while billions of dollars worth of military aid has helped Ukraine frustrate the invasion. The United States has provided details on the location of Russia's mobile military headquarters, allowing Ukrainian forces to strike those targets and kill Russian generals, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing senior U.S. officials. In response, Russia said such intelligence sharing would not thwart its goals. Ukrainian officials said they have killed about 12 Russian generals on the battlefield, the newspaper said. The Pentagon and the White House did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on the report. EU envoys are working to reach a deal this week on phasing out imports of Russian crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of this year. It requires agreement by all 27 EU governments. The plan also targets Russia's top bank, its broadcasters, and hundreds of individuals. It would follow U.S. and British oil bans and be a watershed for the EU, the world's largest trading bloc, which remains dependent on Russian energy. The Kremlin said Russia was weighing responses to the plan.
Ukraine and Russia said fighting had been heavy across the south and east over the past day. Ukrainian authorities reported shelling of towns near a frontline that divides territory it holds in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions from land held by Russian-backed separatists. The Ukrainian air force said it had downed three Russian cruise missiles and four aircraft, including two Sukhoi fighter jets, while Russia said it had killed 600 Ukrainian soldiers overnight. Reuters could not independently either report. Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the eastern Donetsk region in which Mariupol is located, said at least 25 civilians were wounded as Russian forces shelled Kramatorsk, a town that in April suffered a missile strike on a train station that killed dozens of evacuating civilians. Russia calls its actions a "special military operation" to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists. Ukraine and the West say the fascist allegation is baseless and that the war is an unprovoked act of aggression. More than five million Ukrainians have fled abroad since the start of the invasion.

Ukraine Repels Some Attacks but Combat Rages at Steel Mill
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
Ukrainian forces said Thursday they repelled Russian attacks in the east and recaptured some territory, even as Moscow moved to obstruct the flow of Western weapons to Ukraine by bombarding rail stations and other supply-line targets across the country. Heavy fighting also raged at the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol that represented the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in the ruined southern port city, the Ukrainian military reported. A Russian official earlier denied that troops were storming the plant, but the commander of the main Ukrainian unit inside said Russian soldiers had pushed into the mill's territory. "With the support of aircraft, the enemy resumed the offensive in order to take control of the plant," the General Staff in Kyiv said, adding that the Russians were "trying to destroy Ukrainian units."To the west of Mariupol, Ukrainian forces made some gains on the border of the southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv, where Russian troops were reportedly trying to launch a counteroffensive, and repelled 11 Russian attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the military said.
Five people were killed and at least 25 more wounded in shelling of several eastern cities over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said.
The Russian military said it used sea- and air-launched missiles to destroy electric power facilities at five railway stations across Ukraine on Wednesday. Artillery and aircraft also struck troop strongholds and fuel and ammunition depots. Videos on social media suggested a bridge there was attacked. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Russia of "resorting to the missile terrorism tactics in order to spread fear across Ukraine." Responding to the strikes in his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: "All of these crimes will be answered, legally and quite practically - on the battlefield."The flurry of attacks comes as Russia prepares to celebrate Victory Day on May 9, marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany. The world is watching for whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the occasion to declare a victory in Ukraine or expand what he calls the "special military operation." A declaration of all-out war would allow Putin to introduce martial law and mobilize reservists to make up for significant troop losses. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the speculation as "nonsense." Meanwhile, Belarus, which Russia used as a staging ground for its invasion, announced the start of military exercises Wednesday. A top Ukrainian official said the country will be ready to act if Belarus joins the fighting. The British Defense Ministry said it does not anticipate that the drills currently posed a threat to Ukraine, but that Moscow will likely use them "to fix Ukrainian forces in the north, preventing them from being committed to the battle for the Donbas," the eastern industrial heartland that is Russia's stated war objective.
The attacks on rail infrastructure were meant to disrupt the delivery of Western weapons, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu complained that the West is "stuffing Ukraine with weapons."
A senior US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagon's assessment, said that while the Russians have tried to hit critical infrastructure around the western city of Lviv, specifically targeting railroads, there has been "no appreciable impact" on Ukraine’s effort to resupply its forces. Lviv, close to the Polish border, has been a major gateway for NATO-supplied weapons. Weaponry pouring into Ukraine helped its forces thwart Russia’s initial drive to seize Kyiv and seems certain to play a central role in the growing battle for the Donbas. Ukraine has urged the West to ramp up the supply of weapons ahead of that potentially decisive clash. In addition to supplying weapons to Ukraine, Europe and the US have sought to punish Moscow with sanctions. The EU's top official called on the 27-nation bloc on Wednesday to ban Russian oil imports, a crucial source of revenue.
"We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion, in a way that allows us and our partners to secure alternative supply routes and minimizes the impact on global markets," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. The proposal needs unanimous approval from EU countries and is likely to be debated fiercely. Hungary and Slovakia have already said they won't take part in any oil sanctions. They could be granted an exemption.
The EU is also talking about a possible embargo on Russian natural gas. The bloc has already approved a cutoff of coal imports. Russia’s economy is heavily dependent on oil and natural gas exports.
In Mariupol, Mayor Vadym Boychenko said that Russian forces were targeting the already shattered Azovstal plant with heavy artillery, tanks, aircraft, warships and "heavy bombs that pierce concrete 3 to 5 meters thick." "Our brave guys are defending this fortress, but it is very difficult," he said. Ukrainian fighters said Tuesday that Russian forces had begun storming the plant. But the Kremlin denied it. "There is no assault," Peskov said. Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Ukrainian Azov regiment that's defending the plant, said in a video that the incursions continued "and there are heavy, bloody battles."
"The situation is extremely difficult, but in spite of everything, we continue to carry out the order to hold the defense," he added.
His wife, Kateryna Prokopenko, told The Associated Press: "We don’t want them to die. They won’t surrender. They are waiting for the bravest countries to evacuate them." Meanwhile, the United Nations announced that more than 300 civilians were evacuated Wednesday from Mariupol and other nearby communities. The evacuees arrived in Zaporizhzhia, about 140 miles (230 kilometers) to the northwest, where they were receiving humanitarian assistance. Over the weekend, more than 100 people - including women, the elderly and 17 children - were evacuated from the plant during a ceasefire in an operation overseen by the UN and the Red Cross. But the attacks on the plant soon resumed. The Russian government said on the Telegram messaging app that it would open another evacuation corridor from the plant during certain hours on Thursday through Saturday. But there was no immediate confirmation of those arrangements from other parties, and many previous such assurances from the Kremlin have fallen through, with the Ukrainians blaming continued fighting by the Russians. It was unclear how many Ukrainian fighters were still inside, but the Russians put the number at about 2,000 in recent weeks, and 500 were reported to be wounded. A few hundred civilians also remained there, the Ukrainian side said. Mariupol, and the plant in particular, have come to symbolize the misery inflicted by the war. The Russians have pulverized most of the city in a two-month siege that has trapped civilians with little food, water, medicine or heat. The city's fall would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas.

NYT: US Intel Helped Ukraine Target Russian Generals
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
Intelligence provided by the United States has helped the Ukrainian military target several Russian generals since Moscow's invasion, the New York Times reported Wednesday. Citing multiple senior US officials, the newspaper said that of the approximately dozen Russian generals killed by Ukrainian forces, "many" had been targeted with the help of US intelligence. The US National Security Council slammed the assertion that the United States was helping Ukraine kill Russian generals as "irresponsible." "The United States provides battlefield intelligence to help the Ukrainians defend their country," NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson told AFP in an email. "We do not provide intelligence with the intent to kill Russian generals." The heavy loss of high-ranking Russian military officers has stunned Western security officials, who last confirmed an official tally of seven generals in late March, though Ukraine has since announced more. In March, Western officials had cited low morale as a reason Russian generals would be so close to the front. They also pointed to potential communications and logistics issues on the Russian side, which could lead senior officers to use unencrypted channels and expose themselves to Ukrainian forces. But the report by the New York Times points to direct assistance from the United States and other Western intelligence services as a major factor in the Ukrainian success. The daily said the United States had provided details on the Russian military's mobile headquarters, which frequently change location, and that Ukrainian forces used that information in tandem with their own to conduct attacks on senior Russian officers. President Joe Biden's administration has kept the military intelligence it is providing to Ukraine under wraps out of concern it could compromise its sources as well as be taken as a sign by Russia of direct hostility. Earlier in the conflict, the Pentagon was similarly cautious about noting that only "defensive" weapons and equipment were being provided to Ukraine. But it has since announced shipments of offensive weapons like heavy artillery, helicopters and attack drones.
It has also talked of training Ukrainian troops, including in Germany, to use the weapons they are receiving. And instead of saying, as it did in February, that it wants only to help Ukraine survive, Washington now says its goal in the war is to debilitate Russia for the long term. "We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine," US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said after a visit to Kyiv in late April. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to request for comment on the Times report.

Mariupol steel mill battle rages as Ukraine repels attacks
Associated Press/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
Heavy fighting raged Thursday at the besieged steel plant in Mariupol, as Russian forces attempted to finish off the city's last-ditch defenders and complete the capture of the strategically vital port. The bloody battle came amid growing suspicions that President Vladimir Putin wants to present the Russian people with a major battlefield success — or perhaps announce an escalation of the war — in time for Victory Day on Monday. That is the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar, marking the Soviet Union's triumph over Nazi Germany.
Ten weeks into a devastating war, Ukraine's military claimed Thursday it recaptured some areas in the south and repelled other attacks in the east, further frustrating Putin's ambitions. Ukrainian and Russian forces are fighting village by village, as Moscow struggles to gain momentum in the eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas. Russia switched its focus to that region — where Moscow-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian forces for years — after a stiffer than expected resistance bogged its troops down and thwarted its initial goal of overrunning the capital.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said he hadn't expected the Russian offensive to "drag on this way." Some Russian troops used ally Belarus as a launch pad for the invasion on Feb. 24, and Lukashenko publicly supported the operation. "But I am not immersed in this problem enough to say whether it goes according to plan, like the Russians say, or like I feel it," the authoritarian leader said. In the most searing example of how Ukrainian forces have slowed Russia's progress, Ukrainian fighters are holed up in the tunnels and bunkers under the sprawling Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol — the last pocket of resistance in a city that is otherwise controlled by Moscow's forces. Civilians, believed to number around a few hundred, are also trapped inside the plant. Ukraine said its fighters drove back a Russian assault into the giant mill, which was also being bombed from above."The Russian troops entered the territory of Azovstal, but were kicked out by our defenders," Oleksiy Arestovych, a presidential adviser, said in remarks on Ukrainian television. "We can say that the fighting is ongoing."The Kremlin denied that there was any ground assault.
Mariupol's fall would be a major battlefield success for Moscow, depriving Ukraine of a vital port and allowing Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas.
With his troops making slow progress elsewhere, Putin may be looking to declare a win at the plant in time for Victory Day. Some have also suggested he could use the celebrations to expand what he calls the "special military operation."A declaration of all-out war would allow the Russian leader to introduce martial law and mobilize reservists to make up for significant troop losses. The Kremlin has dismissed the speculation.The city, and the plant in particular, have come to symbolize the misery inflicted by the war. The Russians have pulverized most of Mariupol in a two-month siege that has trapped civilians with little food, water, medicine or heat. Civilians sheltering inside the plant have perhaps suffered even more. About 100 of them were evacuated over the weekend — the first time some saw daylight in months. The Russian government said it would open another evacuation corridor from the plant during certain hours on Thursday through Saturday. But there was no immediate confirmation of those arrangements from other parties, and many previous assurances from the Kremlin have fallen through, with the Ukrainians blaming continued fighting by the Russians.
It is unclear how many Ukrainian fighters are still inside the plant, but the Russians put the number at about 2,000 in recent weeks, and 500 were reported to be wounded.
As the battle raged in Mariupol, Russian forces shelled elsewhere in the Donbas and also kept up their bombardment of railroad stations and other supply-line targets across the country — part of an effort to disrupt the supply of Western arms, which have been critical to Ukraine's defense. Ukrainian forces said Thursday they made some gains on the border of the southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv and repelled 11 Russian attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up the Donbas. Five people were killed and at least 25 more wounded in shelling of cities in the Donbas over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said. The attacks damaged houses and a school as well. A day after Russian attacks were reported near Kyiv, the capital; in Cherkasy and Dnipro in central Ukraine; and in Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, air raid sirens sounded anew Thursday in the western city of Lviv, which has been a gateway for western arms and served as a relative safe haven for people fleeing fighting farther east.
An assessment by the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Russian forces were struggling to gain traction. "Ukrainian defenses have largely stalled Russian advances in eastern Ukraine," it said late Wednesday. "Russian forces intensified airstrikes against transportation infrastructure in western Ukraine (on Wednesday) but remain unable to interdict Western aid shipments to Ukraine," it added. The war has flattened swaths of cities and destroyed roads and bridges, and driven millions from their homes, including many who have crossed into other countries. With the challenge of rebuilding and demining after the war in mind, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday announced the launch of a global fundraising digital platform called United24. At the same time, Poland hosted an international donor conference that raise $6.5 billion in humanitarian aid.
Meanwhile, Belarus announced the start of military exercises Wednesday. A top Ukrainian official said the country will be ready to act if Belarus joins the fighting. The British Defense Ministry said it does not anticipate that the drills currently posed a threat to Ukraine, but that Moscow will likely use them "to fix Ukrainian forces in the north, preventing them from being committed to the battle for the Donbas."

French Ecology Minister Confident in Russia Oil Ban
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
France’s ecology minister said Thursday she is confident that the European Union’s 27 nations will quickly agree to a proposed ban on oil imports from Russia. Speaking to FranceInfo radio, Barbara Pompili, said the embargo could be agreed upon within days. “I am confident,” she said. “It is normal that there are discussions because some counties are more dependent than others on Russian oil, so we have to try to find solutions so they can get on board with these sanctions.” She added: “I think we’ll get there perhaps by the end of the week or at least as soon as possible.” The European Union’s top official, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, proposed Wednesday that EU member nations phase out imports of Russian crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year. The proposals must be unanimously approved to take effect. Von der Leyen said that getting all 27 member countries — some of them landlocked and highly dependent on Russia for energy supplies — to agree on oil sanctions “will not be easy.” Pompili said the embargo would be “for everyone” in the bloc and that “is to show Russia that Europe, from the end of this year, will completely do without its oil.”

Heavy Rain and Floods in Afghanistan Kill 22, Destroy Hundreds of Homes
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 5 May, 2022
Heavy rain and flooding has killed 22 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and damaged crops in Afghanistan, which is already facing a humanitarian crisis, a disaster management official said on Thursday. The Taliban government, struggling to cope with the disaster that has affected more than a third of its provinces, will approach international relief organizations for help, officials said. "Due to flooding and storms in 12 provinces, 22 people have died and 40 injured," said Hassibullah Shekhani, head of communications and information at Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority. The rain and flooding was particularly severe in the western provinces of Badghis and Faryab and the northern province of Baghlan. Afghanistan has been suffering from drought in recent years, made worse by climate change, with low crop yields raising fears of serious food shortages. The weather has exacerbated problems of poverty caused by decades of war and then a drop in foreign aid and the freezing of assets abroad after the Taliban took over, and US-led forces withdrew, in August. Shekhani said 500 houses were destroyed, 2,000 damaged, 300 head of livestock killed and some 3,000 acres of crops damaged. He said the International Committee of the Red Cross was helping and officials would approach other international organizations for help. The international community is grappling with how to help the country of some 40 million people without benefiting the Taliban.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 05-06/2022
Kremlin is targeting Ukraine resupply infrastructure, officials say
Abigail Hauslohner, Dan Lamothe and Hannah Allam/The Washington Post/May 05/2022
Lviv governor says Russian forces target Ukraine's supply lines
The Kremlin is carrying out strikes on infrastructure that is critical to Ukraine’s efforts to resupply its forces in their defense against Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian officials and the Pentagon said Wednesday.
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A senior U.S. defense official, speaking to reporters on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the Pentagon, said Ukraine is still able to move weapons through the country.
Russia’s targets on Tuesday and Wednesday included electrical substations, a railroad facility and a bridge in two major cities in western and central Ukraine. Strikes on Tuesday night caused severe damage at three electrical substations in Lviv, a critical hub for assistance entering the country from Eastern Europe, delaying trains and wiping out power for about a quarter of a million people.
“It was a deliberate blow to supply chains,” Lviv’s regional governor, Maksym Kozytskyy, said in a statement.
In Ukrainian villages, whispers of collaboration with the Russians
The head of Ukrainian railways reported Wednesday night that fresh attacks had targeted a railroad facility and a bridge in the populous central city of Dnipro. Video verified by The Washington Post showed explosions on a bridge in the city’s center that appears to be used by both cars and trains. Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov reported shelling in the area and warned residents to seek shelter.
“Today, the Russian invaders launched another missile strike at our cities,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “At Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Zaporizhzhia. At the cities of Donbas and other regions of our country. All these crimes will get proper answers. Both legal and quite practical — on the battlefield.”
Ukrainian economists said this week that the country has suffered up to $600 billion in economic losses from Russia’s invasion — including $92 billion in damage to hundreds of factories, medical facilities, schools, bridges, religious facilities, cars and warehouses and other infrastructure.
People stand May 4 in front of a building damaged by a missile strike in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. (Yuriy Dyachyshyn/AFP/Getty Images)
As the war reached the 10-week mark, Oleksandr Pavliuk, head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, said on Telegram that investigators have discovered more bodies with signs of torture in the village of Kalynivka, about 20 miles southwest of the capital.
Kyiv regional police chief Andriy Nebytov said that as of Wednesday, his police had “identified and examined” 1,235 bodies of civilians killed by Russian forces in the region.
A different grim scene was emerging Wednesday in the shattered southern port city of Mariupol, where Ukrainian officials said heavy fighting had engulfed the Azovstal steel plant a day after a United Nations-led humanitarian convoy evacuated more than 150 civilians from underground shelters there.
Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said Wednesday that Russian troops were using tanks and heavy bombs to strike at the remaining Ukrainian forces inside the complex, who could no longer communicate with him.
“Unfortunately today the connection with the boys broke off. There is no connection to understand what is happening, whether or not they are safe,” Boychenko said.
E.U. proposes ban on Russian oil imports by year's end
Ukrainian officials also said Russian forces were forcing residents who remained in Mariupol — who Boychenko said number more than 100,000 — to help clear debris elsewhere in the city, in preparation for a parade next week. The parade on May 9 would be in celebration of Russia’s Victory Day holiday, which commemorates the Soviet Union’s role in defeating the Nazis at the end of World War II.
“To this end, the city is urgently cleaning the central streets of debris, the bodies of killed and unexploded ordnance,” Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency said Wednesday.
Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to Mariupol’s mayor, said residents were being forced to clear the rubble “in exchange for food.” His claims could not be independently verified.
What Victory Day means for Russian identity
To Russians at home, Putin has cast his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as a response to a revived Nazi threat, a claim not supported by facts. Analysts have speculated that Putin might use the Victory Day holiday to officially declare war on Ukraine, a suggestion that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Wednesday as “nonsense.”
Peskov, who spoke at a news conference, also told reporters that peace negotiations with Ukraine are at an impasse, and blamed Kyiv. “They change their position every day,” he said. “This does not inspire confidence that this negotiation process can somehow end successfully.”
Ukraine, too, has said the talks are in danger of collapsing, and that the countries have held no face-to-face discussions since March.
In Luhansk on Wednesday, Serhiy Haidai, the regional governor, said the cities of Popasna, Rubizhne and Severodonetsk have seen intensified Russian shelling in recent days that left at least two people dead. Hadai wrote on Telegram that about 50,000 people were in need of evacuation, with water and electricity badly disrupted.
But evacuations are not possible amid the fighting, he said.
Russian media, meanwhile, reported that Ukrainian shelling had set fire to four large tanks at an oil depot in the neighboring Donetsk region, in an area under the control of Russian-backed separatists. One person was reported killed in the incident.
Cracks emerge in Russian elite as tycoons start to bemoan invasion
Belarus, the Kremlin’s major ally on Ukraine’s northern border, announced it had launched large-scale drills to test the readiness of its armed forces to respond quickly to “possible crises” from the air and ground.
The Belarusian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the training exercise would not “pose any threat to the European community as a whole or to neighboring countries in particular.”
U.S. defense officials said they saw no sign that Belarus was planning to enter the war, but Ukrainian officials were more wary. Andriy Demchenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s state border guard service, said the border with Belarus was “constantly being strengthened.”
“We do not rule out that the territory of Belarus could be used at some point … against Ukraine,” he said. “So we are ready.”
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Putin, allowed Russian troops to assemble and conduct military drills in the Eastern European country in the run-up to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. And a large contingent of Russia’s invasion force crossed into Ukraine from Belarus.
Also Wednesday, Pope Francis issued a stinging criticism of the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, telling an Italian newspaper that he had warned Patriarch Kirill earlier this spring not to be “Putin’s altar boy.”
The populations of both Russia and Ukraine are majority Orthodox.
In a Tuesday interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Francis said that during a meeting over Zoom on March 16, Kirill read from a sheet of paper to list the justifications for Russia’s invasion.
“Brother, we are not state clerics,” Francis recalled telling Kirill. “We cannot use the language of politics but that of Jesus. We are pastors of the same holy people of God. Because of this, we must seek avenues of peace, to put an end to the firing of weapons.”
Allam reported from Lviv, Ukraine. David Stern in Muchakevo, Ukraine; Dalton Bennett, Karoun Demirjian, Reis Thebault and Herman Wong in Washington; Amar Nadhir in Bucharest; Bryan Pietsch in Seoul; and Ellen Francis and Adela Suliman in London contributed to this report.
War in Ukraine: What you need to know
The latest: Russia has stepped up missile attacks across Ukraine, striking railways and power stations in the latest sign that the Kremlin may be trying to restrict the flow of weapons in the east. The first evacuees from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol have also reached Zaporizhzhia.
The fight: Russian forces continue to mount sporadic attacks on civilian targets in a number of Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian prosecutors have been taking detailed testimony from victims to investigate Russian war crimes.

The Palestinian State Bill: Palestinians Ask That More Arab Repression Not Be Allowed
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/May 05/2022
According to the new bill, foreign journalists who do not endorse the Palestinian narrative or who do not "respect the Palestinian identity and history" may soon be banned from operating in PA-controlled areas.
The same restriction applies to Palestinian media organizations and journalists seeking permits to operate in these territories.
The PA leadership apparently fears that stories about corruption, anti-Israel incitement and terrorism will prompt Western donors to halt their funding to the Palestinians.
Unlike other Arab regimes, however, the PA is almost entirely dependent on foreign aid from the US, the European Union and other international donors, who do not seem the least bit bothered by the Palestinian leadership's measures to curb freedom of expression and deprive its people of an independent media.
In response, several Palestinian human rights and media organizations, including the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, expressed deep concern and disapproval of the PA leadership's intention to hijack the media.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate also warned that the draft bill, if approved, would have a negative impact on the international community's support for the Palestinians and undermine Palestinians' "dream of a modern Palestinian state that respects basic rights and freedoms."
Sadly, the Palestinians harbor no hope that their current leaders will work towards establishing a state where public freedoms and human rights are valued and respected.
The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip are corrupt dictatorships that care only about their own interests.
What remains difficult for Palestinians to understand is the continuing silence of the international community and foreign media towards the human rights violations and restrictions on the institutions of democracy and freedom of speech perpetrated by the Palestinian leaders in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The leadership of the Palestinian Authority (PA) apparently fears that stories about corruption, anti-Israel incitement and terrorism will prompt Western donors to halt their funding to the Palestinians. According to a new draft law proposed by the PA leadership, foreign journalists who do not endorse the Palestinian narrative or who do not "respect the Palestinian identity and history" may soon be banned from operating in PA-controlled areas.
While the US administration and many countries seem enthusiastic about the establishment of a Palestinian state, the Palestinians themselves are worried that such a state would end up like most of the corrupt and authoritarian regimes in the Arab world.
The Palestinians' concern was recently reinforced when they learned that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is planning to impose even harsher restrictions on the Palestinian and foreign media.
The restrictions are included in a draft law concerning the conditions for the licensing of media organizations operating in PA-controlled territories in the West Bank. The bill, currently being studied by the PA government, may soon be approved, turning it into official law.
According to the new bill, foreign journalists who do not endorse the Palestinian narrative or who do not "respect the Palestinian identity and history" may soon be banned from operating in PA-controlled areas.
The same restriction applies to Palestinian media organizations and journalists seeking permits to operate in these territories.
The bill comes in the context of the PA leadership's ongoing effort to silence its critics and tighten its grip on the foreign and local journalists covering Palestinian affairs.
It also comes in the context of the PA leadership's effort to ensure that journalists refrain from reporting stories that could reflect negatively on the Palestinians, especially regarding financial corruption and vicious incitement and terrorism against Israel.
The PA, which does not tolerate any form of criticism, wants to ensure that the local and foreign media's attention remains focused on anti-Israel coverage. This is not a new policy for the PA.
In fact, this has been the PA leadership's policy since its establishment in 1994, after the signing of the Oslo Accords with Israel.
This policy aims to intimidate journalists and their media organizations and prevent them from reporting stories that could harm the PA leadership's image and reputation.
The PA leadership apparently fears that stories about corruption, anti-Israel incitement and terrorism will prompt Western donors to halt their funding to the Palestinians.
The timing of the proposed bill is not coincidental.
It comes on the eve of the meeting in a few weeks of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, a committee consisting of donor countries that serves as the main policy-level coordination mechanism for development assistance to the Palestinian people.
The PA leadership is hoping that the committee will approve additional and unconditional funding for the Palestinians.
That is why it is critical for PA leader Mahmoud Abbas and his senior officials in Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinians, to ensure that the media remains muzzled about rampant corruption and other issues related to bad governance, and human rights violations by the Palestinian security forces.
Palestinians on the street are saying that instead of working towards guaranteeing a free media and freedom of expression, the PA is seeking to tighten its grip on Palestinian media outlets as part of an effort to prevent the publication of stories that reflect negatively on the PA leadership.
In this regard, the PA leadership is no different from other Arab totalitarian regimes that have absolute control of the media and crack down on all forms of criticism and opposition media outlets.
Unlike other Arab regimes, however, the PA is almost entirely dependent on foreign aid from the US, the European Union and other international donors, who do not seem the least bit bothered by the Palestinian leadership's measures to curb freedom of expression and deprive its people of an independent media.
The proposed law grants the PA government's Ministry of Information, Ministry of Interior (which is in charge of the Palestinian security forces) and the Ministry of Telecom and Information Technology wide powers to approve or reject the licensing of newspapers and TV and radio stations.
According to the bill, the media organizations are required, as a precondition for obtaining a license, to commit to "maintaining public order, public security and the requirements of the public interest, refrain from broadcasting any immoral content or anything that is incompatible with the values ​​and principles of Palestinian society, respect the Palestinian identity and history, and not to broadcast any media material that would prejudice the Palestinian identity or prejudice the Palestinian narrative."
In addition, the media organizations are required to obtain security clearance and the approval of the Ministry of Information to replace a director or editor-in-chief. They are also required to provide the ministry with all written contracts of the workers and journalists as a condition for receiving a license.
The bill grants the PA Minister of Information the right to stop the work of any Palestinian or foreign media organization in the West Bank "that does not respect the Palestinian identity and history."
In response, several Palestinian human rights and media organizations, including the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, expressed deep concern and disapproval of the PA leadership's intention to hijack the media.
Palestinian organizations are saying that the proposed law was aimed at serving and promoting the interests of the PA leadership alone. If approved, they are cautioning, the law would contribute to restricting the work of media institutions and limit freedom of expression, negatively affecting civil peace and raising the state of internal tension.
"The organizations believe that this [new measure] comes in the context of a wave of legislation recently issued by the Palestinian Authority with the aim of granting more control to the executive authority and the attack on institutions that protect democratic values ​​and ensure the application of the principles of good governance," reads a statement by the Palestinian Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN), which describes itself as a civil society organization that seeks to combat corruption and promote integrity, transparency and accountability in the Palestinian society.
The organizations warned that such legislation would "harm the reputation of the future Palestinian state with regard to respect for human rights and the values ​​of freedom and democracy."
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate also warned that the draft bill, if approved, would have a negative impact on the international community's support for the Palestinians and undermine Palestinians' "dream of a modern Palestinian state that respects basic rights and freedoms."
The Palestinian organizations stressed that ensuring the freedom, plurality and independence of the media comes within the respect and protection of the right to good governance and the rule of law, as well as enhancing the principle of transparency and accountability.
They urged the PA leadership not to endorse the proposed law and instead to launch discussions with human rights and media groups to reach agreement on legislation that takes into account democratic values.
Sadly, the Palestinians harbor no hope that their current leaders will work towards establishing a state where public freedoms and human rights are valued and respected.
The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip are corrupt dictatorships that care only about their own interests.
What remains difficult for Palestinians to understand is the continuing silence of the international community and foreign media towards the human rights violations and restrictions on the institutions of democracy and freedom of speech perpetrated by the Palestinian leaders in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
*Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
© 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: ‘So Many Muslims Are Targeted With Violence’ and ‘Oppressed for Their Religious Beliefs’
Raymond Ibrahim/May 05/2022 
Day by day, it seems that the ruling class and their media mouthpiece are dedicated to one principle: find problems where none exist and ignore real problems that are in desperate need of attention.
Consider the words of U.S. President Joe Biden, spoken during Eid al-Fitr with Muslims at the White House on May 2. He said:
[T]oday, around the world, we’re seeing so many Muslims being targeted with violence. No one, no one should discriminate against oppressed or be oppressed for their religious beliefs…. Muslims make our nation stronger every single day, even as they still face real challenges and threats in our society, including targeted violence and Islamophobia that exists.
Now, let’s briefly parse these surreal claims:
[T]oday, around the world, we’re seeing so many Muslims being targeted with violence. Where are the statistics for this claim? Rather, what we’re used to seeing is Muslims targeting non-Muslims with violence. According to one tally, for example, during just this last Ramadan, or basically the month of April 2022, Muslims launched 177 terror attacks “in the name of Islam” that murdered 1,086 people. Again, that’s just during one month—Islam’s “holiest” month. The same tally finds that there were zero attacks and zero deaths by non-Muslims operating under the name of their religions.
No one, no one should discriminate against oppressed or be oppressed for their religious beliefs. Of course, everyone agrees with this—except, apparently, the one group that Biden was speaking to and presenting as “oppressed,” namely, Muslims: systematic discrimination and oppression are endemic to the Muslim world, and that’s because systematic discrimination and oppression are integral parts of the religion of Islam and codified in sharia. If you’re a non-Muslim, you are openly treated as inferior and with fewer rights. That’s if you’re lucky; otherwise, you’re outright persecuted and possibly killed for your faith. As a recent report found, 360 million Christians around the world are persecuted for their religious identity—and the overwhelming majority of that persecution occurs in Muslim nations. In fact, the persecution Christians experience in 39 of the worst 50 nations is due to Islam. Yet never a word about this from Biden. Instead: Muslims make our nation stronger every single day, even as they still face real challenges and threats in our society, including targeted violence and Islamophobia that exists.
While one can point to several ways Muslims potentially make the U.S. weaker every day—from terror attacks and violent crimes to engaging in propaganda and subverting the nation from within—it would be helpful to list one reason as to how “Muslims make our nation stronger every single day.” Sure, it sounds nice, but some concrete examples, please.
As for Biden’s complaint about “targeted violence and Islamophobia that exists,” as seen, whatever that may be, it is a tithe of the targeted violence that Muslims launch on others.
As for the “Islamophobia that exists”—and which has existed since Islam was born, for obvious reasons—it is simply a manifestation of the fact that more and more people are learning the truths of Muhammad’s creed, despite the talking points of Biden and the rest.

A Message to the Biden Team on Ukraine: Talk Less
Thomas L. Friedman/The New York Times/May 05/2022
Growing up in Minnesota, I was a huge fan of the local NHL team at the time, the North Stars, and they had a sportscaster, Al Shaver, who gave me my first lesson in politics and military strategy. He ended his shows with this sign-off: “When you lose, say little. When you win, say less. Goodnight and good sports.”President Biden and his team would do well to embrace Shaver’s wisdom.
Last week, in Poland, standing near the border with Ukraine, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin got my attention — and certainly Vladimir Putin’s — when he declared that America’s war aim in Ukraine is no longer just helping Ukraine restore its sovereignty, but is also to produce a “weakened” Russia.
“We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine,” he said. “So, it has already lost a lot of military capability. And a lot of its troops, quite frankly. And we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability.”
Please tell me that this statement was a result of a National Security Council meeting led by the president. And that they decided, after carefully weighing all the second- and third-order consequences, that it is in our interest and within our power to so badly degrade Russia’s military that it will not be able to project power again — soon? ever? not clear — and that we can do that without risking a nuclear response from a humiliated Putin. Have no doubts: I hope that this war ends with Russia’s military sharply degraded and Putin out of power. I’d just never say so publicly if I were in leadership, because it buys you nothing and can potentially cost you a lot.
Loose lips sink ships — and they also lay the groundwork for overreach in warfare, mission creep, a disconnect between ends and means and huge unintended consequences.
There has been way too much of this from the Biden team, and the messes have required too much mopping up. For instance, a short time after Austin’s statement, a National Security Council spokesperson said, according to CNN, that the secretary’s comments reflected US goals, namely “to make this invasion a strategic failure for Russia.”Nice try — but that was a contrived cleanup effort. Forcing Russia to withdraw from Ukraine is not the same as declaring that we want to see it weakened so badly that it can never do this again anywhere — that’s an ill-defined war aim. How do you know when that is achieved? And is it an ongoing process — do we keep degrading Russia?
In March in a speech in Poland, Biden said that Putin, “a dictator, bent on rebuilding an empire, will never erase a people’s love for liberty,” and then the president added, “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.” In the wake of that statement, the White House contended that Biden “was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change,” but rather was making the point that Putin “cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region.”
Another cleanup word salad that just convinces me that the National Security Council didn’t have a meeting that set limits on where US involvement to assist Ukraine stops and starts. Instead, people are freelancing. That’s not good.
Our goal began simple and should stay simple: Help Ukrainians fight as long as they have the will and help them negotiate when they feel the time is right — so they can restore their sovereignty and we can reaffirm the principle that no country can just devour the country next door. Freelance beyond that and we invite trouble. How so? For starters, I don’t want America responsible for what happens in Russia if Putin is toppled. Because one of three things will most likely result:
(1) Putin is replaced by someone worse.
(2) Chaos breaks out in Russia, a country with some 6,000 nuclear warheads.
(3) Putin is replaced by someone better. A better leader in Russia would make the whole world better. I pray for that. But for that person to have legitimacy in a post-Putin Russia, it’s vital that it does not appear that we installed him or her. That needs to be a Russian process.
If we get Door No. 1 or Door No. 2, you wouldn’t want the Russian people or the world holding America responsible for unleashing prolonged instability in Russia. Remember our fear of “loose nukes” in Russia after the fall of communism in the 1990s?
We also don’t want Putin to separate us from our allies — not all of whom would sign on for a war whose goal is not just liberating Ukraine but also ousting Putin. Without naming names, the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, recently complained that some NATO allies actually “want the war to continue. They want Russia to become weaker.”
Remember: A lot of countries in the world are neutral in this war because, as much as they might sympathize with Ukrainians, they really don’t like to see America or NATO act like a bully — even toward Putin. If this is going to be a long war, and Ukraine is able to recover all or most of its territory, it is vital that this be perceived as Putin vs. the world, not Putin vs. America.
And let’s be careful not to raise Ukrainian expectations too high. Small countries that suddenly get the backing of big powers can get intoxicated. Many things have changed about Ukraine since the end of the Cold War — except one: its geography. It is still, and it will always be, a relatively small nation on Russia’s border. It is going to have to make some hard compromises before this conflict is over. Let’s not make it even harder for it by adding unrealistic goals.
At the same time, be careful about falling in love with a country you could not find on a map with 10 tries a year ago. Ukraine has a history of political corruption and thuggish oligarchs, but it was making progress toward democratic reforms before the Russian invasion. It has not become Denmark in the last three months, although, God bless them, a lot of young people there are really trying, and I want to support them.
The Biden team has done so well so far with its limited goals. It should stay there.
“The war in Ukraine gave the administration an opportunity to demonstrate the US’s unique assets in the world today: Its ability to forge and hold a global alliance of countries to confront an act of authoritarian aggression; and second, the capacity to wield an economic super weapon in response that only the dominance of the dollar in the global economy makes possible,” explained Nader Mousavizadeh, founder and CEO of Macro Advisory Partners, a geostrategic consulting firm.
If the US can continue to effectively deploy those two assets, he added, “it will vastly improve our long-term power and standing in the world and send a very powerful deterrent message to both Russia and China.”
In foreign affairs, success breeds authority and credibility, and credibility and authority breed more success. Just restoring Ukraine’s sovereignty, and frustrating Putin’s military there, would be a huge achievement with lasting dividends. Al Shaver knew what he was talking about: When you lose, say little. When you win, say less. Everyone can see the score.

Phares: America’s 5 Strategic Challenges in Asia
Dr. Walid Phares/May 05/2022
By the beginning of Obama’s second term, Washington planned to gradually reposition U.S. military power from the Greater Middle East into the Pacific region as a projected (but remote) counterweight to China’s growing power. The move, however, aimed at setting up the U.S. presence in and around Australia, away from any hot spot theaters.
This shift came as rationale for the first withdrawal from Iraq towards the end of 2011, to prepare for an Afghanistan pull-out, and eventually for an Iran Deal, which was already under discussions. The Obama doctrine, introduced in June 2009 through his speech in Cairo and the letter to Khamenei, was to disengage from the Arab Muslim world and focus on the Pacific. But the rapid withdrawal from Iraq and its penetration by Iran-backed militias, along with the subsequent ISIS invasion of parts of Syria and Iraq, forced the U.S. to again fight the new Jihadi threat in the region and postpone the Afghan pullout. Priority was, however, still given to the Iran deal, signed in 2015.The Trump administration changed priorities, escalated against ISIS, withdrew from the Iran Deal, increased support to Israel and the Arab Coalition against Iran’s militias, launched the historic Abraham Accords, sent a task force to deter North Korea before meeting with its leader, and kept pressure on China and Russia for four years. The Biden administration reverted to the Obama platform, changed U.S. posture again, rushed to re-sign the JCPOA, and pressured Israel and the Arabs to limit their responses to the Iranian backed forces in the region as Russia, China and North Korea began to rebel against U.S. leadership of the international community.This shift backward in Washington came with dramatic developments worldwide. Russia invaded Ukraine, China thrust into the Pacific, Pyongyang re-escalated, and Iran gained ground.
On the global stage, we can clearly see that the Eurasian continent (Asia plus Russia) is drifting away from American influence, and the U.S. is now facing five major strategic challenges in that part of the world.
Russia: By its blitz into Ukrainian areas, Moscow transformed the world order. The U.N. Security Council is paralyzed by two veto powers, Russia and China.
U.S. sanctions are strong and unparalleled against the Russian economy and leadership, but they haven’t stopped Russian forces from advancing in the east and the south of Ukraine.
The administration’s strategies to overcome this challenge face an historic dilemma. As a leader of West, the U.S. is expected to lead the campaign to defend and liberate Ukraine, even if only by arming the latter.
But geopolitically, that could mean a protracted conflict against a nuclear-armed and massive country, stretching from Kaliningrad to just across the waters from Alaska. And that means a span covering the entirety of Asia to the north.
China: Beijing didn’t endorse the operation in Ukraine, but it is providing rhetorical and logistical support to Russia to resist Western pressure.
The third nuclear power and the prime holder of U.S. debts is taking advantage of the War in Europe. It is declaring its ownership of Taiwan, consolidating its presence in the South China Sea, rapidly producing advanced missiles, and recently acquiring a military launching pad in the mid Pacific via the Solomon Islands. The current administration now faces a dilemma in Asia: Escalate containment with China across the Pacific, mobilize on two fronts along with Russia, or focus on the latter and allow Chinese expansion to go unchecked? East Asia is escaping.
North Korea: Chairman Kim, watching Moscow and Beijing “resisting” NATO and the United States, is at it again, launching more ballistic missiles, stressing South Korea and Japan. The third challenge facing the administration: Should the U.S. again send task forces to the Peninsula in the midst of global tensions with Russia and China — or not?
Iran: The regime is artfully playing the West via a well-executed ballet at the Vienna talks, using world concerns about Ukraine and the Pacific to demand conditions that would maximize their own position. The fourth challenge: Should the U.S. abandon the deal, pressuring Iran who is remobilizing in the region — or should they sign the deal and empower Tehran? Afghanistan: The challenge in Afghanistan is much heavier than it appears to be at first glance. The rapid chaotic U.S. withdrawal of summer 2021 was read by Moscow, Beijing, Pyongyang, and Tehran as weakness and unwillingness to face off with militias, emboldening each of them to take action. We are losing Asia because of how we fled Afghanistan. These five challenges may generate more crises on other continents. We need to reevaluate our foreign policy, but that needs a national consensus, which is unfortunately absent. Maybe after November?
*Dr. Walid Phares, is a Newsmax foreign policy analyst – beginning in April of 2022. Since 2009, he has served as co-secretary of the Transatlantic Parliamentary Group. He has also served as a foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump in 2016 and was a national security adviser (in 2011) to now-Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Ariz. Dr. Phares is a noted author, professor and Mideast expert, as well as a former Fox News and MSNBC contributor.

د.ماجد رافيزادا: لهذه الأسباب فإن أي اتفاق نووي مع إيران سيكون مصيره الفشل
Why any new nuclear deal with Iran is destined to collapse
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/May 05/2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/108510/dr-majid-rafizadeh-why-any-new-nuclear-deal-with-iran-is-destined-to-collapse-%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%af-%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%81%d9%8a%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%a7-%d9%84%d9%87%d8%b0%d9%87-%d8%a7%d9%84/
It is important for the world powers to understand that any renegotiated nuclear deal with the clerical regime of Iran will most likely fall apart.
First of all, there is significant opposition in the US to a new nuclear deal with the Iranian regime. This means that, regardless of what is signed, Congress can still inflict new economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic, escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington. Due to the widespread opposition, there is also a distinct possibility that, whenever the US gets another Republican president, his or her administration will likely pull the US out of the nuclear deal just like Donald Trump did.
The opposition to a new nuclear deal does not only come from politicians, but also from the military. For example, 45 retired US generals and admirals last month sent an entreaty, titled “Open Letter from US Military Leaders Opposing Iran Nuclear Deal,” to the Biden administration, warning it against reviving the deal. They wrote: “The new Iran deal currently being negotiated, which Russia has played a central role in crafting, will enable the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism to cast its own nuclear shadow over the Middle East. As retired American military leaders who devoted their lives to the defense of our nation, we oppose this emerging deal that is poised to instantly fuel explosive Iranian aggression and pave Iran’s path to become a nuclear power, threatening the American homeland and the very existence of America’s regional allies.”
Although any nuclear deal will involve Iran and the P5+1 powers (the UK, Russia, China, France and the US, plus Germany), the two key players are Washington and Tehran. As the international community previously witnessed, when the Trump administration pulled the US out of the nuclear deal, the Iran regime also stopped complying with its commitments. This is due to the fact the US plays a crucial role in the global financial system. If American sanctions against Iran remain in place, many other countries and corporations will hesitate to do business with Tehran.
The regime has shown in the past four decades that it cannot be trusted to respect international agreements, laws and norms.
The EU also cannot singlehandedly help Iran skirt US sanctions. For example, after the US left the original nuclear deal in 2018, the EU attempted to salvage it. The three European signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — Germany, France and the UK — set up a new trading mechanism called INSTEX. But it did not help Tehran because it only dealt with pharmaceutical goods, medical devices and food products, while Iran’s main revenues come from the energy sector, notably the export of oil and gas. And European companies did not want to risk their business with the US or access to US financial systems by dealing with Iran.
The second reason that any nuclear deal with the ruling clerics is doomed to fail once again relates to the issue of trust. Unfortunately, the Iranian regime has shown in the past four decades that it cannot be trusted to respect international agreements, laws and norms.
The regime is desperate for a nuclear deal with the world powers, not because it wants to address other nations’ concerns about its nuclear activities but because it is facing major financial difficulties. The Islamic Republic needs a nuclear deal so that the US sanctions will be lifted, meaning it will again be capable of funding its military adventurism throughout the region, its ballistic missile program and its wide network of militia and terror groups.
This means that, while enjoying the financial fruit of the nuclear deal, the Iranian regime will most likely continue its nuclear activities clandestinely. There is evidence that the theocratic establishment was violating the 2015 nuclear deal before the US withdrew. In 2018, two non-partisan organizations based in Washington — the Institute for Science and International Security and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies — released detailed reports about Iran’s undeclared clandestine nuclear facilities. In addition, the detection of radioactive particles in Turquzabad in 2019, Iran’s reluctance to answer simple questions about this secret facility and nonpartisan evidence about Iran’s nuclear activities at the location all point to the fact that Tehran was most likely violating the nuclear deal.
In summary, any new nuclear deal with the Iranian regime will most likely fail due to overwhelming opposition in the US and Tehran’s legacy of failure in adhering to international agreements and treaties.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh