LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 05/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18/11-14:”For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

’Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on August 04-05/2019
They distort and prostitute freedom to promote for immorality, defilement and atheism
Within Temptation Cancels Its show At the Byblos Festival
Dutch Band Cancels Lebanon Gig in Support of Mashrou' Leila
Al-Rahi urges state officials to revert to the Constitution, National Charter in spirit and content
Aoun warns Lebanese of 'tough' measures unless economic sacrifices made
Report: PSP Says ‘Aounist’ Minister ‘Intervened’ in Qabrshmoun Investigation
Chidiac Warns Against Attempts to ‘Weaken’ Hariri
Islamist Group Leader Killed in Ain el-Hilweh, Sons Apprehended
Geagea calls for keeping Qabrchmoun issue away from Cabinet
Selim Aoun: No regrets over those who have failed to learn from their experiences with President Aoun
Kanaan inspects development projects in Baskinta
Bou Saab inaugurates army square in Qattine-keserwan
Lakkis inaugurates 'Field Day' exhibition in Bekaa
Opinion/Inside Hezbollah’s U.S. Sleeper Cells: Waiting for Iran’s Signal to Strike America and Israeli Targets Abroad

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 04-05/2019
Pope Encourages Priests Disheartened By Sex Abuse Fallout
America in shock after two mass shootings within hours kill 29 people in Texas and Ohio
Gunman Kills 20 at Texas Walmart Store in Latest US Mass Shooting
IRGC commander: Iran seizes another foreign vessel in Gulf
Iran General Says Chances of Gulf Conflict Decreasing
Iran Seizes Third Foreign Ship in Less than a Month
Iranian fighter jet crashes in southern province, two onboard safe
US Welcomes Conditional Truce in Syria's Idlib Region
Syrian Jihadist Group Refuses Withdrawal from Proposed Idlib Buffer Zone
Sudan Generals, Protest Leaders Ink Constitutional Declaration
Erdogan: Turkey will carry operation in northern Syria
Israel’s Likud rules out Netanyahu stepping aside
Eight drug traffickers caught after escaping police custody in Baghdad

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 04-05/2019
They distort and prostitute freedom to promote for immorality, defilement and atheism/Elias Bejjani/August 04/2019
Opinion/Inside Hezbollah’s U.S. Sleeper Cells: Waiting for Iran’s Signal to Strike America and Israeli Targets Abroad/Matthew Levitt/Haaretz/August 04/2019
Why the Mullahs fear the Iranian diaspora/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/August 04/2019
Iran sanctions waivers: New tactic or strategic shift?/Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/August 04/2019
Turkey faces multiple foreign policy challenges/Yasar Yakis/Arab News/August 04/2019
Another milestone for women’s rights/Maha Akeel/Arab News/August 04/2019
Houthi purge a reflection of group’s true nature/Peter Welby/Arab News/August 04/2019
How Boris Johnson Can Defend the City of London?/David Fickling/Bloomberg/August 04/2019
The Latest UN Horror Show: Christian Refugees Ignored/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/August 04/2019

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on August 04-05/2019
They distort and prostitute freedom to promote for immorality, defilement and atheism
Elias Bejjani/August 04/2019
Currently, in our beloved Lebanon, the actual and Godly concept of freedom is derailed, distorted and deformed by thugs, Dhimmitudians, Leftist atheists, and those who are fully ignorant of the teachings of the gospel. They are vulgarly and with no shame promoting and advocating for immorality, defilement and atheism under the tag of freedom

حدا يكسر وراهن جرة ..ريحوا لبنان من فجورهم
بكاء ونواح ربع تعهير الحرية والترويج للشواذات لأن فرقة Within Temptationالغت عرضها في مهرجانات جبيل تضامناً مع ليلى ومشروعها المهرطق

Within Temptation Cancels Its show At the Byblos Festival
With a heavy heart we must inform you of the following:
As you know, we were scheduled to play the Byblos Festival in Lebanon on August 7th. We have found out that another band called Mashrou' Leila was pulled from the festival according to the festival committee due to security reasons after religious fanatics demanded their performance to be cancelled followed by violent threats. Apart from the fact that Lebanese authorities at this moment are not able to provide artists the security to perform in peace, we have decided to cancel our show in Byblos in solidarity with Mashrou' Leila and in support of tolerance, freedom of speech and expression.
For you, our fans in Lebanon, it hurts to make this decision. Our last show in Lebanon is still very vivid in our minds and hearts. We are looking forward to better days on which we will return to you in Lebanon.

Dutch Band Cancels Lebanon Gig in Support of Mashrou' Leila
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 04/2019
A Dutch band said Sunday it had cancelled its gig at a top Lebanon festival in solidarity with Mashrou’ Leila pulled from the event after threats over alleged offence to Christians. Within Temptation joined other activists in protest after festival organisers last week pulled Lebanese indie group Mashrou' Leila from the programme over fears of "bloodshed". The Dutch symphonic-rock outfit had been set to play on Wednesday at the event in the Christian-majority seaside town of Byblos. "We have decided to cancel our show in Byblos in solidarity with Mashrou' Leila and in support of tolerance, freedom of speech and expression," they said in a statement on Facebook.They made the decision after learning the festival had withdrawn Mashrou' Leila from the programme "due to security reasons after religious fanatics demanded their performance to be cancelled followed by violent threats", they said. Lebanese clerics have accused Mashrou' Leila, whose singer is openly gay, of offending Christians in two of their songs titled "Idols" and "Djin". Critics on social media also threatened to attack the concert if the Lebanese band went ahead with the performance on August 9. On Sunday, the festival's artistic director said he was saddened to have lost another band but did not regret last week's decision to cancel Mashrou' Leila. "The security of our artists and audience is our absolute priority," Naji Baz told AFP. "We have never before cancelled a performance... If we did it this time, albeit with an enraged heart, it's because we absolutely had to," he said. Mashrou' Leila has said it "sincerely regrets causing offence to anyone's beliefs" but denied that any of its songs were religiously offensive. Rights groups have denounced an increase in restrictions on freedom of expression, while activists and fans have protested in the street and online. Religiously diverse Lebanon is one of the Middle East's more liberal countries, but its myriad of recognised sects still wield major influence over social and cultural affairs. Mashrou' Leila has often played in Lebanon since forming in 2008 while its members were still students at the American University of Beirut. But it has created waves in the religiously conservative Middle East. After a Mashrou' Leila concert in Egypt in 2017, at which members of the audience waved a rainbow flag, Egyptian authorities launched a crackdown on the country's LGBT community. Its concerts in Jordan were cancelled in 2016 and 2017.

Al-Rahi urges state officials to revert to the Constitution, National Charter in spirit and content
NNA - Sun 04 Aug 2019
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Butros al-Rahi, called on political officials to "return to the Constitution and the National Charter in its content and spirit,” and to be inspired by the act of building the state so that the rule can be rectified. In his religious sermon during Sunday Mass held at the patriarchal summer residence in al-Diman this morning, al-Rahi highlighted the need for a spirit of cooperation and working together to re-build the nation, away from discord, conflict, sectarianism, divisions and personal interests that only serve to split the country and disrupt its affairs. “We pray to the Lord Almighty, with great hope and faith, to preserve our homeland from all evil and to bless the nation with political officials who fear God, and to lift the state from its ruin and the people from their sufferings,” said the Patriarch.

Aoun warns Lebanese of 'tough' measures unless economic sacrifices made
BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Michel Aoun warned Lebanese on Thursday of the risk of harsh financial measures from international institutions unless sacrifices are made to save the country from economic crisis.
Lebanon is grappling with one of the world’s heaviest public debt burdens and years of low economic growth. The impetus to enact long-delayed reforms has grown with the slowdown of deposits into its banking sector, a critical source of finance for the state. Deposits shrunk slightly in the first five months of the year. Foreign reserves, while still large relative to the size of the economy, have been falling. Aoun said Lebanon was going through a hard economic, financial and social crisis that it could overcome “if we are determined to do so”. “Interim sacrifice is needed on part of all the Lebanese with no exception in order for the rescue process to succeed,” he said. “If we do not all make a sacrifice today and accept to waive some of our benefits, we are running the risk of losing them all, when our country comes to the table of international lending institutions, with all the tough economic and financial schemes that they may impose on us,” he said. Aoun’s comments in a speech marking army day appeared to raise the possibility of Lebanon having to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help if government reform efforts fail to bring enough improvement to state finances.
But the presidency said in a statement on Friday that Reuters had misinterpreted the speech by suggesting it raised the prospect of Lebanon going to the IMF. Friday’s statement did not repeat Aoun’s comments on “international lending institutions” and referred only to his remarks about sacrifices. The Lebanese government has passed a state budget for 2019 that aims to slash the deficit as a percentage of national output. The IMF said last month the deficit would likely be well above the government’s target of 7.6% from over 11% in 2018. The budget included some politically tricky measures, such as a three-year freeze on state hiring. More difficult ideas were torpedoed, such as a public sector pay cut, and critics say the government also avoided the main problem: corruption.

Report: PSP Says ‘Aounist’ Minister ‘Intervened’ in Qabrshmoun Investigation
Naharnet/August 04/2019
The Progressive Socialist Party reportedly plans to object to what it called “interventions by men of the (Presidential) term (of President Michel Aoun) at the military court to direct investigations into the Qabrshmoun incident,” al-Hayat daily reported on Sunday. Sources close to the PSP said “men of the term” are intervening in the military court’s investigation in a manner that twists the results reached by the Information Branch of the Internal Security Forces. They allegedly want to “hold the PSP responsible” for the incident while “absolving” supporters of MP Talal Arslan and Minister Saleh al-Gharib from “causing the bloody consequences of the incident.” The sources said the “PSP has data proving that a minister of President Michel Aoun has used his influence to pressure the Military Court into transferring the Qabrshmoun file from the government commissioner, Judge Fadi Sawan, to another judge, Marcel Bassil, currently on a judicial holiday,” they said. The sources reportedly claimed that the “minister's interventions are clear and undoubtedly true,” and that they “plan to undermine the political role of PSP leader (ex-MP) Walid Jumblat.”They pointed out that the Progressive Socialist Party plans to submit some legal reviews to prove the “incapacity” of the Military Court to look into the Qabrshmoun incident.

Chidiac Warns Against Attempts to ‘Weaken’ Hariri
Naharnet/August 04/2019
State Minister for Administrative Development Affairs May Chidiac on Sunday lamented attempts to weaken PM Saad Hariri in light of a dragging suspension of the Cabinet meetings over the Qabrshmoun incident. “The frog that wished to be bigger than the bull!” said Chidiac in a tweet. She added: “It is weird how some see themselves bigger than their own nation and believe its fate is linked them! It is a false ecstasy only to disable the nation.”The Minister pointed out that some are trying to “revive” the Syrian “tutelage era” through the “manipulation of the judiciary, violation of the Taef accord” and attempts to weaken Hariri. “The policy of subjugation will not succeed,” she concluded, pointing out that the March 14 alliance is not over.

Islamist Group Leader Killed in Ain el-Hilweh, Sons Apprehended
Naharnet/August 04/2019
The leader of an Islamist group in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh, Bilal al-Orqoub, has reportedly been killed and his sons were arrested, LBCI TV station reported on Sunday. Quoting sources of the Palestinian National Security forces, LBCI said that Orqoub was besieged and killed in Hay al-Menshieh neighborhood in Ain el-Hilweh. His two sons, Youssef and Ousamma, were detained by the Palestinian National Security forces and handed in to the Lebanese Armed Forces. The Palestinian forces kicked off a security operation on Saturday in al-Ras al-Ahmar neighborhood, the bastion of Bilal al-Orqoub's group. The National News Agency said the group is accused of assassinating Hussein Alaeddine, aka Abu Hassan Khomeini, on Friday. Fighting had erupted in the wake of the incident. Several houses were burned during the clashes and other material damage was recorded. The heavy fighting had renewed on Saturday morning after a night that witnessed intermittent shooting. Ain el-Hilweh is notorious for its lawlessness and clashes are not uncommon in the camp, which the U.N. says is home to some 55,000 people. It was established in 1948 to host Palestinians displaced by Israeli forces during the establishment of Israel.

Geagea calls for keeping Qabrchmoun issue away from Cabinet
NNA - Sun 04 Aug 2019
Lebanese Forces Party Chief, Samir Geagea, called for removing the incident of Qabrchmoun from the Council of Ministers’ sphere, thus allowing the cabinet the chance to work on the financial and economic issues at stake. Speaking at a dinner banquet organized by LF’s Jezzine branch in Meerab on Friday, Geagea said he supported the adoption of administrative appointments, even though his Party would not have a share in these appointments. He stressed that the appointments’ mechanism would allow for the employment of people to serve the entire country, since they would have no favors for any particular side. Referring to the work of LF’s ministers, Geagea considered that his Party reflects his aspirations in action, and speaks with courage because of its transparency, far from mistakes. The LF Chief highlighted the difficult phase the country is going through which entails swift remedies, noting that the current approaches to solutions would only complicate matters further. "We are witnessing a difficult but not hopeless situation, yet if the status quo persists or if issues continue to be addressed in the current manner, it will inevitably become more desperate,” he cautioned. “This situation is in need of statesmen," Geagea underscored.

Selim Aoun: No regrets over those who have failed to learn from their experiences with President Aoun
NNA – Sun 04 Aug 2019
MP Selim Aoun confirmed via his Twitter account on Sunday that the current phase is that of President Michel Aoun, adding that "those who have failed to learn from their experiences with Aoun until today are not to be regretted." “The era of domination, feudalism and the cutting of roads has ended…and the time of sedition and extortion threats has passed, so has the time of consuls and ambassadors,” stressed MP Aoun, adding that “the period of playing on external contradictions is over.”

Kanaan inspects development projects in Baskinta
NNA - Sun 04 Aug 2019
Head of the Finance and Budget Committee, MP Ibrahim Kanaan, toured the city of Biskanta, where he visited the municipality building, and the development projects that were completed and those under construction. During the tour, Kanaan said: "We will not accept partial solutions to the waste in Metn. We have informed the concerned parties about this situation and the Metn deputies should unite their words and translate their positions into action."Commenting on approving the State budget, Kanaan said: "The parliament has proved its ability to overcome partisan and sectarian divisions for the first time, so you are invited to do so in your municipalities."

Bou Saab inaugurates army square in Qattine-keserwan
NNA - Sun 04 Aug 2019
Minister of Defense Elias Bou Saab, arrived a while ago to the town of Harharia Qattine in Keserwan, to attend the opening of the Army Square, in the presence of political figures and a number of dignitaries representing local senior officials, NNA correspondent said

Lakkis inaugurates 'Field Day' exhibition in Bekaa
NNA - Sun 04 Aug 2019
Minister of Agriculture Hassan Al-Lakkis inaugurated Sunday the seventh annual "Field Day" exhibition organized by SEED BOUND in the town of Sariine in Bekaa, in the presence Amal movement political Bureau member Ali Abdullah, factions and farmers. In his word on the occasion, the minister called "for the integration of the public and private sectors for the benefit of agriculture and the economy." Commenting on the domestic developments, the minister called on the government to intensify its meetings for the country's sake. "Escalatory political positions are not constructive in addressing the existing economic, social and financial predicaments, and will not give a positive impetus to the government work and to attain the long-aspired reforms by the Lebanese," he said.

Opinion/Inside Hezbollah’s U.S. Sleeper Cells: Waiting for Iran’s Signal to Strike America and Israeli Targets Abroad
ماثيو لافيت/هآرتس: خلايا حزب الله الأميركية النائمة تنتظر الأمر من إيران لضرب أهداف أميركية وإسرائيلية في الخارج
Matthew Levitt/Haaretz/August 04/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/77253/77253/
In case of war with the U.S., Tehran can draw on 200,000 Mideast proxy militants to attack Israel. But less well-known are Hezbollah’s overseas Black Ops units - and both Israeli and American targets are in their sights.
After Iran shot down an American drone in the Gulf last month, U.S. forces were reportedly ten minutes away from firing missiles at Iranian targets when the President suddenly called off the attack.
The missile strikes would have killed too many Iranians, he later said, adding he was in no hurry to attack Iran but that "our military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go." U.S. officials insist that a "full range of options" remain on the table to deal with Iran’s malign activities, including military options.
But those military options could have significant implications for the security of Washington’s allies in the region, including Israel, especially as they relate to the activities of Iran’s increasingly capable proxies.
As tensions spike between Iran and the West - especially over oil sanctions and freedom of navigation in the Gulf - Iran has been able to draw upon its network of militant proxies to carry out attacks on Iran’s behalf. In the words of former IRGC commander Gen Mohammad Ali Jafari, "The upside of the recent (conflicts) has been the mobilization of a force of nearly 200,000 armed youths in different countries in the region."
Overseen by the IRGC’s Qods Force, this informal "Shia Liberation Army" includes Iraqi Shia militias, Yemeni Houthi rebels, and of course Lebanese Hezbollah.
Houthi rebels have targeted Saudi airports, border towns, oil facilities, and even targeted a Saudi warship using an Iranian-designed remote-controlled boat filled with explosives.
Meanwhile, Iraqi militias have fought in Syria, reshaped the Iraqi political and security landscape in Iran’s favor, fired rockets at U.S. diplomatic and military facilities in Iraq, and carried out a drone attack targeting Saudi oil facilities.
Iran loaded rockets into launchers on Iranian commercial boats in the Gulf in May, just weeks after U.S. intelligence determined Tehran told its proxies to prepare to take a more confrontational approach to the U.S.
Israel is very much within these proxies’ crosshairs as well. "If the U.S. attacks us, only half an hour will remain of Israel’s lifespan," threatened Mojtaba Zolnour, chairman of Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission.
Hyperbole aside, Iran has reportedly begun providing Iraqi Shia militia groups precision missiles capable of hitting targets anywhere in Israel, perhaps to compensate for the attack platforms Iran lost in Syria as a result of Israeli airstrikes. Recently, press reports claim Israeli jets targeted Iranian missile shipments in Iraq that were meant to be transferred on to Hezbollah.
Indeed, Hezbollah is clear that if it comes to an American war with Iran, it wants in on the fight. Interviewed on the group’s own al-Manar TV, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah asked and answered his own rhetorical question about what the group would do in the event of a war between Iran and the United States: "Are we going to sit back and watch? Iran won’t be alone in the war, that is clear."
In the unlikely event of a truly full-scale war with Iran, Hezbollah would surely target Israel with salvos of artillery, missile and rocket bombardments. Nasrallah recently bragged that this arsenal has "doubled or tripled" since the 2006 war and that it includes weapons capable of hitting anything from the northern border to Eilat.
Nasrallah claims Hezbollah could attack northern Israel for as long as any conflict persisted, but also stressed the vulnerability of Israeli population centers and critical infrastructure along the coast from Netanya to Ashdod. "This is the Stone Age," Nasrallah concluded. "We shall see who will turn the other into the Stone Age."But for all his rhetoric, Nasrallah does not want war with Israel at the present time - especially now that Israel exposed and destroyed Hezbollah attack tunnels burrowing into Israel, and given Israel’s continued offensive against Hezbollah’s budding military and intelligence buildup on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.Moreover, in the context of any conflict short of all-out war, Tehran is unlikely to want to put at risk the most tangible achievement of its proxy strategy, namely the strong military, political and social position of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran may still want Hezbollah to act under such circumstances, and Nasrallah was clear that Hezbollah would not sit back and watch.
Which is where Hezbollah’s external operations apparatus, the Islamic Jihad Organization or Unit 910, comes into play.
Over the past several years, Hezbollah IJO activities have been on the rise. The uptick began in 2008 as a means of avenging the assassination of Hezbollah arch terrorist Imad Mughniyeh, and later continued as a factor of Iran’s shadow war with the West over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Hezbollah’s last successful attack targeted Israeli tourists in Burgas, Bulgaria, in 2012. But a long list of other plots have since been foiled around the world in places as far afield as Bolivia, Cyprus, Peru, Thailand and the United Kingdom. Hezbollah preoperational surveillance occurred in Canada, Panama, the U.S., and elsewhere.
The most alarming case took place in the United States and Canada. According to U.S. prosecutors, two U.S.-based Hezbollah IJO operatives - Ali Kourani and Samer el Debek - were tasked with carrying out pre-operational surveillance for potential Hezbollah attacks in the United States and Panama.
Authorities allege Debek was sent to Thailand to shut down a Hezbollah explosives lab, and that Ali Kourani was directed to identify Israelis in New York who could be targeted by Hezbollah and to find people from whom he could procure arms that Hezbollah could stockpile in the area. Kourani also conducted surveillance of New York and Toronto airports as well as of FBI, Secret Service and U.S. military facilities in New York City.
The case also offers a unique insight into how and when Iran might ask Hezbollah IJO cells to carry out attacks. During one of Kourani’s meetings with the FBI, an interviewing agent recalled, Kourani "sat back in his chair, squared his shoulders and stated, ‘I am a member of 910, also known as Islamic Jihad or the Black Ops of Hezbollah. The unit is Iranian-controlled.’"
Within Hezbollah, the unit reports directly to Nasrallah, according to Kourani, but Iran oversees the unit’s operations.
Kourani went on to describe himself to the FBI as being part of a "sleeper cell," and explained, "There would be certain scenarios that would require action or conduct by those who belonged to the cell."
Kourani said that in the event that the United States and Iran went to war, the U.S. sleeper cell would expect to be called upon to act. And if the United States were to take certain unnamed actions targeting Hezbollah, Nasrallah himself, or Iranian interests, Kourani added, "in those scenarios the sleeper cell would also be triggered into action."
In the event of war with Iran, Qods Force allies around the region could fire rockets or carry out other attacks targeting Israel. Iran appears to have brokered an agreement with Hamas whereby the group would carry out attacks targeting Israel from Gaza in the event that hostilities break out along Israel’s northern borders. Iraqi militants could fire rockets at Israel from Western Iraq, or help Iran transport missiles to Lebanon for Hezbollah’s use there. Hezbollah operatives could target Israel from the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, or across the Lebanese border.
But any of these scenarios invite fierce Israeli retaliation, while terrorist attacks by covert cells often present no easy targets for retaliation.
Israeli preemptive measures targeting Iranian proxies’ weapons shipments, attack tunnels, and logistics and financing streams are proving effective at undermining their capabilities and denying them various attack options.
But if hostilities do break out between Washington and Tehran, both America and Israeli interests are likely to be targeted by Iranian proxy groups, including the "Black Ops of Hezbollah."
*Dr. Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler fellow and directs the Reinhard program on counterterrorism and intelligence at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. A former FBI and Treasury Department official, he is the author of "Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon’s Party of God." Twitter: @Levitt_Matt

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 04-05/2019
Pope Encourages Priests Disheartened By Sex Abuse Fallout
AP/NNA -Sun 04 Aug 2019
Pope Francis on Sunday sent a new letter to priests worldwide offering encouragement in light of the global sex abuse scandal that has shaken the Roman Catholic Church. In a nearly 5,000-word letter sent on the feast day of St. John Vianney, patron of parish priests, the pope on Sunday acknowledged the "pain" of priests who "feel themselves attacked and blamed for crimes they did not commit." The pontiff said that priests have shared with him "their outrage at what happened, and their frustration that 'for all their hard work, they have to face the damage that was one, the suspicion and uncertainty to which it has given rise, and the doubts, fears and disheartenment felt by more than a few.'" Francis said "without denying or dismissing the harm" caused by the scandals, "it would be unfair not to express our gratitude" to priests who have fulfilled their duties "faithfully and generously."Francis said the Church is "fully committed" to reforms to ensure "that the culture of abuse will have no time to develop, much less continue." He added that "if in the past, omission may itself have been a kind of response, today we desire conversion, transparency, sincerity and solidarity with the victims." The pope last August issued a letter to Catholics around the world condemning the "crime" of priestly sexual abuse and cover-up, and demanding accountability, in response to revelations in the United States of decades of misconduct by the Catholic Church. In the letter, the pope also begged forgiveness for the pain suffered by the victims and said lay Catholics must be involved in any efforts to root out abuse and cover-up.

America in shock after two mass shootings within hours kill 29 people in Texas and Ohio
Agencies/Arab News/August 04/2019
EL PASO: Two mass shootings in the United States have left 29 people dead within 24 hours, the latest such attacks in a nation torn over how to tackle gun violence. A gunman armed with an assault rifle killed 20 people Saturday when he opened fire on shoppers at a packed Walmart store in El Paso, Texas. Less than 13 hours later, a lone shooter killed nine people in Dayton, Ohio early Sunday before being shot dead by responding police officers. The attacker opened fire around 1:00 am (0500 GMT) on a street in the popular bar and nightlife district called Oregon, leaving nine dead and 26 wounded. Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said the shooter was wearing body armor and had high-capacity magazines and extra magazines. “In less than one minute Dayton first responders neutralized the shooter,” she said. “I am amazed by the quick response of Dayton police that saved literally hundreds of lives,” Whaley said, adding that it was “the 250th mass shooting in America.”Actually, it was the 251st, according to the Gun Violence Archive, an NGO. It defines mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people are wounded or killed in a shooting. Dayton deputy police chief Lt. Col. Matt Carper said police were working to identify the shooter and the FBI were on the scene. “Fortunately we had multiple officers in the immediate vicinity when this incident started so there was a very short timeline of violence, for that we’ve very fortunate,” he said, praising the swift response by officers. “As bad as this is, it could have been much, much worse.”Carper said the attack appeared to be the work of a lone shooter. The incident came just hours after the mass shooting at a Walmart store in Texas which has reignited debate about the US epidemic of gun violence. President Donald Trump described the El Paso attack as “an act of cowardice” and police are treating it as a possible hate crime. One suspect was taken into custody while authorities were studying an extremist manifesto purportedly written by the gunman. Footage shot with cellphones appeared to show multiple bodies lying on the ground in the store’s parking lot while other footage showed terrified shoppers running out of the store as gunfire echoed. Police chief Greg Allen confirmed that in addition to the 20 confirmed fatalities in El Paso, there were 26 wounded. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said three Mexican citizens were killed and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said six others were wounded.
News reports said the ages of victims being treated at hospitals ranged from two to 82 years.
Police said that Walmart was “at capacity” at the time of the shooting, with 1,000-3,000 customers inside. A 21-year-old from Allen, Texas, was the only person in custody, police confirmed. US media identified him as Patrick Crusius, who is white. He surrendered to police about a block away from the Walmart. “Right now we have a manifesto from this individual that indicates to some degree, it has a nexus to potential hate crime,” Allen said. The “manifesto” purportedly written by Crusius that was circulated online includes passages railing against the “Hispanic invasion” of Texas and the author makes clear that he expected to be killed during his attack. Witnesses said the gunman appeared to be shooting at random when he opened fire around 10:30 am. One woman, who gave her name as Vanessa, said she had just pulled into the Walmart parking lot when the shooting began. “You could hear the pops, one right after another and at that point as I was turning, I saw a lady, seemed she was coming out of Walmart, headed to her car. She had her groceries in her cart and I saw her just fall,” she told Fox News. The witness said the gunman wore a black T-shirt, combat trousers and earmuffs. “He was just shooting randomly. It wasn’t to any particular person. It was any that would cross paths.” Another shopper described how he managed to avoid being hit by hiding along with his mother between two vending machines just outside the store.
“That’s where the individual tried to shoot at me, which he missed cause I kind of ducked down,” Robert Curado told the El Paso Times.
“He had an AK-47.”
Video captured by a witness in the parking lot in the immediate aftermath of the shooting showed three people lying motionless on the ground. One had fallen next to a truck, while two were on the sidewalk outside the store entrance. “Ambulance! Help!” people cried as they rushed to the victims. A still captured from CCTV showed the gunman carrying what appeared to be an AK-47 assault rifle. Beto O’Rourke, a former US congressman for El Paso who is now running for president, cut off his campaigning in the wake of the shooting. “I’m incredibly saddened and it’s very hard to think about this. But I tell you El Paso is the strongest place in the world, this community is going to come together,” he told supporters. Elizabeth Warren, a senator who is among the frontrunners for the Democratic party’s presidential nomination, said: “We must act now to end our country’s gun violence epidemic.”

Gunman Kills 20 at Texas Walmart Store in Latest US Mass Shooting
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 04/2019
A gunman armed with an assault rifle killed 20 people Saturday when he opened fire on shoppers at a packed Walmart store in Texas, the latest mass shooting in the United States. As President Donald Trump led the condemnation over "an act of cowardice" that police are treating as a possible hate crime, calls rang out to end the "epidemic" of gun violence. It was the second fatal shooting in less than a week at a Walmart store in the US and comes after a mass shooting in California last weekend. One suspect was taken into custody while authorities were studying an extremist manifesto purportedly written by the gunman. Footage shot on camera phones appeared to show multiple bodies lying on the ground in the store's parking lot while other footage showed terrified shoppers running out of the store as gunfire echoed.
Two to 82 years
"Twenty innocent people from El Paso have lost their lives," Texas Governor Greg Abbott told a press conference. "We as a state unite in support of these victims and their family members... We pray that God can be with those who have been harmed in any way and bind up their wounds." Police chief Greg Allen confirmed that in addition to the 20 confirmed fatalities, there were 26 wounded. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said three Mexican citizens were killed and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Twitter six others were wounded. Various news reports said the ages of victims being treated at hospitals ranged from two to 82 years. Police said that Walmart was "at capacity" at the time of the shooting, with 1,000-3,000 customers inside. Police confirmed that a 21-year-old from Allen, Texas, was the only person in custody. US media identified him as Patrick Crusius, who is white. He surrendered to police about a block away from the Walmart. "Right now we have a manifesto from this individual that indicates to some degree, it has a nexus to potential hate crime," Allen said. The "manifesto" purportedly written by Crusius that was circulated online includes passages railing against the "Hispanic invasion" of Texas and the author makes clear that he expected to be killed during his attack. Veronica Escobar, who represents El Paso in Congress, said "the manifesto narrative is fueled by hate." "And it's fueled by racism and bigotry and division," she said at a press conference with El Paso Mayor Dee Margo and Governor Abbott. Witnesses said the gunman appeared to be shooting at random when he opened fire around 10:30 am. One woman, who gave her name as Vanessa, said she had just pulled into the Walmart parking lot when the shooting began.
"You could hear the pops, one right after another and at that point as I was turning, I saw a lady, seemed she was coming out of Walmart, headed to her car. She had her groceries in her cart and I saw her just fall," she told Fox News. The witness said the gunman wore black T-shirt, combat trousers and was wearing ear muffs. "He was just shooting randomly. It wasn't to any particular person. It was any that would cross paths." Another shopper described how he managed to avoid being hit by hiding along with his mother between two vending machines just outside the store."That's where the individual tried to shoot at me, which he missed cause I kind of ducked down," Robert Curado told the El Paso Times.
"He had an AK-47."
- 'How you doing, brother' -
Video captured by a witness in the parking lot in the immediate aftermath of the shooting showed three people lying motionless on the ground. One had fallen next to a truck, while two were on the sidewalk outside the store entrance. " Ambulance! Help!" people cried as they rushed to the victims. "How you doing, brother, how you doing," one man was heard saying on the recording. A still captured from CCTV showed the gunman carrying what appeared to be an AK-47. Trump, who is spending the weekend at his golf club in New Jersey, said the shooting was "not only tragic, it was an act of cowardice".
"There are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing innocent people," he said on Twitter. It has been a particularly bad week for gun violence in the United States. Two people died and a police officer was wounded Tuesday at a Walmart in Mississippi. Last Sunday a 19-year-old gunman opened fire at a food festival in northern California, killing three, including two children. Beto O'Rourke, a former US congressman for El Paso who is now running for president, cut off his campaigning in the wake of the shooting. "I'm incredibly saddened and it's very hard to think about this. But I tell you El Paso is the strongest place in the world, this community is going to come together," he told supporters. Elizabeth Warren, a senator who is among the frontrunners for the Democratic party's presidential nomination, said "far too many communities have suffered through tragedies like this already.
"We must act now to end our country's gun violence epidemic," she said. Another presidential hopeful Cory Booker said the US had "to end this national nightmare" and "find the moral courage to take action to end this carnage."

IRGC commander: Iran seizes another foreign vessel in Gulf
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Sunday, 4 August 2019
Iran seized a “foreign” vessel in the Arabian Gulf, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Sunday. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized a “foreign vessel,” which was receiving fuel from other ships and transferring it to the Arab states of the Arabian Gulf, near Farsi Island in the Arabian Gulf, Fars cited the commander of IRGC Navy’s second region, Ramzan Zirahi, as saying. Zirahi has been sanctioned by the US Treasury for his part “in the Iranian regime’s provocative attacks orchestrated in internationally recognized waters and airspace, as well as Iran’s malign activities in Syria.”The vessel was carrying 700,000 litres of fuel and had seven crew members on board. The seven crew members are all under arrest, according to Fars. In 2016, Zirahi’s unit was involved in detaining 10 US sailors near Farsi Island. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei awarded the Victory Medal to some of the IRGC commanders involved in that operation.

Iran General Says Chances of Gulf Conflict Decreasing
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 04/2019
An Iranian general said on Sunday the chances of a conflict breaking out in the Gulf region have decreased, after a spate of hostile acts in the key waterway. "At first glance, it may seem that the situation in the Persian Gulf is heading towards a military conflict but when studying the situation more deeply, we see that chances for such a conflict become less probable," said Brigadier General Ahmadreza Pourdastan. "All countries which have interests in the region are by no means willing to see a new crisis in the Middle East," he said, quoted by Mehr news agency. "The military capabilities of our armed forces are to such an extent that the enemies don't dare go for a military option against us. "The Persian Gulf is like a tinderbox and explosion of the first firecracker can lead to a huge disaster," the general said. Tensions between arch-enemies Iran and the United States have soared this year after Washington stepped up its "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran. Ships have been attacked, drones downed and oil tankers seized since May, after the United States withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed biting sanctions against the country. At the height of the crisis, US President Donald Trump called off air strikes against Iran at the last minute in June after the Islamic republic's forces shot down a US drone.

Iran Seizes Third Foreign Ship in Less than a Month
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 04/2019
Iran has seized a "foreign vessel" in the Gulf, state media said Sunday, in what would be the third such seizure in a month amid heightened tensions with its foe the United States. Naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "seized this ship around Farsi Island which was carrying around 700,000 litres of smuggled fuel", said a Guards statement quoted by the official news agency IRNA. Seven foreign crew members were arrested during the operation which was carried out on Wednesday night, according to Fars news agency, which is considered close to the Guards.
Tensions between arch-enemies Iran and the United States have soared this year after Washington stepped up its campaign of "maximum pressure" against the Islamic republic. Ships have been attacked, drones downed and oil tankers seized since May, after the United States withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed biting sanctions against the country. At the height of the crisis, US President Donald Trump called off air strikes against Iran at the last minute in June after the Islamic republic's forces shot down a US drone. The seizure of the latest vessel would be the third by Iran in less than a month Gulf waters -- a conduit for much of the world's crude oil. On July 18, the Guards said they had detained the Panama-flagged for MT Riah for alleged fuel smuggling.
And a day later, they announced they had impounded the British-flagged Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz for breaking "international maritime rules". The identity of the latest vessel seized and the nationality of its detained crew had not yet been revealed on Sunday.
'Tinderbox' Guards boats had been patrolling the Gulf to control traffic and detect illicit trade when they seized it, the Guards said in its statement. "The ship was transferred to Bushehr and its smuggled fuel was handed over" to the authorities in coordination with judicial authorities, it said.
Fars quoted Brigadier General Ramezan Zirahi, a commander of the Guards who carried out the seizure, as saying the vessel had been en route to deliver fuel to Gulf Arab states.
The reports came after an Iranian general said on Sunday that the chances of a conflict breaking out in the Gulf region had decreased. "At first glance, it may seem that the situation in the Persian Gulf is heading towards a military conflict but when studying the situation more deeply, we see that chances for such a conflict become less probable," said Brigadier General Ahmadreza Pourdastan. "All countries which have interests in the region are by no means willing to see a new crisis in the Middle East," he said, quoted by Mehr news agency. "The military capabilities of our armed forces are to such an extent that the enemies don't dare go for a military option against us. "The Persian Gulf is like a tinderbox and explosion of the first firecracker can lead to a huge disaster," the general said. On the diplomatic front, officials in Iran said Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, had been hit with US sanctions after turning down an invitation to meet Trump in Washington. The New Yorker magazine reported on Friday that Republican Senator Rand Paul met Zarif in the US on July 15 and had Trump's blessing when he extended an invitation to the Iranian minister to go to the White House. Officials in Iran confirmed the report on Sunday, heaping scorn on the Trump administration for claiming to want dialogue with Iran while slapping sanctions on its top diplomat.

Iranian fighter jet crashes in southern province, two onboard safe
Reuters/Sunday, 4 August 2019
Iran said on Sunday that one of its fighter jets had crashed in the southern province of Bushehr because of a technical problem, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported, adding that two people onboard the jet were safe. “The fighter jet crashed due to technical issues in the Tangestan area. Its pilot and co-pilot are safe,” Mehr quoted the governor of Tangestan Abdolhossein Rafiipour as saying.

US Welcomes Conditional Truce in Syria's Idlib Region
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 04/2019
The United States Sunday welcomed a ceasefire in Syria's northwestern Idlib region after months of deadly government bombardments but insisted attacks against civilians must stop. Air strikes on Idlib province halted on Friday after the Syrian regime agreed to a truce on the condition that rebel backer Turkey implements a buffer zone in the area. Most of the region and parts of Hama, Aleppo, and Latakia -- which currently hosts some three million people -- are controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate. The area is supposed to be protected from a massive government offensive under a September Turkish-Russian deal, but it has come under increasing fire by Damascus and its backer Moscow since the end of April. The government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has accused Turkey of dragging its feet in implementing the deal, which provided for a buffer zone of up to 20 kilometres (12 miles) between the two sides, free of heavy and medium-sized weaponry. Washington welcomed the conditional ceasefire, but "attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure must stop", US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. "The United States believes there can be no military solution to the Syrian conflict, and only a political solution can ensure a stable and secure future for all Syrians," she said. The US also reiterated its support for a United Nations-led peace effort, with Ortagus calling it "the only viable path to a political solution".Since late April, 790 civilians have been killed in regime and Russian attacks, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor says. Fighting over the same period has claimed the lives of nearly 2,000 combatants, including 900 regime loyalists, according to the monitor. More than 400,000 people have been displaced and dozens of hospitals and schools damaged since April, according to the UN. The Syrian conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and driven millions from their homes since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.

Syrian Jihadist Group Refuses Withdrawal from Proposed Idlib Buffer Zone
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 04/2019
The chief of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main jihadist group in Syria's northwestern Idlib, on Saturday refused any withdrawal from a future buffer zone after a truce went into effect in the area. "What the regime could not take militarily or by force, they will not get through peaceful means or through negotiations and politics," said Abu Mohamed al-Jolani. "We will never withdraw from the zone." Jolani made his comments during a meeting with reporters organised by the former Al-Qaeda affiliate group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). On Thursday the Syrian government agreed to a truce in the northwestern region of Idlib on condition that a Turkish-Russian buffer-zone deal is implemented, according to state news agency SANA. Most of Idlib province and parts of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia -- which currently hosts some three million residents -- are controlled by the HTS. The region is supposed to be protected from a massive government offensive by the Turkish-Russian deal, but it has come under increasing fire by Damascus and its backer Moscow since the end of April. The government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has accused Turkey of dragging its feet in implementing the deal, which provided for a buffer zone of up to 20 kilometres (12 miles) between the two sides, free of heavy and medium-sized weaponry. "We will not change our position, neither at the request of our friends or our enemies," Jolani insisted, refusing any idea of a demilitarised zone. Air strikes on the Idlib region stopped on Friday after the government's truce announcement but the fighting since late April has killed 790 civilians in regime and Russian attacks, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor says. Fighting over the same period has claimed the lives of nearly two thousand combatants, including 900 regime loyalists, according to the monitor. Around 400,000 people have been displaced and dozens of hospitals and schools damaged, according to the United Nations.On Friday HTS warned that it would respond to any ceasefire violations by its enemies. The Syrian conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and driven millions from their homes since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.

Sudan Generals, Protest Leaders Ink Constitutional Declaration
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 04/2019
Sudan's army rulers and protest leaders on Sunday inked a hard-won constitutional declaration, paving the way for a promised transition to civilian rule. The agreement, signed at a ceremony witnessed by AFP, builds on a landmark July 17 power-sharing deal and provides for a joint civilian-military ruling body to oversee the formation of a transitional civilian government and parliament to govern for a three-year transition period. Protest leader Ahmed Rabie and the deputy head of the ruling military council, General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, signed the declaration at a ceremony attended by African Union and Ethiopian mediators. The signing was met by a wave of applause in the Khartoum hall as representatives from both sides shook hands. A formal signing in front of foreign dignitaries is due to take place on August 17, the date on which ousted president Omar al-Bashir is due to go on trial on corruption charges, protest leader Monzer Abu al-Maali told AFP. The following day the generals and protest leaders are expected to announce the composition of the new transitional civilian-majority ruling council, he said. "Members of the ruling sovereign council will be announced on August 18, the prime minister will be named on August 20 and cabinet members on August 28," Abu al-Maali told AFP. The deal on a constitutional declaration is the fruit of difficult negotiations between the leaders of mass protests which erupted last December against Bashir's three-decade rule and the generals who eventually ousted him in April. The talks between the protest movement and ruling generals had been repeatedly interrupted by deadly violence against demonstrators who have kept up rallies to press for civilian rule.

Erdogan: Turkey will carry operation in northern Syria
Reuters, Istanbul/Sunday, 4 August 2019
Turkey will carry out an operation east of the Euphrates river in northern Syria, in an area controlled by the Kurdish YPG militia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday. Turkey has been running out of patience with the United States, who made an agreement with Ankara to implement a safe zone in northeastern Syria. Erdogan said both Russia and the United States have been told of the operation. Following US President Donald Trump’s announcement last year of a planned US withdrawal from northern Syria, the two NATO allies agreed to create a safe zone inside Syria along its northeastern border with Turkey that would be cleared of the YPG militia. The YPG was Washington’s main ally on the ground in Syria during the battle against ISIS extremist group, but Turkey sees it as a terrorist organization. Ankara says that the United States has stalled progress on setting up the safe zone and has demanded that Washington sever its relations with the YPG. The operation, which would mark the third Turkish incursion into Syria in as many years, was first signaled by Erdogan earlier this year but later put on hold. “We entered Afrin, Jarablus, and Al-Bab. Now we will enter the east of the Euphrates,” Erdogan said on Sunday during a motorway-opening ceremony. He added: “We shared this with Russia and the United States.”

Israel’s Likud rules out Netanyahu stepping aside
The Associated Press, Jerusalem/Sunday, 4 August 2019
Lawmakers from Israel’s ruling Likud party say they will only accept Benjamin Netanyahu as the party’s candidate for prime minister, “regardless of the election results.”Netanyahu’s party issued a statement Sunday saying that all of its Knesset members signed a “unity petition” affirming that Netanyahu “is the only Likud candidate for prime minister - and there will be no other candidate.”The move appeared aimed at quashing any demand by potential coalition partners that Netanyahu step down. Netanyahu passed David Ben-Gurion last month as Israel’s longest serving prime minister and seeks re-election for a fourth consecutive term. Israel is holding an unprecedented repeat election on September 17 after Netanyahu failed to form a government following April’s vote. He also faces a pre-indictment hearing in a series of corruption cases.

Eight drug traffickers caught after escaping police custody in Baghdad
AFP, Baghdad/Sunday, 4 August 2019
Eight out of 15 drug trafficking suspects have been recaptured after escaping custody in a Baghdad police station, Iraq’s interior ministry said, as the breakout prompted several dismissals. “The search continues to find the others,” a police officer said, on condition of anonymity. The 15 suspected members of a drug trafficking network escaped custody on Saturday, after having “insulted the police, then beaten them”, according to a security services official. The interior ministry said eight had been recaptured without specifying where they were being held. Baghdad’s police chief and the heads of Al-Russafa police department in the capital’s east and the station where the suspects pulled off their escape have all been fired, the ministry said. On social media, images of video surveillance purported to be from the police station shows men in civilian clothing running through a door, apparently without any resistance. No one in uniform is visible in the footage. Prison security is a critical issue in Iraq, where escapes are not uncommon, whether by violence or bribery. Iraq is the 12th most corrupt country in the world, according to Transparency International, and experts have pointed to high levels of corruption in its prisons. During the insurrection and sectarian violence that followed the 2003 US-led invasion, hundreds of jihadists were able to escape from prison. Iraq is currently seeking to try thousands of local and foreign jihadists, while keeping them in overcrowded prisons. Many prisons have been rendered unusable by repeated conflicts. The sale and use of drugs have been booming in Iraq. Authorities regularly announce the seizure of narcotics and the arrest of traffickers, particularly along the border with Iran.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 04-05/2019
Why the Mullahs fear the Iranian diaspora
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/August 04/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/77262/%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%af-%d8%b1%d8%a3%d9%81%d9%8a%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%a7-%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%b0%d8%a7-%d9%8a%d8%ae%d8%a7%d9%81-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7/
To more efficiently shape policies toward the Islamic Republic, it is vital to pay attention to the voices of the Iranian diaspora residing outside Iran for several reasons.
First of all, Iran has a sizable diaspora with over five million Iranians living abroad. Although most of the Iranian immigrants left Iran in 1979, a considerable amount of Iranians continued to leave Iran, reaching a peak in the early 1990s, and again more recently because of the sharp increase in the brain drain. Iran has reportedly the highest brain drain in the world, with approximately 150,000 educated individuals leaving the country every year.
Secondly, due to the socio-economic status of the Iranian expatriates, they can be a robust platform in potentially helping to change the destructive behavior of the Iranian government and transforming Iran into a more prosperous and peaceful country.
According to several nuanced reports, including a study conducted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Iranians abroad have managed to create a successful immigration story wherever they form a diaspora. Reportedly, the Iranian diaspora in the United States is among the most highly educated people in the country and has excelled in various sectors, including science, arts, business and academia. A combined net worth of the Iranian diaspora is more than $1.3 trillion, as many hold high level positions in Fortune 500 companies, elite American universities and the medical profession.
As a result, understanding the aspirations and demands of the Iranian diaspora toward the Islamic Republic could be instrumental in helping foreign governments form policies toward the ruling clerics of Iran.
To better understand what the Iranians living abroad want to change in Iran, it is important to look back at the reasons which forced them to leave their country.
Many Iranians left Iran when the theocratic establishment came to power. The immigration trend continued under the Islamic Republic as several important rights including religious freedom, freedom of speech, press, and assembly, equal opportunities and women rights were suppressed with the regime’s iron fist.
Since its establishment in 1979, the Iranian regime has considered Iranian expatriates as a threat and has viewed them through the prism of suspicion or foreign conspirators.
That is why the regime has repeatedly arrested, imprisoned and tortured dual citizens. Currently, dual citizens held as political prisoners in Iran include Iranian-Americans Karan Vafadari and his wife Afarin Neyssari, and Baquer and Siamak Namazi, as well as the British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of the news agency.
The Iranian authorities are concerned that Iranians who live abroad can contribute in importing Western culture into the society, specifically among the youth in Iran.
The Iranian authorities are concerned that Iranians who live abroad can contribute in importing Western culture into the society, specifically among the youth in Iran.
From the perspective of the Iranian leaders, Western infiltration is much more of a threat than other factors. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei famously warned against those who “infiltrate in a country or society, and control the culture of that society by imposing their own culture on them, will try to weaken the foundations of the family in that society, as one important strategy. This has been done in many countries, unfortunately. Men are made irresponsible, and women are made immoral.” He added that “It is the loss of cultural identity that leaves nations defenceless and captured in the hands of foreigners. This is facilitated by the collapse of the foundation of families in society.”
That is partly why the theocratic establishment has also routinely targeted the families and relatives of those Iranians who live outside the country, particularly in the West.
In addition, the overwhelming majority of Iranians who live abroad want to see a democratic Iran. Recently, thousands of Iranian Americans attended a rally in Washington DC laying out their demands, which included imposing sanctions on Iran’s top leaders, particularly the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. They also chanted “Change, change, change. Regime change in Iran.”
“It’s always important to come and be in solidarity with Iranian Americans who are for regime change. And also to show the Iranian people and the rest of the world that there is a strong resistance that’s been around for 40, 50 years, and make sure they hear our voices loud and clear,” Los Angeles resident Delaram Ahmady, 26, told the Washington Examiner. “We don’t want an attack, we don’t want war. We just want to back the Iranian people and the Iranian resistance,” she added.
The White House took notice of the rally of the Iranian Americans, as the Vice President Mike Pence said on CBS’s Face the Nation Sunday: “What we want to do is stand with the Iranian people, thousands of whom gathered outside the White House on Friday, and thousands of whom took to the streets last year in communities across Iran.”
The Iranian regime fears the Iranian diaspora because of its influence and hopes of establishing a democratic system of governance in Iran. To pressure the Tehran regime, the international community must listen to the voices of the Iranian diaspora and support them.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American Council. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Iran sanctions waivers: New tactic or strategic shift?
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/August 04/2019
To the world’s surprise, the Trump administration renewed waivers for five of Iran’s nuclear programs, allowing Russia, China and European countries to maintain their civilian nuclear cooperation with the Islamic republic. US President Donald Trump took this decision following advice from his Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, despite objections from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton, two anti-Iran hawks.
One wonders whether the Trump administration is relinquishing its “maximum pressure” strategy with Iran, or just adopting a new tactic to bring Tehran to the negotiating table or to buy time. Or maybe the US does not want to confront China, Russia and Europe, which do not seem to be in line with its Iran policy.
Trump is known for his approach of maximum pressure with everyone. This policy is starting to prove ineffective when applied across the board. His administration applies maximum pressure on foes as well as allies. Foes who see themselves as cornered are showing more defiance instead of caving in, while this attitude has irked allies.
For example, Trump described Germany, a key US ally and Europe’s largest economy, as a “captive to Russia.” He also said the Germans are “bad, very bad” and owe lots of money to NATO. His attitude — coming across like a landlord collecting rent — is detrimental to US-European relations. As a result, Europeans are not toeing the line — on the contrary, they are distancing themselves from the Trump administration. But it needs them for sanctions to be effective. Meanwhile, the Iranians, who see that they can garner the sympathy of Europe, China and Russia, are encouraged to defy the US. “Maximum pressure” is not working well so far. Despite a deteriorating economy, Iran is not showing any sign of compromise. As such, those waivers might be steps to ditch the faltering “maximum pressure” approach and return to the nuclear deal under a different name.
On the other hand, the Trump administration might be using this as a tactic to force Tehran to make a larger concession. Sun Tzu, the great Chinese general, believed that instead of cornering one’s enemy, it is better to provide a small window for him to escape, and to finish him off while he is trying to do so. Maybe Trump is trying to follow Sun Tzu’s advice. If that is the case, Trump might be extending bait to Iran.
Trump is known for his approach of maximum pressure with everyone. This policy is starting to prove ineffective when applied across the board.
Or the waivers might be a time-buying tactic to prevent embarrassment. Any aggressive act by Iran against the US that the latter does not respond to is an embarrassment to the Trump administration, even if it does not admit it. As such, Trump might be buying some calm from the Iranians while he campaigns for the 2020 elections.
He might do this while preparing for a major strike on Iran after the elections. A military confrontation is not welcomed by his isolationist base, especially since he campaigned on a non-interventionist agenda, so he cannot take a risk and strike before the elections.
The waivers could also be a way to bring Tehran to the negotiating table. Even if the talks do not amount to a new deal, Trump would market them to his base as a foreign policy score. Or he simply does not want to be defied by Russia, China and other countries that have ongoing projects in Iran.
According to Mnuchin’s advice, if the waivers are not extended, the US will have to sanction those countries. Maybe the Trump administration has realized that the US cannot afford further confrontation with world powers that are trying to salvage the nuclear deal. Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China met in Vienna on July 28 in order to come up with ways to circumvent sanctions. A senior Iranian official said the atmosphere was “constructive.”Tehran is pressuring the remaining parties to offset US sanctions. Perhaps the Trump administration does not want to extend sanctions and see the Europeans, Chinese and Russians pushed further toward Iran.
This could also be a genuine goodwill gesture by Trump. He might be giving Tehran a grace period to re-evaluate its policy. Since the US withdrew from the nuclear deal, according to the International Monetary Fund, Iran’s economy contracted by 3.9 percent in 2018, and is expected to shrink by 6 percent in 2019. The situation is unsustainable. If Trump gets re-elected, the Iranians will be stuck with a crashing economy for another five and a half years.
Time will tell what Trump’s true intentions are, but more important than his motives is Iran’s reaction. Will Tehran look at this decision as a goodwill gesture and resume talks with the US, or will it view it as a sign of weakness and maintain its defiance until Washington returns to the nuclear deal?
• Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on lobbying. She holds a Ph.D. in politics from the University of Exeter, and is an affiliated scholar with the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut.

Turkey faces multiple foreign policy challenges
Yasar Yakis/Arab News/August 04/2019
The most recent was Turkey’s purchase of the Russian air defense system, the S-400. Ankara’s position remained unchanged in the face of US threats to impose sanctions under the Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). US President Donald Trump has refrained from blaming Turkey for purchasing the S-400, so even if sanctions are imposed, they are likely to be minor, but a strong bipartisan lobby in the US Congress against nations snubbing US products in favor of Russian military hardware may see it introduce other measures that the president may not be able to circumvent. Turkish involvement in the US’s F-35 program is already in doubt.
Syria is another open wound in US-Turkish relations. Ankara has said for years that it might carry out operations against Kurdish forces, who now control a belt of territory from Iraq to the Mediterranean. But to do so without the explicit blessing of Washington would be another provocation to the Trump administration. Idlib is another serious problem. Russian-supported Syrian troops recently seized two new settlements south of the city, despite repeated requests to Moscow that Damascus cease its activities in the area. In return, Russia has demanded Turkey cease its support of various armed opposition factions operating in Idlib. Turkey has largely complied, but some factions it refuses to abandon, despite UN Security Council Resolution 2254 designating them terrorist organizations. Russia reiterated last week, at a conference in Astana, that all Turkish-backed opposition fighters should withdraw to a distance of 20 kilometers from the de-escalation line. Ankara has said for years that it might carry out operations against Kurdish forces, who now control a belt of territory from Iraq to the Mediterranean. But to do so without the explicit blessing of Washington would be another provocation to the Trump administration. Oil and gas exploration activities in the east of the Mediterranean also provide problems. Turkey has yet to negotiate with its neighbors the delineation of the borders of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Aegean and Mediterranean. Israel, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece and Lebanon have done it and divided it into parcels, auctioning areas off to international oil and gas exploration companies. But since Ankara has not done the same, there are overlapping areas where Turkey claims sovereignty that is not recognized under international law. This has caused problems between Turkey and Cyprus, because the EU considers the Cypriot EEZ as its own EEZ. The EU Council recently adopted a series of measures to be imposed on Turkey, including the suspension of all Turkish-EU high level meetings, talks on an air transport agreement, and the cutting of the €145.8 million ($162.2 million) allocated to Turkey in pre-accession support. Furthermore, the EU Commission asked the European Investment Bank to review credit support extended to Turkey, and reviewed financial support provided to Ankara for gas exploration activities.
Turkey currently has a dispute with Greece for the delineation of territorial waters and the continental shelf in the Aegean Sea; the FIR (Flight Information Region) line over the Aegean Sea; the demilitarized status of several Greek islands in the Aegean Sea; sovereignty of several uninhabited Aegean islands, rocks or geographic formations; and the rights of the Turkish Muslim community in western Thrace (northern Greece).
The Cyprus question is perhaps the most important problem Turkey has to face. Ankara insists on the political equality of the Turkish and Greek Cypriot peoples of the island and on the establishment of a bi-communal and bi-zonal State of Cyprus, something both Cypress and Greece consider unacceptable.
All these foreign policy issues come on top of serious economic difficulties and the defeat that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) suffered in the local elections of March 31 this year.
• Yasar Yakis is a former foreign minister of Turkey and founding member of the ruling AK Party. Twitter: @yakis_yasar

Another milestone for women’s rights
Maha Akeel/Arab News/August 04/2019
Saudi Arabia has achieved another milestone for women’s rights. Only a year after the historic decision to allow them to drive, it was announced on Friday that women will be allowed to travel abroad and obtain a passport without requiring permission from a male guardian, thus bringing down another wall of male dominance and control. Although many Saudi women and men have hailed the decision, not everyone is happy. The decision has instigated discussion on social media about the wisdom of permitting young women to travel without the knowledge and permission of their parents. Some have criticized the portrayal of fathers as domineering rather than concerned for their daughters.
Others say the decision will encourage children to be disrespectful toward their parents and disregard society’s norms and values. Some fear that this will lead to the collapse of traditional family relations and structure, and that more young girls will fall prey to outside influences and leave their homes.
While some of these fears might be valid, they seem exaggerated. Traditionally, women are less likely to act wild or irresponsibly. Why assume the worst behavior by Saudi women, just like when they were allowed to drive? One year later, all the doom-and-gloom theories turned out to be hype over nothing. More importantly, how young men and women behave depends on how they were raised, and on relations within the family.
Unfortunately, some Saudi families have almost relied on the government to raise their kids, or left it to the household help. Furthermore, not all parents are fit to take care of their children — there should be convenient, reliable and discrete ways for minors to seek help, or to detect trouble and intervene before it is too late and we find them on a plane to somewhere.
Having said all that, Saudi society is conservative by nature, and in general Saudi women have deep religious principles and respect for their families and social values, so there is no need to expect droves of them to flee.
The decision to permit passports and travel for young adults puts the responsibility squarely on them and their parents. The government cannot be blamed or held responsible anymore for someone over the age of 21 leaving the country unless they are wanted by the police or in court.
The decision to permit passports and travel for young adults puts the responsibility squarely on Saudi women and their parents.
What some critics fail to notice is that the decision gives adult women who do not have a husband or father the respect and dignity of not having to get permission to travel from their brother, son, nephew, uncle or even grandson. Furthermore, how can women be expected to hold leadership positions if they are restricted from moving freely?
The problem with the guardianship system is it was demeaning to women and was abused by some men. By dismantling it, the government is declaring that there was no religious basis for it, as has been argued, and that it was simply a matter of interpretations, traditions and a patriarchal system.
In addition to the issue of travel, the more significant changes introduced concern civil status rights. These changes are truly historic and empowering for women, who have been given the right to register births, marriage or divorce, and to request a copy of the family register. Both parents have been given “head of family” status. Divorced women will particularly benefit from these changes because it means they are in control of their social status and of their children’s, and are not left to the whims and powers of their exes.
The labor law and social insurance laws have also been changed by unifying the retirement age and employment opportunities for both sexes; ending discrimination based on sex, disability and age; and making it illegal to fire a woman during pregnancy or while on maternity leave.
These are very important changes because they establish the rights of women as equal citizens and empower them to be more independent legally and financially, especially those who are disadvantaged or suffered from male guardianship.
With this, Saudi Arabia has made momentous progress in its record on women’s rights, bypassing some other Arab and Islamic states, and maybe others. It is a sign of the Saudi leadership’s determination and will to move forward with national goals and objectives, and to change what needed to be changed a long time ago. Thank you, King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
• Maha Akeel is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. Twitter: @MahaAkeel1

Houthi purge a reflection of group’s true nature
Peter Welby/Arab News/August 04/2019
Sheikh Ahmed Salem Al-Sakani, Sheikh Sultan Al-Warwari, Sheikh Khaled Ali Jumaan, and Sheikh Mujahed Qushairah — four individuals of whom most readers of this newspaper will never have heard. Four individuals who, as tribal leaders in Amran Governorate, were central to the Houthi advance in north Yemen in 2014. And four individuals who were killed last week by the same Houthis they helped.
Their murders bring to mind the Russian fable of the scorpion and the frog. A scorpion needs to cross a stream and asks a reluctant frog to carry her on his back. The frog is concerned that the scorpion will kill him, but the scorpion protests that this would doom them both, and the frog agrees. As they get to the other side of the stream, the scorpion stings the frog. The dying frog wants to know why. “I can’t help it,” says the scorpion. “It’s in my nature.”
Incredible as it may seem, many individuals — in Yemen and abroad — delude themselves about the Houthis’ nature. Let’s look at some of their betrayals. They participated in the National Dialogue Conference but, when they didn’t get what they wanted, they decided that the whole country must suffer. They agreed a deal with the government but, when it didn’t work out, they launched a coup. They joined with Ali Abdullah Saleh but, when he had served his purpose, they assassinated him. They agreed a cease-fire and withdrawal from Hodeidah, and then stonewalled until their militias could be replaced by others equally loyal. They agreed a non-aggression pact with tribes in Hajjah province, and then invaded without warning.
Such delusion falls into two camps: The ignorant supporters of the supposedly oppressed; and the willful support of evil in defense of an imagined greater good. The latter have a similar mindset (and are in many cases the very same people) who used to defend the Soviet Bloc for its crimes on the basis that they were committed in defense against the imperial hegemonic West. They treat the former group as “useful idiots” — people whose support can be counted upon without too many questions being asked.
The Houthis’ supporters claim they are fighting oppression and corruption. And yet the evidence of Houthi oppression and corruption grows daily. Those who resist them — whether journalists, academics, political activists or individuals protesting the lack of public services — are routinely imprisoned, tortured and murdered, often without even the pretense of a trial. And their corruption, which their opponents have been speaking of since the start of the war, has finally reached international consciousness as aid agencies, including the UN’s World Food Programme, have finally made public complaints about the diversion of aid and exacerbation of famine by Houthi officials.
Alternatively, the Houthis’ supporters claim that they are fighting Saudi aggression. It is remarkable that such a narrative could have gained credence, when the Houthis’ first assault in 2015 was toward the south and before the Saudi intervention.
Good faith negotiation is not in the Houthis’ toolkit; they know only the language of force.
All these inconsistencies are forgiven by their informed supporters because of their goals. They are anti-Western (“Death to America”), supporters of and supported by Iran, and deliberately modeling themselves on Hezbollah. This is the background to the latest spate of violence against their own allies (and internecine violence against fellow Houthis), which has seen them reportedly kill dozens of tribal leaders since April.
At the heart of the issue is the Houthi leadership’s creation of an internal security force, Al-Amn Al-Waqa’i, modeled on Hezbollah’s internal security wing. Central governments in Yemen have always had to balance the demands of a central administration with the country’s historic tribal autonomy, and the Houthis’ efforts at governance are no exception. This new force was an effort to impose the will of the Houthi high command on the tribes, but the tribal leaderships, defending their established privileges, resisted.
The Houthi response to dissent is well established. Good faith negotiation is not in their toolkit; they know only the language of force. Tribal leaders who oppose the policies of the leadership must be killed — and not only assassinated, but their bodies mutilated, their families hounded, and their properties destroyed. Once again, the Houthis show their extremist colors; Daesh acts in the same way.
What will it take for the world to see the Houthis’ true nature? How many atrocities must be commissioned at the highest levels of the Houthi leadership for the hand-wringing classes of the West to realize what they are doing? There is a clear distinction between atrocities and tragedies in warfare that take place due to poor training or weak command structures, and those that take place due to the explicit orders or tacit acquiescence of the political and military leadership.
The Houthis are not only killing their tribal allies, they are killing their own commanders too. There are multiple examples through history of how purges and paranoia can undermine a military campaign. Let us hope the Houthis weaken themselves, to the benefit of the legitimate Yemeni government. There is a parallel to the “Anbar Awakening” in Iraq in the mid-2000s, when an extremist group’s oppression and assault on the most influential figures among those they hoped to govern led to a general uprising. Those hoping to defeat the Houthis should exploit this latest purge, turning the militants’ nature against them. In a variant on the story of the scorpion and the frog, the scorpion stings the frog midstream, and they both drown.
• Peter Welby is a consultant on religion and global affairs, specializing in the Arab world. Previously, he was the managing editor of a think tank on religious extremism, the Center on Religion & Geopolitics, and worked in public affairs in the Gulf. He is based in London, and has lived in Egypt and Yemen. Twitter: @pdcwelby

How Boris Johnson Can Defend the City of London?
David Fickling/Bloomberg/August 04/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/77266/%d9%8a%d9%88%d8%b2%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d9%88%d9%84%d9%88%d8%aa-%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%87%d8%af-%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%aa%d8%b3%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%a2%d8%ae%d8%b1-%d8%b9%d8%b1%d8%b6-%d8%a5%d8%b1%d9%87%d8%a7%d8%a8%d9%8a/
As the prospect of Britain leaving the European Union without a deal grows ever more likely, the City of London’s status as the center of European finance is in increasing jeopardy. The Square Mile is also missing out on the chance to lead the charge into one of the hottest new products in finance, in part because of the government’s reluctance to participate in the mini-revolution.
By the beginning of this month, more than $100 billion of green bonds had been sold globally, up from $70 billion at the same point last year and on pace to top last year’s record $134 billion of issuance. While the sector is still small in comparison with the $2.6 trillion of international bonds issued this year, it has doubled in size in just two years — and with the climate crisis becoming more apparent with every temperature record that gets broken, its future trajectory is clear.
Countries including Chile, Poland and the Netherlands have all sold debt designed to finance environmentally friendly projects. France has been at the forefront of developing the market for green bonds issued by governments; as a result, its banks are at the top of the global league tables for underwriting sales of this kind of debt for both nations and companies. Credit Agricole SA, BNP Paribas SA and Societe Generale SA enjoy a combined market share of almost 15%.
The UK’s sole representative in the top 10 rankings is HSBC Holdings Plc — which has seriously considered shifting its head office to Asia, where it makes most of its revenue. That’s a sorry state of affairs given London’s record of being at the vanguard of developing new financial products. And that poor showing is because the UK is notably absent from the list of governments that have issued the bonds.
The Debt Management Office, which is responsible for UK gilt sales, referred me to the government’s Green Finance Strategy report published earlier this month. While that report acknowledges the importance of the continued “mainstreaming of green finance products,” it dismisses the idea of a sovereign issue:
The Government does not consider a sovereign green bond to be value for money compared to the core gilt program, which remains the most stable and cost-effective way of raising finance to fund day-to-day government activities.
The Government remains open to the introduction of new debt financing instruments but would need to be satisfied that any new instrument would meet value for money criteria, enjoy strong and sustained demand in the long-term and be consistent with the wider fiscal objectives of government.
That reluctance strikes me as shortsighted. Admittedly, the Dutch government’s 6 billion euros ($6.7 billion) of 20-year green bonds sold in May yield more than a slightly longer-dated 22-year vanilla issue. But the average gap of fewer than 5 basis points in the past two months is negligible.
Moreover, given that the UK report also talks about the need for Britain “to consolidate its reputation as the home of the green finance professional and to capture the commercial opportunities” from the growth of the global market for environmentally friendly securities, a tiny increase in interest payments seems — literally — a small price to pay. Back in the day, it was the UK and the Bank of England that took the lead in transformative financial innovations. Bankers in London invented the Eurobond market, which became one of the primary sources of finance for companies and governments worldwide. The now discredited London interbank offered rates were the most important benchmarks of borrowing costs.
When it became clear that Europe was serious about introducing a common currency, it was the UK central bank that did much of the groundwork. Back in 1991, Britain issued the biggest benchmark bond denominated in European currency units, the euro’s forerunner, as a way of cementing London’s role in the development of the new currency — a victory that still rankles with Paris.
And half a decade ago, the UK was determined to become the first nation other than China to sell a bond denominated in renminbi as financial centers vied to become the offshore trading hub for Beijing’s currency. Those yuan bonds were repaid almost two years ago.
Prior to entering Parliament, the newly installed chancellor of the exchequer, Sajid Javid, was a managing director at Deutsche Bank AG. So he, of all politicians, should appreciate that the City needs to grasp any and every opportunity to position itself for a post-Brexit world. Prime Minister Boris Johnson should allow him to instruct the DMO to embrace green bonds as a relatively cheap way to put London in the mix — and the sooner, the better.

The Latest UN Horror Show: Christian Refugees Ignored
يوزي بولوت/معهد جيتستون: آخر عرض إرهابي للأمم المتحدة هو تجاهلها اللاجئين المسيحيين
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/August 04/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/77266/%d9%8a%d9%88%d8%b2%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d9%88%d9%84%d9%88%d8%aa-%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%87%d8%af-%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%aa%d8%b3%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%a2%d8%ae%d8%b1-%d8%b9%d8%b1%d8%b6-%d8%a5%d8%b1%d9%87%d8%a7%d8%a8%d9%8a/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14631/un-christian-refugees
Jordan is supposed to be their transit country; they are seeking resettlement to other countries via the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Australian Special Humanitarian Program.
The registration with the UNHCR gives them the protective status of refugee as they await resettlement. Yet, the process of resettlement takes at minimum several months and sometimes even years due to the growing refugee backlog..... "The majority of those stuck in limbo have been waiting more than two years—some since the rise of ISIS in 2014," according to the report.
"Since January, the process has become even slower and more difficult. The UNHCR has not even granted newcomers refugee status since. They just give them an appointment date, then they cancel the date and give them a new one. So we all keep waiting." — Lorance Yousuf Kazqeea, a Christian originally from Baghdad, has been an asylum seeker in Jordan with his wife and two children since September 2017; to Gatestone Institute.
"You can contact the local UNHCR office in your country and demand answers – why Iraqi Christians have been waiting for resettlement for years and why the West continuously rejects them." — Juliana Taimoorazy, founding president of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, which has been active in Jordan since 2015; to Gatestone Institute.
Since the 2014 invasion and genocide by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq, at least 16,000 Assyrian Christians from Iraq have become refugees in Jordan. Most are still suffering economically and psychologically there, under extremely difficult circumstances. Pictured: The Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan.
These Assyrian Christians are in Jordan on a temporary basis with plans to emigrate to a third country. However, as they have not been given official work permits by the Jordanian government, they largely rely on their savings, remittances sent by relatives abroad or aid from charity organizations and churches. Jordan is supposed to be their transit country; they are seeking resettlement in other countries via the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Australian Special Humanitarian Program.
The indigenous people of Iraq, the Assyrians, have been severely persecuted for decades. According to a 2017 report by the Assyrian Confederation of Europe:
"Assyrians represent one of the most consistently targeted communities in Iraq throughout its modern history. This has included the state-sanctioned massacre at Simele in 1933; Saddam Hussein's Anfal campaign, which included the targeting of Assyrians villages; ruthless campaigns of terror to which Christians were subjected after the U.S. invasion in 2003; and finally, the recent tragic chapter authored by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist organization."
Hence, Assyrian Christians have been forced to leave their ancestral homeland and seek asylum elsewhere including Jordan. After arriving in Jordan, they register with the UNHCR Registration Center in Amman and receive a special registration card.
The registration with the UNHCR gives them the protective status of refugee as they await resettlement. Yet, the process of resettlement takes at minimum several months and sometimes even years, due to the growing refugee backlog. Assyrians live as urban refugees, meaning they face many challenges and lack access to many humanitarian services because they live largely in isolation.
On June 20, the Assyrian Policy Institute (API) published a report entitled, "Lives on Hold: Assyrian Refugees in Jordan," in which the authors conducted interviews with many Assyrian Christian refugees in Jordan. The root causes for the emigration of Assyrians from Iraq since 2014, according to the report, include "the lasting instability and devastation, lack of trust in various security actors, lack of livelihood opportunities, loss of property, fears of demographic change, and fears of future violence targeting Assyrians."
"Assyrian refugees have endured many traumatic experiences due to their exposure to war, ethno-religious persecution, political oppression, forced displacement, and genocide. According to the Refugee Health Technical Assistance Center, refugee trauma often precedes the primary war-related events that causes them to flee.
"Prior to their departure from Iraq, Assyrian refugees may have experienced imprisonment, torture, forced displacement, physical assault, rape, kidnapping, religious persecution, loss of property, loss of livelihood, family separation, and extreme fear."
Yet, the trauma of Assyrian Christians has not ended in Jordan, where they have been forced to flee. "The majority of those stuck in limbo have been waiting more than two years—some since the rise of ISIS in 2014," according to the report. "Their wait for resettlement is characterized by limited information, uncertainty about their futures, and a growing sense of hopelessness."
When asked about what factors drive them to seek resettlement in a third country, the Assyrian refugees cited the following reasons: "safety, religious freedom, respect for human rights, equal educational and economic opportunities, and family reunification".
Among the most serious problems Iraqi Christian refugees in Jordan face are:
"A recent study conducted by the Government of Jordan found that nearly forty percent of urban refugees cannot afford needed medicines or access health care services. More than thirty percent of households interviewed by the API reported at least one household member suffered from a chronic disease or disability, noting that they struggled to access affordable medicine or care.
"Access to education for Assyrian refugee children in Jordan is limited; many parents fear their children will become part of a lost generation.
"Assyrian refugees from Iraq are unable to access the required work permit in order to be employed legally in Jordan due to the restrictive administrative process and the prohibitively expensive filing fees.
"Assyrians are also suffering from what have been termed the 'silent killers:' waiting, boredom, hopelessness, and isolation. Like most displaced peoples, feelings of weariness and frustration are widespread. Life is monotonous for many Assyrian refugees, as they spend years awaiting resettlement with little to do on a daily basis. While the long wait for a visa is anticipated, there is no guarantee of resettlement.
"Nearly half of the households that remain in Jordan reported that their applications for resettlement via the Australian Special Humanitarian Program had been rejected since the time of their initial interview with the Assyrian Policy Institute (between December 2017 and January 2018). If an application is denied, there is no opportunity for an appeal, however, applicants do have the option of reapplying."
Lorance Yousuf Kazqeea, a Christian originally from Baghdad, for instance, has been an asylum seeker in Jordan with his wife and two children since September 2017, and is still trying to immigrate to the United States. He told Gatestone:
"The greatest challenge for us here is that Iraqi Christian refugees can't work legally. I was an IT (information technology) specialist in Baghdad. Many Christians from Iraq used to have a good job or business there. But we have lost everything. How are we supposed to support our families now? We rely on aid from charity organizations, churches and family members outside of Jordan. And in special and rare cases refugees get monthly salaries from the UNHCR.
"Christians from Iraq want to move to the West for safety and stability. But since January, the process has become even slower and more difficult. The UNHCR has not even granted newcomers refugee status since. They just give them an appointment date, then they cancel the date and give them a new one. So we all keep waiting."
The UNHCR was approached by Gatestone for a comment but has not replied.
Juliana Taimoorazy, founding president of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, which has been active in Jordan since 2015, told Gatestone:
"Assyrian refugees in Jordan have lost everything in Iraq. One of the victims that our organization has been trying to help – a Christian mother in her 50s – used to have a hair salon in Iraq. ISIS terrorists attacked her, knifed her, destroying her abdominal area. The terrorists then set fire to her salon, home and everything else she owned. She and most of her family had to migrate to Jordan to seek asylum. They then applied for resettlement in Australia but were refused four times. However, their situation is even more tragic now. Her youngest children contracted an eye virus and are losing their eyesight gradually. Every 6 months, they have to renew the treatment and get new glasses. Her oldest daughter died recently in Iraq. Her teenage daughter, who was an excellent student in Iraq, has been unable to go to school for the last four years because she does not have the appropriate paperwork to go to school in Jordan. And because of that, she is suffering from severe depression. Around 50.000 Assyrians that have had to leave Iraq and have become refugees in Jordan, Turkey and elsewhere have similar painful stories."
Taimoorazy made a plea to help the Christian victims of ISIS: "We've been told ISIS has been militarily defeated, but will we leave the victims of ISIS alone? The aftermath of the ISIS genocide in Iraq is more important for the world to pay attention to. The victims are still suffering.
"The past atrocities... are unfolding before our eyes every day. Because of the refugee situation they are in, the Christian victims of ISIS have still not been liberated. For example, at least three children from one family are about to lose their eyesight because the parents are not able to provide money for their treatment. And their hope is diminishing. But we have more power than we are willing to admit. You can contact the local UNHCR office in your country and demand answers – why Iraqi Christians have been waiting for resettlement for years and why the West continuously rejects them. Western NGOs and churches can also have a local representative in Jordan. Every single individual can make a difference. The wounds of the victims of ISIS are still bleeding. Let us not stand on the sidelines."
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.
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