English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For December 13/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

#elias_bejjani_news
 

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Bible Quotations For today

Mary’s Song
Luke 1:46-55/ And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever,just as he promised our ancestors.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 12- 13/2020

US dollar exchange rate: Buying price at LBP 3850, selling price at LBP 3900
Health Ministry: 1540 new cases of Corona, 8 deaths
Presidency Press Office: President Aoun was first briefed on the ammonium nitrate presence at Beirut Port through a report he received on July 21
Charges in Beirut Port Blast Stir Controversy
Hariri Defends Diab, Premiership Post after Indictment
Khalil Criticizes Judge Charges against Him
Protest stand outside Judge Sawan's residence under slogan 'Justice is indivisible'
FPM: Not to infringe upon Premiership post, respect constitutional principles in government formation process
Geagea: Lebanese State Responsible for Beirut Blast
Yacoubian: Sect Princes' defense of posts actually condemns them
Shooting at a security patrol belonging to Baalbek's police station
Army officer injured in a landmine explosion in Wadi Khaled
Lebanon’s Hezbollah suing those accusing it of port blast
Rahi presides over Mass service in Ashrafiyeh
Lebanese Army marks 13th assassination commemoration of Martyr Francois Hajj
Rahi presides over Mass service in Ashrafiyeh
Lebanese Army marks 13th assassination commemoration of Martyr Francois Hajj
Rahi, Kubis tackle need for government that can gain trust of Lebanese people, international community
Hassan discusses plan to rationalize subsidies with GLC: Plan takes concerns into account, does not affect price of medicines for chronic and incurable diseases
Indictment of Diab: A step towards ending impunity in Lebanon?/Samar Kadi/The Arab Weekly/December 12/2020

As Lebanon disintegrates, its leaders turn upon each other/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/December 12/2020
Beirut beware: Your ‘savior’ is running out of patience/Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News/December 12/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 12- 13/2020

U.S. Approves Pfizer Vaccine as Millions of Doses Begin Shipping
As it welcomes Rabat’s move, Oman seen ready to normalise with Israel
Israel normalizes ties with Bhutan
PA leadership silent over Israel-Morocco deal
Iran executes dissident journalist who encouraged 2017 protests
Iran executes dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam
French Foreign Ministry: Execution of Iranian journalist is a barbaric act
Iran Says Morocco Israel Deal 'Betrayal of Islam'
Iran Slams Erdogan for 'Ill-recited' Separatist Poem
Brexit Deal Hopes Dim as Johnson Says Failure 'Very Likely'
Jailed Saudi Activist in Terrorism Court on 'Spurious' Charges, Say UN Experts
Armenian Separatists Hurt in Skirmish with Azerbaijan

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 12- 13/2020

Bedfellows: Iran and Al Qaeda/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/December 12/2020
History tells us pandemics demand vigilance right to the very end/Damien McElroy/The National/December 12, 2020
Dig deep to feed the world/Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/December 12/2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 12- 13/2020

US dollar exchange rate: Buying price at LBP 3850, selling price at LBP 3900
NNA/December 12/2020
The Money Changers Syndicate announced in a statement addressed to money changing companies and institutions, Saturday’s USD exchange rate against the Lebanese pound as follows:
Buying price at a minimum of LBP 3850
Selling price at a maximum of LBP 3900
 

Health Ministry: 1540 new cases of Corona, 8 deaths
NNA/December 12/2020
The Ministry of Public Health announced, on Saturday, that 1540 new Corona cases have been reported, thus raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 145,245.
It also indicated that 8 death cases were also registered during the past 24 hours.

Presidency Press Office: President Aoun was first briefed on the ammonium nitrate presence at Beirut Port through a report he received on July 21
NNA/December 12/2020
In an issued statement today by the Information Office of the Presidency of the Republic, it touched on the circulated reports and analyses by various audiovisual media outlets, including allegations about a certain responsibility borne by President Michel Aoun in the investigations into the painful blast that took place at Beirut Port on August 4, and the martyrs, injured and massive destruction it left behind in the capital. In this context, the statement disclosed that the first time that the President of the Republic was informed of the presence of quantities of ammonium nitrate in warehouse No. 12 at Beirut Port was through a report by the General Directorate of State Security he received on July 21. "Upon viewing it, President Aoun asked his security and military advisor to follow up on the content of the report with the Secretary-General of the Supreme Defense Council, which includes all the security apparatuses and the relevant ministries," the statement affirmed. "On July 28, 2020, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Defense Council informed the President's security and military advisor that he was dealing with the issue, and that he sent a letter to the Ministry of Public Works which was received on Monday, August 3, 2020," the statement added. It confirmed that the President of the Republic did not interfere in any way in the investigations conducted by the judicial investigation judge into the explosion crime, although he called more than once to expedite its completion in order to uncover the circumstances related to this crime and determine the responsibilities, stressing that it is the right of the victims' families to know the truth of what happened on that disastrous day. "During the meeting held by the President of the Republic held with the Supreme Judicial Council last Tuesday, discussions did not address the investigation into the port crime, and therefore all circulated news that President Aoun requested to intervene in said investigation are unfounded," the statement underlined. It indicated that talks during the meeting focused on the need to activate the work of the courts and other issues of concern to the Supreme Judicial Council.

Charges in Beirut Port Blast Stir Controversy
Associated Press/December 12/2020
Top Lebanese politicians and the Hizbulah group rallied on Friday against charges of negligence leveled against the caretaker prime minister and three former ministers over the massive explosion in Beirut's port, underscoring the enormous difficulties facing the investigation. Hizbullah called on investigating judge Fadi Sawwan to reconsider the charges, calling them "political targeting" and saying they lacked legal and constitutional basis. Similar criticism was voiced by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, who visited the accused caretaker Premier Hassan Diab — a political foe — in a gesture of solidarity. Lebanon's grand mufti, the top cleric for Sunni Muslims, said the charges are an attack on "the office of the prime minister" and were a violation of the constitution. The prime minister in Lebanon must be a Sunni Muslim, according to the country's sectarian-based power-sharing system. The four are the most senior officials to be charged in the investigation and are set to be questioned as defendants next week by Judge Sawwan. It was not clear whether the criticism could have an impact on the investigation — or the charges— but the united front was seen by many as an attempt to block a precedent that might lead to accountability on a high level. A culture of impunity has prevailed in Lebanon for decades, including among the entrenched political elites. It has also fostered widespread corruption that has helped plunge Lebanon into the worst economic and financial crisis in its history.
"What is happening now can be summed up in four words: Gangs defending each other," tweeted Riad Kobaissi, an investigative journalist who has followed corruption at Beirut port. In a stunning move, Judge Sawwan filed the charges against Diab and three former ministers on Thursday, accusing them of negligence that led to the death of hundreds of people in the catastrophic explosion in August. At this point, however, it is far too early to say if any of the four will actually face trial.
Diab, who is supported by Hizbullah and its political allies, resigned in the wake of the Aug. 4 blast but remains in his post in a caretaker capacity, as Lebanese officials have failed to agree on a new Cabinet. The explosion was caused by the ignition of a large stockpile of explosive material that had been stored at the port for six years, with the knowledge of top security officials and politicians who did nothing about it. It killed more than 200 people and wounded thousands, devastating large parts of the capital of Beirut.
According to Lebanon's constitution, a separate council made up of judges and politicians and set up by parliament is entrusted with trying ministers and premiers for crimes of high treason, dereliction of duties, and breach of the constitution — a body that has never been activated by parliament.
The move by Sawwan to exercise his jurisdiction to accuse government officials came after he sent a letter and documents to parliament last month, informing lawmakers of serious suspicions relating to government officials and asking them to investigate. The lawmakers responded by saying that the material they received did not point to any professional wrongdoing. Lawyer Youssef Lahoud, who represents the Bar Association in the investigation, said the parliament's response does not prevent Sawwan from exercising his right to criminally charge government officials in the port explosion. The explosion is not viewed as a political crime, which would require the role of parliament, Lahoud said.
Sahar Mandour, a Lebanon researcher at Amnesty International, said Sawwan acted based on a legal interpretation which has been subjected to political scrutiny. The interpretation issued by the Court of Cassation, the country's highest, allows for ministers and presidents to be tried in regular courts if they face regular crimes, such as negligence or murder, she said. The three former ministers charged along with Diab are allies of Hizbullah. They are former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, as well as Ghazi Zeiter and Youssef Fenianos, both former ministers of public works.
Hizbullah said the four were being selectively charged.
"We are keen that all decisions taken by the investigating judge stay clear of politics and intent; be constitutional and not subject to interpretation or judgement; and that the indictment be based on legal and reasonable basis, which is what we did not find in the latest measures," Hizbullah said in a statement.
"Therefore we absolutely reject the absence of unified criteria which led to what we consider political targeting affecting some people and ignoring others unfairly," it added. A statement from Diab's office on Thursday accused Sawwan of violating the constitution and bypassing parliament. Although a political opponent, Hariri visited Diab on Friday in a gesture of solidarity. Lebanon's grand mufti and top cleric for Sunni Muslims, Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian, also said the charges targeting the prime minister's position is political and, unacceptable and a violation of the constitution.
Zeiter, the former minister of public works and currently a lawmaker, said in a press conference on Friday that the judge deviated from constitutional rules and abused power. The judge committed a "catastrophe" on the judicial scale, Zeiter said, adding that he and the others charged would not be silenced by "any fake accusations."

Hariri Defends Diab, Premiership Post after Indictment
Naharnet/December 12/2020
PM-designate Saad Hariri on Friday stood in solidarity with caretaker PM Hassan Diab after charges accusing the latter of “negligence” in the Beirut port explosion. Hariri said the “Lebanese people have the right to know the truth, and to know who allowed the entry of a ship of ammonium nitrate into Beirut port, and who covered for that.”Hariri spoke from the Grand Serail where he visited Diab in a stand of solidarity. “Violating the Constitution and charging the premiership post is categorically rejected. I am here today to stand in solidarity with Diab.”On Thursday, Judge Fadi Sawan, the lead investigator into a catastrophic August 4 explosion at Beirut port charged outgoing premier Hassan Diab and former ministers of finance, Ali Hasan Khalil, public works, Yousef Fenianos, and transport, Ghazi Zaiter with negligence.

Khalil Criticizes Judge Charges against Him
Naharnet/December 12/2020
Amal Movement MP Ali Hassan Khalil of the Development and Liberation Parliamentary bloc criticized as “inconsistent” the indictments charged against him and other Lebanese figures over the deadly port blast. Khalil said the indictments that also charged caretaker PM Hassan Diab and two other ex-ministers, are “inconsistent with constitutional and legal rule.” Khalil said his bloc has committed to “serious work” in order to uncover the truth about the August 4 Beirut port "crime," and inflict the “harshest” penalties against its perpetrators. "The indictment does not cohere with any constitutional or legal rule," he stressed. Judge Fadi Sawan, the lead investigator in the August 4 blast, charged Diab and three former ministers allies of Hizbullah. Besides Khalil, Ghazi Zeiter and Youssef Fenianos, both former ministers of public works were charged.

Protest stand outside Judge Sawan's residence under slogan 'Justice is indivisible'
NNA/December 12/2020
A number of activists staged a protest stand outside the residence of Judge Fadi Sawan this evening, after a march set out from Sassine Square in Ashrafieh towards his residence, with participants carrying banners that read: "Justice is indivisible - Yes to accountability for all political, security and administrative officials from the top to the bottom of the pyramid."Amidst heavy security presence, protesters gathered to show support to Judge Sawan's move, calling on him not to yield to any political or religious pressures, to strike with an iron fist and to continue forward in his mission by summoning all officials to justice; otherwise to step down. They also carried photos of current and former security and military leaders and political and party officials, calling for holding them all accountable without discrimination.

FPM: Not to infringe upon Premiership post, respect constitutional principles in government formation process
NNA/December 12/2020
The Free Patriotic Movement's political body held its periodic meeting electronically on Saturday, following which it issued a statement declaring its "rejection of all attempts to paralyze the judicial work in general, particularly in preventing it from completing the course of investigation into the Beirut Port explosion crime to unveil the perpetrators and bring them to prosecution." The statement also expressed total rejection of any transgression act by the judiciary, calling for the adoption of principles in objecting to any violation of the law that the judicial investigator may have committed.
The FPM political body denounced any infringement on the Prime Minister's post and any other constitutional post per se, in addition to any party's attempt to hide behind any constitutional sectarian position in order to protect itself from accountability for any crime or corruption, starting with the presidency of the republic.It also called for expediting the issuance of a report that enables insurance companies to pay what they owe to those who were affected as a result of the blast. Pointing to the governmental formation process, the statement expressed suspicion at the "volatile course of cabinet formation," wondering "whether an actual will exists to form a government capable of carrying out the task of reform, combating corruption, and restoring confidence in the state?" The statement praised "the initiative of President Michel Aoun in presenting an integrated government proposal based on clear rules and principles that would help accelerate the formation of the government without imposing any names on the Lebanese." The FPM political body concluded its statement by calling "for a return to the constitutional principles in the government formation process, in a manner that preserves national balances and partnership, especially the formation partnership between the president of the republic and the prime minister," and hoped that "the government formation process would be expedited before the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, so that focus would be on how to benefit from France's support for the government to carry out the reforms required of it to save the Lebanese situation."

Geagea: Lebanese State Responsible for Beirut Blast
Naharnet/December 12/2020
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea said Saturday the entire Lebanese state is responsible for the port explosion, after the indictment of caretaker PM Hassan Diab stirred controversy. “Responsibility lies on the Lebanese state as a whole because several of the state’s administrations, agencies and institutions either had a direct or indirect relation with that file in the last six years. We can imagine how many have a relationship with that prolonged crime,” said Geagea. The LF was one of the parties “demanding international investigation into the devastating blast, but unfortunately the first to reject that demand was Hizbullah,” Geagea said, noting that other parties joined Hizbullah’s rejection later. “The state was not responsive to our demands,” added the LF chief during a meeting with a Beirut cadre delegation. He urged the President and government to make a request to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, through one of the permanent members of the Security Council, to form a fact-finding committee on this crime. Top Lebanese politicians and Hizbulah rallied on Friday against charges of negligence leveled against the caretaker prime minister and three former ministers over the massive explosion in Beirut's port, underscoring the enormous difficulties facing the investigation.

Yacoubian: Sect Princes' defense of posts actually condemns them
NNA/December 12/2020
Resigned MP Paula Yacoubian said in a statement on Saturday that "the sectarian ruling class has sought, once again, to stop achieving justice against the perpetrators of the Beirut Port explosion under the pretext of defending political posts related to sects. She added: "If only the whole judiciary would have the courage of Judge Fadi Sawan, who touched on the wound and addressed a letter to the Parliament Council emphasizing the serious suspicions implicating all heads of government and ministers of justice, finance and public works from the year 2013 to 2020 in the Beirut Port explosion case.""He also proceeded to prosecuting them, with the first defendants being Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and the three Cabinet Mnisters Ali Hassan Khalil, Ghazi Zeaiter and Youssef Fenianos," she said. Yaacoub considered that the leaders of sects' quick jump in defense of "posts" actually condemns them, and renders them responsible for failing to reveal the truth about the port explosion which occurred more than 4 months ago, without knowing who is really responsible for this massacre that was committed against the Lebanese and destroyed their capital, Beirut. The resigned MP called on Judge Sawan to "complete the task of uncovering the truth in this painful incident, and for justice to entail all those who neglected, planned and participated in this crime of the century," urging him "not to succumb nor surrender to political pressures that seek to conceal the case and anonymize the perpetrators." Yaacoubian also stressed that "the families of the victims and all those affected and wounded in the Port explosion stand by Judge Sawan in this national case, and will not hesitate to take any action that would achieve full justice and fairness to the families of the fallen martyrs."

Shooting at a security patrol belonging to Baalbek's police station
NNA/December 12/2020
Unidentified gunmen, riding in two four-wheel drive vehicles, opened fire using a military weapon at members of a Baalbek police station patrol today, in wake of the confiscation of a concrete mixer in the locality of al-Assaira in Baalbek, without any casualties reported, NNA correspondent in Baalbek indicated.

Army officer injured in a landmine explosion in Wadi Khaled
NNA/December 12/2020
A Lebanese Army officer was wounded today in a landmine explosion near the Great River banks in the area of al-Amayer-Wadi Khaled on the borders between Lebanon and Syria, NNA correspondent reported.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah suing those accusing it of port blast
AP/December 12/2020
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Hezbollah said Friday it is suing a former Christian lawmaker and a website affiliated with a Christian political party for defamation, after they accused the Shiite militant group of being responsible for the devastating explosion at Beirut’s port this summer.
Hezbollah’s legal representative Ibrahim Mussawi said the accusations, leveled by Fares Souaid and the website of the right-wing Lebanese Forces party, were misleading. Mussawi, also a Hezbollah lawmaker, told a press conference outside the courts house that blaming the group threatens to disrupt social peace in Lebanon, at a time when the United States is exerting maximum pressure on his party and its allies. Washington considers Hezbollah a terrorist group and has been escalating sanctions against it and its political allies in Lebanon. The massive Aug. 4 blast was caused by nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrates, a fertilizer that was improperly stored at a port warehouse for six years. The blast killed more than 200 people and wounded over 6,000, and extensively damaged several neighborhoods in Beirut. Some of Hezbollah’s political opponents and civilians have since blamed the group for storing the explosive chemicals at the port. Hezbollah is the only group that kept its weapons after Lebanon’s civil war ended in 1990 and is believed to have ammunition stored in some parts of the country. The claim was dismissed by Hezbollah’s leader. No evidence has emerged to link the group to the explosive chemicals.
But four months after the explosion, an investigation has yet to provide an explanation for what happened — or hold any senior official responsible. Families of the victims have asked for an international probe, in a country where violent attacks and assassinations are rarely brought to justice.
Lebanon’s port authority, security agencies and political leadership were all aware of the stored explosive chemicals at the port, documents have shown. The port is one of the country’s facilities where rampant corruption has been reported. On Friday, families of victims of the blast rallied at the port to commemorate the four months since the explosion. Holding pictures of their loved ones, the families demanded justice, calling for senior officials to be interrogated and brought before prosecutors. A woman reading a statement from the families called the explosion a “crime against humanity” and said no official in Lebanon should have immunity from prosecution. She also said the families are demanding that the probe be handled by regular prosecutors, in criticism of the judicial council currently charged with dealing with the investigation.
Rights groups have called for an international investigation, citing political meddling in the Lebanese judiciary.
Souaid, the former lawmaker, tweeted in September that Hezbollah weapons stored in the port were the cause of the explosion.
“When the US administration’s main concern and daily bread is to go after Hezbollah and attempt to pressure governments to put it on the terrorism list … you’d gather that there are tools inside and outside that help with that,” Mussawi said.
Souaid said he had no comment about details of the case against him, adding that lawyers would review it on Monday. There was no immediate comment from the Lebanese Forces party.
Mussawi said he also plans to press charges against Bahaa Hariri, the son of late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who is living in exile. He is also the estranged brother of Prime-Minister designate Saad Hariri.

Rahi presides over Mass service in Ashrafiyeh
NNA/December 12/2020
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Boutros al-Rahi, presided over Saturday Mass service at the St. Joseph Cappella, in the courtyard of the Geitaoui Hospital. In his sermon, Rahi criticized the political class in Lebanon, saying: "Our authority in Lebanon has become a ruling political system, and it fell and deprived itself of the confidence of the people and the world, because it was not chaste, but rather came to take possession of public money, the people, and religion, emptying the treasury, throwing citizens into misery, politicizing religion and sects, rendering them abhorrent...this is corruption itself!"Rahi denounced not forming a government of specialists, but rather a government of party affiliations and common portfolios, similar to the formation of previous governments. In this context, the Patriarch renewed his call for forming an emergency, neutral, non-partisan cabinet to tend to the pending economic and financial dossiers. Rahi concluded by asking: "How do we fight corruption when we witness the disruption of the work of the free judiciary responsible for this conflict, with its sectarian and political coloring?"

Lebanese Army marks 13th assassination commemoration of Martyr Francois Hajj
NNA/December 12/2020
The Lebanese Army marked, on Saturday, via its Twitter account, the thirteenth assassination commemoration of Army Major General Francois al-Hajj, saying: "Thirteen years since martyrdom, the heart and conscience of the nation is still full of your presence, and your testimony will remain the sun of life that does not set, and the path of freedom crowns with dignity and victory, Martyr General Francois Al-Hajj."

Rahi, Kubis tackle need for government that can gain trust of Lebanese people, international community
NNA/December 12/2020
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Rahi, received this Friday in Bkirki the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, with whom he tackled the latest developments on the local arena. The pair stressed the need "for a government to be formed soon; one that will we gain the confidence of both the Lebanese and the international community, in order to be able to save Lebanon from the problems that have exhausted its people and drained its capabilities."

Hassan discusses plan to rationalize subsidies with GLC: Plan takes concerns into account, does not affect price of medicines for chronic and incurable diseases
NNA /December 12/2020
Caretaker Minister of Public Health, Hamad Hassan, discussed the drug subsidy rationalization plan in a meeting he held with a delegation from the General Labor Confederation (GLC) headed by Bechara Al-Asmar. The Minister emphasized that "Lebanon was ranked twenty-third in the world according to Bloomberg among the developed and leading countries in terms of medical services. It is imperative today, despite the extreme conditions that we are going through, to maintain the level of our leading health and medical performance." Minister Hassan enumerated "the four basic principles that the Ministry of Public Health adopts in its plan to rationalize medication, as follows:

First - Not to tamper with medicines necessary for treating chronic and incurable diseases, regardless of the price of these medicines.
Second - To encourage the national pharmaceutical industry and face the challenge of compensating the dollar used for import with a dollar collected from export.
Third - To preserve international companies because their presence in the market is necessary to maintaining competitiveness, which is automatically reflected in the quality and effectiveness of pharmaceutical industries.
Fourth - Reducing subsidies will affect non-essential items, giving the citizens the option to choose between affordable medicines and others that are more expensive.
Hassan announced that "Law 119 will be applied before the end of the year and will affect 850 generic drugs, thus reducing the price by around thirty percent."
The Minister concluded that "the rationalization of subsidies will be done according to a mechanism that takes into account the concerns [of the people] and encourages for investments that require a labor force and distinguished talents to increase raising the number and quality of medicines manufactured in Lebanon during this dreadfully challenging period."
 

Indictment of Diab: A step towards ending impunity in Lebanon?
Samar Kadi/The Arab Weekly/December 12/2020
BEIRUT --The unprecedented move to press charges against senior Lebanese officials, including caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab, over the massive Beirut port explosion could be a first step to ending impunity in the country. However, the investigating judge's decision to disregard some officials suspected of sharing the blame has sparked controversy. Investigative Judge Fadi Sawan, who is probing the August 4 explosion caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser stored at Beirut port since 2013, charged Diab with carelessness and negligence leading to death of more than 200 people.
Sawan pressed similar charges against former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil and former public works ministers Ghazi Zeiter and Youssef Fenianos. “It is a criminal case that took place in a public utility which comes under the direct responsibility of the relevant minister and the government as a whole. All former governments since 2013 should be held accountable as well,” said a legal source who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Nonetheless, lots of questions remain unanswered… Who brought the chemicals, why has the material been sitting there for seven years with the knowledge of security and military agencies, and why nobody asked questions?” the source added. Several security officials and port and customs officials have so far been detained in the probe, but Diab’s indictment could set a precedent for prosecuting high-ranking officials in office as well as former ones. Melhem Khalaf, the first non-partisan head of the Beirut Bar Association in years, applauded Sawan’s decision and expressed full support for impartial justice. “It is a rightful and courageous decision. There should be no impunity for those responsible for the port blast regardless of rank, immunity or political and sectarian affiliations,” Khalaf said. “Either we achieve justice and abide by the law under which nobody is immune, or the judiciary will be manipulated and undermined. The one responsible for the death of 200 people should be prosecuted.” “It is the first time that such a high-ranking official is indicted but it is also the first time that an explosion wipes out half of the city. The move gives a glimmer of hope that the judiciary could become independent and able to perform properly,” Khalaf added. Sawan’s decision to charge senior officials — including one in office — is unprecedented in Lebanon, where a culture of impunity has prevailed for decades.
According to the constitution, a separate council made up of judges and politicians is entrusted with trying ministers and presidents for crimes of high treason, dereliction of duties, and breach of the constitution after it is voted in parliament.
Last month, Sawan provided lawmakers with documents asking them to investigate 10 ministers and former ministers suspected of serious offences. He then decided to exercise his jurisdiction to formally accuse three of them after parliament said it found no professional wrongdoing.
Diab accused Sawan of violating the constitution and targeting the premiership, a position held by a Muslim Sunni under Lebanon’s sectarian political system.
Rami Rayess, a political adviser to Druze leader and head of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt, cautioned against “using the judiciary for settling scores.”
“We cannot have a selective approach to justice by prosecuting some of those who are responsible and exonerating others. This would have alarming consequences,” Rayess said. “The judicial authorities should be independent and have large powers to be able to act. Otherwise, you reach a deadlock. What we need is a competent Higher Judicial Council. As long as you have judges linked to political parties, they will not be able to perform properly and they will always be influenced by political considerations,” Rayess added.
Political analyst Mounir Rabih said “a fierce battle is taking place between political powers under the cover of justice” and through selective indictments.
“What about the others on Sawan’s list of suspects including top security officials?” Rabih asked. “Why not point a finger to the president of the republic who was also aware of the existence of the dangerous chemicals at the port?”
“I don’t believe the judiciary will reach any results and impunity will continue. The result of such a move will be more destruction of the Lebanese community, more tension and chaos as politicians will be trading accusations. Diab was selected simply because he is the weakest link. He could be called a political scapegoat,” Rabih said. “Charging Fenianos and Ali Hassan Khalil while disregarding others who may be equally responsible, can be a goodwill gesture to the Americans... I fear there is a judicial war between political parties and this might lead to bloodshed and clashes in Lebanon,” Rabih added. Khalil and Fenianos were previously sanctioned by the US for providing support to the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, which Washington classifies as a terrorist group.
“Sawan’s move will unlikely lead to accountability. It would merely break the taboo of summoning and interrogating top officials,” according to Rayess.

As Lebanon disintegrates, its leaders turn upon each other
Baria Alamuddin//Arab News/December 12/2020
Lebanon is doubly threatened by war from the outside and inside. If Israel, America, and Iran and its proxies do indeed go to war, they would be fighting primarily on a Lebanese battlefield, and the country is simultaneously tearing itself apart from within.
President Michel Aoun’s notoriously corrupt son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, has launched anti-corruption probes against many of his equally corrupt rivals, prompting powerful figures such as parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri to pursue retaliatory action. Christian factions are at each other’s throats, and relations between former allies such as Saad Hariri and Walid Jumblatt are increasingly tense. Hezbollah are meanwhile suing Hariri’s brother over allegations of their culpability for the Beirut port explosion. Interfactional tensions are already beginning to spill over into street confrontations between rival groups, with Hezbollah and Amal repeatedly attacking protesters.
As the system turns against its own, the judge investigating the port explosion has indicted caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab, former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, and two other former ministers, Ghazi Zeiter and Youssef Fenianos, for negligence. In a separate case, several army commanders have been charged with corruption, including the sale of officer-level positions for personal gain. However, Lebanon could fill its prisons with politicians guilty of mismanagement and corruption. We don’t need politically motivated show trials, but wholesale revolutionary change.
Hezbollah was already operating a state within a state. Over the past year, as Lebanon’s economy descended into freefall, Hezbollah has been cultivating its own parallel economy. This includes a network of (US-sanctioned) Qard Al-Hassan banks, which encourage Hezbollah loyalists to deposit savings withdrawn from the central banking system. These banks’ ATMs have gained copious media attention for their apparently miraculous ability to spit out dollars. Networks of pharmacies and grocery shops are meanwhile flooding the market with cut-price goods imported from Iran and Syria, while Hezbollah exports scarce hard currency back to Damascus and Tehran. Hezbollah knows Lebanon is on the point of collapse and seeks to insulate itself from the inevitable crunch. Yet in truth, if Lebanon goes down, Hezbollah goes down with it.
Civil tensions are furthermore threatening to explode over plans to slash essential subsidies. In a nation where basic goods have increased tenfold in price and two thirds of the population can’t adequately feed themselves, any cuts to subsidies would push a significant proportion of a once-prosperous population over the precipice into starvation. Theft and violent crime are skyrocketing, there has been an outbreak of suicides, many medicines and essential goods are almost impossible to obtain. For the first time in Lebanon we are beginning to see people sleeping on the streets.
An estimated 80 percent of subsidies are consumed by the wealthiest 50 percent of society and Hezbollah dominates a multimillion-dollar racket smuggling subsidized goods into Syria, so reform is urgently needed. However, as Lebanon’s UNICEF representative warned: “The impact of removing price subsidies on the country’s most vulnerable households will be tremendous, and yet there is almost nothing in place to help soften the fall.” He predicted a “social catastrophe” for the most vulnerable citizens.
Hezbollah knows Lebanon is on the point of collapse and seeks to insulate itself from the inevitable crunch. Yet in truth, if Lebanon goes down, Hezbollah goes down with it.
No wonder angry people are out burning tires and calling for revolution. This desperate, hungry, angry place is not the proud and prosperous nation we so recently thought we knew. This anger has given rise to another un-Lebanese phenomenon; wealthy businessmen, politicians and their families are eating and partying in restaurants when activists suddenly burst in and loudly denounce them on video. In some cases these activists have targeted politicians’ homes. Such trends are symptomatic of a vast outpouring of anger felt by millions of citizens who see their nation and their personal circumstances rapidly deteriorating, while their leaders merely seek to continue their corrupt habits. Can anybody begrudge the fury these citizens feel?
Prime Minister-designate Hariri could put together a government in 10 minutes if allowed to use his constitutional right to do so. But Aoun, Bassil and Nasrallah undermine the dignity of the prime minister’s office and violate the constitution with their maximalist demands to flood his Cabinet with their loyalists, despite such a dead-on-arrival formula having zero prospect of satisfying international donors.
Where are you President Macron? We fell in love with your passion for addressing Lebanon’s deep problems. But unless words are translated into decisive action to radically transform the situation, it was all for nothing. The crooks and militants who run Lebanon aren’t impressed by your beautiful words. They understand only money and power, hence the need for you to bring your European and American colleagues together to force through radical political change.
One exciting development has been university elections, with independents sweeping the board at the Lebanese American University, the American University of Beirut and Rafik Hariri University. The results were unprecedented, cutting out the old religious factions accustomed to carving up student bodies between them.
In the eyes of Lebanon’s younger generations, as well as older demographics, the corrupt old system is entirely discredited. Educated citizens in their twenties and thirties have no intention of voting for religious factions. The model of a Sunni prime minister, a Shiite speaker and a Maronite Christian president is like something from the dark ages. The university elections prove that if new, nationalist and anti-sectarian political entities successfully constitute themselves, a disaffected population will be willing to support them at the ballot box. Indeed, a recent poll found that 60 percent of Lebanese refused to identify with any of the existing factions.
There is zero trust in the government, the parliament, the presidency, and the international community. Even the Lebanese Army is losing its universal respect. This shameless political class doesn’t care that its failures and theft are visible to all.
For the past 40 years Beirut’s kleptocrats humiliatingly and self-servingly treated citizens like mindless sheep. Today, impoverished citizens, divested of their dignity, are left with nothing except their anger. The moment of reckoning is coming.
*Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.

Beirut beware: Your ‘savior’ is running out of patience
Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News/December 12/2020
Despite external and domestic pressure to form a new Lebanese government, endless jockeying for key ministerial posts continues while the country remains on a slow path to implosion.
If it is not the financial crisis that wiped out savings, it is an economic crisis that has decimated jobs and the viability of most small businesses. If it were not the Aug. 4 port blast that made thousands of homes uninhabitable and shut down hundreds of businesses, it is a pandemic that has shattered mobility and overwhelmed a dismal public health system. If it is not the governance crisis that has eroded confidence in political leadership, it is worsening sectarian fragmentation justifying a defense of the status quo instead of efforts to secure a future all Lebanese can share.
All these issues affect every Lebanese regardless of age, sect, religion, status, political affiliation, level of education or any other demographic division. Yet surprisingly, there is little momentum and even less political will to find solutions.
Decades of close French-Lebanese ties have placed Paris at the forefront of developments in Lebanon’s political leadership. Virtual donor meetings are reminiscent of the post-civil war aid conferences; now, as then, funds will vanish, without any reforms against a backdrop of further civil unrest.
Granted, French President Emmanuel Macron’s carrot of funding in exchange for reform does indicate wariness of a repeat of the 1990s post-civil war reconstruction fiasco if the same faces remain in power. Unfortunately, the changes Macron seeks are doomed to fail given the glacial pace of Lebanese governance crippled by incessant political wrangling. No carrot or stick can guarantee the Lebanese political elite will implement the desperately needed reforms in governance, finance, politics and the economy.
Demanding the formation of a government of independent technocrats, however, necessary, will simply exacerbate gridlock and political wrangling. The same applies to calls for judiciary reforms and a commitment to elections within a year under new election laws. They run counter to how Lebanon’s political “old guard” have consistently tied their legitimacy and fortunes to how much political power they can wield in defense of their own interests.
No carrot or stick can guarantee the Lebanese political elite will implement the desperately needed reforms in governance, finance, politics and the economy.
Macron will return this month but this visit, like the others, will not move the needle in terms of securing change. Instead, it is up to the same warring political factions who view reform as an existential threat, since it requires them to cede power to people unanswerable to and not aligned with them. However, most Lebanese are still hopeful of stronger French involvement, despite their unease at foreign-sponsored initiatives that leave the same political elite in the driving seat of recovery efforts. This is perhaps the source of Macron’s optimism, justifying his expending what little political capital he has left given recent developments in France that have destroyed his centrist credentials and rendered him a divisive figure. Such an indirect declaration of French commitment to Lebanon’s recovery does make for good headlines.
Unfortunately, optimistic statements can only go so far when there are no matching demands for political elites to make tangible progress within specific time frames. Instead of a December visit to celebrate the appointment of a fixer government after a three-month impasse, the more publicized portion of the trip will be an inspection of French troops serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in south Lebanon.
In a way, it demonstrates a lack of confidence in professed claims from Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s office that progress is being made. There are still unresolved differences between Hariri and President Michel Aoun about who would pick the nine Christian ministers in the proposed interim Cabinet. Aoun’s reservations are supported by Gebran Bassil’s Free Patriotic Movement, which holds 24 of the 168 seats in parliament and leads the majority coalition that also includes Hezbollah. This disagreement has already derailed efforts to form a new government and it is not clear how the expected meeting tacked on to the French president’s visit will resolve these differences.
At some point, the lack of tangible upsides for Paris will prove exasperating, and instead of its traditional commitment, France may just opt for apathy and indifference — leaving Lebanon untethered. For now, such a scenario is unlikely given how much Paris has invested in its relationship with Beirut, promoting internal dialogue, organizing humanitarian aid and mobilizing international economic assistance efforts alongside boosting the Lebanese army's capabilities.
The growing pressure on the political class is very much line with French interest in Lebanon's stability, safeguarding its sovereignty and preventing external interference in the country's internal affairs. Unfortunately, without the political will for reform and repeated failures of the French to corral the disparate voices over what paths lie ahead for an embattled Lebanon, Paris may just resort to cutting its losses.
After all, France’s attentions are also needed in the eastern Mediterranean, Libya, the Sahel and more importantly, within the EU itself, given as yet unmitigated risks of fragmentation. Should the formation of a reform-minded interim government fail or its work be hindered, Lebanon’s last lifeline might just run out of patience.
*Hafed Al-Ghwell is a non-resident senior fellow with the Foreign Policy Institute at the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He is also senior adviser at the international economic consultancy Maxwell Stamp and at the geopolitical risk advisory firm Oxford Analytica, a member of the Strategic Advisory Solutions International Group in Washington DC and a former adviser to the board of the World Bank Group. Twitter: @HafedAlGhwell


 

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 12- 13/2020

U.S. Approves Pfizer Vaccine as Millions of Doses Begin Shipping
Agence France Presse/December 12/2020
The US green lighted the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine late Friday, paving the way for millions of vulnerable people to receive their shots in the world's hardest-hit country. President Donald Trump immediately released a video on Twitter, where he hailed the news as a "medical miracle" and said the first immunizations would take place "in less than 24 hours." It comes as infections across America soar as never before, with the grim milestone of 300,000 confirmed deaths fast approaching.  The US is now the sixth country to approve the two-dose regimen, after Britain, Bahrain, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Mexico. The move came earlier than expected, and capped a day of drama after it was widely reported that the White House had threatened to fire Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn if he did not grant emergency approval Friday. Trump's intervention reinserts politics into the scientific process, which some experts have said could undermine vaccine confidence. The US is seeking to inoculate 20 million people this month alone, with long-term care facility residents and health care workers at the front of the line. The government also said Friday that it is buying 100 million more doses of the Moderna vaccine candidate, amid reports the government passed on the opportunity to secure more supply of the Pfizer jab. The purchase brings its total supply of Moderna doses to 200 million, enough to immunize 100 million people with the two-shot regimen that could be approved as early as next week. Both frontrunners are based on mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid), a major victory for a technology that had never previously been proven. Two other vaccine candidates stumbled Friday: France's Sanofi and Britain's GSK said their vaccine would not be ready until the end of 2021.
And in Australia, the development of a vaccine at The University of Queensland was abandoned Friday after clinical trials produced a false positive HIV result among subjects involved in early testing.
Sputnik mix
The mixed news on the vaccine front comes as infections accelerated fast in North America and parts of Africa but started to stabilize in Europe and drop in Asia and the Middle East. Around the world more than 1.58 million lives have been lost to Covid-19 since it emerged in China a year ago, according to an AFP tally from official sources. Brazil on Friday crossed 180,000 deaths, despite President Jair Bolsonaro's insistence the crisis was at the "tail end."But across the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand, which has been praised for its handling of the virus, took its first tentative steps towards reopening its borders -- with the tiny Cook Islands. Countries which have approved the Pfizer-BioNTech jab meanwhile were preparing for roll out, as the World Health Organization warned of a potentially grim Christmas season. Following Britain's lead, the first vaccine shipments to 14 sites across Canada are scheduled to arrive Monday with people receiving shots a day or two later. Israel, which accepted its first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday, is targeting a rollout on December 27. And Hong Kong said Friday it had struck deals for two vaccines -- one from Pfizer and the other from Beijing-based Sinovac -- with plans to launch a campaign in early 2021. A new combined approach is also being tested by AstraZeneca, whose Russian operation said it would mix its shot with the locally-made Sputnik V vaccine in clinical trials. Russia and China have already begun inoculation efforts with domestically produced vaccines that have seen less rigorous vetting. EU countries are eagerly awaiting clearance on the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, in late December and early January respectively.
Carbon down
As Europe's surge eases off slightly, France is planning to lift a six-week-long lockdown from Tuesday but impose a curfew from 8.00 pm, including on New Year's Eve. Greece also announced new plans Friday to slash quarantine time for incoming travelers and reopen churches for Christmas. But Switzerland, which is seeing a sharp resurgence in cases, announced a 7:00 pm curfew for shops, restaurants and bars. While lockdowns have brought economic pain, boredom and myriad other woes, the effect on the environment has been more positive. Carbon emissions fell a record seven percent in 2020 as countries imposed lockdowns, according to the Global Carbon Project.

As it welcomes Rabat’s move, Oman seen ready to normalise with Israel
The Arab Weekly/December 12/2020
MUSCAT--The Sultanate of Oman welcomed Morocco’s announcement of establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, and that it hopes this step will enhance peace efforts in the Middle East. Analysts were quick to interpret the Omani position as the first sign of Muscat’s readiness for normalisation of relations with Israel and joining the list of countries having established peace agreements with Israel. US President Donald Trump had expressed expectations for this list to grow longer before the end of his term in January. A statement by the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised the announcement made by the Moroccan monarch, King Mohammed VI, in his two phone conversations with US President Donald Trump and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The Omani statement said that the Sultanate of Oman “hopes that this will enhance the endeavours and efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”US and Israeli officials had previously indicated that Oman could be another possible candidate for normalising relations with Israel, while the Sultanate avoided the topic.
Analysts believe that the Moroccan move will be a turning point in the process of normalisation between Arab countries and Israel, because Morocco is far from the regional sensitivities, and neither the Palestinians nor their leaders will be able to level any accusations towards Rabat, as the kingdom’s support of the Jerusalem cause is beyond reproach. They indicate that the Moroccan move will encourage countries such as the Sultanate of Oman to embark on normalising relations with Israel, especially when the sultanate in its new era under the leadership of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq is preparing to deeply overhaul its foreign policies in order to adapt them to major changes occurring in all areas in the region and the world.
The new Omani leadership will not find embarrassment in taking a step similar to Morocco and open up to Israel in the current regional climate after the agreements concluded by the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan. Moreover, the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said has opened the door on more than one occasion to positively deal with Israel, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among the last world leaders to meet with Sultan Qaboos before his death, which indicates the importance that the late Sultan attached to the Sultanate’s relationship with Israel. After the visit, Netanyahu described the talks with Sultan Qaboos, saying, “They were important for the state of Israel and its security.” He also said that Sultan Qaboos had confirmed to him that passenger flights operated by “the Israeli airline, El Al, can fly over Omani territory.”In subsequent statements, the Israeli Prime Minister indicated that his country decided to search for peace directly with Arab countries without conditioning that on the progress of negotiations with the Palestinians. “When I meet Arab leaders, they tell me we have security and economic interests, and we also want to enjoy the fruits of progress, and from now on, we will not put our normalisation with the State of Israel hostage to the whims of the Palestinians,” he said. And if the Sultanate of Oman did not up to now take the step at that time of normalising relations with Israel, its dealing with the file, nonetheless, was characterised by rationality and calm, as it considered the existence of Israel as a given.
Former Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah had once said, “Israel is a state present in the region and we are all aware of this.” The Omani media responded coldly to statements by Oman’s Mufti, Ahmed bin Hamad al-Khalili, in which he warned against normalisation, describing the new agreements as a negative phenomenon and as “courting the enemy”He also warned against “bargaining over Al-Aqsa Mosque.”The late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin visited the Sultanate of Oman in 1994, and in 1996 the two sides signed an agreement to open commercial representations in each country’s capital. In October 2000, weeks after the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada, Oman closed these offices. Last August, the Sultanate of Oman announced its support for the normalisation agreement between the UAE and Israel. A statement from the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated “the Sultanate’s support for the UAE’s decision on relations with Israel, within the framework of the historic joint declaration between them, the United States and Israel,” after Trump announced his sponsorship of the agreement and his attendance at the signing ceremony.
The statement mentioned the Sultanate’s desire “for that decision to contribute to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, in a way that serves the aspirations of the peoples of the region to sustain the foundations of security and stability.”

Israel normalizes ties with Bhutan
Jerusalem Post/December 12/2020
“I want to thank the Kingdom of Bhutan and praise the decision to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel,” Ashkenazi said. Israel established full diplomatic relations with Bhutan for the first time on Saturday night. Israeli Ambassador to India Ron Malka and his Bhutanese counterpart Vetsop Namgyel signed the final agreement normalizing ties on Saturday night. The countries’ foreign ministries held secret talks over the past year towards the goal of forging official ties, which included delegations from Jerusalem to Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital, and Thimphu to Jerusalem.
The effort to make relations between Thimphu and Jerusalem was separate from the Abraham Accords, in which four Arab countries - United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco - normalized ties with Israel in as many months, with American mediation. In fact, Bhutan does not have official diplomatic relations with the US. Bhutan is a Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas, bordering on India and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, which has gone to great lengths to keep itself isolated from the rest of the world in order to avoid outside influences. Bhutan has formal diplomatic relations with only 53 other countries, a list that does not include the US, UK, France or Russia, and embassies in seven. The country does not have ties with China, either, having closed its border to the country on its north after its 1959 invasion of Tibet. Malka said in an exclusive interview with The Jerusalem Post that the ceremony marking official diplomatic relations between Israel and Bhutan was “exciting...modest, but very special.”
The ambassador said that in recent years, Bhutanese governments have reached out to Israel.
“They have been impressed by Israel’s abilities for many years, and their prime minister wanted relations,” he said. “We advise them on topics that are important to them like water management, agriculture and technology...education and professional training, as well. They’re very interested in the topic of medicine.”Bhutan’s government “thinks of Israel as a leading country in technology and innovation that can help them progress and use more advanced technology and train their youth.”Another area in which Bhutan has sought Israel’s advice is in building a national service program for its youth.
As for tourism, the country that limits the number of outsiders who can enter will now likely be more open to Israelis, Malka said, though no precise numbers have been discussed. “They let very few people visit, even though it is very attractive, because they want to preserve its history and its nature and environment. It was very hard before, but now Israelis will be more accepted and they will want to develop [Israeli] tourism,” Malka said. Malka has visited Bhutan twice and said that it is “a very special place that is different from anywhere else. They really preserved their culture and their natural resources. There is not even one traffic light. It is very natural.”
It is still unclear if Israel will open an embassy in Thimphu; Malka may be nonresident ambassador to Bhutan, just as he is to Sri Lanka in addition to residing in Delhi, from which Thimphu is a two-hour flight. Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Foreign Minister of Bhutan Tandy Dorji spoke on the phone last weekend. “I want to thank the Kingdom of Bhutan and praise the decision to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel,” Ashkenazi said. “I invite my friend Foreign Minister Dorji to visit Israel to promote cooperation between the countries. I hope that in the next year we will host the King of Bhutan in the next year for his first official visit [to Israel].” Ashkenazi also thanked Malka and the embassy staff for working to strengthen Israel’s ties to Bhutan and bringing them to fruition. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the new relations and called it “another fruit of the peace agreements,” adding that Israel is in touch with more countries that want to establish ties with Israel. Hundreds of Bhutanese citizens have participated in agricultural training programs through MASHAV, Israel's development agency. Israel briefly had a nonresident ambassador to Bhutan in 2010, Mark Sofer, who was Israel's ambassador to Israel and Sri Lanka at the time. In 2017, Gilad Cohen, the head of Israel's Asia-Pacific division, became the most senior Israeli official to visit Bhutan. During his trip, he met the country's prime minister. Bhutan, which is about twice as large as Israel, but with only 800,000 residents, is thought to be one of the most beautiful countries in the world, but limits tourism, especially from outside South Asia, and only allowed television and the Internet in 1999, in an attempt to preserve its culture and natural resources. It uniquely measures its quality of life by "Gross National Happiness" instead of gross domestic product (GDP), and in fact, the World Happiness Report was a joint initiative of the Bhutanese prime minister and UN secretary-general in 2011. That metric emphasizes sustainable development, environmental conservation, preservation of culture and good governance, as well as mental and physical health, among other values.
The Bhutanese are thought to be among the happiest people in the world, and the happiest in Asia, but they are also among the poorest in the world. Its main export is hydroelectric energy, to India. Bhutan became a constitutional monarchy, holding its first general election, in 2008. Before that, it was an absolute monarchy. Its king’s official title is Dragon King.

PA leadership silent over Israel-Morocco deal
Jerusalem Post/December 12/2020
The PA leadership’s silence over the Israel-Morocco normalization agreement does not mean it approves of the deal. While several Palestinian factions and individuals have condemned Morocco’s decision to normalize its relations with Israel, the Palestinian Authority has chosen to remain silent.
In separate statements, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the PLO’s Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine strongly denounced the agreement, dubbing it a “black day” and a “betrayal” of Arabs and Muslims.
But more than 48 hours after US President Donald Trump announced that Morocco has agreed to establish full diplomatic relations with the Jewish state, the PA leadership did not issue any official reaction.
In addition, the authority has ignored Moroccan King Mohammed VI’s phone call with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, which was reported only by the Moroccan media. The PA-controlled media regularly reports about phone calls between Abbas and world leaders.
During the phone call, the Moroccan monarch reportedly vowed that his country’s position on the Palestinian issue remains unchanged. The king further assured Abbas that Morocco supports a solution based on two states living side by side in peace and security, and emphasized the need to preserve the special status of Jerusalem and respect the freedom of followers of all three monotheistic religions to observe their faith. The PA leadership had previously condemned the normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, dubbing them a “betrayal of the Palestinian cause and Jerusalem.”It also briefly withdrew its ambassadors from the UAE and Bahrain. The ambassadors have since quietly returned to the two Gulf states as the PA leadership seeks to ease tensions with the Arab countries. The PA leadership, in addition, has instructed its senior officials to stop attacks on Arab countries, especially those that establish relations with Israel. Palestinian officials told The Jerusalem Post that the PA leadership’s silence over the Israel-Morocco normalization agreement does not mean that it approves of the deal. “We don’t want to damage our relations with our Arab brothers,” one official told the Post. “Public statements of condemnation could cause additional damage to our relations with the Arab countries.” Another official said that the PA leadership was “extremely unhappy” with the deal, though it did not come as a surprise. “The deal contradicts the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which states that the Arab countries would normalize their relations with Israel only after the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with east Jerusalem as its capital,” the official added. “But I don’t think it’s a good idea to start condemning Morocco.” Former PA minister and newspaper editor Nabil Amr said that Morocco, like other Arab countries that signed peace treaties with Israel, was acting on the basis of the notion that says that each Arab state acts according to its own interests. “This principle was first established by [former Egyptian President] Anwar Sadat, who separated between relations with Israel and the Palestinian issue,” Amr said in a video he posted on Facebook. “I’m aware that the Palestinian Authority has filled its mouth with water and cannot say all that it said in the past about normalization [with Israel]. The Palestinian Authority wants to maintain its relations with Morocco.” Amr pointed out that since 1975, the North African country has been serving as president of Al-Quds Committee, established by the Organization of the Islamic Conference to “protect” Jerusalem from being “Judaized” by Israel. Amr dismissed claims that the normalization between the Arab countries and Israel would benefit the Palestinians. “I reject these claims,” he said. “Morocco has long been struggling to normalize its relations with Israel. Now that Israel has achieved its goal without paying a price, why should it pay a price [to the Palestinians]?”

Iran executes dissident journalist who encouraged 2017 protests
The Arab Weekly/December 12/2020
TEHRAN— Iran on Saturday executed a once-exiled journalist over his online work that helped inspire nationwide economic protests in 2017, authorities said, just months after he returned to Tehran under mysterious circumstances. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency said that Ruhollah Zam, 47, was hanged early Saturday morning. The reports did not elaborate. In June, a court sentenced Zam to death, saying he had been convicted of “corruption on Earth,” a charge often used in cases involving espionage or attempts to overthrow Iran’s government. Zam’s website AmadNews and a channel he created on the popular messaging app Telegram had spread the timings of the protests and embarrassing information about officials that directly challenged Iran’s Shia theocracy. Those demonstrations, which began at the end of 2017, represented the biggest challenge to Iran since the 2009 Green Movement protests and set the stage for similar mass unrest in November of last year. The initial spark for the 2017 protests was a sudden jump in food prices. Many believe that hard-line opponents of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani instigated the first demonstrations in the conservative city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran, trying to direct public anger at the president. But as protests spread from town to town, the backlash turned against the entire ruling class. Soon, cries directly challenging Rouhani and even Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could be heard in online videos shared by Zam. Zam’s channel also shared times and organisational details for the protests. Telegram shut down the channel over Iranian government complaints it spread information about how to make gasoline bombs. The channel later continued under a different name. Zam, who has said he fled Iran after being falsely accused of working with foreign intelligence services, denied inciting violence on Telegram at the time. The 2017 protests reportedly saw some 5,000 people detained and 25 killed.
Shadowy arrest
The details of his arrest still remain unclear. Though he was based in Paris, Zam somehow returned to Iran and found himself detained by intelligence officials. He’s one of several opposition figures in exile who have been returned to Iran over the last year. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced the arrest of Zam in October last year after kidnapping him from abroad, claiming he had been “directed by France’s intelligence service.”Media reports said Ruhollah Zam was kidnapped last year in Iraqi Kurdistan by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It said Ruhollah Zam was arrested in a “sophisticated and professional operation”. US-funded Radio Farda said Zam “was captured by Iranian security forces in Iraqi Kurdistan last October.” According to news website Iran Front Page, Zam was arrested in October 2019 by the Intelligence Organization of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). IRGC officers have claimed in the past that they had beaten foreign intelligence services, especially the French, to Zam. “Intelligence forces had been keeping a watchful eye on Rouhollah Zam’s movements for a long time and he stepped into the intelligence trap set by IRGC some two years ago. Ultimately, we were able to arrest him through cooperation with other intelligence services,” Second Brigadier General Mohammad Tavallaei, a high-ranking IRGC official, said last year. France previously has criticised his death sentence as “a serious blow to freedom of expression and press freedom in Iran.”A series of a televised confessions aired earlier this year over his work. During an interview on July, Zam said he has lost some 30 kilogrammes since his arrest in October 2019. He said following the arrest that he could meet his father after nine years and his mother and sister after some six years.
Zam is the son of Shia cleric Mohammad Ali Zam, a reformist who once served in a government policy position in the early 1980s.

Iran executes dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam
The National/December 12/2020
Zam fled to France in 2009 and was detained by Iran in mysterious circumstances
Iran has executed a once-exiled journalist Ruhollah Zam over his online work that helped drive nationwide economic protests in 2017. Iranian state television and the state-run Irna news agency said Zam was hanged early Saturday morning. In June, a Tehran court sentenced Zam to death, saying he had been convicted of “corruption on earth”, a charge often used in cases involving espionage or attempts to overthrow Iran’s government. Iran's Supreme Court upheld his death sentence on Tuesday. The official Irna news agency said Zam was convicted of espionage for France and an unnamed country in the region, co-operating with the "hostile government of America", acting against "the country's security," insulting the "sanctity of Islam" and instigating violence during the 2017 protests. Zam fled Iran after the 2009 'Green Movement' protests over the re-election of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and was granted asylum in France. He was arrested in Iran under unknown circumstances in October last year.
The French Foreign Ministry said he had left France on October 11 and that it had no information about his arrest.Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it ran a “meticulous intelligence operation” to deceive foreign intelligence services and lure Zam back into the country for prosecution.
Reporters Without Borders said Zam was kidnapped and forcibly returned to Iran. The Paris-based media watchdog said it was "outraged" by Zam's execution, describing it as a "new crime of Iranian justice". It also accused Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of being the mastermind of Zam's killing.
After fleeing Iran, Zam set up the Amadnews website and a channel on the messaging app Telegram that spread the timings of the 2017 protests and embarrassing information about figures in Iran’s Shiite theocracy. The demonstrations in December 2017 and January 2018, sparked by the rising cost of food, posed the biggest challenge to Iran's regime since the 2009 protests and set the stage for similar mass unrest that broke out in November last year after the government raised fuel prices.
Telegram suspended Zam's Amadnews feed in 2018 for allegedly inciting violence but it later reappeared under another name. Zam is the son of Shiite cleric Mohammad Ali Zam, a reformist who once served in a government policy position in the early 1980s. The cleric wrote a letter published by Iranian media in July 2017 in which he said he did not support his son's reporting on Amadnews. Iran aired a series of a televised confessions by Zam earlier this year. During an interview in July, Zam said he had lost about 30 kilograms since his arrest. He said that following the arrest he was able to meet his father after nine years and his mother and sister after some six years. Zam is one of several people to have been put on death row over participation or links to protests that rocked Iran between 2017 and 2019. Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old wrestler, was executed at a prison in the southern city of Shiraz in September. The judiciary said he had been found guilty of "voluntary homicide" for stabbing to death a government employee in August 2018. Shiraz and several other urban centres across Iran had been the scene of anti-government protests and demonstrations at the time over economic and social hardship. Three young men were also sentenced to death over links to the 2019 protests, but Iran's supreme court said last week that it would retry them after a request by their lawyers. Their sentences were initially upheld by a tribunal over evidence the judiciary said was found on their phones of them setting fire to banks, buses and public buildings during protests. Amnesty International said Iran executed at least 251 people last year, the world's second highest toll after China.
 

French Foreign Ministry: Execution of Iranian journalist is a barbaric act
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/Saturday 12 December 2020
France reacted with anger on Saturday to Iran’s execution of a Paris-based dissident journalist, which it said ran counter to Tehran’s international obligations. “France condemns in the strongest possible terms this serious breach of free expression and press freedom in Iran,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, after the execution of Ruhollah Zam was reported by Iranian state media. “This is a barbaric and unacceptable act that goes against the country’s international commitments.”

Iran Says Morocco Israel Deal 'Betrayal of Islam'
Agence France Presse/December 12/2020
An adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has condemned Morocco's normalisation of ties with the Islamic republic's arch foe Israel, calling it a "betrayal of Islam". The kingdom on Thursday became the fourth Arab state this year to normalise relations with Israel, in a deal announced by outgoing US President Donald Trump. In return, Washington fulfilled a decades-old goal of Rabat by recognising its sovereignty over disputed Western Sahara. "The deal between the triangle of America, Morocco and the Zionist regime was done in exchange for Morocco's betrayal of Islam (and) the Palestinian cause, selling Muslims' honour to international Zionism," foreign policy adviser Ali Akbar Velayati said on his official website Friday. He added that the normalisation of ties with Israel was "not a new thing" as the kingdom had maintained a liaison office in Israel in the past. Morocco follows the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan in what the Trump administration calls the Abraham Accords. Blasting all four, Velayati said they will "witness popular uprisings in a not so distant future" as their "dependent, submissive and authoritarian" leaders are unmasked. US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara has infuriated the pro-independence Polisario Front, which controls about a fifth of the vast region. Rabat, which has close ties with Iran's regional rival Saudi Arabia, severed diplomatic relations with Tehran in 2018 accusing it of backing the Polisario, a charge Iran denied.

Iran Slams Erdogan for 'Ill-recited' Separatist Poem
Agence France Presse/December 12/2020
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday slammed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for an "ill-recited" poem, seen as implying Iran's northwestern provinces were part of Azerbaijan. Erdogan spoke in Azerbaijan's capital Baku on Thursday during celebrations marking Azerbaijan's military triumph over Armenia, in six weeks of fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. "Pres. Erdogan was not informed that what he ill-recited in Baku refers to the forcible separation of areas north of Aras from Iranian motherland," Zarif wrote on Twitter. Iran is home to a large Azeri community, mainly in the northwest in provinces next to Azerbaijan and Armenia, with the Aras river as a border. "Didn't he realise he was undermining the sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan?" Zarif added. "NO ONE can talk about OUR beloved Azerbaijan." According to Iran's ISNA news agency, the poem recited is "one of the separatist symbols of pan-turkism". It said the verses point to Aras and "complain of the distance between Azeri-speaking people on the two sides of the river."Iran's foreign ministry said it had summoned Turkey's ambassador in Tehran over Erdogan's "interventionist and unacceptable remarks", and demanded an "immediate explanation". The envoy was told that "the era of territorial claims and warmongering and expansionist empires has passed", according to an official statement. It added that Iran "does not allow anyone to interfere in its territorial integrity". Turkey later Friday summoned Iran's ambassador in the capital Ankara to the foreign ministry, Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported. The envoy was told the claims against Erdogan were "baseless" and it was "not acceptable" for Zarif to tweet rather than use other channels to express any "discomfort".

Brexit Deal Hopes Dim as Johnson Says Failure 'Very Likely'
Agence France Presse/December 12/2020
A Brexit trade deal between Britain and the European Union looked to be hanging in the balance on Saturday after gloomy assessments from leaders on both sides of the Channel, with just hours left before last-gasp talks conclude. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen have given their negotiators until Sunday before a decision is made on whether to keep talking or give up. The mood worsened after von der Leyen told EU leaders at a marathon Brussels summit there were "low expectations" and the "probability of a no-deal is higher than of a deal". Ireland and Germany tried to raise spirits, agreeing that a pact was "difficult but still possible". But Johnson said it was looking "very, very likely" that Britain would end up dealing with its biggest single trading partner on World Trade Organization (WTO) terms from the New Year. "If there's a big offer, a big change in what they (the EU) are saying then I must say that I've yet to see it," he told reporters. The comments did nothing to inspire confidence in the British pound, which extended its losses on currency markets, dropping more than one percent against the dollar. "Traders are turning their back on the pound as the language being used now is more serious," CMC Markets analyst David Madden told AFP. UK chief negotiator David Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier are trying to carve out a deal by Sunday, with just three weeks left until the end of a transition period following Britain's departure from the bloc in January.
Last-minute turnaround?
Whatever happens, Britain will leave the EU single market and customs union, leading to the re-introduction of border checks for the first time in decades. That has already raised the prospect of heavy traffic clogging roads leading to seaports in southern and southeast England, as bureaucracy lengthens waiting times for imports and exports. Transport companies have also warned that Ireland could see import volumes shrink in the event of new customs for goods routed through Britain. "As an industry we're looking to plan ahead but there's so many unknowns it becomes difficult," Road Haulage Association director Martin Reid told the Press Association. Logjams at the Felixstowe container port in eastern England and elsewhere have already raised fears of more to come, and delays in deliveries to shops, businesses and industry. But Johnson's spokesman said they were mainly caused by a "global spike" in demand for consumer goods and the effect of the coronavirus outbreak on shipping patterns and container capacity. Brexit trade talks have been deadlocked over the extent of EU access to British fishing grounds and rules governing fair competition. An EU official refused to rule out a last-minute "turnaround" for a deal, even after the bloc published "no-deal" contingency planning in what was seen as a warning shot to Britain. Johnson again said fishing and the so-called level playing field were key issues, in particular a "ratchet clause" that would bind Britain to match any future EU legislation. Von der Leyen told a post-summit news conference the proposed "equivalence" rules would not be compulsory and Britain could act as it sees fit. "We would simply adapt the conditions for access to our market accordingly," she added. Johnson's spokesman said that would still leave Britain tied to decisions made in Brussels. In the event of no-deal Brexit, the Royal Navy is ready to deploy four armed patrol ships as a "last resort" to protect Britain's fishing waters, the defence ministry confirmed to local media.
'Australia terms'
Johnson won a snap election a year ago on Saturday with the promise of an "oven-ready" Brexit deal that would break years of political deadlock since Britain voted in 2016 to exit the EU. But he has been under pressure to make good on his promise. Johnson's assessment that Britain would "prosper mightily" on WTO rules with the EU -- what he calls "Australia terms" -- has not been universally welcomed. Tariffs and quotas would drive up the cost of business that would be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices in an economy already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. As a whole, the EU is Britain's biggest trading partner. Australia in comparison is the EU's 19th-largest trading partner. Australia's former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull warned Johnson on Thursday: "Be careful what you wish for." "Australia's relationship with the EU is not one from a trade point of view that I think Britain would want, frankly," he said.

Jailed Saudi Activist in Terrorism Court on 'Spurious' Charges, Say UN Experts
Agence France Presse/December 12/2020
Jailed Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul appeared before a terrorism court on Thursday, her family said, as she faces the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence on what UN experts called "spurious" charges. Hathloul's hearing comes two days after a prominent American-Saudi doctor, Walid Fitaihi, was sentenced to six years in prison, highlighting what campaigners call growing state repression, despite international pressure over the kingdom's human rights record. Hathloul, 31, was arrested in May 2018 with about a dozen other women activists just weeks before the historic lifting of a decades-long ban on female drivers, a reform they had long campaigned for. After being tried in Riyadh's criminal court, her trial was transferred last month to the Specialised Criminal Court (SCC), or the anti-terrorism court, which campaigners say is notorious for issuing long jail terms and is used to silence critical voices under the cover of fighting terrorism. "Loujain's spirits are high, but her body is still weak," her sister Alia al-Hathloul said after a hearing in the SCC. Hathloul's siblings are based outside the kingdom, but some of her other family members are allowed to attend court hearings, which are off-limits to journalists and diplomats. "We are extremely alarmed to hear that Al-Hathloul, who has been in detention for more than two years on spurious charges, is now being tried by a specialised terrorism court," said Elizabeth Broderick, chair of the United Nations working group on discrimination against women and girls.
"We call once again on Saudi Arabia to immediately release Al-Hathloul, a woman human rights defender who has greatly contributed to advancing women's rights," she added in a statement. Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told AFP last week that Hathloul is accused of contacting "unfriendly" states and providing classified information, but her family said no evidence to support the allegations had been put forward. While some detained women activists have been provisionally released, Hathloul and others remain imprisoned on what rights groups describe as opaque charges. The pro-government Saudi media has branded them as "traitors" and Hathloul's family alleges she experienced sexual harassment and torture in detention. Saudi authorities deny the charges.
'Clampdown on critics' -
Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy, faces growing international criticism for its human rights record. But the kingdom appears to be doubling down on dissent, even as US President-elect Joe Biden's incoming administration could intensify scrutiny of its human rights failings. On Tuesday, the Saudi terrorism court sentenced Fitaihi, 56, to six years in prison, on charges including getting US citizenship without permission from authorities and sympathising with an unnamed terrorist organisation, a source close to his family told AFP. Saudi authorities have not publicly commented on his case, and it remains unclear why those charges constitute a crime. "Saudi authorities' railroading of Fitaihi under broad charges shows that the government has no intention of loosening its clampdown on peaceful critics," said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. Fitaihi, who founded a prominent hospital in Saudi Arabia, has been banned from travel since late 2017, along with other members of his family, the family source said, despite repeated calls by the US government for his release.
"We are appalled that Walid Fitaihi has been sentenced to six years in prison by a Saudi court on politically motivated charges," four US Democratic senators, including Chris Murphy and Patrick Leahy, said in a statement on Thursday. "We have repeatedly called for the release of Dr. Fitaihi... Unfortunately, the Saudi government has ignored these bipartisan appeals, despite clear implications for the US-Saudi relationship."Biden has pledged to reassess Washington's relationship with Riyadh, which largely escaped US censure under President Donald Trump, who has enjoyed a personal rapport with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Armenian Separatists Hurt in Skirmish with Azerbaijan
Agence France Presse/December 12, 2020
Separatist officials in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh said Saturday that three fighters were wounded in a skirmish with Azerbaijani forces, undermining a recent peace deal brokered by Russia. The defence ministry in the ethnically Armenian province said in a statement that Azerbaijani troops attacked Friday evening and that "three Armenian servicemen were injured during the ensuing gunfight". It added that the fighters were in a stable condition and an investigation into the incident was under way. Six weeks of fighting between separatists backed by Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region ended last month after the two sides agreed to a peace deal that saw the Armenians cede swathes of disputed territory. More than 5,000 people including civilians were killed during the fighting in the Caucasus between the ex-Soviet rivals, which fought a war in the 1990s over the mountainous region. Nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeepers have deployed to the region and Baku's close ally Turkey has said it will monitor the truce from an observation centre in Azerbaijan.
 

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 12- 13/2020

Bedfellows: Iran and Al Qaeda
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/December 12/2020
In addition, a trove of 470,000 documents, released by the CIA in late 2017, point to close ties between the Iranian regime and Al-Qaeda.... According to the documents, Iran also provided Al Qaeda with "money and arms and everything they need, and offered them training in Hezbollah camps in Lebanon, in return for striking American interests in Saudi Arabia."
Eight of the 9/11 attack hijackers passed through Iran before coming to the US. Tehran provided funding, logistical support and ammunition to Al-Qaeda leaders, and sheltered several of them in exchange for attacks on US interests.
As sanctions against Iran were lifted during the Obama administration, it quickly became clear that those actions, instead, gave Iran's brutality to its own people and its adventurism abroad a global legitimacy in the eyes of the international community. This newfound legitimacy and the lifting of sanctions generated billions of dollars for Iran's military institution, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as for Iran's militia and terror groups. Tehran used those revenues to expand its influence throughout the region, including in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. The expansion campaign proved to be immensely successful.
If Biden becomes the next US president and if he pursues the same policies towards Iran as former President Barack Obama, he will not only embolden this predatory regime, but also empower its allies, as well as terror groups such as Al Qaeda.
Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, also known as Abu Mohammed Al-Masri, was reported assassinated in Tehran, Iran on August 7. Al-Masri was accused of taking part in the bombings of two US embassies in Africa on August 7, 1998. Pictured: Rescue workers search for survivors of the bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
While the presumptive President-Elect Joe Biden is advocating for pursuing appeasement policies with Iran's ruling mullahs as did his former boss, President Barack Obama, it should be noted he will be assisting a regime that has close ties not only to Shia militia groups but also to the terrorist group Al Qaeda.
Some people might attempt to convince you that Iran and Al Qaeda are enemies because the Iranian government is Shia and Al Qaeda is Sunni, but evidence shows strong collaboration between the two.
Based on a recent report by The New York Times, which cited information from intelligence officials, Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, also known as Abu Mohammed Al-Masri, was killed on August 7. He was reportedly gunned down, at the behest of the US, by two Israeli operatives in the streets of Tehran along with his daughter, the widow of former Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's son, Hamza.
Al-Masri, who would most likely have been the successor to Al-Qaeda's current leader, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, was accused of taking part in the bombings of two US embassies in Africa in 1998. At first, Iranian authorities attempted to cover up his death, apparently because they would have preferred it not to be known that they have any links to Al-Qaeda. The theocratic Iranian establishment may well have provided Al-Masri with the resources to carry out his campaigns against the US.
Further evidence has come from the former spokesman for the IRGC, Saeed Qasemi (Ghasemi), who shared a surprising revelation. He stated that the Iranian government sent agents to Bosnia and Herzegovina to train Al-Qaeda members and that Tehran's operatives had hiden their identity by posing as humanitarian workers for Iran's Red Crescent.
Another Iranian official, Hossein Allahkaram, believed to be one of the operatives sent to Bosnia and Herzegovina, confirmed this account. "There used to be an Al-Qaeda branch in Bosnia and Herzegovina..." he said. "They were connected to us in a number of ways. Even though they were training within their own base, when they engaged in weapons training they joined us in various activities."
In addition, a trove of 470,000 documents, released by the CIA in late 2017, point to close ties between the Iranian regime and Al-Qaeda. The terror group's former leader, Osama bin Laden, advised his followers to respect the Iranian government and wrote that Iran was the organization's "main artery for funds, personnel and communication." For more sophisticated training, Al-Qaeda members traveled to Lebanon. According to the documents, Iran also provided Al Qaeda with "money and arms and everything they need, and offered them training in Hezbollah camps in Lebanon, in return for striking American interests in Saudi Arabia."
Iran was also implicated in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, before which Tehran allowed Al-Qaeda operatives to travel through the country without passports or visas. Robust evidence, including a US federal court ruling, suggests that "Iran furnished material and direct support for the 9/11 terrorists." Eight of the hijackers passed through Iran before coming to the US. Tehran provided funding, logistical support and ammunition to Al-Qaeda leaders, and sheltered several of them in exchange for attacks on US interests.
Iran and Al-Qaeda are allies due to the fact that they both view the US as their main enemy; the group has carried out several successful terrorist attacks against the US. Al-Qaeda is also a threat to Gulf states, which Iran views as regional rivals.
In addition, Al-Qaeda's modus operandi is anchored in efforts to destabilize the region and create chaos, a ripe environment that the Iranian regime, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its proxies and militia groups can exploit, and from which they can prosper.
The US government has targeted the IRGC with sanctions and designated it as a foreign terrorist organization in April 2019. "The IRGC actively participates in, finances and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft," stated US President Donald Trump. "The IRGC is the Iranian government's primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign."
The alliance between Iran and Al Qaeda is probably why the terrorist group has carried out attacks in many countries but has never targeted the Iranian regime.
Biden's policy towards the Iranian regime is anchored in the idea that the only informed and effective policy that will deal with Iran's clerical establishment is rooted in enticing them in from the cold: in other words, appeasement. The argument goes that if the mullahs are appeased, then they will change their malign behavior and support for terror groups such as Al Qaeda. During Biden's Vice Presidency, however, for eight years, the US government initiated and expanded appeasement policies during the administration of President Barack Obama. Throughout this time, the Obama administration made unprecedented concessions in an attempt to appease Iran's ruling mullahs. The Obama-Biden administration met the Iranian leaders with generosity and flexibility at every step. What was the outcome?
As sanctions against Iran were lifted during the Obama administration, it quickly became clear that those actions, instead, gave Iran's brutality to its own people and its adventurism abroad a global legitimacy in the eyes of the international community. This newfound legitimacy and the lifting of sanctions generated billions of dollars for Iran's military institution, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as for Iran's militia and terror groups. Tehran used those revenues to expand its influence throughout the region, including in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. The expansion campaign proved to be immensely successful.
In conclusion, If Biden becomes the next US president and if he pursues the same policies towards Iran as former President Barack Obama, he will not only embolden this predatory regime, but also empower its allies, as well as terror groups such as Al Qaeda.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 2020 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
 

History tells us pandemics demand vigilance right to the very end
Damien McElroy/The National/December 12, 2020
Margaret Keenan, 90, is applauded by staff as she returns to her ward after becoming the first person in the United Kingdom to receive the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine at University Hospital, Coventry. EPA
The English village of Eyam has a message for 2020 about how to handle a pandemic and what to be prepared for as it moves through different phases.
Nothing is fixed when life is hostage to infection. Not for individuals, nor for the population as a whole, and not even with vaccines. The breakthroughs that have come in the run-up the vaccine rollout have been greeted as an unalloyed good. However, in many countries, the rollout could yet go to some very bad places in the months ahead.
That where the history of Eyam comes in. The village, located in England's northern Peak District, faced a plague along with other parts of the country in the 1660s. Between a third and half of Eyam's population died.
Eyam is a remote outpost. Once the plague reached it from the south, its outbreak progressed in isolation from other parts of England. Letters from a local resident that still survive recorded the terrible effects of the toll.
The residents decided to isolate themselves as the infections rose. A legend grew up that while the people of Eyam were not saving themselves by going into lockdown, they were sacrificing so that other communities would not get infected.
Over the following centuries Eyam was hailed by British writers for having saved large parts of the north of England from the ravages that afflicted the south. This was a time when doctors did not have a cure. While Europe faced a 30 year cycle of plague, there was little knowledge about how people were catching the diseases. And if people were badly affected, there was certainly no promise of treatment and recovery.
Then came the advancement of the medical profession and findings that the plagues were not "bad air" but carried by rats and fleas. Eyam became the butt of jokes for needlessly locking themselves up to stop an epidemic that they could not prevent.
Freed from the heroic legend, Eyam then became a place of ideological struggle. Different versions of the town appear in newspapers and periodicals. Did the lock-in provide a template for the cordon sanitaire or was it a futile sacrifice?
Fast forward to 2020 and Eyam has a new resonance. Billions of people have experienced isolation and stay-at-home orders. The village that did it first gives us a 400 year-plus logic for and history of staying put to limit the spread of death and disaster. Different ways of viewing events are not limited to far-off historical lessons. When Britain administered the first vaccine outside of a clinical trial last week, there was a wave of optimism that the beginning of the end of the pandemic was here.
Two people who had the jab had severe allergic reactions, revealing an untested vulnerability of the treatment. Fake news claiming that the two patients who went first, Irish woman Margaret Keenan and Warwickshire native William Shakespeare, were actors performing a role swept the internet.
It is foretaste of the battle of perceptions to come, and how it could spiral into division, competition and conflict. Atul Gawande, a member of US President-elect Joe Biden’s Covid-19 task force, has highlighted how at present more Americans are worried about the pandemic’s threat to their health or livelihoods than at any time since June.
The failure to provide a nationwide plan for rolling out the vaccine worries him. The antagonism over mask wearing among Americans “is as nothing” to the split among Americans over who gets vaccinated. One person in the family may get vaccine but others will not. What about children? There are no paediatric studies thus far that justify distribution among children. With the US federal government failing to provide guidelines, the vacuum will at best be filled by the states. A dynamic of the wealthy buying vaccines is likely to be set in train. That will further heighten divisions due to claims about the "great unleveller" pandemic has already inflicted.
Figures until October 2020 show that unemployment fell about two percentage points for the top two thirds of US wage earners from peak, but by more than seven per cent for the bottom third. A soldier from the Royal Artillery regiment walks past a testing centre at Liverpool's Anfield stadium in Liverpool, Britain. Reuters
The point at which vaccination stops transmission, called "herd immunity", is thought to be about 70 per cent of the population. Then there is the challenge of international distribution, which is the only long-term way to eradicate Covid-19.
That is even if people want the vaccine. Two fifths of respondents in some surveys are vaccine hesitant or worse.
Almost ten per cent of the population of Britain was found this week to following anti-vaccination sites. The Centre for Countering Digital Hate said 5.35 million people had access to conspiratorial and other wrong information.
Despite a flood of advertisements from big social media companies promoting agreements and pledges with European governments on countering Covid-19 misinformation, this is simply not happening. The social platforms are not excluding and removing the material that causes people to have false beliefs.Only one of 27 already-identified, major anti-vaccination sites in the UK have been removed in recent months. Views on the vaccine are not set in stone. Delivery from the pandemic is in no way a sure bet.
*Damien McElroy is London bureau chief at The National

Dig deep to feed the world
Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/December 12/2020
When the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in October to the World Food Programme (WFP), its executive director David Beasley said 270 million people would face hunger by the end of this year, and the organization needed to raise $15 billion to feed them plus $5 billion to save 30 million more from starvation. Beasley used his acceptance speech last week as a further call to action. The COVID-19 pandemic is not just the biggest health crisis in a century, it has also created economic devastation across the globe and doubled the number of the world’s hungry.
According to the WFP about 370 million children missed school meals in May at the height of the pandemic. The Asian Development Bank and the International Labour Organization say 15 million teenagers and young people have lost their jobs and incomes in Asia alone.
Beasley pointed out that before COVID-19, 60 percent of hunger was conflict driven, which is why 80 percent of WFP operations are in conflict zones, many of them in Africa and the Middle East. Nearly all of the 30 million who now face starvation live in conflict zones. Climate change and extreme weather events are another major cause of hunger by devastating crops and breaking food supply chains.
The WFP’s job goes beyond feeding the hungry and extends into securing food supply chains as a means of averting hunger in future. It is also the world’s largest provider of school meals.
The COVID-19 pandemic is not just the biggest health crisis in a century, it has also created economic devastation across the globe and doubled the number of the world’s hungry.
The WFP fed close to 100 million hungry mouths before the pandemic, when 135 million people did not have enough to eat. Now that the number has doubled, its task has more than doubled.
Beasley pointed out the link between hunger and migration: “If they don’t have food security and some degree of peace, they will do what any mother and dad would do to find food and peace for their children: They’ll leave.”
If anything, that should be a rallying cry for the near neighbors of conflict zones to support the WFP. It raised a record $8 billion in 2019, but a gap of $4.1 billion remained —at a time when the world economy was humming, making generosity a lot easier. Now the IMF expects global GDP to contract by 4.4 percent in 2020, with the WFP’s biggest donors the US and Germany ($3.4 billion and $887 million respectively) not escaping the economic downturn. The US and the EU alone have earmarked trillions in pandemic rescue packages for their own people, leaving little wiggle room in their hopelessly stretched budgets. Raising the $15 billion required to feed the world’s hungry will be an uphill battle.
Nevertheless, in Beasley’s words: “There is $400 trillion of wealth in the world today. Even at the height of the pandemic, in just 90 days, an additional $2.7 trillion of wealth was created. And we need only $5 billion to save 30 million lives from famine.” If half the world’s population donated $1 each and all 2,095 billionaires donated $1 million per person, the WFP would have raised $6 billion.
Humanity has achieved a lot in the past 200 years; 94 percent of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty at the beginning of the 19th century, but by 2015 that had been reduced to 10 percent. COVID-19 threatens to reverse this achievement. The World Bank estimates that up to 115 million people will be pushed into absolute poverty because of the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which have been endorsed by the family of nations, address these issues: SDG 1 is for zero poverty by 2030 and SDG 2 is to eliminate hunger by then.
Beasley ended his acceptance speech with the words: “Please don’t ask us to choose who lives and who dies. In the spirit of Alfred Nobel, as inscribed on this medal – “peace and brotherhood” – let’s feed them all.” Hear, hear.
*Cornelia Meyer is a Ph.D.-level economist with 30 years of experience in investment banking and industry. She is chairperson and CEO of business consultancy Meyer Resources. Twitter: @MeyerResources