English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For December 15/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

#elias_bejjani_news
 

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Bible Quotations For today

But be certain of this, that if the master of the house had had knowledge of the time when the thief was coming, he would have been watching, and would not have let his house be broken into.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12/32-34/:”‘ Have no fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Give what property you have in exchange for money, and give the money to the poor; make for yourselves money-bags which will not get old, wealth stored up in heaven which will be yours for ever, where thieves will not come nor worms put it to destruction. For where your wealth is, there will your heart be. Be ready, dressed as for a journey, with your lights burning. And be like men who are looking for their lord, when he comes back from the bride-feast; so that when he comes to the door, it will be open to him quickly. Happy are those servants who are watching when the lord comes; truly I say to you, he will make himself their servant and, placing them at the table, he will come out and give them food. And if he comes in the second division of the night or in the third, and they are watching for him, happy are those servants. But be certain of this, that if the master of the house had had knowledge of the time when the thief was coming, he would have been watching, and would not have let his house be broken into. So be ready: for the Son of man is coming at a time when you are not looking for him. And Peter said to him, Lord, are these words said to us only, or to all men? And the Lord said, Who then is the wise and responsible servant whom his lord will put in control of his family, to give them their food at the right time? Happy is that servant who, when his lord comes, is doing so. Truly I say to you, he will put him in control of all his goods.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 14-15/2020

Health Ministry: 1093 new Covid-19 cases, 10 deaths
US dollar exchange rate: Buying price at LBP 3850, selling price at LBP 3900
French minister likens Lebanon’s collapse to Titanic’s sinking
Sawwan Sets New Dates for Questioning Diab, ex-Ministers
Oueidat Recuses Himself in Port Explosion Probe
Diab 'Refuses' to Be Questioned over Port Explosion
Lebanon’s PM declines questioning over Beirut port blast
Fahmi Stands in Solidarity with Diab
Aoun receives UK's Senior Defense Advisor for Middle East
Aoun Accuses Hariri of Presenting One-Sided Govt. Line-Up
Hariri Hits Back at Jreissati, Says Aoun Delaying Govt. Formation
Hariri chairs Future presidential council meeting
Grand Mufti receives Interior Minister
Ex-PMs Warn against Violating Constitution after Diab Charged
Lebanese Activist Jailed for 'Collaborating' with Israel
Report: Lebanon Prepares to Go on Strike over Cuts in Subsidies
Army chief tackles current situation with Kubis, meets UK's Defence Senior Adviser, British ambassador
Akar meets UK's Defence Senior Adviser, British ambassador on a farewell visit
Berri tackles general situation with Mikati, meets British ambassador
Wehbe receives Girard, Al-Hammami and Rampling
Diab receives British Ambassador, UN Special Coordinator

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 14-15/2020

Moscow Condemns U.S. Sanctions on Turkey over Russian Missile Purchases
Turkey Detains 11 Suspected of Spying for Iran
US sanctions NATO ally Turkey over Russian missile defense system
Global Outcry Grows over Iran's 'Barbaric' Execution of Dissident
Europe-Iran Forum Postponed after Outcry over Execution
Mysterious fire targets supply to Iran’s second largest refinery
Qatar seeks to play Oman’s role in US, Iran mediation
Iran sentences British-Iranian researcher to nine years in jail
U.S. Says Iran behind 'Probable Death' of ex-FBI Agent
Kuwait Forms Cabinet with New Oil, Finance Ministers
Pompeo Hails 'Fundamental Change' in Sudan-US Ties
U.S. Government Confirms Cyberattack
UK Reveals Talks with France's EDF for New Nuclear Plant
French Jihadist Caught Trying to Enter Turkey from Syria
Putin's 'Chef' Pays Russian Operatives Released by Libya
Netanyahu to Enter Precautionary Virus Quarantine
Black 'sand-like' asteroid dust found in box from Japan probe

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 14-15/2020

Tehran’s ‘Greater Iran’ dream a threat to the region/Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/December 14/2020
How a poem could spark a new Iran-Turkey conflict/Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/December 14/2020
How Trustworthy Are Muslim Professions of Peace?/Raymond Ibrahim/December 14/2020
Turkey says Iranian intelligence was behind elaborate plot to kidnap opponent in Istanbul/Kareem Fahim and Erin Cunningham/The Washington Post/December 14/2020
Espionage Emergency: China 'Floods' America with Spies/Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/December 14/ 2020
China: Britain's Biggest Long-Term Threat/Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/December 14/2020
Forty-Plus Nations Call for Suspension of Syria From Chemical Weapons Monitoring Body/David Adesnik and Patrick Spangenberg/FDD/December 14/2020
The Abraham Accords Will they transform the Middle East?/Varsha Koduvayur and Steven Cook/FDD/December 14/2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 14-15/2020

Health Ministry: 1093 new Covid-19 cases, 10 deaths
NNA/December 14/2020
The Ministry of Public Health on Monday announced that 1093 Coronavirus cases have been reported, thus raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 147613.
It also indicated that 10 death cases were also registered during the past 24 hours.

US dollar exchange rate: Buying price at LBP 3850, selling price at LBP 3900
NNA/December 14/2020
The Money Changers Syndicate announced in a statement addressed to money changing companies and institutions, Monday’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

French minister likens Lebanon’s collapse to Titanic’s sinking
The Arab Weekly/December 14/2020
“Lebanon is the Titanic without the orchestra,” Le Drian told the daily Le Figaro in an interview published on Sunday.
PARIS--French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Lebanon’s political and economic collapse was like the sinking of the Titanic, only without the music. “Lebanon is the Titanic without the orchestra,” Le Drian told the daily Le Figaro in an interview published on Sunday. “The Lebanese are in complete denial as they sink, and there isn’t even the music.”It is believed the Titanic’s orchestra kept playing for as long as it could as the liner went down in the Atlantic Ocean in 1912, trying to help keep passengers calm amid impending doom. All the musicians perished. Le Drian’s remarks set a pessimistic tone a little over a week before President Emmanuel Macron makes his third visit to Beirut since a massive port blast destroyed swathes of the city and killed 200 people in August. Macron is losing patience with Lebanon’s politicians as rival politicians mired in turf battles stand in the way of sweeping reforms that donors say are imperative for badly-needed financial aid to be released. Earlier in December, the French president slammed Lebanon political inertia as he chaired a second aid conference to help the crisis-hit country after a deadly port blast. Lebanon’s cabinet stepped down after the August 4 port blast that killed more than 200 people and ravaged large parts of Beirut, but efforts to form a new one have since hit a wall. Formation of a reform-minded government was the first step in a French plan towards unlocking massive financial aid to rescue the country from its worst economic crisis in decades. “The commitments… have not been respected,” Macron said at an international conference for humanitarian aid attended by foreign and international donors, as well as Lebanese non-governmental organisations. Last week, Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri gave President Michel Aoun a line-up for a new cabinet after months of wrangling. Hariri, who was named premier for a fourth time in October, said the president would examine his list of 18 “non-partisan, expert” ministers and that the “atmosphere was positive.”Aoun’s office said the two had agreed to try to bridge the gap between their proposals. Lebanese politicians have failed to agree over portfolios, let alone enact reforms, even as the country hurtles towards what UN agencies have warned will be a “social catastrophe.”

Sawwan Sets New Dates for Questioning Diab, ex-Ministers
Associated Press/December 14/2020
Judge Fadi Sawwan, the lead judicial investigator into the port blast, has set new dates for the interrogation of caretaker PM Hassan Diab and three ex-ministers, media reports said on Monday. Sawwan rescheduled the sessions after the four declined to show up on Monday, judicial officials told the Associated Press. According to the judicial officials, Diab is now scheduled to be questioned on Friday. Legal experts said that by issuing new dates for questioning, Sawwan is showing determination to go ahead with his work despite political pressure. It was not clear what the judge's next steps will be if the politicians again decline to be questioned. Among his options are issuing arrest warrants. Or if he is totally ignored he may decide to step down. That would deal a major blow to the investigation into Lebanon's most destructive single incident in its history. The massive Aug. 4 blast killed around 200 people, injured thousands and caused widespread destruction in the capital. 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. Diab has rejected the charges as "politically targeting" the position of prime minister and accused Sawwan of violating the constitution and bypassing parliament. He also said he had already given the prosecutor all the information he has during an initial questioning session as a witness in September. The surprise move by Sawwan has been praised by families of the victims of the port explosion, but criticized by politicians and Hizbullah as unconstitutional. Among those who rejected it were Lebanon's top Sunni Muslim cleric and former prime ministers, including premier-designate Saad Hariri, a political foe of Diab.

Oueidat Recuses Himself in Port Explosion Probe
Naharnet/December 14/2020
State Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat on Monday recused himself from any future role in the investigations into the Beirut port blast. In a statement, Oueidat said the move aims to avoid any potential conflict of interest arising from the fact that ex-minister Ghazi Zoaiter is married to his sister. Zoaiter, a former public works minister and current MP, has been charged in the case by Judicial Investigator Judge Fadi Sawan. The National News Agency said Attorney General Judge Ghassan al-Khoury will now replace Oueidat in the case. Zoaiter along with caretaker PM Hassan Diab and former ministers Ali Hassan Khalil and Youssef Fenianos have been charged with negligence. Diab, Zoaiter and Khalil have announced that they will not appear before Sawan for interrogation.

Diab 'Refuses' to Be Questioned over Port Explosion
Associated Press/December 14/2020
Caretaker prime minister Hassan Diab will not meet with the prosecutor investigating the Beirut port explosion as requested, persons familiar with the case said Monday, adding the premier has already given the prosecutor all the information he has.
Diab and three former Cabinet ministers were charged last week by Judge Fadi Sawwan with negligence in the massive Aug. 4 blast that killed over 200 people, injured thousands and caused widespread destruction in the capital.
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. The four are the most senior officials to be charged in the investigation and were set to be questioned as defendants this week by Sawwan, starting with Diab on Monday. Diab, however, has rejected the charges as "politically targeting" the position of prime minister and accused Sawwan of violating the constitution and bypassing parliament. He has also received the support of the country's former prime ministers, Lebanon's top Sunni Muslim cleric and the militant Hezbollah group, a strong backer of Diab. Lebanon's prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim, according to the country's sectarian-based power-sharing system.
A person familiar with the case said Diab would not meet with Sawwan. Another person referred inquiries about Diab's questioning to a statement issued by the prime minister's office last week. That statement said the premier informed Sawwan that "Diab has already provided all the information he had regarding this file, period."
They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Diab had been questioned by Sawwan as a witness earlier but now he would face questions as a defendant. The united front in support of Diab 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. Diab, a former university professor who has cast himself as a reformer among Lebanon's widely corrupt political class, was criticized by some activists for refusing to appear before Sawwan on Monday. Rights lawyer Nizar Saghieh tweeted that Diab, like other politicians, is trying to "escape accountability by hiding behind his sect." Former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil and former minister of public works Ghazi Zeiter told the daily Al-Akhbar that they also will not show up for questioning. Both are members of parliament and the legislature will have to remove their parliamentary immunity. It was not clear if former minister of public works Youssef Fenianos will show up at Sawwan's office. In a stunning move, Judge Sawwan filed the charges against Diab and the three former ministers Thursday, accusing them of negligence that led to the death of hundreds of people. Top security officials and politicians had known for years about the ammonium nitrate stored at a warehouse at the port and did nothing to remove or destroy it. Diab, who is supported by Hezbollah and its political allies, resigned six days after the blast but remains in his post in a caretaker capacity, as Lebanese officials have failed to agree on a new Cabinet. The move by Sawwan to exercise his discretion 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 the material they received did not point to any professional wrongdoing.

Lebanon’s PM declines questioning over Beirut port blast
The Arab Weekly/December 14/2020
BEIRUT – Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Hassan Diab, has declined to be questioned by the judge who charged him and three former ministers with negligence over the Beirut port blast, an official source said on Monday. Persons familiar with the case said Monday the premier has already given the prosecutor all the information he has. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Diab had been questioned by Judge Fadi Sawwan as a witness earlier but now he would face questions as a defendant. The united front in support of Diab 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.
Diab, a former university professor who has cast himself as a reformer among Lebanon’s widely corrupt political class, was criticised by some activists for refusing to appear before Sawan on Monday. Rights lawyer Nizar Saghieh tweeted that Diab, like other politicians, is trying to “escape accountability by hiding behind his sect.”Former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil and former minister of public works Ghazi Zeiter told the daily Al-Akhbar that they also will not show up for questioning. Both are members of parliament and the legislature will have to remove their parliamentary immunity. It was not clear if former minister of public works Youssef Fenianos would show up at Sawwan’s office. Sawan, the investigating magistrate, has been criticised for bringing charges by influential parties including the Shia group Hezbollah and Sunni leader Saad Hariri. Some politicians have suggested Sawan was selective in deciding who to charge, and that he overstepped his powers by charging government ministers. Others, including the head of the Beirut Bar Association, have said the move showed courage. Diab says his conscience is clear over the August blast, which killed 200 people, injured thousands and devastated entire districts. His cabinet, which took office in January, quit after the disaster but continues to serve in a caretaker role. The explosion, one of the biggest non-nuclear blasts on record, was caused by a stockpile of ammonium nitrate detonating after being stored unsafely for years. Sawan contacted Diab’s office last week to request an appointment on Monday but was told he would not agree to be questioned, the official source at the prime minister’s office said. Sawan could not immediately be reached for comment. The caretaker interior minister, Mohammed Fahmi, said he would not enforce any arrest warrants for Diab or the other officials if they refused to be questioned. “I would not order the security agencies to implement such a legal decision, and let them pursue me if they wish,” the Lebanese newspaper al-Joumhouria quoted him as saying. After meeting with Diab on Friday, Hariri pledged not to let anyone violate the post of prime minister – a seat reserved for a Sunni Muslim in the sectarian power-sharing system. The three former ministers charged by Sawan are members of parties allied to Hezbollah, which said on Friday the charges smacked of “political targeting.” Two are members of the Shia Amal Movement of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Lebanon’s senior Christian cleric, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, said on Sunday he hoped reactions to Sawan’s move would not obstruct the probe or cause “a national division on a sectarian basis for which we do not find any justification.”

Fahmi Stands in Solidarity with Diab
Naharnet/December 14/2020
Caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi described the recent indictment against caretaker PM Hassan Diab over the Beirut port blast as “unfair,” al-Joumhouria daily reported Monday. “The indictment against President Hassan Diab in the port explosion crime is unfair and slanderous. It is not permissible to throw the consequences of a 7-year-old interlocking file on a prime minister who has only been in the government for a few months,” said Fahmi. The Minister said “there is a trust issue in the judiciary,” describing the decision of Judge Fadi Sawwan, the lead investigator into the port blast, as “discriminatory.” Fahmi, who was widely criticized and summoned by the judge for accusing Lebanon’s judiciary of being 95% corrupt, said he received “great public sympathy after the campaign I was subjected to, and the allegation against me.”He was asked whether he would implement a judicial court order to arrest Diab and the ex-ministers shall they refuse to appear before the judge. “I am sorry, but i will not execute that order. I will not ask the security forces to implement a judicial decision of that kind. Let them prosecute me instead,” said Fahmi.

Aoun receives UK's Senior Defense Advisor for Middle East
NNA/December 14/2020
President Michel Aoun received Monday UK's Defense Senior Advisor for the Middle East, Sir John Lorimer, in the company of British Ambassador to Lebanon, Chris Rampling.

Aoun Accuses Hariri of Presenting One-Sided Govt. Line-Up
Naharnet/December 14/2020
The Presidency on Monday hit back at a statement issued by PM-designate Saad Hariri and accused him of presenting a one-sided cabinet line-up in his latest meeting with President Michel Aoun. Responding to what it called “fallacies” in Hariri’s statement, the Presidency’s press office said Aoun’s objection was based on “the manner in which portfolios were allocated to sects,” noting that there was no discussion of candidates. “President Aoun objected to PM Hariri’s one-sided naming of ministers, especially Christians, without an agreement with the President,” the statement said. “President Aoun has never proposed partisan names for ministerial seats and has not handed the PM-designate a list of names,” the statement added. It also said that Aoun told Hariri that there should be consultations with the heads of the parliamentary blocs in order to “reach a government capable of confronting the circumstances away from obstinacy and the distortion of facts.”Later in the day, Hariri's press office responded in a new statement. "The PM-designate received a list of names nominated for ministerial seats in the second meeting (with the President) and he chose four names for Christian figures from it, contrary to what the palace's statement mentioned about the PM-designate's one-sided naming of the Christian ministers," the statement said. It also called on the Presidency to "give its instructions for the halt of manipulation in the cabinet formation process and to rein in the advisers in a manner that facilitates the formation process instead of complicating it." "The top priority is to exit the tunnel of the crisis and its social and economic repercussions and to put the country on the track of real salvation," the statement added. Earlier in the day, Hariri had accused Baabda of being behind the ongoing delay in the cabinet formation process. “The President is asking for a government in which all political parties are represented… which will inevitably lead to… repeating the experiences of several governments controlled by quotas and political tensions,” Hariri said.

Hariri Hits Back at Jreissati, Says Aoun Delaying Govt. Formation
Naharnet/December 14/2020
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri snapped back Monday at President Michel Aoun’s adviser, ex-minister Salim Jreissati, and accused Baabda of being the party delaying the formation of the new government. Hariri’s statement, issued by his press office, comes in response to an open letter addressed to him by Jreissati that has been published in An-Nahar newspaper. Below is the full text of an English-language statement distributed by Hariri’s press office: “The open letter addressed by the Advisor to the President of the Republic, Minister Salim Jreissati, to Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, in An-Nahar newspaper, requires drawing his attention to two matters. First: The answers that the advisor is looking for are with His Excellency the President of the Republic. Second: The information he missed is perhaps due to the advisor’s lack of access to all the data that the President has. The Prime Minister-designate met with the President of the Republic 12 times, in a relentless attempt to reach an understanding on the formation of the government. Each time, he would express his satisfaction with the discussion, but unfortunately, things would change when Premier Hariri left Baabda Palace. The Prime Minister-designate wants a government of non-partisan specialists to stop the collapse of the country and rebuild what was destroyed by the port explosion. For his part, the President is asking for a government in which all political parties are represented, whether those who nominated the Prime Minister-designate or those that objected to his nomination, which will inevitably lead to controlling it and repeating the experiences of several governments controlled by quotas and political tensions. It is possible that His Excellency the President of the Republic did not inform his advisor that the Prime Minister-designate, during his last visit to Baabda Palace a few days ago, presented a complete government lineup with names and portfolios, including four names from the list that the President presented to the Prime Minister-designate in their second meeting, a list that includes the names of candidates, men and women, considered suitable for the position by the president. If his Excellency did not provide his advisor with the government lineup, the Press Office of the Prime Minister-designate is fully prepared to provide it to him as soon as possible. It may be useful for the advisor to know that Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, since his designation to form the  government, has not stopped communicating with international funds, international financing institutions and the governments of brotherly and friendly countries, and now has an integrated program to launch a well-studied mechanism to stop the collapse and rebuild what was destroyed by the port explosion, implement reforms and approve essential laws such as the Capital Control Law. All this awaits the signature of the President of the Republic on the decrees to form the government and putting aside the partisan interests pressuring him, especially the demand of a blocking third by one party, which will never happen under any pretext. It may be also useful for the Advisor to know that the goal is not for Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri to become prime minister, nor to form just any government, but rather to stop the collapse and reconstruct. This can only happen by implementing reforms that persuade the Lebanese and the international community to pull the country out from the pit in which it has been stumbling for a year and a half. It would be better for the Advisor to address his letter to the party responsible for delaying the formation, which is steps away from his office in the Presidential Palace.”

Hariri chairs Future presidential council meeting
NNA/December 14/2020
The Presidential Council of the "Future Movement" held its periodic meeting, headed by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, who gave a political presentation on the latest developments, especially those related to the formation of the government.
The Council then discussed its agenda and approved it, after reviewing the working method for each sector and the proposed mechanism to develop it.

Grand Mufti receives Interior Minister
NNA/December 14/2020
Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdullatif Derian, received Monday at Dar-al-Fatwa, Caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Mohammad Fahmi, with whom he discussed the current general situation and the latest developments on the local scene.
During the meeting, Fahmi reportedly voiced support for the Mufti and the Islamic Sharia Council's rejection of targeting the premiership in the Beirut port blast affair.

Ex-PMs Warn against Violating Constitution after Diab Charged
Naharnet/December 14/2020
Ex-PMs Saad Hariri, Najib Miqati, Fouad Saniora and Tammam Salam warned Monday that “the arbitrary violation of the constitution would lead to a major flaw in the foundations of the Lebanese entity,” days after caretaker PM Hassan Diab was charged and summoned for questioning in the ongoing probe into the port disaster. “The ex-PMs stress their keenness and full commitment to the stipulations of the constitution and underscore that neither them nor any person has an immunity in this regard…, seeing as the constitution is the protector and guarantor for all Lebanese,” they said after a meeting. They however noted that according to articles 70 and 71 of the constitution, Diab should have been prosecuted by parliament and the Higher Council for the Prosecution of Presidents and Ministers, disputing Judicial Investigator Judge Fadi Sawwan’s suggestion that the type of the offense can be addressed by the country’s ordinary courts. The former premiers also argued that President Michel Aoun, like Diab, had been notified of the danger posed by the ammonium nitrate shipment prior to the August 4 explosion. “That’s why, as ex-PMs, we had called for an impartial investigation by an international panel of inquiry due to our fear that the Lebanese judiciary would be put under pressures aimed at procrastination, politicization, sectarianization and domestic blackmail,” they added. “Once again we underline the need to conduct an impartial probe carried out by an international investigation commission,” the ex-PMs went on to say.

Lebanese Activist Jailed for 'Collaborating' with Israel
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/December 14/2020
Lebanon's military prosecution on Monday sentenced an activist to three years in prison for "collaborating" with Israel and traveling to it, a judicial source said. The National News Agency said Kinda al-Khatib was sentenced for allegedly visiting Israel, contacting Israeli agents and providing them with security information. Lebanon is technically still at war with Israel and forbids its citizens from traveling there. Al-Khatib was detained in June with her brother, who was later released. According to local media reports, she had visited Israel by crossing from Jordan. Al-Khatib had been active on social media, where she harshly criticized Lebanon's Iran-backed Hizbullah and its ally President Michel Aoun. Her family and activists have denounced her arrest as "political" because of her tweets against those in power. Lebanese media and activists have drawn a parallel between Khatib's case and that of actor Ziad Itani, who was also accused of "collaborating" with Israel in 2017. Itani was declared innocent and released several months later, and a high-ranking security officer was then charged with "fabricating" the case.

Report: Lebanon Prepares to Go on Strike over Cuts in Subsidies
Naharnet/December 14/2020
The unions in crisis-hit Lebanon threatened to stage nationwide strikes to protest the government's plan to stop subsidies on basic goods, amid warnings the move would affect some goods in the country in light of a decline in imports due to the dollar crisis, Asharq el-Awsat newspaper reported Monday. Bassam Tleis, head of the land transport unions, said Sunday: “We decided to escalate action and strikes. We will not accept any plan to stop subsidies if it was not backed up by legislation to protect the citizens.”The central bank of Lebanon is believed to have around $18 billion in foreign currency reserves -- down from $20 billion in April -- which it has been using to support basic imports of fuel, wheat and medicine at a stable price after the currency collapse. Central bank governor Riad Salameh had informed the government it would need to stop this support when reserves reach $17.5 billion. Discussions began last week to rationalize subsidies, raising warnings the move could trigger several crises mainly a spike in gasoline prices, successively affecting transportation cost and other basic goods. Tleis said the “fuel issue impacts each and every Lebanese citizen. We are in a real crisis.”For his part, CEO of Berytec Maroun Chammas and member of the oil importing companies association said: "Any cut in imports affects the economic cycle. We need to find a solution to the crisis, we need to be frank with the people.”He added in televised remarks: “The government must put a clear plan shall it decide on cutting fuel imports,” noting it would affect the whole Lebanese economy.

Army chief tackles current situation with Kubis, meets UK's Defence Senior Adviser, British ambassador
NNA/December 14/2020
Lebanese Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, on Monday received at his Yarzeh office UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, with whom he discussed the general situation in Lebanon and the region. Maj. Gen. Aoun also welcomed UK's Defence Senior Adviser on the Middle East, Lieutenant-General Sir John Lorimer, accompanied by British Ambassador to Lebanon, Chris Rampling, and UK Defence Attaché, Lieutenant Colonel Alex Hilton, on a visit aimed at introducing his successor, Marshal Martin Sampson. Talks reportedly touched on the means to bolster cooepration relations between the armies of both countries.

Akar meets UK's Defence Senior Adviser, British ambassador on a farewell visit
NNA/December 14/2020
Deputy Prime Minister, Caretaker Minister of National Defense, Zeina Akar, on Monday welcomed UK's Defence Senior Adviser on the Middle East,, Lieutenant-General Sir John Lorimer, accompanied by a military delegation, and British Ambassador to Lebanon, Chris Rampling, on a farewell visit upon the end of his diplomatic mission in Lebanon. Talks reportedly touched on the current developments and the bilateral relations between Lebanon and Britain. Minister Akar hailed the joint cooperation between the two countries in the military and security domains, notably the military assistance provided to the Lebanese army, in addition to the aid in the wake of the Beirut port blast and in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.  Akar underlined the importance of developing Lebanese-UK relations, praising Ambassador Rampling's efforts during his term of office in Lebanon, wishing him success in his new mission.

Berri tackles general situation with Mikati, meets British ambassador
NNA/December 14/2020
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Monday received at his Ain El Tineh residence former Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, with whom he discussed the country's general situation and most recent poltical developments. On emerging, Mikati left without making any statement. Speaker Berri also welcomed British Ambassador to Lebanon, Chris Rampling, who paid him a farewell visit upon winding up his diplomatic mission in Lebanon.This afternoon, Berri met with Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs, Charbel Wehbe.

Wehbe receives Girard, Al-Hammami and Rampling
NNA/December 14/2020
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs, Charbel Wehbe, on Monday welcomed representative of the High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon, Mireille Girard, who came on a farewell visit. The Director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States and UNESCO's Represnetative in Lebanon, Hamad Bin Saif al-Hammami, also paid a farewell visit to the Minister today. Wehbeh also welcomed British Ambassador to Lebanon, Chris Rampling, who paid him a farewell visit upon the end of his diplomatic mission in the country.

Diab receives British Ambassador, UN Special Coordinator
NNA/December 14/2020
Caretaker Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, received at his Tallet el Khayat residence, the British Ambassador to Lebanon, Chris Rampling, who came on a farewell visit at the end of his diplomatic duties in Lebanon.
Premier Diab also met with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, with discussions featuring general developments. ----Grand Serail Press Office

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 14-15/2020

Moscow Condemns U.S. Sanctions on Turkey over Russian Missile Purchases
Agence France Presse/December 14/2020
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday condemned U.S. sanctions against Turkey over the purchase of Russia's S-400 air defense missiles as "illegitimate". "This is, of course, another manifestation of an arrogant attitude towards international law, a manifestation of illegitimate, unilateral coercive measures that the United States has been using for many years, already decades, left and right," Lavrov said according to Russian news agencies. "And, of course, this does not add, I think, to the credibility of the United States in the international arena as a responsible participant... including in the field of military-technology cooperation," Lavrov added. Washington on Monday announced sanctions on fellow NATO member Turkey, saying it was banning all U.S. export licenses to the Presidency of Defense Industries and refusing any visas for the agency's president, Ismail Demir. Russia last year delivered the S-400 air defense system to Ankara, despite warnings that it is not compatible with Turkey's membership in the NATO alliance. Turkey's foreign ministry on Monday said that the U.S. sanctions were "unfair" and called for "dialogue and diplomacy" instead.

Turkey Detains 11 Suspected of Spying for Iran
Agence France Presse/December 14/2020
Turkey has detained 11 people suspected of spying and abducting an Iranian political dissident on behalf of Tehran, the Turkish police said on Monday. The announcement followed a rare public spat between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and top Iranian officials over Azerbaijan. Agents from Turkey's MIT intelligence service arrested the Turkish nationals following the disappearance in Istanbul of Iranian political dissident Habib Chaab, the police said. The exiled Iranian opposition figure lived in Sweden and visited Turkey in October. Iran's state media officially reported his arrest in November but provided no details about how he ended up in Iranian custody. Tehran accuses Chaab of involvement in an Arab separatist group known as the ASMLA. The Turkish police said the suspects grabbed Chaab in Istanbul and smuggled him to the Iranian border region of Van before giving him up to Iranian officials. The 11 Turkish suspects are accused of crimes including kidnapping, spying and assassinations allegedly carried out for a major Iranian drug trafficker. The announcement comes on the heels of a public spat between the two regional powers linked to Turkey's support for Azerbaijan in its victorious war with Armenia over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Attending a victory parade in Baku, Erdogan recited a poem last Thursday that Iranian officials said supported separatism among Iran's large ethnic Azerbaijani minority. Iranian authorities summoned Turkey's ambassador to Tehran to complain about Erdogan's "interventionist and unacceptable remarks". Turkey replied by summoning Iran's ambassador to Ankara to protest the "baseless" claims. Top Erdogan aide Fahrettin Altun also condemned Iran's "offensive language toward our president" in a tweet Saturday. Turkey and Iran have close and longstanding political and trade relations but find themselves on opposite sides of the war in Syria and have other regional disputes. The six-week war over Azerbaijan's disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave resulted in rockets and missiles hitting parts of northern Iran near the conflict zone.Turkey supplied Azerbaijan with arms in the years preceding the conflict and backed it diplomatically during the war. But Iran expressed repeated alarm during the fighting and sent Revolutionary Guards soldiers to the Azerbaijani border in October to keep the conflict from spilling over.

US sanctions NATO ally Turkey over Russian missile defense system
AP/December 14, 2020
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration on Monday imposed sanctions on its NATO ally Turkey over its purchase of a Russian air defense system, setting the stage for further confrontation between the two nations as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office. The move comes at a delicate time in relations between Washington and Ankara, which have been at odds for more than a year over Turkey’s acquisition from Russia of the S-400 missile defense system, along with Turkish actions in Syria, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and in the eastern Mediterranean. The US had previously kicked Turkey out of its F-35 stealth fighter development and training program over the purchase, but had taken no further steps despite persistent warnings from American officials who have long complained about the purchase of the S-400, which they say is incompatible with NATO equipment and a potential threat to allied security. “The United States made clear to Turkey at the highest levels and on numerous occasions that its purchase of the S-400 system would endanger the security of US military technology and personnel and provide substantial funds to Russia’s defense sector, as well as Russian access to the Turkish armed forces and defense industry,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. “Turkey nevertheless decided to move ahead with the procurement and testing of the S-400, despite the availability of alternative, NATO-interoperable systems to meet its defense requirements,” he said in a statement. “I urge Turkey to resolve the S-400 problem immediately in coordination with the United States,” he said. “Turkey is a valued Ally and an important regional security partner for the United States, and we seek to continue our decades-long history of productive defense-sector cooperation by removing the obstacle of Turkey’s S-400 possession as soon as possible.” The sanctions target Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries, the country's military procurement agency, its chief Ismail Demir and three other senior officials. The penalties block any assets the four officials may have in US jurisdictions and bar their entry into the US. They also include a ban on most export licenses, loans and credits to the agency. The administration had held off on imposing punitive sanctions outside of the fighter program for months, in part to give Turkish officials time to reconsider deploying it and, some suspect, due to President Donald Trump's personal relationship with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, in past months Turkey has moved ahead with testing of the system drawing criticism from Congress and others who have demanded the sanctions be imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA, which mandates penalties for transactions deemed harmful to US interests. Coming just a month and-a-half before Biden assumes office, the sanctions pose a potential dilemma for the incoming administration, although the president-elect's team has signaled it is opposed to Turkey's use of the S-400 and the disunity within NATO it may cause. Last month, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey was prepared to discuss with the US its “anxiety” over the interoperability of the S-400s and the F-35s. The US reacted cooly to the suggestion and Pompeo shortly thereafter pointedly did not meet with any Turkish government officials on a visit to Istanbul. Turkey tested the missile defense system in October for the first time, drawing a condemnation from the Pentagon. Ankara says it was forced to buy the Russian system because the US refused to sell it American-made Patriot missiles. The Turkish government has also pointed to what it considers a double standard, as NATO member Greece uses Russian-made missiles.

Global Outcry Grows over Iran's 'Barbaric' Execution of Dissident
Agence France Presse/December 14/2020
Iran on Monday faced a growing international backlash over its execution of the France-based dissident Ruhollah Zam, with Western governments accusing Tehran of abducting him abroad to be put on trial. Zam was hanged on Saturday after being sentenced to death over his role in protests during the winter of 2017-18, when he ran a popular social media channel that rallied regime opponents. He had lived in Paris for several years after being granted refugee status in France. In October 2019 he left Paris on a trip for Iraq. The motivations for his trip remain unclear but activists say he was lured into travelling to Iraq, was captured by Iranian security forces and then transferred to Iran for trial. "The US strongly condemns Iran's unjust, barbaric execution of Ruhollah Zam, an Iranian journalist kidnapped abroad by the regime," said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The German foreign ministry said in a statement Sunday it was shocked by the circumstances surrounding Zam's conviction "particularly by the... kidnapping from abroad."U.N. rights chief Michelle Bachelet said she was "appalled" by the execution, adding that there are "serious concerns" that Zam's capture outside of Iran "could amount to an abduction."After Iranian state TV broadcast what it billed as an "interview" with Zam while detained in July, Bachelet also said his sentence was "emblematic of a pattern of forced confessions extracted under torture and broadcast on state media being used as a basis to convict people."
'Exceptional step'
The international furor over Zam's execution also comes at a hugely delicate time, with European powers keen to revive the international deal on the Iranian nuclear program when incoming U.S. president Joe Biden takes office next year. Iran's foreign ministry on Sunday summoned Germany and France's envoys to protest EU condemnation of his execution at the weekend. In a blow to proponents of dialogue and trade with Iran, organizers postponed a major forum on business between Iran and Europe due to begin Monday. The three-day Europe-Iran Business Forum was to have kicked off with keynote remarks by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, followed by a panel with EU ambassadors. "The organizing committee of the Europe-Iran Business Forum has decided to take the exceptional step of postponing the conference," the organizers said in a statement late Sunday. "The European and Iranian business communities continue to see significant potential and value in commercial exchanges," they added, expressing hope the conference would take place in the near future. The French foreign ministry had said on its Twitter account that following the "barbaric and unacceptable execution" of Zam its ambassador to Tehran, as well as those of Germany, Austria and Italy, were cancelling their participation in the forum. "#nobusinessasusual," it said in a hashtag.
Tool of repression'
But speaking in Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani predicted relations between Iran and Europe would not suffer as a result of the execution. "I don't think this issue will harm relations between Iran and Europe," Rouhani told reporters, noting that capital punishment is part of Iranian law. Activists have argued the execution should focus global attention on the use of the death penalty in Iran, coming three months after the execution of wrestler Navid Afkari -- who was convicted of killing an official during protests -- caused widespread anger. Iran executes more people every year than any country other than China. Amnesty International said Zam was "abducted during a visit to Iraq in October 2019 by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, apparently with the assistance of Iraqi intelligence authorities, and forcibly returned to Iran." Human Rights Watch researcher Tara Sepehri Far said in a statement the execution "shows the extent to which Iran has weaponized the cruel and inhumane use of the death penalty as a tool of repression." Also Monday, the United States for the first time accused Iran of direct involvement in the "probable death" of former FBI agent Bob Levinson, who vanished 13 years ago, and imposed sanctions on two intelligence agents. "We will not relent in pursuing those who played a role in his disappearance," said Pompeo.

Europe-Iran Forum Postponed after Outcry over Execution
Agence France Presse/December 14/2020
Organisers have postponed a major forum on business between Iran and Europe due to begin Monday in the wake of an outcry over the execution at the weekend of opposition figure Ruhollah Zam. The three-day Europe-Iran Business Forum had been due to kick off with keynote remarks by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, followed by a panel with EU ambassadors. But the holding of the event caused controversy coming two days after the execution of Zam, who ran a social media channel popular during 2017 protests. The hashtag #BoycottEuropeIranBusinessForum trended on Twitter and several activists spoke out against the online event taking place. "The organising committee of the Europe-Iran Business Forum has decided to take the exceptional step of postponing the conference," the organisers said in a statement late Sunday. "The European and Iranian business communities continue to see significant potential and value in commercial exchanges," they added, expressing hope the conference would take place in the near future. The French foreign ministry had said on its Twitter account that following the "barbaric and unacceptable execution" of Zam its ambassador to Tehran, as well as those of Germany, Austria and Italy, were cancelling their participation in the forum.
"#nobusinessasusual," it said in a hashtag.
Christian Buck, the German foreign ministry's director for the Middle East, also confirmed on Twitter that EU member states' envoys would not take part. Zam was hanged on Saturday after Iran's supreme court upheld his death sentence passed in June over his role in protests during the winter of 2017-18, among other charges. The dissident, who ran a Telegram channel widely followed in the protests, had lived in Paris for several years after being given refugee status and residency in France. But activists say he was held after travelling to Iraq from Paris in October 2019 in circumstances that remain unclear, with some campaigners accusing Tehran of abducting him. The German foreign ministry said in a statement Sunday it was shocked by the circumstances surrounding Zam's conviction "particularly by the... kidnapping from abroad". Iran's foreign ministry on Sunday had summoned Germany and France's envoys to protest EU condemnation of his execution. The postponing of the business forum is a major blow to proponents of improving engagement with Iran through encouraging trade and commerce. The international furore over Zam's execution also comes at a hugely delicate time with European powers keen to revive the international deal on the Iranian nuclear programme when incoming US president Joe Biden takes office next year.

Mysterious fire targets supply to Iran’s second largest refinery
The Arab Weekly/December 14/2020
All during the year, fires and blasts have plagued Iran’s industrial and energy installations. Some have been blamed by the authorities on sabotage, others on accidents. TEHRAN – Iran on Sunday said a fire caused by the spillage from a ruptured oil pipeline in the south-west of the country has been brought under control, state news agency IRNA reported. “The fire has been controlled and the oil spillage prevented from spreading” to farmlands around the pipeline, the head of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province’s crisis management organisation, Khosro Kiani, told IRNA. There were no casualties from the fire, he added. Earlier as firefighters were working to put out the blaze, Khosro Kiani, an emergency official in south-western Iran, said the oil had spilled down a hard-to-access valley, which firefighting equipment could not reach. The news agency IRNA said the rupture occurred around noon on the Maroun pipeline, which was shut off to stop the spillage. The pipeline feeds the Isfahan refinery — Iran’s second largest, with a capacity of 375,000 barrels per day, according to IRNA. Oil ministry official Ghasem Arab Yarmohammadi told the ministry’s SHANA news agency that pipeline repairs and spillage cleanup were already underway.
Iran’s ageing oil infrastructure has been long in need of rehabilitation, as refurbishment plans have been delayed by Western sanctions and local bureaucracy, analysts say. It was not immediately clear what caused Sunday’s rupture, but there have been several other instances of spillage from the pipeline in the area, IRNA said, mostly caused by erosion and landslides. In the past few months, Iran was hit by at least 10 fires, with the authorities confirming that only 3 of them were acts of arson. The mysterious fires broke out in several Iranian sites and industrial facilities, but the grimmest of them hit the underground nuclear facility Natanz in July, causing great damage. The fires also affected a wooden commercial facility in the port of Bahman, and a boat factory in the port of Bushehr, in southern Iran, resulting in the burning of at least three ships. The chemical company Tendkoyan, as well, caught fire in south-western Iran, and mysterious fires were recorded at several Iranian military and nuclear sites, such as the missile-launching site east of Tehran. These mysterious fires, observers say, come following the assassination of Iran’s chief nuclear scientist and a senior member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Ministry of Defense Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, whose assassination revealed security flaws and major breaches that Iran is trying to obscure. All during the year, fires and blasts have plagued Iran’s industrial and energy installations. Some have been blamed by the authorities on sabotage, others on accidents.

Qatar seeks to play Oman’s role in US, Iran mediation
The Arab Weekly/December 14/2020
Doha imagines itself in a better negotiating position and willing to play its role as a peacemaker.
LONDON–As the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden approaches, and with his administration’s intention to reopen the gate for negotiations with Iran, Qatar is seeking to position itself as the “number one” mediator in the Middle East between the United States and a number of its enemies or opponents of its policies. In this, Qatar is perhaps hoping to take that role from Oman, but the chances of it succeeding look slim. There is no reason for Biden to replace Oman with Qatar if a mediator is ever needed. Qatar is a less palatable option due to its unfriendly relationship with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both of whom are calling for consultation this time when negotiations on the Iran deal resume. Doha sees itself as a natural alternative to the Oman in the issue of US negotiations with Iran about the latter’s nuclear file and as a likely candidate for reaching settlements in this file, even though it will certainly clash with Saudi opposition Qatar’s intervention in a file that Riyadh considers an existential issue, especially after the Iranian-sponsored attack on Abqaiq oil facilities. But for Qatar, this is exactly the important angle it believes it can exploit to pressure Saudi Arabia into accepting a reconciliation formula, especially as the Saudi Kingdom appears today more willing to revise the files of its regional relations in light of Joe Biden’s arrival to the White House, and after the kingdom has had a taste of the serious harm that Doha can inflict in the field of public relations in the West by using human rights files, the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and the war in Yemen. Qatar’s ambition does not stop at taking over Muscat’s role in any possible negotiations with Iran or in helping to establish a formula for coexistence with the Houthis in Yemen. Rather, analysts close to Doha say that Qatar’s relationship with Turkey and its influence over the rebels in Syria and the pro-government forces in Libya can be exploited to end those long conflicts, especially given the role of mediator it played between the United States and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Noha Abu al-Dahab, a fellow at the Brookings Doha Centre, said the cornerstone of Qatar’s foreign policy is to serve as a hub for diplomacy. In the past, “this includes holding informal and formal talks between groups such as Hezbollah and the Lebanese government in 2008, the Taliban and the Afghan government, the latest in 2020, Hamas and Fatah, rebel groups in Darfur and the Sudanese government in 2009. Severing relations with any country was never a typical feature of Qatar’s foreign policy, and I don’t think this will change even under the current circumstances,” she explained.
In 2017, when the boycott against Qatar threatened the supply of basic goods inside the tiny state, Iran was the first to send it supplies of basic necessities and commodities—such as vegetables—and open its ports and airspace for Qatari planes and ships. Even if the boycott came to be lifted, there is still no guarantee that it would not be imposed again. So, it is in Qatar’s interest to keep the Iranian gates open. Saudi Arabia is concerned that a sectarian foe may develop a nuclear weapon, especially after Iranian cruise missiles and drones easily produced by Tehran and its allies have become part of the realities of power in the Middle East. On top of that, Qatar’s commitment to engaging with the Muslim Brotherhood has gained critical importance to it due to the group’s successes in the “Arab spring” uprisings. Even during the outbreak of the “Arab spring” upheaval, the local branches of the Muslim Brotherhood were tolerated and eyes were closed on what they were doing. But, all that has changed now. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain have outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood and placed it on their lists of terrorist organisations. So when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman established close relations with the US President’s advisor Jared Kushner and found in Donald Trump an American ally, he tried to mitigate both threats by putting pressure on Qatar. Nonetheless, as Biden—who has publicly criticised Saudi Arabia and is planning to turn his attention to Iran—takes office, Qatar imagines itself in a better negotiating position and willing to play its role as a peacemaker. A few days following the killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, in an American drone attack in Baghdad early this year, and as tension escalated between the United States and Iran, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, travelled to Tehran. Some analysts pointed out that that visit was evidence of Qatar’s usefulness for the United States. Andreas Craig from King’s College London considered that the visit of the Emir of Qatar to Teheran came at the request of the United States, and that his role was to advise the Iranian government to exercise restraint. “The United States had asked the Emir of Qatar to go and mediate to avoid escalating tensions in the Gulf,” Craig said in statements to Foreign Policy magazine.
For her part, Abu al-Dahab revealed that, following Soleimani’s assassination, the Qatari foreign minister went to Iraq with the same message. Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani travelled to Iraq in an attempt to soothe tensions. As such, Qatar’s approach when it comes to tensions with Iran is to seek de-escalation, not isolation or estrangement.

Iran sentences British-Iranian researcher to nine years in jail
The Arab Weekly/December 14/2020
Ahmady is one of several dual nationals who’ve been detained by Iran over the past few years.
TEHRAN – A court in Iran has handed a nine-year jail sentence to British-Iranian anthropologist Kameel Ahmady, after convicting him of conducting “subversive” research work, the semi-official news agency Tasnim said on Sunday. Ahmady was also fined 600,000 euros ($727,000) – the sum Iranian authorities said he received for his research from institutions accused of seeking to topple Iran’s Islamic government, Tasnim reported. There was no immediate official comment on the sentence, which was also reported by other Iranian news agencies and human rights groups, as well as by Ahmady’s lawyer, who said that he would appeal. “Ahmady was accused of acquiring illicit property from his cooperation in implementing subversive institutions’ projects in the country,” Tasnim said. The news agency added Ahmady was sentenced by Iran’s Revolutionary Court on charges of cooperation with European embassies in support of promoting homosexuality, visiting Israel as a reporter for the BBC, cooperation and communication with foreign and hostile media, infiltration aimed at changing the law and sending false reports about the country to the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Iran. Ahmady has the right to appeal within 20 days, Tasnim’s report said. In October 2019, Iran acknowledged Ahmady’s arrest for suspected links to institutes affiliated with foreign intelligence services. His wife Shafagh Rahmani and activists had announced he was detained in August that same year.
Sensitive topics
At the time, the New York-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran said Ahmady previously had been the target of hard-liners in Iranian media for his work “on politically sensitive topics including child marriage, LGBTQ issues and female genital mutilation.”He was released in November 2019 on bail. Sunday’s report did not say if he was still free. Ahmady’s lawyer, Amir Raesian, said his client had received an eight-year sentence for “collaborating with a hostile government.”“We will present an appeal request against this ruling and we are still hopeful,” Raesian said on Twitter. The reason for the apparent discrepancy about the length of Ahmady’s sentence was not immediately clear. After Ahmady’s arrest, his wife told the New York-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran that his work was independent and published with government approval.
Bargaining chips
Ahmady is one of several dual nationals who’ve been detained by Iran over the past few years. Iran does not recognise dual citizenship. Rights activists have accused Iran of arresting dozens of dual nationals to try to win concessions from other countries – a charge that the Islamic Republic has regularly dismissed. Iran holds another British-Iranian national, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has already served most of her five-year sentence on espionage charges. She was granted temporary release this spring and allowed to remain indefinitely at her parents’ Tehran home because of the coronavirus pandemic. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an employee at the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of the news agency, was tried on charges of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government. Their cases come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the West over its atomic programme. US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the nuclear accord last year and imposed sanctions, crippling Iran’s economy. Iran recently has begun inching away from the accord, warning it will take further steps if Europe cannot guarantee Tehran the ability to sell its crude oil on the global market.

U.S. Says Iran behind 'Probable Death' of ex-FBI Agent
Agence France Presse/December 14/2020
The United States on Monday for the first time accused Iran of direct involvement in the "probable death" of former FBI agent Bob Levinson, who vanished 13 years ago, and imposed sanctions on two intelligence agents. Releasing the finding a month before President-elect Joe Biden takes office, Donald Trump's administration urged his successor to prioritize the release of at least three Americans in Iranian custody as part of an expected resumption of diplomacy. "The government of Iran pledged to provide assistance in bringing Bob Levinson home, but it has never followed through," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. "The truth is that Iranian intelligence officers -- with the approval of senior Iranian officials -- were involved in Bob's abduction and detention." The Treasury Department announced that it was imposing sanctions on two Iranians identified as intelligence agents, Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai, saying they "were involved in the abduction, detention and probable death of Mr. Levinson." The sanctions in themselves were largely symbolic as Iranian agents were unlikely to have bank accounts in the United States, although the move will impede their international movements. A senior US official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, called on the incoming Biden administration to address the question of missing Americans.  "There should be no agreement negotiated with Iran ever again that doesn't free the Americans who are unjustly detained in that country," the official said, saying that Iran's clerical regime "is 41 years old and has a 41-year-old record of hostage-taking." Trump has imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran, including trying to stop all of its oil exports, and exited a 2015 agreement negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama under which Iran dramatically scaled back its nuclear program.
Upon sealing of the accord, Iran agreed to free four U.S. citizens in its custody. The deal outraged members of Trump's Republican Party because Obama also authorized the release of frozen Iranian assets.
- Mysterious case -
Levinson, who disappeared when George W. Bush was president and would have turned 72 this year, was one of the most mysterious cases of Americans going missing in the arch-adversary. The father of seven vanished in March 2007 in Kish, an island that has more lenient visa rules than the rest of Iran, and was said to have been investigating cigarette counterfeiting. But The Washington Post reported in 2013 that Levinson, who had retired from the FBI, was working for the CIA and had gone on a rogue mission aimed at gathering intelligence on Iran. It said at the time that the CIA paid $2.5 million to Levinson's wife Christine, accepting responsibility for his disappearance. Iranian officials have repeatedly said they had no information on Levinson. In 2010, a videotape emerged of a haggard, bearded Levinson wearing an orange jumpsuit of the sort worn by prisoners being detained indefinitely at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- raising speculation, later downplayed by US officials, that he was being held by extremists in Pakistan. Trump in March told reporters that he had not accepted that Levinson was dead but noted that he had health problems. The former agent's family said it had been offered proof to convince them that Levinson was dead. The senior U.S. official said that involvement in Levinson's death was "well known at very high levels of the Iranian government" but declined to describe any evidence or to provide details on how he apparently died. "I can't get into their heads and figure out why they would do this," the official said, but added: "Logic would suggest the desire to seize and question someone who spent his career in law enforcement in the United States." The U.S. announcement comes amid rising concern about human rights in Iran, which on Saturday executed Ruhollah Zam, who ran a social media channel popular during 2017 protests. The opposition figure had been living in France but activists say he was abducted after traveling to Iraq.

Kuwait Forms Cabinet with New Oil, Finance Ministers
Agence France Presse/December 14/2020
Kuwait formed Monday a cabinet that includes new oil and finance ministers, state media reported, amid calls for reform in the country whose economy is reeling from slumping crude prices. Like most wealthy Gulf nations, oil-rich Kuwait's economy and state budgets have been slammed by the double whammy of the coronavirus pandemic and the depressed price of oil. The new government, whose formation was due after parliamentary elections earlier this month, has 10 new faces. These include Mohammed Al-Fares who was named minister of oil and Khalifa Hamada who was appointed as finance minister, according to the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). Fares is a board member in national oil conglomerate Kuwait Petroleum Corp, while Hamada served as finance ministry undersecretary for over a decade. The 15-member cabinet is the first to serve under the new emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who took office in September following the death of his half-brother, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Besides Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, who was re-appointed premier by the emir earlier this month and tasked with forming the new government, the cabinet includes four members of the Al-Sabah family -- which has ruled Kuwait for two and half centuries. Sheikh Thamer Ali Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah was appointed interior minister, while Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah was named deputy prime minister and minister of defense. Sheikh Basel Al-Sabah retained his post as health minister, and Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah as foreign minister. "It appears to be a relatively technocratic government," analyst Ayed al-Manaa told AFP. Political analyst Anwar al-Rasheed said people hope that the new government will have a different approach to managing issues, saying the old ways had led to "widespread dissatisfaction". It is the second government in less than a year after the previous cabinet stepped down in November 2019 amid accusations of corruption and infighting.  The new line-up includes a woman, one less than the previous cabinet, with Rana Al-Fares retaining her post as minister of public works. Kuwait is the only Gulf state with a fully elected parliament that enjoys wide legislative powers and can vote ministers out of office. Earlier this month, candidates belonging to or leaning towards the opposition won nearly half of the parliament's 50 seats in legislation elections, with the sole women lawmaker losing her seat. Kuwaitis have expressed in recent years their desire for change and reform in their country, where 70 percent of the 4.8 million population are foreigners.

Pompeo Hails 'Fundamental Change' in Sudan-US Ties
Agence France Presse/December 14/2020
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday hailed what he called a "fundamental change" in the relationship with Sudan after it officially left the US terror blacklist. "Sudan's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism is officially rescinded. This represents a fundamental change in our bilateral relationship toward greater collaboration and support for Sudan's historic democratic transition," Pompeo said in a statement.

U.S. Government Confirms Cyberattack
Agence France Presse/December 14/2020
The US government confirmed Sunday that its computer networks had been hit by a cyberattack, as The Washington Post reported at least two departments had been targeted by Russian state hackers. "We have been working closely with our agency partners regarding recently discovered activity on government networks," a spokesperson for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency told AFP. "CISA is providing technical assistance to affected entities as they work to identify and mitigate any potential compromises." The Post said the hacks were linked to an attack last week on cybersecurity firm FireEye, which said its own defenses were breached by sophisticated attackers who stole tools used to test customers' computer systems. FireEye said it suspected the attack was state-sponsored. US media reports also said the FBI was investigating a group working for the Russian foreign intelligence service, SVR, and that breaches had been taking place for months. The same group also reportedly hacked US government agencies during the Obama administration. "The United States government is aware of these reports and we are taking all necessary steps to identify and remedy any possible issues related to this situation," National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said. Russia's embassy in the US hit back later Sunday against what it said were the "unfounded" media claims, denying any role in the alleged attacks. "Malicious activities in the information space contradicts the principles of the Russian foreign policy, national interests and our understanding of interstate relations," the embassy said in a statement on its official Facebook page. "Russia does not conduct offensive operations in the cyber domain."

UK Reveals Talks with France's EDF for New Nuclear Plant
Agence France Presse/December 14/2020
Britain on Monday announced talks with EDF over the construction of a nuclear power plant on the east coast, after the French energy giant submitted plans this year. "The government has... confirmed that it is to enter negotiations with EDF in relation to the Sizewell C project in Suffolk as it considers options to enable investment in at least one nuclear power station by the end of this parliament" in 2024, said a statement on the project that is reportedly worth £20 billion ($26.4 billion, 22 billion euros).

French Jihadist Caught Trying to Enter Turkey from Syria
Agence France Presse/December 14/2020
A French jihadist wanted on an Interpol "red notice" has been caught by Turkish security forces trying to enter Turkey from Syria, the Turkish defence ministry said Monday. The individual known by the initials C.G. was detained while trying to reach the Turkish border town of Reyhanli, the ministry said in a statement.The ministry said the individual is believed to be part of the Firqatul Ghuraba group of foreign jihadists in Syria and recruited by Omar Omsen. Omsen, also known as Omar Diaby, is a French national of Senegalese descent suspected of funnelling francophone fighters to Syria. He was captured in August in Syria by a group linked to Al-Qaeda.

Putin's 'Chef' Pays Russian Operatives Released by Libya
Agence France Presse/December 14/2020
An ally of President Vladimir Putin has shelled out nearly $500,000 to two Russian political operatives recently freed by Libya after 18 months in captivity, his company said Monday. Russian media last week reported that Maxim Shugaley and his interpreter Samir Seifan, who were arrested in Libya in May 2019 on charges of vote meddling, were released on December 10 and were flying back to Russia. Concord, a company owned by EU-sanctioned businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Monday that he would be supporting the two men with 18 million rubles ($246,420, 202,600 euros) each -- 1 million rubles for each of the 18 months they were held captive. "Russians don't abandon their own!" Concord said in a statement on the social media network Vkontakte. Nicknamed "Putin's chef" because his company has catered for the Kremlin, Prigozhin was sanctioned by the European Union in October on grounds of undermining peace in Libya by supporting the Wagner private military company. Prigozhin, 59, was earlier sanctioned by the United States for his links to Wagner, which has been accused of sending mercenaries to fight in conflicts in Libya, Syria and countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In conflict-torn Libya, Moscow backs strongman Khalifa Haftar against the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA). Shugaley and Seifan -- both Russian citizens -- were accused last year by Libyan authorities of election meddling on behalf of Moscow while they were working with the son of ousted leader Moammar Gadhafi. Russia had made their release a condition for any improvement in relations with the internationally recognized Tripoli-based government. Both operatives were employed by the Foundation for the Defense of National Values, a Moscow-based organization that is part of a media group the United States has linked to Prigozhin.

Netanyahu to Enter Precautionary Virus Quarantine
Agence France Presse/December 14/2020
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will self-isolate on Monday after having come into contact with a coronavirus patient, his office said calling it a precautionary step. Netanyahu tested negative for the virus on Sunday and on Monday, but he will still "enter isolation until Friday following contact with a confirmed coronavirus patient", the statement said. Several Israeli media outlets have reported that Netanyahu met last week with a member of his right-wing Likud party, Michael Kleiner, who has subsequently tested positive for the virus. The statement from the prime minister's office did not provide details regarding Netanyahu's potential exposure. Netanyahu was at Israel's Ben Gurion airport last week to welcome a first shipment of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine. He declared that the end of the pandemic was "in sight" and offered to take the first jab in a mass vaccination campaign due to start later this month. Israel, a country of nine million people, has registered more than 358,000 coronavirus cases, including 3003 deaths.

Black 'sand-like' asteroid dust found in box from Japan probe
AFP/NNA/December 14/2020
Black sandy dust found in a capsule brought to Earth by a Japanese space probe is from the distant asteroid Ryugu, scientists confirmed after opening it on Monday. The discovery comes a week after the Hayabusa-2 probe dropped off its capsule, which entered the atmosphere in a streak of light before landing in the Australian desert and then being transported to Japan. The Japanese space agency (JAXA) released a picture of a small deposit of sooty material inside the metal box -- a first glimpse at the results of an unprecedented six-year mission for the unmanned probe. The dust was found in the capsule's outer shell, agency officials said, with more substantial samples expected to be found when they open the inner container, a delicate task. "JAXA has confirmed that samples derived from the asteroid Ryugu are inside the sample container," the agency said. "We were able to confirm black, sand-like particles which are believed to be derived from the asteroid Ryugu." Hayabusa-2 travelled about 300 million kilometres (200 million miles) from Earth to collect the samples, which scientists hope could help shed light on the origin of life and the formation of the universe. The probe collected both surface dust and pristine material from below the surface that was stirred up by firing an "impactor" into the asteroid. "We will continue our work to open the sample-catcher within the sample container. Extraction of the sample and analysis of it will be carried out," JAXA said. Half of Hayabusa-2's samples will be shared between JAXA, US space agency NASA and other international organisations, and the rest kept for future study as advances are made in analytic technology.But work is not over for the probe, which will now begin an extended mission targeting two new asteroids.
 

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 14-15/2020

Tehran’s ‘Greater Iran’ dream a threat to the region
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/December 14/2020
In a meeting with students of Payame Noor University in Tehran last week, Mohsen Rezaee, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander and the current secretary of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, made some comments that deserve wider attention.
“The Western countries are concerned about Iranian science and nuclear technology, which is entering the nuclear industry and in all other industries, and is witnessing steady industrial and productive growth,” he told the students. “The fear of the West goes beyond the fear of Iran producing a nuclear bomb, because if the Greater Iran emerges north of the (Arabian) Gulf and the Sea of Oman, 15 countries will join Iran. If the Greater Iran is formed, it will interfere with global policymaking. Our duty is to bring back again the glory, greatness and might of ancient Persia, and we can carry out this task.”
This is a direct quote from the lengthy speech delivered by Rezaee. Some of those hearing or reading it believed that the speech was simply an effort by Rezaee, as a former IRGC commander, to boost the morale of university students. Others, however, were not so naive and did not downplay his statement, considering it to be further evidence of Iran’s expansionist plan, citing a host of additional evidence that carry significant weight. It should be remembered that Rezaee’s duties, in his role on the Expediency Discernment Council, include working on designing and outlining strategic plans and programs for the Iranian state.
In his 1987 book, “Sayings in Iran’s National Strategy,” which the Iranian regime has largely adopted as a guide for its foreign policy, Mohammed Javad Larijani, then a senior member and adviser on the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, laid out his “Umm Al-Qura” theory, outlining plans to create a so-called “Greater Iran.” Given this, along with subsequent regime actions and statements by senior officials, it cannot be ruled out that the expansionist plan to create a Greater Iran could be the basis of Iran’s future strategy. The most explicit indication of this at present is the imminent advent of direct military rule in Iran in the aftermath of the June 2021 presidential election and the inevitable strengthening of praetorian tendencies within the regime. Without underestimating or exaggerating, we shall shed light on Rezaee’s comments and the likelihood of the Iranian regime implementing its ambitious expansionist plan, considering its current and future circumstances, as well as the regime’s actions and experiences over the four decades since its establishment. We shall break down Rezaee’s speech and his call to revive a Greater Iran. It is noticeable that he did not touch on the sectarian dimensions or speak of the expected Mahdi-ruled state, as the theocratic regime’s senior officials have done in the past. Instead, he emphasized Iran’s ultranationalist dimension and the desire to restore the glories of ancient imperial Iran.
Rezaee focused on the nuclear technology dimension and the boost it could give to Iran’s technological and military capabilities. As to the geographic dimension, he reiterated that Iran will be reconnected with 15 countries, including those nations with which it has maritime borders, the foremost of which, from a geopolitical perspective, is Russia. Rezaee also reiterated the importance of Iran moving toward controlling the Arabian Gulf and the Sea of Oman to realize the ultimate objective behind the Greater Iran project: Intervention in global policymaking.
These are the limits of Iran’s expansionist plan: Boosting nuclear technology, concentrating on the Arabian Gulf, expanding into neighboring countries with which it has overland and maritime borders, and interfering in global policymaking.
Are the current global conditions and circumstances conducive to the Iranian regime being able to establish its Greater Iran? It certainly seems that Iran might be able to move ahead with developing its nuclear program, as Donald Trump is set to leave office in Washington. It also seems that Iran’s economic capabilities will significantly improve if US sanctions are lifted. Despite these advantages, however, the issue of expanding into the 15 neighboring countries, as specified by Rezaee, seems to face numerous potential obstacles. For starters, Iran faces stiff competition from Turkey and Russia in its alleged areas of influence. Also, Saudi Arabia’s confrontation of the Iranian expansionist plan is likely to curb many of the regime’s ambitions.
One could also ask: Will Iran’s dependence on potential economic gains and the development of nuclear technology be sufficient for the regime to usher in its Greater Iran project? For many countries in the region, Iran has become the profoundly unwelcome living example of a state intervening in the affairs of others; infiltrating and destabilizing regional states and undermining national unity by stirring up sectarian disputes and deploying armed militias, leading to the inevitable spread of violence and a sharp deterioration in political and economic conditions.
Iran clings to the illusion that it could become a great power via deploying its militias, which engage in terrorism and manage the political affairs of several countries. Given the imminent rise of Iran’s military generals to the highest position in the country’s political system, Tehran’s militias will undoubtedly receive further support and gain momentum, enabling the regime to tighten its grip on the countries that it targets. As a result, Iran aims to establish a vast militia-controlled terrorist state stretching beyond nation-state boundaries, creating total loyalty to the regime based on violence, terror and fear, rather than ideological persuasion.
On the ground, Iran has had some successes, though only in countries with a political vacuum it can exploit or whose government has been undermined by terrorism. There is no doubt, however, that this phase is temporary and must come to an end. It is difficult to run the Hezbollah model in other countries for any sustained period since people tend to gravitate toward their own real identities, transcending sectarian projects enabled by outsiders. In addition, people get tired of the constant chaos and violence enacted by militias. In conclusion, the Greater Iran project, whose revival Rezaee has called for, will no doubt be used by the Iranian regime to justify the Iranian military class wresting control of the country’s political landscape. This will result in a sharp decline in public freedom, which is already severely limited, and living standards will further plummet due to all the country’s resources being dedicated to boosting Iran’s nuclear program and achieving the objectives of the new ruling military class.
*Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is Head of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah). Twitter: @mohalsulami

How a poem could spark a new Iran-Turkey conflict
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/December 14/2020
History appears to be repeating itself in the Caucasus. The recent fight between Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia has revived the historical rivalry between Iran and Turkey and could threaten to evolve into a wider conflict if not kept in check by cooler heads. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stoked Iran’s fears last week, when he recited a poem about Azeri nationalism — something Iran fears and tries very hard to suppress. For hundreds of years, the Persian-Turkish rivalry has been among the most notable features of West Asia, with major spillover effects in the Middle East too. They fought at least 10 ruthless wars from the 16th to the 19th centuries. At the time, both were emerging empires seeking to enlarge their domains. Historians believe that Iran’s conversion to Shiite Islam was partly a result of that rivalry. Until the 16th century, Iran was a majority Sunni country and a major center for Sunni learning, attracting scholars from near and far, including Turkey. But Shah Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid dynasty, converted his empire to the Shiite sect and launched a cruel campaign of forced conversion in the areas under his control, with unspeakable atrocities committed against those who refused. At the time, the Ottomans were expanding their influence in the region, and having the mantle of “the Muslim Caliphate” was an important factor in their success. As a caliph, the Ottoman sultan garnered loyalty from Sunni Muslims everywhere, including Iran. By converting Iran to the Shiite sect, the shah sought to sever that tie. The speed and force with which he imposed this conversion underlined the urgency he felt to create a solid internal front against the Ottomans.
The Ottomans and Safavids fought each other for control of the Caucasus. While the Ottomans were victors in most of these wars, the Persians were able to extend their dominion over most of historical Azerbaijan, in the northwestern part of today’s Iran. The Azeris are ethnically Turkish and speak a Turkic language, which meant they had a natural affinity with Turkey. The shah, therefore, imposed the Shiite sect in Azerbaijan to weaken that affinity. In today’s world, religious wars are no longer in fashion, but Iran is still hoping that it can play the sectarian card to its advantage in the areas of historical Azerbaijan it still controls, where Shiite Islam is the dominant faith. On the other hand, modern Turkey is all about Turkish nationalism and is now reasserting its ethnic ties with the Azeris.
According to some accounts, Azeris constitute about 25 percent of Iran’s population, making them the largest minority in the country. At about 20 million, the Iranian Azeri population is double that of the country of Azerbaijan. Both populations speak the same Turkic language (written in two different scripts) and both are majority Shiite.
This combustible mix of ethnic and religious factors is now threatening to ignite. In the recent conflict in the Caucasus, Turkey sided with Azerbaijan while Iran sided with Armenia. And, while addressing a parade in Baku, Erdogan last week read parts of an Azeri poem lamenting the presence of an artificial border “tearing apart ancient Azeri lands by force.” Coming on the heels of an Azeri victory, Tehran took this move as an expression of support for calls for the secession of the ethnic Azeri parts of Iran. It summoned the Turkish ambassador to Tehran and launched a disparaging blitz against Erdogan in official and semi-official media outlets. One publication dedicated a full-page under the headline, “Delusions of Ottoman caliph,” with a large drawing of Erdogan riding a wooden horse and resembling Don Quixote. Other publications elaborated on the theme of the sultan’s “delusions.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif lambasted Erdogan and reasserted Iran’s sovereignty over its Azeri regions. There then erupted a media war pitting Iranian and Turkish social media against each other. It is not clear how much of this media war was officially directed, but it exposed several underlying issues.
The two countries still harbor deep-seated suspicions that can boil over at the slightest provocation.
First, despite the Iranian-Turkish detente over Syria, for example, the two countries still harbor deep-seated suspicions that can boil over at the slightest provocation, such as reciting an old poem.
Second, the war over Nagorno-Karabakh whetted Turkey’s appetite for more conquests in that region, as Ankara perceives that it “won” that war.
Third, the speed with which Iran erupted in protest at the perceived reference to disputed Azeri lands revealed how worried it is about its hold over ethnic minorities, including the Azeris. There have been numerous attempts by Azeris in Iran to assert their cultural independence and political autonomy, in addition to calls to unify the two parts of historical Azerbaijan, which Erdogan was reviving by reciting that poem in Baku last week. The conflict could spiral out of control. Poor economic conditions in both Turkey and Iran have provoked popular protests, which have challenged the sanctity of each country’s leadership and legitimate hold on power. Foreign adventures have served as useful diversions and cover for repression at home. The war in Nagorno-Karabakh may have encouraged Turkey to push forth, while stoking Iran’s fears about the future.
The UN should take note to contain this potentially dangerous conflict. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has previously mediated in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and could also help the UN’s efforts.
*Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the GCC Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs & Negotiation, and a columnist for Arab News. The views expressed in this piece are personal and do not necessarily represent GCC views. Twitter: @abuhamad1
 

How Trustworthy Are Muslim Professions of Peace?
Raymond Ibrahim/December 14/2020
In a longwinded article titled “Hidden Enemies: An American History of Taqiyya” for Cabinet Magazine, the author, “Joshua Craze”—an apparent pseudonym for a self-identified Muslim man—predictably downplays the dangers of taqiyya, an Islamic doctrine which permits Muslims to deceive non-Muslims. Consider the following excerpts:
[T]aqiyya had become a central pillar of the far-right’s rendition of Islam. Because I am a masochist, I spent a few days trying to source all the quotations in one report, “Taqiyya about Taqiyya” by Raymond Ibrahim, a virulent Islamophobe associated with David Horowitz… It would be too easy to say that distorted facts and quotations proliferate in such pieces because of a disregard for the truth. Raymond Ibrahim and his fellow Taqiyyists have inordinate regard for a central truth: that Islam is evil. This truth flattens everything else—the seventh century and the twenty-first form part of a single tapestry of intelligibility. Everything makes sense. It’s impossible to refute Ibrahim. He has certainty, where I can offer only ambiguity and nuance. That’s not much of an answer. As ever, paranoia is far more coherent than real life.
Concerning “Craze’s” charges, the reader is free to evaluate my article, “Taqiyya about Taqiyya”—originally the expert report portion of my affidavit in a legal case concerning taqiyya—and see if it “distorts facts” and has a “disregard for the truth.” (Curiously, although Craze linked to and documented every other article he referenced, including those he was critical of, he failed to link to mine, which is here.)
Of more interest is his point, that, when it comes to Islam, people would rather have certainty—which apparently culminates into “paranoia”—rather than what he offers, “ambiguity and nuance.” He continues in this vein:
As I read more articles and doom-scrolled deeper into the universe of the right-wingers, I gave them a name: the Taqiyyists. The central tenants [sic] of their faith introduced a basic epistemological conundrum. If Muslims were liars, and many Muslims—like myself—were in hiding, how was one to tell who the real Muslims were?
How, indeed. Here we finally come to it, the significance of his meandering piece: If there is evidence that Muslims are encouraged to deceive non-Muslims—and there is, plenty—how does one know when a Muslim is or isn’t being deceptive?
Fundamentally, this is a philosophical question of the “burden of proof” variety: Which of two parties is required to prove something in order to earn the trust of the other? Under normal circumstances, person X will rely on universal criteria when determining whether or not to believe person Y.
However, when Y is openly following a creed—Islam—that teaches its adherents to be hostile, even hate non-Muslims, and do virtually everything possible—including lying—to dominate them, then the entire calculus must change, including by placing the burden of proof on the Muslim, certainly when it comes to sensitive, potentially lethal, situations.
Consider a recent UK report; it found that Muslim prisoners regularly employ taqiyya—the report’s own word of choice—to deceive the prison and justice system. For example, one of the two Muslims who beheaded 85‑year‑old Catholic priest Jacques Hamel in his church in France in 2016 had twice earlier been apprehended for trying to go to Syria and fight for the Islamic State. All he had to do, however, was tell the judge what he wanted to hear: “I am a Muslim who believes in mercy, in doing good, I’m not an extremist … I want to get back my life, see my friends, get married.” Based on these words, the judge released him, and soon thereafter this “Muslim who believes in mercy” slaughtered the elderly priest.
Similarly, after being imprisoned for his involvement in a bombing plot, Usman Khan—who “was considered a success story of an extremist turning their life around,” to quote the report—was released early. Not long thereafter he too went on a stabbing spree that killed two and injured three on London Bridge. And “many of the 40 female inmates in Fleury‑Mérogis prison in Paris have joked about how they tricked the judge or magistrate—by eating pork, for example, which is forbidden in Islam—to receive more lenient sentences.”
It should be noted that Craze’s argument that only “paranoids” allow taqiyya to permeate their views on Muslim sincerity is becoming standardized (a reflection of the difficulties of rebutting taqiyya on a doctrinal or objective level). Thus, in his recent defense of taqiyya (dismantled here), Usama Hasan, of the UK think tank Quilliam, made the following admission:
It is true that hardened islamist terrorists, such as the Al-Qaeda & ISIS supporter Usman Khan who murdered two people at Fishmongers’ Hall [after pretending to have been “rehabilitated”], do misuse the principle of taqiyyah in order to further their cause. However, the charge that all Muslims are generally religiously obligated to lie, and do so routinely, is both dangerous and untrue.
Again, while this “charge” may be unwarranted in individual cases, it is also inevitable. After all, how is the non-Muslim to know which Muslim is and isn’t “misusing the principle of taqiyya”? Moreover, why should the burden of proof be on the infidel—who stands to and often does suffer and even gets killed from always accepting the Muslim’s word and disregarding the role of deceit in Islam—and not on the Muslim, who is an open adherent of a religion that allows hostility for and deception of non-Muslims in the first place? This is particularly so since more than a few “hardened islamist terrorists” are convinced that their creed allows them to dissimulate to their heart’s content—so long as doing so can be seen as helping further the cause of Islam.
It comes to this: Islam does permit lies and deception in order to empower itself (one need only look to the tactics employed by its founder, Muhammad). Accordingly, and considering that Islam considers itself in a constant state of war with non-Islam (typified by the classical formulation of Dar al-Islam vs. Dar al-Harb) any Muslim who feels this or that piece of deception over the infidel is somehow benefiting Islam—which could also be rationalized as benefiting him—has a blank check to lie.
As such, you’re not the “bad guy” if you find yourself less than trusting of Muslim professions of peace, especially in matters of consequence; you’re just appropriately cautious.
*Raymond Ibrahim, author of Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.

Turkey says Iranian intelligence was behind elaborate plot to kidnap opponent in Istanbul
Kareem Fahim and Erin Cunningham/The Washington Post/December 14/2020
ISTANBUL — When exiled Iranian opposition figure Habib Chaab traveled from his home in Sweden to Turkey in October, he did not tell his friends, one of them said.
“None of us would have accepted him going,” said the friend, Fouad al-Kabi. Turkey had become known as a “backyard” for Iranian intelligence agents, he said, and Chaab, a leader of a militant separatist group, was wanted by Tehran.
Soon after he arrived in Istanbul, Chaab disappeared.
Two days later, Iran’s state media reported he had been arrested and said he had confessed to his involvement in a deadly attack on a military parade two years ago in Iran. It provided no detail about how he had been taken into custody.
But Turkey’s intelligence agency quickly started unraveling the mystery, a Turkish official said. Revealing details for the first time, the official described an elaborate scheme in which Chaab was lured to Turkey by a woman, drugged and kidnapped when he went to meet her, and then smuggled across the border into Iran — all orchestrated by a notorious drug trafficker at the behest of Iranian intelligence.
Gunmen kill at least 2 dozen in attack on military parade in Iran
In recent days, Turkey has arrested several people in connection with Chaab’s abduction, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
The allegations contain echoes of the fatal plot by Saudi Arabia against journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whose disappearance in Istanbul two years ago was one of a string of foreign intelligence operations staged in Turkey, an international travel hub and a magnet for regional dissidents.
The alleged abduction also has striking similarities with another recent operation carried out by Iran: the kidnapping of Ruhollah Zam, an Iranian dissident journalist who lived in exile in France but disappeared after he was lured to Iraq last year. Zam, who operated a popular social media channel, was executed Saturday in Iran after being convicted on charges of inciting violence during anti-government protests in 2017. Amnesty International condemned the execution as “a deadly blow to freedom of expression in Iran.”
Chaab’s disappearance was the third high-profile operation in Turkey in as many years blamed on Iran’s government, and the latest incident threatens to strain the relationship between the two countries — regional rivals that also cooperate on trade, energy and other matters.
In 2017, an Iranian media mogul who had been sentenced to prison in absentia in Iran was killed in a drive-by shooting in Istanbul said to have been carried out by an associate of the drug trafficker, Naji Sharifi Zindashti.
Last year, Masoud Molavi Vardanjani, a former Iranian defense official who had become critical of his government, was also fatally shot in Istanbul, in a killing that Turkish officials said was instigated by intelligence officers working out of the Iranian Consulate there, according to Reuters.
Chaab led the Swedish branch of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz, or ASMLA, a decades-old separatist group advocating for the independence of Iran’s ethnic Arab minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich southwest of the country but have long complained of discrimination and neglect. The group’s political leaders operate from exile in Europe, while a military arm stages attacks inside Iran.
A Turkish investigation found that Chaab traveled from Sweden to Istanbul on Oct. 9 to meet a woman they referred to as Saberin S. She arrived in the city the day before Chaab did, after traveling from Iran on a forged Iranian passport.
The day Chaab arrived, several members of the kidnap team purchased plastic ties at a hardware store in Istanbul. Chaab landed that evening and went to meet Saberin at a gas station in the Istanbul district of Beylikduzu, where she was waiting in a van.
Once inside, Chaab was drugged and his hands and feet bound. He was driven to the eastern Turkish province of Van, handed over to a human trafficker and smuggled across the border the next day, the summary said. Saberin also returned to Iran.
Turkish intelligence officers and police have detained 11 men, all Turkish citizens, who have been arraigned on charges that include “using weapons . . . to deprive an individual of their liberty through deceit,” the official said. Zindashti, the drug smuggler, was still at large and believed to be in Iran, he added.
Zindashti did not immediately respond to emailed questions about the allegations. He has previously denied accusations of murder and drug trafficking, including on his Twitter account. A spokesman for Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not reply to questions about Tehran’s alleged role in the plot.
Zindashti’s exploits in Turkey are the stuff of crime lore. He served prison time for a heroin trafficking conviction more than a decade ago, reportedly worked as a government informant, and lost his daughter in a fatal shooting in 2014 carried out by gunmen who may have been from a rival gang. When Zindashti was arrested at his house in Istanbul two years ago on murder charges, the authorities also detained two police officers who had apparently been the drug lord’s guests.
Zindashti was imprisoned in April 2018 but served only six months. His early release set off a scandal in Turkey, after allegations that an adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had intervened in the case. The adviser, Burhan Kuzu, who died earlier this year after contracting the coronavirus, denied the charges.
It was not clear when Zindashti would have started working with Iran’s government. He hailed from Oroumieh, in western Iran, was imprisoned as a young man on narcotics-related charges and later escaped Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, fleeing the country when he was 20, according to Timur Soykan, author of “Battle of the Barons,” a recently released book in Turkish about a war between drug kingpins, including Zindashti. It was only after the killings of the two Iranian dissidents in Istanbul that Zindashti’s possible connection to Iran’s government came to the fore and was discussed in Turkish media, he said.
Bahtiyar Firat, a relative of Zindashti, was arrested in October shortly after he tried to travel to Iran, according to the Turkish official and Firat’s wife, Esra, who told Turkey’s Bianet website her husband was going to Iran to visit relatives and see a dentist. Firat has told Turkish authorities that Zindashti met with Iranian officials several times before Chaab’s disappearance, the official said.
Iranian officials allege that ASMLA’s leaders have received funding from Tehran’s Persian Gulf rivals, including Saudi Arabia, to destabilize Iran. While the southwest region of Iran is home to more than 80 percent of the country’s oil reserves, poverty is rife, and long-standing grievances with the state have also helped seed unrest.
ASMLA-linked militants have been blamed for attacks in Iran, including on banks, oil pipelines and government offices. In 2018, Iran accused the group of planning a deadly assault by gunmen on a military parade in the southwestern city of Ahvaz.
ASMLA lacks widespread support among ethnic Arabs in Iran, experts say. But Tehran clearly still sees a threat. In 2017, a gunman who Dutch officials say was linked to the Iranian government shot and killed an ASMLA leader, Ahmad Mola Nissi, near his home in The Hague.
Chaab had lived in exile for 14 years, according to his friend Kabi, who is a spokesman for the Ahwazi Democratic Popular Front, which is related to ­ASMLA. Kabi said that Chaab’s confessions were “forced” and that the crime Iran accused him of — the military parade attack — was claimed by the Islamic State militant group at the time.
Chaab’s colleagues said they had already suspected that the woman identified as Saberin had played a role in his abduction. Kabi said that he knew her by a different name and that she and Chaab, who was separated from his wife, were “secretly married” four years ago.
In addition, Chaab was deeply in debt, and the woman had loaned him about 100,000 euros in the past, Kabi said. After Chaab disappeared, Kabi and other friends learned that the woman had offered another loan. The initial plan was for the two of them to meet in Qatar.
“How she convinced him to go to Turkey, we don’t know,” he said.
Iranian-born media mogul fatally shot by masked assailants in central Istanbul
Dissident Iranians find refuge in Turkey
Istanbul has felt like home for Arab exiles. Khashoggi’s killing has them scared.
*Kareem Fahim
Kareem Fahim is the Istanbul bureau chief and a Middle East correspondent for The Washington Post. He previously spent 11 years at the New York Times, covering the Arab world as a Cairo-based correspondent, among other assignments. Kareem also worked as a reporter at the Village Voice.Follow
*Erin Cunningham
Erin Cunningham is an Istanbul-based correspondent for The Washington Post, covering conflict and political turmoil across the Middle East. She previously was a correspondent at the paper's bureau in Cairo, and has reported on wars in Afghanistan, Gaza, Libya and Iraq.Follow

Espionage Emergency: China 'Floods' America with Spies
Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/December 14/ 2020
Given the emergency, Washington should immediately close down all of China's bases of operation in the U.S., including its four remaining consulates — Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco — and substantially reducing the staff of the embassy. The embassy, in reality, needs only the ambassador, immediate family, and personal staff, not the hundreds currently assigned there.
China's New York consulate is also an espionage hub. James Olson, a former CIA counterintelligence chief, "conservatively" estimated that China, in the words of the New York Post, "has more than 100 intelligence officers operating in the city at any given time." New York City, he said, is "under assault like never before."
Will Beijing merely transfer spies to Chinese banks and businesses operating in the U.S.? Probably, but that will take time and, in any event, Washington can order the closure of non-diplomatic outposts as well.
Others will say American businesses in China need consular support. Of course they do. My reply is that it is in America's interest to get its companies out of that country, for moral as well as other reasons. The loss of consular support will be one more reason for them to pack their bags in a hurry.
China's influence, intelligence and infiltration attempts are overwhelming America. China has hundreds — perhaps thousands — of agents in the U.S. identifying, grooming, supporting, influencing, compromising, and corrupting Americans in politics and other fields of importance to it. Pictured: China's consulate in Houston on July 22, 2020, the day before the U.S. government closed it down for being a "hub of spying and intellectual property theft," in the words of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Revelations this month about U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, highlight Beijing's complete penetration of American society.
China's influence, intelligence and infiltration attempts are overwhelming America. Given the emergency, Washington should immediately close down all of China's bases of operation in the U.S., including its four remaining consulates.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the news about Swalwell is that Fang Fang, a suspected Chinese Ministry of State Security agent also known as "Christine," first contacted him not while he was sitting on the House Intelligence Committee but when he was a councilmember in Dublin City, California.
Fang followed and promoted his career as he was elected to the House of Representatives and assigned to a committee of great interest to China.
China has hundreds — perhaps thousands — of agents in the U.S. identifying, grooming, supporting, influencing, compromising, and corrupting Americans in politics and other fields of importance to it.
To identify and work with all the Swalwells, China's collectors may even number in the hundreds of thousands. Darrell Issa, the Republican returning to Congress from California, told Fox News on December 11 that there are "hundreds of thousands of people that act like spies that are coordinated by China."
China has a "thousand grains of sand" approach of interviewing students, tourists, and businessmen and women returning to China, collecting seemingly inconsequential bits of information. Beijing, however, is able to collate collected material, using its growing artificial intelligence and other capabilities.
Fang appears to be more than just a casual collector of information. She may have even "honey-trapped" Swalwell, who has yet to deny allegations of a sexual relationship with her. Fang came to America sometime around 2011 to study at Cal State University East Bay, where she ran a political group, a local chapter of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs organization. At the moment, China has approximately 370,000 students in American colleges and universities. The number of Chinese students has tripled in a decade.
Each student is a potential agent because all are under a legal compulsion to commit espionage against the United States. Articles 7 and 14 of China's National Intelligence Law of 2017 requires every Chinese national to spy if demanded. Moreover, no Chinese citizen can resist a demand to spy — or to commit any other act — in the Communist Party's top-down system.
China, not surprisingly, is systematically employing its nationals for gathering intelligence and using diplomatic facilities to handle them. Fang, for instance, was in contact with a diplomat suspected to be a Ministry of State Security agent, based in the San Francisco consulate.
That consulate even harbored a fugitive wanted by the FBI. Tang Juan finally surrendered to U.S. authorities on July 24 after fleeing to the safety of the compound a month before. She is suspected of concealing links to the Chinese military while working as a biology researcher at the University of California Davis.
In July, the State Department ordered the closure of China's Houston consulate. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the facility was a "hub of spying and intellectual property theft." There is speculation the consulate was used to illicitly obtain, among other things, oil-drilling technology of nearby Texas firms.
China's New York consulate is also an espionage hub. James Olson, a former CIA counterintelligence chief, "conservatively" estimated that China, in the words of the New York Post, "has more than 100 intelligence officers operating in the city at any given time." New York City, he said, is "under assault like never before."
Pompeo told the New York paper that those intel officers are operating out of the New York consulate and the Chinese mission to the United Nations.
China's agents are overwhelming U.S. law enforcement. FBI Director Christopher Wray, in July at an event sponsored by the Hudson Institute, said that "almost half" of the bureau's counterintelligence cases are against China. The FBI opens a "China-related" counterintelligence case "about every 10 hours."
Wray, in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee in February 2018, stated that China is using "nontraditional collectors, especially in the academic setting, whether it's professors, scientists, students," something "we see in almost every field office that the FBI has around the country."
Sometimes diplomats directly engage in espionage. They have been, according to a study by Anastasya Lloyd-Damnjanovic for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, "probing faculty and staff for information in a manner consistent with intelligence collection."
As Dan Hoffman, a former CIA station chief, said to Fox News's Harris Faulkner, on December 10, "China is flooding the zone."
There is one way to meet this espionage-flood emergency: shut down China's bases of operations in the U.S. This means closing Beijing's four remaining consulates — Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco — and substantially reducing the staff of the embassy. The embassy, in reality, needs only the ambassador, immediate family, and personal staff, not the hundreds currently assigned there.
While cutting the embassy staff to the bone, the State Department should expel the current ambassador, Cui Tiankai. He and someone from the New York consulate tried to recruit a scientist in Connecticut as a spy.
Washington can tell Beijing that it can send another ambassador, but should warn the Chinese that he or she will be expelled at the first sign of inappropriate conduct.
Will Beijing merely transfer spies to Chinese banks and businesses operating in the U.S.? Probably, but that will take time and, in any event, Washington can order the closure of non-diplomatic outposts as well. In this regard, President Trump can use the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917 and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 to end trade, investment and technology cooperation with a regime using these ties to commit espionage.
China will retaliate, of course, by closing U.S. consulates and reducing the size of the embassy staff in Beijing. Analysts will argue that because America is an open society and China is a closed one, Washington needs diplomatic outposts in China more than the Chinese need theirs in America.
This is a strong argument, but the U.S. should nonetheless act to show Beijing that it is absolutely determined to defend itself. Nothing says "political will" more than being willing to take a big hit.
Others will say American businesses in China need consular support. Of course they do. My reply is that it is in America's interest to get its companies out of that country, for moral as well as other reasons. The loss of consular support will be one more reason for them to pack their bags in a hurry.
China's spies are overrunning America, and less drastic measures have failed. It is time, therefore, to do something effective.
*Gordon G. Chang is the author of The Coming Collapse of China, a Gatestone Institute Distinguished Senior Fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board. Follow him on Twitter and Parler @GordonGChang.
© 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.

China: Britain's Biggest Long-Term Threat
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/December 14/2020
The UK's new MI5 director, Ken McCallum, said that countries such as China and Russia were no longer focused just on traditional espionage activities, such as stealing government secrets, but also on targeting Britain's economy, infrastructure, and academic research, while seeking to undermine its democracy.
China's ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, later denied threatening the UK by making still another threat: "We make no threats, we threaten nobody. We just let you know the consequences. If you do not want to be our partners and our friends, you want to treat China as a hostile country, you will pay the price. That means you will lose the benefits of treating China as a friend."
Meanwhile, Huawei's plans to build a research center in Cambridgeshire are going ahead.
"[China's] implementation strategy is to target elites in the West so that they either welcome China's dominance or accede to its inevitability, rendering resistance futile". — Clive Hamilton and Mareike Ohlberg, Hidden Hand: Exposing How the Chinese Communist Party is Reshaping the World.
In the UK, according to Hamilton and Ohlberg, the CCP has managed to "groom" British power elites to support Chinese interests, especially through the networking group the "48 Group Club".... The group features members such as former ministers, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, five former British ambassadors to China, leading business people, directors of large cultural institutions and professors, as well as a number of highly ranked CCP officials, including several former Chinese ambassadors to the UK.
Much of Chinese influence on British campuses is done through the CCP's Confucius Institutes, of which there are at least 29 in the UK, according to a February 2019 report on the topic by the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission.
Following Britain's recent announcement of a ban on the use of Huawei equipment in the UK's 5G telecommunications network, China's ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming (pictured), threatened: "The way you are treating Huawei is being followed very closely by other Chinese businesses, and it will be very difficult for other businesses to have the confidence to have more investment".
"If the question is which state will be shaping our world across the next decade providing big opportunities and big challenges for the UK, the answer is China," Britain's new MI5 Director Ken McCallum recently told journalists. He added that Russia is currently "providing bursts of bad weather, while China is changing the climate". McCallum said that countries such as China and Russia were no longer focused just on traditional espionage activities, such as stealing government secrets, but also on targeting Britain's economy, infrastructure and academic research, while seeking to undermine its democracy.
"The UK wants to co-operate with China on the big global issues like climate change, while at the same time being robust in confronting covert hostile activity when we come across it," he said. "[MI5 is] looking to do more against Chinese activity, carefully prioritised."
That China targets the economy, infrastructure and even the democracy of other states is far from a new occurrence, but it is something that Western countries have only recently begun to acknowledge. For decades, the US -- and with it most Western countries -- believed that "constructive engagement" with the Chinese Communist regime, which included heavily aiding its economic, technological and even military rise, would lead to a prosperous China that would somehow evolve into a liberal democracy sharing Western views on global and regional issues. That belief turned out to be wishful thinking to a hallucinatory degree.
China's goal, according to China expert Michael Pillsbury in his 2015 book, The Hundred Year Marathon, is to "replace the United States as the economic, military and political leader of the world by the year 2049". The "marathon" was launched by Mao Zedong to "avenge a century of humiliation" at the hands of the West. The preferred strategy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to reach that goal is deception, according to Pillsbury, whether this be in the economic, business, political, technological, diplomatic or academic sphere. While deception forms a basic strategic principle for the CCP, it also, in the words of The Spectator's Andrew Foxall, avails itself of methods such as, "economic coercion, military sabre-rattling, a mammoth state-sponsored media empire, and cohorts of witting and unwitting accomplices" to achieve its goals.
A recent book, Hidden Hand: Exposing How the Chinese Communist Party is Reshaping the World, by Clive Hamilton and Mareike Ohlberg, chronicles the extent of the CCP's deception and subversion of Western elites and institutions for the purpose of achieving international dominance.
"Whereas analysts on both sides of the Atlantic continue to agonise over whether to label China an opponent or even an enemy, the CCP decided this matter thirty years ago", Hamilton and Ohlberg write.
"For the CCP the Cold War never ended. The reshaping of alliances and remoulding of the way the world thinks about it are essential to the Party securing continued rule at home, as well as to its reach and eventually making China the number one global power. The Party's plans have been explained at length in speeches and documents. Its implementation strategy is to target elites in the West so that they either welcome China's dominance or accede to its inevitability, rendering resistance futile".
In the UK, according to Hamilton and Ohlberg, the CCP has managed to "groom" British power elites to support China's interests, especially through the networking group the "48 Group Club".
"No group in Britain enjoys more intimacy and trust with the CCP leadership than the 48 Group Club... [It] has built itself into the most powerful instrument of Beijing's influence and intelligence gathering in the United Kingdom. Reaching into the highest ranks of Britain's political, business, media and university elites, the club plays a decisive role in shaping British attitudes to China... enthusiastically fostering the interests of the CCP in the United Kingdom...".
The club features members such as former ministers, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, five former British ambassadors to China, leading business people, directors of large cultural institutions and professors, as well as a number of highly ranked CCP officials, including several former Chinese ambassadors to the UK.
"In our judgement, so entrenched are the CCP's influence networks among British elites that Britain has passed the point of no return, and any attempt to extricate itself from Beijing's orbit would probably fail," write Hamilton and Ohlberg.
Britain, recently, did appear to seek to "extricate itself from Beijing's orbit" regarding Huawei's influence and potential security risk in the country, especially after US pressure. In July, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson banned the use of Huawei equipment in the UK's 5G telecommunications network by the end of 2027. The move prompted China's ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, to threaten the UK:
"The way you are treating Huawei is being followed very closely by other Chinese businesses, and it will be very difficult for other businesses to have the confidence to have more investment".
Liu later denied threatening the UK by making another threat:
"We make no threats, we threaten nobody. We just let you know the consequences. If you do not want to be our partners and our friends, you want to treat China as a hostile country, you will pay the price. That means you will lose the benefits of treating China as a friend."
Meanwhile, Huawei's plans to build a research center in Cambridgeshire are going ahead. Huawei has pledged to spend £1 billion on a massive campus, which will host R&D and manufacturing teams focusing on the creation of optical devices and modules. The US wanted the local planning committee to withhold permission, with Keith Krach, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, reportedly calling the research center an "expansion of the surveillance state".
When China imposed a new security law in response to repeated pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the law as a "serious breach" of the UK-China agreement on the territory. He also said he would open a path to citizenship for almost three million residents of Hong Kong, while Britain's extradition treaty with Hong Kong would be suspended "immediately and indefinitely". China's ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, on the other hand, accused the US and other critics of being "cold war warriors":
"China and the UK should have enough wisdom and capability to manage and deal with these differences, rather than allowing anti-China forces and cold war warriors to kidnap China-UK relations."
Boris Johnson, however, appeared to send a signal of having stood up to the CCP in a rather half-hearted way. "There is a balance here", Johnson said back in July. "I'm not going to be pushed into a position of becoming a knee-jerk Sinophobe on every issue, somebody who is automatically anti-China. But we do have serious concerns." Johnson said he would not "completely abandon our policy of engagement" with China, adding: "You have got to have a calibrated response and we are going to be tough on some things, but we are also going to continue to engage."
More than anything, Johnson's comment underscored just how much the UK lacks a consistent China policy.
Chinese influence in the UK extends to British universities. In November 2019, the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, published a report, "A Cautious Embrace: Defending Democracy in an Age of Autocracies," which found that British universities were not adequately responding to the growing risk of China and other autocratic states influencing academic freedom in the UK. The report stated:
"There is clear evidence that autocracies are seeking to shape the research agenda or curricula of UK universities, as well as limit the activities of researchers on university campuses. Not enough is being done to protect academic freedom from financial, political and diplomatic pressure...
"During our inquiry into China and the rules-based international system, we heard alarming evidence about the extent of Chinese influence on the campuses of UK universities. Despite the fact that there are now over 100,000 Chinese students in the UK, the issue of Chinese influence has been the subject of remarkably little debate compared to that in Australia, New Zealand and the US".
Much of Chinese influence on British campuses is done through the CCP's Confucius Institutes, of which there are at least 29 in the UK, according to a February 2019 report on the topic by the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission:
"In Britain, there are at least 29 Confucius Institutes, the second largest number in the world after the United States, attached to major universities such as Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Cardiff and University College London. There are also 148 Confucius 'classrooms' in schools around the United Kingdom... Confucius Institutes...are directly controlled, funded and staffed by an agency of the Chinese government's Ministry of Education, the Office of Chinese Language Council International, known as the 'Hanban'".
According to Hamilton and Ohlberg, Confucius Institutes were "initiated in 2004 as an innocuous way to spread the Party narrative... ostensibly devoted to teaching Chinese language and promoting Chinese culture they are, as former propaganda chief Li Changchun put it, 'an important part of China's overseas propaganda set-up'".
Confucius Institutes are not all, however. The China Media Centre at Westminster University, for example, has hosted training courses for CCP officials, partly paid for by the British taxpayer through the Foreign Office, according to Hamilton and Ohlberg, who quote the head of spokesperson development for the Central Office of External Propaganda:
"Chinese Officials' understanding of the functions of the media in Western countries and their ability to respond to and interact with the media has been much enhanced by the excellent intensive 3-week briefings by The China Media Centre and provided to ministries, provinces and cities over the past 7 years". The China Media Centre, according to Hamilton and Ohlberg "has brought many party officials to mingle with the media and political elite, including five seminars at 11 Downing Street, at the invitation of the Chancellor of the Exchequer".
"Those arguing in favor of these kind of courses maintain that they will help bring about a more open media in China", write Hamilton and Ohlberg.
"In fact the opposite is the case: they help the CCP fine-tune its propaganda and use it more effectively across the globe. The courses teach techniques used by Western journalists to extract answers, and also how government officials can handle adversarial questions in press conferences. At a time when official Chinese spokespeople are regularly under fire for the Party's concentration camps in Xinjiang, and other human rights violations, teaching them how to 'handle' questions seems to be more in the CCP's interest than the British public's".
The large extent of Chinese influence in British society will make the MI5's task of tackling hostile covert activity complicated -- but Britain is at risk.
*Judith Bergman, a columnist, lawyer and political analyst, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 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.

Forty-Plus Nations Call for Suspension of Syria From Chemical Weapons Monitoring Body
David Adesnik and Patrick Spangenberg/FDD/December 14/2020
Forty-six countries have co-sponsored a French call to suspend Syria’s rights and privileges as a member of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the international chemical weapons watchdog. OPCW reports have confirmed Syria’s illicit use of chemical weapons, yet the French proposal would impose the first formal penalty on the Bashar al-Assad regime for its violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) of 1997.
In April, an OPCW report found that Syrian regime pilots had dropped bombs containing chlorine and sarin gas on the village of Ltamenah in Hama province on three occasions in March 2017. The report concluded such attacks “only occur pursuant to orders from the highest levels of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces.”
After publishing its report, the OPCW gave Damascus 90 days, starting on July 9, to declare its remaining stockpile of chemical weapons. This requirement included identification of all facilities where the Assad regime “developed, produced, stockpiled, and operationally stored” the weapons employed in the Ltamenah attack.
In October, OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias announced that the Assad regime had failed to declare any facilities whatsoever or even respond to a letter from the director-general informing Damascus of its obligations. The French responded with their proposal to suspend Syria from the OPCW, a move backed by the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Italy, Sweden, and others.
The OPCW Conference of the States Parties planned to discuss these matters from November 30 to December 4 during its annual session in The Hague. The French announced on November 30 that their proposal had 46 co-sponsors; however, the proposal did not come up for a vote, because COVID-19 forced a delay of much of the conference’s business to a meeting scheduled tentatively for April 2021.
Apparent Russian violations of the CWC are also a point of concern for the OPCW. A group of 56 member states called on Russia to disclose “in a swift and transparent manner” the circumstances of the August poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with Novichok, a nerve agent that only Moscow is known to possess. Director-General Arias noted, “[T]he poisoning of an individual through the use of a nerve agent is a use of a chemical weapon.”
Moscow has denied any involvement in the incident and called the OPCW inquiry a “disinformation campaign” designed to exert political and sanctions pressure. Russia likewise denies that Assad has used chemical weapons, and has promoted conspiracy theories alleging the OPCW manufactured evidence of CWC violations by Damascus.
So far, an ongoing campaign of Russian obstruction has caused some delays but proven unable to block OPCW actions. OPCW voting rules require a two-thirds majority to approve decisions, so single states or small minorities cannot block them. Voting is by open ballot, so member states cannot side with Russia but deny having done so.
With France, the United States should lead the effort to ensure suspension of Syria when the OPCW Conference of the States Parties next convenes, possibly in April. The OPCW cannot impose economic sanctions, but the United States, France, and like-minded parties should coordinate the efforts of individual countries to designate Syrian officials and foreign enablers who support Syria’s chemical weapons program. By leading at the OPCW, the incoming administration has an opportunity to show that multilateral institutions have an important role to play in ensuring accountability for the most grievous human rights violations.
*David Adesnik is research director and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).
*Patrick Spangenberg is an intern. For more analysis from David, Patrick, and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow David and Patrick on Twitter @adesnik and @PatSpangenberg. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

The Abraham Accords Will they transform the Middle East?
Varsha Koduvayur and Steven Cook/FDD/December 14/2020
Do the Abraham Accords represent an historic sea change in the Middle East’s strategic balance?
Pro — Varsha Koduvayur
The Abraham Accords represent a fundamental shift in the region’s strategic balance. Brought together by the signatories’ mutual antipathy to Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood, the accords reflect the open and public embrace of Israel by countries that have historically been ideologically opposed to the Jewish state. And they reflect a dramatic shift in the Gulf states’ approach to the Palestinian issue.
The accords have effectively shattered the old pan-Arab consensus that normalization hinged on peace between Israel and Palestinians. The United Arab Emirates’ and Bahrain’s deals are a clear sign that the Gulf states are no longer willing to give the rejectionist, obstructionist Palestinian leadership veto power over regional diplomacy, security coordination and economic development. Through these deals, the UAE and Bahrain have positioned themselves to exert a moderating influence on Palestinian politics and society, marginalizing the actors that stoke Palestinian rejectionism. Indeed, it was this rejectionism that exacerbated the Gulf states’ frustration and Israel’s hesitation to offer concessions to the Palestinians.
The accords also establish a new paradigm for a warm peace with Arab states, built on people-to-people ties. This focus is the accords’ single most important point of distinction, setting them apart from Israel’s previous — and historic — deals with Egypt and Jordan, which fell far short of expectations. Both are best described as a cold peace, limited to transactional diplomacy, security cooperation and some economic cooperation.
By contrast, Emirati and Bahraini leaders have energetically stated their intent to foster a warmer peace and multisector cooperation — which in turn could have ripple effects throughout the region. As regional business hubs, the UAE and Bahrain host large populations of expatriate workers from the Arab and Islamic world whose home countries view Israel as an enemy. The deals have the potential to facilitate interpersonal interactions between Israeli visitors and these expat populations, creating a space for both sides to interact as humans in a supportive environment — thus planting the seeds for a societal and generational transformation.
If Israel’s deals with Jordan and Egypt — the “first act” of Israel’s regional recognition — represent a grudging tolerance of the Jewish state, the “second act” marked by the Abraham Accords represents a more open embrace of Israel. The accords reflect an understanding that Israel is an important and permanent regional actor, one that Arab leaders need for security, technology and diplomacy. With sustained momentum, this will have a transformational impact on the region’s strategic balance.
Con — Steven Cook
The Abraham Accords are an important step in widening the circle of peace in the Middle East. The agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Israel and Bahrain deserve the near-universal praise they have received. Yet despite the fanfare of a White House signing ceremony last September, the accords do not represent a fundamental change in the regional strategic balance. Instead, they are a public affirmation of the prevailing diplomatic, political and military order in the Middle East.
As important as the Abraham Accords may be, they do not compare to Israel’s peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, both of which fundamentally altered the Middle East. With the famous three-way arm grasp on the White House lawn among President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in 1979, the era of regional Arab-Israeli wars came to an end. Without Egypt and its large army, there was no longer a coalition of Arab states that could threaten Israel’s security. This was a paradigm shift that contributed to regional stability. It also capped an American effort dating back to the October 1973 war to peel Egypt away from the Soviet Union — a significant setback for Moscow in the Middle East.
The impact of the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel was different, but also represented a significant shift in the geostrategic environment. The agreement not only ended the state of war between the two countries, but also affirmed (albeit implicitly) that a resolution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians hinged on the establishment of a Palestinian state. With the treaty, ideas such as a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation and “Jordan is Palestine” — an idea the Israeli right championed — became politically untenable for all but the most diehard believers in annexation and ethnic cleansing of the West Bank. The two-state solution has never materialized, of course, but the Jordan-Israel peace treaty institutionalized this idea, which has guided American policymaking ever since.
In contrast, the Abraham Accords — as important as they are — reinforce an existing regional order. The agreements shine a light on developments that were widely known but never officially acknowledged: i.e., Israel and Gulf countries have shared strategic interests. They have merely layered onto this fact an openness to trade, tourism, technology and cultural exchange. This may make a broader peace — including Palestinians — possible in the long run, but the strategic environment in the Middle East has not changed.
*Varsha Koduvayur is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow her on Twitter @varshakoduvayur. Steven A. Cook is the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and sits on FDD’s Turkey Program Board of Advisors. FDD is a nonpartisan think tank focused on foreign policy and national security issues.