English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese,
Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For December 18/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.december18.20.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
The angel Gabriel Delivers the Godly Message To Virgin Mary
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke
01/26-38/:”In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in
Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of
the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said,
‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by
his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to
her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you
will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will
be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will
give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of
Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’Mary said to the angel,
‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And
now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this
is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be
impossible with God.’Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it
be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials
published on December 17-18/2020
French President Macron Tests Positive for Covid-19
Hariri Promises Macron to Seek French Initiative Success
Sawwan Pauses Interrogation into Port Blast
Protesters Rally to Press Sawwan to Continue Port Blast Probe
Rifi Reiterates Iran Sent Ammonium Nitrates after Hizbullah Lawsuit
Aoun Says 'Unified Standards' Can Resolve Govt. Formation Crisis
Army Inspects 'Hundreds' of Abandoned Containers at Beirut Port
Franjieh Distances Hizbullah from Ammonium Nitrate, Blames Aoun
Zaki: Arab League is Ready to Offer Help for Lebanon
Hariri Meets al-Rahi, Says Goal is to Form Reformist Govt.
Court Keeps Travel Ban for Pilots Charged over Ghosn Escape
Bulgaria should designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist
organization/Toby Dershowitz and Dylan Gresik/EU Reporter/December 17/2020
Titles For The
Latest
English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on
December 17-18/2020
France’s Macron has tested positive for COVID-19
New agreement needed to revive Iran nuclear deal under Biden, IAEA chief says
Iran nuclear deal members urge Tehran’s return to compliance
Putin Says Hopes to Resolve Discord with US under Biden
Turkey will not step back on S-400 missile systems despite US sanctions
Sweden Increases, Extends Regional Development Cooperation on Syria Crises
HRW Accuses Egypt of 'Collective Punishment' of Inmates
UN: At least 120 migrants intercepted off Libya’s coast
US plans new charges in 1988 Lockerbie airline bombing
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s visit to Cairo reaffirms EAU-Egypt common ground
Trump’s parting moves raise renewed concerns in Tehran
Turkey’s interference in Somalia elections triggers outcry
Gulf Countries to Meet in January, with Qatar Rift in the Spotlight
Israel Condemns EU Ritual Slaughter Ruling
Erdogan Urges Iraq to Get Rid of Insurgent Group
Italy PM Flies in as Libya Frees Sicilian Fishermen
Titles For The Latest
The Latest LCCC English analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on December 17-18/2020
Russian Hackers Target U.S. Government Agencies/RADM (Ret)
Mark Montgomery and Trevor Logan/Policy Brief-FDD/December 17/2020
CAATSA Sanctions Should Be Just First Step if Erdogan Does Not Change
Course/Bradley Bowman/Aykan Erdemir/Policy Brief-FDD/December 17/2020
Occupied Territories Bill in Ireland Is Dead on Arrival/Julia Schulman/FDD/December
17/2020
The UAE's Full-throttled Embrace of Religious Tolerance/Seth Frantzman/The
Jerusalem Post/December 17, 2020
Russian missile test shows Arctic theater is warming up/Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab
News/December 17/2020
Normalisation is an extension of Morocco’s special relationship with Jews/The
Arab Weekly/Habib Lassoued/December 17/2020
Video: ‘Turks Beheading Armenians,’ with Raymond Ibrahim/Raymond
Ibrahim/December 17/2020
Iran's Plan to Topple Arab Leaders/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone
Institute/December 17/2020
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 17-18/2020
French President Macron Tests Positive for Covid-19
Agence France Presse/December 17/2020
President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, his office
said, sending fellow European leaders as well as other top French officials into
self-isolation. He is one of several world leaders who have contracted Covid-19,
including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Donald Trump.
Macron, 42, was tested after the "onset of the first symptoms" and will now, in
accordance with national regulations, "self isolate for seven days," his office
said in a statement. "He will continue to work and carry out his activities
remotely." The result comes at a tricky time for Macron as he seeks to handle
the pandemic crisis in the own country while keeping a close eye on talks for a
Brexit trade deal and a host of other international issues. Officials emphasized
he was still working and Thursday afternoon was taking part by video in a
conference on economic development. Macron had notably attended an EU summit in
Brussels last week and also on Monday was personally present at a conference in
Paris organized by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD). The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, who was also
present in Paris for that meeting, has entered self-isolation, his spokesman
said. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who was also there, is going into
quarantine, his office said. Meanwhile, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa,
who attended a lunch with Macron in Paris on Wednesday, has gone into
self-isolation and cancelled all immediate events on his agenda, his office
said. As result of the diagnosis, a trip next week by Macron to Lebanon -- where
the president had been pressing for far-reaching political change after the
giant Beirut port explosion in August -- has been cancelled, his office said.
'Defeat pandemic together'
French Prime Minister Jean Castex will self-isolate after contact with Macron,
his office said. It said the premier shows no symptoms but will no longer be
going to the French Senate on Thursday to outline his government's vaccine
strategy to combat Covid-19. Macron's wife Brigitte will also be self-isolating
but also shows no symptoms, her office said. Parliament speaker Richard Ferrand
is also self-isolating after contact with Macron, his office said. Fellow world
leaders rushed to wish Macron a speedy recovery. "Sorry to hear my friend @EmmanuelMacron
has tested positive for coronavirus. We are all wishing you a speedy recovery,"
tweeted Johnson, who has locked horns with Macron in recent months over the
Brexit talks. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was with
Macron "with all my heart". "We are going to defeat this pandemic together," she
said on Twitter. "We will continue to work hand in hand to immunize and protect
our citizens."
- Infections still high -
Macron had repeatedly urged caution against the spread of the virus and in
public always wears a face mask covering his mouth and nose. France earlier this
week eased restrictions imposed to battle the second wave of the coronavirus but
infection rates remain high. There is still a nationwide overnight curfew from 8
pm to halt the spread of the virus while restaurants and cafes as well as
theatres and cinemas remain closed. Over 59,300 people have died in France of
coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, according to official figures. The
recording of over 17,000 new cases on Wednesday alone has also generated concern
as people shop and travel more intensely ahead of the Christmas holidays. Like
other EU states, France is pinning its hopes on a vaccine to quell the virus and
Castex said Wednesday the country will receive around 1.16 million Covid-19
vaccine doses by year end. Castex said that the start of the vaccine campaign
was conditional on approval from the European Medicines Agency, expected on
December 21. "It is only at the end of spring that we will open the vaccination
program to the entire population", he added. Von der Leyen said on Thursday that
the EU would start inoculations on December 27. Another problem for the French
authorities is that according to an opinion poll, only 53 percent of people want
to be vaccinated, among the lowest rates in the world.
Hariri Promises Macron to Seek French Initiative Success
Naharnet/December 17/2020
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on Thursday wished French President
Emmanuel Macron a speedy recovery after the latter tested positive for Covid-19.
“Best wishes for a speedy recovery to President Emmanuel Macron, the
friend of Lebanon,” Hariri said in a tweet. “We will continue to work for the
success of your initiative… despite the obstacles,” the PM-designate added.
Macron has called off a scheduled visit to Lebanon due to his virus
infection.
Sawwan Pauses Interrogation into Port Blast
Naharnet/December 17/2020
The lead investigator into the Beirut port blast, Judge Fadi Sawwan, paused for
ten days the investigation into the case following requests by the defendants to
transfer the file to a different judge. A judicial source said that two
ex-ministers charged in the case have asked authorities to move the file to a
different judge. Last week, Sawwan, probing last summer’s port explosion in
Beirut, filed charges against caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and former
Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, as well as Ghazi Zoaiter and Youssef
Fenianos, both former ministers of public works, accusing them of negligence
that led to the death of hundreds of people. The officials refused to appear
before the judge. Zoaiter and Khalil, both close to Parliament Speaker Nabih
Berri, submitted a memorandum to the Public Prosecution Office of Cassation,
requesting that the case be transferred to another judge. They accused Sawwan of
violating the constitution by claiming against two former ministers and two
deputies in Parliament. The judicial source explained that "the request was
referred to the Criminal Court of Cassation," noting that "all parties to the
case, starting from the Public Prosecution Office of Cassation, to the judicial
investigator and the Bar Association with its agency for the plaintiffs affected
by the explosion, have ten deadlines to answer this memorandum." As a result,
the source stated that Sawwan "has suspended all investigation procedures until
the Court of Cassation decides on the request to transfer the case."
Accordingly, a session scheduled for Friday to interrogate Diab was
postponed.Diab did not appear in the first session on Monday.
Protesters Rally to Press Sawwan to Continue Port Blast
Probe
Associated Press/December 17/2020
Scores of Lebanese rallied Thursday outside Judge Fadi Sawwan's house in Beirut
after he paused the probe into the Beirut port explosion for ten days.
The protesters urged Sawwan to keep up his investigation.
"Put on trial all the security officials," one banner read. Another said:
"It is our right to know who killed us." Local media also questioned the
decision to halt the probe. LBCI TV said it was unnecessary, since the law gives
Sawwan the right to continue his investigation until a court decision comes in.
Sawwan’s move comes following legal challenges to his authority by the same
senior officials he accused of negligence that led to the blast, which killed
over 200 people, injured more than 6,500 and destroyed parts of Beirut. The
legal battle has muddled the probe into what was one of the largest non-nuclear
explosions in history, in a country where a culture of impunity has prevailed
for decades. Many critics have seen it as an attempt by the political elite to
prevent setting a precedent that might bring accountability to the highest
level. Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and two
former ministers did not show up to a scheduled interrogation last week.
Then two of the accused former ministers, who are currently lawmakers in
parliament, challenged Sawwan's decision and asked the Court of Cassation to
replace him, citing "legitimate suspicion" over its legality. The judge, and the
Bar Association which represents the families, have 10 days to respond to the
challenge. The court, the highest in the country, then decides on the matter.
Most of Lebanon's political leadership and security agencies have said
they knew of the stockpile of explosive chemicals that were stored at the port
for over six years before they ignited on Aug. 4, causing the devastation. It
remains unclear what sparked the ignition and why no one moved the stockpile
from the waterfront overlooking a residential area and a cultural heartland of
Beirut.The families of the victims had welcomed the prosecutor's decision,
saying no senior official should be spared questioning.
The challenge to Sawwan's summoning is apparently rooted in disparate
interpretations over who has the authority to question ministers and heads of
governments. Sawwan initially sent a letter and documents to parliament last
month, asking lawmakers to investigate his findings. According to Lebanon's
constitution, a separate council made up of judges and politicians, set up by
parliament, is entrusted with trying ministers and premiers for crimes of high
treason, dereliction of duties, and breach of the constitution -- a body that
has never been activated by parliament. The parliament
said it found nothing that could point to professional wrongdoing.
Legal experts said Sawwan then moved, based on a ruling by the Court of
Cassation that allows him to investigate senior officials and refer them to
regular courts on criminal charges, which include negligence leading to death.
Rifi Reiterates Iran Sent Ammonium Nitrates after Hizbullah Lawsuit
Naharnet/December 17/2020
Former justice minister and ex-Internal Security Forces head Maj. Gen. Ashraf
Rifi said Thursday that he has testified before Judge Fadi Sawwan that Iran had
sent the ammonium nitrate shipment that eventually caused the August 4
catastrophic explosion at Beirut’s port. “As I said in my testimony before
Judicial Investigator Judge Fadi Sawwan, I reiterate that the ammonium nitrates
were sent to Lebanon by the Iranian revolutionary guard for the benefit of
Hizbullah,” Rifi said in a statement. The statement comes in response to a
lawsuit filed against him by the Gathering of Hizbullah’s Lawyers. The lawsuit
accuses Rifi of “incitement, stirring discord and jeopardizing civil peace” in
connection with similar accusations he made in the wake of the blast. In his
statement on Thursday, Rifi said he told Sawwan that quantities from the
ammonium nitrate shipment had been used by the Syrian regime and other
quantities had been “sent by Hizbullah to its terrorist groups in Cyprus,
Kuwait, Germany and other Arab and foreign countries.” “Security officials know
that Hizbullah controls Beirut port for smuggling and importing explosive
material, where he has established a security zone and a private customs zone,”
Rifi added. “At last Hizbullah has discovered that there is a judiciary in
Lebanon, imagining that it can subjugate it and turn it into one of its
intimidation and elimination tools,” the former minister went on to say.
Describing Hizbullah’s decision to resort to the judiciary as a good move, Rifi
noted that he had called on the party to “return to Lebanon and hand over the
convict in the crime of the assassination of martyr premier Rafik Hariri and the
suspects in the assassination attempt against minister Boutros Harb and other
crimes.”He added: “Today I call on Judge Sawwan to publish my testimony publicly
and I tell Hizbullah not to think that it has managed to limit the probe into
the crime of the century at the port to some officials who knew of the presence
of the ammonium bomb but remained silent.”“The investigation will sooner or
later reveal who brought the nitrates and who stored, protected and used them,
and it will unveil the criminal who intimidated the negligent officials and
those who remained silent out of fear or collusion,” Rifi went on to say.
Addressing Hizbullah, he added: “We have not and will not fear your
assassinations and intimidation, and the innocent martyrs and wounded of the
port will get justice and the truth shall be unveiled.”
Aoun Says 'Unified Standards' Can Resolve Govt. Formation Crisis
Naharnet/December 17/2020
President Michel Aoun on Thursday reiterated his call for the adoption of
“unified standards” regarding the line-up of the new government. “The formation
of the new government is facing some difficulties that can be resolved should
unified standards be adopted in the formation process,” Aoun told Arab League
Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki during a meeting in Baabda. He added
that such standards would enable the new government to “confront the major
challenges awaiting it due to the situations in the country.”That will also
“ensure cooperation between the executive and legislative authorities,” Aoun
went on to say. He also noted that the coming government will “carry out the
necessary reforms in parallel with a forensic audit of the accounts of the
central bank and all public institutions and administrations, in an essential
step aimed at combating corruption and preventing a repetition of the mistakes
of the past years.”
Army Inspects 'Hundreds' of Abandoned Containers at Beirut Port
Naharnet/December 17/2020
After television reports that around "600" containers at Beirut’s port have been
abandoned for years risking a replication of the August 4 explosion, the
Lebanese army and port officials began on Thursday an inspection operation to
address the issue. LBCI TV station had raised the file in a detailed report
after the Beirut port blast that was triggered by 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate
abandoned for six years at the port. In collaboration with the Customs
department and representatives of the port authorities, the military began the
operation early Thursday to address any possible danger that may result from
them. Some of the containers have been present at the port since 2005, says LBCI.
Franjieh Distances Hizbullah from Ammonium Nitrate, Blames
Aoun
Naharnet/December 17/2020
Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh on Thursday distanced his ally
Hizbullah from the ammonium nitrate shipment that exploded at Beirut port and
instead pointed the finger at President Michel Aoun and the security agencies.
“Contrary to media reports, Hizbullah had no role in the issue of the
port and the ammonium nitrate,” Franjieh said an interview with Lebanon’s MTV.
Former public works minister Youssef “Fenianos did not inform me of the
presence of the ammonium nitrate at the port and we hold the president of the
republic responsible because he is a military man who knows ammonium nitrate’s
danger,” Franjieh added. Fenianos, caretaker PM Hassan
Diab and ex-ministers Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zoaiter have recently been
charged with negligence in the probe into the port disaster.
“Why didn’t he (Aoun) tell the public works minister to remove this
material from the port?” Franjieh added. He also said that security agencies are
the main culprit in the case. “Minister Youssef Fenianos’ conscience is clear…
There is an angry public opinion and we support it and we want the truth in the
port blast case,” Franjieh added. “To fulfill justice, we must search for those
who brought the ammonium nitrate ship and those who oversaw it and stored the
ammonium nitrate in the hangar. We should also know how the fireworks were
placed with the nitrates,” Franjieh went on to say. He added: “If they want to
hold accountable political officials over the port blast file, let them summon
all premiers and ministers of justice, public works and finance.”
Zaki: Arab League is Ready to Offer Help for Lebanon
Naharnet/December 17/2020
Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki visited Beirut on Thursday
for meetings with senior officials, amid a government impasse in the
crisis-gripped country. “The Lebanese people are suffering from enormous
pressure and the aim of my visit to get acquainted and evaluate the situation in
whole,” said Zaki from Baabda where he met with President Michel Aoun. He added
that the Arab League wishes to provide help for Lebanon to be able to steer out
of the crisis. The “traditional and routine action” of the Lebanese state must
be “set aside” and substituted with serious “work that takes into account the
special situation in the country. We hope that we will help in this context to
get Lebanon out of the crisis,” said Zaki. Al-Joumhouria daily had reported
Thursday that unnamed sources accompanying the visit suggested that there might
be some Arab effort to push forward the formation of the government. Lebanese
leaders have failed for almost three months, since the designation of PM Saad
Hariri in October, to line up a government capable of steering the country out
of its crises. A French initiative urging politicians to line up a
reform-oriented government of experts in order to provide much-needed assistance
for Lebanon has so far failed. French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to
visit Beirut on December 21-23 in what reports say is his last attempt to
persuade Lebanese leaders to form a cabinet.
Lebanon is grappling with a worsening economic and financial crisis, in addition
to the repercussions of a colossal port explosion back in August, and the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Hariri Meets al-Rahi, Says Goal is to Form Reformist
Govt.
Naharnet/December 17/2020
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri held talks Wednesday in Bkirki with
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi. “I put the patriarch in the picture of the
line-up that I presented to the president, which is based on nonpartisan,
upright and competent specialists who are capable of carrying out the reforms
that have been agreed on,” said Hariri after the meeting. “I told His Eminence
that the goal is not to form just any government nor that I be its premier but
rather to stop the collapse and rebuild Beirut. This goal can only be achieved
through carrying out the reforms that have been agreed on in order to reactivate
the flow of funding towards Lebanon,” Hariri added.
He also noted that he stressed to al-Rahi his insistence on unveiling the truth
in the Beirut port explosion case. “We stress the right of all Lebanese, topped
by the victims and their families, to know the entire truth and
responsibilities. In this regard, there is no cover for anyone but rather full
respect for the constitution and laws,” Hariri added. Al-Jadeed TV meanwhile
reported that Hariri explained the obstacles delaying the formation of the new
government, especially after al-Rahi addressed Hariri by name during his latest
visit to Baabda. Hariri told the patriarch that “the problem is not a
Christian-Muslim one as it is being depicted,” al-Jadeed added.
Court Keeps Travel Ban for Pilots Charged over Ghosn
Escape
Associated Press/December 17/2020
A Turkish court hearing the case against four pilots, two flight attendants and
a private airline official accused of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. chairman
Carlos Ghosn out of Japan to Lebanon via Istanbul, on Thursday rejected a
request for the pilots' travel bans to be lifted, a lawyer said. In the second
hearing of the case, the court listened to testimony from two ground technicians
who said they saw the airline official accompanying Ghosn in Istanbul while he
left one jet and boarded the next, the state-run Anadolu Agency said. The court
then adjourned the trial until Jan. 20. The seven are accused of helping Ghosn
flee while he awaited trial in Japan. Turkish prosecutors are seeking up to
eight years in prison each for the four pilots and the airline official on
charges of illegally smuggling a "migrant." The two flight attendants face a
one-year prison term each if convicted of not reporting a crime.In the opening
trial in July, the court released the four pilots and the airline official
from custody pending the outcome of their trial, but barred them from leaving
Turkey. They were also ordered to report to authorities at regular intervals.
The flight attendants were not under custody. A lawyer representing pilot Serhat
Kahvecioglu told The Associated Press that the panel of judges rejected requests
for the pilots' travel bans to be lifted. "These people are pilots and haven't
been able to do their jobs for over a year. They have not been making any money
for a year," Mehmet Rusen Gultekin said. Gultekin said his client was not aware
of the scheme to smuggle Ghosn and expressed hope that he would be acquitted at
the next hearing. Ghosn, who was arrested over financial misconduct allegations
in Tokyo in 2018, skipped bail while awaiting trial last year. He was flown from
Osaka to Istanbul and then transferred onto another plane bound for Beirut,
where he arrived Dec. 30. He is believed to have been smuggled inside a large,
foam-covered music box. The pilots and flight attendants have denied involvement
in the plans to smuggle Ghosn or of knowing that Ghosn was aboard the flights.
The airline official, Okan Kosemen, claimed he was made aware that Ghosn was on
board the flight from Osaka to Istanbul after the plane landed. He admitted
helping smuggle Ghosn onto the second, Beirut-bound plane, but claimed he was
threatened and feared for his family's safety. Turkish airline company MNG Jet
said in January that two of its planes were used illegally in Ghosn's escape,
flying him from Osaka to Istanbul, and then to Beirut. The company said at the
time that its employee had admitted to falsifying flight records so that Ghosn's
name didn't appear on them.The indictment against the defendants notes a
216,000-euro and $66,000 increase in the airline official's bank accounts
between Oct. 16 and Dec. 26, 2019.
Bulgaria should designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a
terrorist organization
Toby Dershowitz and Dylan Gresik/EU
Reporter/December 17/2020
توبي ديرشوفيتز وديلان جريسيك /مراسل الاتحاد الأوروبي:
على بلغاريا تصنيف حزب الله بأكمله كمنظمة إرهابية
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/93763/toby-dershowitz-and-dylan-gresik-eu-reporter-bulgaria-should-designate-hezbollah-in-its-entirety-as-a-terrorist-organization-%d8%aa%d9%88%d8%a8%d9%8a-%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%b4%d9%88%d9%81%d9%8a%d8%aa//
When Mustafa Kyosov arrived at work on 18 July 2012, he did not expect it to be
his last day on the job. Originally from Yurukovo in southwestern Bulgaria,
Kyosov worked as a tour bus driver around the popular resort city of Burgas on
the Black Sea. The hardworking Bulgarian was helping Israeli tourists board his
bus at the Sarafovo airport when a bomb placed by an operative of the
Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah exploded write Toby Dershowitz and Dylan
Gresik.
Kyosov and five Israelis, including a pregnant woman, were killed, and nearly 40
others were physically injured. Many more were left psychologically wounded, as
witnesses described the blast sending body parts and blood flying through the
air.
After eight years, on 21 September, a Bulgarian court convicted two Hezbollah
operatives, Meliad Farah and Hassan El Hajj Hassan, for providing the explosives
and logistical support for the attack, sentencing them in absentia to life in
prison without parole. For Kyosov’s grieving parents, the sentences are not
enough. And it should not be enough for Bulgaria either.
“He left at the age of 36 – left his child, left his wife, and left us alone,”
said Mustafa’s mother, Salihe Kyosova, according to 24 Chasa. “Nothing will
bring him back; it doesn’t matter what the sentences are.”
Immediately after the bombing, while the Bulgarian government’s thorough
investigation determined that Hezbollah was responsible for the attack, in its
2020 trial the court did not name or indict Hezbollah . The Lebanon-based
terrorist group’s logistical and financial support of the bombers enabled it to
carry out this deadly attack on Bulgarian soil that claimed the life of a
Bulgarian citizen.
The conclusive evidence forced the European Union to acknowledge the
organization’s threat to the continent – with the EU designating the group’s
so-called “military wing” as a terrorist group in 2013. This partial
designation, which hinges on a false division of the unitary entity, left a gap
in the EU’s efforts to hold Hezbollah accountable.
While the court’s recent verdict of these two operatives is an important first
step, Bulgaria is now at a crossroads.
Bulgaria can acquiesce to intimidation by Hezbollah, as some European countries
have done, fearing retribution for sanctioning the organization. These
governments may wrongly believe that by settling for a partial designation, they
can avoid future attacks.
Or Bulgaria can take a different path. Designating Hezbollah as a terrorist
organization in its entirety – in addition to freezing its financial assets,
banning fundraising activities, and expelling its members – would help undermine
Hezbollah’s legitimacy and protect the EU’s citizens.
Since the 2012 attack, momentum to hold Hezbollah accountable has been building
throughout the world. Bulgaria, and the EU itself, have an opportunity now to
close the accountability gap.
Confronted with indisputable evidence of Hezbollah’s malign activity on its own
soil, a once-hesitant Germany recently sanctioned the group in its entirety.
Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia and Serbia have also recently banned the terrorist
group. In recent weeks, Estonia, Guatemala, and Sudan have done the same,
joining the United States, Canada, Argentina, Bahrain, Colombia, Honduras,
Israel, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Paraguay, and the United Kingdom. Worldwide,
over 15 countries – along with the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council
– have designated the entirety of Hezbollah.
The government of Bulgaria has the ability to do so as well. Its Council of
Ministers can add the entirety of Hezbollah to the sanctions list under
Bulgaria’s anti-terrorism laws.
Doing so would not only be an important measure of justice for the victims but
also for Bulgaria itself. Bulgaria’s 2016 decision to add Farah and Hassan to
its terrorism list was a step in the right direction.
In September, a US official announced that since 2012, Hezbollah has stored and
transported ammonium nitrate throughout Europe – the explosive ingredient used
in the Burgas attack. Since 2015, authorities in the UK, Germany, and Cyprus
have seized stockpiles of ammonium nitrate, reportedly intended for use by the
terrorist group.
Ammonium nitrate is the chemical compound that caused the massive August 4
explosion in Beirut, which killed nearly 200 people and caused billions of
dollars of damage. In response, the Lebanese people have spoken with their feet
and their voices: Years of fear and accommodation have given way to widespread
demonstrations to protest Hezbollah’s terrorism, corruption, and malfeasance in
Lebanon.
The time is right to reemphasize a new approach to stop Hezbollah’s malign
conduct and not allow Hezbollah to operate with impunity on European soil.
There is no compensation or sentence that can bring back Mustafa Kyosov or the
five Israeli tourists. To ensure true accountability, pursue lasting justice,
and deter future terrorist attacks on its soil, Bulgaria can, however, designate
Hezbollah in its entirety and encourage its EU partners to do the same.
*Toby Dershowitz is senior vice president for government relations and strategy
at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Dylan Gresik is a government
relations analyst. Follow them on Twitter @tobydersh and @DylanGresik. FDD is a
non-partisan think tank focusing on national security and foreign policy.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 17-18/2020
France’s Macron has tested positive for COVID-19
Reuters/December 17, 2020
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for COVID-19, the
French Presidency said on Thursday. “The President of the Republic has been
diagnosed positive for COVID-19 today,” his office said in a statement. “This
diagnosis was made following an PCR test performed at the onset of the first
symptoms.” The presidency said he would isolate for the next seven days.
Meanwhile, President Macron will cancel all his forthcoming trips, including a
scheduled visit to Lebanon, after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Macron’s Elysee
office had earlier added in a statement that Macron would self-isolate but would
continue to work and carry out duties remotely.
New agreement needed to revive Iran nuclear deal under Biden, IAEA
chief says
VIENNA: Reviving Iran’s nuclear deal under US
President-elect Joe Biden would require striking a new agreement setting out how
Iran’s breaches should be reversed, UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said.
Biden, who takes office on Jan. 20, has said the United States will rejoin the
deal “if Iran resumes strict compliance” with the agreement that imposed strict
curbs on its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of sanctions. After
President Donald Trump quit the deal and reimposed US sanctions, Iran responded
by breaching many of the deal’s restrictions. Tehran says it could quickly
reverse those steps if Washington first lifts its sanctions. In an interview
with Reuters, Grossi, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency that
polices Iran’s compliance, said there had been too many breaches for the
agreement to simply snap back into place. “I cannot imagine that they are going
simply to say, ‘We are back to square one’ because square one is no longer
there,” Grossi said at IAEA headquarters. “It is clear that there will have to
be a protocol or an agreement or an understanding or some ancillary document
which will stipulate clearly what we do,” he said. “There is more (nuclear)
material, ... there is more activity, there are more centrifuges, and more are
being announced. So what happens with all this? This is the question for them at
the political level to decide.” Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium is more
than 2.4 tons, 12 times the cap set by the deal, though still far below the more
than eight tons Iran had before signing it. Iran has been enriching uranium up
to 4.5% purity, above the deal’s 3.67% limit though below the 20% it achieved
before the deal. Iran is enriching uranium in places where it is not allowed
under the deal, such as at Fordow, a site dug into a mountain. More recently it
has started enriching with advanced centrifuges at its underground plant at
Natanz, where the deal says it can use only first-generation IR-1 machines.
“What I see is that we’re moving full circle back to December 2015,” Grossi
said, referring to the month before the deal’s restrictions were put in place,
after which large amounts of material and equipment were swiftly removed. “If
they want to do it (comply), they could do it pretty fast. But for all of those
things we had a charted course,” he said.
Iran nuclear deal members urge Tehran’s return to
compliance
AFP/December 17, 2020
BERLIN: World powers that are part of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran
have urged Tehran to roll back violations of the accord and return to full
compliance, during a virtual meeting in Vienna, a German official said.
The meeting came as the signatories to the agreement — Germany, France, Britain,
China and Russia — continue to try and keep it from collapsing after the
unilateral withdrawal of the US in 2018. The three European powers have
expressed hope that with the change of administrations in Washington, the US
could be brought back into the deal, whose goal is to prevent Iran from
developing a nuclear bomb. President-elect Joe Biden has said he hopes to return
the US to the deal, which was negotiated while he was vice president. But
complicating that, Iran is now in violation of most major restrictions set out
in the agreement, including the amount of enriched uranium it is allowed to
stockpile and the purity to which it is allowed to enrich uranium. German
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said Wednesday’s meeting of political
directors and deputy foreign ministers would assess implementation of the
nuclear accord, and that the European countries would demand Iran return to full
compliance. Iran has said it is no longer obliged to follow the restrictions,
arguing that the US first violated the agreement, known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan or Action, or JCPOA, when President Donald Trump pulled out
of the deal and imposed crippling economic sanctions on Iran. The Russian
delegate to the JCPOA, Mikhail Ulyanov, tweeted after the meeting that “the
participants confirmed their firm commitment to the nuclear deal, as well as
readiness to undertake intensive diplomatic efforts to ensure its full
implementation.”
The deal promises Iran economic incentives in exchange for curbs on its nuclear
program, but with the reinstatement of American sanctions, the other nations
have been struggling to provide Iran the assistance it seeks. Despite Iran’s
violations, the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported that Tehran
continues to give inspectors full access to its nuclear sites — a key reason the
JCPOA member nations say it is worth preserving. Delegates to Wednesday’s
meeting agreed to hold further “informal” ministerial-level talks on Dec. 21. In
another development, an independent Canadian report published this week into a
Kiev-bound passenger plane mistakenly shot down by Iran in January said Tehran
should not be allowed to investigate itself and called for changes to civil
aviation rules.
“The party responsible for the situation is investigating itself, largely in
secret. That does not inspire confidence or trust,” said the report, written by
one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former ministers, Ralph Goodale, the
government’s special counsel into the tragedy. Ukraine International Airlines
Flight 752 crashed shortly after taking off from the Iranian capital’s main
airport on Jan. 8, killing all 176 people on board, 85 of whom were Canadian
citizens or permanent residents. Iran admitted days later that its forces
accidentally shot down the plane after firing two missiles amid heightened
US-Iran tensions. “Many of the key details of this horrific event remain
unknown,” the report said, noting in particular why Iranian airspace had
remained open the night of the tragedy. “Iran bears responsibility for that
because — at least thus far — it has not conducted its investigations (safety,
criminal or otherwise) in a truly independent, objective and transparent
manner,” the report continued. In early November, the International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO) called on Iran to “expedite the accident
investigation” and publish its final findings on the crash.
Canada had said in early October that it would set up its own team of
investigators to collect and analyze available information on the crash. Goodale
called for a review of current international standards that entrust the
investigation of an aviation crash to the country where the accident occurred.
“In the case of a military shoot-down, that means the very government involved
in causing the disaster (Iran in this case) is in complete control of the safety
investigation, obvious conflicts of interest notwithstanding, with few
safeguards to ensure independence, impartiality or legitimacy,” the report said.
“This undermines the investigation’s credibility and enables a sense of impunity
in avoiding essential questions.” Trudeau welcomed the report and called on Iran
to “answer comprehensively, with supporting evidence” the questions the document
raises.
Putin Says Hopes to Resolve Discord with US under Biden
Agence France Presse/December 17/2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that he hopes the
administration of incoming US President Joe Biden will work with Russia to
resolve disagreements between their countries. Putin told reporters at his
annual end-of-year press conference that the two countries' relations had become
"hostage" to US domestic politics and said he hoped that some existing problems
"will be resolved under the new administration". "We believe the US
president-elect will sort things out because he has both domestic and foreign
policy experience," the Russian leader said.
Putin was one of the last leaders of major world countries to congratulate Biden
on winning the November US presidential elections, saying earlier this week he
was ready for "collaboration". Biden is expected to take a tougher stand against
Russia than outgoing US President Donald Trump, who he slammed during the
campaign for having "embraced so many autocrats around the world, starting with
Vladimir Putin". The Russian leader said he believes Trump is unlikely to leave
US political life after his term in office ends, saying the outgoing president
has "a large base" of support.
Putin has already won four presidential elections and recently changed the
constitution to allow him to remain president until 2036. Biden will be the
fourth US president since Putin came to power in 2000.
Turkey will not step back on S-400 missile systems despite
US sanctions
AP/December 17, 2020
ANKARA: Turkey won’t step back from its decision to deploy Russian air defense
systems despite US sanctions imposed on the country over the purchase, Turkish
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday. In an interview with Turkey’s
24 TV television, Cavusoglu also said Turkey was mulling steps it would take to
reciprocate against the US sanctions, but did not say what the steps could
entail. The US announced sanctions earlier this week over Turkey’s procurement
of Russia’s advanced S-400 system, under a US law known as CAATSA, aimed at
pushing back on Russian influence. The sanctions target Turkey’s Presidency of
Defense Industries, the head of the presidency 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.
It is the first time that CAATSA has been used to penalize a US ally. “If we
were to step back we would have done so before now,” Cavusoglu said in response
to a question on whether Turkey would cancel the S-400 deal with Russia.
Cavusoglu added: “Now we are assessing the impact of these sanctions in great
detail ... and will take steps accordingly.”The minister also described the
sanctions as “wrong both legally and politically,” arguing that Turkey’s
purchase of the Russian system in 2017 predated the CAATSA law. Cavusoglu said
that an improvement of relations between Turkey and the United States would be
conditional on President-elect Joe Biden’s ability to address Ankara’s
grievances. Ties between the two have been plagued by numerous disputes,
including the jailing of American citizens and local consular staff, US support
for Syrian Kurdish fighters considered to be terrorists by Turkey and the
continued US residence of a Muslim cleric accused of masterminding the 2016 coup
attempt in Turkey. The US had previously kicked Turkey out of its F-35 stealth
jet program, saying their use alongside the Russian technology would jeopardize
the safety of the fighter jets. Washington also says the Russian system would
not be interoperable with NATO systems.
Sweden Increases, Extends Regional Development Cooperation on Syria Crises
Naharnet/December 17/2020
The Government of Sweden on Thursday decided to amend and extend the regional
development cooperation strategy for the Syria Crisis for 2021-2023.
“This decision entails an average increase by over USD 13 million per year to
tackle the deteriorating situation for civilians inside Syria as well as for
Syrian refugees and host communities in neighboring countries, including
Lebanon,” Åsa Hjelt, the Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission at the embassies
of Sweden to Lebanon and Syria said in a statement. “It’s obvious that the
situation for civilians in Syria and Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan
continues to deteriorate. Only during the last year over a million civilians
have been forced to flee in Idlib and north east Syria, whilst neighboring
countries such as Lebanon are enduring a deep economic crisis,” the statement
added. “Today’s decision means that we strongly increase our efforts to support
the population in Syria, Syrian refugees and communities in the region that have
received them,” said Peter Eriksson, Swedish Minister for International
Development Cooperation. Today’s decision by the Swedish government means that
the total amount allocated through the Syria crisis strategy for the period
2015-2023 amounts to approximately USD 380 million. The average increase per
year during the extended period approved by the Swedish Government today will be
around 30%. Sweden’s ambassador in Lebanon and Chargé d’Affaires to Syria, Ann
Dismorr, said: “This extension of our support by three years and the annual
increase is very much welcome, not least because of the deteriorating situation
for Syrian refugees in Lebanon and the rapidly increasing poverty amongst
Lebanese host communities.”The Swedish regional strategy for the Syria crisis
aims to “contribute to strengthen the resilience of the Syrian population and
vulnerable groups in neighboring countries that have been affected by the
crisis,” the Swedish statement said.
“The strategy will continue to contribute to efforts to strengthen democracy,
gender equality and human rights in Syria and amongst Syrian refugees in
neighboring countries. With the government decision taken today, accountability
and reconciliation are added as priority areas for the period 2021-2023,” it
added.
Noting that the conflict in Syria remains one of the most horrific conflicts of
our time, the Swedish statement said a precondition for a sustainable peace in
the future is that “those who bear the responsibility for crimes are held
accountable and that their victims are given the opportunity of justice.”
“Our development cooperation will contribute to make this possible and pave the
way for future reconciliation,” said Minister Eriksson. A large part of the
strategy will be implemented by U.N. agencies, non-government organizations and
civil society in Syria and the region.
“In addition to the development cooperation channeled through this strategy,
Sweden is also one of the largest donors of humanitarian aid to the Syria crisis
in the region. Since 2011 Sweden has contributed with around USD 400 million in
humanitarian aid, of which USD 62 million during 2020,” the statement added.
HRW Accuses Egypt of 'Collective Punishment' of Inmates
Agence France Presse/December 17/2020
Human Rights Watch accused Egypt Thursday of imposing punitive conditions on
hundreds of inmates at one of its most notorious prisons in collective
punishment for a foiled September escape attempt. The New York-based watchdog
said evidence including a leaked video and a smuggled letter showed authorities
had deliberately exacerbated already poor conditions at Cairo's Scorpion Prison,
where many political prisoners are held. "Egyptian authorities are apparently
imposing collective punishment on hundreds of inmates in Scorpion Prison, " said
HRW's deputy Middle East and North Africa director, Joe Stork. The interior
ministry has said that three policemen were killed in September's abortive jail
break in which four death row inmates were shot dead. HRW said the new measures
imposed since the escape attempt almost completely "deprive inmates of adequate
ventilation, electricity, and hot water".
"Because of the absence of sufficient natural light... the lack of humane
sleeping and sanitation arrangements... as well as inadequate floor space,
artificial lighting and proper ventilation, the Scorpion Prison inherently
violates the basic rights of prisoners," it said. The prison houses Islamist
leaders and other high-profile dissidents. Since 2015, at least 14 inmates have
died in its overcrowded cell blocks, human rights groups say. Egypt holds some
60,000 detainees that human rights groups regard as political prisoners.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who as army chief led the 2013 overthrow of
elected Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, has overseen a crackdown on political
dissent that has put tens of thousands behind bars.
UN: At least 120 migrants intercepted off Libya’s coast
AP/December 17, 2020
CAIRO: More than 120 Europe-bound migrants, including eight women and 28
children, were intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea by Libya’s coast guard, the
UN migration agency said on Thursday. The International Organization for
Migration tweeted that a vessel carrying the migrants was stopped late on
Wednesday off the coast of the North African country and that the migrants were
returned to Libya. “We reiterate that Libya is not a port of safety,” the IOM
said. Safa Msehli, an IOM spokesperson in Libya, tweeted that 126 migrants from
the vessel were taken to detention centers inside Libya.
In the years since the 2011 uprising that ousted and killed longtime dictator
Muammar Qaddafi, war-torn Libya has emerged as the dominant transit point for
migrants hoping to get to Europe from Africa and the Middle East. Smugglers
often pack desperate families into ill-equipped rubber boats that stall and
founder along the perilous Central Mediterranean route. At least 20,000 people
have died in those waters since 2014, according to the IOM. In recent years, the
EU has partnered with Libya’s coast guard and other local groups to try and halt
the dangerous sea crossings. Rights groups, however, say those policies leave
migrants at the mercy of armed groups or confined in squalid detention centers
rife with abuses. Separately, a Libyan health official tweeted that three of the
four bodies retrieved out of the Mediterranean by Libyan rescue workers on
Wednesday were of Egyptian children, aged between 5 years and 8 years. Amin Al-Hashemi,
a spokesperson with the health ministry said Thursday that the children had
drowned while sailing to Europe with their parents, whose fate remains unknown.
Hashmeni’s tweet included pictures of the bodies of two boys and a girl, each
lying on the beach wrapped in blankets.
US plans new charges in 1988 Lockerbie airline bombing
AP/December 17, 2020
WASHINGTON: The Justice Department plans to unseal new charges in the coming
days in connection with the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet that exploded over
Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people, according to a person familiar with the
case. The bombing of Flight 103, whose victims included dozens of American
college students, spurred global investigations and produced sanctions against
Libya, which ultimately surrendered two intelligence officials for prosecution
before a Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands. The announcement of a
prosecution against an additional individual would carry personal significance
for Attorney General William Barr, who is leaving the position next week but
held the same job when the Justice Department nearly 30 years ago revealed
criminal charges in the US against the two Libyans. Monday is the 32nd
anniversary of the bombing. “This investigation is by no means over. It
continues unabated. We will not rest until all those responsible are brought to
justice,” Barr said at a 1991 news conference announcing the charges. “We have
no higher priority.” The head of the Justice Department’s criminal division at
the time was Robert Mueller, who went on to serve as FBI director and as special
counsel in charge of the investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016
Trump campaign. Libya refused to extradite the men to the US but ultimately
agreed to a deal to put them on trial in the Netherlands. News of the expected
criminal case was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and The New York
Times. A person familiar with the Justice Department’s plan who was not
authorized to discuss it by name confirmed it to The Associated Press on the
condition of anonymity. The New York-bound flight exploded over Lockerbie less
than an hour after takeoff from London on Dec. 21, 1988. Among the Americans on
board were 35 Syracuse University students flying home for Christmas after a
semester abroad. The attack, caused by a bomb packed into a suitcase, killed 259
people on the plane and 11 on the ground. In 1992, the UN Security Council
imposed arms sales and air travel sanctions against Libya to prod Muammar
Qaddafi, the country’s leader, into surrendering the two suspects. The sanctions
were later lifted after Libya agreed to a $2.7 billion compensation deal with
the victims’ families. One man — former Libyan intelligence official Abdel Baset
Al-Megrahi — was convicted in the Netherlands of the bombing, and a second
Libyan suspect was acquitted of all charges. Al-Megrahi was given a life
sentence, but Scottish authorities released him on humanitarian grounds in 2009
when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He later died in Tripoli.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s visit to Cairo reaffirms
EAU-Egypt common ground
The Arab Weekly/December 17/2020
CAIRO – The UAE and Egypt have announced the participation of Abu Dhabi in the
Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum as an observer, thus sending a clear signal to
their common Turkish rival, and taking an important step in one of the hottest
open rows, namely the issue of the sovereign rights to the energy resources in
the eastern Mediterranean. The announcement coincided with the visit to Cairo of
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and his meeting with Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, at a time when complex talks sponsored by the
United States, Kuwait and the Sultanate of Oman are taking place on a
reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar that will not exclude Turkey. On
Wednesday, Egypt announced that the UAE has joined the Cairo-based East
Mediterranean Gas Forum as an observer.
In a statement, the Egyptian presidency indicated that the two sides stressed
“the importance of the added value that the UAE will contribute to the
activities of the forum to serve the strategic interests and enhance cooperation
and partnership between the forum countries.”
An Arab political analyst described the UAE’s accession to the forum as a “clear
message,” that “if Turkey is in the Gulf and expanding in Yemen, then the Gulf
in turn can go to the Eastern Mediterranean.”
In a statement to The Arab Weekly, the analyst pointed out that this step shows
that Egypt and the UAE are still following the same line in their position
towards Turkey and its activities in the region, especially with regard to its
role in Libya and open hostility to Egypt and the UAE, and to its recent
manoeuvring to suggest that the hostility with Saudi Arabia is on its way to a
near end. The analyst, who wished to remain anonymous, considered that the UAE
sees in Egypt the regional counterweight to Turkey, and therefore continues to
coordinate with it at the highest level regarding the common stances in the face
of Turkish expansion and taking practical steps that show common firmness
towards Ankara and its bets on a broader calm in the Arab region about its
activities therein. He stressed that Egyptian-Emirati signals show that the
circumstantial rapprochement that occurred between Ankara and Riyadh on the
side-lines of the G20 summit will not be an entry point for reconciliation with
Turkey without Ankara revising its positions and roles in Libya, Yemen and
Qatar, and changing its hostile rhetoric first. The expansion of the EMF
alliance would increase the pressure on Turkey and send strong messages to
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the presence of regional and international
determination to stop his policy of imposing a fait accompli by continuing
exploration operations in waters belonging to other countries.
Egypt, Israel, Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Jordan launched the forum as a
multilateral intergovernmental organisation during an online ceremony hosted by
Cairo last September. France has applied to join, and the United States and
Europe have applied for observer status. According to the US Department of
Energy, the UAE has the seventh largest proven reserves of natural gas in the
world, at just under 215 trillion cubic feet. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s visit
to Cairo is seen as a reaffirmation of the solid Egyptian-Emirati partnership in
dealing with various issues in the region, including the issue of reconciliation
with Qatar, a reconciliation that Abu Dhabi believes will not take place at the
expense of Egypt and without fulfilling Cairo’s conditions, on top of which are
stopping Doha’s media campaigns and handing over the terrorist elements wanted
by the Egyptian judiciary. The UAE Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed,
had expressed his country’s welcome to what the State of Kuwait is doing to
achieve the Gulf reconciliation. “We in the UAE welcome the efforts and role of
the sisterly State of Kuwait,” Sheikh Abdullah said in a joint press conference
with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.
Anwar Gargash, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, also referred to
the role of Egypt and its strong relationship with the Gulf in the context of
his discussion of the reconciliation with Qatar, which was taken as an Emirati
pre-condition based on taking into account Egypt’s position before talking about
any reconciliation. Gargash wrote on Twitter that the UAE “reaffirms that the
Cooperation Council’s relations with sisterly Egypt are a fundamental pillar in
maintaining Arab security and regional stability.”Political sources revealed
earlier to The Arab Weekly that Cairo respects the independence of the Saudi
decision on reconciliation, but will not be affected by it, as it is a country
that defines its positions according to its national interests.
Trump’s parting moves raise renewed concerns in Tehran
The Arab Weekly/December 17/2020
TEHRAN – Tehran is bracing itself for renewed US pressure a few weeks before the
administration of President Donald Trump leaves office and as tensions rise in
the region following attacks on oil installations and maritime traffic in the
Red Sea by suspected Iranian proxies.
According to US media, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is said to have received
the green light from Trump to escalate US action against Iran, short of starting
a third world war. Such news is making Tehran increasingly anxious despite it
defiant tone and statements by senior officials attempting to convince the
public that the Islamic Republic can face up to the threats. Iranian President
Hassan Rohani said Wednesday that Iran was “very happy” with the looming
departure from office of Trump, who led a campaign of “maximum pressure” against
the Iranian regime. US President-elect Joe Biden, who defeated Trump at the
ballot box in November, has signalled a willingness to return to diplomacy with
Iran after four tense years. “Some say you are overexcited by the advent of Mr.
Biden. No, we are not, but we are very happy to see Trump leave,” Rohani said in
televised comments at a cabinet meeting. “Thank God, these are his final days,”
he added, calling Trump a “tyrant,” “the most unruly, lawless president” and a
“terrorist and murderer.” The US electoral college confirmed Biden as the next
president on Monday even as the incumbent continues to refuse to accept defeat.
The formal handover of power will take place on January 20 when Biden is sworn
in. How Trump became Iran’s top nemesis. Tensions between Tehran and Washington
soared during Trump’s presidency as the US administration sought to bring Israel
and Gulf Arab states closer together with a hard line against Iran. In 2018,
Trump pulled Washington out of a landmark nuclear deal with Tehran and reimposed
punishing unilateral sanctions. This January, Trump ordered an air strike near
Baghdad airport which killed senior Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and drew
retaliatory Iranian strikes targeting US troops in Iraq. Trump “creates
obstacles for us purchasing (COVID-19) vaccines, (that is) how much this person
is bereft of all ethical and human principles,” Rohani said. Iran is the Middle
Eastern country hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic with 52,670 deaths from
more than 1.1 million cases, according to official figures.
Vaccines and other humanitarian goods are supposed to be exempt from US
sanctions but in practice few if any banks are willing to risk processing
Iranian transactions for fear of incurring heavy penalties in US courts.
Trump’s parting moves
The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on a number of companies,
accusing them of supporting the sale of Iranian petrochemicals.
The US Treasury Department said in a statement it had blacklisted the four
entities for facilitating the export of Iranian petrochemical products by
Triliance Petrochemical Co. Ltd, which was hit with sanctions by Washington
earlier this year. Also targeted in the move was Vietnam Gas and Chemicals
Transportation Corporation over its connection with significant transactions for
the transport of petroleum products from Iran, the Treasury said. The Trump
administration has imposed sanctions nearly daily over the past several weeks,
many targeted at Iran. Analysts have said the sanctions pressuring Tehran seem
designed to complicate Biden’s path to renegotiating a nuclear deal with Iran.
“The United States will act against persons who support illicit actors engaged
in the movement of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical sales,” Treasury
Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement. The action placed sanctions on
China-based Donghai International Ship Management Ltd, China-based Petrochem
South East Limited, UAE-based Alpha Tech Trading FZE and UAE-based Petroliance
Trading FZE for providing support to Triliance Petrochemical Co Ltd. Washington
in January blacklisted Hong Kong-based Triliance Petrochemical Co Ltd and three
other petrochemical and petroleum companies that the Treasury said collectively
transferred the equivalent of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of exports
from the National Iranian Oil Company. Wednesday’s sanctions froze any US assets
of the companies and generally barred Americans from dealing with them. Foreign
financial institutions that knowingly facilitate transactions for those
blacklisted also run the risk of being hit with sanctions, the Treasury said.
Pinning hopes on Biden
Since Biden’s victory, Rohani’s government has repeatedly signalled its openness
to the incoming US administration, although the country’s supreme leader has
cautioned against hopes of an opening with the West. Rohani said the outcome of
the US election showed the American people’s desire for a “law-abiding”
president and called on the Biden administration to live up to the expectation.
“If it wants to be on the correct path, it’s there, and if it wants the wrong
one, it’s also there,” he said. In new comments on Thursday, Rohani said he was
certain the incoming US administration would return to its nuclear deal
commitments and lift crippling sanctions on his country. “I have no doubt that
the three-year resistance of the Iranian people will persuade the future
American government to return to its commitments and the sanctions will be
broken,” Rohani said.
Turkey’s interference in Somalia elections triggers outcry
The Arab Weekly/December 17/2020
MOGADISHU – Somalia’s opposition recently revealed it has written to Turkey
urging it not to send a planned shipment of weapons to a special police unit
they fear incumbent President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed could use to “hijack”
forthcoming elections. Political tensions have been high in the Horn of Africa
country, stoked by opposition anger over a delay in holding the elections for
both chambers of parliament. The polls were initially planned for this month but
that plan was scrapped following disagreements over the composition of the
electoral board. On Tuesday, opposition supporters marched in the capital
Mogadishu denouncing the president for the delay.
Weapons of coercion
In the letter addressed to Turkey’s ambassador in Somalia, opposition candidates
said they had learned Turkey was planning to deliver 1,000 G3 assault rifle and
150,000 bullets to Harma’ad, a special unit in Somalia’s police, between
December 16 and December 18. Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, chairman of the
Wadajir (unity) party and one of the candidates who jointly wrote the letter,
confirmed the authenticity of the letter. The candidates, the letter said, are
“worried about this amount of weapons … flooding the country at this sensitive
election time.”The president “has already used the Harma’ad forces for coercion
and rigging of regional elections, and so there is no doubt the same Harma’ad
forces and the weapons from Turkey will be used to hijack the upcoming
elections,” it said. There was no immediate comment from Turkish officials.
A struggle for influence
Turkey provides training to the police unit. The letter urged Ankara to delay
the delivery of weapons and ammunition until after the delayed elections have
been conducted. Somali Information Minister Osman Abukar Dube did not
immediately respond to media requests seeking comment. In recent years, Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become a close ally of the Somali government.
Ankara has built schools, hospitals and infrastructure and provided scholarships
for Somalis to study in Turkey. In 2017, Turkey opened its biggest overseas
military base in Mogadishu. However, that alliance has inserted Somalia into the
centre of a regional struggle between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
on one side and Qatar backed by Turkey on the other.
Gulf Countries to Meet in January, with Qatar Rift in the
Spotlight
Agence France Presse/December 17/2020
Kuwait on Thursday announced the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will meet
January 5 in Saudi Arabia, which has expressed its willingness to resolve a
years-long regional rift with Qatar. Regional heavyweight Riyadh is trying to
put an end to a three-year Gulf dispute that kicked off when a Saudi-led
alliance imposed an economic embargo on Qatar. In a meeting with GCC
ambassadors, Kuwait's Foreign Minister Ahmed Nasser al-Mohammed Al-Sabah
"expressed his willingness that the Gulf summit be held in Saudi Arabia on
January 5, 2021," said a statement from the ministry.
"This shows the willingness to hold regular sessions to achieve common goals,"
said the minister, whose country has acted as mediator in the crisis, insisting
on "the unity of the Gulf countries". The GCC is comprised of six member states
-- the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar.
Saudi Arabia led its allies the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt
to cut ties with Qatar in June 2017, saying it was too close to Iran and funding
radical Islamist movements -- charges Doha staunchly denies. The Saudi-led
quartet subsequently forced out Qataris residing in their countries, closed
their airspace to Qatari aircraft and sealed their borders and ports, separating
some mixed-nationality families. After severing ties,
the countries issued a list of 13 demands for Qatar, including shutting down its
broadcaster Al Jazeera and downgrading relations with Turkey.
Earlier in December, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said a
resolution of the Gulf diplomatic crisis was in sight, with all nations involved
"on board" and final agreement expected soon. Egypt and the UAE have since given
their official support to the negotiations even as, according to diplomatic
sources, Abu Dhabi is reluctant to yield to Doha, of which it has been the most
vocal critic since the crisis began. According to
various sources close to the talks, the Gulf countries may have reached a
"limited scope" agreement providing for an "interim solution" to reduce tensions
within the GCC.
Israel Condemns EU Ritual Slaughter Ruling
Agence France Presse/December 17/2020
The European Court of Justice ruled Thursday that authorities can order that
animals be stunned before slaughter in a move decried by Israel and religious
groups as attacking their traditions. The court backed a regulation imposed in
the Flemish region of Belgium banning the slaughter of livestock that have not
been stunned on animal rights grounds.The measure was seen as effectively
outlawing the Muslim halal and Jewish kosher traditions, which require livestock
to be conscious when their throats are slit. "The court concludes that the
measures contained in the decree allow a fair balance to be struck between the
importance attached to animal welfare and the freedom of Jewish and Muslim
believers to manifest their religion," the ruling said. Israel's foreign
ministry lashed out at the verdict as "sending a harsh message to all European
Jewry." "Beyond the fact that this decision harms the freedom of worship and
religion in Europe, a core value of the EU, it also signals to Jewish
communities that the Jewish way of life is unwanted in Europe," the ministry
said in a statement.An umbrella organization for Jewish groups in Belgium called
the decision a "denial of democracy" that did not respect the rights of minority
groups. "The fight continues, and we will not admit defeat until we have
exhausted all our legal remedies, which is not yet the case," Yohan Benizri,
head of the Belgian Federation of Jewish Organizations, said. Rabbi Menachem
Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association, said the ruling
represented a "sad day for European Jewry". "What a terrible message to send to
European Jewry, that you and your practices are not welcome here. This is a
basic denial of our rights as European citizens," he said in a statement. The
Muslim community in Belgium also reacted with dismay to the verdict.
The Belgian Coordination Committee of Islamic
Institutions said the decision had been a "big disappointment" and argued that
the court was pandering to populist sentiments. "The Court of Justice seems to
have given in to the growing political and societal pressure from populist
movements which are waging a symbolic struggle against vulnerable minorities
throughout Europe," the group said in a statement. But
the ruling was welcomed by the authorities and animal rights activists who had
demanded the ban, arguing that stunning animals so that they are unconscious
when they are killed is more humane. "Today is a great day... for the hundreds
of thousands of animals who, thanks to this decision, will be spared the hellish
pains of slaughter without stunning for religious purposes," said Michel
Vandenbosch, the head of animal rights group GAIA. "For me, after more than 25
years of relentless struggle... this is one of the happiest days of my life."
Erdogan Urges Iraq to Get Rid of Insurgent Group
Agence France Presse/December 17/2020
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday urged the Iraqi government to
eradicate the presence of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to keep it
from launching attacks inside Turkey. Erdogan said following talks with visiting
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi that the two countries viewed the PKK as
one of their "common enemies." The PKK, listed as a terror group by Turkey and
much of the international community, has for decades used Iraq's mountainous
areas as a springboard for its insurgency against the Turkish state. The Turkish
army regularly conducts cross-border operations and air raids on PKK bases in
northern Iraq, which has put the two neighbors' relations under strain. Turkey
says it uses its right to self-defense. "We agreed to
continue our fight against our common enemies -- Daesh, PKK and FETO terror
organizations," Erdogan told a joint televised news conference with al-Kadhimi,
who became prime minister in May. He was referring to the Islamic State (IS)
group, the Kurdish militants and a movement led by the US-based Muslim preacher
Fethullah Gulen, known in Turkey as FETO and blamed by Ankara for the 2016
failed coup attempt against Erdogan. "Our region will not reach peace unless the
head of terror is crushed," Erdogan said. "There is no place for terror in the
future of Iraq, Turkey and Syria."Al-Kadhimi said his country would not allow
any terror group to use Iraqi soil for attacks inside Turkey, and that it was
cooperating with Ankara to confront terror groups.
"Iraq has a clear stance in condemning any action threatening Turkey or using
the Iraqi territory to threaten Turkey's national security," al-Kadhimi said.
The PKK's insurgency against the Turkish state is believed to have killed tens
of thousands of people since being launched in 1984. The group's fighters have
sheltered in Iraq's mountains, where manned warplanes and ground troops have
struggled to reach them. Ankara has increasingly reverted to the use of drone
warfare to attack the PKK bases.
Italy PM Flies in as Libya Frees Sicilian Fishermen
Agence France Presse/December 17/2020
Eighteen fishermen including eight Sicilians who were held in Libya for more
than three months have been freed, Italy's prime minister and foreign minister
said Thursday after visiting Benghazi to secure their release. The plight of the
eight Italians, six Tunisians, two Indonesians and two Senegalese gripped Italy
since they were seized on September 1 by the forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa
Haftar, who controls Benghazi. "Our fishermen are free," Foreign Minister Luigi
Di Maio posted on Facebook, alongside a picture of the men held for 108 days for
allegedly fishing in Libyan territorial waters.
"In a few hours they will be able to hug their families and loved ones."Di Maio
said he and premier Giuseppe Conte had met with Haftar, who is waging war
against the U.N.-recognized government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in the
west as part of the North African country's conflict. "The government continues
to firmly support the stabilization process in Libya. This is what Prime
Minister Giuseppe Conte and I reiterated to Haftar today during our talks in
Benghazi," he said. Conte tweeted a picture of the men with the comment "Have a
good trip home". A spokesman for Haftar's forces in
Libya told AFP the men had been found in Libyan territorial waters and released
following an investigation by the military prosecutor."For humanitarian
reasons.. and given that the legal issues were resolved, General Khalifa Haftar...
decided to release them today," he said. So happy In
the Italians' hometown of Mazara del Vallo in Sicily, there were cheers, hugs
and tears of joy among relatives and friends who gathered in the local council
chamber to hear the news. "The fishermen have already spoken with their families
and are on board their two fishing boats, Antartide and Medinea," which had also
been seized, local mayor Salvatore Quinci said. He reported one of the fishermen
telling his wife: "I have to leave you now and end the phone call, because I
have to start the boat's engine.""I'm so happy. I have no words to express the
joy I feel and the happiness of thinking that he will soon be able to hug him
again," the daughter of one of the men, who was not named, told the ANSA news
agency. The fishermen of Mazara del Vallo have for generations relied on
Mediterranean waters north of Libya for their livelihoods but see their futures
increasingly threatened. As fish stocks have dwindled and trawler capabilities
improved, their boats have sailed further from port and into waters over which
Libya has claimed sovereignty. The area is a fishing ground for the gambero
rosso, or red prawn, a crustacean prized by gourmet chefs.
It has seen numerous clashes, intensifying in 2005 when Libya's then
leader Moammar Gadhafi proclaimed that its protected fishing zone extended 74
nautical miles from the coast, in defiance of international standards. Italian
media had reported that Haftar wanted to trade the jailed fishermen for four
Libyans arrested in 2015 in Italy and sentenced to 30 years in prison for human
trafficking. Di Maio insisted Italy will not be blackmailed.
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Russian Hackers Target U.S. Government Agencies
RADM (Ret) Mark Montgomery and Trevor Logan/Policy Brief-FDD/December 17/2020
Multiple news reports from this past weekend indicate that hackers working for
Russian intelligence breached networks and monitored email traffic at a number
of U.S. federal agencies – including the Treasury Department, the Commerce
Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the
State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – as well as
numerous businesses and the cybersecurity firm FireEye. The massive scope of the
breach reflects the scale of the cybersecurity challenges facing the incoming
administration.
Investigators uncovered the campaign, which dates at least to the spring of
2020, while investigating a hack of FireEye’s systems. After publicly
acknowledging the breach, FireEye reportedly shared information on the hack with
Microsoft and the National Security Agency (NSA) in order to determine how the
hackers accessed FireEye’s network. An analysis of the data revealed that the
hackers compromised SolarWinds’ Orion software, a network-management service.
Identifying the software that the hackers exploited allowed the U.S. government
to recognize the full scope of the campaign’s impact. SolarWinds claims that
over 300,000 customers use its services worldwide, including all branches of the
U.S. military, the Pentagon, the NSA, and NATO. This makes the Russian breach
particularly devastating, and it may be that the compromise was limited only by
the capacity of the adversary to process pilfered data.
Fortunately, a number of cybersecurity provisions in this year’s National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will help address some of the factors that
contributed to the success of the Russian hack. For example, Section 1705 of the
NDAA grants DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) the
authority to conduct threat hunting on federal networks, which would help to
expedite remediation efforts while actively looking for vulnerabilities.
Another NDAA provision, Section 1715, establishes a joint cyber planning office
in DHS to facilitate comprehensive planning of defensive cyber campaigns across
the federal government. Such an office could have played a significant role in
the response and remediation efforts following the SolarWinds breach.
The Biden administration should also fast-track the establishment of the
national cyber director (NCD) position and supporting staff within the Executive
Office of the President as one of the administration’s first actions upon taking
office in January. Established by Section 1752 of the NDAA, the NCD will serve
as the principal advisor to the president on cybersecurity matters and will lead
the response efforts across the federal government to an incident such as this
hack. The NCD will also oversee cybersecurity coordination with the private
sector as well as state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to ensure
the uniformity of the U.S. response in cyberspace.
Finally, with an NCD in office, the United States will be better positioned to
assess the scope of a hacking campaign and rapidly attribute its source. The NCD
will be able to coordinate with the National Security Council to send a clear
response back to the foreign government involved that Washington will not
tolerate such attacks.
Even though the U.S. presidential inauguration is still weeks away, the fallout
from the Russian hacking campaign will undoubtedly be one of the first
challenges that the Biden administration’s cyber team will need to tackle. It
will likely also be left to the incoming administration to determine how to hold
Russia to account for its actions. By appointing an NCD and strengthening CISA,
the Biden administration can send a resolute message to Moscow that Washington
is ready to fight back from more secure networks.
*Mark Montgomery is senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology
Innovation (CCTI) at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD)
*Trevor Logan is a cyber research analyst. For more analysis from Mark, Trevor,
and CCTI, please subscribe HERE. Follow Mark and Trevor on Twitter @MarkCMontgomery
and @TrevorLoganFDD. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD and @FDD_CCTI. FDD is a
Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national
security and foreign policy.
CAATSA Sanctions Should Be Just First Step if Erdogan Does
Not Change Course
Bradley Bowman/Aykan Erdemir/Policy Brief-FDD/December 17/2020
The United States imposed sanctions on Monday on NATO ally Turkey for its
purchase of the S-400 air defense system from Russia. These long-overdue
sanctions not only impose necessary costs on the government of Islamist
strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but also send a clear message to other potential
customers of Russian military hardware.
The Trump administration imposed the sanctions pursuant to Section 231 of the
Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which targets
significant transactions with the Russian defense or intelligence sectors.
The sanctions announced this week include a ban on U.S. export licenses against
Turkey’s defense procurement agency, the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB).
The sanctions also impose visa restrictions and an asset freeze on four of SSB’s
principal executive officers, including its president, Ismail Demir.
Although the sanctions do not target Turkey’s financial sector, global investors
wary of Turkey’s increased political risk are likely to continue their ongoing
exodus from Turkish bonds and equities.
This U.S. action marks the first time Washington has imposed CAATSA sanctions
against a NATO member state. Yet Ankara, by purchasing an air defense system
from the leading threat to the alliance, has hardly been acting like a NATO
ally.
Turkey signed the S-400 deal with Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main arms export
entity, in September 2017 and received the first two batteries in July and
September of 2019. On October 16, 2020, despite repeated requests and warnings
from Washington, Turkey conducted a live-fire test, showing remarkable disregard
for the concerns of Washington and Brussels.
Turkey’s procurement of the S-400 almost resulted in the co-location of the
system with F-35 aircraft that Ankara was set to acquire from the United States,
potentially enabling Russia and other adversaries to gain valuable intelligence
helpful for shooting down F-35s flown by Americans and their allies. To prevent
this from happening, the United States canceled the training of Turkish F-35
pilots in June 2019 and removed Ankara from the F-35 program one month later.
Ankara’s acquisition of the S-400 also creates serious problems related to the
integration of Turkey into NATO air defense systems – potentially resulting in
fratricide against NATO pilots.
Turkey was once a pro-Western bulwark on NATO’s southeastern flank. But under
Erdogan’s leadership, Turkey has drifted away from the alliance toward Moscow,
increasingly undermining regional stability and the interests of the United
States and NATO.
Ankara’s purchase of the S-400 is just one part of this larger troubling trend.
As described in a major new report by FDD’s Center on Military and Political
Power, Ankara has also engaged in “gunboat diplomacy to challenge maritime
borders, proxy warfare in Libya, weaponization of migrants, [and] patronage of
the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.”
Accordingly, there is growing bipartisan frustration with Turkey in Washington.
Congressional leaders ensured the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2021 Conference Report included a provision requiring the imposition of
CAATSA sanctions on Turkey. After the Senate and House of Representatives passed
the bill with veto-proof majorities, President Donald Trump acted on Monday to
impose the sanctions.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated on the same day that this move “sends a
clear signal that the United States will fully implement CAATSA” and “will not
tolerate significant transactions with Russia’s defense and intelligence
sectors.”
That is a message likely to spark widespread attention, including in Saudi
Arabia, Qatar, and India – three countries either considering or procuring the
S-400.
One hopes that the sanctions will encourage Ankara to reconsider its current
course and once again become a NATO member in good standing. If not, Washington
should take additional steps to raise the costs of Erdogan’s actions.
*Bradley Bowman is senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power
(CMPP) at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).
*Aykan Erdemir is a former member of the Turkish parliament and senior director
of the Turkey Program at FDD. For more analysis from Bradley, Aykan, CMPP, and
the Turkey Program, please subscribe HERE. Follow Bradley and Aykan on Twitter @Brad_L_Bowman
and @aykan_erdemir. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD and @FDD_CMPP. FDD is a
Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national
security and foreign policy.
Occupied Territories Bill in Ireland Is Dead on Arrival
Julia Schulman/FDD/December 17/2020
Amid a COVID-19-induced economic recession, Irish independent Senator Frances
Black has revived a draft law targeting Israel after a previous failed attempt.
The Occupied Territories Bill, if enacted, could have disastrous consequences
for U.S. economic relations with Ireland – and Ireland itself.
The Occupied Territories Bill seeks to criminalize trade in goods and services
produced in Israeli settlements. When the bill was initially introduced in
January 2018, it triggered a sharp denouncement from the Irish government and
U.S. policymakers.
During the 32nd session of the Irish parliament, which was dissolved in January
2020, the bill reached the seventh of 10 steps toward becoming law. Unpassed
bills typically lapse at the end of Ireland’s parliamentary session and must
begin the process anew in the subsequent session. However, Black succeeded in
now having the bill reinstated at the same stage during the 33rd session.
If enacted, the bill could force U.S. companies with an Irish division or
subsidiary to choose between one of two costly options: violate Irish law by
continuing to do business with companies and persons in Israeli settlements, or
violate U.S. law by participating in a foreign boycott not endorsed by the U.S.
government. Major U.S. companies, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, and
Facebook, employ over 155,000 people in Ireland. All four of these corporations
have substantial research and development centers in Israel. Not only would
these and other U.S. companies risk running afoul of U.S. federal law
prohibiting compliance with an unsanctioned boycott, they would also be
violating nearly two dozen U.S. state laws that prohibit unauthorized boycotts
against Israel.
The bill has already received sharp criticism from officials of Ireland’s two
leading political parties, as well as bipartisan criticism from the U.S.
Congress. Earlier this year, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin of Ireland’s
Fianna Fail party asserted that the bill would violate EU trade regulations by
undermining the European Union’s exclusive right to determine trade policy for
its member states.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney of the Fine Gael party has made similar
assertions. In addition, Irish Attorney General Séamus Woulfe weighed in that
the bill would be “impractical” to enforce.
In a 2019 letter to the Irish prime minister, then-House Foreign Affairs
Committee Chairman Eliot Engel and Ranking Member Michael McCaul warned that
“passage of this law could have broader consequences, such as making American
companies choose between violating Irish law or U.S. Export Administration
Regulations.”
In addition to the bill’s problematic substance, the timing of the bill’s
reintroduction is surprising. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an economic
recession in Ireland. Like most countries, Ireland will face many challenges in
reviving its downtrodden economy, but it is better positioned than most European
countries due to the presence of multinational corporations. The revenue Ireland
earns from major U.S. companies will be critical to its recovery. The bill, if
enacted, would inevitably strain U.S.-Irish economic relations and compromise
Ireland’s economic recovery.
Black’s efforts also run counter to recent regional developments. The Abraham
Accords between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain inspired a series
of other normalization agreements between Israel and countries in the Middle
East and South Asia. According to Israel’s Ministry of Economy, the
normalization ties could be worth up to $500 million in bilateral trade and
investment between Israel and its new partners. As more Arab states commit to
shared prosperity, Black’s bill could alienate Ireland from future business
deals.
The incoming Biden administration has expressed its support for normalization in
the Middle East, signaling its commitment to build on recent successes. The
proposed legislation would put Ireland at odds with the United States and other
countries working to advance peace in the Middle East. In all likelihood,
however, the Irish majority government will not allow the legislation to move
forward, thereby safeguarding U.S.-Irish economic ties.
*Julia Schulman is senior director of special projects at the Foundation for
Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Julia and FDD, please
subscribe HERE. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based,
nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
The UAE's Full-throttled Embrace of Religious Tolerance
Seth Frantzman/The Jerusalem Post/December 17, 2020
Originally published under the title "The UAE's Historic Embrace of Hanukkah Is
Part of a Process."
Emiratis in Dubai pose with Israeli tourists in front of a giant menorah on
display at Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, for all eight nights of
Hanukkah.
The extraordinary scenes in Dubai that included Hanukkah celebrations are part
of a historic and unprecedented process of embracing tolerance, coexistence and
peace by the United Arab Emirates.
It is happening simultaneously with a unique bursting forth of ties between
Israel and the Emirates, and comes as flights began from Tel Aviv to Dubai, all
of it years in the making.
The UAE has been embracing a unique kind of tolerance that has translated into
actions – not just the kind of talk of "diversity" one gets in the US or Europe,
where Jews have to go to synagogue surrounded by security and armed guards and
where graveyards are frequently vandalized with swastikas.
Religious tolerance has become a national ethos in the UAE.
Last year was proclaimed as a year of tolerance in the UAE. This has been a
process over the last decade that has seen a national ethos emerge, which
supports visible displays from numerous religions.
Visibility is important. It's one thing to talk about diversity, but having
giant Christmas trees in hotel lobbies and Santas in the mall – and Hanukkah
celebrations below the massive Burj Khalifa, a new Hindu temple and modern
mosque architecture – is all part of an openness to true interfaith tolerance.
Foundation work for the UAE's first Hindu temple began in February 2020.
This support for real, visible tolerance is unique in the Middle East. Over the
last decades there has been growing sectarianism in some countries, along with
massacres and terror. In Europe, there are frequently attacks on Jews and
synagogues. The UAE has sought to change the narrative by speaking consistently
and openly about coexistence – and including Jews in those discussions.
For instance, on November 11 the UAE embassy in the US emphasized that the
country had unveiled plans last year for an Abrahamic Family House: an
interfaith complex for inclusion. This went along with tweets by officials about
how much pride the Emirates takes in efforts toward tolerance as a national
policy.
With imagery and descriptions of the new Abrahamic House – and noting that the
country has 200 nationalities and many faiths – the videos put out by the
government show messages to people around the region about how Jews, Muslims,
Christians and people of other faiths are coming together.
This year's Christmas tree at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi was
decorated with ornaments reportedly worth $11 million.
My experience in the UAE last week and in 2015, when I attended the Emirates
Literature Festival, shows how much the country has moved forward on these
plans, putting them into action.
The Hanukkah celebrations last week that began on Thursday were just one part of
this. Israel's displays at the GITEX tech confab were part of it, as was the
virtual tour of the Crossroads of Civilizations Museum with Israel's culture
minister on December 2 and the event there with Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori on
December 6.
The first weeks of December are a historic turning point on a path that was
launched with the year of tolerance in 2019 along with the moves the UAE has
made over the last few years on peace and coexistence.
In this region messages are important. Showing government support for different
religions and having Hanukkah celebrated in a central space, as it was last
week, shows the 200 nationalities in the UAE that Jews are embraced.
Elli's Kosher Kitchen in Dubai is doing brisk business.
Jews have visited and resided in the UAE in the past, but obtaining kosher food
was difficult. Now there are kosher caterers, and hotels will have kosher food.
In May, reports about Elli's Kosher Kitchen made huge headlines. Now there are
new stories every day about initiatives for coexistence that include Jews, as
well as a push to include more information about Jews and Judaism in everyday
activities.
In discussions with numerous people involving these symbols and statements,
videos showing rabbis with Jews at prayer with tefillin have been mentioned as
examples of rapid change over the past year.
People say that although the changes seem fast, their overall foundation is the
year of tolerance and the last decade of conscious national decisions to embark
on this path.
It is a path that is being gingerly embraced by other countries. Whether it is
renovations of synagogues in Lebanon or Egypt, or more interest in Jewish
history in Iraq and even Sudan, the discussion is happening.
But in many countries it is happening more quietly. The new peace deals with
Morocco and Bahrain provide wind in the sails for this coexistence. For
instance, the "happy Hanukkah" greetings that are flowing from the Gulf, such as
from organizations like the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence in
Bahrain, all anchor this new support for including Jews in national discussions.
On the one hand this should be normal: Jews should be embraced. But on the other
hand, decades of toxic rhetoric in the region and the way Iran and its
extremists made hatred a normal aspect of daily life – as well as the way groups
linked to the Muslim Brotherhood push anti-Jewish views openly, including
constant conspiracies – poisoned the minds of generations.
It will take decades to change that. What has begun in the UAE over the last
week is part of the process – and it has burst forth with intense energy.
**Seth Frantzman is a Ginsburg-Milstein Writing Fellow at the Middle East Forum
and senior Middle East correspondent at The Jerusalem Post.
Russian missile test shows Arctic theater is warming up
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/December 17/2020
Circumpolar politics over Arctic resources are beginning to take shape.
Countries circling the shrinking Arctic ice mass are seeing potential strategic
and economic opportunities, while security factors are also in play. Russia
covers a large stretch of this pole, using part of the Arctic for the testing of
ballistic missile systems. The logistics network developing in the far north of
Russia is going to be highly securitized.
Over the past year, Moscow has shown its missile prowess by using the Arctic as
a firing range. On Saturday, a Russian nuclear submarine successfully test-fired
four intercontinental ballistic missiles in a show of Russia’s military
readiness amid tensions with the US during the presidential transition.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the Vladimir Monomakh submarine of the Pacific
Fleet launched four Bulava missiles in quick succession from an underwater
position in the Sea of Okhotsk. Their dummy warheads hit their designated
targets on the Chiza shooting range in the Arkhangelsk region in northwestern
Russia, more than 5,500 km away.
Last month, Russia also successfully test-fired a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise
missile in the Arctic. The Defense Ministry said the frigate Admiral Gorshkov
fired a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile from the White Sea, hitting a naval
target 450 km away in the Barents Sea at a speed of over Mach 8. In early
January, the same frigate test-fired a Tsirkon missile for the first time,
striking a ground target more than 500 km away.
Clearly, Russia’s use of the Arctic for shooting missiles in such a manner
raises issues regarding the region’s security and shipping. Testing and other
security exercises throughout the Arctic region mean that the logistical network
growing along this circumpolar area is increasingly becoming a center of focus.
To be sure, logistics and climate change are sailing hand in hand in the Arctic
right now. The logistical openings in the circumpolar north are due to climate
change. Experts predict that a significant part of the Arctic Ocean will soon
melt, which will facilitate the extraction of natural resources from the sea
bottom and reduce global transportation costs. The Arctic route is emerging as a
key choke point, similar to the Suez Canal. Geopolitically, the Arctic’s future
will even impact Gulf interests.
Russia’s use of the Arctic for shooting missiles in such a manner raises issues
regarding the region’s security and shipping.
From a security and economic perspective, nations across the world are hurrying
to stake claims to the resources in the Arctic, which might be home to 16
percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and 35 percent of its untapped natural
gas. There are also emerging fisheries and hidden minerals. Cargo traffic on the
Northern Sea Route, one of two shortcuts across the top of the Earth in summer,
is on the rise.
Given its investment to the tune of tens of billions of dollars in its northern
infrastructure, Russia is the dominant actor in the Arctic region. It wants the
Northern Sea Route to be under its watch and guidance. That aspect presents a
challenge to the next US administration, as well as Europe and Canada.
Russia sees that year-round navigation of the Arctic presents opportunities for
maritime commerce, but also for struggles over those routes. This gives Russia,
the country with the longest maritime Arctic border, an advantage in providing
shipping and collecting passage and customs fees as the Arctic becomes suitable
for navigation, including thanks to an icebreaker fleet. Russia is growing its
security presence in the far north in key cities around the White Sea and
further along its border to support its power projection capabilities across the
Arctic, including over the maritime sea lanes.
However, China should not be left out of the equation of either the use of the
Arctic route for shipping or contributing to the security environment that may
challenge Russia. When Russia fires missiles, they are also a message to China,
as Beijing wants to be part of any Arctic opening. The Chinese theorize about
how the Arctic belongs to all the people around the world, as no nation has
sovereignty over it.
Research shows that about 88 to 95 percent of resources in the Arctic fall
within one of the five Arctic Ocean coastal states’ Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs),
and China is unlikely to challenge the provision within the UN Convention on the
Law of the Sea that creates these EEZs. This fact, coupled with Chinese
companies’ lack of Arctic expertise, suggests that China will partner with the
Arctic nations in resource extraction, rather than act alone. But Beijing can
learn fast and, given the country’s maritime ambitions, there is reason to
believe it will have greater access in the future.
All of the above activity, coupled with climate change, presents geopolitical
and geoeconomic challenges. This theater is not new, but it is going to get
hotter.
*Dr. Theodore Karasik is a senior adviser to Gulf State Analytics in Washington,
D.C. He is a former RAND Corporation senior political scientist who lived in the
UAE for 10 years, focusing on security issues. Twitter: @tkarasik
Normalisation is an extension of Morocco’s special
relationship with Jews
The Arab Weekly/Habib Lassoued/December 17/2020
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita was simply stating a historical fact
when he declared to Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot that “Morocco has an
important history with the Jewish community … a special history in the Arab
world. King Mohammed VI and the previous kings, including King Hassan II,
respected Morocco’s Jews and protected them, and relations between Morocco and
the Jews were distinguished and cannot be found in any other Arab country.”
Bourita’s statement is confirmed by the historical account reported by the
Israeli rabbi of Moroccan origin Shlomo Miara in his book “Kings of Virtue and
Mercy,” in which he conveyed to the world the way Morocco has dealt with the
Jewish community. He described examples of coexistence between Moroccan Muslims
and Jewish citizens that he said were not simply the result of the law of the
land, but rather the result of an internal decision stemming from the nature of
the Moroccan personality, which embraced the Jewish presence three thousand
years ago. Miyara wrote that, like all other Jews of the Maghreb, Moroccan Jews
have “their bodies in Israel and their hearts in in Morocco.”
While King Mohammed VI stressed that his country’s position on the Palestinian
issue is consistent and has not changed, and that it supports a solution based
on two states living side by side in peace and security, observers believe that
the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel could open
the path to peace due to the symbolic importance of Rabat among Israeli Jews of
Moroccan origin and who occupy important decision-making positions in the
political, security and strategic ladder in Israel.
Historical roots
Last Thursday, Moroccan King Mohammed VI announced in a statement his country’s
intention to facilitate direct flights to and from Morocco for Jews of Moroccan
origin and Israeli tourists. This announcement came shortly after the United
States announced that an agreement had been reached between Israel and Morocco
to normalise relations, making Morocco the fourth Arab country to recently put
aside hostility to Israel.
This step was not only in line with the US’s strategy to solve the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but gave a strong impetus to Rabat to highlight
its role in achieving peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Jews in the
country over the course of successive centuries. Miyara based his book on
research of more than 40,000 documents, including photos, letters and
testimonies in Hebrew, French and Arabic that chronicled the role of the Sultans
of Morocco in providing protection to the Jews and spreading a culture of of
peace and coexistence between them and Muslims in Morocco. The author offered a
copy of his book to King Mohammed VI during his visit last January to the House
of Memory in the city of Essaouira in Morocco.
The House of Memory is a Jewish museum established as part of a royal initiative
to document Jewish heritage and restore historic Jewish cemeteries or
neighbourhoods, in line with the provisions of the amended Moroccan constitution
of 2011 which attests that the Hebrew component is part of the tributaries of
the national identity.
Andre Azoulay, advisor to King Mohammed VI and founding president of the
Essaouira-Mogador Association, affirmed that the House of Memory, or Dar al-Dhakira
in Arabic, “bears witness to a period in which Islam and Judaism lived side by
side in exceptional closeness and harmony. We wanted to investigate our heritage
and protect what used to be the manifestations of the art of coexistence within
the framework of mutual respect.”
Moroccan Jews and Jews of Moroccan origin regard the Alawite kings of Morocco
with great respect, among them the late King Mohammed V, who took a brave stance
against the laws of the Vichy government and whose gesture helped save the lives
of about 250,000 Moroccan Jews from the persecution and barbarism of Nazi
Germany.
French writer Guillaume Jobin affirmed that King Mohammed V always stood firm
against the anti-Semitic and racist laws that the Vichy regime, then dominated
by the Nazi occupation of France, sought to apply in Morocco during the
colonisation era. The late king rejected all forms of discrimination among his
subjects, regardless of their creed or religion. Morocco’s heritage of religious
tolerance was reinforced by a partnership agreement concluded last November
between the Moroccan Ministry of Education, the Centre for Studies and Research
on Hebrew Law and the Essaouira-Mogador Association aimed at promoting values
of tolerance and coexistence in Moroccan schools and universities. Last July,
Sam Ben Chetrit, president of the World Federation of Moroccan Jewry, sent a
letter to the Israeli Ministry of Social Equality asking it to stop its attempts
to extort money from Morocco under the pretext of “expelling Jews and keeping
their property.” Ben Chetrit said that such allegations are incorrect.
An important engine for peace
Many observers believe that Moroccan Jews can play a major role in establishing
peace in the Middle East, especially if they are persuaded of this role, like
Jews of other Arab countries who have become an important component in Israel,
and reunite with the cultures of their countries of origin.
At least 50,000 Jews visited Morocco last year. This number is likely to double
several times after the opening of direct flight routes between Morocco and
Israel.
Following Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s announcement of an
agreement to establish diplomatic relations between Israel and the Morocco,
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz welcomed the move, saying it was “an
opportunity to cement a relationship that has existed for many years, and a rich
historical and glorious partnership between the two peoples, which will now be
official.”
Although there are only about 4,000 Jews still living in Morocco, 3,000 of whom
are in Casablanca alone, Jews of Moroccan descent who have immigrated to other
countries such as France, Canada, the United States and Spain are still
culturally, spiritually and socially close to Morocco.
There are currently about 1 million Jews of Moroccan origin inside Israel — one
out of every nine Israelis, according to some statistics — and they are among
the most active in Israel’s political scene. A third of the members of the
Israeli government are of Moroccan origin.
Among them is Interior Minister Aryeh Makhlouf Deri, who heads the Shas Party.
He was born in the Moroccan city of Meknes. “We, who were born in Morocco, we
and the people of Morocco from around the world, have been waiting for this
day,” he commented following the agreement announcement.
Meirav Cohen, a member of the Knesset for the Blue and White Party, was born in
Jerusalem to Moroccan parents. She serves as minister for social equality in
Netanyahu’s government. The current Minister of Transport and Road Safety Miri
Regev’s father was an immigrant from Morocco. She wrote on Twitter, “Generations
of Moroccan Jews have dreamed of peace with the country where they were born and
where our cultural roots are planted.”
*Habib Lassoued is a Tunisian writer.
Video: ‘Turks Beheading Armenians,’ with Raymond Ibrahim
Raymond Ibrahim/December 17/2020
https://www.raymondibrahim.com/2020/12/17/video-turks-beheading-armenians-with-raymond-ibrahim/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQtrqOYATNE&has_verified=1&bpctr=1608237230
In “Turks Beheading Armenians,” Church Militant interviews me about atrocities
committed against the Armenian civilian population, including a recent video of
an elderly Armenian man having his throat carved at with a knife (image above).
Below is the video and transcript by CM’s Trey Blanton:
TRANSCRIPT
Armenians are being brutalized, and on Dec. 11, Azerbaijan attacked Armenian
territory where Russian peacekeepers were not present.
Russia has acknowledged a violation of the cease-fire occurred but did not
elaborate on how the nation would respond.
As Church Militant recently reported, the Armenians lost territory to their
jihadist neighbors before agreeing to a cease-fire enforced by Russia.
Prior to violating the so-called peace agreement, the Turkish Muslims of
Azerbaijan did as Muhammad commanded in beheading Christians.
A warning — the next video is violent in nature.
Scholar on Islam Raymond Ibrahim:
So basically, that video shows everything you need to know about the Islamic
jihadist mentality. If this is just a regular Azerbaijani soldier in camouflage
with no religious undertones, why does he have to carve his head off the same
way that ISIS does, in the same way, tracing all the way back to Muhammad, how
he did also all these various tribes, Jewish tribes and so forth. So this is a
reflection once again of the Islamic impetus behind this, the jihadist
mentality, and sadly, the Armenians have been bearing the brunt of this for well
over 1,000 years now.
A report released last week by International Christian Concern confirms the need
to question NATO-member Turkey’s facilitation of war crimes by their puppets in
Azerbaijan.
Recep Erdoğan, president of Turkey, and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan met last week
to celebrate their victory and make pledges for the future.
President Erdoğan: “If the people of Armenia learn their lessons from what
happened in Karabakh, this will be the start of a new era in the region.”
If the Armenians don’t bend to their will, President Aliyev declares,
“Azerbaijan will once again break their back with its iron fist.”
Azerbaijan has accused Armenia of violating the peace deal first, but observers
note the only provocation Muslims need to attack Armenians is their continued
existence.
Azerbaijan is rich in oil, which the United Kingdom and Israel pay for in the
billions. Is that, alone, sufficient for the Turks of Azerbaijan and Turkey to
continue their genocide of the Armenians?
What are Catholics in the West doing to stop these atrocities and demand basic
human rights for Armenians in their historic lands?
Iran's Plan to Topple Arab Leaders
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/December 17/2020
خالد أبو طعمة/معهد كايتستون: مخطط إيران
هو الإطاحة بكل القادة العرب
Hamas's call on Moroccans to revolt against their leaders contradicts its own
declared policy that it does not intervene in the internal affairs of the Arab
countries. "Hamas does not meddle in the internal affairs of Arab and Muslim
countries," said senior Hamas official Salah Bardaweel. If true, why is Hamas
denouncing Morocco's decision to establish relations with Israel?
Showing Hamas's hypocrisy out in the sunlight, Hamas maintains continuous
communication with Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with
Israel. Just last week, Egyptian intelligence officials again visited the Gaza
Strip....
Hamas would not dare to fire one rocket or bullet toward Egypt. Evidently, Hamas
leaders know that the moment they attack Egypt, they and the entire Gaza Strip
would pay a heavy price, most likely by having a huge military offensive
launched against the Islamist movement.
These Arabs say that they hope to see the new US administration endorse a tough
policy toward Iran and not send a message of weakness to the mullahs. Any
attempt to appease Iran or ease the sanctions on it will only embolden the
mullahs and increase their appetite to instigate coups to overthrow various Arab
countries.
Islamists are calling on the Moroccan people to revolt against their government
and King Mohammed VI. This call shows that the Islamists have shifted from
rhetorical attacks on Arabs who establish relations with Israel to calls to
violence against the Arab rulers and governments. Pictured in foreground: King
Mohammed VI of Morocco.
Iran's Islamist proxies in the Arab world have resurfaced to condemn last week's
normalization agreement between Israel and Morocco just as they did with similar
accords reached in the past few months with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain
and Sudan.
As usual, the Islamists and their patrons in Tehran, who seek the elimination of
Israel, are using texts from the Koran and sayings attributed to the prophet
Mohammed to justify their opposition to the normalization of relations between
Arabs and Israel.
After the Israel-Morocco deal, however, the Islamists have stepped up their
campaign of incitement against Arabs who want to make peace with Israel.
Now, the Islamists are calling on the Moroccan people to revolt against their
government and King Mohammed VI. This call shows that the Islamists have shifted
from rhetorical attacks on Arabs who establish relations with Israel to calls to
violence against the Arab rulers and governments. By urging the Moroccans to
"resist" the normalization agreement, Iran's proxies are sending a message to
the people of Morocco to topple their "treacherous" regime by using all
available methods, including terrorism.
The Iranians were among the first Muslims to condemn the Israel-Morocco
agreement, paving the way for their proxies to follow suit by urging Moroccans
to rise against their regime.
Morocco's normalization of relations with Israel was a "betrayal" and a "stab in
the back" of the Palestinians, said Hossein Amir-Abdollahanian, an adviser to
Iran's parliamentary speaker.
Shortly after the Iranian announcement, Hamas, the Iran-backed Palestinian
Islamist movement that rules over the Gaza Strip, released a statement,
condemning the Israel-Morocco agreement:
"Normalization with the Zionist entity is a deplorable step that is not worthy
of Morocco and does not reflect the positions of the brotherly Moroccan people
who have stood with Palestine, Jerusalem and the al Aqsa Mosque in all
circumstances and stations."
In an indirect appeal to Moroccans to revolt against their government and
monarch, Hamas called on "the authentic Moroccan people and all the free peoples
to reject this agreement and all the cheap normalization agreements and to
continue boycotting the Zionist occupation and not accepting it at all,
notwithstanding the circumstances and temptations."
Hamas's call on Moroccans to revolt against their leaders contradicts its own
declared policy that it does not intervene in the internal affairs of the Arab
countries. "Hamas does not meddle in the internal affairs of Arab and Muslim
countries," said senior Hamas official Salah Bardaweel.
If true, why is Hamas denouncing Morocco's decision to establish relations with
Israel? Moreover, why is Hamas calling on the Moroccan people to "reject" an
agreement reached by the Moroccan monarch? What is this call but a blatant
intervention in the internal affairs of an Arab country?
Showing Hamas's hypocrisy out in the sunlight, Hamas maintains continuous
communication with Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with
Israel. Just last week, Egyptian intelligence officials again visited the Gaza
Strip for talks with Hamas leaders about maintaining security and stability in
the Hamas-ruled coastal territory. In the past few years, Hamas officials have
been regularly visiting Cairo for talks with Egyptian security officials on the
situation in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas is terrified of uttering a word against Egypt because it is afraid that
the Egyptians might retaliate by closing their shared border with the Gaza Strip
or imposing sanctions, including travel restrictions, on Hamas leaders. It is
one thing to condemn the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, which do not have shared
borders with the Gaza Strip, and a totally different thing to lash out at your
powerful neighbor, Egypt.
Hamas leaders know that the moment they criticize Egypt, the Rafah border
crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt will be slammed shut. The Egyptian
authorities will close the Rafah border crossing to all Palestinian travelers
and goods. Hamas leaders also know that the moment they call upon the Egyptian
people to revolt against the Sisi regime, thousands of Hamas supporters in Egypt
would find themselves behind bars.
Even when the Egyptians do sometimes close the Rafah border crossing, Hamas
would not dare to fire one rocket or bullet toward Egypt. Evidently, Hamas
leaders know that the moment they attack Egypt, they and the entire Gaza Strip
would pay a heavy price, most likely by having a huge military offensive
launched against the Islamist movement.
The Egyptians have frequently sent warnings to Hamas not to meddle in Egypt's
internal affairs or threaten its national security. "If Hamas thinks about
entering one inch of Egyptian territory, it will be their (Hamas's) last day of
existence," an Egyptian military source cautioned. The warning, made in 2014,
came in response to reports that Hamas was amassing its forces along the border
with Egypt in preparation for launching terrorist attacks against Egyptians.
Notably, the Egyptians display patience with Hamas, an offshoot of the outlawed
Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization, in spite of the Brotherhood's ongoing
meddling in Egyptian internal affairs and threats to Egypt's national security.
Last month, in fact, the Egyptians did close the Rafah border crossing to
vehicles and commodities because of "transgressions" by Hamas. Egypt did not
provide details about what those might have been, but the Egyptian newspaper
Egypt Today cryptically pointed out that Hamas "has a history of working against
Egypt."
The newspaper did list some of past "transgressions" of Hamas: 1) Hamas profits
from food and commodities subsidized by Egypt for low-income Palestinians,
trafficking them through illegal tunnels; 2) Hamas was involved in the murder of
16 Egyptian soldiers in Rafah in August 2010; 3) Trading in the Egyptian pound
in exchange for the US dollar, which damages the Egyptian economy; 4) Hamas
stormed the Egyptian border in 2008 and committed various crimes; 5) Hamas also
stormed Egyptian prisons in 2011 and set convicted terrorists on the loose; 6)
Hamas is accused of killing protesters in Tahrir Square (in Cairo) in 2011; 7)
Hamas bombed gas lines in Sinai several times and was involved in targeting
military sites there.
It is because of such allegations that Hamas treads very carefully in its
dealings with Egypt. The last thing Hamas wants is for the Egyptians to wipe the
Islamist movement off the face of the earth. That is presumably why in recent
years Hamas has been behaving itself with regards to Egypt. This behavior, of
course, does not apply to Morocco, whose king has never threatened to eliminate
Hamas or attack the Gaza Strip.
Last week, Zahar called on the Moroccans to "confront the policy of
normalization" with Israel. He also urged the Moroccan parliament to criminalize
normalization with Israel and to enact necessary laws to combat peace with
Israel. Not only is the Hamas leader inciting violence and unrest in an Arab
country, he is also advising that country's parliament what laws it needs to
pass. One can only imagine Zahar's response if a Moroccan official called on the
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to rise up against their Hamas rulers.
In "keeping" with Hamas's policy of not intervening in the internal affairs of
the Arab countries, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar also incited the Moroccan people
to revolt against their monarchy. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the second
largest Iran-backed terrorist group in the Gaza Strip, has joined Hamas in
inciting the Moroccans to revolt against their leaders.
"We are fully confident that the Moroccan people strongly reject normalization
with the Zionist occupation, and the land of the Kingdom of Morocco will not be
a hotbed for the Zionists, as the Moroccan people and their political forces
will reject normalization and confront it," PIJ said in a statement. "The Arab
regimes and their leaders who are rushing toward the Zionist entity will be
cursed."
Similarly, Lebanon's Hezbollah terrorist group, another Iranian proxy, said it
was "betting on the free Moroccan people" to thwart the normalization agreement
with Israel.
The threats against Morocco and other Arab countries by Iran's proxies -- Hamas,
PIJ and Hezbollah -- are worrying many Arabs in the Middle East. The Arabs,
especially those who want to make peace with Israel, are fully aware that Iran
and its Palestinian and Lebanese militias continuously seek to stir up trouble
in the region and replace Arab leaders who want peace with Israel with Muslim
extremists who report to the mullahs in Tehran. These Arabs say that they hope
to see the new US administration endorse a tough policy toward Iran and not send
a message of weakness to the mullahs. Any attempt to appease Iran or ease the
sanctions on it will only embolden the mullahs and increase their appetite to
instigate coups to overthrow various Arab countries.
**Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem, is a
Shillman Journalism Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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