LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 16/19

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 08/41-45: “You are indeed doing what your father does.’ They said to him, ‘We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself.’Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on January 15-16/19
Hariri Meets Iranian Ambassador, In Letter to Rouhani Requests Zakka's Release
Iran Ambassador Voices 'Support' for Hariri in Center House Talks
Report: LF Anxious Bkirki Meeting Provides ‘Cover’ for Bassil
Alain Aoun Says President Hasn't Changed His Stance on Hizbullah
Reports: Man Donning Israeli Army Suit Crosses into Lebanon
Strong Lebanon Bloc Slams Libya Flag Incident, Throws Support behind Hariri
Mustaqbal Says ISF Not 'Easy Target', Slams Messages 'from behind Border'
Public Administrations to Close Friday for Arab Economic Summit
Bassil, Lavrov Discuss 'Security and Stability' in Lebanon, Refugees
MP Ziad Hawat Says No ‘Greenlight’ for Hizbullah to Form Government
Iran Embassy Says Hale Remarks 'Blatant Meddling in Affairs of Others'
Lebanon Braces for New Storm
Israel resumes installation of steel fence opposite Adaisseh, concrete blocks
Rahi receives call from President to check on his health condition
Lebanon’s Energy Minister: Oil, Gas Exploration Continues Despite Israeli Pressure
BEIRUT: THE PARIS OF THE MIDDLE EAST/How Iran and Hezbollah are in the way.

Litles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 15-16/19
UK PM Theresa May loses historic Brexit vote
China court sentences Canadian to death as diplomatic row deepens
Satelite Images Show Complete Destruction Of Iranian Weapons Cache
Iran Fails to Launch Satellite into Orbit
Netanyahu tells Iran to get out of Syria ‘fast’
Jordan jails top Salafist leader for nine years over protest
Iran Worried about Jordanian-Iraqi Rapprochement
Rouhani to Visit Iraq in March
Iran Intends to Enrich Uranium Amid Warnings Against Violating Res. 2231
London Summons Tehran Envoy over Jailed UK-Iranian Mother
New UN Envoy Makes First Trip to Syria
UN: Winter weather killed 15 displaced children in Syria
Syrian HTS Backs Turkey Offensive against Kurds
Under Tight Security, Tunisia Commemorates Revolution Anniversary
Rallies Against Israel’s Nation-State Bill Renew, Gantz Vows Amendment
Livni Proposes Immediate Resumption of Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations
Israeli Police Attack Imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque
Palestine TV Station Opens Office in Damascus
Gaza: Palestinian Teen Dies from Israeli Fire in Return March
Cairo: Court Jails Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Member
UN Urges More Aid to Egypt in Support of Refugees
Jordan Approves to Host UN Sponsored Yemen Meeting on 'Prisoner Exchange

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 15-16/19
Libya Boycotts Arab Economic Summit in Beirut over Flag Spat/Asharq Al-Awsat/January,15/19
Beirut Summit Highlights 'Divisions, Turmoil' in Lebanon/Associated Press/Naharnet/January 15/19
Lebanon’s Energy Minister: Oil, Gas Exploration Continues Despite Israeli Pressure/Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al-Awsat/January, 15/19
BEIRUT: THE PARIS OF THE MIDDLE EAST?How Iran and Hezbollah are in the way/Joseph Puder/Frontpage Masgazine/January 15/19
Satelite Images Show Complete Destruction Of Iranian Weapons Cache/Jerusalem Post/January 15 19
Erdoğan Is Wrong on Syria. Turkey Cannot Get the Job Done/Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/January 15/19
New Israeli Military Chief Aviv Kochavi Vows to Make IDF 'Deadly, Efficient Army'/Yaniv Kubovich/Haaretz/January 15/19
What Are The Top Five Challanges Facing Aviv Kochavi, The IDF's New Chief/Jerusalem Post/January 15/19
Brexit-era Britain’s ‘Last Hope’ Bows to Reality/Therese Raphael/Bloomberg/January, 15/19
Donald Trump is willing to play 'hardball' with Ankara over Syrian Kurds/Joyce Karam/The National/January 15/19

Latest LCCC English Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on January 15-16/19
Washington Vows to Counter Iran In Region, Hezbollah In Lebanon
Beirut - Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al-Awsat/January, 15/19/The file of Hezbollah’s tunnels in the south of Lebanon was the main item of discussion during meetings held Monday between Lebanese officials and US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, David Hale who said it was unacceptable to have a militia outside the control of the state.It was clear that Hale’s meetings in Beirut came as part of Washington’s policy to announce its new foreign strategy to counter Iran and Hezbollah. “It is unacceptable to have a militia outside the control of the state and unanswerable to all the people of Lebanon, digging attack tunnels across the Blue Line into Israel or assembling an arsenal of over 100,00 missiles with which to threaten regional stability,” Hale said following his meeting with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri. The US official said his country is proceeding with its efforts to counter Iran's dangerous activities around the region, including the financing and activities of proxy terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah. Hale heard from President Michel Aoun that the demarcation process of the Southern Lebanese border has been delayed and that Lebanon hoped that this operation would be re-launched soon, while Speaker Nabih Berri spoke about Israel's incessant daily violations of Resolution 1701 and the Blue Line.Lebanese informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hale tackled in his meetings with officials regional files, the US strategy to activate sanctions against Iran, in addition to the issue of the tunnels at the southern border. While sources said new US sanctions could be imposed on Iran and Hezbollah, and all parties related to them, other sources said that the US official spoke about pushing hard for old sanctions to take effect, without mentioning the presence of new ones. Following his meeting with Hariri on Monday, Hale said he is in Lebanon to discuss America’s regional strategy and the value of US relations with the Lebanese state and the Lebanese people. “The United States is committed to working with Lebanon’s people and legitimate state institutions, including the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces, to address mutual challenges,” he said. Commenting on the government formation process, Hale said the international community was closely watching the status of Lebanon’s government. “The choice of government is for the Lebanese alone, but the type of government chosen concerns all of us who are interested in a stable and prosperous Lebanon -- as does the inability of the Lebanese to make a choice. Crucial economic reforms languish while obstructionism drags down the economy, endangering the country,” he said. According to Hale, the US encourages the caretaker government to move forward where it can, especially on the economy, to avoid further damage and maintain international confidence. Sources close to Hale’s meetings told Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday that during his meeting with the President, the US diplomat did not hand to Aoun an invitation for Lebanon to attend a global conference focused on the Middle East, particularly Iran, expected in Poland on February 13 and 14.

UNIFIL: Lebanon, Israel Not Seeking Escalation
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/The head of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), General Stefano Del Col, said that Lebanon and Israel were not seeking to escalate tension on the southern Lebanese border. “I am encouraged by the assurance by both sides that neither is seeking an escalation in tension, and that they remain determined to work with UNIFIL to ensure that the cessation of hostilities is maintained,” Del Col said following his meeting on Monday with Foreign Affairs Minister in the caretaker government, Gebran Bassil. The UNIFIL commander described his meeting with Bassil as “very good and constructive”, adding: “Much of my efforts in recent weeks has been to address with the parties concerns related to the latest developments along the Blue Line. I stressed the importance of continued engagement of the parties through UNIFIL’s good offices, in particular the tripartite forum, so that common solutions to these issues could be found.”Del Col underlined the importance of “preserving the overall calm and stability along the Blue Line”, which he said was “the primary consideration in all our initiatives and efforts to resolve contentious issues.” “We will continue to use UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination mechanism to find a mutually agreed way forward regarding any activities along the Blue Line,” he affirmed, calling on both parties to “respect their obligations towards UN Security Council resolution 1701, and to avoid violations of all forms, and to not only maintain the cessation of hostilities but to work towards a permanent ceasefire.”Meanwhile, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported on Monday that Israeli forces were pursuing works to cast concrete in a trench that is set up to fix concrete wall blocks adjacent to a fence in the outskirts of Adeisseh. They also resumed the construction of an iron fence above a cement wall along the border separating the town of Kfarkila and occupied Palestine territories. The NNA added that Israel’s activities took place under heavy deployment by the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL in the Lebanese side of the border.

Russia Offers Securing Transfer of Hannibal Gaddafi from Lebanon to Moscow
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/A senior Lebanese official confirmed an earlier report by Asharq Al-Awsat on Moscow’s efforts to uncover the truth about the continued detention of Hannibal Muammar Gaddafi in Beirut. Hannibal was detained more than three years ago on charges of concealing information about the disappearance of the founder of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, Imam Moussa Sadr during a visit to Libya in August 1978. Political sources had earlier told Asharq Al-Awsat that Moscow decided to join the Syrian regime in working on this file at the request of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, brother of Hannibal, who currently resides in a mountainous area of Libya, under the protection of loyal tribal groups. Saif al-Islam, who “maintains a good relationship, even by correspondence, with Moscow,” sent his representatives to the Russian capital, asking officials to intervene to release his brother who was arrested in Lebanon on charges of concealing information that is punishable by a maximum of three years of imprisonment, according to the sources. The Director-General of the General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, conveyed a message in this regard to Speaker Nabih Berri, and that Ibrahim met with Gaddafi at his detention cell in the Information Division prison. According to the senior official, the Russian government has sent a letter to the Lebanese State, expressing its willingness to secure the transfer of Gaddafi’s son to the Russian capital in preparation for granting him the Russian citizenship.

Libya Boycotts Arab Economic Summit in Beirut over Flag Spat
Asharq Al-Awsat/January,15/19
Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) announced on Monday that it will boycott this weekend’s Arab economic summit scheduled for Beirut after Amal movement supporters attacked its national flag. "We have been forced to boycott this summit and refuse to participate in its work" because Lebanon was unable to guarantee "the appropriate climate" for it, the foreign ministry said in a statement. The GNA said the Lebanese government had failed to prevent the attack on Libya's flag. On Sunday, Amal supporters removed Libyan flags placed along Beirut’s seaside avenue, as part of Arab League preparations to welcome countries attending the summit. The supporters replaced those flags with their movement’s green flag. The movement objects that Lebanon builds ties with Libya due to the 1978 disappearance of the movement’s founder, Imam Mousa al-Sadr, and two of his companions during an official visit to the country. The summit will go ahead despite an internal dispute caused by parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who heads Amal, after he expressed his objection to inviting Libya after earlier calling to postpone the event over Syria’s absence. In Cairo, Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit voiced "deep concern" over the burning of the Libyan flag in Beirut. He called on Lebanon to "ensure full respect for the delegations of member states from the Arab League who must participate in the summit meetings". The Lebanese presidency expressed its disappointment with the burning of the Libyan flags, its sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. Caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, meanwhile, said it was unfortunate that Libya was not taking part in the summit. In a letter to his Libyan counterpart, he expressed his rejection of all acts that have harmed Libya and its attendance of the meeting. “Such behavior does not reflect my or Lebanon’s stance,” he stressed. Moreover, he underlined his keenness on ties with Libya, urging the need to “return them on the right track while reserving Beirut’s national duty to uncover the fate of Imam al-Sadr and his companions.”The issue that has marred Lebanese-Libyan relations for more than four decades must be resolved, he demanded. Summit organizers in Beirut told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the choice for a country to attend the meeting or not was a sovereign decision”. “We have taken all necessary security measures to ensure the safety of participating delegations,” they added.

Beirut Summit Highlights 'Divisions, Turmoil' in Lebanon
Associated Press/Naharnet/January 15/19
An Arab economic development summit that Lebanon is hosting this weekend has been marred by controversy days before delegates arrive.
Should regional outcast Syria be invited, as demanded by Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah militant group, an ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad? Should Libya get a seat at the table, despite the unresolved mystery surrounding the disappearance of a Lebanese cleric in Libya four decades ago?
And should Lebanon, which has been without a government for more than eight months, even be allowed to host as it stands at the brink of economic collapse?
Yes, according to President Michel Aoun, who is hoping to use the platform to boost Lebanon's sinking economic credentials. Lebanon's powerful parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, disagrees, saying a country paralyzed by its own divisions cannot successfully host a meeting of Arab nations.
The turmoil and chaos is nothing new to Lebanon, a tiny country fragmented along political and sectarian fault lines. Even in the best of times, it seems to be permanently on the edge of an impending crisis. Now, as a government vacuum stretches into its ninth month, there are real concerns that the ongoing political impasse will scuttle pledges worth $11 billion by international donors and lead to economic disaster.
On Monday, organizers of the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit, or AESD, held a press conference, announcing summit preparations were in place.
"All practical and logistic preparations for this summit have been completed," said Rafik Shalala, the summit's spokesman. Antoine Choucair, a member of the organizing committee, said the event's cost is estimated at $10 million, paid for by the host country.
The AESD was formed in 2009 as an exclusively economic and development conference that tends to involve the private sector, including banks, chambers of commerce, industry and agriculture. The agenda does not include the reconstruction of Syria, much of it ruined in nearly eight years of civil war.
Choucair said up to six heads of state are expected to attend, although that number will likely be lower.
At the heart of Lebanon's political deadlock are divisions between its two opposing pro and anti-Syrian camps. The country held parliament elections in May and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah scored significant gains, but politicians have been unable to form government since. And as President Bashar Assad and his ally Iran are largely seen as having won the war in neighboring Syria, there are concerns that Assad's government is once again trying to reassert its influence in Lebanon.
The question of whether to invite Syria, whose membership in the Arab League was suspended in 2011, quickly became an issue.
Pro-Syrian groups led by Hezbollah have insisted that the Syrian government should be invited.
"In the absence of a government, and because Lebanon should have a uniting, not divisive (Arab) role, and because we don't want the summit to be a failure, I think it should be postponed," Parliament Speaker Berri said, according to his Shiite Amal party, adding that he believed that if the summit is held, Syria should be invited.
"It is not Lebanon who issues the invitations, Lebanon abides by the decisions of the Arab League," Lebanon's Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil responded in a tweet.
Then last week, a new debate erupted over whether Libya should be invited in a dispute that stems from the 1978 disappearance of Shiite cleric Imam Moussa al-Sadr, founder of the Amal party now headed by Berri. The cleric vanished on an official visit to the country when it was ruled by Moammar Gadhafi. The issue remains a longstanding sore point between the two countries, even though Gadhafi was overthrown and killed in 2011.
Al-Sadr's family believes he may still be alive in a Libyan prison, although it is widely believed that the cleric, who would be 90 years old today, is dead.
Berri's Amal group says Libyan authorities have been uncooperative in the case. The party said that Libya's U.N.-recognized government in Tripoli should not be invited, and its supporters threatened to cut off Beirut's airport road to prevent the Libyan delegation from reaching the summit venue should they arrive in the country. On Sunday night, a group of Amal supporters tore down a Libyan flag decked on a Beirut street along with those of other participant nations, and replaced it with the green flag of the Amal party. The Libyan foreign minister reportedly said in an interview with a local channel Sunday night that Libya will cancel its participation in the summit over the insult to the Libyan flag. Shalala, the summit spokesman, said they have not been officially notified of the Libyan decision.
The fracas over a 40-year-old issue has led to accusations that pro-Syrian groups were trying to derail the summit, because of the absence of Syria. Nadim Koteich, a Lebanese political satirist, lamented the political scene whereby a political group's unilateral decisions are met with silence by the state.
"All Arab countries concerned about Lebanon as a state ... should boycott the economic summit and tell their delegations to cancel their travel to the Lebanese jungle, until the restoration of (Lebanese) sovereignty," he wrote in a Twitter post.

Hariri Meets Iranian Ambassador, In Letter to Rouhani Requests Zakka's Release
Naharnet/January 15/19/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri held talks at the Center House with Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Jalal Firouznia where talks focused on the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, and ways to promote ties between the two countries, Hariri’s media office said in a statement on Tuesday. During the meeting, Hariri handed Firouznia a letter addressed to Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani requesting the release of Lebanese citizen Nizar Zakka, it added. Firouznia’s meeting with Hariri is the first since he assumed position in Beirut. Zakka, a Lebanese citizen and U.S. green card holder who has been detained in Iran since 2015. Zakka has been detained in Iran over spying allegations. He was sentenced in 2016 to 10 years in prison and a $4.2 million fine.

Iran Ambassador Voices 'Support' for Hariri in Center House Talks
Naharnet/January 15/19/Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad-Jalal Firouznia on Tuesday voiced support for efforts to form a new government led by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.“We support all efforts aimed at forming a government led by Saad Hariri and we do not link it (the government) to any foreign developments,” Firouznia said after meeting Hariri at the Center House. Hoping the government will be formed as soon as possible, the envoy expressed his country's willingness to consolidate ties in all fields.Tuesday's is Firouznia's first visit to the Center House since his arrival in Lebanon in August.

Report: LF Anxious Bkirki Meeting Provides ‘Cover’ for Bassil
Naharnet/January 15/19/The Free Patriotic Movement believes that a positive outcome will result from the “Maronite summit” to be held in Bkirki on Wednesday, meanwhile the Lebanese Forces are “concerned” the meeting aims to provide a “cover for Foreign Minister and FPM chief Jebran Bassil,” al-Akhbar daily reported on Tuesday. The daily quoted an unnamed Maronite political source, he said: “The LF has concerns the summit would provide cover for Bassil, or suggest that the conflict in the country is an inter-Christian one. We have one of two choices, first to either limit our representation or have a massive one.”The source predicted that head of LF Samir Geagea would refrain from participating, because of “lack of balance in the level of representation.”The Free Patriotic Movement is the “only party having positive outlook regarding the meeting,” said the daily. The FPM is expected to make a statement “supportive” of the term of President Michel Aoun (FPM founder). “It seeks to use the meeting to its advantage in the conflict of powers revolving,” according to the daily. Although it does not support “sectarian meetings,” the Marada Movement led by Suleiman Franjieh is going to partake in the meeting. The Kataeb party also sees “the need to expand the meeting to a national one instead of sectarian."The Bkirki summit expected on Wednesday does not seem to enjoy the support of all the Maronite parties and figures, it said. That was evident in remarks made by former MP Fares Souaid. He is trying to “amend” the meeting's point of view and urge Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi to issue a statement confirming commitment to the Constitution, the Taef Accord and the decisions of the Arab League and Security Council, instead of “extracting support for Bassil and his Strong Lebanon parliamentary bloc.”The main Christian parties and MPs will meet in Bkirki on Wednesday at the invitation of Rahi.

Alain Aoun Says President Hasn't Changed His Stance on Hizbullah
Naharnet/January 15/19/MP Alain Aoun of the Strong Lebanon bloc stressed Tuesday that President Michel Aoun has not changed “his stance on Hizbullah,” describing reports claiming otherwise as “fictitious.”“We've never severed our ties with the U.S. and we're not enemies of America,” MP Aoun told MTV when told that President Aoun and Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil had given a warm welcome to U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale when they met with him on Monday, saying Aoun and Bassil had met with Hale in their capacity as state officials. Asked about Hizbullah's hostility towards the U.S., the lawmaker said “they are free.”

Reports: Man Donning Israeli Army Suit Crosses into Lebanon
Naharnet/January 15/19/A man wearing an Israeli military uniform on Tuesday entered carrying a box into the al-Raheb area in the Lebanese border town of Aita al-Shaab, Lebanese TV networks said. LBCI and al-Jadeed said the man entered the area around 3:30 pm. “When he encountered residents of the town, he threw away the box and Hebrew-language identification papers before fleeing and he is still hiding in Lebanese territory in the al-Kharzeh area while Lebanese Army intelligence agents are still searching for him,” LBCI reported. Al-Jadeed later reported that "two young men from Aita al-Shaab encountered a stranger in the town and they tried to ask him about his identity but he did not respond.""At that point, one of them went to report him, which prompted him to flee, leaving behind some papers," al-Jadeed added. "The papers carry Hebrew writings and one of them indicate that he is a foreigner born in 1986," the TV network said, adding that security forces believe that he returned into Israel although search operations were still ongoing. Al-Mayadeen television had said that the Lebanese Army and Hizbullah members were “searching for a suspect who was seen in the Khillet al-Durra area on the border.”Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) had earlier reported that “armed Hizbullah members went on alert in the border town of Aita al-Shaab over reports that an Israeli settler had crossed the electronic fence and entered Lebanon.”The Israeli army later confirmed that it has detected a "breach" of the border fence, adding that it was investigating marks suggesting that a person might have crossed from Israel into Lebanon.

Strong Lebanon Bloc Slams Libya Flag Incident, Throws Support behind Hariri
Naharnet/January 15/19/The Free Patriotic Movement-led Strong Lebanon bloc on Tuesday condemned the removal of a Libya flag in Beirut at the hands of AMAL Movement supporters, saying that it “rejects any act that contravenes state authority because it would not be in Lebanon's interest.”“We stress the importance of the (Arab economic) summit given its impact on Lebanon's image and its Arab and international standing,” MP Ibrahim Kanaan said after the bloc's weekly meeting. “The cause of Imam Moussa al-Sadr is among our priorities and we consider him one of the pillars of national unity,” Kanaan added, noting that “the summit is not a challenge against anyone.”“Let's compete over who brings projects to strengthen the economy instead of fighting over who raised a flag or who brought it down,” the MP went on to say. AMAL supporters had on Sunday removed a Libyan flag near the summit's venue in Beirut to protest Libya's participation in connection with the Sadr case. Libya eventually withdrew from the summit in protest at the “insult” against its flag. Turning to the stalled government formation process, Kanaan said the bloc “stands by” Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri. “We hope everyone will also support him so that we reach a government and what's needed is to break the deadlock for the sake of Lebanon and the regularity of institutional work,” he added. “We will seek to have a government as soon as possible and we throw our support behind the PM-designate and ask him for a bigger effort,” Kanaan went on to say.

Mustaqbal Says ISF Not 'Easy Target', Slams Messages 'from behind Border'
Naharnet/January 15/19/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday lashed out at the speeches that were delivered Sunday in the Chouf town of Jahliyeh at a memorial service commemorating ex-minister Wiam Wahhab's slain bodyguard, describing them as a “message” from “behind the border,” in an apparent reference to Syria. In a statement issued after its weekly meeting, the bloc condemned “the campaign of incitements, insults and cheap language that was carried out by sides that gathered in the town of Jahliyeh.”The bloc was apparently referring to fiery speeches by Wahhab and Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan. They “insulted the dignity of major symbols of the state and they questioned the missions and responsibilities of judicial and security leaders,” Mustaqbal added. And describing the “campaign” as part of the “messages that are being implemented with directions from behind the border,” the bloc underscored that “the Internal Security Forces Command, the position of the state prosecutor and all legitimate state authorities will not be easy targets.”Separately, the bloc lauded “the Presidency's efforts and measures to secure the success” of Beirut's upcoming Arab economic summit, condemning “the calls, stances and tensions that have surrounded the summit and that are part of internal overbidding that has nothing to do with the national interest.”It said such stances had “harmed the ability of Lebanon – as a state and legitimate institutions – to deal with a major event such as the Arab economic summit.” “Taking to the streets to express objection and removing the Libyan flag from its pole and burning it was a move that harmed the image of the Lebanese state and did not benefit the cause of disappeared imam Moussa al-Sadr,” Mustaqbal added, referring to anti-Libya protests staged by AMAL Movement supporters. And while noting that the state “should give importance to” Sadr's “vital case” and “always take into consideration the sensitivity that one of the country's main components has” towards it, the bloc slammed “calls for postponing the summit over the failure to invite the Syrian regime to it.” “Such calls inflame the sentiments of vast components of the Lebanese people and violate the minimum requirements of joint Arab action and the Arab League's mechanisms in this regard,” Mustaqbal added.

Public Administrations to Close Friday for Arab Economic Summit
Naharnet/January 15/19/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on Tuesday issued a decree ordering the closure of all public administrations and institutions during the works of Beirut's Arab economic summit on Friday. The decision aims to “facilitate the continuation of the necessary preparations for the Arab economic summit that will be held in Beirut in a few days,” the memo says. Organizers had carried out a drill days ago to test the readiness for the summit. Caretaker Defense Minister Yacoub Sarraf had earlier in the day issued a memo suspending firearms licenses in the Greater Beirut area. The summit will be held on January 19 at the level of heads of states in the absence of Libya, which announced its boycott of the conference on Monday in protest at the removal of its flag outside the summit's venue at the hands of AMAL Movement supporters rejecting its invitation in connection with the Moussa al-Sadr case.

Bassil, Lavrov Discuss 'Security and Stability' in Lebanon, Refugees
Naharnet/January 15/19/Caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil on Tuesday received a lengthy phone call from his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during which a host of issues were discussed, the National News Agency reported. They discussed “the issue of security and safety in Lebanon and the importance of preserving stability without linking the country to the region's problems, especially in terms of forming the government,” NNA said“They also addressed the Syrian crisis file and the need to carry on with the political solution, the importance of forming a panel to devise a constitution, and the need not to link the return home of displaced Syrians to any other issues, especially amid the reports about attempts to discourage the refugees from returning, despite the appropriate return conditions for many of them,” the agency added. Lavrov promised that Russia “will continue to facilitate the return with all the relevant authorities,” NNA said. The two men also discussed “Syria's rebuilding efforts and the important role that Lebanon can play” in addition to “the bilateral ties between the two countries, especially economic cooperation and the issue of religious freedoms.”

MP Ziad Hawat Says No ‘Greenlight’ for Hizbullah to Form Government
Naharnet/January 15/19/As the formation of Lebanon’s government stumbles further, MP Ziad Hawat said on Tuesday that Hizbullah has not been given the permission yet to ease the formation process. “Hizbullah has not been given the greenlight to form the government,” Hawat told VDL radio (93.3), in an indirect reference to the party’s Iranian ally. Stressing the need to form the government after more than seven months of delay, he said: “The President (Michel Aoun) and Prime Minister-designate (Saad Hariri) must be prompted to form the government as soon as possible.”On the other hand, regarding a meeting between the country’s main Christian parties and MPs in Bkirki on Wednesday, he assured that the Lebanese Forces party is going to adamantly “insist on a strong republic and strong Lebanon.”Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi has invited the Christian parties to a “Maronite summit” to tackle a number of issues mainly the government delay. “There will be a real cry for adherence to the Taef Accord and for the formation of the government as soon as possible,” said Hawat.

Iran Embassy Says Hale Remarks 'Blatant Meddling in Affairs of Others'
Naharnet/January 15/19/The Iranian embassy in Beirut on Tuesday responded to remarks voiced by U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale during his visit to Lebanon. Describing Hale's statements as “blatant meddling in the affairs of others” and an attempt to “dictate decisions,” the embassy said Washington's strategy in Lebanon and the region is “based on creating wars and sowing discord between countries and the components of the same people.”“Seeing as the U.S. envoy had worked in the past in Lebanon, he certainly knows very well how the Islamic Republic of Iran had stood by Lebanon and its government and people in their endeavor to liberate their land when large parts of it were under Israeli occupation, at a time America was watching the events and supporting the Zionist entity,” the embassy added. “Keenness on preserving Lebanon's sovereignty, independence, pride and dignity cannot be through overlooking the repeated Israeli threats against Lebanon,” it emphasized. And noting that Iran will maintain “its constructive role in helping consolidate stability, security and prosperity in Lebanon,” the embassy said Tehran “will spare no effort to cooperate with the Lebanese government, the brave Lebanese Army and the dignified resistance.” Turning to Hale's remarks on Syria, the embassy said Iran's “advisory military presence in Syria does not need a permission from anyone, seeing as it initially came at the request of the legitimate Syrian government and in full coordination and cooperation between the two countries.” Hale on Monday reiterated that "through diplomacy and cooperation” with its partners, the United States “will expel from Syria every last Iranian boot.”

Lebanon Braces for New Storm
Kataeb.org/Tuesday 15th January 2019/Lebanon is bracing for another weather storm as Miriam is expected to batter the country as of Tuesday night, as per the Beirut airport's Meteorology Department. According to forecasts, wind will gust at a speed that exceeds 100 km/hour, waves will surge up to 7 meters high and snow will fall at an altitude as low as 500 meters on Wednesday night. The Meteorology Department warned that the wind speed could cause billboards and trees to collapse. Temperatures are expected to hit its lowest on Thursday to reach between 7 and 14 degrees in coastal areas, between 1 and 6 degrees in the mountains, zero and 6 degrees in the east and low of minus 5 degrees in the Cedars. On Thursday, the storm will start to recede, but ice is expected to be formed on the roads in areas located starting 700 meters above the sea level.

Israel resumes installation of steel fence opposite Adaisseh, concrete blocks
Agencies/January 15/19/ The Israeli forces resumed today the installation of a steel fence over the concrete wall opposite the Adaisseh highway on the border between Lebanon and the occupied Palestine, the NNA correspondent said. Israel also installed concrete blocks within the area contested by Lebanon in the outskirts of the said village. A state of alert has been registered among the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL forces deployed on the Lebanese side. Opposite Wadi Hunin, which overlooks the town of Markaba in Marjayoun, three Israeli army vehicles conducted digging works, expanding the military road and opening a road into a pine grove, under the protection of military jeeps and tanks.

Rahi receives call from President to check on his health condition
Tue 15 Jan 2019/NNA - Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Rahi received a phone call from President Michel Aoun to check on his health condition and wish him success in sponsoring the Maronite consultative meeting to be held at the Patriarchal Palace in Bkirki tomorrow.

Lebanon’s Energy Minister: Oil, Gas Exploration Continues Despite Israeli Pressure
Beirut - Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al-Awsat/January, 15/19
The Minister of Energy and Water in the caretaker government, Cesar Abi Khalil, has reiterated Lebanon’s right to invest in its territorial waters.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Khalil pointed to pressure exerted by Israel on Total to stop exploration in Block 9, but he stressed that the firm and other members of the consortium were committed to the agreement signed with the Lebanese State on direct exploration and extraction. Israeli pressure “will have no results,” the minister said. Last February, Lebanon signed its first offshore oil and gas exploration and production agreements with the Total-Eni-Novatek consortium for offshore Blocks 4 and 9. Abu Khalil noted that exploration in Block 4 would start in 2019, while exploration in Block 9 would begin on the southern maritime border in 2020 after the final well is determined. Israel is putting pressure on Total to halt exploration in Block 9. It claims that part of it is located in its Exclusive Economic Zone. But Lebanon insists on its right to explore it.
After digging the well in Block 4, the quantity of reserves will be evaluated and the final location of the drilling area in Block 9 will be determined, said the minister. Abi Khalil also revealed that Total’s chairman, with whom he held talks in Norway on the sidelines of a conference last summer, told him that the Israeli ambassador to Paris had visited him, and that Israel was seeking to obstruct and delay the works in Block 9. The French official replied to the Israeli ambassador that Total was committed to exploring oil in the Lebanese blocks, according to Abi Khalil, who, in turn informed members of Parliament’s Energy and Water Committee last September of the “geopolitical atmosphere surrounding Lebanon’s energy investment plan.”
The consortium and the Lebanese authorities “are committed to working in Lebanon’s EEZ according to the plan of exploration established by the Ministry of Energy and approved by the government, regardless of the pressure exerted by Israel,” the minister confirmed. While delay in forming the new Lebanese government is seen as an obstacle to drilling and exploration, Abu Khalil stressed: “We don’t need the Council of Ministers to start drilling.”He noted that a plan for exploration and drilling was approved by the Lebanese authorities and became binding on the consortium of companies; hence, it cannot be reversed despite the cabinet deadlock. After Lebanon’s approval of a consortium plan to begin exploration and extraction last year, the Ministry of Energy had planned to launch a second round of offshore oil and gas exploration by the end of 2018 or early 2019. The absence of a government has put sticks in the ministry’s wheels.Abu Khalil, however, revealed that the Cabinet, during its last session before assuming a caretaking role, gave his ministry the approval to request the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA), to prepare for a second round of licensing, in preparation for the official launch after the government formation. Last summer, the LPA began preparations to launch the second round, according to the minister. Oil exploration was expected to begin in early February, based on political statements made last year. However, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that starting works early next month was “impossible,” pointing to expectations that the Lebanese would see the drillship off the Lebanese coast in Block 4 in the last quarter of 2019.

BEIRUT: THE PARIS OF THE MIDDLE EAST?
How Iran and Hezbollah are in the way.
Joseph Puder/Frontpage Masgazine/January 15/19
Lebanon has not had a functioning government since May of 2018. The reason? Squabbling among the various sectarian groups over ministerial posts. In the meantime, Lebanon’s national debt has soared to $84 billion or 155 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). The unemployment rate, too has risen to 36 percent.
Frustrated by the prolonged political bickering of the politicians, public-sector agencies and businesses throughout Lebanon staged a strike last week expressing their anger over the economic downturn, which has been crippled by the eight months absence of a functional government. Beirut’s port was closed along with state institutions such as the National Social Security Fund, the electricity company, and the Rafic Hariri International Airport experienced hour long stoppages. The strike was called by the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers, with the backing of the new cross-sectarian Sabaa Party.
Nabih Berri, Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker, called on (January 9, 2019) the Arab League economic summit scheduled to take place in Beirut at the end of the month, to be postponed due to Lebanon’s failure to agree on a new government. The Shiite-Muslim leader also asserted “the necessity of having Syria participate in such a summit.” The Arab League suspended Syria’s membership following the Assad regime crackdown and butchery of protesters against the Bashar al-Assad regime.
At the birth of modern Lebanon in 1943, the National Pact established a parliamentary allocation of seats based on a 1932 census, which gave Christians a 6-to-5 ratio. In 1990, the ratio changed to a 50/50 allocation of parliamentary seats. Nevertheless, according to the National Pact and established customs, the President of Lebanon is always a Christian Maronite, the Prime Minister is always a Sunni-Muslim, and the Speaker of the Parliament is always a Shiite-Muslim.
In the recent parliamentary elections in Lebanon on May 6, 2018, the Hezbollah dominated and pro-Syrian March 8 Alliance won a majority of 80 seats in the 128 seat parliament. This alliance includes the Free Patriotic Movement (nominally Christian) led by Gebran Bassil and also known as the Aounist party (named after Lebanon’s current president Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian). The party was the biggest vote getter, winning 29 seats. Nabih Berri’s Shiite party Amal won 17 seats. Hezbollah, the only armed militia with a political wing, led by Hassan Nasrallah, won 13 seats but it is dominating the alliance. Suleiman Frangieh, another Christian allied with Hezbollah, and the leader of the El Merada party, received 7 seats. The AZM party led by Najib Mikati (a Sunni Muslim) won 4 seats. The alliance received another 10 seats from independents.
The March 14 Alliance that previously dominated parliament shrank to 47 seats. Saad Hariri, a Sunni-Muslim and leader of the Future Movement, which received 20 seats, a drop of 40% of its strength from the previous elections, will still however be the Prime Minister according to the National Pact. The Lebanese Forces led by Samir Geagea (a Christian) doubled its strength and won 15 seats. The Druze leader, Walid Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist party got 9 seats. The Kataeb party led by Sami Gemayel (a Maronite Christian) won 3 seats.
Joseph Hakim is a Lebanese expatriate, founder and president of the International Christian Union (ICU). According to Hakim, Amal and Hezbollah dictate everything that happens in Lebanese politics. Moreover, they will not accept any president or cabinet unless they are fully in control of the decision making. Hezbollah and its allies forced an agreement in 2008, which guaranteed them a third of all cabinet seats. This has provided them with veto power. Hence, no cabinet can be formed and therefore no government can function. At this point, Hezbollah does not trust either President Aoun or Foreign Minister Bassil, both Christians, who are allied with them. Hakim added that “Hezbollah, the Shiite militia cum political party, is especially responsible for the widespread corruption in Lebanon.” “Hezbollah,” Hakim added, “controls the ports and airports. They control the drug trafficking in and out of Lebanon.” Hezbollah is receiving its funding from Iran, as well as military support. It is therefore the dominant military force in the country. Hezbollah is making sure that Lebanon will be dependent on them for survival.
Hakim asserted that, “Lebanon cannot afford a lengthy period without a functioning government. Lebanon is facing a deteriorating economy, and relies on outside sources to cover its deficits. The World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have pledged $11 billion in soft loans and grants for Lebanon. However, without forming a government, Lebanon is unable to legislate reform or stop the corruption plaguing the country, which is conditional on receiving the loans and grants.”
As it currently appears, the power play over the cabinet seats will continue well into 2019, according to Hakim. The country’s economy will likely collapse before a functioning government can be formed. Hakim warned that should Iran and Hezbollah’s machinations continue, the World Bank and the European Reconstruction and Development Bank must reconsider the notion of providing Lebanon with the $11 billion package. “The U.S.,” Hakim added, “should consider imposing sanctions on Lebanon, if Hezbollah and its allies are part of the government. This is the only way to put Lebanon back on track toward a functioning democracy.”
The Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported (September 6, 2018) that, “Hezbollah has been gaining strength in Lebanon in recent years and is virtually in control of the Lebanese army,” a senior Israeli commander said. He noted that, “Israel will not distinguish between the (Hezbollah) militia and the country’s forces during the next military confrontation.”
In the meantime, The Daily Star of Lebanon reported on January 10, 2019 that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday in Cairo that, “Hezbollah is a major presence in Lebanon, but the U.S. will not accept this as the status quo.” Hezbollah has been designated by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist organization on October 8, 1997.
The primary obstacles to the formation of a functioning government in Lebanon are the demand by six Sunni MP’s allied with Hezbollah, to a seat in the cabinet, as well as the distribution of portfolios. Saad Hariri, supported by the West, has hitherto rejected their demand. Regardless of how and when the squabbling over the cabinet formation is resolved, Beirut will not return to its former status as the Paris of the Middle East, and the financial capital of the Arab Middle East, as long as Iran and Hezbollah dominate Lebanon.

Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published on January 15-16/19
UK PM Theresa May loses historic Brexit vote
Arab News/January 15/2019/LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May received a crushing defeat in a historic vote on Tuesday over the Brexit deal she struck with the European Union, leaving the world's fifth biggest economy in limbo. 202 MPs backed the prime minister's deal, while 432 rejected it, handing May and her government the biggest defeat in the House of Commons for almost a century. Labour Party leader and head of the opposition in parliament Jeremy Corbyn immediately tabled a motion of no confidnce in May's government after the result, a motion which will be debated on Wendesday. With just over two months to go until the scheduled Brexit date of March 29, Britain is still bitterly divided over how and even whether it should split away from the bloc's other 27 nations. The only suspense before the vote was over the scale of May's defeat. The British leader's last-minute appeals to MPs fell on deaf ears and the defeat now raises the question about whether she will try again, is removed from office, delays Brexit -- or if Brexit even happens at all. "You are not children in the playground, you are legislators," Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, representing the government, told MPs just before the vote. Cox warned that the current deal would have to return "in much the same form with much the same content" for another vote if this one failed. Meanwhile, Corbyn told the house that he and his party would vote against the deal. Hundreds of noisy and excited supporters and opponents of Brexit, some banging drums and others holding up huge dolls mocking top UK politicians, rallied outside parliament while the closing debates raged on inside. "It could end up being the day that will lead to us leaving with no deal," said 25-year-old Simon Fisher, who was rallying in front of the building to back a harder Brexit. Others voiced their support for a second referendum. Criticism of the deal is focused on an arrangement to keep open the border with Ireland by aligning Britain with some EU trade rules, if and until London and Brussels sign a new economic partnership which could take several years.

China court sentences Canadian to death as diplomatic row deepens
Reuters/January 15, 2019/BEIJING/OTTAWA - A Chinese court on Monday sentenced a Canadian man to be executed for drug smuggling, prompting Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to accuse China of using the death penalty arbitrarily. The ruling, and Trudeau's reaction, could aggravate already sour relations between Beijing and Ottawa following the arrest of a senior Chinese executive in Canada and China's subsequent detention of two Canadians. The Dalian Intermediate People's Court in China's northeast province of Liaoning re-tried Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, who had appealed his original 15-year prison sentence, and decided on execution, the court said in a statement. Schellenberg was told in court he had the right to appeal to Liaoning High Court within 10 days upon receiving the ruling, the intermediate court said in a second statement. "It is of extreme concern to us as a government, as it should be to all our international friends and allies, that China has chosen to begin to arbitrarily apply (the) death penalty ... as in this case," Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa. Schellenberg's aunt, Lauri Nelson-Jones, said the family's worst fears had been confirmed. "Our thoughts are with Robert at this time. It is rather unimaginable what he must be feeling and thinking," she said in a statement to Reuters. "It is a horrific, unfortunate, heartbreaking situation. We anxiously anticipate any news regarding an appeal." China-Canada ties turned icy in early December after Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL], was arrested in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition warrant.
China warned of unspecified consequences unless Meng was released, and detained Michael Kovrig, a Canadian diplomat on unpaid leave from the embassy in Beijing, and Michael Spavor, a Canadian consultant, on suspicion of endangering state security. Beijing has not drawn a direct link between the detentions and the arrest of Meng, wanted by U.S. authorities for allegedly misleading multinational banks about Iran-linked transactions. Western diplomats in Beijing, however, say the cases are a tit-for-tat reprisal. Lu Shaye, China's ambassador to Canada, suggested in a newspaper article last week that the arrest of Kovrig and Spavor was "China's self-defense," but did not give details. Earlier on Monday, China's government dismissed Trudeau's statement that Kovrig enjoyed some form of diplomatic immunity. A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said Trudeau should "earnestly study" the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic ties so as to "not become a laughing stock." Trudeau said Ottawa "will continue to engage strongly" with Beijing over Kovrig's status and what he called China's arbitrary use of justice. Rights groups condemned the Schellenberg sentence while Guy St-Jacques, who was Canada's ambassador in Beijing when Kovrig worked there, expressed concern at how quickly the courts had acted. "The Canadian government will make representations in Beijing, but based on past experience I am not sure whether this will work," he told the CBC. "We are in a very difficult place."
222 KG OF METHAMPHETAMINE
St-Jacques said Canada should immediately call for a top-level meeting of foreign policy and security advisers from the two nations "to impress upon the Chinese side that they have to abide by international law".Alex Lawrence, chief spokesman for Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, declined to comment.William Nee of Amnesty International noted that drug-related offences did not meet the threshold of the "most serious crimes" to which the death penalty must be restricted under international law. Drug smuggling is routinely punished severely in China. Beijing has previously executed foreign nationals convicted of drug-related crimes - a Briton was executed in 2009. The court said Schellenberg had conspired with others in an attempt to smuggle 222 kg (489.43 lb) of methamphetamine from China to Australia in late 2014. Chinese state television said in an earlier report that Schellenberg argued in court that he was a tourist visiting China and was framed by criminals. A lawyer for Schellenberg, Zhang Dongshuo, told Reuters his client would probably appeal against the death sentence. The Liaoning High Court in late December ordered the case retried after prosecutors said the sentence was too light and improper.
Beijing considers the number of people executed in China to be a state secret. International human rights organizations estimate the annual figure at around 2,000.
(Additional reporting by Michael Martina in BEIJING, Meg Shen and Twinnie Siu in HONG KONG, Tyler Choi in TORONTO; Writing by Se Young Lee and David Ljunggren; editing by Mark Heinrich and Marguerita Choy)

Satelite Images Show Complete Destruction Of Iranian Weapons Cache
Jerusalem Post/January 15 19
"The accumulation of recent attacks proves that we are determined more than ever to take action against Iran in Syria," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
New satellite images of an Iranian weapons storehouse at the Damascus International Airport showed the complete destruction of the site following Israeli airstrikes on Friday. Released by the Israeli satellite company ImageSat International, one image taken before the strikes showed a structure that measured 20 by 50 meters and was later missing, leaving three craters where the compound once stood. According to ImageSat, the structure was likely used as a missile storehouse, including the Fajr-5, which can be launched from a mobile platform and has a reported range of 75 kilometers. On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed reports that the airstrike was carried out by the Israeli Air Force on Friday, saying that Israel has carried out hundreds of attacks against Iranian and Hezbollah targets. “The accumulation of recent attacks proves that we are determined more than ever to take action against Iran in Syria,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi denied that Tehran had any military bases or military presence in Syria, denying claims made by Netanyahu and former IDF chief of staff Lt.-Gen. (res.) Gadi Eisenkot that Israel has struck hundreds of Iranian targets in Syria over the past two years.“The Zionist War Ministry’s comments are baseless, false, misleading and is an attempt to justify their ongoing failures in the region,” Qasemi was quoted as saying by Iran’s official news agency, IRNA. He added that “the Zionists always spread lies and embark on psychological warfare to achieve their evil goals in the region. Iranian officials are in Syria strictly for consultation purposes. The Syrian government invited us in order to advise them on methods with which to fight terrorism.”On Tuesday morning, at the ceremony marking the appointment of incoming IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, Netanyahu warned Tehran to leave Syria.“I’m telling you, get out of there fast. We won’t stop attacking,” he said. Syria’s SANA state news agency said that Israeli warplanes fired a number of missiles towards the Damascus area on Friday, triggering Syrian air defenses that shot most of them down. “At 11:15 before midnight, Israeli warplanes coming from the Galilee area launched several missiles towards the surroundings of Damascus and our air defenses immediately intercepted them and downed most of them,” a military source was quoted by SANA as saying, adding that there were no casualties in the strikes, rather only “material damage to one of the ammunition warehouses.”In late December, an Israeli strike against another Iranian weapons storehouse outside Damascus was completely destroyed. The storehouse also supposedly held Fajr-5 missiles in the Syrian regime’s 4th Division camp in the Al-Muna area.

Iran Fails to Launch Satellite into Orbit
London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/Iran conducted on Tuesday a satellite launch that failed to reach orbit, an official said.
Tuesday's launch took place at Imam Khomeini Space Center in Iran's Semnan province, a facility under the control of the country's Defense Ministry, Jahromi said. Satellite images published last week and first reported by CNN showed activity at the launch site. Given the facility's launching corridor, the satellite likely fell in the Indian Ocean. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi played down warnings from Washington and Paris over the violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, stressing that his country would not wait for permission from others. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said that Iran’s plans for sending satellites into orbit reflected the country’s defiance of Resolution 2231, which calls on Tehran to undertake no activity related to ballistic missile capable of delivering nuclear weapons. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promptly slammed Iran over the launch, accusing Tehran of lying and alleging that the "innocent satellite" was actually "the first stage of an intercontinental missile" Iran is developing in violation of international agreements. A spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry also called on Iran to abort the plan to launch “nuclear-capable missiles.”On Monday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani emphasized that the satellite would monitor the climate from 600 kilometers above the Earth.  “We are not scared by the enemies’ plots and will overcome the existing problems,” he said, adding that the US and its allies “cannot bring the Iranian nation to its knees.”
In the same context, Qassemi claimed that technology was the subject of consultations between Tehran and a European country, which he refused to name, accusing the European state of “abandoning the agreement” in this regard. He stressed that as “Europeans withdrew their promises, we have made progress,” denying any violation of Resolution 2231. French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll called on Tehran to “immediately cease all ballistic missile-related activities designed to carry nuclear weapons, including tests using ballistic missile technology.”

Netanyahu tells Iran to get out of Syria ‘fast’
AFP /Tuesday, 15 January 2019/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday urged Iran to quickly remove its forces from neighboring Syria or face continued attacks on them by Israel. “Yesterday I heard the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman saying ‘Iran has no military presence in Syria, we only advise them’,” Netanyahu said at a Tel Aviv ceremony to install a new head of Israel’s armed forces. “So let me advise them -- get out of there fast, because we’ll continue our forceful policy of attacking, as we promised and are doing, fearlessly and relentlessly,” he said. In a rare public confirmation on Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel had attacked what he described as “Iranian warehouses containing Iranian weapons in the Damascus international airport” over the weekend. Netanyahu added that Israel had attacked Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria hundreds of times.Israel has pledged to prevent Iran entrenching itself militarily in Syria, where its arch foe is backing President Bashar al-Assad’s regime alongside Russia and Hezbollah. At the ceremony for the new chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Aviv Kochavi, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel’s central security challenge was “Iran and its terror emissaries,” saying the Israeli military had “prevented the military entrenchment of Iran in Syria.”Tehran denies sending regular troops to fight in Syria, saying it has only provided military advisors and militia fighters from various countries.

Jordan jails top Salafist leader for nine years over protest
AFP, Amman/Tuesday, 15 January 2019/Jordan’s state security court on Tuesday sentenced a top Salafist leader to nine years in prison for “sedition” during 2011 protests.Abed Shehadeh, known as Abu Mohammad Tahawi, was found guilty of “actions inciting opposition to the government” at the demonstrations in the northern Zarqa region. Clashes broke out on April 15, 2011 on the margins of a rally organized by Tahawi, in which protesters called for the release of detained Salafists, who follow an ultra-conservative branch of Sunni Islam. The violence left 91 people injured, the majority of them security personnel, according to official figures. They coincided with anti-government protests in cities across Jordan. Some 150 Salafists were put on trial in August 2011 on charges including leading riots, “terrorist acts” and “illegal acts of destruction”.The majority are being tried in absentia. Tahawi has been detained since his arrest in December 2015.

Iran Worried about Jordanian-Iraqi Rapprochement
Baghdad - Hamza Mustafa/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif continued on Monday his official visit to Iraq, which coincides with the first trip in a decade by Jordan's King Abdullah II. The monarch had landed in Baghdad on Monday for talks with senior officials, including President Barham Salih, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi. Zarif appeared to be alarmed by Jordan's rapprochement with Iraq, announcing that President Hassan Rouhani will be paying a visit to Baghdad in March.
His trip also came a week after a surprise visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. President Donald Trump had also paid a surprise trip to Iraq in December. The Iranian diplomat was in Baghdad at the head of a 35-member delegation, said the Iranian embassy. It said that he is set to visit Erbil on Tuesday to meet with Kurdish officials. He will then head to the cities of Karbala and Najaf. He will conclude his trip on Thursday. This was the first time that the mission announces the complete details of the minister’s trip, which observers said reflected Tehran’s concern with the new American activities in the region.
Iraqi MP Abdullah al-Khraibet told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iran was “annoyed” with the frequent trips by foreign officials to Iraq. The Iranians “do not, under any circumstances, want to lose Iraq,” he explained. Through intensifying visits to Iraq, Tehran wants to say to all foreign officials that it is still a powerful player in the country, he continued. The Americans, meanwhile, are trying to promote themselves as another powerful party after a clear shift in their strategy in the region, he added. He urged Iraqi leaderships to take advantage of the competition on Iraq, whether regional or international, for the benefit of the country and on condition that this competition does not escalate into a conflict.

Rouhani to Visit Iraq in March
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 14 January, 2019/Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will pay a visit to neighboring Iraq in March, announced Tehran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif on Monday.He said that a final agreement has been reached for him to visit next month at the invitation of Iraqi President Barham Salih, reported the Fars news agency. Zarif is currently in Iraq on an official visit he had kicked off on Sunday and which he will conclude on Thursday. Besides Baghdad, he is set to visit the Kurdistan region and the cities of Karbala and Najaf.

Iran Intends to Enrich Uranium Amid Warnings Against Violating Res. 2231
London - Adil Al-Salmi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 14 January, 2019/Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Chief Ali Akbar Salehi has announced steps to enrich uranium by 20 percent in a new challenge to the nuclear deal. The move came in response to a planned US-sponsored international summit in Poland next month, on the Middle East, with a special focus on Iran. In parallel, Iran’s foreign ministry summoned Poland’s charge d’affaires in Tehran to protest at the country jointly hosting the global summit with the United States. Reuters said that IRNA quoted a foreign ministry official as saying that Tehran saw the decision to host the meeting as a “hostile act against Iran” and warned that it could reciprocate. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that the summit, which would be held in Warsaw on Feb. 13-14, would focus on stability and security in the Middle East, including the “important element of making sure that Iran is not a destabilizing influence,” according to Reuters. Meanwhile, the Associated Press (AP) quoted Salehi as saying that Iran has begun “preliminary activities for designing” a modern process for 20-percent uranium enrichment. According to AP, Salehi’s comments to state television seemed to be aimed at telling the world Iran would slowly restart its program. If it chooses, it could resume mass enrichment at its main facility in the central Iranian town of Natanz. “Preliminary activities for designing modern 20 percent (enriched uranium) fuel have begun,” state TV quoted Salehi as saying. The past few days have witnessed a rising dispute between Tehran and Washington after a US warning of a violation of Security Council Resolution 2231. The US warned Iran against firing rockets into space and using intercontinental ballistic missile technology, after Tehran said it could put two satellites into orbit in the coming weeks. The French Foreign Ministry also issued a statement, warning Iran against violating resolution 2231 if it launches rockets into space.

London Summons Tehran Envoy over Jailed UK-Iranian Mother
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 14 January, 2019/UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt summoned on Monday the Iranian ambassador to London to protest against the detention conditions of a UK-Iranian mother held in Iranian jail. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 40, launched a hunger strike Monday over a lack of medical care and attempts by Tehran to force her to spy on Britain, her husband said. Hunt demanded that Zaghari-Ratcliffe be given "immediate access to the healthcare she requires". "Her ongoing detention is TOTALLY unacceptable and her treatment at the hands of Iranian authorities is a fundamental breach of human rights," Hunt tweeted. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in April 2016 as she was leaving Iran after taking her infant daughter to visit her family. Her hunger strike was to last for an initial period of three days, and could be extended if she fails to win assurances of proper medical attention.
She was joined by Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, who was arrested in 2015 and jailed for 10 years for "forming and managing an illegal group", among other charges. A project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the media group's philanthropic arm, Zaghari-Ratcliffe was sentenced to five years in September 2016 for allegedly trying to topple the Iranian government. She denies all charges against her. Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said his wife's condition has deteriorated despite her detecting a lump in her breast and complaining of numbness in her arms and legs.
Thomson Reuters Foundation chief executive Monique Villa called her treatment "slow and cruel torture". But Ratcliffe said "what really pushed her over the edge" was an interrogation on December 29 during which Iran's Revolutionary Guards made her release conditional on her spying on Britain. "She clearly didn't want to say yes, and they didn't want to hear a no, so she was told to think about it. They have never come back," he told reporters in London after speaking to his wife by phone earlier Monday. Ratcliffe said it was important for his wife's release to be unconditional, so that "we don't get left with this leverage over her family" in Iran. Hunt confirmed that he would be meeting later Monday with Ratcliffe, who is trying to secure "diplomatic protection" for his wife -- a status that requires Iran to allow British diplomats to check on her condition. Tehran refuses to recognize Zaghari-Ratcliffe's UK citizenship and is treating her detention as a domestic matter. Zaghari-Ratcliffe's detention has received broad attention in Iran, which marked her 1,000 days in jail by broadcasting a film featuring previously unreleased footage of her arrest at Tehran airport. It was shown as part of a multi-series documentary on "enemies' interference in domestic affairs. Ratcliffe said he believed there was an internal struggle within Tehran about how best to deal with Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other detained dual nationals. "It's the first time she's received a visit from interrogators for over a year," he said.
There is "a part that wants to solve the issue of Nazanin and other dual nationals, and a part that wants to stand its ground and show it's tough and strong against the rest of the world," Ratcliffe said. "It feels, if I'm honest, that it's a kind of scrambling maneuver."

New UN Envoy Makes First Trip to Syria
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/Geir Pedersen, the new United Nations special envoy for Syria, made on Tuesday his first trip to the war-torn country since taking office earlier this year. Speaking briefly to reporters, he said that he hoped to hold constructive talks in Damascus. The veteran Norwegian diplomat took over from Staffan de Mistura, who stepped down for family reasons after four years and four months of peace efforts that led nowhere. Pedersen's office, in a tweet, said the envoy is looking forward to productive meetings in Damascus. Syria has said it will cooperate with Pederson if he avoids the "methods" of his predecessor and commits to Syria's territorial integrity. Nearly half a million people have been killed in the seven-year war in Syria. Pedersen faces a new reality in the region amid US President Donald Trump’s surprise decision to withdraw his troops from Syria and an ongoing Arab debate to normalize ties with the Damascus regime. Trump said he was pulling out his forces after ISIS was defeated in Syria. When de Mistura assumed his position in 2014, the regime had control of only 10 percent of Syria and talks were underway over forming a transition body. The situation quickly changed in 2015 with Russia’s military intervention to prop up the regime, which now controls 60 percent of Syria. Washington and its allies hold 30 percent and Turkey holds some 10 percent. Pedersen had previously told Norwegian television that he would need the support of the UN Security Council and regional forces as he carries out his mission in Syria. More importantly, he said, he would need to hold “good dialogue” with Syrian parties to ensure that a credible and transparent process can be kicked off. De Mistura had informed the Security Council in December that he had failed in forming a constitutional committee aimed at drafting a new constitution for the country. He cited disputes over the candidates to the committee that were proposed by Damascus.

UN: Winter weather killed 15 displaced children in Syria
AFP, Beirut/Tuesday, 15 January 2019/Freezing temperatures and the lack of medical care have killed at least 15 displaced Syrian children in recent weeks, the United Nations reported on Tuesday. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said eight of them had died as a result of the cold in the Rukban camp in southeastern Syria and seven others during the displacement from the extremist bastion of Hajin, further north. “Freezing temperatures and harsh living conditions in Rukban... are increasingly putting children’s lives at risk,” UNICEF regional director Geert Cappelaere said. “In just one month, at least eight children -- most of them under four months and the youngest only one hour old -- have died,” he said. Cappelaere explained that the cold in the isolated desert camp on the Jordanian border, where 80 percent of the 45,000 residents are women and children, was increasing infant mortality.
The cold snap that has hit the region is also having dire consequences on the people fleeing the fighting in the so-called Hajin pocket in eastern Syria. The area near the Iraqi border has seen intense fighting between ISIS extremists defending the last remnants of their “caliphate” and Kurdish-led forces backed by US air strikes. According to the UN, more than 10,000 people have fled the area since December. “Families seeking safety face difficulties leaving the conflict zone and wait in the cold for days without shelter or basic supplies,” Cappelaere said.
“The dangerous and difficult journey has reportedly killed seven children -- most of them under one-year-old” in Hajin, he said. According to the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces battling the jihadists and to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, significant numbers of IS members have attempted to blend in with fleeing civilians.

Syrian HTS Backs Turkey Offensive against Kurds
Beirut, London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/Syria's National Coalition, the leading opposition body, called for a “radical solution” to resolve the presence of the powerful extremist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which dominates the Idlib province, the last opposition bastion in the country. The demand coincided with HTS leader Abu Muhammad al-Julani’s remarks that his faction supports Turkey's military operation against US-backed Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria. "We see the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as an enemy of this revolution and take over areas where a large number of Sunni Arabs live," Julani said in an interview published by the Amjad news channel. The HTS sealed its grip on Idlib when it reached a ceasefire deal with what was left of a rival alliance following days of deadly fighting. Dominated by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, HTS has proclaimed a salvation government to administer most of Idlib province and parts of neighboring provinces of Aleppo and Hama. Syria's National Coalition, the leading opposition body, slammed HTS's attempts to "get its hands on" the whole region. "It is necessary to find a radical solution which puts an end to its presence in Idlib and in any other regions," the coalition said in a statement at the conclusion of a meeting on the latest developments in Syria. Idlib has been protected by a buffer zone implemented under a Turkish-Russian deal reached in September to prevent a regime offensive to retake the northern region from the opposition.
As part of the deal, radical fighters, such as HTS, were supposed to withdraw from the planned demilitarized area by mid-October, but never did. The HTS takeover revives the threat of a Syrian offensive, prompting the National Coalition to call for an agreement with Turkey to protect civilians. “And prevent the regime and its supporters, the Russians and the Iranians, to lead a genocide under the pretext of the terrorist presence in the region.”

Under Tight Security, Tunisia Commemorates Revolution Anniversary
Tunis - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/Thousands of Tunisians rallied under tight security measures on Monday to mark eight years since the ouster of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. President Beji Caid Essebsi used the occasion to call on the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) to cancel a general strike scheduled on Thursday to demand a wage raise. During the opening of an exhibition at the Bardo museum that marks the revolution, Essebsi warned of the danger that a general strike posed. He acknowledged that the purchasing power of the Tunisians was declining after inflation reached 7.5 percent. At the Habib Bourguiba Avenue, thousands of demonstrators, especially political party supporters, organized Monday festive rallies to mark the revolt. UGTT Noureddine Taboubi delivered a speech before the crowd and expressed his insistence to stage the strike. Although Tunisia continues to proceed with democracy and the political transition after the so-called “Arab Spring”, the economy still faces challenges. Unemployment stands at 15.5 percent, with those worst hit being young university graduates, and the dinar value drops before the euro and dollar. The Tunisian president pledged to publish the final list of martyrs and wounded of the uprising – an announcement that has been delayed since 2011. This could introduce financial settlements with the families. The assigned committee has finalized its mission one year ago, affirmed the president, and results will be published in the official gazette soon. During the revolution from December 17, 2010 until January 14 2011, more than 300 were killed, while thousands of others were wounded. But no accurate numbers were officially announced since the list has been revised several times since 2011 to determine the exact number and avoid any deceit.

Rallies Against Israel’s Nation-State Bill Renew, Gantz Vows Amendment
Tel Aviv – Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/Arab Druze in Israel have launched a rally on Monday protesting the Jewish nation-state bill, calling for its amendment as it is discriminatory and racist in nature. Amal Assad, one of the leading activists who served in the Israeli Defense Forces, said that Israel Resilience party leader Benny Gantz showing up at the rally is a sign for good and a better hope for amending the legislation. “In 21st-century Israel such a racist law that makes the Jewish race superior to Arab race cannot be passed,” Assad said, adding that he hopes all candidates in upcoming Knesset elections understand that the law is a “disgrace and must be repealed or amended to include an item that affirms the right to equality for all citizens.”Asaad said the Nation-state Law Amendment Forum, which he heads, is determined to fight against the law and make it a central theme for upcoming election campaigns battle from now until the day of parliamentary elections on 9 April. Druze activists led the demonstration in Rosh Al Ayn in front of Gantz’ house. Protestors will be moving to rally in front of other Israeli officials’ and candidates’ houses, but will conclude their demonstrations in front of Netanyahu's house. Gantz, who is seen as one of the only possible threats to a Netanyahu victory in upcoming elections, said that amending the law would “express the connection [between the Druze community and the State of Israel], a deep and unbreakable connection not only in battle, but also in life. We have a blood pact, but more than that, we have a life alliance. “We’ll do it together,” he said on amending the disputed legislation. The Likud party said that Gantz’s comments showed he was in the same ideological basket as Hatnua chief Tzipi Livni and Yesh Atid chair Yair Lapid. “When Gantz attacks the national law and Tzipi Livni congratulates him for it, everyone knows the obvious: Gantz is left, just like Lapid,” the party said in a statement.

Livni Proposes Immediate Resumption of Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/Former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume negotiations with the Palestinian Authority immediately, “even before” US President Donald Trump announces his peace plan known as the Deal of the Century. She noted that the current stalemate was due to lack of trust, adding that it was possible to prove goodwill and restore trust by easing the burden on the Palestinians and launching major economic projects. Livni’s remarks came during her address to a group of leaders of AIPAC, currently visiting Tel Aviv. She stressed that it was possible to resume negotiations with the Palestinians immediately. The former foreign minister hinted at the need to take a firm and pressing position in Washington to convince the Israeli government, saying that the US president must know that any step he makes toward a two-state solution will be a blessing, even if the far right in Israel or the United States did not like it. She emphasized that the two-state solution was in the highest interest of Israel. There is a real possibility of resuming negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, through positive dialogue and Israeli steps that would improve the Palestinian economy and alleviate the suffering of Palestinian citizens in the West Bank, said Livni. She urged Trump to take into consideration “the true national interest” of Israel and “to establish peace on the basis of a two-state solution.” The Israeli official went on to say that the Middle East was no longer divided between Jews and Arabs, but between moderates and extremists. She underlined that Israel assume a strong and influential role among the moderates, seeking their victory over terrorism and violence.

Israeli Police Attack Imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque
Tel Aviv – Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/Palestinian authorities closed Monday the Dome of the Rock after an Israeli policeman attempted to force his way into the site. Israeli provocations continued until Palestinians clashed with occupation forces, which also physically assaulted Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, Imam of Aqsa Mosque, and besieged the Dome of the Rock mosque. Tensions continued until the evening when the occupation forces withdrew. The standoff began shortly after Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel toured the Mosque’s squares accompanied by scores of Jewish settlers guarded by a large force of heavily armed police. Two Israeli officers then came to the Dome of the Rock for the daily search. One of them was wearing a Jewish Kippah and the guards asked him to take it off before entering the mosque, which he refused and attempted to force his way into the place, prompting the guards to close all the doors. Head of the public relations office at the Islamic Endowment Department, Firas al-Dibs, indicated that, within their jurisdiction, Aqsa’s guards closed the doors of the mosque. He added that dozens of Israeli police forces besieged the mosque and prevented worshipers, imams, sheikhs, and employees of the Department from entering. As a result, hundreds of worshipers came to al-Aqsa Mosque and held Dhuhr and Asr prayer in the courtyard. The worshipers then protested closing the mosque and a number of imams and elders came to the place including Imam of Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani. The soldiers prevented them by force and special forces assaulted Sheikh Kiswani. Tension grew and some worshipers clashed with the police. Later, in the afternoon, police ended their siege and withdrew from the Mosque. Palestinian Minister of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, Sheikh Yousef Adaibis, condemned the violation of the sanctity of al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, its squares and its facilities, by the Israeli occupation police. He described the incident as an “assault on the feelings of Muslims and their holy sites.”“These are immoral practices that create more religious incitement inside and outside of Jerusalem,” he said. He also accused Israel of working toward “dividing al-Aqsa Mosque in time and space” between Muslims and Jews. The Minister called on the international community to restrain Israeli occupation from continuing with such violations and attacks. The Palestinian Unity Government issued a statement condemning the brutal attack on Sheikh Kiswani and the siege of the Mosque by the occupying forces. It added that this attack falls within “the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation government against Jerusalem and holy sites.”Government Spokesman, Yousef al-Mahmoud, stressed that the government urges Arab, Islamic, and the governments of the world to take serious action in all international forums and work to end Israeli occupation’s attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque and Islamic and Christian holy sites.

Palestine TV Station Opens Office in Damascus
Damascus, London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/The Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) officially opened its headquarters in Damascus on Monday in the presence of representatives of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Fatah Movement. The opening of the TV station’s office in the Syrian capital comes as part of a plan to open offices for the television station in various Arab countries. PA Ambassador to Damascus Mahmoud al-Khalidi described the launching of the office as "a great day in the history of the Palestinian struggle." The TV station has already opened offices in Beirut, Cairo and Tunis, yet the opening in Damascus bears particular significance as the conflict continues in this country since 2011. "The opening of Palestine TV station’s office in Damascus differs from the openings in other countries," said PLO member Wasel Abu Yousef. The opening ceremony was attended by Fatah leaders, including Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of the movement's central committee. On the other hand, Qatar's foreign minister ruled out the possibility of normalizing relations with Syria, stressing that the Syrian regime has committed war crimes, "Normalization (of relations) with the Syrian regime at this stage is the normalization of a person involved in war crimes, and this should not be acceptable," said Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at a Doha press conference. He added that Damascus under Assad should not be allowed back into the Arab League as its membership was suspended in 2011. Syria's opposition Leader Nasr al-Hariri has pleaded with Arab leaders not to rebuild relation with Assad, expressing disappointment amid efforts to reintegrate Damascus into the Arab world. The Arab League, for its part, announced that it does not intend to invite Damascus to attend Beirut’s summit and that its return depends on Arab consensus.

Gaza: Palestinian Teen Dies from Israeli Fire in Return March
Gaza, Tel Aviv - Asharq al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/A Palestinian teen, 14, succumbed Monday to Israeli gunshot wounds sustained during the march of return on the Gaza-Israel border, according to Palestinian sources. They told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) the teenager was shot in the head during the protest Friday. A 43-year-old female activist was also killed, and over two dozen Palestinians were wounded, during the protests, east of Gaza. The High Commission of the Great Return March, and a group of Palestinian rights and civil groups accused the Israeli army of deliberately killing and injuring protesters, in violation of human rights and humanitarian law, according to dpa. The return march began near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel on March 30 of last year, and based on Palestinian figures, over 220 Palestinians were killed and thousands others injured and suffered from suffocation. The protest calls for the lifting of the Israeli siege imposed on Gaza since mid-2007. Meanwhile, Palestinian police announced the launch of an investigation into Sunday’s attack on its station of al-Ram in the occupied West Bank. Police spokesman Louai Erzikat said that unknown assailants opened fire at the station in a drive-by shooting. A Palestinian was killed in the attack. Erzikat added that the police responded to the source of fire and began the investigation to prosecute the perpetrators and bring them to justice. He said that several security units have since been dispatched to al-Ram to “maintain security.”

Cairo: Court Jails Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Member
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/Cairo Criminal Court issued 20 years in prison sentence in the retrial of Mahmoud Makkawi, a Muslim Brotherhood member convicted of violence that occurred in 2012 outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace. The Public Prosecution accused Makkawi and others (on top of them former President Mohamed Morsi) of inciting a number of Muslim Brotherhood leaders to kill and torture protesters. The incidents had left six people dead and 25 others injured. The Cairo Criminal Court decided to adjourn till January 28 the retrial of 120 defendants in the violent incidents that took place in the vicinity of the Syndicate of Journalists. The decision was made to complete hearing the defense pleadings. Earlier, the public prosecution had charged the defendants with murder, attempted murder, incitement to protest and violence, as well as deliberately destroying public property and disturbing public order in contravention of the law. Some 15 defendants were sentenced to one year in jail with labor and placed under police surveillance for one year. Some 212 other defendants had received in absentia a ten-year jail term each in the same case

UN Urges More Aid to Egypt in Support of Refugees
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/Commissioner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi called Monday for intensifying help to Egypt, which hosts a large number of refugees, especially Syrians and Africans. During a press conference following a meeting with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and a number of officials, Grandi said: “The international community only recognized Egypt as one of the host countries of refugees after the problem of illegal migration across the Mediterranean emerged.” He added that he would advocate for Cairo to receive more bilateral development aid to support its efforts. Wrapping up his two-day visit, the UN official described the current assistance delivered to Cairo as insufficient. Grandi praised Egypt as a key partner to the UN refugee agency, and reiterated that the UNHCR is seeking to offer technical and humanitarian support for Cairo, noting that the value of UNHCR programs in the country in 2017 ranged from $40 million to $50 million only. "We've heard loud and clear from the government here that they will not establish any camp or any center ... frankly I think they are right," Grandi said. Presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said in a statement that during his meeting with the UN official, Sisi affirmed that despite its burdens and delicate economic situation, Egypt has not exploited the refugee crisis. He said that 50,000 Syrian refugees had returned to their country in 2018, adding there is a need to boost security in Syria to pave the way for the return of a higher number of refugees. Late last month, the UN refugee agency launched a winter assistance program in Egypt to help 151,130 refugees, including at least 18 percent of children. Marking Grandi’s visit, the UNHCR said in a press release that as of November 31, 2018, Egypt is hosting more than 242,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers of 58 different nationalities, mainly concentrated in Greater Cairo, Alexandria and the North Coast.

Jordan Approves to Host UN Sponsored Yemen Meeting on 'Prisoner Exchange'
Aden - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 15 January, 2019/Jordan agreed on Tuesday to a UN request to host a meeting between the Yemeni government and the Houthi group to discuss a prisoner swap deal that would allow thousands of families to be reunited, a Foreign Ministry statement said. The statement did not say when the meeting set up to discuss implementing the deal would convene. Earlier, the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen tweeted that it “has not yet received the approval of the Jordanian government to convene the meeting of the follow-up committee on the implementation of the prisoner exchange agreement.”Meanwhile, Yemeni parties hoped recent repercussions in the issue of Hodeidah won’t overshadow other issues, including the exchange of prisoners and detainees. This came at a time informed Houthis sources confirmed on Monday that Houthi representatives had left Sanaa to Amman in preparation for the talks with the government. However, the issue is still not clear given conflicting information provided by both sides on the number of prisoners and detainees with each party. Head of the government’s committee on prisoners and detainees Hadi Haig earlier predicted that the meetings with Houthis representative will begin Wednesday, in preparation for the implementation of the agreement to release all prisoners and detainees. Houthis denied the existence of thousands of detainees submitted by the government, claiming that they are fictitious or duplicate names or imprisoned for terrorist and criminal cases, according to Yemeni government sources. They also said that the group didn’t provide information about hundreds of other detainees, including Major General Faisal Rajab and the top official in Reform Party Mohammed Qahtan. Last month, the government negotiating team in Sweden presented a list of more than 8,500 detainees, most of whom were abducted by Houthis in areas under its control. The group has begun trials in Sanaa in its State Security Court for dozens of activists and journalists who have been detained for about four years after being charged with a capital crime under Yemeni law. The agreement between the Houthi group and the Yemeni government was to be implemented in five stages in terms of exchanging prisoners' lists, prisoners and missing persons, and responding to the final regulations within six weeks of Sweden's consultations. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is to oversee the implementation of the agreement and the transfer of detainees by air from Sanaa to Seiyun and vice versa. The Yemeni government said it is keen to ensure the success of the exchange agreement, and it is ready to make all concessions needed given that this is purely humanitarian and has nothing to do with other political and security issues. During the consultations, Houthi group provided lists of about 7500 people, but the government indicated that most of the names provided are of people killed during the battle on different fronts. Observers fear Houthi intransigence will derail the implementation of the agreement, as the group has previously done with the Hodeidah file. Up till now, Houthis refuse to withdraw from Hodeidah and its port. They also rejected redeployment under the plan proposed by the head of Redeployment Coordination Committee Retired General, Patrick Cammaert. The group accused Cammaert of not being impartial, and its spokesman, Mohamed Abdul Salam, called on UN Envoy Martin Griffith to intervene, while group leaders threatened to expel the UN general further confirming the group's rejection of proposals for redeployment and insistence on thwarting the Swedish agreement.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 15-16/19
Erdoğan Is Wrong on Syria. Turkey Cannot Get the Job Done.
Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/January 15/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13541/turkey-erdogan-syria-withdrawal
In May 2015, the secular daily newspaper Cumhuriyet published on its front page a video and photographic evidence of arms deliveries by the Turkish intelligence services to Islamist groups in Syria. A month later, President Erdoğan himself filed a criminal complaint against Cumhuriyet's editor-in-chief and said, "He who ran this story will pay heavily for it."
Clearly, Erdoğan's "militarily speaking, the so-called Islamic State has been defeated in Syria. Yet we are deeply concerned that some outside powers may use the organization's remnants as an excuse to meddle in Syria's internal affairs" means "outside powers should not meddle in Syria but Turkey should."
Erdoğan's plan is merely about substituting jihadists hostile to him with ones friendly to him.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's plan for Syria is merely about substituting jihadists hostile to him with ones friendly to him. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Shortly after President Donald Trump's controversial decision to pull out U.S. troops from Syria, a move that exorbitantly pleased Turkey, Russia and Iran, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in a charm offensive, wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times, entitled, "Trump Is Right on Syria. Turkey Can Get the Job Done."
Turkey, Erdoğan claims, is the only country with the power and commitment to perform that task of protecting the interests of the United States, the international community and the Syrian people.
This claim is grossly wrong. Despite some convergences, Turkey's interests in the Syrian theater are widely different than those of the Western bloc of countries. Turkey's ambitions over the future of Syria are largely sectarian (pro-Sunni) and, therefore, a good recipe for further violence in civil war-torn Syria and the potential slaughter of the Kurds, a job Turkey can get done.
It is true, as Erdoğan reminded the world, that in 2016 Turkey became the first country to deploy ground combat troops to fight the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria: "Our military incursion severed the group's access to NATO's borders and impeded their ability to carry out terror attacks in Turkey and Europe."
Erdogan then claims that Turkish troops and fighters of the Free Syrian Army, which Turkey staunchly backs, "went door to door to root out insurgents in Al Bab, a former stronghold of the so-called Islamic State."
Erdoğan, however, fails to mention his ties with Syria's jihadists before 2016. In May 2015, the secular daily newspaper Cumhuriyet published on its front page a video and photographic evidence of arms deliveries by the Turkish intelligence services to Islamist groups in Syria.
A month later, President Erdoğan himself filed a criminal complaint against Cumhuriyet's editor-in-chief, the prominent journalist, Can Dündar, and the newspaper's Ankara bureau chief, Erdem Gül. In a public speech, Erdoğan said: "He who ran this story will pay heavily for it". In 2018, the Supreme Court of Appeals ruled that Dündar should be given up to 20 years in prison for "obtaining confidential information for purposes of espionage." (Dündar escaped to Germany, where he now lives in exile.)
Erdoğan wrote in the Times op-ed piece: "Turkey is committed to defeating the so-called Islamic State and other terrorist groups in Syria, because the Turkish people are all too familiar with the threat of violent extremism." It is no secret that Erdoğan comes from the top ranks of militant political Islam in Turkey. He categorically and vehemently denies "Islamic terror." He thinks Islamic State is the product of a project that aims to taint Islam. In February 2017, he slammed German Chancellor Angela Merkel's phrase "Islamist terror," and angrily -- and inaccurately -- said to his guest, "Islam means 'peace,' it can't come with 'terror'" Erdoğan himself explicitly said that "there is no moderate Islam."
Erdoğan's claim that the "Turkish people are all too familiar with the threat of violent extremism" needs caution. In August 2014, the Turkish polling company MetroPOLL found that 11.3% of Turks did not view Islamic State as a terrorist organization. That is in no way a marginal figure. If a "mere" 11.3% of Turks think so generously of Islamic State, it means there are nearly 9 million Turks sympathetic to jihadists. If only 10% of those decide to support Islamic State's jihad, that comes to nearly 900,000 potential Turkish jihadists.
Clearly, Erdoğan's "militarily speaking, the so-called Islamic State has been defeated in Syria. Yet we are deeply concerned that some outside powers may use the organization's remnants as an excuse to meddle in Syria's internal affairs" means "outside powers should not meddle in Syria but Turkey should."
Erdoğan suggests that "the first step is to create a stabilization force featuring fighters from all parts of Syrian society." This highlights Erdoğan's desire that his choice of jihadists, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), should control Syria's north, not other jihadists or Kurds. FSA's Supreme Military Council operates with several hardline Islamist groups such as Ahrar al-Sham and Al-Qaeda-liked jihadists.
Erdogan accuses Kurdish militants of violating international law by recruiting children. His Islamist allies in the Free Syrian Army have an even darker recent history. In Aleppo, Syria's second biggest city, the FSA implemented a Sharia law enforcement police force that is a replica of the Wahhabi police in Saudi Arabia -- forcing ordinary citizens to abide by the Sharia code. Daniel Wagner, wrote in Huffington Post in 2012 that, "Lebanese newspapers such as Al-Akhbar and Assafir, and Alex Jones' infowars.com, have broadcast a disturbing video of a 12-year-old child apparently forced by the FSA to cut off the head of a Syrian military officer."
In Erdoğan's post-U.S. pullout roadmap for northern Syria, "individuals with no links to terrorist groups will be eligible to represent their communities in local governments." This is deeply problematic wording, inviting a serious question: "who will decide which groups are terrorist and which are not?" Basically, by promoting groups such as the FSA, Erdoğan aims to control northern Syria by way of proxy.
Erdoğan's plan is merely about substituting jihadists hostile to him with ones friendly to him.
*Burak Bekdil, one of Turkey's leading journalists, was recently fired from the country's most noted newspaper after 29 years, for writing in Gatestone what is taking place in Turkey. He is a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

New Israeli Military Chief Aviv Kochavi Vows to Make IDF 'Deadly, Efficient Army'
تقرير من الهآرتس: رئيس الأركان الإسرائيلي الجديد افيف كوخافي يتعهد بجعل جيش بلاده”جيشًا قاتلاً وفعالاً
Yaniv Kubovich/Haaretz/January 15/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/71110/haaretz-new-israeli-military-chief-aviv-kochavi-vows-to-make-idf-deadly-efficient-army-%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%A2%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%B3-%D8%B1%D8%A6%D9%8A/
Kochavi replaces Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, who says he leaves behind 'a fit, prepared and powerful military' ■ Netanyahu welcomes head of army, says he's 'not looking for unnecessary wars'
Kochavi was promoted from deputy chief of staff by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a ceremony at the Israeli army headquarters in Tel Aviv, also attended by Eisenkot.
Kochavi, born in 1964, grew up in Kiryat Bialik in northern Israel. Kochavi studied Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Public Administration at Harvard and International Relations at Johns Hopkins. He's the first vegetarian chief of staff.
"I take this job upon myself in sacred reverence, I take it as an honor," said Kochavi."It is an honor received with the help of others who are deserving of gratitude. To my parents who gave me my first compass, a moral compass."
"Soldiers and officers, the IDF is my second home," he said. "I love the organization and its soldiers. I intend to act together with the General Staff, in cooperation with all the levels of the organization, from a deep understanding of the strength of the people within it. Each soldier is a valuable asset that we have been entrusted with, and it is our duty to care for our charges. Similarly, we are responsible for the memory of the fallen, the support of grieving families, the wounded and the return of the missing."
"Now, as it is my turn, and I have received the responsibility of leading the army, I commit to dedicating all my energy, with a critical and demanding approach, to strengthening our defensive wall, to training for present and future threats – which focuses upon strengthening our attack capabilities towards our enemies, and presenting an army that is deadly, efficient and modern, that preserves its mission and it's uniqueness," added the incoming chief of staff.
"Like every soldier who enlists, I also vow to dedicate all my efforts to the defense of the homeland. Now as chief of general staff, when in front of me are the foundations of the national security and the good of the nation, I swear it anew. To the general staff, good luck to us all."
Netanyahu, who addressed the crowds at Kochavi's welcome ceremony, spoke about Israel's struggle to keep Iran from attaining nuclear weapons. "We must poke holes in Iran's lies. We made that apparent with the revelation of Israel's secret nuclear archive. We did it by destroying the attempted preparations of Hezbollah. I advise them to leave [Syria] quickly, because we will continue with our assertive policy, as promised, without fear and without a break. All of our efforts at building our power in the past few years are aimed at making sure that the army is ready for a single goal – victory in war. And the stronger we are, the better our chances are at peace."
"I am not looking for excessive wars, yet in necessary wars we will be asked to show true sacrifice," added Netanyahu.
"I will repeat, in conclusion, what I said here two days ago (at Eisenkot's goodbye ceremony): If we defend our nation with all our strength, then it will be unnecessary to set out on a full campaign. And if it is necessary – the Israeli army will rise to the challenge. The citizens of Israel will rise to the challenge, unified and united in the face of it, and together we will assure Israel's continuation and victory."
Departing Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot also made an address in which he spoke about the Israeli military's preparedness for war in light of criticism sounded by IDF ombudsman Yitzhak Brik.
"During my service I saw it as a duty to fill out many tasks and to make every effort to return my soldiers home safely. Out of this responsbility I placed my goals as chief of staff and in light of this, I am looking at the army I leave behind me and see that it is a fit, prepared and powerful military that has grown stronger in wisdom and determination, an army that initiated and struck on four different arenas and has proved that victory is a sigificant value."
Eisenkot went on to say that the accomplishments of the IDF were achieved "not with arrogant words but with modesty, deep thought, meticulous planning and professional execution while always casting doubtand aiming to improve. Defense actions cannot always be summed up in an eight-word headline in a newspaper."
Kochavi was also welcomed by Shin Bet security service chief Nadav Argaman. "I know Aviv for many years. We have collaborated and I think he will be a great chief of staff. We know from the time he served as the head of the Intelligence Corps and as the commander of the Gaza Division. He's a very talented man," Argaman said.
Eisenkot and Kochavi, visited the gravesites at Mount Herzl of Israeli soldiers and officers who fell in battle. This is a new tradition honoring the exchange of power within the Israeli army.
During the visit they laid a wreath of flowers and lit a candle in memory of the troops who fell in defense of the homeland. Eisenkot and Kochavi, saluted their friends, officers and soldiers under their command, who had fallen in defense of the nation over their years over service.
Following the visit, they continued on to the Western Wall and received a blessing from the head of the Military Rabbinate of the IDF, Brig. Gen. Eyal Karim, and put notes into the crevices of the wall.
Kochavi will visit later on Tuesday the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. He will also dine with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at his residence. Later in the afternoon he is slated to be officially received by the military's honorary guard.

What Are The Top Five Challanges Facing Aviv Kochavi, The IDF's New Chief
تقرير من جيروزاليم بوست: الاحديات الخمسة التي ستواجة رئيس أركان الجيش الإسرائيلي الجديد افيف كوخافي
Jerusalem Post/January 15/19
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Maj.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi was approved by the cabinet on Sunday, becoming the IDF’s 22nd chief of staff and replacing Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot. Here are the top five challenges he will face as the IDF’s top officer:
As chief of staff, Kochavi will have to continue his predecessor’s fight against the increased threats posed by Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East. With the presence of Iranian and Hezbollah forces, Israel’s northern front has become the IDF’s biggest priority.
Working to prevent the entrenchment of Iranian forces and the transfer of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah, the Israel Air Force has admitted to carrying out hundreds of air strikes in Syria. While Russia has recently provided the S-300 advanced anti-aircraft missile batteries to the Syrian regime, Israel has said that it will continue to operate in the war-torn country as long as Iran remains.
According to foreign reports, the military is also believed to have increased its covert operations in the area and increased ties with other states in the region that view Iran as a common threat. With the Syrian civil war winding down in favor of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Israel’s military will need to contend with a stronger, more battleworn, Hezbollah in the next war in the North.
2/Gaza
The threat on Israel’s border with Gaza is the second challenge for Kochavi.
While Eisenkot did not oversee any wars during his tenure as chief of staff, terrorist groups in the blockaded coastal enclave have restored their military capabilities to their pre-2014 strength and have fired hundreds of rockets and mortars into southern Israel over the past four years.
While the military’s Iron Dome missile interception system continues to successfully shoot down a large majority of projectiles, Hamas and Islamic Jihad were able to overwhelm the system during the last escalation by firing large missile and mortar barrages at once.
The IDF expects that communities bordering the Strip will be incessantly pounded with rockets and mortar attacks in the next military confrontation and that the communities will need to be evacuated. During his tenure as chief of staff, Kochavi will also have to contend with the weekly border riots, which have seen the participation of thousands of Gazans who have launched incendiary and explosive aerial devices into southern Israel, burning hundreds of thousands of acres of territory. Kochavi will also oversee the completion of the IDF’s underground barrier, which expects to remove the threat posed by cross-border attack tunnels.
3/IDF preparedness
Despite constant threat by its enemies along both the northern and southern borders, serious concerns have been raised about possible weaknesses in Israel’s military preparedness by IDF Ombudsman Maj.-Gen.(res.) Yitzhak Brick. According to Brick, who is set to resign after 10 years as IDF ombudsman, the military is in a dire state and is not fully prepared should another war break out. In June, he warned that there were “serious consequences” for the cutting of thousands of career soldiers under the army’s five-year-long Gideon Plan and was highly critical of the IDF’s training and the state of the weaponry used by the ground forces. Brick also warned about the imbalance between the manpower remaining after the cuts and the increase of tasks that not only places a “heavy burden” on the remaining personnel, but increased pressure that is “detrimental to the level of performance, discipline and motivation of the soldiers.”
While the military rejected most of the allegations made by Brick, Kochavi will have to make sure that Israel continues the procurement of arms and increases the motivation of troops in order to keep the IDF one step ahead of all of its neighbors and enemies.
4/Haredi enlistment bill
The bill in question, which Kochavi will have to deal with, sets targets that rise every year over the next decade for the enlistment in the IDF or national civilian service of men from the haredi community . The bill, which will sanction yeshivas if the targets are not met, has been in the works for several years and has raised concerns across the religious spectrum in the Jewish state.Reforms passed in the Knesset in 2014, which aimed at gradually increasing ultra-Orthodox recruitment, has been met with stiff opposition from many in that community. Nonetheless, according to data released by the army last year, there are some 5,000 ultra-Orthodox men in the IDF. If the bill passes, the age of exemption for haredi men will rise until the age of 28, giving haredi men time to get married before joining the army and significantly increasing the number of haredim drafted.With more haredim in the army, not only will there be a need to create more tracks and open up more combat companies for the soldiers, but the already apparent religious tensions in the army may increase. Kochavi will have to walk a tightrope between the need to have a powerful army and one which respects the wishes of the haredi community and non-religious communities alike.
The bill in question, which Kochavi will have to deal with, sets targets that rise every year over the next decade for the enlistment in the IDF or national civilian service of men from the haredi community. The bill, which will sanction yeshivas if the targets are not met, has been in the works for several years and has raised concerns across the religious spectrum in the Jewish state.
Reforms passed in the Knesset in 2014, which aimed at gradually increasing ultra-Orthodox recruitment, has been met with stiff opposition from many in that community. Nonetheless, according to data released by the army last year, there are some 5,000 ultra-Orthodox men in the IDF. If the bill passes, the age of exemption for haredi men will rise until the age of 28, giving haredi men time to get married before joining the army and significantly increasing the number of haredim drafted. With more haredim in the army, not only will there be a need to create more tracks and open up more combat companies for the soldiers, but the already apparent religious tensions in the army may increase. Kochavi will have to walk a tightrope between the need to have a powerful army and one which respects the wishes of the haredi community and non-religious communities alike.
5/Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Benjamin Netanyahu
Despite being appointed Sunday as IDF chief of staff, Kochavi was not the first pick of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently acting defense minister . Rumor has it that Netanyahu preferred Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir for the top position and scolded then-defense minister Avigdor Liberman when he was told that Kochavi would be recommended for the role. While Netanyahu threatened that he would not bring Kochavi’s recommendation to the cabinet, Despite being appointed Sunday as IDF chief of staff, Kochavi was not the first pick of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently acting defense minister. Rumor has it that Netanyahu preferred Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir for the top position and scolded then-defense minister Avigdor Liberman when he was told that Kochavi would be recommended for the role. While Netanyahu threatened that he would not bring Kochavi’s recommendation to the cabinet, the Prime Minister’s Office congratulated Kochavi a few hours after Liberman made the announcement.

Brexit-era Britain’s ‘Last Hope’ Bows to Reality
Therese Raphael/Bloomberg/January, 15/19
Every once in a while the world of sport seems to provide the perfect metaphor for a national moment. It’s no more than a sad coincidence, but when the U.K. tennis star Andy Murray announced tearfully on Friday that this month’s Australian Open might be his last grand slam event, it seemed to wrap up a particular chapter of the Brexit saga. It was only shortly after Britain was shocked by the June 2016 vote to leave the European Union that Murray won his second Wimbledon title, cementing his place as one of the nation's greatest athletes. He's a Scot, and Scotland has a complicated relationship with the rest of the U.K., but from the moment he first won Wimbledon, ending a 77-year wait for a male champion, he was embraced by all as an emblem of national cool. It was just what the doctor ordered. Leavers were jubilant after the vote, but Remainers were disconsolate and some were in denial. Britain was still in shock. And Iceland had just delivered England's worst humiliation in a World Cup soccer match since a loss to the US in 1950. Earlier in the tournament, a reporter had asked Murray how he felt about being the nation's "last hope."
"It's not that bad, is it?" Murray asked back. "Is it that bad?"
That all depended where you were; on who you were. On the Sunday of the Wimbledon final, watching from the Royal Box overlooking the perfectly manicured center court grass as Murray defeated Canadian Milos Raonic was David Cameron, the prime minister who fatefully sponsored the Brexit referendum. After Murray acknowledged the prime minister in his victory interview, the London crowd started booing. Murray came to the rescue. "You know,” he declared, “I think playing in a Wimbledon final is tough, but I certainly wouldn't like to be a prime minister. It's an impossible job."A day later, a soon-to-be new prime minister would address voters in words that would come back to haunt her: "Brexit means Brexit. And we are going to make a success of it." It was a moment when some patriotic Remainers passed from denial to acceptance. Britain is a great country, they figured. Hadn't it been on the winning side of two world wars? It would show Europe how to leave with dignity. Even Murray seemed to capture the mood. "It's time to unite and make the best of it," he said.
Murray would go on that year to win Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro and then return to London to dominate the ATP World Tour Finals, featuring the world’s top eight players. People spoke of Murray Mania and his photo seemed to be everywhere; he was awarded a knighthood. But when Wimbledon came around in 2017, Murray was hurt and looked nothing like he had the year before. He lost to the towering American Sam Querrey in a five-set quarterfinal that was painful to watch at times. Suddenly, grit, guile and speed were no longer enough.
What came afterward was surgery, rehabilitation and false starts leading up to Friday's emotional press conference in Melbourne. Things hadn't gone according to plan. While Murray said he hopes to retire after Wimbledon this year, he isn't sure he'll make it that far; he's been living with constant pain and it may get to be too much.
The British Parliament is due to vote on a Brexit deal on Tuesday that is nobody's idea of a victory. There's even a chance that the U.K. will leave the EU after four decades without even working out the terms of the divorce. Prime Minister Theresa May no longer says "success" and "Brexit" in the same sentence if she can help it. She's just trying, like the injured Murray, to stay in the game; it's no longer about lifting any trophy. Cameron was recently spotted surfing in Costa Rica. Back during that historic 2016 Wimbledon, the Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer was circumspect about the Brexit vote. "I don't even want to think about the negotiations that go into it now for you guys,” he told Britons presciently. “It's going to be years of negotiations." But then he threw in that signature optimism without which no athlete endures.
"It's nice to have democracy here, and that you have an opportunity to vote,” he said. “It's a beautiful thing."

Donald Trump is willing to play 'hardball' with Ankara over Syrian Kurds
Joyce Karam/The National/January 15/19
In their third phone call to discuss the Syria situation and impending plans for US withdrawal, US president Donald Trump discussed with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday a framework that would protect Syrian Kurds while preserving Turkey’s security.
The White House said on Monday that Mr Trump and Mr Erdogan “discussed several bilateral issues, including the ongoing cooperation in Syria.”
“The President expressed the desire to work together to address Turkey’s security concerns in northeast Syria while stressing the importance to the United States that Turkey does not mistreat the Kurds and other Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with whom we have fought to defeat ISIS”, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said.
The Turkish read-out said the two leaders discussed the idea of a safe zone to secure Turkey’s border and that Mr Trump said it could go as far as 20 miles into Syria.
The White House also said that US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff General Joseph Dunford will arrive in Turkey on Tuesday to continue his consultations from last week with senior Turkish defense officials.
The third Erdogan-Trump call since December 14 followed a threat by the US president on Sunday to devastate Turkey economically if it attacks America’s Kurdish partners.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Starting the long overdue pullout from Syria while hitting the little remaining ISIS territorial caliphate hard, and from many directions. Will attack again from existing nearby base if it reforms. Will devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds. Create 20 mile safe zone....
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The overnight tweet was a stark change in tone from three weeks ago when the White House hailed the US-Turkish strategic partnership and said that Mr Trump is open to a potential visit to Turkey in 2019.
The comments by the US president are the latest in a series of American diplomatic blunders that have drawn the ire of Turkish officials and further undermined already-strained relations between the two Nato allies.
More than anything, by threatening economic sanctions on Turkey, Mr Trump is signalling that he is willing to play hardball with Mr Erdogan in an attempt to extract concessions and protect US allies in Syria, according to experts.
The shift on Sunday follows a gradual walk-back by Mr Trump and his administration over an exit from Syria.
What was at first portrayed as an imminent Syria withdrawal is now being cast by members of Mr Trump’s administration as a long drawn-out process that will hinge on the defeat of ISIS and securing guarantees by Ankara that it will not attack America’s Kurdish partners in Syria’s northeast.
Ankara, however, has resisted the new conditions, which Mr Erdogan has described as a "grave mistake."
Sunday’s threat is similar to another one Mr Trump made and executed last summer after Turkey arrested US pastor Andrew Brunson on terrorism charges related to the failed 2016 military coup.
Mr Brunson was released in October 2018 after spending two years in jail mainly because the US vowed to lift crippling sanctions on two Turkish ministers and increased tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminium which its imposed on Ankara in the summer of that year amid growing frustrations over his case.
“Mr Trump has proven that he is willing to play hardball with Mr Erdogan,” Aykan Erdemir, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told The National, referring to the Brunson case.
He argued that Mr Trump knows that the Turkish economy is heading to a recession in 2019 and that Mr Erdogan will be in need of a massive International Monetary Fund bailout following March’s local elections.
In that context, Mr Trump “assumes that the incentives and disincentives he has at his disposal will discourage Mr Erdogan from taking unilateral action [against Syrian Kurdish militants] that could jeopardize Washington’s Syrian Kurdish partners” Mr Erdemir said.
While Mr Trump could dial up tariffs on Turkey or use unilateral sanctions again, the move could backfire, said Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations.
“The US can impose sanctions on Turkey and add tariffs like it did this summer…Mr Trump’s bluster is enough to rattle Turkish markets” Mr Cook said.
Still, he warned that such sanctions would have real consequences for Turkey and Europe, and could likely encourage Ankara to take action against the Kurds.
“Mr Brunson was a hostage; the Kurds in Syria represent an existential problem [for Turkey]” Mr Cook told The National, highlighting an important distinction between the two cases.
Mr Trump's threat could also be a message to his own domestic audience.
UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash weighed in on the Syria debate on Monday, stressing the role of Syria's Kurds in defeating ISIS and that "Arab interest requires addressing the role of the Kurdish component within a political framework and while preserving Syrian territorial integrity."
د. أنور قرقاش
✔
@AnwarGargash
على ضوء الدور المحوري الذي لعبه الأكراد في هزيمة تنظيم داعش الإرهابي فإن القلق الإقليمي والدولي حول مصيرهم مشروع، ومن هذا المنطلق فإن المصلحة العربية تقتضي ان ينحصر التعامل مع دور وموقع المكون الكردي ضمن الإطار السياسي وبما يحفظ وحدة الأراضي السورية.
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Nicholas Heras of the Center for New American Security told The National that the US President “is trying to signal to his domestic critics that the truth of the matter is that he is in control over Syria policy and that he understands the stakes that are raised by his decisions.”
Threatening the Turkish economy is “his ace in the hole” said Mr Heras, “at a time where Mr Erdogan is trying to hold onto power.”
The threat is also a message to members of Mr Trump’s own party who accuse him of being weak on Turkey and taking cues from Ankara over the situation in Syria. Mr Trump announced his decision to leave Syria only five days after his call with Mr Erdogan on December 14, leading many to suggest that the Turkish president was the main force driving the decision.
By shifting his rhetoric now, Mr Trump “a self-styled master negotiator, is telling the Turkish President, and the Republican audience, that he is calling the bluff” Mr Heras said.