LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 21/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
When you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 21/15-19:”When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on June 20-21/2019
Israel Says US-Brokered Lebanese Maritime Talks to Launch in Weeks
Aoun Receives Message from Geagea
Hassan Denounces Decision of Hadath Mayor
Hariri Travels to Abu Dhabi on Official Visit
Deryan Meets Saudi Shura Delegation, Condemns Attacks at Kingdom
Defiant Couple Hold Civil Marriage in Lebanon despite Controversy
Report: In Lebanon, Syrian Refugees Face New Pressure to Go Home
Report: Lebanon Records Decline in Number of Syrian Refugees Willing to Go Home
Renault and Nissan End Standoff over Post-Ghosn Governance

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 20-212019
Iran Shoots Down U.S. Drone as Tensions Soar
Trump Says 'You'll Find Out' if U.S. Will Strike Iran for Downing Drone
US official says military drone was shot down in international airspace
Saudi Arabia says Iran had created a grave situation with its 'aggressive behavior'
Bolton to Hold 'Regional Security' Talks in Israel
U.S. Says Downed Drone was Some 34 Km from Iran Coast
Iran Says Will Take Drone Incident to U.N. to Show U.S. 'Lying'
Defying Trump, U.S. Senate Votes to Block Saudi Arms Sales
Netanyahu Says World Must Back U.S. against Iran
Iraq Officially Invites Pope to Visit
India Warships Sent to Strategic Gulf Waters
Trump, Trudeau Mend Fences at White House Meeting
EU Extends Sanctions against Russia over Ukraine Conflict

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 20-21/2019
Iran's Grand Strategy Tests US & Its Allies Yeman, Iraq, Syria-Analysis/Seth J.Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/June 20/2019
No Peace as Long as Iran's Mullahs Enjoy Power/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/June 20/2019
Intelligence Report: Iran One Of Chief Culprits Of Espionage In Germany/Jerusalem Post/June 20/2019
Mae Cannon & CMEP: The New Face of the Palestinian Authority's Antisemitic "Christian" Lobby/Joshua Joseph/Gatestone Institute./June 20/2019
Washington Times: “Global Jihad’s Information Warfare Campaign”/Raymond Ibrahim/June 20/2019
Maximum pressure the right policy to confront Iran/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/June 20/2019
Tory leadership rivals clash as no-deal Brexit looms/Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/June 20/2019
Facing up to Iran’s growing maritime threat/Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/June 20/2019
Transitional justice could help stabilize former Daesh territory/Haid Haid/Arab News/June 20/2019

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on June 20-21/2019
Israel Says US-Brokered Lebanese Maritime Talks to Launch in Weeks
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 20/2019
The Israeli Energy Minister said that Israel expects to launch within a month the US-brokered talks with Lebanon on demarcation of their maritime border. Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said: “As soon as the talks begin, the energy companies operating in Lebanese and Israeli waters are likely to be able to carry out the first seismological survey of the disputed maritime area.” The Minister said he expected an agreement to be reached within six to nine months. In May, Israel agreed to enter US-mediated talks with Lebanon on maritime borders that would have an impact on offshore oil and gas exploration. Last year, Lebanon signed its first contract to drill for oil and gas in its waters, including for a block disputed by its southern neighbour Israel, with which it has fought several wars. A consortium composed of energy giants Total, Eni and Novatek was awarded two of Lebanon's 10 exploration blocks last year. It is set to start drilling in block 4 in December, and later in the disputed block 9. Last year, Total said it was aware of the border dispute in less than eight percent of block 9 and said it would drill away from that area. In April, Lebanon invited international consortia to bid for five more blocks, which include two also adjacent to Israel's waters. Israel also produces natural gas from reserves off its coast in the Mediterranean. Israel and Lebanon are still technically at war, although the last Israeli troops withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000 after two decades of occupation.

Aoun Receives Message from Geagea
Naharnet/June 20/2019
President Michel Aoun on Thursday received a message from Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, the Presidency said. The message, relayed by ex-minister Melhem Riachi, tackled the current political developments, the Presidency announced. Geagea had on Tuesday urged Aoun to “rein in” Free Patriotic Movement chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil. “The government is partially paralyzed because one of its main partners is acting arbitrarily, absurdly and without any limits,” Geagea said in an apparent reference to Bassil. “It is no longer possible to rescue the situation without direct intervention from General Aoun,” Geagea added.

Hassan Denounces Decision of Hadath Mayor
Naharnet/June 20/2019
Interior Minister Raya al-Hasan on Thursday denounced a decision reportedly taken by municipal chief of Hadath, George Aoun, banning Muslims from renting or purchasing real estate in the Christian majority area. “I have been notified of the remarks made by Hadath municipal chief. Mount Lebanon governor has been requested to hear what Aoun has to say. He will be asked to draw back his remarks if they turn out to be true,” said Hassan in remarks made to LBCI TV station. Earlier this week, social media platforms circulated a post published on Facebook by Mohammed Aouad who recorded his experience of being banned from renting an apartment in Hadath because he is a Muslim. To that, Aoun said in televised remarks on LBCI: “The decision was taken nine years ago and we won’t back down because we want to preserve national coexistence.”He said “only 40% of Hadath is occupied by Christian inhabitants, while 60% are of the brethren Shiite community.” “We don't want to change the demography of the area,” he noted, stressing that the decision garners support of inhabitants of the area, President Michel Aoun, the Speaker and Hizbullah leader. “The President (Michel Aoun,) residents of the area, Speaker Nabih Berri, Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah are all in support,” he said. “The move is unconstitutional,” the Interior Minister argued noting that he will be asked to withdraw it.

Hariri Travels to Abu Dhabi on Official Visit
Naharnet/June 20/2019
Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Thursday traveled to Abu Dhabi, UAE on an official visit, his office said. The premier will meet a number of Emirati officials during his visit, the office added in a statement.

Deryan Meets Saudi Shura Delegation, Condemns Attacks at Kingdom
Naharnet/June 20/2019
Grand Sunni Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Deryan, welcomed at Dar el-Fatwa a delegation of the Shura Council of Saudi Arabia headed by Saleh Bin Munea al-Khalewi, accompanied by KSA Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari, in the presence of Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Friendship with Saudi Arabia, former PM Tammam Salam, the National News Agency reported on Thursday. "Dar al-Fatwa of the Republic of Lebanon is your home and that of all Arabs and Muslims. It is proud of the distinguished historical relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its leadership,” Deryan addressed his visitors. Underlining strong relations with the Saudi brothers, the Mufti said the Kingdom has always been keen on preserving the security and stability of the Arab region, especially the GCC countries. "This concern is an extension of its keenness on Lebanon's sovereignty, Arabism and national unity so that it remains an integral part of its Arab and Islamic nation," he said. "The recurring attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are condemned and rejected. Such attacks target all Arabs and Muslims and cannot go unnoticed because they reflect terrorism by all standards," the Mufti stressed, assuring that Lebanon and its people carry loyalty to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its leadership. The head of the delegation, in turn, highlighted the keenness of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his Crown Prince on the stability of Lebanon and its unity and Arabism, "so it remains as an oasis of freedom and patriotism, love and moderation, and the bright face of Arabs and Muslims in its role and mission." Ambassador Bukhari thanked the Mufti for his hospitality and his confidence in "Saudi Arabia's wise diplomacy".

Defiant Couple Hold Civil Marriage in Lebanon despite Controversy
Naharnet/June 20/2019
A Lebanese couple have held a civil marriage ceremony in Beirut, despite the latest controversy over the legalization of this type of unions.
MTV said Abdullah Salam and Marie-Joe Abi Nassif tied the knot at the Sursock Palace in the capital, in a ceremony presided over by Joseph Beshara, the head of the Public Notaries Council of Lebanon. In addition to the couple's families and friends, the rare wedding was attended by former parliament speaker Hussein al-Husseini and ex-ministers Ziad Baroud and Tarek Mitri. “The marriage paper work has not yet finished and it is taking its legal course in a normal way without any hurdles and the official announcement will be made on Monday,” MTV reported. “This marriage is expected to be accepted, especially that Minister of Interior and Municipalities Raya al-Hassan had voiced a stance supporting the endorsement of optional civil marriage in Lebanon,” the TV network added. Dar al-Fatwa, Lebanon's highest Sunni Muslim religious authority, has recently commented on the renewed debate in the country over the thorny issue of legalizing civil marriage. It said civil marriage “fully contradicts with the rules of Islamic sharia and also violates the stipulations of the Lebanese constitution in terms of the need to respect the personal status law that is applied by the religious courts of the Lebanese.” “Accordingly, the draft law cannot be approved in parliament without taking into consideration the viewpoint and stance of Dar al-Fatwa and the rest of religious authorities in Lebanon,” Dar al-Fatwa said. It also called for “refraining from debating and discussing the issue of civil marriage,” saying “it falls under the jurisdiction of the Lebanese republic's Dar al-Fatwa, which is entrusted with the religion of Islam and the interest of Muslims.”
The highest Shiite authority in the country also expressed opposition.
"The Lebanese constitution recognizes that every sect has its own personal status laws," the deputy head of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council said. "We strongly oppose civil marriage because it violates the constitution," he said. The head of Lebanon's Maronite church, Beshara al-Rahi, however, said he was "not against civil unions" conducted on Lebanese territory. In an interview with Euronews, Minister al-Hassan said she was personally in favor of having a “framework for civil marriage” in Lebanon. “I will talk about this issue and seek to open the door for serious and profound dialogue over the topic with all religious authorities and other officials, supported by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, so that civil marriage can be acknowledged,” al-Hassan said. Lebanon has 15 separate personal status laws for its recognized religions but no civil code covering issues such as marriage.
Many Lebanese couples travel to neighboring Cyprus to tie the knot in a civil ceremony, because Lebanese authorities recognize such unions only if they have been registered abroad. In 2013, the Interior Ministry took the unprecedented step of registering a civil marriage conducted in Lebanon. However, only a handful of civil marriages have been recognized since the landmark decision, campaigner Lucien Bourjeily told AFP. Former president Elias Hrawi in 1998 proposed a civil marriage law, which gained approval from the cabinet only to be halted amid widespread opposition from the country's religious authorities.

Report: In Lebanon, Syrian Refugees Face New Pressure to Go Home
Associated Press/Naharnet/June 20/2019
Lebanese authorities are making their most aggressive campaign yet for Syrian refugees to return home and are taking action to ensure they can't ut down roots.
Mirroring the rise of anti-migrant sentiment in Europe and around the world, some in Lebanon say that after eight years of war in neighboring Syria they have had enough of the burden of the highest concentration of refugees per capital in the world — 1 million amid a Lebanese population of nearly 5 million — especially at a time when they are facing austerity measures and a weakened economy.Anti-refugee sentiment in Lebanon has waxed and waned in the past. It's been persistent but limited among a public torn by conflicting feelings — resentment over past domination by Syria and worry over the refugees' impact on their country's delicate sectarian balance, but also sympathy for the refugees amid memories of their own displacement during Lebanon's long civil war. But this time a rising star in the country's politics has latched onto the issue. Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil has led the campaign, saying Syrians should return home and using nationalist language, like saying the "genetic distinction" of Lebanese will unite them to confront the refugee issue.
During one rally organized by Bassil's party this month — held under the slogan of "Employ a Lebanese" — protesters chanted, "Syria get out," and some attempted to storm a shop run by a Syrian, sparking a scuffle. Posters have popped up in streets and online calling on residents to report any Syrian working without a permit.
The tensions point to how a backlash in host countries burdened by long and intractable refugee situations intertwines with local politics at a time when numbers of displaced worldwide have swelled to record levels. The U.N. refugee agency said Wednesday 71 million people are uprooted from their homes as of this year — 26 million of them refugees, double the number the world had 20 years ago. "Out of this grim number, Lebanon stands out as the country that has the highest number of refugees per capita," said Mireille Girard, the UNHCR representative in Lebanon. "It is a huge responsibility that Lebanon is shouldering and the whole world has to show solidarity with the countries that are in the front of refugee flow."Allies of Bassil in the government have begun enforcing laws that were previously rarely implemented, shutting down shops owned by or employing Syrians without permits and ordering the demolition of anything in refugee camps that could be a permanent home.
The refugees are trying to weather the storm.
In the town of Arsal, near the Syrian border, where 60,000 refugees live in informal camps set up in the fields, Syrians have been tearing down brick and concrete walls they had built trying to make their shacks of canvas, sheet metal and plastic able to withstand the elements in the mountainous areas that sees harsh winters. The military gave them until July 1 to remove any wall taller than waist high. The Syrians said no matter how much authorities squeeze them, they have no choice but to stay.
"They think a concrete block is what's keeping us here?" one woman, Um Hassan, said angrily. She said she can't go back because her sons will be drafted into the military of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The demolition order, she said, left her and her family sleeping without a roof over their head for over a week.
Most of the Syrians who came to Lebanon since 2011 were impoverished and dispossessed. Despite years of receiving aid, 51 percent of Syrian refugee families survive on less than $3 a day and 88 percent of households are in debt. Of more than 660,000 school-aged Syrians in Lebanon, 54% are not enrolled in formal education and an estimated 40% remain out of any kind of certified schooling. Many Lebanese, in turn, complain that — despite $6 billion of foreign aid invested to support Lebanon — the flood of refugees has overwhelmed schools and the already debilitated infrastructure, increased rents and forced Lebanese to compete with cheap Syrian labor. Some are resentful of aid stipends some Syrians receive, pointing out that they don't pay taxes and often work illegally as well. Lebanese face an upcoming year of austerity measures trying to repair the economy. Critics say politicians are using the Syrians as a scapegoat for Lebanon's worsening economic crisis and endemic corruption.
"The Lebanese public is frustrated and ... wants anything to dump all their anger on. So who is the weakest, the refugee," said journalist Diana Moukalled.
Bassil is the leader of the largest Christian party in parliament and the government and the son-in-law of the country's president. He has been mobilizing a popular base and boosting his credentials as the prime protector of Christians — some believe with the aim of one day replacing his 84-year father in law, President Michel Aoun.
He has popularized the term "Lebanon above all," while warning of an "international conspiracy" to settle Syrians in Lebanon. While pushing at home for implementation of laws against refugees, he has lobbied abroad for increased aid to Lebanon and an organized return of refugees.
He has gained ground in a political sphere divided over refugees and the Syrian war in general. "The one who speaks of refugees returning is not a racist or a fascist, and those accusing us of racism either benefit (from the issue) or are conspirators," he said during a recent conference.
Bassil's ally, Hezbollah, has backed Assad's government in the fight against rebels. His political opponents — including other Christian parties and the main Muslim Sunni party led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri — have sided with Syria's opposition. Hariri called Bassil's rhetoric "racist," and the prime minister and his allied have pushed against his campaign.
At a recent small rally in Beirut, politicians, activists and Syrians held banners against hate speech. Paula Yacoubian, an independent Armenian Christian politician at the rally, said the campaign to "dehumanize" refugees is irresponsible. "This is destructive and, even if it brings someone popularity for now, in the long run it is very harmful, for Lebanon and the Lebanese first of all," she said. Nasser Yassin, a professor of public policy at the American University of Beirut, said he doesn't believe there will be a widespread public backlash against the refugees. But the rise of similar sentiments around the world makes it harder to challenge. "If Europe is actually violating human rights when it comes to pushing people trying to cross the Mediterranean back to the Libyan militias, they will turn a blind eye or (be) silent when the Lebanese government is applying it," he said.
The campaign is not simply political rhetoric.
Local vigilantes recently set fire to three tents in a refugee camp in the eastern town of Deir al-Ahmar, and Syrians there scuffled with the Lebanese firefighters, injuring one. An eviction order followed from the municipality, forcing 400 Syrians to move to a new spot to set up their tents.
In a possible violation of its international obligations, Lebanon in April deported at least 16 Syrians, including some registered as refugees, after they arrived in Beirut airport. Human Rights Watch and other groups said some of the deported expressed fear of persecution in Syria and were forced to sign "voluntary" repatriation forms, despite Beirut's commitment not to forcibly return any Syrians.
Lebanese authorities estimate that over 170,000 Syrians have returned to their country between December 2017 and March 2019, many through government-organized bus trips. Aid groups and many Western countries say conditions are not yet right for refugees' return to Syria, with lack of a political resolution and guarantees for their security. In Arsal, Abu Fares, an organizer of the Syrian camp, said the campaign to apply labor and building laws really aims to harass Syrians into returning home. He is campaigning to get an exemption or longer grace period for the disabled or elderly in the camp who can't do their own demolition. A defector from Syria's police force, Abu Fares said he can't even fathom a return to Syria without a political settlement, a pardon and new laws. "But if they can't have us here, just say it and take us out of Lebanon" to another country besides Syria, he said. But some have succumbed to pressure. Arsal's mayor, Bassel al-Hujairi, said nearly 200 Syrians registered to return to Syria after the new orders to bring down the walls. Abu Ossama, a 74-year old Syrian and a retired army general, said he put his name on the list. "I used to be safe here. It is not anymore," he said. "God will be my protector."

Report: Lebanon Records Decline in Number of Syrian Refugees Willing to Go Home
Naharnet/June 20/2019
The number of Syrian refugees wishing to go back to their homeland has reportedly dwindled lately for reasons attributed to the scholastic year, Hizbullah MP Nawar al-Sahli said on Thursday. In remarks he made to al-Joumhouria daily, Saheli, a Hizbullah MP tasked with following on the file of refugees said: “The work has been ongoing for the last ten months and we have 11 regional offices around Lebanon that receive requests from refugees willing to go home. There is no doubt the number has greatly decreased as a result of the academic year. “We hope the number would rise in the future, particularly with the Syrian government’s initiative postponing the military service and providing decent places for refugees to reside in. Syrian President Bashar Assad affirmed that he won’t accept refugees to stay in tents,” added Saheli. The MP urged for direct contacts between the Lebanese and Syrian governments to facilitate the refugees’ return. “We welcome the Russian initiative to return refugees but this must not prevent direct contact between the two governments. Minister was elected for that purpose (referring to the minister of the displaced) let them task him officially,” he added.

Renault and Nissan End Standoff over Post-Ghosn Governance
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 20/2019
Renault announced Thursday that it had reached an agreement with its partner Nissan on the Japanese carmaker's governance overhaul, paving the way for the French company to back changes decided in the wake of the Carlos Ghosn scandal. Renault, which owns 43 percent of Nissan, had threatened to block the reforms, complaining that it was not being given enough of a say in the new structure. In a statement the French carmaker said it welcomed the decision by Nissan to give its representatives a seat on two of the three new oversight committees Nissan wants to create. They are being set up to prevent a repeat of the alleged financial misconduct by Ghosn, who some Nissan leaders say accrued too much power as head of both automakers. Renault had demanded the seats in exchange for its backing of the reforms, which will be put to a vote at Nissan's annual shareholders' meeting next Tuesday. According to a source close to Renault, the company's chairman Jean-Dominique Senard will sit on Nissan's new appointments committee, and CEO Thierry Bollore will sit on the audit committee. But Renault will not be represented on a new committee on pay -- possibly reflecting longstanding rancour in Japan over Ghosn's high pay compared to most Japanese CEOs.
Strained car alliance -
Renault said the agreement "confirms the spirit of dialogue and mutual respect that exists within the alliance" between the two carmakers and their third partner, Mitsubishi. The alliance, the world's biggest-selling automotive group, was sorely strained after last November's shock arrest of Ghosn, long considered one of the most astute and powerful executives in the auto industry. Since then Nissan has accused Renault of having too much weight in the alliance, and of keeping it in the dark over its tie-up plans with Fiat Chrysler (FCA), which foundered over reservations expressed by the French government. Ghosn, who was sacked from all his roles, is awaiting trial in Japan on charges of under-reporting millions of dollars in salary and of using company funds for personal expenses -- accusations he denies.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 20-21/2019
Iran Shoots Down U.S. Drone as Tensions Soar
Associated Press/Naharnet/June 20/2019
Iran shot down a U.S. spy drone Thursday near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with the two sides at odds whether it was in Iranian or international airspace, in the latest incident stoking tensions between the arch-foes. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the "U.S.-made Global Hawk surveillance drone" was hit with a missile "after violating Iranian air space" over the waters of Hormozgan province. The Pentagon confirmed a U.S. surveillance drone was shot down by Iranian forces, but it insisted the unmanned aircraft was in international airspace. The incident comes at a time of growing antagonism between Iran and the United States following two waves of still unexplained attacks on Gulf shipping, which Washington has blamed on Tehran. Iran has denied any involvement and hinted the U.S. might have orchestrated them itself to provide a pretext for the use of force against the Islamic republic. Russian President Vladimir Putin said any use of force by the United States against Iran "would be a disaster for the region."The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the downing of the drone was "a clear message" his country will defend its borders. Iran will "respond to all foreign aggression and our reaction is, and will be, categorical and absolute", General Hossein Salami said, quoted by Tasnim news agency. "We declare that we are not looking for war but we are ready to respond to any declaration of war," he added. The Pentagon said later in a statement that an Iranian surface-to-air missile had brought down a U.S. Gold Hawk high-altitude drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
"Iranian reports that the aircraft was over Iran are false," it said. "This was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset in international airspace." World oil prices rebounded strongly on the news, with London's Brent North Sea crude up 2.78 percent to $63.54 per barrel in midday trading and New York's West Texas Intermediate up 3.42 percent to $55.60. 'Maximum pressure' Tensions have been running high between Iran and the United States ever since President Donald Trump abandoned a landmark 2015 nuclear agreement in May last year. The subsequent reimposition of crippling unilateral sanctions has dealt a heavy blow to Iran's already flagging economy. Washington has also bolstered its military presence in the Middle East in a campaign of "maximum pressure" against Tehran. Its deployment to the Gulf of an aircraft carrier task force as well as B-52 bombers, an amphibious assault ship and a missile defense battery has sparked fears of fresh conflict in the region. One of the two tankers attacked in the Gulf of Oman last week was damaged by a limpet mine, the U.S. military said Wednesday. Commander Sean Kido of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, or NAVCENT, said the mine used in the attack "is distinguishable and it is also strikingly bearing a resemblance to Iranian mines that have already been publicly displayed in Iranian military parades." The Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, loaded with highly flammable methanol, came under attack on June 13 as it passed through the Gulf of Oman along with the Norwegian-operated Front Altair.
Fingerprints
It was the second attack in a month on ships in the strategic shipping lane.
On May 12, two Saudi oil tankers and two other vessels were damaged in mysterious "sabotage attacks" in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates. Kido told reporters in the UAE emirate of Fujairah that the U.S. military had recovered "biometric information" of the assailants on the Kokuka Courageous including fingerprints. This information "can be used to build a criminal case", Kido said as the U.S. Navy took journalists to the damaged ship currently anchored some 14 kilometers (nine miles) off Fujairah. Defence Minister Amir Hatami flatly rejected allegations Iran was behind the twin attacks. "Accusations levelled against Iran's armed forces and the published film with regards to the incident (that) happened to the vessels... are unsubstantiated and we categorically reject these accusations," the official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying. Washington has released images and a grainy black-and-white video it says shows Iranians on a patrol boat removing an unexploded limpet mine attached to the Kokuka Courageous. The U.S. commander Kido said there was an "ongoing joint and combined investigation with our regional partners into the attacks" on the two tankers.

Trump Says 'You'll Find Out' if U.S. Will Strike Iran for Downing Drone
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 20/2019
U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is not yet making public how he will respond to the shooting down of a U.S .drone by Iran.
"You will find out. Obviously, you know, we're not going to be talking too much about it," he said in the White House. "They made a very big mistake," Trump said. "This country will not stand for it, that I can tell you," he added. Trump however suggested that the drone's shooting down might have been unintentional. "I find it hard to believe it was intentional," Trump said at the White House in comments that appeared to downplay the incident, despite soaring tension in the strategic Strait of Hormuz area. "I have a feeling that it was a mistake made by somebody who should not have been doing," he said. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps earlier said it had brought down the surveillance drone after it entered its country's airspace. The Pentagon said the incident occurred in international airspace. Al-Arabiya television meanwhile reported that Trump met with Pentagon officials to “mull a response to the Iranian attack.”“The U.S. decision to respond to the Iranian attacks will be taken within hours,” the TV network added. The incident comes at a time of growing antagonism between Iran and the United States following two waves of still unexplained attacks on Gulf shipping, which Washington has blamed on Tehran. Iran has denied any involvement and hinted the U.S. might have orchestrated them itself to provide a pretext for the use of force against the Islamic republic. The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the downing of the drone was "a clear message" his country will defend its borders. Trump has repeatedly said he does not favor war with Iran unless it is to stop the country getting a nuclear weapon -- something Iranian leaders insist they are not pursuing. Critics of the Trump administration say that his policy of "maximum pressure" -- including crippling economic sanctions, abandonment of a complex international deal to regulate Iran's nuclear activities, and deployment of extra sea, air and land forces to the region -- make war ever more likely.

US official says military drone was shot down in international airspace
Saudi Arabia says Iran had created a grave situation with its 'aggressive behavior'
DUBAI: Donald Trump warned Iran it had made a ‘very big mistake’ in shooting down a US drone near the Strait of Hormuz Thursday. The US said the RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drone was shot down in international airspace near the shipping lane through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil passes. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed the drone had been shot down in Iranian airspace.The US military's Central Command released a statement calling the downing an "unprovoked attack.”
"They made a very big mistake," Trump said. "This country will not stand for it, that I can tell you." The US president also raised some doubt over who ordered the strike saying: "I would imagine it was a general or somebody that made a mistake in shooting that drone down."
But he added that it would have been far more serious had it been a piloted aircraft. "We had nobody in the drone. It would have made a big difference, let me tell you, it would have made a big, big difference," he said. The Trump administration called top congressional leaders to the White House for a briefing later on Thursday. The incident is the latest in a string of provocations blamed on Tehran as tensions with the US continue to increase. On Wednesday, the US said it had intelligence that proved “without question” that Iran had attacked two tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week after they passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir, said Iran had created a grave situation with its “aggressive behavior” and the Kingdom was consulting other Gulf Arab states on next steps. “When you interfere with international shipping it has an impact on the supply of energy, it has an impact on the price of oil which has an impact on the world economy. It essentially affects almost every person on the globe,” Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, told reporters in London. Bahrain, which hosts a base for the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, described the incident as “a cowardly act of aggression.”The CENTCOM statement said the maritime surveillance drone was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. “Iranian reports that the aircraft was over Iran are false,” CENTCOM said, adding that “this was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset in international airspace.”
The drone was downed at approximately 2335 GMT - in the early morning hours of local time in the Gulf.
The IRGC, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claimed it shot down the drone when it entered Iranian airspace near the Kouhmobarak district in southern Iran’s Hormozgan province, close to the Strait of Hormuz. “Borders are our red line,” IRGC commander Gen. Hossein Salami said. “Any enemy that violates the borders will be annihilated.” Russian President Vladimir Putin called for caution, warning any war between Iran and the US would be a “catastrophe for the region as a minimum.”The RQ-4 Global Hawk, which cost over $100 million apiece and can fly higher than 10 miles in altitude and stay in the air for over 24 hours at a time. They have a distinguishable hump-shaped front and an engine atop. Their wingspan is bigger than a Boeing 737 passenger jet. The attacks come against the backdrop of heightened tensions between the US and Iran following Trump’s decision last year to withdraw from a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program. The US has ramped up sanctions that have drastically reduced Tehran’s oil exports as it moves to isolate Iran over its nuclear and ballistic missile program and role in regional wars. Since mid-May, explosive strikes blamed on Iran have hit six oil tankers. The US has sped an aircraft carrier to the Mideast and deployed additional troops alongside the tens of thousands already in the region. Global jitters about a new Middle East conflagration disrupting oil exports have triggered a jump in crude prices. They surged by more than $3 to above $63 a barrel on Thursday. Iran has claimed to have shot down American drones in the past. In the most-famous incident, in December 2011, Iran seized an RQ-170 Sentinel flown by the CIA to monitor Iranian nuclear sites after it entered Iranian airspace from neighboring Afghanistan.
*With AP and Reuters

Bolton to Hold 'Regional Security' Talks in Israel
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 20/2019
U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton will travel to Israel at the weekend for "regional security talks" with top Russian and Israeli officials, the White House said Thursday amid spiking tensions with Iran. Bolton will meet Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, followed by talks with his Israeli and Russian counterparts, Meir Ben-Shabbat and Nikolai Patrushev, NSC spokesman Garrett Marquis said. Bolton also will meet with the director general of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission Zeev Snir. The NSC announcement came just hours after Iran shot down a U.S. drone in what Washington called an unprovoked attack. Tehran said the drone, a high-flying Global Hawk, was brought down with a surface-to-air missile after it entered its airspace. The U.S. military said the drone was in international airspace. "Iran made a very big mistake!" U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted. It was the latest of a series of incidents in and around the strategic Strait of Hormuz that have sent regional tensions soaring. The United States has accused Iran of attacks on shipping in the area, including suspected mine explosions on two tankers last week. Adding to the uncertainty is Iran's threat to stop observing some restrictions on its nuclear program in retaliation for the United States' unilateral withdrawal last year from a 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers.

U.S. Says Downed Drone was Some 34 Km from Iran Coast
A U.S. spy drone was some 34 kilometers (21 miles) from the nearest point in Iran when it was shot down over the Strait of Hormuz by an Iranian surface-to-air missile Thursday, a U.S. general said. "This dangerous and escalatory attack was irresponsible and occurred in the vicinity of established air corridors between Dubai, UAE, and Oman, possibly endangering innocent civilians," said Lieutenant General Joseph Guastella, who commands U.S. air forces in the region. The Pentagon released a graphic pinpointing the position of the drone on a map of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic passage through which much of the world's oil passes. Guastella said the drone, a Navy variant of a high-flying Global Hawk, was over the Strait when it was hit and it fell into international waters. "At the time of the intercept the RQ-4 was at high altitude, approximately 34 kilometers from the nearest point of land on the Iranian coast," he said, over a video to the Pentagon press briefing room. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the drone was shot down with a missile over the waters of Hormozgan province, which borders the north side of the Strait of Hormuz. It said the drone departed Wednesday from a U.S. base on the south side of the Gulf, passed through the Strait of Hormuz and headed east toward the Iranian port of Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman. On its return, according to the Guard, the drone was shot down at 1944 GMT Wednesday in a coastal area near Badar-e Jask on the Gulf of Oman. "Iranian reports that this aircraft was shot down over Iran are categorically false," Guardella said. US Central Command said the drone was shot down at approximately 2335 GMT. The Pentagon released a video showing the fall of a brilliant object trailed by a streak of black smoke.

Iran Says Will Take Drone Incident to U.N. to Show U.S. 'Lying'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 20/2019
Iran said Thursday it would go to the U.N. to prove that a U.S. spy drone it shot down had entered Iranian airspace, contrary to Washington's claims. "We'll take this new aggression to #UN & show that the U.S. is lying about international waters," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted, after a U.S. general said the drone was taken down some 34 kilometres (21 miles) off the Iranian coast."The US wages #EconomicTerrorism on Iran, has conducted covert action against us & now encroaches on our territory," he wrote. "We don't seek war, but will zealously defend our skies, land & waters." With tensions soaring between the two countries following a series of attacks against tankers in the Gulf, the Pentagon confirmed a U.S. surveillance drone had been shot down by Iranian forces.But it insisted the unmanned aircraft was in international airspace. The Pentagon released a graphic pinpointing the position of the drone on a map of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic passage through which some 35 percent of the world's seaborne oil passes. The downing with an Iranian surface-to-air missile "occurred in the vicinity of established air corridors between Dubai, UAE, and Oman", said Lieutenant General Joseph Guastella, who commands U.S. air forces in the region. Iran said the "U.S.-made Global Hawk surveillance drone" was hit with a missile "after violating Iranian air space" over the waters of Hormozgan province on the Strait of Hormuz.

Defying Trump, U.S. Senate Votes to Block Saudi Arms Sales
Naharnet/June 20/2019
The Republican-led Senate voted Thursday to block $8.1 billion in U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies, as legislators outraged with the kingdom delivered a symbolic rebuke to President Donald Trump. Some seven Republicans joined Democrats in supporting each of three resolutions that would prevent the controversial sales announced earlier this year by Trump. The measures would block 22 separate sales of aircraft support maintenance, precision-guided munitions and other weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan at a moment of heightened tensions in the Middle East.
The votes were only assured this week when Republican leadership agreed to hold the sensitive roll calls on the arms sales that critics say will aggravate the devastating war in Yemen. Trump's administration took the extraordinary step of bypassing Congress to approve the sale in May, as his administration declared Iran to be a "fundamental threat" to the stability of the Middle East. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said the administration was responding to an emergency caused by Saudi Arabia's historic rival Iran, which backs the Huthi rebels in Yemen. Senators, including some Republicans, said there were no legitimate grounds to circumvent Congress, which has the right to disapprove arms sales. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump loyalist on several other fronts, offered a full-throated rebuke of the arm sales -- and of the Saudi leadership. Graham said he hoped his vote would "send a signal to Saudi Arabia that if you act the way you're acting, there is no space for a strategic relationship." The senator was referring to last year's brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey at the hands of Saudi agents, an incident that triggered a full-blown crisis in Riyadh's relations with the West.
"There is no amount of oil that you can produce that will get me and others to give you a pass on chopping somebody up in a consulate," Graham said, adding that there is also "no amount of threat coming from Iran that's going to require me to give a pass to this brutal barbaric behavior." The measures would still need to pass the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives before they go to the president's desk. Trump is expected to veto them, and it will remain an uphill climb for Congress to come up with a two-thirds vote to overcome a veto.

Netanyahu Says World Must Back U.S. against Iran
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 20/2019
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday urged "peace-loving countries" to back the United States in the latest crisis with Iran after the Islamic Republic shot down a U.S. spy drone. "In the last 24 hours, Iran has intensified its aggression against the United States and against all of us," Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office. "I repeat my call for all peace-loving countries to stand by the United States in its effort to stop Iranian aggression. Israel stands by the United States on this."Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had brought down the unmanned Global Hawk surveillance aircraft as it was "violating Iranian air space" near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, adding that the craft had entered its territorial waters. The Pentagon confirmed a U.S. surveillance drone was shot down by Iranian forces, but insisted it was in international airspace. The incident comes at a time of growing antagonism between Iran and the United States following two waves of still unexplained attacks on Gulf shipping, which Washington has blamed on Tehran.Iran denies involvement.

Iraq Officially Invites Pope to Visit
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 20/2019
President Barham Saleh has sent an official invitation to Pope Francis to visit Iraq after the pontiff said he would like to travel to the Muslim country despite security conditions. Earlier this month Francis said "I want to go next year" to Iraq, which has been a battleground for competing forces, including the Islamic State group since the U.S.-led ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. "I am honoured to officially extend an invitation to Your Holiness to visit Iraq -- the cradle of civilisation and the birthplace of Abraham, the father of the faithful and messenger of the divine religions," Saleh said in the letter, a copy of which was seen Thursday by AFP. "Your holiness' visit will be an opportunity to remind and enlighten Iraq and the world that this land gave humanity its first laws, irrigated agriculture and a legacy of cooperation among people" of different religions, it said. Saleh said he hoped the visit would be "a milestone in the healing process and Iraq can once more be a peaceful land where the mosaic of religions and faiths can live together in harmony again as they did for millenia". Francis has made boosting ties between Christianity and Islam a cornerstone of his papacy.
He has this year visited Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Morocco. The pope had already visited several Muslim countries in previous years, including Turkey in 2014, Azerbaijan in 2016 and Egypt in 2017. Vatican number two Cardinal Pietro Parolin warned in January that a papal trip to Iraq imposed a "minimum of conditions" that "are not currently met.".

India Warships Sent to Strategic Gulf Waters
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 20/2019
India has sent warships and stepped up aerial surveillance in strategic Gulf waters, the Press Trust of India reported on Thursday, with global tensions rising in the region. "INS Chennai and INS Sunayna have been deployed in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to undertake maritime security operations," the navy said, quoted by PTI. The aim is "to re-assure the Indian-flagged vessels operating/transiting through the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, following the maritime security incidents in the region," the navy said. U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said Iran made a "big mistake" by shooting down a U.S. spy drone. The Pentagon said the downing occurred in international air space but Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said the drone had violated Iran's air corridor. Washington had already accused Iran of carrying out attacks on tanker vessels in the Strait of Hormuz area, which links the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and through which much of the world's oil passes.  "Aerial surveillance by IN aircraft is also being undertaken in the area," India's navy said, according to PTI. India's ambassador to Washington said in May that his energy-hungry nation had ended all imports of oil from Iran, in response to threatened U.S. sanctions.

Trump, Trudeau Mend Fences at White House Meeting
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 20/2019
U.S. President Donald Trump hosted his Canadian counterpart Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday to mend fences after last year's diplomatic meltdown and to push the still un-ratified North American free trade deal. The two men have had a rocky relationship since Trump walked out of a G7 summit in Quebec last June, but are keen for the trade deal, known as the USMCA, to kick in soon. "It means a lot of jobs for our country, a lot of wealth for all three countries," Trump said alongside Trudeau in the Oval Office. "This brings us into a position where we're not competing with each other, we're competing against the world." Mexico's legislature ratified the accord, which was struck last year, on Wednesday. Canada has yet to follow suit but the real question mark hangs over the U.S. Congress. Democrats, who control the lower house, have expressed concern over worker protections and other elements of the USMCA, which replaces the previous regional agreement NAFTA.While Trump has repeatedly called on legislators to give their approval, his relations with Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives are at rock bottom. Further complicating the situation is the looming presidential election in which Trump is expected to face a tough fight after a first term that has left the country deeply polarized. "We have an election coming up, but I think Nancy Pelosi will do the right thing," Trump said at his meeting with Trudeau. Trudeau, who faces his own federal elections in October, clashed repeatedly with Trump last year, with the two countries briefly engaging in a trade war over steel and aluminum.
Trump warns on violations
At the 2018 G7 hosted by Canada, Trump left early without signing the joint declaration and called Trudeau "weak." On Thursday, Trump said that he did not foresee more trade wars -- provided that Canada and Mexico stick to the rules on what is called transshipping. This is when a country disguises exports of a product by sending it to a market via a third country. "Well, we'll see. They have to do what they have to do," he said. "We can't have big -- tremendous -- shipments of certain products. We understand that very well." "There won't be transshipping. If there is, I'll call Justin, he'll take care of (it)," Trump said. "I'll probably call him a second time and if he doesn't, we'll have to talk. But I think that situation is very well taken care of." Trump also offered to intervene in the case of two Canadians held in China in what is widely seen as retaliation for the arrest in Canada of a senior executive from controversial tech giant Huawei. "Anything I can do to help Canada I will be doing," said Trump, who will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week at a meeting in Japan. "I would at Justin's request." So far, Mexico leads the three huge countries in getting USMCA on board. The vote on Wednesday was overwhelmingly positive, reflecting the fact that the deal and the similar NAFTA agreement that it replaces have made Mexico a trading powerhouse. The three countries signed the USMCA on November 30 after a year of tough negotiations triggered by Trump's insistence on replacing NAFTA, which he called "the worst trade deal ever made." U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said he was confident there would be progress on ratification in "the next couple of weeks." He called Mexico's ratification "a crucial step forward."

EU Extends Sanctions against Russia over Ukraine Conflict
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 20/2019
European Union leaders on Thursday extended sanctions against Russia for another six months for its failure to fulfill a peace deal on the Ukraine conflict, EU spokesman Preben Aamann said. "Russia sanctions unanimously extended for another six months because of a lack of Minsk Agreements implementation," the spokesman tweeted.

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 20-21/2019
Iran's Grand Strategy Tests US & Its Allies Yeman, Iraq, Syria-Analysis
تحليل سياسي من الجاروزلم بوست: استراتجية إيران الكبرى هي اختبار أميركا وحلفائها في العراق واليمن وسوريا
Seth J.Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/June 20/2019
استراتجية إيران الكبرى حالياً هي افهام الولايات المتحدة وحلفائها بأنها قادرة على اشعال الشرق الأوسط إن هي قررت ذلك من لبنان والعراق واليمن  حتى خليج عمان
The strategy of Iran and its allies is to show they can set the Middle East ablaze if they want. From Lebanon to Syria, Iraq, Yemen and the Gulf of Oman, Iran faces off against the US and its allies.
An air strike hit Tel al-Hara in Syria on June 12. The mountain contained an observation area for the Syrian regime and its allies, including groups linked to Iran.
The next day, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are accused of attacking two oil tankers in the Gulf of Yemen. The incidents were several thousands of kilometers apart, and help us to understand the scale of the battlefield that links Iran and its allies, pitting them against America’s allies.
The alliances in this contest are well known. On the one side are Iran, pro-Iranian Shi’ite militias in Iraq, the Syrian regime, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
On the other are US allies such as Israel and Saudi Arabia. The strategy of Iran is not a top-down approach controlling all its proxies. But the Islamic republic certainly encourages its allies in various ways, and likely also encourages them to exercise restraint at other times.
For instance, after the US warned Iran against any attacks in early May, the regime in Tehran appeared to scale back some provocations. But it also attempted other probing attacks.
The US says Iran was “almost certainly” behind the sabotage of four tankers off the coast of the UAE on May 12. A rocket was fired near the US embassy in Baghdad on May 19. The Houthi rebels increased their drone attacks on Abha city and airport in Saudi Arabia.
One must draw the conclusion that there is a strategy, and that Iran has exported technology to its allies. Some of this is well known, such as advances in rocketry by Hamas in the last decade, or the Houthis firing ballistic missiles at Riyadh or Iran saying its missiles can hit US carriers. Iran even showcased its new precision in attacks against dissidents in Koya in Iraq and against ISIS last year in Syria.
Then comes the latest rocket and mortar attacks, for which Iranian-backed groups are a likely the culprit. June 14 mortar attacks at Balad Air base in Iraq. June 17 against Camp Taji in Iraq, where US forces are present. June 18 in Mosul. June 19 against oil facilities near Basra, where ExxonMobil has offices. Of course, all of this is done with plausible deniability. A rocket launcher was “found” in Mosul. No group takes responsibility. It could be ISIS, some say.
But so many attacks on so many places where the US is present?
The strategy of Iran and its allies is to show that they can set the Middle East ablaze, if they want to. From Lebanon to Syria, Iraq, Yemen and the Gulf of Oman, Iran faces off against the US and its allies.
Writers such as Martin Chulov have called part of this strategic map Iran’s “road to the sea,” a corridor of influence across Iraq and Syria to Hezbollah. But there is also the southern flank that links it with Yemen and the Gulf of Oman and other parts of Iraq.
Iran’s strategy is not like the pre-World War I strategy of the two alliance systems in Europe. It doesn’t need to calculate the exact times to deploy specific units – like the Schlieffen Plan the Germans came up with that saw war like a Mozart composition.
Rather, Iran’s plan is more Beethoven, with all the power and surprises of his symphonies. Tehran’s strategy now is to test the US and its allies on numerous fronts, while Washington says it does not want war – it only wants “maximum pressure” on Iran. However, for many countries, including Israel and Saudi Arabia, a low-level conflict against Iran’s proxies has already been going on for years.

No Peace as Long as Iran's Mullahs Enjoy Power
د.مجيد رافيزادا: لا سلام طالما أن الملالي في إيران هم في السلطة
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/June 20/2019
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14411/iran-mullahs-no-peace
Already eight years ago, the head of Iran's Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani boasted to the US General David Petraeus that: "You should know that I... control policy for Iran with respect to Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza and Afghanistan. The ambassador in Baghdad is a Quds Force member. The individual who's going to replace him is a Quds Force member."
An honest analysis of acts of terrorism in the Middle East, and throughout the world, reveals that nearly every conflict, war, and tension in the Middle East, can be traced back to the Iranian government. Despite the illusion that those who would like to appease the Iranian leaders attempt to create, it is clear that the Iran, still racing toward nuclear-breakout capability, has no interest in peace.
The Quds Force has also apparently found new sources of funding to evade current US sanctions.
Iran's Quds Force, commanded by Qassem Soleimani, is in charge of Iran's extraterritorial operations, which include organizing, supporting, training, arming and financing Iran's predominantly Shiite militia groups in foreign countries; launching wars directly or indirectly via these proxies; fomenting unrest in other nations to advance Iran's ideological and hegemonic interests; attacking and invading cities and countries; and assassinating foreign political figures and prominent Iranian dissidents worldwide. Pictured: Qassem Soleimani. (Image source: Tasnim News [CC by 4.0])
It is astonishing that while the fundamentalist government of Iran continues to enjoy unchallenged power, and engages in whatever violent behavior it wishes, its apologists proclaim that peace and stability can still exist within the Middle East.
An honest analysis of acts of terrorism in the Middle East, and throughout the world, reveals that nearly every conflict, war, and tension in the Middle East, can be traced back to the Iranian government. Despite the illusion that those who would like to appease the Iranian leaders attempt to create, it is clear that the Iran, still racing toward nuclear-breakout capability, has no interest in peace.
In Yemen, Iranian authorities have empowered a militia group known as the Houthis. Tehran is actively supplying the militia with ammunition and continues to smuggle illicit weapons and technology into Yemen. According to a report by Reuters, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is a key supporter and sponsor of the Houthis. The IRGC is also currently using a new route across the Gulf covertly to deliver arms shipments to the Houthis.
In Iraq, Iran's Quds Force exerts significant direct or indirect influence through a conglomerate of more than 40 militia groups, which operate under the banner of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The Quds Force has also apparently found new sources of funding to evade current US sanctions.
The Quds Force is in charge of Iran's extraterritorial operations, which include organizing, supporting, training, arming and financing Iran's predominantly Shiite militia groups in foreign countries; launching wars directly or indirectly via these proxies; fomenting unrest in other nations to advance Iran's ideological and hegemonic interests; attacking and invading cities and countries; and assassinating foreign political figures and prominent Iranian dissidents worldwide.
The Quds Force has also infiltrated top security, political, intelligence and military infrastructures in Iraq. It makes decisions that should be made by Iraqi leaders and politicians. It has operatives and agents across the country. Already eight years ago, the head of Iran's Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani boasted to US General David Petraeus:
"You should know that I... control policy for Iran with respect to Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza and Afghanistan. The ambassador in Baghdad is a Quds Force member. The individual who's going to replace him is a Quds Force member."
The Quds Force has also given birth to a supply of designated terrorist groups in Iraq, including Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq and Kata'ib Al-Imam Ali. Both use horrific tactics similar to those of ISIS, known for showing videos of beheadings and burning people. Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq has reportedly been receiving some $2 million a month from Iran. Many people believe that the blood of many innocents — including Iraqi women and children — are on the hands of the Quds Force.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah's decisions are made with the blessings and instructions of Iran's Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei and the senior generals of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In particular, Tehran controls the financial, military, and political investments in the Lebanese group.
When the US was contemplating imposing sanctions on Hezbollah's financial dealings, its leader Hassan Nasrallah surprisingly admitted to the major role Iran plays: "We are open about the fact that Hezbollah's budget, its income, its expenses, everything it eats and drinks, its weapons and rockets, come from the Islamic Republic of Iran."
In Syria, Iran has provided billions of dollars to the dictator Bashar Al-Assad and has been building military bases, often near the Israeli border, evidently to expand its influence and create a visible and imminent threat against the Jews.
The list of Iran's interventions and acts of aggression can go on and on. Iran's footprints in these conflicts should give us an insight into the tactics and long-term strategies of Tehran and its trained and armed proxies throughout the Middle East. These goals are built on four pillars: destabilization, conflict,assassination, and the rejection of any solution that has Sunni or Western origins.
Iran's influence has saturated the entire Middle East. As this influence continues to expand, the number of terror groups it supports expands as well, and the hatred that Iran bankrolls continues to seep far beyond the boundaries of the Middle East.
The mullahs' four decades of rule should also make clear that there will be no peace, stability, or security in the Middle East as long as the ruling clerics of Iran retain political and economic power.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 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.

Intelligence Report: Iran One Of Chief Culprits Of Espionage In Germany
/Jerusalem Post/June 20/2019
"The main actors in espionage activities in the Federal Republic of Germany are still the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China and Iran."
A German intelligence report released on Wednesday asserted that the Islamic Republic of Iran, China and Russia are the chief culprits of illegal surveillance in the federal republic.
According to the intelligence report by the state of Brandenburg that was reviewed by The Jerusalem Post, "The main actors in espionage activities in the Federal Republic of Germany are still the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China and Iran."
The report also noted that Turkey's government spies on opponents of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Islamic regime.
Iran's regime has conducted illicit proliferation activities in Germany since the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was reached with Tehran. In exchange for the Islamic republic agreeing to curbs on its nuclear program, the world powers, including Germany, provided it considerable economic sanctions relief.
The Post reported in May that a German state intelligence report from Bavaria said that Iran is “making efforts to expand its conventional arsenal of weapons with weapons of mass destruction [WMDs].”
Iran was termed a “risk country” in the 335-page document outlining serious threats to the security and democracy of the state of Bavaria.
The intelligence report defines WMDs as “the spread of atomic, biological, or chemical weapons of mass destruction.”
The intelligence report for the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern wrote in its May document: “The fight against the illegal proliferation of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons of mass destruction and the materials needed for their manufacture, as well as the corresponding delivery systems [e.g. rockets], including the necessary knowledge, in cooperation with other authorities, is also the responsibility of counterintelligence.”
The report added that: “From these points of view, it is essentially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea [North Korea] and the Syrian Arab Republic that need to be mentioned. The intelligence services of these countries, in many ways, are involved in unlawful procurement activities in the field of proliferation, using globally oriented, conspiratorial business and commercial structures.”

Mae Cannon & CMEP: The New Face of the Palestinian Authority's Antisemitic "Christian" Lobby
Joshua Joseph/Gatestone Institute./June 20/2019
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14413/mae-cannon-cmep-antisemitic
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has apparently decided to shift strategies. Its latest initiative is apparently to use their "Christian" lobby — and various organizations that lobby creates — to infiltrate Christian pro-Israel communities through a carefully crafted narrative designed to appeal to Christians' love for all humanity and desire to pray for the Middle East. The PA's end goal, apart from displacing Israel, is both to dilute Christians' pro-Israel beliefs and their influence, and to convert Christians outright to the PA's narrative and cause.
"The organisation I lead," Mae Cannon wrote, "Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), has long been a friend to Israelis." Regrettably, a serious review of the history and activities of Cannon and CMEP illustrates that her statement is demonstrably false.
Does her audience know that she is accusing Christian supporters of Israel of increasing antisemitism and hate crimes? Does her audience know that she is writing and promoting Palestinian propaganda in media outlets? Do they know that she is working closely with the Palestinian Authority to implement the PA's strategic plan for targeting Israel by chipping away at Christian support for Israel through eroding support for Christian Zionism? Most likely they do not: Cannon's hidden agenda is disguised by a carefully constructed facade — one that claims simply to be introducing her audience to multiple narratives and perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The current goal is shifting the balance of power so that Congress, specifically, buys into the PA's political and legislative agenda as pushed by the PA's "Christian" lobby.
While Cannon pays lip service to opposing antisemitism and to being a "friend to Israelis," she leads CMEP in strategizing with Israel's enemies on the best way not only to undermine Christian Zionism but also — at the behest of the Palestinian Authority — to target the PA's putative enemy, the State of Israel, in the halls of the government of the United States — arguably, Israel's greatest ally.
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has "expressed appreciation" for the work of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). He has every reason to laud the work of CMEP and its executive director, Rev. Dr. Mae Cannon: CMEP was one of the signatories of an anti-Israel plan created at a strategic conference co-hosted by the PA and the Carter Center to guide American "Christian" organizations in their anti-Israel activism. Pictured: Mahmoud Abbas. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)
Rev. Dr. Mae Cannon — the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) — is charming and disarming. Her friendly smile, calm demeanor, and quiet passion for her topic is engaging. It comes as no surprise, then, that the Palestinian Authority (PA)/Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) appears to have selected her as the face of their strategic "Christian" anti-Israel lobby — even sharing, on the PLO's social media, a piece in which Cannon blames Christian Zionists for the rise in antisemitism and hate crimes.
Cannon seeks to disguise her true agenda (pro-PLO/PA and anti-Christian Zionism) beyond strategic coded messaging. Her friends at the PA are fully aware that directly confronting Christian supporters of Israel with their genuine agenda would probably be unfruitful. The PA seems to have become alarmed by the increased influence of Christian Zionism, which consists of genuine Christian theological support for Israel, and of Christian Zionists in particular. The PA has apparently decided to shift strategies. Its latest initiative is apparently to use their "Christian" lobby — and various organizations that lobby creates — to infiltrate Christian pro-Israel communities through a carefully crafted narrative designed to appeal to Christians' love for all humanity and desire to pray for the Middle East. The PA's end goal, apart from displacing Israel, is both to dilute Christians' pro-Israel beliefs and their influence, and to convert Christians outright to the PA's narrative and cause. The tools of infiltration include speeches, media, and trips.
When Mae Cannon spoke at Christ at the Checkpoint Conference USA in October 2018, she took issue with Dexter Van Zile, a Christian Media Analyst for the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting (CAMERA), who has written about her work. Van Zile recounted, "A few minutes into her [Cannon's] talk, she defended CMEP and her leadership of the organization — which has been harshly critical of Israel. 'And they say my goal is to get you to pray against the Jewish people, which just for the record it's not,' she said. 'Don't believe what Dexter Van Zile says about me.'" The prayer point may be a sensitive point for Cannon as it is so very close to pulling back the curtain and exposing her pro-PLO/PA and anti Christian Zionism agenda.
"'Tip of the spear': The US Christian movement praying for Trump and Israel" was the title of an article by Azad Essa[1] in the Middle East Eye (MEE), a London-based, anti-Israel website that has been linked to both Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Essa, in the March 24, 2019, MEE piece, stereotyped the theologically and racially diverse base of Christian Zionist support by portraying them as white, evangelical racists and bigots. Essa then quoted Mae Cannon:
"[Cannon] told MEE that some Christian fundamentalists are growing increasingly entrenched in their ideas because they feel 'threatened'. 'We are seeing an increase in anti-Semitism, a rise in hate crimes as a result,' Cannon said."
According to Essa's reporting, Cannon linked the rise of antisemitism and the rise in hate crimes to Christian fundamentalist supporters of Israel feeling "threatened."
As Cannon, CMEP, the rest of the PA's "Christian" lobby, and the PA itself feel increasingly alarmed by the rise of — and influence of — Christian Zionism, they have been increasingly seeking to gaslight Christian Zionists who pray for Israel. In fact, the PLO Department of Public Diplomacy & Policy's Facebook page shared the MEE piece by Essa that quotes Cannon. In it, Cannon accused Christian Zionists of causing an increase in antisemitism and hate crimes — and, in the context of the article, inaccurately implied that Christian Zionism feeds into white supremacy, thereby allegedly increasing antisemitism.
In this MEE piece, Christian Zionists' concerns about Islamic extremism became Christian Zionists being afraid of Muslims. The article went on to quote two men who apparently laid the responsibility for the horrific massacre at the New Zealand mosque at the feet of Christian supporters of Israel, and claimed that white supremacists are coming from "these right-wing Christian narratives":
Likewise, [Donald] Wagner ["a professor of religion and Middle Eastern Studies at North Park University in Chicago"] says that the recent massacre of 50 people at two mosques in New Zealand "demonstrates the severity of this [white supremacy and Christian Zionism] issue". "Many of these [white supremacists] are coming out of these right-wing Christian narratives," Wagner said. [Jonathan] Brenneman ["a Palestinian-American Christian working for the Mennonite Church USA"] agrees: "At its core, it [Christian Zionism] is an extremist ideology, but it is so widely held in the US, and so bizarre to those who aren't part of it, that Christian Zionist beliefs are largely overlooked."
Revealingly, the MEE article is like a puzzle, with quotes that seem purposely vague; the puzzle is only clear when all its pieces are put together in order. Thus, according to Cannon, Wagner and Brenneman's narrative — which was shared by the PLO — it is Christian Zionists who are responsible for the severity of white supremacy, the horrific white supremacist attack on New Zealand's Muslims, and by extension, the increase in antisemitism.
While certain white supremacists have long used Christian terminology as a convenient and deceptive cloak for a racist, antisemitic agenda, Christian scriptures stand in direct opposition to white supremacy — its ideology, agenda, and actions. Unfortunately, then, when an actual white supremacist used Christian terminology in his manifesto and murdered and injured Jewish individuals in the Chabad of Poway synagogue during an antisemitic attack, CMEP did not address the attack directly. The closest the organization came to a statement was including in its CMEP email bulletin a quote from a piece — shared in the bulletin — that mentioned the attack as part of a larger discussion of rising "anti-Semitic incidents." CMEP also tweeted the piece. Unlike CMEP's October 2018 statement after the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, when it condemned antisemitism, there were no tweets, no Facebook posts, no statements denouncing the antisemitic attack on the Chabad of Poway or expressing sympathy for those injured and murdered... only continued advocacy for the Palestinian Authority's agenda.
In spite of the MEE article's radical views and libels of Christian Zionists — as in allegedly promoting white supremacy — CMEP did not distance itself from the MEE piece. A CMEP email bulletin touted Mae Cannon's contribution to the piece — even originally crediting her for writing the piece before correcting its mistake.
CMEP and Mae Cannon's media hits are not limited to libeling Christian supporters of Israel. Using the platform of the Middle East Monitor, which — like the Middle East Eye — reportedly has ties to Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood, Cannon also sought to lobby Israelis directly ahead of their recent election "whether to continue down the present road or change direction." "The organisation I lead," Mae Cannon wrote, "Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), has long been a friend to Israelis." Regrettably, a serious review of the history and activities of Cannon and CMEP illustrates that her statement is demonstrably false.
For instance, in her Middle East Monitor piece, that was friendly to the idea of trying to destroy Israel economically, Cannon claimed:
"Opposition to the occupation among Americans, in general, is growing, paradoxically as opposition to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and other ways of expressing anti-occupation views are also increasing. The anti-occupation view is not opposition to the existence of the State of Israel."
In contrast to her claim, researchers have demonstrated time and again that those behind the BDS movement ("the anti-occupation view") are explicitly opposed to the existence of the State of Israel. Recently, even Germany's parliament branded the BDS movement as antisemitic. The resolution that the Bundestag passed flatly stated: "The argumentation patterns and methods used by the BDS movement are antisemitic."
Spreading misinformation about those who wish to obliterate Israel by strangling it economically and who hold "anti-occupation views," however, is hardly CMEP's only problematic activity. CMEP has also worked hand in glove with the PA and the PLO — the same entities that have suppressed the free speech of Palestinians and that have arrested Palestinian journalists for criticizing the government. In November 2017, Mae Cannon led a CMEP delegation trip of CRNCA (Christian Reformed Church in North America; CRNCA is a member of CMEP) leaders as part of a Middle East tour. On November 2, 2017, these "Christian" leaders were treated to a "lunch in Ramallah," which,
"... took place at the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority to honor the British citizens who walked from Great Britain across Europe over the past four months to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people on the [100th] anniversary of the Balfour Declaration.
"'The delegation of people walked from the United Kingdom to Palestine to apologize for the tragic consequences of the Balfour Declaration on the Palestinian people,' said Shannon Jammal-Hollemans, racial justice team leader for the CRCNA..."
These "Christian" leaders were specifically visiting the headquarters of the PA to apologize for the Balfour Declaration — a historic declaration of support for the establishment of a Jewish state in the Jewish ancestral homeland. During the luncheon, these CRNCA leaders met and took a picture with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and Abbas "expressed appreciation for CMEP's work."
President Abbas has every reason to laud the work of Mae Cannon and CMEP. CMEP, it turns out, was one of the signatories of the Atlanta Summit document — an anti-Israel plan created at a strategic conference co-hosted by the Palestinian Authority and the Carter Center to guide American "Christian" organizations in their anti-Israel activism. Mae Cannon signed the follow-up document at the Jerusalem Conference. While both documents seek to erode support for Christian Zionism, the Jerusalem Conference document even more explicitly names and targets Christian Zionism, and claims that Christian Zionism and "fundamentalist Christian teachings" have "damaging consequences."
When Cannon addresses Christian supporters of Israel, she may not explicitly be urging them to pray against the Jewish people. But through her words and actions, she is arguably saying and doing much worse. Does her audience know that she is accusing Christian supporters of Israel of increasing antisemitism and hate crimes? Does her audience know that she is writing and promoting Palestinian propaganda in media outlets? Do they know that she is working closely with the Palestinian Authority to implement the PA's strategic plan for targeting Israel by chipping away at Christian support for Israel through eroding support for Christian Zionism? Most likely they do not: Cannon's hidden agenda is disguised by a carefully constructed facade — one that claims simply to be introducing her audience to multiple narratives and perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
As Craig Sanders explained in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs:
On Jan. 10, Rev. Dr. Mae Cannon discussed her recent book, A Land Full of God: Christian Perspectives on the Holy Land, at the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies. Cannon, who considers herself an advocational academic—mixing her academic career with strong advocacy work in the United States and Middle East—is currently the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), a broadly ecumenical organization with members from 28 different denominations across the theological spectrum.
During her talk, Cannon argued that there are not two narratives regarding the situation in Israel and Palestine, but only one true dichotomy: those who are for peace and those who are not. To those who only care about the State of Israel, Cannon remarked, 'If you can't care about the Palestinians for their sake, care about them for the sake of Israel.'
Cannon dove into her academic background to unpack the history of restorationism, the Zionist Christian ideology that the Jewish people needed to be restored to the land of Israel in order to facilitate the second coming of Christ. U.S. allegiances and relationships throughout the Middle East are deeply rooted in this theology, she said, citing the current evangelical-backed administration as an example....
A Land Full of God: Christian Perspectives on the Holy Land seeks to educate Americans, mainly Christians, by providing an accurate history of events in Israel and Palestine and explaining how the restorationism theory is theologically incorrect. Her book brings in Israeli and Palestinian voices to provide multiple viewpoints on the single narrative of the land....
The Jan. 10 talk concluded with a vibrant opportunity for questions and answers. One question arose again and again in multiple ways: as individuals, what tools could we employ to change U.S. policy in the Middle East? Cannon urged attendees to talk to members of Congress, observing that if they believed they could vote differently on Israel, they would. [Emphases added.]
Thus, Cannon's intent for the book becomes clearer. Her book is simply a means to infiltrate Christian communities through the "multiple narratives" facade and under the guise of education while instead, it implements the PA's "Christian" lobby strategic plan for influencing the American Christian public to turn against support for Christian Zionism. The current goal is shifting the balance of power so that Congress, specifically, buys into the PA's political and legislative agenda as pushed by the PA's "Christian" lobby.
CMEP has demonstrated its desire to lure Christian supporters of Israel to embrace a less pro-Israel narrative while simultaneously accusing those same supporters for the rise of antisemitism and hate crimes. In concert with these efforts, Mae Cannon and the rest of the PA's "Christian" lobby are methodically implementing the PA's strategic and political agenda. One key focus is to shift the American public's view away from anti-Zionism being regarded as antisemitism.
The PA's "Christian" lobby seems to have set its sights on Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. His March 25, 2019 speech at the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)'s annual event clearly articulated his belief that "anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism." Writing in Tablet Magazine about the Soviet Union's anti-Zionism and antisemitism, Izabella Tabarovsky expressed similar sentiments: "In practice, the distinction between Soviet anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism often proved a distinction without a difference. The tropes were the same, albeit with a new set of labels." Now the "anti-Zionism is antisemitism" position flies in the face of the PA's "Christian" lobby's attempts to normalize anti-Zionism and to shift the public's perspective on anti-Zionism from it being antisemitic to it being acceptable and laudable.
Cannon recently penned a piece at Religion News Service (RNS) on antisemitism with the objective of combating the "anti-Zionism is antisemitism" position and replacing it with the "anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism" narrative. While the piece mentioned the threat of "ancient Christian tropes of anti-Semitism" and "white nationalists," she conveniently failed to mention the threat that radical Islamic extremism and terrorism pose to the Jewish community and the State of Israel. Cannon constructs her own definition of antisemitism to give political cover to anti-Zionists:
"Beliefs that are detrimental and could lead to physical harm against Jews constitute anti-Semitism. Not every problematic belief manifests anti-Semitism. One can be inaccurate and wrong, and not be anti-Semitic. Nonetheless, we must be informed and attentive to when anti-Semitic sentiment, rhetoric or actions exist. In our criticism of Israeli policies, may we not compromise in also calling out violations of human rights and acts of violence by other individuals, groups and nation-states. Activists and advocates must not muddy the waters between anti-Semitism and legitimate criticism of Israeli policies." [Emphases added.]
For Mae Cannon, the Palestinian Authority, and the rest of the Palestinian Authority's "Christian" lobby, it is critical that they shield their anti-Zionist activities from being condemned as antisemitic. Thus, they are strategically working to spread the "anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism" narrative through both advocacy work in churches and through op-eds in the news media.
To have the public buy into CMEP's opposed-to-antisemitism and "friend to Israelis" facade, however, CMEP needed to add more plaster to the facade. Whereas back in October 2018, CMEP released a statement condemning the antisemitic attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue, now, in March 2019, CMEP released a different statement — on antisemitism. The political motivation behind it was clear not only in the statement's text but also in an email blast to their supporters:
"Our statement against the politicization of anti-Semitism and calling out the double-standard attacks on Ilhan Omar, a Muslim Congresswoman, was a critical time for CMEP to go on the record standing firm in opposition to all forms of bigotry, racism, and anti-Semitism. We will be staunch in our commitment against such accusations being used as political weapons." [Emphases added.]
CMEP's statement illustrated Izabella Tabarovsky's warning in a recent Tablet piece: "Today, the often-voiced idea that today's far-left anti-Semitism is merely 'political' and therefore benign is rapidly losing its already-thin credibility." CMEP's foremost concern seems both to be fighting back against the "anti-Zionism is antisemitism" position and protecting the Palestinian Authority's political agenda so that it can continue to advance it in the halls of American government. Another CMEP email stated:
"Just last month we issued a strong statement condemning anti-Semitism, while also opposing its weaponization against those criticizing Israeli policy. CMEP's statement was rooted in our organization's stated opposition to anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim and anti-Christian words and actions." [Emphasis added.]
While claiming to oppose anti-Jewish and anti-Christian words and actions, Mae Cannon and CMEP have been providing cover to those who express anti-Israel and anti-Jewish tropes, and simultaneously libeling Christians who support Israel. The Middle East Eye piece's anti-Christian alternate reality libels Christian Zionists as contributing to antisemitism. In contrast to CMEP's political posturing, Tabarovsky's Tablet piece articulates:
"Anti-Semites recognize anti-Semitism no matter what side of the aisle they live on. It is no accident that Holocaust denier David Irving expressed admiration for the self-described anti-racist Jeremy Corbyn and white supremacist David Duke did the same for Ilhan Omar. This approval should cause the far left to ask itself some difficult questions about the role its own tropes may play in the murders executed by the far right, in the ongoing wave of hate crimes against Jews being committed by non-white assailants in New York and other cities, and in the mainstreaming of openly anti-Semitic discourse behind the fig leaf of anti-Zionism."
To give their "friend to Israelis" narrative more credibility, CMEP also selectively condemned a particularly horrific Hamas terror attack. After remaining silent in the wake of many Palestinian rocket and stabbing attacks on Israeli citizens, CMEP decided to condemn one particular Hamas rocket attack — allowing Mae Cannon to claim in her Israeli election piece, "We [CMEP] have also been critical of Hamas terrorism and the Palestinian Authority's withholding of resources from its own people." Considering Cannon's and CMEP's well-documented cozy relationship with the Palestinian Authority and long history of not consistently condemning terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians, such claims would be laughable if they were not such a transparent attempt to dupe the American public and their representatives regarding Mae Cannon's and CMEP's true agenda.
How does a person and entity pay lip service to supporting Israelis and claim they are not opposed to praying for Israel while simultaneously strategizing behind the scenes with the enemies of the Jewish State on how best to stealthily attack Israel and its Christian allies? The ancient book of Numbers describes a similar figure — Balaam. After blessing Israel with his lips, Balaam worked with Israel's enemy, Balak, to seek to destroy the fledgling Jewish people. While Cannon pays lip service to opposing antisemitism and to being a "friend to Israelis," she leads CMEP in strategizing with Israel's enemies on the best way not only to undermine Christian Zionism but also — at the behest of the Palestinian Authority — to target the PA's putative enemy, the State of Israel, in the halls of the government of the United States — arguably, Israel's greatest ally. While Balaam and Balak are long dead, their spirits live on in and through the work of Mae Cannon, CMEP, the Palestinian Authority, and the PA's entire "Christian" lobby. With "friends to Israelis" like these, who needs enemies?
*Joshua Joseph is an American foreign policy and Middle East analyst.
[1] Azad Essa has "reported for Al Jazeera English" and "written for The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Guardian, Middle East Eye, among others." As the executive editor of The Daily Vox, Essa — in a piece titled, "We aren't shy to take a position on Palestine" — accused Israel of being a "coloniser and an occupier" and stated "now is probably as good a time as any" for South Africa and Israel to end their relationship.
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Washington Times: “Global Jihad’s Information Warfare Campaign”
Raymond Ibrahim/June 20/2019
https://www.raymondibrahim.com/2019/06/20/washington-times-global-jihads-information-warfare-campaign/
Note: The following Washington Times article (Jun 18) was written by Joseph C. Myers, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who specializes in counterterrorism and insurgency issues. He served in Afghanistan and as a Defense Intelligence Agency analyst, and authored the important essay, “The Quranic Concept of War.”
The mission statement of the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center, a part of the Army War College, notes that it is the Army’s most important education center for our warfighters. Its mission is to make “available contemporary and historical materials related to strategic leadership, the global application of landpower, and U.S. Army Heritage to inform research, educate an international audience and honor Soldiers, past and present.”
That is, as so long as the history, research and scholarship is deemed acceptable to partisan Islamic organizations.
As recently reported by Bill Gertz in his Inside the Ring column, the planned presentation by Raymond Ibrahim was cancelled by the War College under complaint and aggressive negative publicity by the self-described civil rights organization, Council of American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR.
Mr. Ibrahim is the author of an important 2007 book, “The Al Qaeda Reader,” published while he was a researcher at the Library of Congress. Mr. Ibrahim has the unique capacity to read and study modern and classical Arabic. He cites source materials the average researcher cannot access. Mr. Ibrahim translated boxes of captured al Qaeda documents unknown to that point. An important thesis of his book was that the messaging and communications by al Qaeda leadership was tailored to Western and Islamic audiences. Grievances to the West were couched in familiar political terms of oppression, racism, inequality. Messaging to Islamic audiences were based on Islamic religious doctrines, sharia law, mandates of jihad, and exhortations on the duties to fight in advancing Islam.
His now-cancelled presentation is based on his most recent book “Sword and Scimitar.” This historical work analyzes eight decisive battles between Islam and the West that shaped the modern world, from the Battle of Yarmuk in 636 to the near fall of Vienna Austria in 1683, including the sieges of Constantinople in 717 and 1453, the latter ending in the destruction of the Eastern Orthodox Roman Empire. With almost 1,000 endnotes and 216 works cited — a wealth of primary source and arcane texts — Mr. Ibrahim tells the story of these battles through the eyes of the participants in their own words and perspectives.
An important thesis of Mr. Ibrahim’s work is that the Islamic world has been in perpetual war against the West from its inception until the colonial era. And those wars were fundamentally rooted in Islamic religious dogma and drive. That is on its face, a historically arguable thesis and worthy of free academic inquiry and debate.
Mr. Ibrahim cites the late, great Arabist, Bernard Lewis: “We tend nowadays to forget that for approximately a thousand years from the advent of Islam in the seventh century to the second siege of Vienna in 1683, Christian Europe was under constant threat from Islam, the double threat of conquest and conversion. Most of the new Muslim domains were wrested from Christendom. Syria, Palestine, Egypt and North Africa, were all Christian countries, no less, indeed rather more than Spain and Sicily. All this left a deep sense of loss and fear.”
The exhaustive scholarship is unassailable. Historian Victor Davis Hanson writes in the foreword, “Sword and Scimitar is first-rate military history and a product of solid scholarship and philological research.”
However, in their letter opposing Mr. Ibrahim’s speech to the War College, CAIR made no academic arguments concerning the book’s merits; their message was simply that Mr. Ibrahim — who is ethnically Egyptian — is a racist Islamophobe, promoting “white nationalism.”
CAIR’s foundation is in Hamas, the combat jihad arm of the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood. They were an unindicted co-conspirator in a federal material support to terrorism trial, the Holy Land Foundation trial. Ultimately, after years of public exposure, the FBI was forced to cut professional ties with them. I sincerely doubt the War College leadership is conversant on the goals, objectives and activities of the Muslim Brotherhood in America and its front organization CAIR. I will put it in terms they might understand. The trial discovery documents revealed their long view campaign plan, which is centered on “civilizational jihad”— their words.
To quote from their Explanatory Memorandum: “The Ikhwan [The Muslim Brotherhood] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and Allah’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.”
Canceling Mr. Ibrahim’s presentation at the Army War College demonstrates that the global jihad’s information warfare campaign is effective and operating within DoD academic halls.
Mr. Ibrahim’s cancellation had nothing to do with his scholarship, which is sound, resourced and thoroughly documented. This is about controlling the all-important narrative and historiography of Islamic history and the West — and cowardly academic and military leadership that, in bending to CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood, has unwittingly demonstrated Mr. Ibrahim’s thesis in Sword and Scimitar.

Maximum pressure the right policy to confront Iran
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/June 20/2019
America’s Iran policy has been heading in the right direction since President Donald Trump took office, as steadily escalating economic sanctions have inflicted serious damage on the regime’s economy.
The White House’s “maximum pressure” policy should be complemented by support for the Iranian people, whose financial security had already been crippled by the ruling theocracy’s mismanagement and corruption. That is why, on Friday, several thousand Iranians will gatherin front of the State Department building in Washington and march to the White House to echo the people’s desire for the overthrow of the current regime. The rally, organized by the Organization of Iranian-American Communities, will express support for the policy of maximum pressure, especially on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).
The regime’s priorities have been displayed by every successive increase in budget for the IRGC, which Tehran uses to wreak havoc in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and beyond. This activity has been one of the clearest targets of the Trump administration’s sanctions.
Members of Congress have also expressed their backing for a free and democratic Iran. Through House Resolution 374, recently introduced in Congress, they also condemned the regime’s state-sponsored terrorism.
By continuing to undermine Iran’s ability to project force throughout the region, the US and its allies can effectively address serious recent threats of paramilitary and terrorist attacks stemming from Tehran. For example, in June 2018, European authorities thwarted a regime terrorist attack against a rally of Iranian dissidents and opposition groups in Paris. An Iranian “diplomat” accused of being involved in the plot now sitsin a Belgian jail awaiting trial.
Some in the Western media have tried to downplay the intelligence pointing to such threats. Reports have suggested that the details were never shared with the public by the likes of US National Security Adviser John Bolton. But, in reality, it has been made clear that commentswere overheard from IRGC officials in recent weeks, urging their proxy forces to prepare for conflict with US assets and allies. The regime and the IRGC have also been involved in multiple attacks on oil tankerspassing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
All of these activities call for a vigorous Western response, and that is just what the Trump administration has been offering. Yet the media is filled with breathless warnings of the potential for sanctions and military deterrence to put the US on the path toward war with the regime.
Policymakers should not allow themselves to be manipulated by arguments that are based on false pretenses or simple cowardice.
Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, recently said that the deployment of an American aircraft carrier, B-52 bombers and additional military personnel to the Middle East had prompted Iran to “step back and recalculate.” He acknowledged that this did not mean there was no longer any threat, but he also took the opportunity to affirm that the intelligence justifying those deployments had been as clear and credible as any he had ever seen.
Neither American nor European policymakers should allow themselves to be manipulated by arguments that are based on false pretenses or simple cowardice. Maximum pressure is the right policy and should persist.
Additionally, policymakers should take care to listen to what the Iranian people have to say on the matter. Obviously they do not want their country to be further scarred by war, but even they reject the notion that maximum pressure on the regime will lead in that direction. Friday’s rally will be held in solidarity with an ongoing protest movement inside Iran, as well as the democratic efforts of the main opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and its president-elect Maryam Rajavi. Protests in Iran been characterized by slogans like “death to the dictator” and calls for the same fundamental changes in the regime’s behavior that the Trump administration has been demanding.
Anyone who is in a position to support the strategy that aspires to that end should do so. The recent congressional resolution “recognizesthe rights of the Iranian people and their struggle to establish a democratic, secular, and non-nuclear republic of Iran.” That should be a guideline for any comprehensive US strategy. At the same time, Washington should designate the MOIS as a terrorist entity to further thwart the regime’s terrorism abroad and suppression at home. Human rights violators and the Office of the Supreme Leader (Beit Al-Rahbar), which is involved in pervasive corruption and astronomical theft, should also be placed under sanctions. If history is any guide, the days of Iran’s aggression, oppression and dictatorship are numbered. And, more importantly, the Iranian people have both the desire and organizational capabilities to realize that outcome themselves. The West should not turn a blind eye.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American Council. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Tory leadership rivals clash as no-deal Brexit looms
Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/June 20/2019
Britain’s governing Conservative Party narrowed the race to become the country’s next prime minister to three candidates on Thursday, June 20, 2019, and is set to pick the final two contenders before the end of the day. (AFP)
As so often in politics, it was not reason but brazenness and promises that won out. Initially there were 10 contenders to succeed Theresa May as leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister of the UK. As of Thursday evening, there were just two: Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt. They will now face off in a series of party hustings throughout the country to prepare the 160,000-strong membership for selecting their new leader in a secret ballot. We will know who the next prime minister is in the week of July 22 — nicely in time for the summer recess of Parliament.
Johnson was always the front-runner. Firstly, he is popular with the Tory party membership because he stands for Brexit. Secondly, he is a brand, commonly known just as “Boris” throughout the land. His brashness plays well with the membership and they think that he is the only one who could save the party at a general election. He is of the opinion that not delivering Brexit would be the end of his party. His priorities were clear from the beginning: Himself and the Conservative Party. Johnson is a larger-than-life figure and is known to make the odd gaffe. Therefore, his handlers managed him very carefully. In order not to mess up, he gave no interviews save for announcing his candidacy on June 12. He also only took part in one of the two televised debates.
By the time the contenders had been whittled down to six, they fell over themselves advocating their stance on Brexit and promising tax cuts. Beyond that, they did not come up with detailed programs — except for Michael Gove and Rory Stewart that is.
What have we learned from the last two weeks? Stewart was the only candidate who was honest in terms of what it will take to secure Brexit, because Brussels is not willing to renegotiate the UK’s withdrawal agreement. He tried to push May’s Brexit deal across the line, but that was always going to be doomed. He was also honest inasmuch as there is no room for tax breaks and that the country would be better off investing all available money wisely in light of Brexit. That was never going to fly. Most candidates played to the gallery: The Tory members have an average age of 57 and are mostly male, white and affluent. They will be lapping up promises of tax cuts for the well-off.
The Brexit stance was another indicator. The Tory party membership is predominantly pro-Brexit. So much so that, in a recent YouGov poll, two-thirds of those questioned were willing to risk breaking up the union in order to achieve Brexit. In other words, they put a higher value on leaving the EU than keeping Scotland as part of the UK. It is therefore not surprising that all the remaining candidates have promised to deliver Brexit.
Bloomberg’s Tom Keene marveled on television at how quick and clear-cut the selection process is compared to the US. He may have had a point when it comes to selecting presidential candidates within a party, which in the US is a long, drawn-out process spanning many primaries. However, in the end, the American people get to vote for a presidential candidate. The UK is a parliamentary democracy and, in this case, the Conservative Party will select the new prime minister because it is already in government.
What may come back to haunt the Conservative Party is the fact that this leadership process is based on such a narrow caucus.
What may come back to haunt the Conservative Party in the next election is the fact that this leadership process is based on such a narrow caucus, which is hardly representative of the country.
Where does this leadership contest leave the country? Nothing will have changed for the incoming prime minister. The Conservatives still form only a minority government and the numbers in the House of Commons have not changed. Neither has the stance of the Tory party’s uber-Brexiteers in the influential European Research Group, who still want to see Brexit at any cost. The Democratic Unionist Party, which props up the government, remains steadfast in its opposition to the Irish backstop. This was designed to keep goods flowing between Northern Ireland and the Republic in case the UK and EU cannot reach a trade deal. Labour has so far failed to coax leader Jeremy Corbyn into backing a second referendum, which means that the party still has no clear policy on Brexit at a time when clarity is needed. There is still a majority against a no-deal Brexit in the House of Commons. In other words, the parliamentary impasse remains and the next prime minister may well have to call a second referendum or a new election.
As for renegotiating the deal with the EU, that looks unlikely, as Brussels’ Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU Council President Donald Tusk have reiterated time and again. We are also running out of time: Oct. 31 is fast approaching and, whoever the new prime minister is, Parliament will go on summer recess shortly after he has formed a government. On top of that, there will be a new leadership team in the EU from November.
In the meantime, the country is woefully unprepared for a no-deal Brexit, which looks increasingly likely. The pharmaceutical industry and the National Health Service do not have sufficient stockpiles of medicine. The required new immigration and customs systems are not in place at the country’s ports or airports. The City of London needs clarity in terms how to clear euro-denominated transactions, etc. The pound weakened after the last leadership debate because the prospect of a no-deal Brexit seemed closer. Many investors have scrapped or postponed plans to put money into Britain. Transition measures under article 24 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade allow countries to proceed as before while negotiating an agreement, but they will fall by the wayside if the UK exits without a deal.
The country seems to be hurtling toward a no-deal Brexit at the speed of a bullet train. In the end, it will not be the political elites in Westminster who will have to pay the price, but ordinary Britons up and down the country.
• Cornelia Meyer is a business consultant, macro-economist and energy expert. Twitter: @MeyerResources

Facing up to Iran’s growing maritime threat
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/June 20/2019
The maritime remedies necessary to tackle the threats posed by Iran and its proxies in the waters around the Arabian Peninsula need to be forward-looking and have an edge. With a growing threat to maritime logistics, it is time to think about the broader picture. The Iranian proxy threat network in the maritime arena is a clear and present danger. Aggressive asymmetrical attacks and the spread of advanced drone and engine proliferation are making these Arabian seas highly dangerous.
Lessons learned from previous maritime threats can be taken into consideration. The manner in which states responded to piracy in key maritime routes — from the Gulf of Guinea to the Horn of Africa and the Strait of Malacca — established a model for contending with maritime threats. Convoys in specific sea lanes are a popular method of protection. It should also be recalled that the EU Naval Force launched airstrikes on pirate enclaves in 2012.
The causes of piracy across the regions mentioned above are tied to local socioeconomic conditions. The resulting efforts in macro and micro-financing projects and local maritime training helped to stop the demand for pirate activity by substituting illicit revenue with improvements in infrastructure. The security protection industry that developed around maritime security grew too, and specialized maritime security protection services are now part of the industrial landscape as a means of protecting marine transport.
But the Iranian threat against maritime shipping now involves asymmetrical tools such as short-range missiles, drones and limpet mines. The requirements to guard against such threats require an appreciation of other factors when mitigating threats across three plains or aspects.
The first aspect involves the maritime environment itself. The waters around the Arabian Peninsula — the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman and, of course, the Strait of Hormuz — contain thousands of dhows of various sizes, as well as medium and large vessels and tankers. It is the dhow traffic that is the most difficult part of the puzzle, because the sheer number of such vessels currently outweighs the capability to monitor them. The ability for Iran and its proxies to deliver support to the Houthis to increase their technical capability and allow them to strike Saudi and American targets on land, at sea and in the sky is only possible because of the continuing ability for this network to exist. In this sense, maritime security begins on land and the sources of the threat’s capabilities need to be severed. A greater use of surveillance capabilities and monitoring, plus an increase in information sharing on specific port and maritime sea lanes, would certainly be a good start as aggressive reconnaissance is required. A regional port operators security group is key.
The second aspect goes beyond the additional deployment of US, UK and other forces into the region for maritime security, with additional observation and protection capabilities. The time is now to put all those maritime exercises between the US, UK and Gulf states to use. The reason why is that regional navies need to step up their efforts to fill the gaps in coastal protection, and also to become more fully integrated into the maritime security picture. Part of the remedy here is better use of technology: Filling those gaps requires additional solutions involving unmanned underwater vehicles and other advanced acoustic devices for forensic collection and identification. Here a coordinated effort must be used to bring about the desired results, such as better mapping of maritime assets in the region to identify threats faster. The flow of logistical chains around the Arabian Peninsula must be kept moving. This step is part of the emerging picture regarding escorting high-value vessels and protecting energy platforms, bunkering locations, and navigation lanes.
Regional navies need to step up their efforts to fill the gaps in coastal protection.
The third aspect is the maritime logistics and insurance industries. Rates are already rising fast. What comes next will need to be handled with care by these industries, coordinating now instead of fighting over premiums and addendum. Again, information sharing is necessary — maybe mandatory — for transparency in the market as coverage rates shoot up. There is also the necessity, if maritime events enter a violent phase with drastic results, the reinsurance industry must be ready to play its role. The regional port operators group mentioned above would be required to interface more directly with these industries. Finally, it needs to be remembered that, as vessels are hit, the country and/or company impacted will be making claims that may go against immediate forensic evidence because of pending claims and their arguments. The politics of this specific landscape requires close observation.
Naturally, the environment is also a concern in these waterways. Iran and its proxies are able to make a toxic mess. Smoke, debris and chemical spills are the refuse of terrorist mayhem in the maritime arena. This delicate environment is part of the local diet. The ability to contain the spread of pollutants as a result of any successful attack on shipping or related infrastructure requires the latest technology. The role of crisis management and civil defense will be important too.
Overall, the maritime security environment around the Arabian Peninsula needs to coalesce around cooperation in logistics and the prevention of attacks. This mission requires cooperation and coordination in terms of the geopolitical picture involving logistical chains. Corporate entities with corporate social responsibility departments need to create joint programs with government partners for rapid information exchange in a coordinating “cell.” This effort needs to go beyond previous attempts and current efforts. The full participation of all states and corporate interests is mandatory in protecting the littoral states of the waters around the Arabian Peninsula. By advancing maritime security objectives and remedies beyond the military arena, Iran and its proxies can be pushed back so that shipping remains free and clear.
*Dr. Theodore Karasik is a non-resident senior fellow at the Lexington Institute and a national security expert, specializing in Europe, Eurasia and the Middle East. He worked for the RAND Corporation and publishes widely in the US and international media. Twitter: @tkarasik

Transitional justice could help stabilize former Daesh territory
Haid Haid/Arab News/June 20/2019
Following the territorial defeat of Daesh in northeastern Syria, Kurdish-led local authorities are now grappling with bringing the group’s members to justice. The scale of the crimes and the sheer number of victims — combined with massive shortages in resources and personnel — make the task extremely difficult to address through the traditional legal system. An alternative approach would be transitional justice mechanisms, which are often used after political conflicts to redress human rights abuses. So far, however, relevant authorities do not seem inclined to implement such solutions.
What is at stake is the long-term stability of northeastern Syria. There are hundreds of thousands of families with ties to Daesh and, in the absence of a credible justice process, an enormous risk of extrajudicial revenge killings targeting not only former militants but also their entire extended families. The current judicial approach simply cannot cope with the volume of cases and the atrocities involved.
The current efforts by the Kurdish-led self-administration entity to bring justice to victims are largely focused on detaining Daesh members and, where possible, charging them with terrorism offences. Authorities have set up local counterterrorism courts to prosecute thousands of locally recruited Daesh members who are in custody.
But not all detained Daesh followers end up in jail. Members of the group who are from the region but did not hold senior roles and are not accused of major crimes are being released under limited reconciliation deals. Fighters qualifying under those criteria are being discharged after discussions with prominent tribal leaders in their communities, who are responsible for preventing them from rejoining Daesh.
On top of concerns regarding due process, particularly that suspects are not allowed representation by defense lawyers, local courts are seriously understaffed and limited in number. At the current rate of prosecutions, it would probably take more than a decade to process the cases of all of the Daesh suspects in detention. Many victims are also upset at seeing Daesh members walk free without even admitting their guilt publicly, especially in cases where the court proceedings have lacked transparency.
Another concern is that the local administration is holding tens of thousands of civilians with ties to Daesh or its members in camps scattered across the northeast. Most of them are women and children who are not officially under arrest, but in reality, they are being detained in the camps without any clear strategy to deal with them.
At the current rate of prosecutions, it would probably take more than a decade to process all of the Daesh suspects in detention
More broadly, the current counterterrorism approach has largely failed to address the full range of crimes committed by Daesh. In addition, there are no formal mechanisms to determine the fate of people detained or forcibly disappeared by Daesh. Human rights groups have documented more than 8,000 people detained by Daesh whose fates remain unknown, but the actual number of victims is assuredly much higher.
Nonetheless, there are still no official mechanisms or entities to obtain and process information from families of victims and Daesh members or to properly excavate mass graves to determine the status of the missing. Local courts are mainly focusing on establishing whether Daesh members were fighters to establish their guilt or innocence, but there is not a clear process to highlight the personal responsibility of individuals for war crimes or crimes against humanity. The counterterrorism courts also do not allow victims to file charges for crimes such as rape, theft and kidnapping, or to provide evidence against Daesh members.
To overcome the limitations of the counterterrorism framework, transitional justice provides mechanisms to establish accountability for Daesh crimes and give victims a sense of justice. The formation of community-led fact-finding commissions could help to document and gather evidence about the full range of Daesh crimes, including individual responsibility. The commissions could also complement counterterrorism trials by sharing findings with relevant local authorities and encouraging victims to participate in proceedings.
The commissions should also consult with residents of the region on alternative paths to justice, such as monetary compensation and public apologies, to realize a sense of closure. Clearly, some compensatory measures should be limited to former Daesh members who did not commit violent crimes or were released for lack of evidence.
Those who committed serious crimes should be tried, while ensuring the participation of victims in court proceedings, with transparency about the verdicts. All this is currently lacking. The commissions could also cooperate with existing local reconciliation committees comprising local tribal leaders and other community figures to lead reconciliation and mediation efforts between former Daesh members, their victims and the families involved.
Northeastern Syria is a clear example of the limitations of counterterrorism laws to provide victims with a sense of justice. A transitional justice model could provide alternative avenues to resolve grievances and help communities heal and reconcile with hundreds of thousands of families previously linked to Daesh.
There is little local expertise in such a model and few precedents applying transitional justice to the crimes of violent extremist groups. While a lot of time has been lost, it is not too late for the international community, the local self-administration entity and Syrian civil society groups to develop more coherent transitional justice mechanisms to ensure victim participation and bring Daesh members fully to account for their crimes. In the absence of such an effort, the long-term stability in that region will remain in doubt regardless of Daesh’s territorial defeat.
• Haid Haid is a research fellow at the International Center for the Study of Radicalization at King’s College London. He is also a consulting research fellow of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa program. Copyright: Syndication Bureau