LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 16/2019

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
The Fig Tree Parable/Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours
Mark 11:19-25: 19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on March 15-16/2019
Tehran’s Beirut Allies Launch Criticism Campaign Ahead of Pompeo’s Visit
Kubis Urges Lebanon to 'Resume Discussions on Defense Strategy'
Aoun Deplores International Community’s Stance on Refugees
Lebanon Denounces New Zealand Deadly Attack
ISF Chief Vows Non-Stop Fight against Corruption
UK Support to ISF Continues: Inauguration of Model Interview Rooms and Enhanced CCTV
Man Jailed for Contacting Adraee, Israeli Officer on Facebook
Hizbullah Slams 'U.S. Policy of Hatred' after New Zealand Massacre
Bkirki: Lebanon Must Unify Stance on Refugee File
Bassil: Brussels Meeting Wants Refugees to Stay, Sectarianism Won't Save Corrupts
Lebanon’s Justice Minister Pledges to Eradicate Corruption From Judiciary
Russia Seeks to Boost its Influence in Lebanon, Eyes Gas, Displaced Files
Europe’s delusions on Hezbollah
Hezbollah's New Terror Project Mastermind: Wost Of The Worst
Analysis/Hezbollah on the Golan: Israel Turns to Psychological Warfare

Litles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 15-16/2019
Algerian Ruling Party Official Says Bouteflika is ‘History’
Pompeo to UN Chief: Iran’s Activities Undermine Efforts to Resolve Conflicts
Khamenei Warns of Internal Divisions in Iran over Foreign Agreements
Iranian Intelligence Hacked Benny Gantz's Phone-Report
Israeli Firm Releases Images of Iranian Precision-Missile Plant in Syria
8 Years of Syria War Leave more than 370,000 Dead
Sistani Receives Rouhani, Stresses Respect For States’ Sovereignty
Iraq Orders Death Penalty for Murderers of Former Egyptian Ambassador
Israel Admits to ‘Mistakenly’ Killing 11 Palestinians
Brazil’s President to Visit Israel, Embassy Move Undecided
Morocco Dismantles 6-Member ISIS Cell
Rights Group Urges UN to Condemn Israel’s Nation-State Law
PUIC Highlights Palestinian Cause in Final Communique
Gaza Border Protests Called Off After Flare-up
Canada imposes new sanctions in response to Russia’s aggressive actions

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 15-16/2019
Europe’s delusions on Hezbollah/Mark Dubowitz and Benjamin Weinthal/New York Post/March 15/19
Hezbollah's New Terror Project Mastermind: Wost Of The Worst/Anna Ahronheim/Jerusalem Post/March 15/19
Analysis/Hezbollah on the Golan: Israel Turns to Psychological Warfare/Amos Harel/Haartz/March 15/19
Is this the End of Globalization/Fouad Siniora/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 15/19
Common Causes of Three Crises in Three Continents/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 15/19
British Politics Enters the Meltdown Phase/Therese Raphael/Bloomberg View/March/19
EU: Telling Europeans What to Think/by Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/March 15/19
Iraq hopes to give peace a chance/Talmiz Ahmad/Arab News/March 15/19

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on March 15-16/2019
Tehran’s Beirut Allies Launch Criticism Campaign Ahead of Pompeo’s Visit
Beirut - Khalil Fleihan/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/Iran’s allies in Lebanon have launched an attack on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, more than a week before his expected visit to Beirut. Several parties hope to thwart Pompeo’s visit and send a message to their Lebanese rivals planning to meet with him that they should disregard his statements. Pompeo is expected in Lebanon on March 22 as part of a regional tour that includes stops in Kuwait and Israel. The parties launching the anti-US campaign have spread information via three local television channels that Pompeo would only discuss with Lebanese officials the maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel in the Block 9 oil field. According to the TV reports, the US official would inform Beirut about Washington’s decision to freeze the so-called “Hoff Line” because Lebanon and Israel have been unable to reach any agreement on the matter, allowing Tel Aviv to take over large quantities of gas from the disputed block. Lebanon has an unresolved maritime border dispute with Israel over a triangular area of sea of around 860 square kilometers that extends along the edge of three of its total 10 blocks. The “Hoff Line” calls for Lebanon to acquire 550 square kilometers of the disputed triangular area, and consider the rest as part of Israeli territorial waters. Despite claiming that Pompeo has one thing in mind when visiting Beirut, the parties behind the rumors shied away from mentioning that the US official aims to discuss with Lebanese officials the need to respect sanctions imposed on Iran. Pompeo would also briefly discuss with Lebanese officials US plans to establish a “strategic alliance in the Middle East against threats facing the region.”Sources said Pompeo would explain in his Beirut meetings the importance of such an alliance, while acknowledging that Lebanon would not join it. US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield was informed, during his visit to Beirut earlier this month, that Lebanon is committed to the dissociation policy and that it rejects to be part of any axis. Pompeo is also expected to discuss the crisis in Syria. Sources said the US official believes that the crisis of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon cannot be resolved in the absence of a political solution in Damascus.

Kubis Urges Lebanon to 'Resume Discussions on Defense Strategy'
Naharnet/March 15/19/United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis has issued a statement marking the first anniversary of the Rome II Conference for supporting Lebanon's army and other security forces. In the statement, Kubis reflected on Lebanon’s “commitment to strengthening the security, stability and sovereignty of the country and continuing relevance of the International community’s support to Lebanon as it works towards this endeavor.”He lauded the 41 countries that had participated in Rome and expressed their commitment to Lebanon in its efforts to strengthen its security institutions on the basis of Lebanon’s five-year capacity development plans for the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces. “Having had discussions with the constitutional leaders, respective ministers as well as with the LAF, ISF, and General Security leadership during my short time in country on the security challenges and progress to date, I am impressed by their professionalism and determination to ensure the security of the country, its borders and its population,” said Kubis, echoing the praise expressed in Rome. “Within the framework of Security Council Resolutions 1701 (2006), 2373 (2017) and 2433 (2018), UNSCOL, in close coordination with UNIFIL, welcomes all steps taken to date by the Government of Lebanon in extending and consolidating the presence of the Lebanese State across its territory, including towards the deployment of a LAF Model Regiment and the gradual build-up of the LAF Navy,” he added. Echoing the Rome joint statement that the LAF are “the only legitimate armed forces of Lebanon, as enshrined in the Lebanese Constitution and the Taif Agreement,” Kubis also commended the “robust deployment of the LAF’s Land Border Regiments along the northern and eastern borders, an important marker of the country’s extension of State authority.”Kubis also encouraged Lebanon to continue in these efforts throughout its territory as well as to “resume the discussions on a National Defense Strategy.”He also urged Member States to continue supporting the LAF and ISF. Separately, Kubis said “the U.N. welcomes the steps taken by Lebanon towards increasing respect for human rights and the participation of women in the armed and security forces, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security and as pledged in Rome. “The increased participation of women in the security forces, and the implementation by the LAF and the ISF of codes of conduct are important steps towards greater effectiveness, respect for human rights and accountability as is the recent appointments of the members of the National Human Rights Institution, including its National Preventive Mechanism against torture. I look forward to it becoming operational,” he said. Kubis further observed that “a strong and sustained security environment in which human rights and rule of law are respected will contribute to building the confidence necessary for increased economic investment and long-term development for a more stable and prosperous country."

Aoun Deplores International Community’s Stance on Refugees
Naharnet/March 15/19/President Michel Aoun on Friday lamented the "insistence" of the international community to link the return of refugees to a political solution in Syria, following the Brussels conference on the issue. “We are working with international bodies for a safe return of refugees to safe areas in Syria, but we are faced with the insistence of the international community to give priority to a political solution,” said Aoun. The President’s remarks came in Baabda while receiving a delegation of European parliamentarians from the Alliance for Peace and Freedom, led by the party’s chairman, Roberto Fiore. “It is necessary to help refugees in their country in order to encourage them to return home,” stressed Aoun.For his part, Fiore expressed “concern about the refugee problem,” saying “it is time for everyone, especially European countries, to find a solution.”

Lebanon Denounces New Zealand Deadly Attack
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 15/19/Lebanon denounced on Friday the deadly attack on two mosques in New Zealand that left around 49 individuals dead. “We denounce the hideous terror crime against the mosques in New Zealand where worshippers believed it was safe and a sanctuary for prayer and tolerance," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The statement added: “Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil had previously warned of escalation of the extremist far right in Western societies, as he warns today of the rise of extremist leftist as a reaction, putting communities at great risk.”The attacks on the Christchurch mosques left at least 49 dead, with one gunman –- identified as an Australian extremist -- apparently livestreaming the assault and publishing a manifesto online.

ISF Chief Vows Non-Stop Fight against Corruption
Naharnet/March 15/19/Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Imad Othman assured on Friday that his efforts to confront “internal corruption” will continue, and stressed that political interference will not wane his endeavors, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday. “I will not stop until the Internal Security Forces Directorate is cleansed of all kinds of corruption,” Othman said, addressing a delegation of graduates from the Association of the Faculty of Information and Documentation. Othman stressed that he is not affected by “political interference or sectarian immunity,” the daily quoted him as saying. The ISF chief pointed out that an internal probe is being carried out in the ISF Directorate, noting that around 50 officers were referred to the disciplinary council of the ISF, “corrupt individuals will not stay in the directorate.”Last week, an Internal Security Forces officer and a policeman were ordered detained in an ongoing probe into corruption in the ISF institution. ISF Intelligence Branch interrogated a large number of security personnel and civilians in the multi-prolonged corruption file, in which new details emerge everyday, the National News Agency said. State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Hani al-Hajjar ordered the detention of an ISF captain and a member of the anti-drug bureau after he interrogated them.

UK Support to ISF Continues: Inauguration of Model Interview Rooms and Enhanced CCTV
Naharnet/March 15/19/British Ambassador to Lebanon Chris Rampling and the Director General of the Internal Security Forces Major General Imad Othman co-chaired the quarterly Strategic Project Management Committee (SPMC) at the ISF Academy in Aramoun on Friday. After the meeting, Rampling and Othman launched Model Interview Rooms and enhanced CCTV capability at the Model Police Station at the ISF Academy. “This new facility, delivered by the British Policing Support Program, enables improved training for police officers including on investigation of crimes through model interview rooms, and establishes methods and procedures that are compliant with international Human Rights principles,” the British embassy said in a statement. At the SPMC, Rampling and Othman conducted a quarterly review of the British Policing Support Project (BPSP) now in its third year of implementation.
The Committee aims to ensure effective strategic governance and oversight of the UK funded project implementation. After the meeting, Rampling said: “I am delighted to have today met with Major General Othman and his team to discuss the UK’s continued support to the Internal Security Forces. Our partnership with the ISF is a critical part of the UK’s support to the Lebanese state.”“It was an honor therefore to launch the new Model Interview Rooms and enhanced CCTV capability here at the ISF Academy. This facility will provide training for police officers on various roles in police stations, including criminal investigations. We are supporting the ISF’s commitment to deliver training which places Human Rights standards and principles at its core in a controlled environment, with mentorship and support from highly qualified ISF trainers,” he added. “I look forward to the UK partnership and cooperation with the ISF and Lebanon continuing to strengthen in the years ahead. We remain committed to our joint endeavors,” Rampling went on to say.

Man Jailed for Contacting Adraee, Israeli Officer on Facebook
Naharnet/March 15/19/The Military Court on Friday sentenced the defendant Mustafa D. to one year in prison on charges of communicating with Israeli army Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee and an Israeli female officer, the National News Agency said. “The convict had offered via the Facebook application to provide Adraee and the Israeli officer with security information about Lebanon, expressing his admiration of the state of Israel,” NNA said. “His offer was however declined,” the agency added. Israel occupied parts of Lebanon for 22 years until the year 2000, when it withdrew amid Hizbullah-led guerrilla attacks. Lebanon and Israel are still technically at war but the border has remained relatively calm in recent years following a 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah that left around 1,200 people dead in Lebanon and caused massive destruction.

Hizbullah Slams 'U.S. Policy of Hatred' after New Zealand Massacre
Associated Press/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 15/19/Hizbullah on Friday condemned the deadly attack on two mosques in New Zealand that were carried out by a far-right extremist.
The Iran-backed Lebanese party, which is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and many Western countries, condemned the "policy of hatred that the United States is feeding around the world instead of prevailing religious values that call for forgiveness."The Australian gunman, whose assaults left at least 49 people dead, published a racist manifesto on Twitter before livestreaming his rampage on Facebook. In the 74-page manifesto entitled "The Great Replacement", the gunman details his intention to attack Muslims. The title of the document has the same name as a conspiracy theory originating in France that believes European populations are being displaced in their homelands by immigrant groups with higher birth rates. The gunman identified himself as an Australia-born, 28-year-old white male from a low-income, working-class family. He said that key points in his radicalization were the defeat of the French far-right leader Marine Le Pen in 2017 elections, and the death of 11-year-old Ebba Åkerlund in the 2017 Stockholm truck attack.

Bkirki: Lebanon Must Unify Stance on Refugee File
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 15/19/Following the Brussels donor conference on Syria, Bkirki noted that Lebanon should ask the international community to return the refugees to their land, "not raise funds that keep them" in the host country, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday. “Lebanon’s only demand at the conference should be to ask the international community for the return of the displaced to their homeland instead of raising money to keep them in Lebanon,” Bkirki sources told the daily on condition of anonymity. The sources urged Lebanese officials to unify a position on the issue of displacement, “the main concern is to rid Lebanon of this crisis, and save the displaced from the situation in which they live, and this can only happen by returning them to their homes in Syria.”International donors on Thursday pledged nearly $7 billion in aid for 2019 for civilians caught up in Syria's bloody civil war. In a speech he made at the conference, Prime Minister Saad Hariri urged the allies of the Syrian regime to pressure it into facilitating the return of displaced Syrians in order to end their suffering. He also stressed the need to secure the appropriate funding for Lebanon's response plan to the crisis, “we ask for $ 2.9 billion to ensure stability for long-term projects," he said.

Bassil: Brussels Meeting Wants Refugees to Stay, Sectarianism Won't Save Corrupts
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 15/19/Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil on Thursday charged that the Brussels international conference was held to fund the naturalization of Syrian refugees in the countries they had fled to, as he stressed that “sectarianism will not save anyone” in the anti-corruption battle. “The state and its reform are more important than any settlement, understanding or alliance, and even more important than the presidential tenure and the presidency, seeing as the state is more important than its president and he is in its service and not vice versa,” Bassil said at an FPM ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Liberation War. “In the name of the settlement we will not remain silent over anyone, and in the name of the understanding and alliance will not be lenient with anyone, because we want the presidential tenure and the state to succeed,” Bassil added.
“We have been acting as an anti-corruption cell for a while now and you have heard of prosecutions and trials and you will hear more. Screaming is of no use, rumors will not conceal the truth and sectarianism will not save anyone,” the FPM chief went on to say. Stressing that the FPM will never be part of an authority that aggrieves people, Bassil vowed that his movement “will struggle to recover our state, which is robbed by corruption.”“The FPM is the authority of people and the authority of the state against corruption,” he emphasized. He added: “Our battle today is more difficult, seeing as we are eradicating the cancer that has spread in the entire body, and the same as we won the liberation battle, we will win this battle.”Bassil also said that “there is no government” without “repatriating the Syrian refugees, eradicating corruption and ending the electricity deficit.”Turning to the issue of refugees, the FPM chief said: “Those who want the refugees to return must stop the lie of normalization with Syria, because our relation is ongoing and not severed with Syria and it does not need normalization.”As for the Brussels conference that was held earlier in the day and boycotted by him, Bassil said: “World powers are pressing to prevent the refugee return.”“It is not a coincidence that today I am with you and not at the conference on refugees in Brussels, because such conferences fund the stay of the refugees where they are and we want them to fund their repatriation,” Bassil added.

Lebanon’s Justice Minister Pledges to Eradicate Corruption From Judiciary
Beirut/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/Justice Minister Albert Sarhan promised through his official twitter account to “root out corruption in the judiciary and other relevant departments,” saying that Justice will take its course. Sarhan held a meeting on Thursday with the President of the Higher Judicial Council, Judge Jean Fahed, State Prosecutor Samir Hamoud, the Head of the Inspection Commission, Judge Bourkan Saad, and the Government Commissioner to the Military Court, Peter Germanos.The judicial officials briefed the minister on the developments of the investigation into corruption cases in the judiciary. Fahed underlined that investigations into corruption files were being “pursued vigorously", expressing his keenness on “improving the functioning of the judiciary and the courts.” He also called on all concerned sides to refrain from inciting escalatory and defamation campaigns, in order to allow the judiciary to carry out its duty away from any pressure. Judge Saad, for his part, stressed that the inspection body has put its hand over corruption files, adding that the investigations were ongoing with utmost secrecy.

Russia Seeks to Boost its Influence in Lebanon, Eyes Gas, Displaced Files
Beirut - Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/Russia’s recent moves on the Lebanese scene have reflected its desire to strengthen its influence and to expand its role in Beirut. According to Lebanese ministerial sources, Lebanon has been a focus of interest for Russia since the latter’s direct involvement in the Syrian crisis. Moscow sees the country as a vital economic, political and security field. The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that on the security side, “Moscow considers that any tension in Lebanon will affect Syria.” “Therefore, Russia is working with Lebanon and Israel to prevent any battle between them. Any confrontation with Israel in Lebanon will extend to Syria, where the Russian army is deployed,” the sources explained. According to the sources, this security factor is pushing Moscow to maintain a balance in Lebanon, considering that the “hegemony of Iran [meaning Hezbollah] will cause war with Israel.”Moscow sees that any instability will “delay the return of displaced Syrians, therefore hampering the path towards political stability and reconstruction in Syria,” the sources noted. Another economic-political for Russia’s growing interest in Lebanon: the gas sector. In fact, the ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Russians are seeking to engage in the gas exploration and extraction in the Middle East and are participating in all relevant tenders.“Their military presence will help them protect their interests,” they emphasized. On March 26, President Michel Aoun will visit Moscow to meet with his counterpart Vladimir Putin. The agenda of talks will feature a list of items, including the revival of the Lebanese-Russian Joint Committee to resolve the issue of the displaced Syrians, as well as energy cooperation and the participation of Russian companies in the new licensing cycle to be opened by Lebanon for oil and gas exploration. According to observers, Russia’s role is essential in the region. They noted that Lebanon could rely on Moscow to settle the file of maritime and land border disputes with Syria and the demarcation of the border, in addition to a series of other files.

Europe’s delusions on Hezbollah
مارك دوبويتز وبنجامين وينثال/ نيويورك بوست: أوهام أوروبا بشأن حزب الله
Mark Dubowitz and Benjamin Weinthal/New York Post/March 15/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73013/mark-dubowitz-benjamin-weinthal-new-york-post-%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%83-%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%AA%D8%B2-%D9%88%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%AB%D8%A7/
Britain did this month what the European Union and its most important power, Germany, refuse to do: outlaw the Iranian-backed Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.
Specifically, London imposed the ban on Hezbollah’s so-called political wing following Britain’s 2008 ban against Hezbollah’s military wing. In doing so, the British government rejected the notion that Hezbollah is a “two-winged” group without unified command and control over its terror activities.
Berlin still clings to that delusion. On Friday, the German government rebuffed requests from the US, Israel and a number of Arab countries to outlaw all of Hezbollah.
Europe’s split-personality approach to Hezbollah puts it at odds with reality — not to mention Hezbollah leaders’ own view of their group.
In 2012, Hezbollah operatives blew up an Israeli tour bus in Bulgaria, killing five ­Israelis and a Muslim bus driver. In ­response, the EU banned Hezbollah’s military wing but not its political wing.
“Hezbollah is a single, large organization. We have no wings that are separate from one another.”
The partial ban prompted Hezbollah spokesman Ibrahim Mousawi to repeat what other top officials of the group have stressed over the years: “Hezbollah is a single, large organization. We have no wings that are separate from one another.”
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned that an EU designation of the terror group in its entirety would dry up his fundraising in Europe.
But the EU continued to ignore Hezbollah’s self-described identity as a unitary organization. The rationale: Europe’s, in particular France’s and Germany’s, desire to continue a “critical dialogue.”
Hezbollah played a critical role in Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s scorched-earth policy that resulted in the deaths of more than 500,000 Syrians and a flood of refugees into Europe.
Their gamble didn’t pay off. Hezbollah played a critical role in Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s scorched-earth policy that resulted in the deaths of more than 500,000 Syrians and a flood of refugees into Europe.
To its credit, the UK has now recognized Hezbollah’s role in the destruction of Syria and its malign influence across the region. The Netherlands had been the only EU country to outlaw the entire organization, in 2004. Outside Europe, the Arab League, Canada, the United States and ­Israel all consider Hezbollah’s entire enterprise to be involved in terrorism.
As the main economic engine of Europe, Germany could influence a change in EU policy toward Hezbollah. Chancellor ­Angela Merkel’s administration has hidden behind the cloak of an alleged requirement for EU consensus to delay outlawing Hezbollah’s political wing. But the actions by the Dutch, if not the British, show that Berlin could act without EU consensus to brand Hezbollah a terrorist entity.
Germany has long been a hotbed of Hezbollah activity. The organization’s representatives raise funds, recruit members and spread a lethal anti-Semitic and jihadist ideology.
“The entire Hezbollah is against” Germany’s Basic Law, the country’s interior ministry recently declared, “because Hezbollah fights the right of the existence of the State of ­Israel with terrorist means. Such an objective is anti-Semitic in nature.”
Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, who announced last year that he went into politics “because of Auschwitz,” stresses that everything must be done to protect Jewish life in Europe. Merkel declared in 2008 that Israel’s security is “nonnegotiable” for her government. Yet Merkel, Maas and the interior minister, Horst Seehofer, refuse to act against Hezbollah.
German officials claim that Merkel’s government can’t unilaterally prohibit the ­organization. But it has done so with other radical groups.
The real reason Germany (and the EU) hesitate to ban the whole of Hezbollah has to do with appeasing Iran, Hezbollah’s sponsor.
Berlin is well aware that Hezbollah is tied at the navel to Tehran. In 2010, Germany’s then-ambassador to Iran, Bernd Erbel, said he wanted to advance the “historical treasure of the German-Iranian friendship.”
German diplomats attended a celebration event at Iran’s embassy in Berlin to honor 1979, which brought a radical Islamic social order that is not shy about calling for the destruction of the US and Israel.
That treasured friendship was on display last month when German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier sent a warm congratulatory telegram to Tehran to honor the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Islamic Republic. German diplomats attended a celebration event at Iran’s ­embassy in Berlin to honor 1979, which brought a radical Islamic social order that is not shy about calling for the destruction of the US and Israel.
Germany, along with the rest of the EU, ­remains wedded to various fictions about the nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah. But Berlin and Brussels can’t deny the growing international consensus: There is only one Hezbollah, and it pursues its political ends through terror.
*Mark Dubowitz is the chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Benjamin Weinthal is a fellow.

Hezbollah's New Terror Project Mastermind: Wost Of The Worst
آنا أهرنهايم/ جيروساليم بوست: العقل المدبر للمشروع الإرهابي الجديد لحزب الله: أسوأ الأسوأ
Anna Ahronheim/Jerusalem Post/March 15/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73001/anna-ahronheim-jerusalem-post-hezbollahs-new-terror-project-mastermind-wost-of-the-worst%D8%A2%D9%86%D8%A7-%D8%A3%D9%87%D8%B1%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%A7/
Ali Mussa Daqduq, Nasrallah's former bodyguard, is said by the IDF to be the mastermind behind Hezbollah's Golan Project.
Six years after senior Hezbollah operative Ali Mussa Daqduq was released from an Iraqi prison for the murder of five American servicemen, he has resurfaced mere miles from Israel’s border on the Syrian Golan Heights as the mastermind of a new and dangerous Hezbollah terror network.
According to the IDF, Daqduq is the leader of Hezbollah’s clandestine “Golan Project” – a terrorist network which the IDF believes is aiming to build up its capabilities to one day launch serious attacks against Israel such as rocket and infiltrations into communities on the Israel Golan Heights.
The IDF claims that Hezbollah has established this network under the nose of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose troops alongside Hezbollah operatives reconquered the Syrian Golan Heights this summer seven years after they lost it to rebel groups. Both UN Peacekeepers and Russian military police have been deployed along the Golan Heights border.
“It’s a classic example of Hezbollah not only defying the Russians and defying Assad, but also using the worst of their worst to influence things in a region which is a key area which threatens the Israelis. It sends a very powerful message,” Philip Smyth – the Soref Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy – told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
“When I say he’s the worst of the worst, he’s the best of the best for them. Having operated in Iraq and also a lead bodyguard for Nasrallah that means that he’s in a more elite section of what Hezbollah is doing.”
In his 50s, Daqduq joined Hezbollah in the early 1983 and served in multiple leadership positions in the Lebanese terror group, including as the commander of a Hezbollah special forces unit and a bodyguard for Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.
He was sent to Iraq in 2005 after Iran asked Hezbollah to form a group to train Iraqis to fight coalition forces in the country and helped train and advise the militants in Jaysh al-Mahdi, now known as Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq. Daqduq was behind bloody attacks against Western troops in Iraq in 2006 and 2007, including one attack which killed five US soldiers.
While he was captured by the British SAS in Basra in March 2007 and spent five years in prison, he was released by the Iraqi government in 2012 despite strong protests from Washington. He was designated by the United States Treasury Department that year for his role in the attack.
“Daqduq has a well-deserved reputation of a villain in Iraq, there is a lot of American blood on his hands,” former US ambassador to Israel and visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) Dan Shapiro told the Post on Thursday, adding that “for Americans, and particularly those involved in this episode, there’s no difference in the analysis about the sort of nefarious actor he is.”
“The release of the intelligence by Israel could be a deterrent, but the establishment of a cell like that is fully consistent with Hezbollah’s goals and modus operandi. Given the opportunity, they will carry out an attack.”
According to the IDF, the Golan terrorist network is currently in its initial stages of establishment and recruitment and is not yet operational. But the military believes that Daqduq and his terror cell are aiming to build up its capabilities to one day launch serious attacks against Israel.
On Tuesday, Israel’s Mako news site quoted acting Foreign Minister Israel Katz as saying that a recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli would be “an appropriate and required response” to the allegations about Hezbollah’s activity on the Syrian Golan.
But according to Shapiro, the timing may not be totally linked to the possible upcoming recognition by Washington.
“It’s impossible to know, but if the threat is real and intelligence is now available and supports it, there is no reason not to publicize it,” he said.
“There was already strong American support, under both former US president Barack Obama and under the Trump administration for Israel’s freedom of action to address threats in Syria, including those by Hezbollah,” he said, adding that “the fact that the current mastermind of the efforts has significant American blood on his hands will only deepen this support.”
According to Shapiro, Washington “needs to intensify” it’s diplomacy with the Russians.
“Our main leverage in Syria would be through the Russians, not directly through Assad, and its appropriate for the US to talk to Russia to convey that Moscow should impose limits on Iran and their proxies in Syria which threaten Israel,” he said.
But according to Smyth, it’s unlikely that the Russians were unaware of Hezbollah’s project.
“This project is a top priority for Hezbollah and Iran. They’ve worked hard on building and recruiting locals in the area to maintain a presence in the area, even if they are told by Assad or Moscow that their presence isn’t desired,” he said, adding that “It’s interesting that it coincides with Russia’s moves in Syria and also claims that they’ve made to the Israelis and the Assad regime when it comes to where Hezbollah’s forces were allowed in southern Syria.”
“Frankly I don’t think the Russians didn’t know that this would be going on,” he continued, adding that the release of the Israeli intelligence on Hezbollah’s Golan Project “dovetails with Israel’s claims that Iranians are defying Russia’s wishes and that the Iranians aren’t really Assad’s allies, that they will continue to do their own thing. This is a further nail in the coffin, which is more public.”
Anna Borshchevskaya – a Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Fellow at the European Foundation for Democracy – told the Post that while Moscow wants to be seen as an arbiter, it “has no desire nor ability to remove Iran from Syria” since their entire strategy in Syria is reliant on their partnership with Tehran.
“Hezbollah has learned from Russia, they’ve operated together in Syria. Moscow can, when convenient, turn a blind eye to whatever activities suit its purposes.”

Analysis/Hezbollah on the Golan: Israel Turns to Psychological Warfare
عاموس هاريل/الهآرتس: حرب إسرائيلية نفسية على حزب الله في الجولان
Amos Harel/Haartz/March 15/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72998/amos-harel-haartz-hezbollah-on-the-golan-israel-turns-to-psychological-warfare%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B3-%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%A2%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%B3-%D8%AD%D8%B1/
The Israeli army’s revelation of a covert Hezbollah network begs the question: What happened to Putin’s promise?
The latest developments on the northern front underscore the limitations of Israel’s use of force in Syria and Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces and the intelligence community have chalked up many successes in recent years, curtailing Iran’s smuggling of arms to Hezbollah through Syria and later, striking Iranian military targets in Syria. However, it seems that Israel is now incapable of forcing Iran into changing its strategy in Syria. The theory recently promoted vigorously by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to which it is possible to drive an effective wedge between Iranian and Russian interests in the region (a hypothesis that is not supported by the army’s military intelligence wing) is so far not panning out.
On Tuesday, the IDF launched a widespread drive aimed at changing public perception. This included a series of briefings to military correspondents, media representatives and regional correspondents in the north, meant to uncover a new deployment of Hezbollah on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights border. The details of this secretive network, contained in “The Golan File,” are interesting. The task of setting up this network, previous stages of which were cut short in 2015 after two assassinations of its commanders, Jihad Mughniyeh and Samir Kuntar, was given to a veteran Hezbollah activist. He is Abu Hussein Sajid, whose real name is Ali Daqduq, someone who fought the IDF in South Lebanon. In the last decade he also took part in operations against American forces in Iraq, on behalf of Iran.
The return of Assad regime forces to the Golan last summer, with Israel’s tacit approval, also laid the ground for the return of Hezbollah. In the first stage, dozens of activists – most of whom are Syrian citizens – gather intelligence on IDF activity in the area. However, the IDF’s northern command believes that an infrastructure is being laid for future attacks, with Hezbollah using it to open a second front against the IDF, in the event of war breaking out in Lebanon.
The media campaign, as expected, resonated loudly in Israeli media outlets. Foreign correspondents seemed less impressed. The IDF disseminated a short video showing a man walking behind a rock on the Syrian side of the border, as well as another one in which a senior officer recited some talking points against Hezbollah. The revelation that an enemy organization was doing what enemies do – preparing for war – did not quite floor foreign media representatives.
Israel chose to issue a public threat, not to bomb a target, as happened to Sajid’s two predecessors. This is how it’s handling, for now, the person in charge of Iranian operations in the area, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, General Qasem Soleimani: The IDF’s Twitter account this week posted a sarcastic birthday video for the general. One can imagine Iranian intelligence officers scratching their heads in puzzlement, trying to figure out what Israel was trying to say with this infantile gesture.
“Our efforts against the entrenchment of Iranian military forces in Syria have yielded results, forcing them to slow down their activity,” a senior intelligence source told Haaretz. “On the other hand, they are continuing to try with all their might to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah, particularly high-precision equipment for its missiles,” aimed at improving the accuracy of its arsenal of rockets. Revelations about the group’s network in the Golan may be a reflection of the IDF’s inability to counter it. Only last summer, as Israel abandoned rebel groups in the Golan to their woes, not assisting them in withstanding the onslaught of regime forces, Russia promised that, in exchange, it would remove Iranian forces and Shi’ite militias to a distance of 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the border. Benjamin Netanyahu boasted of this achievement in talks with correspondents following his latest meetings with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
This isn’t the only matter in which Putin, a so-called friend, is not delivering the goods Netanyahu was expecting. Former Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin hinted as much in an interview he gave to Army Radio on Wednesday. He said that two weeks after Netanyahu’s visit to Putin, it still wasn’t clear what the two had agreed on. “Is operational control over the S-300 missiles being handed over to the Syrians?” asked Yadlin. He was pointing to a sore point: Russia gave Syria these advanced anti-aircraft missiles after the incident in which a Russian Ilyushin was downed last September, but is still keeping operational control over these systems. Netanyahu tried to extract a promise from Putin that this would remain the case. Making the S-300 operational would endanger air force planes, possibly requiring the knocking out of these missiles, with an increased risk of escalation. Putin, as far as is known, evaded giving an answer. It’s convenient for Moscow that both sides are dependent on it, and wait long periods for its decisions.
Can Israel exert real pressure on Russia and limit its military involvement in Syria once Assad’s regime is stabilized? A senior Israeli officer, when asked about this, replied with a question of his own: “Where does a four-ton hippopotamus sit? Wherever it wants to.”
A few hours after the “Golan File” was revealed, Netanyahu published his own announcement. “I have a clear message for Iran and Hezbollah. We know what you are doing and where you’re doing it,” he said. A further message was directed at the Israeli voter, without needing to spell it out explicitly – only Netanyahu knows how to handle the Iranians.
The maintenance of a constant sense of security threats, as distinct from active military skirmishes, serves the prime minister in his election campaign. This is true for December’s Operation Northern Shield, aimed at locating and destroying Hezbollah attack tunnels. This took place just before the announcement on moving up the election. The IDF didn’t plan on helping Netanyahu in his campaign, but the prime minister managed to find a way to promote a security-related agenda after the Central Election Committee forbade him from publicizing videos of himself with soldiers (with his visits to army units dropping accordingly right after this decision).
Overall, it appears that Netanyahu is leaving his rivals in the dust in this election campaign. The three decorated chiefs of staff brought with them to the apathetic and disorganized campaign of Kahol Lavan all the ills of the army’s organizational culture: endless and pointless deliberations, bruised egos, very little initiative. Among the four leaders of this party, it seems that only the former correspondent of the Bamahane army newspaper, Kahol Lavan’s Yair Lapid, has internalized the fact that he’s in a fight for his political survival. According to recent polls, even the publication of the list of Netanyahu’s alleged transgressions did not shift votes from Likud to center or left-wing parties. As things stand now, it would be a great surprise if Netanyahu did not emerge victorious on the night of April 9.

Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published on March 15-16/2019
Algerian Ruling Party Official Says Bouteflika is ‘History’
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/Senior official of Algeria’s FLN party, Hocine Kheldoun declared late Thursday that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was “history now” in ever more growing signs that the ruling party was abandoning the long-time leader. Kheldoun’s remarks to Ennahar television were another major setback Bouteflika, who hoped to pacify Algerians by promising to take steps to change the political landscape dominated by the president and the ruling elite for decades. Bouteflika has reversed a decision to stand for another term after mass protests against his rule. He has been losing allies rapidly in recent days since returning from medical treatment in Switzerland. Kheldoun, a former spokesman for the ruling party, became one of the most senior FLN officials to break with Bouteflika publicly. He said the party had to look forwards and support the aims of demonstrators protesting against Bouteflika. The FLN holds the majority in all elected assemblies, including parliament and local city councils. Tens of thousands of Algerians have staged protests for weeks demanding a new era with younger leaders who would offer greater social freedoms and prosperity. Bouteflika, 82, has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, and the protesters say he is no longer in a fit state to rule. They took to the streets after Bouteflika, in office for 20 years, announced he would stand again, forcing him to reverse that decision this week. A former minister who is familiar with Bouteflika’s inner circle told Reuters that the president could not survive given the pressure building against him from Algerians of all social classes. “Game over. Bouteflika has no choice but to quit now,” the former minister said on condition of anonymity. More mass protests are expected on Friday in the early afternoon after prayers. Many Algerians say that the ailing president and other veterans of the 1954-1962 war of independence against France should hand over power to young technocrats who can focus on unemployment, poor services and stamping out corruption. Although Bouteflika will not stand again and named a new prime minister, he stopped short of immediately stepping down. He intends to remain in power pending a national conference on political change and a new constitution. But his position is becoming more tenuous as he has lost one ally after another, including prominent members of the FLN, which has dominated since France’s defeat in 1962.

Pompeo to UN Chief: Iran’s Activities Undermine Efforts to Resolve Conflicts
New York - Ali Barada/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has informed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Washington was concerned over the Iranian regime’s “destructive and disruptive activities” in the Middle East. Pompeo and Guterres discussed in Washington “the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, ongoing events in Venezuela, and the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, among other matters,” the Office of the State Department’s spokesperson said in a press release on Wednesday. Pompeo “expressed concern that Iran’s destructive and disruptive activities across the Middle East undermine the UN’s efforts to resolve conflicts,” it added. Asked by Asharq Al-Awsat about the talks between Guterres and Pompeo, the secretary-general’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said discussions focused on “the need for strong cooperation between the United States and the United Nations.”The talks also “addressed several issues of concern, such as Yemen and Venezuela.”“The Secretary-General also provided the status update on the ongoing UN reform efforts and encouraged continuing United States engagement with the United Nations,” Dujarric added. When asked to comment on the State Department statement on Iran, Dujarric said the UN does not object to the statement. But that the focus of the talks between Guterres and Pompeo was Yemen and Venezuela.

Khamenei Warns of Internal Divisions in Iran over Foreign Agreements
London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei threatened on Thursday to inflict the “heaviest defeat” in US history, while urging members of the country’s Assembly of Experts “not to be at each other's throats over this or that convention or agreement”. Khamenei’s remarks follow the Assembly’s statement labeling the Iranian effort to join the Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) global convention and Palermo Convention a “strategic blunder”. Addressing his audience, Khamenei said: “When a certain convention or agreement is being discussed in the county, supporters and opponents should express their points of views, and the two sides should not accuse each other of camaraderie with the enemy” and inflame conflict with one another. Speaking about US sanctions, he noted that while the United States talks about implementing “the strongest sanctions”, “if we mobilize maximum” resources, “we will inflict the heaviest defeat on America in that country’s history”. Khamenei resorted to ambiguous rhetoric when voicing his position on internal differences and divisions on fundamental issues troubling the Iranian decision-making circles today, especially foreign policy. He acknowledged the existence of divisions by referring to them as “dual standards” in eleven key areas of the country, calling on his followers to “separate their ranks from those of the enemy,” adding that one should not accuse anyone who opposes him of “supporting the enemies. He reiterated his warning against dealing with Europeans and Americans. In this regard, he referred to former experiences and warned that “a person should not fall into the same trap twice”. His warnings come after the government denied last week holding secret negotiations with the United States, brokered by Oman. The US has re-imposed harsh sanctions on Iran, including its oil exports and banking sectors, after first leaving the 2015 nuclear deal in May 2018.

Iranian Intelligence Hacked Benny Gantz's Phone-Report
Jerusalem Post/March 15/19/The report also mentioned that senior officials warned him that any detail there could be used against him in the future if the Iranians chose to do so. ranian intelligence has hacked into the phone of Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, according to the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and has taken all its contents – including sensitive information, Channel 12 reported on Thursday night. The Shin Bet reportedly told Gantz that he must assume that any information that was on his phone was taken by those most hostile to Israel. No classified information was believed to be on the phone.Gantz served as chief of staff of the IDF from February 2011 to February 2015. Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman has warned about foreign interference in the election.Blue and White said in response that the timing of the leak of the report so close to the April 9 election was suspicious. “We do not comment on issues that touch on core aspects of Israel’s security,” the party said. “It should be emphasized that this event took place four years after Benny Gantz completed his service as chief of staff and therefore raises important questions as to the specific timing of publication of this news item.”Blue and White has been falling in the polls over the past week and a half, losing ground to the Likud.

Israeli Firm Releases Images of Iranian Precision-Missile Plant in Syria
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/An Israeli firm published Thursday satellite images saying they "confirm suspicions mentioned in intelligence reports that a plant was established in northwestern Syria as a facility for the production of surface-to-surface (SSM) missiles."The plant had been set up near the town of Safita, east of Tartous, the firm said. “The construction patterns, the compound location and the activity signs at the compound and its region increase the probability that this is a missile manufacturing site,” ImageSat Intl. (ISI) said. ISI said it detected massive and extensive trails indicating possible “missile launcher activity.”The images show a site surrounded by a fence, three hangers and a newly built water tower. “If this site is indeed related to SSM manufacturing, it is possible that two hangers include production line and the third is for manufacture or assembly.”
Buses and vans were detected in the site entrance within the securely fenced compound during recent months, with workers at the site coming and going in patterns consistent with military installations, ISI said. The firm also identified marks some 500 meters from the site, “probably created by the activity of heavy vehicles such as SSM launchers,” ISI noted, adding that “in our assessment, the tire prints are not related to the activity of quarries operating in the area.”The images, most recent of which was taken last Tuesday, confirm the report by the Israeli Channel 12 in early February that “Israeli military intelligence has spotted new Iranian attempts to establish a plant to manufacture advanced surface-to-surface missiles on Syrian territory,” according to Hebrew newspaper Maariv’s website. The site added that the plant is located only eight kilometers north of the Lebanese borders, and it suggested the location to be chosen there to facilitate the transfer of missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The area in which it is established, according to the website, is controlled by the Syrian regime and in the vicinity of Russian SAM (surface-to-air missile) deployment. Israeli authorities did not comment, neither did Israeli media, which only published the news without comments. Officials refused to discuss the issue, opening the door to rumors that this silence will be followed by an attack on the plant.

8 Years of Syria War Leave more than 370,000 Dead
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/Eight years of war in Syria have left more than 370,000 people dead, including 112,000 civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday. According to the monitor, more than 21,000 children and 13,000 women were among the dead. The conflict flared after unprecedented anti-government protests in the southern city of Daraa on March 15, 2011. Demonstrations spread across Syria and were brutally suppressed by the regime, triggering a multi-front armed conflict. The Britain-based Observatory's last casualty toll on the Syrian conflict, issued in September, stood at more than 360,000 dead. Over 125,000 Syrian soldiers and pro-regime fighters figured in the latest toll, the monitoring group said. It said other fighters, including rebels and Kurds, accounted for 67,000 of those killed. Almost 66,000 were militants, mainly from ISIS terrorist group and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The devastating conflict has displaced or sent into exile around 13 million Syrians, causing billions of dollars-worth of destruction. Syria's conflict is estimated to have set its economy back three decades, destroying infrastructure and paralyzing the production of electricity and oil.

Sistani Receives Rouhani, Stresses Respect For States’ Sovereignty
Baghdad - Hamza Mustafa/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/Iraq’s Shiite cleric Ali Sistani underlined the importance of respecting the sovereignty of states, during his meeting on Wednesday with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. A statement by Sistani’s office said Iraq’s top Shiite cleric welcomed “any move to strengthen Iraq’s relations with its neighbors based on respect for state sovereignty and non-interference in its internal affairs.”Sistani emphasized, in light of the fragile situation in the region, “the need for international and regional policies to be balanced and moderate in order to spare people more tragedies and damage.”He pointed out that the most major challenges facing Iraq at this stage were fighting corruption, restricting the use of weapons to state and security services, as well as improving public services.”Sistani’s office statement highlighted “the fateful war waged by the Iraqi people to defeat ISIS,” and “the great sacrifices made by the heroic Iraqis to achieve victory over this terrorist organization and to eliminate its danger from the entire region.” The meeting was held on the third day of Rouhani’s visit to Baghdad.  Shiite cleric Haidar al-Gharabi told Asharq Al-Awsat that talks between Sistani and the Iranian president gave many “indications of the current stage in Iraq, represented by a multitude of agendas, especially foreign ones.” “Iran is an important international player in the region and Iraq; therefore, the understanding with the highest religious authority in Najaf comes in this context, especially as we believe that Iran has positive attitudes towards Iraq,” Gharabi said. Sistani had closed his doors since late 2015 to Iraqi politicians, including presidents, ministers, MPs and bloc leaders. He also refused to receive the French foreign minister who visited Iraq in January.

Iraq Orders Death Penalty for Murderers of Former Egyptian Ambassador
Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/An Iraqi court ordered on Thursday the death penalty against the kidnappers and murderers of former Egyptian Ambassador Ihab al-Sharif. The Karkh Criminal Court in Baghdad heard the cases of two suspects who pleaded guilty to the kidnapping, read a court statement. “The court found the evidence and confessions sufficient to issue a death sentence by hanging,” it added. In July 2005, Sharif was kidnapped just two days after arriving in the Baghdad. The al-Qaeda affiliate in Iraq, which at the time was led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and was operating at its peak in the country, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. Sharif was appointed to his post in line with an agreement reached between Cairo and Baghdad to restore diplomatic ties that were cut since 1991 over the eruption of the Gulf war when Egypt supported the US operation to liberate Kuwait. After the assassination, Egypt suspended its diplomatic mission in Iraq until a new ambassador was appointed in 2010.

Israel Admits to ‘Mistakenly’ Killing 11 Palestinians
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/A senior Israeli military official admitted that the army “mistakenly” killed 11 Palestinians while clamping down on the Marches of Return along the Gaza Strip border. Investigations are ongoing in seven similar cases, despite several months of denials by the Israeli military. The number of Palestinian martyrs in the Return Marches, which started on March 30, 2018, exceeded 250, including more than 50 children, while more than 6,000 have been wounded. The Palestinian government has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague and several UN organizations to investigate Israeli war crimes against Gaza protesters. The UN Human Rights Council (OHCHR) has issued a report strongly condemning the Israeli crackdown on the protesters. Although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu downplayed the report, the Attorney General Unit in the Ministry of Justice, which he leads, is preparing to confront any ICC and OHCHR move against Israel.

Brazil’s President to Visit Israel, Embassy Move Undecided
Brasilia - Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro will visit Israel at the end of the month, but he may not be able to deliver on a promise to relocate his country’s embassy to Jerusalem, a move opposed by military officers in his cabinet. A government official told Reuters that no decision has been taken on the embassy move, which could give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s standing a boost ahead of elections next month. “Something will have to be said about the embassy during the trip,” said the official with knowledge of the matter but who spoke on condition of anonymity. He added, however, that a formal announcement might not be made during the March 31 to April 2 visit as the Israeli government had hoped for. Visiting Brazil for the January 1 presidential inauguration, Netanyahu said Bolsonaro told him that moving the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv was a matter of “when not if.”But in an interview in February, Vice President Hamilton Mourao, a retired Army general, told Reuters that Bolsonaro’s plan to move the embassy was a bad idea because it would hurt Brazilian exports to Arab nations, including an estimated USD5 billion in halal food sales.
The prospect of relocating the embassy – after President Donald Trump moved the US mission – has worried Brazilian exporters who fear losing access to major Arab markets for halal meats, which comply with Muslim dietary rules. Brazil is one of the world’s top halal meat exporters, and Muslim nations Iran and Egypt are its third and fourth biggest beef buyers, according to the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association. Bolsonaro’s economic team and the country’s powerful farm lobby have advised against the move, which would break with Brazil’s traditional stance of support for a two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict. During last year’s election campaign Bolsonaro stated that Palestine is not a country and said he would close the Palestinian embassy in Brasilia.

Morocco Dismantles 6-Member ISIS Cell
Rabat - Latifa Al-Arosni/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) dismantled on Thursday a six-member terror cell following raids in several cities around the Casablanca area, including Mohammedia, El Jadida, Sidi Bennour, and Marrakech.
A statement from the Ministry of the Interior revealed that one of the six radicalized suspects, aged between 27 and 40, had spent time in prison over links with ISIS terrorists in Libya. A preliminary investigation found the suspects had pledged allegiance to ISIS and had plotted terror attacks across Morocco. Police placed all suspects in custody pending further investigation. Last Sunday, the ministry announced the repatriation of eight Moroccan extremists, describing the operation as a "humanitarian” move. The process is also part of Morocco's contribution to international efforts in the fight against terrorism as well as fulfilling its responsibility in protecting its citizens, it said. In the same context, Dr. Ahmad al-Abbadi, Secretary General of Al Rabita Al-Muhammadiyah Association for scholars, called for distancing communities and minds from extremism. During a seminar on women leadership for peace and limiting terrorism and religious extremism, he stressed the importance of women in combating hate speech. Leila Rhiwi, UN Women's Maghreb Representative, said that extremism and terrorism are increasingly targeting women, giving the examples of rape and forced marriage.

Rights Group Urges UN to Condemn Israel’s Nation-State Law
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, called on the United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday to condemn Israel’s Jewish Nation-State Law. Adalah Attorney Myssana Morany, speaking in Geneva during an Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, urged the UN body to demand that Israel revoke the law due to its racially discriminatory impact on Palestinian citizens of Israel. “There is no democratic state in the world that defines its constitutional identity on exclusive racial grounds, and as serving one ethnic group,” Morany told the Council. She spoke of the concerns expressed by the Council’s special rapporteurs, who considered the law discriminatory in nature and in its application against non-Jewish citizens and members of minorities, as it does not apply the principle of equality among citizens. She said the rapporteurs warned that the law would strengthen the authority of the Jews in Israel over non-Jewish citizens, especially those belonging to other ethnic, racial and religious groups. She added it would also create a fertile ground, both legally and politically, to legislate more racist and discriminatory laws that contradict Israel's international human rights obligations. Morany urged the Council to fully condemn the Nation-State Law and to demand that Israel cancel it and abstain from implementing it against Palestinian citizens and all Palestinians under Israel’s control.

PUIC Highlights Palestinian Cause in Final Communique
Rabat - Latifa Al-Arosni/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 15/19/The 14th session of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Member States (PUIC) conference taking place in Rabat, Morocco, stressed that the Palestinian cause and Jerusalem remains central to the body’s member states. Other that Iran’s non-participation, Jordan criticized Morocco’s Habib El Malki, chair of the 14th edition of the PUIC, for not inviting Syria to the meeting. Differences on the wording of the final communique among participating member states were prevalent, Lebanese lawmaker Qasim Abou Hashim told Asharq Al-Awsat. Among the topics drawing hot debate between PUIC members was the humanitarian situation in Syria. However, according to Hashim, it was finally agreed not to raise controversial issues. At the session, Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al ash-Sheikh, chairman of the Saudi Shura Council, renewed his country's support for efforts on reaching a political solution in war-torn Yemen, so long it is aligned with the Gulf initiative and its executive mechanism, the outcomes of national dialogue, Security Council Resolution 2216 and relevant international resolutions. Speaking on the Palestinian cause, ash-Sheikh stressed that it remained at the forefront of the Kingdom's concerns, recalling its firm position towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 demarcated borders, with East Jerusalem as a capital. As for the fight against terrorism, the Saudi official called for intensive efforts to tackle all forms of terrorism and its linked organizations. He pointed out that Saudi Arabia has led massive international efforts to fight terrorism in all levels. The PUIC’s final communique stressed that counterterrorism is the responsibility of all sovereign states, condemning the use of violence and extremism.

Gaza Border Protests Called Off After Flare-up
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 March, 2019/Weekly protests along the Gaza-Israel border were called off Friday after a military escalation that involved Israeli airstrikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave. "In keeping with the public interest, the commission has decided to exceptionally postpone its activities scheduled for this day," the body which organizes the protests said in a statement. Protests near Israel's border fence will resume in the coming weeks, with particular preparation for the one-year anniversary of their beginning on March 30, it said. The cancellation, the first of its kind in a year, came after Israel said its aircraft struck dozens of Hamas targets in Gaza overnight in response to rockets fired from the enclave, including at Tel Aviv. An official from the organizing committee, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the protests were delayed "to protect our people due to the escalation and the Israeli aggression."The protests are demanding Palestinian refugees and their descendants be allowed to return to former homes now inside Israel. Israeli officials say that amounts to calling for Israel’s destruction, and accuse Hamas of orchestrating the protests. At least 255 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since March 2018, the majority shot during border demonstrations and clashes. Others have been hit by tank fire or air strikes in response to violence from Gaza. Two Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period.

Canada imposes new sanctions in response to Russia’s aggressive actions
March 15, 2019 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
In coordination with the European Union and the United States, Canada is today announcing new sanctions in response to Russia’s aggressive actions in the Black Sea and Kerch Strait and Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea.
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, is announcing these sanctions on 114 individuals and 15 entities, under the Special Economic Measures Act.
These sanctions are in response to Russia’s military actions against three Ukrainian vessels and the capture of Ukrainian sailors in the Black Sea in November 2018. Today’s measures, coordinated with the European Union and the United States, underscore continued transatlantic unity in responding to Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine and its violation of international law.
Canada is also sanctioning a number of individuals and entities responsible for the illegal invasion and ongoing occupation of Crimea and the destabilization of eastern Ukraine.
Quotes
“Canada and its allies are unwavering in our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia’s provocations in the Kerch Strait and its illegal invasion and ongoing occupation of Crimea will not go unchecked.
“Alongside our international partners, we call on Russia to immediately release the 24 detained Ukrainian servicemen and return the seized vessels. Russia must allow free and unhindered passage through the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov.
“Today’s sanctions demonstrate that Canada and the international community are ready to impose costs on Russia when it ignores international law and the rules-based international order.”
- Hon. Chrystia Freeland, P.C., M.P., Minister of Foreign Affairs
Quick facts
Since Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, Canada has sanctioned 300 individuals and entities, many in coordination with our allies. Today’s sanctions bring this total to 429. Canada’s sanctions impose asset freezes and dealings prohibitions.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 15-16/2019
Is this the End of Globalization?
Fouad Siniora/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 15/19
In recent years, the future of globalization has attracted the attention of the world’s leaders and economic experts. This issue is being discussed at the appropriate time given that the world is being bombarded with new challenges.
The truth is that globalization and modern communication make the world a more connected place, but at the same time, tensions between and among countries have become more widespread. These crises have crossed borders without a visa, as described by late UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. They are multiplying rapidly and spreading like bird flue to create unrest and conflicts everywhere, leading to more displacement and migration. This is causing a clash of civilizations and cultures. These clashes are ultimately fueling far-right movements and radical populist trends. This in turn, stokes extremism, xenophobia and discrimination that provoke counter-reactions that fuel violence and terrorism.
The fate of globalization has been raised among modern and developing countries alike, especially as Britain is on the brink of exiting the European Union and after the US elected Donald Trump president. As globalization appears to be coming under fierce attack in the West, we are unlikely witness its demise any time soon. What we are instead witnessing is the spread of populist ideology that plays on the people’s nationalist sentiments. The predictable and inevitable outcome is more isolation and extremism, which if left unchecked, would lead to major international conflicts, launch new waves of terrorism and perhaps, even spark a destructive war.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told the 2017 World Economic Forum in Davos: “Economic globalization has created new problems, but this is no justification to write economic globalization off completely. Rather, we should adapt to and guide economic globalization, cushion its negative impact, and deliver its benefits to all countries and all nations.” It is my personal belief that an open economy falls in complete favor of the interests of modern and developing countries.
At the same forum, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde stressed the need to divide the benefits of globalization as fairly as possible if we wanted globalization to continue. She reiterated warnings made at Davos four years prior over the accumulation of the negative effects of unfairly dividing these benefits. The answer should not lie in self-sufficiency, she said. She instead declared: “There are 3.6 billion people around the world aspiring to better income, to food on the table twice a day, once a day. To turn our back on globalization, to turn our back on helping development, is exactly the wrong approach. To say that globalization is bad because it destroys jobs is a very short cut for something that needs far more analytical work and understanding.”
There is no doubt that even though the gap between rich and poor countries has been narrowed somewhat, the gap between the rich and poor inside one country keeps growing wider. This calls on us to ensure that the rich and poor enjoy equal opportunity because God created all people equal in rights. This is the problem that we must address. If left without a solution, then we will have had a direct hand in the demise of globalization and we will be destroying the hopes of the least fortunate segments of societies in reaping the benefits of development and prosperity that they deserve.
In this regard, I would like to cite former Italian Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan, who said: “I don’t think we’re exiting globalization, I think we’re entering a new stage of international global relations where national policies will shape how globalization eventually develops.”Reviewing current reform operations is one the challenges we are confronted with. Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab said: “Reforming existing processes and institutions will not be enough. Government leaders, supported by civil society and businesses, have to collectively create a new global architecture.”This new architecture must pave the way for cooperation that leads to expanded foundations in the economies of developing countries, which at the end of the day, are the engines that push forward development in those countries. The measures that have so far been taken are not enough. Modern countries have pledged to dedicate part of their GDP to help developing countries avoid the direct repercussions of globalization. It is unfortunate that these promises have not materialized into action.
We must work together to promote the culture of cooperation and resolution of crises, conflicts and war because at the end of the day, whether we are rich or poor, we are still sailing in the same boat. We either sail together or sink together with no one to throw us a lifeline. While mentioning the impact of globalization on developing countries, we must ask ourselves several questions, such as: What should we do to overcome its negative consequences and bolster globalization in order to improve the lives of people all over the world? How can we transform globalization into a more comprehensive and sustainable tool? This all depends on the ability of leaders in strengthening institutions in their countries. It also depends on improving social security networks and ensuring the sustainability of economic development.
Amid all this, we must remember that the peoples of developing countries are the greatest potential consumers in the modern world. They are the engines of new growth throughout the world. As economies develop, their purchasing power improves. At the same time, as efforts are exerted to resolve internal differences and regional conflicts, their danger on the stability of the world decreases. Based on this, the modern world is better off resolving regional crises wherever they may arise, including in particular, the Middle East where the Arab-Israeli conflict continues to impede social and economic growth in the countries affected by it. This conflict is also fueling extremism and terrorism. Dedicated and intense efforts are needed to resolve this conflict and the one in Syria, as well. The powers fueling the crises must no longer enjoy impunity.
Globalization is ultimately a double-edged sword. It is blessing enjoyed by the rich, but if the necessary measures are not taken to ease its negative impact on the poor, then it could become an impossible predicament. Annan said: “Globalization is a fact of life. But I believe we have underestimated its fragility.” I am hopeful that we may all work on making globalization an element that would bring benefits to everyone.
Excerpt of a speech the former Lebanese prime minister delivered at the Global Baku Forum in Azerbaijan on Thursday.

Common Causes of Three Crises in Three Continents
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 15/19
Three crises in three continents: Iran in Asia, Algeria in Africa and Venezuela in Latin America. Do they have anything in common?
The obvious thing they have in common is that all three crises are rooted in a sharp disconnect between a discontented but combative people thirsty for change and a tired but arrogant ruling elite hell-bent on hanging on to power.
Despite differences that might appear striking at first glance all three countries have many other things in common. They all have ideological regimes reflected in their official names. All three call themselves “republic” but render the term ambiguous through modifiers. The Iranian regime calls itself “Islamic” which it takes to mean rule by a section of the Shiite clergy under a self-styled “Supreme Guide”. The Algerian regime uses the double-barrel modifier “people’s democratic” to render the term “republic” meaningless. The Venezuelan regime obtains a similar result with the term “Bolivarian republic.”
All three hark back to the last century which witnessed a plethora of ideology-based regimes: The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, The People’s Republic of China, The United Arab Republic and The Buddhist Socialist State of Myanmar among others. The pretension behind all those labels was that rather than being the art of solving the people’s problems, politics was a means of advancing the real or imagined goals of an ideology.
All three regimes are based in synthetic myths of recent coinage.
The Islamic Republic in Iran boasts about its genesis in the so-called “Islamic Revolution” of 1979 which consisted of four or five months of riots culminating in the Shah’s decision to leave the country, creating a vacuum of power which the mullahs filled with little difficulty.
Unlike classical revolutions which witness genuine and often prolonged conflict between opposing ideologies, the Iranian revolution happened so quickly and so easily as to deprive even its leaders from the possibility of creating a revolutionary biography for themselves.
The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria sees its roots in the imaginary “military victory” over the French army, the second most powerful in NATO at the time. It ignores the fact that the “liberation army” that seized power soon after independence had played a marginal role in actual fighting.
Algeria did not win independence on any battleground but thanks to a dramatic change of political perspectives in France and across the globe, plus the courageous obstinacy of the Algerian civilian population.
In Venezuela, the myths are built around a doctored biography of Simon de Bolivar who had dreamt of a grand united states of south America and even served as president of Bolivia, Peru and Grand Colombia at a time those lands had not yet developed distinctive national identities. Had Bolivar been around today he would have been scandalized by attempts at casting him in the role of a Venezuelan nationalist promoting a pseudo-socialistic project.
Another thing the three crisis-struck regimes have in common is that they are all oil-and-gas states which means that, because they don’t depend on income from taxation, they can regard their people as expensive and bothersome extras.
Iran, Algeria and Venezuela are all members of the so-called Nonaligned Movement ad have hosted its summits. In that context they have retained some memory of the Cold War as regimes sympathetic to the Soviet bloc and opposed to the so-called Free World led by the United States. The umbrella term for that hodgepodge is “Third Worldlism” which means presenting Western democracies as enemies while trying to benefit from the economic, social and cultural possibilities they offer.
The Khomeinists in Iran hate the American “Great Satan” but send their children to the US for study and their old ones to Western Europe for medical treatment. Many top officials of the Islamic Republic have their money, often ill-gotten, laundered through Western European and, more recently, Canadian banks.
The Algerian ruling elite say they hate France, the former colonial power, but many “decideurs” (decision-makers) own properties there and many others spend their retirement there. Or at least the past 30 years, the same elite has been selling gas to France at prices below the international average.
The Venezuelan situation is no different. The so-called Bolivarian elite has tied the nation’s economy to the United States more tightly than ever while rhetoric against “Yankee Imperialism” has intensified.
All three regimes have created a rentier class whose chief function is to provide at least the illusion of a popular base for them. In Iran that role is played by the so-called “living martyrs”, “families of martyrs”, and “Ansar (supporters) Hezbollah”. The 400,000-strong “Mobilization of the Dispossessed” provides the military backbone of that base.
In Algeria the network of “Mujahidin” (Holy Warriors) plays a similar role along with armed auxiliaries raised during the bad days of the 1990s. In Venezuela, the 600,000-man “Bolivarian” paramilitary, created by the late Hugo Chavez, serve a similar function. In all three countries the traditional military holds the balance of power between the ruling elite of which their own top brass is part and the mass of the rebellious citizenry.
The latest analyses indicate that in Iran the bulk of the military is still unwilling to switch sides in favor of the protesting masses. But there are also signs that it might not be ready to automatically crush a popular uprising.
In Algeria the military, closely linked to big business, has distanced itself from the elite of “decideurs”, forcing them to offer a first concession by withdrawing the candidacy of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
In Venezuela the top brass still hesitates to take side, making it possible for President Nicolas Maduro, regarded as a usurper by many, to keep his armed Bolivarian mobilized. All three regimes have failed to develop credible and enduring institutions capable of arbitrating conflicts and clashes of ideas and interests inherent in every human society. This is why the outcome of their current crises depends on the confrontation between the street and the barracks.
That is what happens to what one might call “short-term” socio-political systems from the Nazi Germany to the USSR, to Peronism in Argentina and Nasserism in Egypt. All “short-term” systems end in a lapse of time that must be regarded as brief in broader historic terms. In them, everything is intense, everything including the inevitable fall.

British Politics Enters the Meltdown Phase
Therese Raphael/Bloomberg View/March/19
Theresa May promised lawmakers as many as three votes on Brexit this week, but it was the first that counted most. On Tuesday, MPs used it to deliver a second defeat to her Brexit agreement.The margin was narrower this time: The government lost by 230 votes in January and by 149 the second time. But no still means no. The result makes an extension of the negotiations almost inevitable, puts into question May’s future as prime minister, and makes it more likely that the course of Brexit will need to be decided, one way or another, by the public.
There are now two more votes: Lawmakers will vote Wednesday on whether to exit the EU with no deal at all. If that too is rejected, as expected, they will vote on whether the government should seek to delay the March 29 exit date. The unraveling of May’s divorce deal must ultimately be blamed on her deeply flawed negotiating strategy. She sought to please hardliners in her own party by committing early and hard to leaving both the single market and the EU’s customs union so Britain could strike its own trade deals. But she failed to build a consensus within her party, or across parliament.If anyone gave much thought to Ireland at the time, it didn’t show. Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Britain is required to keep the only land border with another country open. Yet May also promised the Democratic Unionist Party, the fringe party that she had to rely on for her parliamentary majority after her disastrous showing in the 2017 election, that Northern Ireland would be treated no differently from the rest of Britain. There would be no customs border in the Irish Sea. So where would these checks take place? The political calculation seems to have been that Ireland had too much at stake economically to let those factors get in the way of a deal that the UK wanted. What a mistake that has proved to be.
It's easy for Brexiters to throw blame at the EU, whose unity and consistency has been infuriating for British negotiators. But that's a bit like blaming the opposing goalkeeper for making so many saves. The EU didn't want to leave the border question to the vagaries of British politics by allowing it to become part of the trade negotiations; Ireland also understood its greatest leverage was during the divorce talks. Of course, Europe is a loser too; but it chose unity and preserving the single market over a deal at a higher price.
If May’s strategy was flawed, the salesmanship was awful. She held rounds of talks in secret, constantly playing for time when things looked tight. She needed allies, if not friends; in the end, she alienated almost everyone around her.
The impossible job of finding a solution that would appease opponents of the deal fell to Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, the lawyer whose original advice scuppered May’s earlier attempt to get parliament to approve her deal in January. Cox was constrained by May’s red lines and the EU’s refusal to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement.
In the end, even he could not square the circle and provide an ironclad legal guarantee that Britain could unilaterally exit the backstop – the mechanism by which the EU would keep the country in the customs union and so keep the Irish border open.
The three documents the government published Monday night fell short. Cox declared them “material new legal obligations and commitments” that reduce the likelihood of being stuck in the customs union to very small. But he acknowledged that he couldn’t go further than that. Ultimately, he told lawmakers, this is a political decision.
The voting down of the deal says a majority of MPs are still unable to come to terms with the trade-offs inherent in the decision to leave the EU. Parliament can’t decide and the prime minister is out of cards to play.
Getting unstuck will require more than just an extension to the March 29 deadline, something the EU should grant, out of both humanitarian concern and self-interest. A three-month extension is not, on any past experience, sufficient time to organize a new referendum, even if MPs could agree on the question and terms. If that is the preferred course, Europe would need to be asked for more time. Another general election has become more likely and may well be the best route forward. It would force the parties to set out their positions in their manifestos: Would they rule out a no-deal exit? That would make it a de facto referendum not just on Brexit, but also on the country’s future economic direction, where the two parties have very different visions. A majority government would have a clear, voter-approved road map; a minority administration would have to reach across party lines in a way May never did.
Given opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s low public approval rating and his party’s serious antisemitism problem, Conservatives, even in their current state, might like their chances. But who would lead them and on what platform? May’s premiership looks terminally ill now; and she proved to be a terrible campaigner in 2017.
It’s possible that she could be induced by her cabinet colleagues to resign on her own accord. Then Conservative MPs would have to put two leadership candidates to a vote by the wider party membership if they are unable to agree on just one. The Tory membership is small and strongly favors Brexit; it is likely to jump at a chance to put the charismatic Boris Johnson, who supports a no-deal Brexit, in charge if his parliamentary colleagues allow him to make it on to the shortlist. That threat alone may be what is keeping May in office, though there are other more moderate candidates out there, notably Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. So far, the week in which we were finally to have some real certainty on Brexit has plunged the country into further political turmoil. May has shown she can’t lead a negotiation, can’t lead a party and can’t run a government. It’s hard to see what she could get past parliament after this. A prime minister is nothing without the confidence of the House.

EU: Telling Europeans What to Think
by Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/March 15/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13864/eu-media-literacy
The above initiatives, of course, exist in addition to all the other measures that the EU has put in place to "guide" Europeans onto the path of proper thinking... which the untransparent and unaccountable online tech giants -- Facebook, Google, Twitter and Mozilla -- signed in October 2018, and their 2019 "Code of Conduct on countering illegal online hate speech online."
In the same vein as China's "reeducation camps" or the former Soviet Union's "rehabilitation centers" that abused psychiatry for political purposes, Marine Le Pen in September was ordered to undergo psychiatric tests for tweeting the pictures, ostensibly to establish whether she "is capable of understanding remarks and answering questions".
It is probably safe to say that the first victims of the EU's media literacy policies will be diversity of opinion and free speech.
Marine Le Pen (pictured at podium), the leader of France's Rassemblement National (National Rally) party, posted tweets condemning the Islamic State terrorist group, including photos of their murdered victims. For this, she was charged with the crime of "disseminating violent images," and ordered by a court to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether she "is capable of understanding remarks and answering questions." (Photo by Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images)
The first European Media Literacy Week, an initiative of the European Union, will take place March 18-22 in various European cities. The week is a new initiative by the European Commission, putatively "to underline the societal importance of media literacy and promote media literacy initiatives and projects across the EU". The European Commission explains its policy of strengthening 'media literacy' within the EU -- which could have been a noble and useful initiative -- the following way:
"With the rapid rise of digital technology and its increasing use in business, education and culture, it is important to ensure everyone can understand and engage with digital media.
"Media literacy is vital for economic growth and job creation. Digital technologies are a key driver of competitiveness and innovation in the media, information, and communication technology sectors."
As part of its "Digital Single Market" strategy, the European Commission adds flimsily:
"Media literacy concerns different media (broadcasting, radio, press), different distribution channels (traditional, internet, social media) and addresses the needs of all ages... A high level of media literacy is a key factor to enable citizens to make informed decisions in the digital age. Media literacy is a pre-requisite for a vibrant, modern democracy."
One does not have to scratch the surface much, however, before it appears that at least certain aspects of the European Commission's Media Literacy policy are less about enlightening citizens, than about heavy-handedly guiding them on what to think. According to the European Commission, "a key stone in all possible definitions of media literacy is the development of critical thinking by the user." The Commission, it would appear, has arrogated to itself the formidable task of "developing" that crucial faculty in EU citizens.
Furthermore, according to the Commission:
"Media literacy is also a tool empowering citizens as well as raising their awareness and helping counter the effects of disinformation campaigns and fake news spreading through digital media."
The EU initiative against disinformation, according to which, "The exposure of citizens to large scale disinformation, including misleading or outright false information, is a major challenge for Europe," contains "an action plan to step up efforts to counter disinformation in Europe and beyond..." The action plan is analyzed in more detail here.
The above initiatives, of course, exist in addition to all the other measures that the EU has put in place to "guide" Europeans onto the path of proper thinking. These measures include the Code of Practice on Disinformation, which the untransparent and unaccountable online tech giants -- Facebook, Google, Twitter and Mozilla -- signed in October 2018, and their 2019 "Code of Conduct on countering illegal online hate speech online."
Europeans evidently now need the further indispensable guidance of the European Commission to learn how properly to navigate, read and interpret the news, whether the source is traditional or digital. How and why it became the business of the EU bureaucracy to teach Europeans what to read and think remains somewhat obscure.
Even so, for some European leaders, this artillery battery of bureaucratic measures to guide the thinking of Europeans is still not sufficient. French President Emmanuel Macron recently gave a speech in which he proposed establishing the Orwellian sounding "European Agency for the Protection of Democracies":
"We should have European rules banish all incitements to hate and violence from the Internet, since respect for the individual is the bedrock of our civilisation of dignity." [Emphasis in the original]
As always, who defines what is perceived as "hate" was left blowing in the wind. Presumably, whatever EU leaders perceive to contradict their own preferred policies, as previous experience has shown -- for instance here, here, and here. In Macron's France, for example, Marine Le Pen, the leader of the Rassemblement National (National Rally) party, formerly known as Front National, has been charged with circulating "violent messages that incite terrorism or pornography or seriously harm human dignity," for tweeting images of atrocities committed by ISIS in Syria and Iraq in 2015, and that can be viewed by a minor. One of the images showed the body of James Foley, the American journalist beheaded by ISIS terrorists, while the others showed a man in an orange jumpsuit being driven over by a tank and another of a man being burned alive in a cage. "Daesh is this!" Le Pen wrote in the caption, which she tweeted a few weeks after the ISIS attack on Paris in November 2015, in which 130 people were killed.
"I am being charged for having condemned the horrors of Daesh," Le Pen said. In the same vein as China's "reeducation camps" or the former Soviet Union's "rehabilitation centers" that abused psychiatry for political purposes, Le Pen in September was ordered to undergo psychiatric tests for tweeting the pictures, ostensibly in order to establish whether she "is capable of understanding remarks and answering questions."
Warning against Islamic terrorism, according to the French judicial system, is not only criminal but apparently represents a psychological aberration. Le Pen could face up to three years in prison and a fine of €75,000 ($85,000). Also in September, parliament lifted the immunity of another Rassemblement National MP, Gilbert Collard, over similar tweets that contained ISIS images. Criminal prosecution is, of course, one way for governments to deal with political opponents, but it used to be limited to dictatorships, not parliamentary democracies, such as France.
One wonders if this form of European censorship is what Macron, with his Orwellian plan, would like to see exported to the rest of Europe.
Meanwhile, the upcoming media literacy week will launch with an opening conference hosted by the European Commission on March 19. So far, there are around 180 announced media literacy events throughout Europe for the month of March. In Slovenia, workshops such as "Media Literacy Workshop for Students: Fighting Fake News" and "Real Media Literacy for a Fake News World" are offered, and in London, Europeans are invited to a seminar on, "Fake News vs Media Literacy: Critical Thinking, Resilience, Civic Engagement," where:
"Leading media literacy researchers from the US and UK will come together... with teachers, librarians, journalists, digital media producers and young people to tackle disinformation with media literacy... working to a collective aim – a practical strategy for harnessing media literacy to develop young people's resilience to 'fake news', with a focus on case studies from both the UK and the US."
It is probably safe to say that the first victims of the EU's media literacy policies will be diversity of opinion and free speech.
*Judith Bergman, a columnist, lawyer and political analyst, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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Iraq hopes to give peace a chance
Talmiz Ahmad/Arab News/March 15/19
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Iraq this week — his first visit as head of state to his country’s neighbor. There have been several high-level visits over the last few months, including those of the first vice president, the oil minister, the head of the central bank, and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who came in January. Zarif also came to Baghdad a few days before his president and described the presidential visit as a “new chapter,” a “new start” and “historic.” He referred to “historic commonalities” between the two countries and said the visit would convey a “message of regional cooperation,” given that Iraq was “an important pillar of regional security.”The Rouhani visit was meant to upgrade Iran’s relations with Iraq beyond their military dimension into the areas of politics, security, energy and economic ties. It was also aimed at ensuring that Iran-Iraq ties would remain substantial just as US sanctions are restricting Iran’s market access globally and Washington has heightened its hostile rhetoric and initiatives.
The visit fulfilled Iran’s agenda in ample measure. Several agreements were signed in the areas of energy, transport, agriculture, industry and health. The two countries are completing a 48-mile railway line from Khorramshahr to Basra, which will bring Iranian goods to the Iraqi port for domestic and regional distribution. They are also looking at a rail connection from Iran to Iraq that would then link up with the Syrian system and go as far as Latakia on the Mediterranean.
The two countries already have $12 billion of bilateral trade, which they will seek to expand to $20 billion. Energy has brought the two sides very close, with Iraq buying Iranian gas and electricity, despite US sanctions. For fear of rousing popular anger, Iraq cannot allow disruptions to the power supply like those that caused widespread protests last summer.
As ties deepen, they will explore more ambitious proposals, such as a joint bank and a free-trade zone at the border, as well as addressing long-simmering issues such as defining the border in some areas and jointly developing oil fields along the frontier.
The highlight of Rouhani’s visit was his meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani in Najaf, the first meeting between a sitting Iranian president and the senior cleric, who has played a decisive role at crucial moments in Iraqi politics. Al-Sistani stressed the importance of “balanced and moderate regional and international policies in this region to avoid further tragedies and damage.” With this meeting, he also boosted the status of Rouhani and Zarif in Iran’s own contentious politics.
Given the sharp divisions in the region, there are grave doubts that Iraq will be given this opportunity of seeking a chance at peace.
Iran is not the only significant player in Iraq. Saudi Arabia has also built close ties with a wide array of Iraqi leaders across the sectarian spectrum, as affirmed by the recent visit to Riyadh of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.
Saudi Arabia’s ties with Iraq also have a strong economic content, covering transport links and, uniquely, the development of a million hectares of Iraqi farmland for rich agricultural produce.
The Kingdom views these ties as being founded on the two countries’ Arab identity and it would like to bring Iraq into a regional Arab security system. A writer in Al-Hayat, Hamid Al-Kifai, has stressed that these links are valuable in themselves and are not directed at any other country in the region. However, the Kingdom will certainly seek to balance Iran’s influence in Iraq.
The US is the other major player in Baghdad. Here, the situation is more confusing. On Feb. 3, US President Donald Trump announced that US troops would stay on in Iraq to “watch Iran.” This united Iraq’s politicians in outrage and President Barham Salih pleaded with the US not to “overburden Iraq with your own issues.”US troops in Iraq are said to number 5,200 and, according to US sources, are primarily used for training and intelligence support. But many Iraqis are not convinced about the numbers and limited role, believing that the US is looking at a long-term military presence to confront Iran.
Iraq, after decades of conflict, is desperately seeking normalcy, in which it could consolidate its political and economic institutions and address the urgent matters of national reconciliation, reconstruction, poverty alleviation and comprehensive development. It does not wish to be caught in the vortex of regional competitions.
Hence, not surprisingly, Iraqi commentators are firmly insisting that their blood-soaked land now be given the chance for peace. Salih has said that his country should be an “arena for consensus and reconciliation among the countries of the region.” He promotes the vision of an integrated economic sphere — based on railways, pipelines and free-trade zones — which would make Iraq “the bridge between the region’s economies.”
Clearly, Iraq is seeking a chance at peace. But, given the sharp divisions in the region, there are grave doubts that it will be given this opportunity.
*Talmiz Ahmad is an author and former Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE. He holds the Ram Sathe Chair for International Studies, Symbiosis International University, Pune, India.