English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 26/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 12/26-30:”Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour. ‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say “Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.’Jesus answered, ‘This voice has come for your sake, not for mine.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 25-26/2020
Hezbollah’s bogus Liberation & Resistance Day/Elias Bejjani/May 25/2020
Letter to Mufti Qabalan/Elie Aoun: May 27/2020
Lebanon: Dozens of New Infections Raise Concerns
Lebanon Records 17 New Coronavirus Cases
Lebanon's Health Minister: One million masks will be freely distributed
Mother of stabbed British-Lebanese teenager Yousef Makki dies 'with a broken heart'
Link between Lebanon and Syria's economies spells disaster for both
Israeli Official Threatens ‘Conflict Not Over with Lebanon’
Israeli Warplanes Conduct Mock Raids over South
Report: Cabinet Debates Financial Appointments at Upcoming Meeting
Baabda Refutes Rumors about President's Health
Najjar: News of new rate for ground transportation is baseless
Berri receives congratulatory calls and cables on Eid Al-Fitr
Makhzoumi: The call to topple the Taif seems as if to signal a civil war
Moucharfieh: We will be on the lookout for anyone who endangers people's health
Mikati: Through unity and solidarity, the history of the homeland is written
Fahmy: We need the will and determination to free the state from the corrupt
Hoballah: Spare Lebanon your corruption!
Qabalan on Eid Al-Fitr: To prosecute the corrupt and draw an economic policy that supports the productive sectors, encourages projects
Suspension of court hearings extended until June 7
Saad: Decision to close the two cement companies in Chekka and El-Heri will cause a major social catastrophe

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published  on May 25-26/2020
In Post-Coronavirus World, Terrorists May Turn to Biological Attacks
Liberators of Jerusalem: Khamenei posts picture showing Nasrallah, Assad praying in Al-Aqsa 'after Israel's defeat'
Iranian fuel tanker has moored at Venezuela’s El Palito refinery -TV
Iran Reopens Key Shrines After Two-Month Virus Closure
Libya's Haftar Vows to Carry on Fight against Turkey, GNA
Aboul Gheit: Libya’s Crisis Could Only be Resolved Politically
Iran and its Iraqi Proxies Escalate Actions against Kadhimi Govt.Either option cannot be taken without first consulting with Iran, he explained.
Sudan accuses Qatar of ‘conspiracy’ against military council
AU Supports Resumption of Renaissance Dam Talks
China Warns U.S. of Countermeasures over Hong Kong Trading Threats
Japan Set to Lift Coronavirus Emergency as Cases Slow

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published  on May 25-26/2020
Turkey's President Erdoğan Underwent Surgery for Cancer, Suffers from Epilepsy/Abdullah Bozkurt/Nordic Monitor/May 26, 2020
The Palestinian Virus of Jihad/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/May 25, 2020
US, Amnesty continue to seek justice for Iranian protesters/Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/May 25/2020
How the world abandoned Syria/Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/May 25/2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published  on May 25-26/2020
Hezbollah’s bogus Liberation & Resistance Day
Elias Bejjani/May 25/2020
Believe it or not, on May 25 each year since 2000 Lebanon has been celebrating the so-called “Liberation & Resistance Day.”
Sadly, this celebration commemorates a bogus event, and a phony heroism that did not actually take place.
On May 22, 2000 the Israeli Army unilaterally and for solely Israeli domestic reasons withdrew from the security zone of South Lebanon in accordance with UN Resolution 425.
This miscalculated and hasty withdrawal was a fatal Israeli decision that has inspired the Hamas terrorism acts and the on-going havoc in the Palestinian Gaza strip.
During the last 19 years many Israeli officials and politicians from all parties openly and harshly criticized Barak’s Government (Barak was PM at that time) hasty and unwise decision through which Israel’ abandoned its ally the South Lebanon Army (SLA) and gave Hezbollah all south Lebanon and the entire Lebanon on a plate of sliver.
The unilateral Israeli withdrawal created a security vacuum in south Lebanon.
The Syrians who were occupying Lebanon at that time and fully controlling its government, did not allow the Lebanese Army to deploy in the south and fill this vacuum after the Israeli withdrawal.
Instead Syria helped the Hezbollah militia to militarily control the whole southern region, and even patrol the Israeli-Lebanese border.
It is worth mentioning that the Israeli army’s withdrawal was executed without any military battles, or even minor skirmishes with Hezbollah, or the Lebanese and Syrian armies.
The Syrian regime, in a bid to justify both its on going occupation of Lebanon and the avoidance of disarming Hezbollah, came up with the “Shabaa Farms occupation big lie” and declared Hezbollah a Liberator, alleging it had forced Israel to withdrawal from South Lebanon.
Syria, in the same camouflaging and devious context, dictated to both its puppet Lebanese parliament and government to declare May 25th a National Day under the tag of “Liberation & Resistance Day”.
In reality Hezbollah did not force the Israeli withdrawal, and did not play any role in the Liberation of the southern Lebanese region.
In fact both Hezbollah and Syria deliberately hindered and delayed the Israeli withdrawal for more than 14 years.
Every time the Israelis called on the Lebanese government to engage in a joint, serious effort under the United Nations umbrella to ensure a safe and mutually organized withdrawal of its army from South Lebanon, the Lebanese government refused to cooperate, did not agree to deploy its army in the south, and accused the Israelis of plotting to divide and split the Syrian-Lebanese joint track.
This approach to the Israeli calls was an official Syrian decision dictated to all the Lebanese puppet governments during the Syrian occupation era.
Since then, Hezbollah has been hijacking Lebanon and its people, refusing to disarm and advocating for the annihilation of Israel.
This Iranian mullahs’ terrorist army stationed in Lebanon, is viciously hiding behind labels of resistance, liberation and religion.
Hezbollah has recklessly jeopardized the Lebanese peoples’ lives, safety, security and livelihood.
It has been growing bolder and bolder in the last 19 years and mercilessly taking the Lebanese state and the Lebanese people hostage through terrorism, force and organized crime.
Sadly, Hezbollah is systematically devouring Lebanon day after day, and piece by piece, while at the same time marginalizing all its governmental institutions in a bid to topple the Lebanese state and erect in its place a Shiite Muslim regime, a replica of the Iranian Shiite mullahs’ fundamentalist republic.
Meanwhile the free world and Arabic countries are totally silent, indifferent, and idly watching from far away the horrible crime unfolding without taking any practical or tangible measures to put an end to this anti-Lebanese Syria-Iranian scheme that is executed through their spearhead, the Hezbollah armed militia.
Who is to be blamed for Hezbollah’s current odd and bizarre status?
Definitely the Syrians who have occupied Lebanon for more than 28 years (1976-2005).
During their bloody and criminal occupation, Syria helped the Iranian Hezbollah militia build a state within Lebanon and fully control the Lebanese Shiite community.
But also the majority of the Lebanese politicians, leaders, officials and clergymen share the responsibility because they were subservient and acted in a dire Dhimmitude, selfish and cowardly manner.
If these so-called Lebanese leaders had been courageous and patriotic and had not appeased Hezbollah and turned a blind eye to all its vicious and human rights atrocities, intimidation tactics, crimes and expansionism schemes, this Iranian Shiite fundamentalist militia would not have been able to erect its own mini-state in the southern suburb of Beirut, and its numerous mini-cantons in the Bekaa Valley and the South; nor would Hezbollah have been able to build its mighty military power, with 70 thousand militiamen, or stockpile more than 200 thousand missiles and force the Iranian “Wilayat Al-Faqih” religious doctrine on the Lebanese Shiite community and confiscate Lebanon’s decision making process and freedoms.
Since Hezbollah’s emergence in 1982, these politicians have been serving their own selfish interests and not the interests of the Lebanese people and the nation. They went along with Hezbollah’s schemes, deluding themselves that its militia and weaponry would remain in South Lebanon and would not turn against them. This failure to serve the people of Lebanon allowed Hezbollah to make many Lebanese and most of the Arab-Muslim countries through its terrorism propaganda to blindly swallow its big lie of theatrical, faked resistance and Liberation.
Hezbollah would not have been able to refuse to disarm in 1991, like all the other Lebanese militias in accordance to the “Taef Accord,” which called for the disarmament of all militias.
Hezbollah would not have become a state inside the Lebanese state, and a world-wide terrorism Iranian-Syrian tool which turned against them all after its war with Israel in year 2006 and after the UN troops were deployed on the Lebanese – Israeli borders in accordance with the UN Resolution 1701.
On May 7, 2008 Hezbollah invaded Sunni Western Beirut killing and injuring in cold blood hundreds of its civilian citizens, and too attempted to take over by force Mount Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s General Secretary Sheik Hassan Nasrallah called that day (May 7, 2008) a great and glorious victory for his resistance, and keeps on threatening the Lebanese that a replicate of that day will take place if they do not succumb and obey his Iranian orders.
Hezbollah is a deadly dragon that the Lebanese politicians have been allowing him to feed on sacrifices from the southern Lebanese citizens, especially on those who were living in the “Security Zone” and who fled to Israel in May 2000 after the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon.
This dragon who enjoyed devouring his southern sacrifices has now turned on all the Lebanese and if they do not stand for their rights and dignity, he will keep on devouring them all one after the other.
We call on the Lebanese government, the Lebanese Parliament and on all the free and patriotic Lebanese politicians and leaders to cancel the May 25 National Day, because it is not national at all, and also to stop calling Hezbollah a resistance, put an end for its mini-state, cantons and weaponry, and secure a dignified, honorable and safe return for all the Lebanese citizens who have been taking refuge in Israel since May 2000.
N.B: The original version of the above article was first published in 2010..It is republished with minor changes

Letter to Mufti Qabalan
Elie Aoun: May 27/2020
أيلي عون: رسالة إلى المفتي الجعفري الشيخ أحمد قبلان
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/86580/elie-aounletter-to-mufti-qabalan-%d8%a3%d9%8a%d9%84%d9%8a-%d8%b9%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%b1%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%a5%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%81%d8%aa%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ac%d8%b9%d9%81/
Mufti Al-Jaafari Sheikh Ahmed Qablan stated that “we are required to protect the country, save Lebanon, and confirm coexistence by dropping the sectarian formula in favor of a country not sectarian.”
Anyone has the right to voice an opinion, regardless of what it may be. Some people call for “dropping the sectarian formula”; some call for federalism; and others have other ideas. The main issue is not in the “formula” but in (a) the politicians and clergymen who benefit from it and (b) the laws that govern it.
We cannot say that we have a “sectarian system” when the conduct of those who pretend to represent the respective communities reflect the behavior of pagans rather than true Christians or true Muslims. We cannot say that there is an adequate legal system when certain cases remain unresolved for more than ten years.
The problem is not in sectarianism itself. Even if the country is transformed within a single day into a non-sectarian system, the same problems will remain as they are, as long as the same mentality continue to rule the nation.
If they are serious about abolishing “sectarianism”, can the Shiite political parties abolish it now in their own community and provide us with an example on how it ought to be done? Will the leaders of Hizballah and Amal place Lebanon first, and not the blind allegiance to their persona or to Iran? Will the Shiites who do not believe in the policy of these parties be allowed to run for an elected office without threats, or will they be given political positions based on merit? Will the political leaders refrain from falsifying the electoral process to benefit themselves?
Sheikh Qablan stated “we will not accept injustice and corruption.” Can you please ask the parliamentarian who stood up in parliament claiming to have evidence that would expose the corruptive practices of high-ranking officials to release that information? If he does not, can you take that information from him and expose it yourself? If you cannot do so, ask him to send us the information, and we will expose it ourselves. Otherwise, all the talk against corruption is hypocricy.
Sheikh Qablan added: "We want a rescue policy.” Sure, but the problem is that the political class is not adequate to implement any rescue policy. They do not even know how to hire the right individuals for the right job to perform the right functions. If they were fit for their positions, they would not be asking for a “rescue policy.” They would be drafting it and implementing it themselves.
What they often call a “rescue” is nothing more than a prolonged mismanagement of a crisis, rather than a viable solution.
Sheikh Qabalan, as a clergyman, it is not your responsibility to call for a non-sectarian system. Your first priority is to speak in spiritual terms. Your responsibility is to speak in favor of the truth and to educate people about the dark spirituality that rules all political parties in Lebanon – beginning with the phallic symbol on Hizballah’s flag, to the phallic symbol planned to be erected at the so-called FPM office to be built on Nahr Al-Kalb (and as shown by the diagram of the planned structure).
Your priority is to speak about ethics and to educate the public on the ethical standards that should govern the political practice.
As a clergyman, you should know that the politicians who run the country lack (1) the proper spiritual fabric, (2) the vision, and (3) the ethics to establish a viable nation. If they do not hire individuals who have these criteria, all that they do is being done in vain.
Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. (Psalm 127)
Sheikh Qabalan, the only message you or any other clergyman should preach to the politicians is this: Repent or commit suicide. At the moment, there is no other rescue plan.

Lebanon: Dozens of New Infections Raise Concerns
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 May, 2020
Lebanon completed on Sunday the third phase of repatriation of expats, with seven MEA aircrafts landing at Rafik Hariri International Airport, coming from Riyadh, Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and London. Meanwhile, 81 people of Bangladeshi nationality, who could be infected with COVID-19, were transferred by the Lebanese Red Cross from an apartment building in Beirut to two quarantine centers. The Ministry of Public Health registered 17 coronavirus cases on Sunday, raising the cumulative number to 1,114 infections. The new cases, include five among returning expatriates and 12 among the residents. So far, 688 people have fully recovered from the virus, the Ministry said. The Red Cross said that 10 of its teams had transferred and assisted 112 Bangladeshis in the Ras al-Naba area of Beirut on Saturday evening. The building in Ras al-Naba houses 173 people, the majority of whom are from Bangladesh. Several have tested positive for the virus, while others were isolated to contain the spread of the epidemic in the area.'

Lebanon Records 17 New Coronavirus Cases
Naharnet/May 25/2020
Lebanon on Sunday confirmed 17 more COVID-19 coronavirus cases, which raises the country's tally to 1,114, the Health Ministry said. It said 12 of the cases were recorded among residents and five among repatriated expats.
Nine of the local cases have been traced to known infected individuals, the Ministry added. Only 67 COVID-19 patients are receiving treatment in hospitals and three of them are in intensive care, it said. The death toll still stands at 26 and the recoveries have meanwhile reached 688. The Ministry noted that 2,410 lab tests were carried out over the past 24 hours. The country had witnessed a major spike in infections over the past days, mainly in the Bekaa town of Majdal Anjar and the Iqlim al-Kharroub town of Mazboud as well as in two buildings inhabited by Bangladeshi workers in Beirut's Ras al-Nabaa area, which have been isolated to prevent further infections.

Lebanon's Health Minister: One million masks will be freely distributed
NNA/May 25/2020
Minister of Public Health, Hamad Hassan, announced Monday via his Twitter account, that "a million masks will be distributed for free, in cooperation between the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities.”“A mask and safe distancing are the components for a conscious return journey,” Hassan corroborated.

Mother of stabbed British-Lebanese teenager Yousef Makki dies 'with a broken heart'
The New Arab/May 25/2020
Youssef Makiki was stabbed in the heart in [Facebook composite]
The mother of an British-Lebanese teenager who was fatally stabbed in the UK last year died on Sunday after her mental and physical health "deteriorated dramatically" over the loss. Debbie Makki, 55, died on Sunday in Greater Manchester "with a broken heart" and wanted justice for her late son Yousef Makki – stabbed to death at 17 – the family said in a statement. His killer, Joshua Molnar, was acquitted of murder and manslaughter on self-defence claims by a jury at Manchester Crown Court in July. "Mum died with a broken heart. We knew she wanted justice for Yousef and I promise you mum we won't give up until we get it for you," Debbie's daughter, Jade Akoum wrote on Facebook, announcing her passing. "I didn't think my heart could take any more pain and loss and grief," Akoum said. The family told the BBC that Debbie "never found peace" due to the legal battle and verdict that they describe as an "injustice".
According to the BBC, Akoum said her mother's mental and physical health had "deteriorated dramatically over the past year" before she was finally rushed to hospital in an ambulance two days ago. "There have been a lot of false promises to our family, beacons of hope from individuals that have amounted to nothing," she said. In her public statement, Akoum expressed that despite the painful loss, the family found some comfort that Debbie would no longer have to bear the pain of her loss. "God rest your soul, at least you are with Yousef now, we told him we needed you here a bit longer but you had to be together!" Akoum wrote.Yousef Makki was a straight A student on a scholarship at the Manchester Grammar School. "Our thoughts go out to Debbie's family and friends at this difficult time," the school said on its twitter account after the news broke out.

Link between Lebanon and Syria's economies spells disaster for both
Nicholas Frakes, Al Arabiya English/Monday 25 May 2020
Lebanon’s and Syria’s economies are inextricably linked, and now a deepening economic crisis in Lebanon is spurring similar consequences across the border where the value of both local currencies is falling.
Currently, both countries are seeing massive inflation and rapidly devaluating currencies along with dollar shortages and capital controls instituted by the Lebanese banks that have forced Syrian businesses to search for an alternative way to pay for their imported goods. Despite efforts being made by the Lebanese government toward solving the crisis, the economy is likely to continue to spiral downward, taking Syria along with it. With both countries facing a dollar shortage, the exchange rates for both currencies have fallen. The Lebanese lira, officially pegged at 1,507 to $1 is now trading on the parallel market for rates above 4,000. Meanwhile, the Syrian pound has fallen from the standard 435 to the dollar to 1,700-1,900 on the parallel market. This, according to Samir Ata, a Syrian economist, shows how “the dollar market in both countries are very connected.”
Subsequent price inflation has forced some Syrian businesses to stop buying certain products as they would lose money. Ata expects that “we can go to a real famine in Syria in the near future if things continue like this” especially with the situation in Lebanon. In order to create some economic relief, Lebanon began negotiations with the Intentional Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to obtain $10 billion in aid. However, these negotiations could impact Syria as well. “I think that whatever the IMF asks, there will be a US condition on closing the borders with Syria, and this will make things worse,” Ata said.
This would put the Lebanese government in a precarious position where they could receive the desperately needed aid from the IMF, but it would deliver a crippling blow to the Syrian economy.
The situation in either country is unlikely to improve soon, and after nearly a decade of conflict, Syria has become more dependent on Lebanon than ever before. As Syria’s civil war kicked off nine years ago, businesses there became increasingly dependent on Lebanon to import goods and maintain access to foreign currencies.Major production sectors were destroyed in Syria, creating the need to import goods from abroad, as they could no longer be produced locally. But sanctions meant it was nearly impossible to have goods brought directly into Syria as businesses that brought them could have sanctions slapped on them for doing so.For the companies selling the goods, it is more profitable to do business with the US rather than potentially facing economic consequences for selling directly to Syria. “You have more problems because of the sanctions,” Joseph Daher, a Swiss-Syrian academic at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, explained to Al Arabiya English, “Even the port in Tartus, a shipping company will not ship to these areas because they are afraid of the sanctions.”Daher said the lack of clarity and the nature of US sanctions means nearly anyone who sells to Syria can be hit with sanctions – even if the product isn’t on the sanctions list or if merchants have a license. Many have avoided dealing with Syria in fear of repercussions. “Obviously the US market is more important than the Syrian market,” he said.
Bypass found in Lebanon’s ports
Lebanon’s ports therefore became necessary to bypass sanctions and get products into Syria. According to Daher, Syrian businesses will import a good to Lebanon with that being listed as its final destination. However, after it arrives, it is then transported to Syria.
“They take another boat through a new contract,” Daher said. “[They] buy it [the product] in Lebanon, or another agency purchases this good, and they transfer it to Syria, also through boat, to Latakia or Tartus, [which are port cities]. This could also be through land whether through smuggling or officially.”
Lebanon has also been essential for businesses to have access to foreign currencies to pay for their imports since the civil war has caused foreign currency reserves to dwindle in Syria. Because of this, many Syrian businesses have bank accounts at Lebanese banks where they have easier access to dollars that they then use for imports.But as Lebanon’s economic crisis began, banks put in place ad hoc capital controls that now make retrieving dollars nearly impossible.
“The main issue is about getting the dollars,” Daher stated, “And because the vast majority of goods purchased is through foreign currencies, dollars mostly, and when you don’t have a lot of dollars in Syria, this is one of the main issues.”
New alternatives
Due to this lack of access to dollars in Lebanon, this has forced Syrian businesses to try to find alternative outlets to get access to foreign currencies. Often this means going through opposition or Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) controlled areas. “This Lebanese crisis impacted the Syrian economy very strongly by completely blocking the way and leaving only two exits for getting the money,” Ata said. “One is the region of Idlib and the second is through SDF areas. But these amounts that can be traded there are much less than the amounts that were traded through Lebanon.”
As more routes from Lebanon were blocked, and the economy there continued to plummet, even businesses associated with the regime, desperate to get goods into the country, worked to get products from Turkey through opposition-controlled areas, despite it being illegal.
“Turkey has a huge smuggling market,” Daher explained, “That is something that people from the [Syrian] regime also penetrated.”Despite some products being smuggled through Turkey into Syria, the amount being brought to regime-held areas is nowhere near the quantity that businesses were able to bring from Lebanon. It also poses a much greater risk given the volatility of northern Syria.And with no end in sight to the economic crises, Lebanon is working toward their own economic recovery, but this will be a long process and, as long as Lebanon’s economy struggles, so will Syria’s.

Israeli Official Threatens ‘Conflict Not Over with Lebanon’
Annahar/May 25/2020
As Lebanon marks its Resistance and Liberation Day that saw Israel’s withdrawal from its territories in 2000, an Israeli official said his country’s “confrontation with Lebanon is not over.”“I left some of my best leaders on Lebanese soil, but the confrontation is not over yet,” Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi was quoted as telling Israel's Channel 12 news. Ashkenazi was the commander of the Israeli army's northern front during Israel’s withdrawal on May 24, 2000. “We did leave Lebanon, but Lebanon is not behind us,” he said. On Sunday, Lebanon marked two decades since the Israeli withdrawal. It comes against the backdrop of ongoing tensions between Israel and Hizbullah, whom Israel accuses of planning attacks from Lebanon and war-torn Syria.

Israeli Warplanes Conduct Mock Raids over South
Annahar/May 25/2020
Israeli warplanes conducted mock raids on Monday flying at medium altitude over the southern region of Marjayoun, the National News Agency reported.
Israel has intensified its breach of Lebanon’s sovereignty recently, conducting reconnaissance flights over several regions mainly the South. Also in April, Lebanon filed a complaint with the United Nations against Israel after its warplanes used Lebanese airspace to fire missiles at targets in Syria.

Report: Cabinet Debates Financial Appointments at Upcoming Meeting
Annahar/May 25/2020
The appointments at high-ranking positions within the Central Bank of Lebanon will be discussed during the Cabinet meeting likely to be held on Friday, the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat reported on Monday. A ministerial source who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the newspaper that “the appointments will include four deputy governors to Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, the head and members of the Banking Control Committee, the government commissioner at the central bank and members of the Financial Markets Commission.”
The source said the issue of appointments was discussed on the sidelines of the meeting recently held between Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Hassan Diab, which was devoted to discuss draft laws and proposals included on the agenda of the legislative session to be held on Thursday.
Asharq al-Awsat learned from parliamentary and ministerial sources that a number of names nominated to fill these positions are currently being negotiated, so that the differences between political parties that delayed these appointments before, are not renewed. The sources noted that a delay to fill these positions hampers reconstruction of the Central Council (which sets the monetary and credit policies of the Bank) of the Central Bank, which in turn is a major priority for the International Monetary Fund to start securing the regularity of the banking and financial system in Lebanon.

Baabda Refutes Rumors about President's Health
Annahar/May 25/2020
The Presidency’s media office on Monday slammed illness “rumors” and assured that President Michel Aoun is in perfect good health. In a statement, the press office urged against “fabricating cheap rumors through social media about President Michel Aoun’s health.”It added that such “rumors only aim to trigger deliberate confusion in the country and spread anxiety in the hearts of citizens.”The statement vowed “that security and judicial measures will be taken against perpetrators.”Media reports circulated recently on social media that Aoun was seriously ill. In a bid to refute the rumors, MP Ibrahim Kanaan of Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement published a video recording of himself and Aoun taking a walk in the Presidential Palace’s garden on Monday.

Najjar: News of new rate for ground transportation is baseless
NNA/May 25/2020
Minister of Public Works and Transport, Michel Najjar, denied in an issued statement by his media office on Monday, "the recent circulated news by some social media, claiming that that a new price has been set for land transport," stressing that "there is no truth to what is rumored", and that "this news is groundless.”"The discussion and decision on this issue is up to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, its concerned bodies, and the unions and syndicates of the road transport sector in Lebanon," the statement affirmed.

Berri receives congratulatory calls and cables on Eid Al-Fitr
NNA/May 25/2020
Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri, continued Monday to receive congratulatory calls on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, most notably from President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Hassan Diab, and former President Michel Sleiman.
There were also congratulatory calls from former Prime Ministers Saad Hariri, Tammam Salam, Nagib Mikati and Fouad Siniora; Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Beshara Boutros Al-Rahi; Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and the Entire East Youhana Al-Yaziji; Royal Melkite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and the Entire East Youssef Al-Absi; Free Patriotic Movement Chief, MP Gebran Bassil; Head of the Lebanese Democratic Party, MP Talal Arslan; Head of the Tashnaq Party, MP Hagop Pakradounian; Loyalty to Resistance Parliamentary Bloc Head, MP Mohammad Raad; MP Asaad Hardan; Lebanese Army Chief, General Joseph Aoun; Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh; Marada Movement Chief, former Minister Sleiman Franjieh; Beirut Metropolitan Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elias Aoude; Representative of the Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani in Lebanon, Hamed al-Khaffaf; Army Intelligence Director, Brigadier General Tony Mansour; former Army Chief, General Jean Kahwagi, alongside numerous current and former cabinet ministers and deputies, accredited ambassadors, party, political, spiritual, judicial, expatriate and economic figures, as well as security and military leaders.
The Speaker also received congratulatory cables from the heads of parliaments in a number of Arab, Islamic and international countries.

Makhzoumi: The call to topple the Taif seems as if to signal a civil war
NNA/May 25/2020
National Dialogue Party Chief, MP Fouad Makhzoumi, considered in an issued statement on Monday, that "the need today is more urgent than ever before to adhere to the Taif Accord, especially since Lebanon needs to stick to its constitution and coexistence in light of the region's storms and turmoil,” noting that “the recent call to topple the Taif comes as if to signal a civil war,” questioning if that is the case and if so, “why now and for whom?"He added: "The call to overthrow the Taif and the constitution is the same as the call to spread chaos and destroy the entity of the homeland."
Makhzoumi expressed his surprise that these calls have not provoked a storm of rejection, especially from the authorities related to those launching them. He also questioned how such proposals can be accepted, when the least that can be said of them is that they are nihilistic, and constitute a new prelude to slaughtering the country.Regretting that the Taif was not implemented, Makhzoumi called for “its actual implementation with all its provisions, and then if necessary, work to correct the mistakes.”He considered that "the calls to bring down the Taif and the attempts to target the Prime Minister's post and weaken its powers have been continuing since 2005."Makhzoumi concluded by stating that “any amendment to the Taif Agreement must take place after its implementation, on one hand, and then said amendment can be executed under Arab-international sponsorship. Otherwise, we will be before a state of chaos, especially with the country facing its most difficult economic and financial crises."

Moucharfieh: We will be on the lookout for anyone who endangers people's health
NNA/May 25/2020
“There are those who are not concerned with the health of citizens, and do not want to abide by the general mobilization decisions, thinking they can underestimate health security and put people at risk…We are on the lookout for them. We will close with red wax every institution that violates these decisions," cautioned Tourism and Social Affairs Minister, Ramzi Moucharafieh, via his Twitter account on Monday, in wake of closing a cafe with red wax for violating the general mobilization decisions.

Mikati: Through unity and solidarity, the history of the homeland is written
NNA/May 25/2020
Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati tweeted Monday on the occasion of Liberation Day, saying: “Twenty years have passed, yet the events of that historic day are still engraved in our memory and conscience…I was Minister of Public Works back then, the first official to reach the depth of liberated Lebanese villages, set foot on the borders and witness the joy of liberation…With unity and solidarity, we write the history of the homelands and protect Lebanon…Let us learn the lesson…Resistance and Liberation Day!”

Fahmy: We need the will and determination to free the state from the corrupt
NNA/May 25/2020
Interior and Municipalities Minister, Mohamed Fahmy, tweeted Monday on the occasion of Liberation Day, saying: "It is the history written by the resistance of the people, a history written with the tears of mothers, the blood of the military forces and the struggle of the people...It culminated in an honorable liberation of the land, which would not have been achieved without the will, determination and dignity, which is what we need to liberate the state from corruption and corrupt people, so that victory would be complete with a cherished and dignified life…Resistance and Liberation Day!"

Hoballah: Spare Lebanon your corruption!
NNA/May 25/2020
“Spare Lebanon your corruption and racism. The Lebanese are fed up with your sectarian arguments and your poisons, which you pour under so many pretexts to dominate them and spread inequality. Lebanon needs the solidarity and efforts of all its daughters and sons. Lebanon is a final homeland for all of its citizens, to live in with equal pride and dignity, and without any preferences or humiliation…" tweeted Industry Minister, Imad Hoballah, on Monday.

Qabalan on Eid Al-Fitr: To prosecute the corrupt and draw an economic policy that supports the productive sectors, encourages projects
NNA/May 25/2020
Head of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan, on Monday, called on the authority to prosecute the corrupt and draw an economic policy that supports the productive sectors and encourages projects in the country."We are waiting for the government to call things by their names and reveal every corrupt and thief, in preparation for being held accountable and prosecuted, " Qabalan said in his Fitr Eid message.He advised the government to intensify its efforts to recover the stolen public funds that would prevent Lebanon from seeking assistance from the International Monetary Fund and its conditions."Lebanon is a country rich in its wealth and potential, but its looted funds, the imposed international authority, external dictates and economic pressures have contributed, along with the corruption of the corrupt, to starving its citizens. Today, the government has an opportunity to be free from these pressures and dictates, by redrawing an economic policy based on supporting productive sectors and encouraging national initiatives and projects, and it must be freed of the US sanctions that have affected the Lebanese economy and contributed to striking its relations with the allies," Qabalan noted.
He also called on the government to put the state’s regulatory and judicial bodies in a state of emergency, to reduce chaos in the stability of the exchange rate of the lira and to control the prices of agricultural commodities and products.
Finally, Sheikh Qabalan praised the efforts of the government, especially the Ministry of Health, in implementing the general mobilization plan, calling for a commitment to the government's directives and compliance with its measures to combat the Coronavirus.

Suspension of court hearings extended until June 7
NNA/May 25/2020
Justice Minister, Marie Claude Najm, and Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Suhail Abboud, issued a joint circular on Monday, extending the suspension of court hearings till June 7, 2020 in all courts and tribunals, except for sentencing sessions, due to the continuing exceptional circumstances related to the Corona virus. Meanwhile, administrative work will be kept at a minimum, through the presence of two employees, within a rotation among the employees supervised by the first chief in each governorate.

Saad: Decision to close the two cement companies in Chekka and El-Heri will cause a major social catastrophe
NNA/May 25/2020
Member of the "Strong Republic" Parliamentary Bloc, MP Fadi Saad, considered in an issued statement on Monday, that "any decision to close the al-Sabeh and Holcim cement companies in Chekka and Al-Heri regions, will render us before a major social catastrophe due to the loss of more than 1,200 employees and workers of their source of income and the livelihood of their families, in addition to the enormous harm that would befall the Lebanese industry and the cement production sector.”Saad added that this move will also have “a negative impact on the construction sector, which is already faltering, as hopes are pinned on stimulating it, not strangling it!”“As we await the plan to regulate the quarries and crushers sector, which we are desperately in need of, we call on the cabinet and relevant ministries to work immediately on giving an exceptional deadline for the quarries of al-Sabeh and Holcim companies solely, in order to protect the livelihood of every worker and employee, based on strict environmental conditions to protect the environment of our regions,” the MP underlined. “We are against any chaos in the work of quarries and crushers, and the government must pass a plan to organize and control the chaos in this sector that has decimated and destroyed our natural and environmental wealth, so that we can protect the cement sector, the livelihood of workers and employees, preserve our natural and environmental wealth, as well as the health of our people, and reduce pollution," Saad concluded.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 25-26/2020
In Post-Coronavirus World, Terrorists May Turn to Biological Attacks
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 May, 2020
Security experts from the Council of Europe on Monday warned that the global coronavirus outbreak may increase the use of biological weapons by terrorists in the future. "The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how vulnerable modern society is to viral infections and their reverberations," the council's Committee on Counter-Terrorism said in a statement, reported by the newspapers of Germany's Funke media group. There is no reason to believe that terrorist groups will forget lessons learned from this pandemic, the committee said.
"The damage would be quick and potentially global," it added. German security agencies have yet to detect any indications that such attacks are in the works, the statement said. However, the deliberate use of disease-causing agents — like viruses or bacterias — as an act of terrorism "could prove to be extremely effective." Damage to humans and economies could be "significantly higher" than that of a "traditional" terrorist attack. The council's security experts called on European states to react with a stronger, coordinated response to this threat. They specifically called for the 47 Council of Europe member states to prepare to fight a biological weapons attack by engaging in training exercises.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in April he sees a growing danger of bioterrorism attacks that aim to create a pandemic similar to that of the coronavirus. The Council of Europe is based in Strasbourg, France. Its aim is to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe.

Liberators of Jerusalem: Khamenei posts picture showing Nasrallah, Assad praying in Al-Aqsa 'after Israel's defeat'
The New Arab/May 25/2020
The painting has been interpreted as a hierarichal ordering of pro-Iran leaders
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei conjured up a storm on social media on Sunday after his press office posted a painting showing several rows of prominent Iran-linked leaders praying at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Entitled "Liberators of Jersualem", the picture shows a vast crowd of men praying together to mark Eid al-Fitr, against the iconic backdrop of the Dome of the Rock. The Iranian regime issues regular propaganda insinuating the destruction of Israel to mark related historical events or religious festivals.
The first row of the congregation includes Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, alongside the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, and Bahraini Shia cleric Isa Qassim. Gazing down on the crowd and outlined in clouds is Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran's elite foreign fighting brigade, the Quds Force, who was killed in a US strike on Baghdad in January. The second row includes Ziad al-Nakhala, the political leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, imprisoned Nigerian Shia cleric Ibraheem Zakzaky, the current leader of Iran's Quds Force Esmail Ghaani and the leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels, Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi. However the third and most distant row of faces caused the biggest stir, with the figure of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad - whose regime Iran's military has helped prop up in the years-long civil war - is barely perceptible, standing alone at the very end. Commentators were quick to see the painting as confirmation of rumours of a rift between the Syrian leadership and its military backers. "Bashar Assad is hidden away because even Khamenei's people think he's irrelevant. You can't make satire when this is reality," tweeted Lebanese writer Joey Ayoub. Many users joked about how challenging it was spot Assad in the crowd, while others remarked on how long it took to notice Soleimani's airborne figure. The picture was widely ridiculed as Iranian propaganda by many Twitter users, some joking that a partially obscured figure on the far edge of the front row was Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, another Iran ally. Iran dispatched five oil tankers to deliver much-needed fuel to Venezuela last week, in spite of US sanctions imposed on both states. Maduro thanked Iran in a televised address, describing the two nations as "two revolutionary peoples who will never kneel down before North American imperialism".

Iranian fuel tanker has moored at Venezuela’s El Palito refinery -TV
Arab News/May 25/2020
DUBAI: The first of five Iranian tankers carrying fuel to Venezuela has moored at a port serving the South American country's El Palito refinery, the nation's oil minister said Monday, and Refinitiv Eikon data showed a second vessel had entered its waters.
Iran is providing Venezuela with 1.53 million barrels of gasoline and refining components in a move criticized by US authorities as both countries are under U.S. sanctions, according to the governments, sources and calculations by TankerTrackers.com.Refinitiv Eikon data showed that the tanker Fortune docked at one of El Palito's berths around 1 a.m. local time (0500 GMT). A second vessel, the Forest, had entered Venezuelan waters and was being escorted by Venezuela's military on Monday morning, the navy posted on Twitter. A third tanker, the Petunia, was approaching the Caribbean, according to the data.
Tareck El Aissami, Venezuela's economy vice president and recently named oil minister, posted photos on Twitter of the Fortune arriving.
"We continue advancing and overcoming," El Aissami wrote. A senior Trump administration official said earlier this month that Washington was considering a response to the shipments, but a Pentagon spokesman said last week he was not aware of any military move planned against the vessels, and the first two vessels did not appear to face any interference.Venezuela is suffering severe shortages of gasoline due to the near-complete breakdown of its 1.3 million barrel-per-day refining network, as well as U.S. sanctions aimed at ousting socialist President Nicolas Maduro which have made it difficult to import fuel.
Venezuelan officials have portrayed the arrival of the gasoline as a victory over US sanctions. Washington and Venezuela's opposition, which argue that Maduro is usurping power since rigging his 2018 re-election, have said the gasoline will likely be available only to security forces and well-connected individuals.

Iran Reopens Key Shrines After Two-Month Virus Closure
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 May, 2020
Iran on Monday reopened major Shiite shrines across the country, more than two months after they were closed because of the novel coronavirus outbreak. At Tehran's Shah Abdol-Azim shrine, worshippers had to wear a mask, walk through a disinfection tunnel and have their temperature checked as they began returning from the early morning, AFP reported. The Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad in northeast Iran and the Fatima Masumeh shrine and Jamkaran mosque in the holy city of Qom also reopened while observing health protocols, state news agency IRNA reported.
They are allowed to open starting from an hour after dawn until an hour before dusk.State TV showed worshippers crying and running towards Imam Reza's shrine as they were guided by attendants. In a statement on its website, the shrine said visitors must observe health requirements such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, and bring their own prayer mats, books, and other accessories. Shrines were closed alongside schools, universities, and all non-vital businesses in March after Iran reported its first two coronavirus deaths in Qom in late February. Iran has allowed a phased reopening of its economy and gradual relaxation of restrictions since early April, with a further easing expected in the coming days despite a recent uptick in new cases.COVID-19 has so far killed more than 7,410 people and infected over 135,700 in the country, according to the health ministry.

Libya's Haftar Vows to Carry on Fight against Turkey, GNA
Cairo – Khaled Mahmoud/Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 May, 2020
Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar vowed to carry on the fight against Turkey and its ally, the Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Fayez al-Sarraj.On Sunday, he congratulated his forces on the advent of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, stressing that that the “jihad of the armed forces to restore the nation’s security and stability will continue.”In a brief address on Saturday, he called on his forces to fight Turkish “colonization” until victory is achieved. The LNA operation to capture the capital Tripoli from pro-GNA militias has come under increasing regional and international pressure.
Haftar added in his address: “You are waging an open holy war on all fronts. This is a comprehensive war that can only end in victory.” “As we have fought wars against terrorism, we will fight until the colonizer is defeated,” he vowed. Coinciding with this new pledge was the LNA’s declaration that it was reinforcing its forces in Tripoli.Its media broadcast images of the mobilization of the 128th infantry unit from the eastern city of Benghazi. The unit had arrived at the Tripoli frontlines to boost forces already deployed there. “We have walked 1,000 kilometers to achieve victory. We do not know the meaning of retreat,” said a commander in the unit. Turkey’s intervention in the Libyan conflict has swayed the fighting in favor of the GNA, which in recent days had claimed successive victories. Its greatest prize was its capture of the Watiya airbase and western coastal cities stretching from Tripoli to the Tunisian border.

Aboul Gheit: Libya’s Crisis Could Only be Resolved Politically
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 May, 2020
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has reiterated his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Libya to end the bloodshed of innocent Libyans. On the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, Aboul Gheit urged rival Libyan parties to abandon the military option and adhere to a ceasefire across Libya.
He stressed that a United Nations-sponsored political dialogue is the only solution for a comprehensive and permanent settlement to the conflict that has been tearing the country apart. In a statement on Sunday, the top Arab League official said Libyans have been suffering from the atrocities of fighting, destruction, sabotage and division. Repercussions of these hostilities have worsened over the course of 14 months since the start of the military battles in the outskirts of the capital, Tripoli, and the country’s western regions, he noted. Aboul Gheit stressed that developments on the battlefield proved that none of both rival parties is able to impose coercive or individual solutions to achieve security and stability all over Libyan territories. He renewed his appeal to the Libyan leaderships to “respond to the international appeals and efforts of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).” These efforts, he explained, are aimed at resuming the negotiation process between the Government of National Accord and the Libyan National Army, within the “5+5” Libyan Joint Military Commission Framework, to reach an official agreement on a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire. He also expressed concern over the rising foreign military interventions in Libyan affairs. “All of which, regardless of their motives, are rejected and condemned in line with various decisions previously approved by the Arab League Council.”Aboul Gheit stressed that the solution to the Libyan crisis should be internal, adding that foreign meddling only fuels the conflict and further contributes to divisions.

Iran and its Iraqi Proxies Escalate Actions against Kadhimi Govt.
Baghdad – Fadhel al-Nashmi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 May, 2020
Two weeks ago, it was rumored that the United States and Iran had struck some form of “truce” on Iraq after they had implicitly agreed to Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s nomination as prime minister. This led to the belief that the Americans and Iranians wanted to avoid placing obstacles for his government to allow it to tackle the country’s crises, such as the rampant corruption and regional and international conflicts that have been playing out on its territories for over 15 years. Some recent developments have, however, dashed such beliefs. Iran’s militia proxies in Iraq have in recent days resorted to their “old games” by challenging the government’s authority. On May 19, armed factions launched Katyusha rockets at the Baghdad’s Green Zone, which is home to several foreign missions. The rockets were launched from an area that is known as a stronghold for pro-Iran factions.
The attack was followed by the factions’ storming of the Saudi-owned MBC television headquarters in a clear move aimed at embarrassing Kadhimi’s government. Moreover, one cannot ignore the hostile campaign Iranian factions waged on social media against Saudi Arabia in wake of a visit paid by Kadhimi’s envoy, Finance Minister Ali Abdulamir Allawi to Riyadh, which was aimed at bolstering bilateral relations.
The campaign is clearly aimed at pressuring the prime minister and impeding his efforts to establish a new stage of cooperation between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the pro-Iran factions’ excessive celebrations marking Quds Day on Friday were also aimed at undermining Kadhimi. The organizers raised posters of the Iran’s Khomeini, supreme leader Ali Khamenei, and the leaders of the Houthi militias in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza – all backed by Tehran – at the event. Such actions aim to embarrass Kadhimi’s government and demonstrate that it was helpless against stopping foreign meddling in Iraqi affairs. In yet another sign of defiance of the government, the pro-Iran Thar Allah Islamic Party returned on Saturday back to its headquarters in the southern city of Basra, a week after the security forces had shut it after the group had opened fire against protesters in the vicinity.
Dr. Ihssan Shmary, head of the “Political Thinking Center”, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the factions were clearly seeking to pressure the government. “The indirect agreement between Washington and Tehran on Kadhimi’s government does not mean that Iran has abandoned its political maneuvers and pressure, especially since it has enough room to exert its pressure through its armed groups in Iraq,” he added.Iran is being clear in saying to Washington and Baghdad that the calm does not mean that Tehran will in any way set aside its aggression, he remarked.
Kadhimi, he continued, is confronted with the challenge of facing political ideologies that want to impose their vision on the state. Political science professor at University of Kufa, Dr. Eyad al-Anbar, said the PM and armed groups are trying to maintain their power in the streets.
“They are now both sending each other messages,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. He predicted that the armed factions will seek to further challenge the government, which in turn realizes that the confrontation is inevitable in order to restore the authority of the state. “I believe that Iran will try to seek calm at the moment until the results of next month’s American-Iraqi talks emerge,” he said. Tehran thinks that Kadhimi can be used to calm tensions with the US, however, he will be confronted with the choice of either confronting the factions or containing them.

Either option cannot be taken without first consulting with Iran, he explained.
Riyadh – Abdullah al-Haydhah/Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 May, 2020
The name “Hezbollah” has been associated with two groups: The yellow flags of the Lebanese party and its secretary general Hassan Nasrallah and the more ideological and dangerous militia operating in Iraq. The Kataib Hezbollah militia has been operating in Iraq for over 13 years. Just months ago, it was dealt one of the strongest strikes in wake of a rocket attack that targeted Iraq’s Taji base that claimed the lives of one British and two American soldiers. The response was swift, with American and British air raids against Kataib Hezbollah positions in Babel, Waset and an area near the Syrian border. Imad Mughnieh, the notorious Lebanese terrorist and member of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah, was among the people who founded the Kataib’s main structure. He was killed in an Israeli strike on Damascus in 2008. Prior to that, he had, at Tehran’s orders, started to set up a party in Iraq similar to the one in Lebanon. He was instructed to give it military and ideological wings. Mughieh apparently seemed to have noted many flaws in his Lebanese party and set about calmly forming the Iraqi one. He even used mosques and Shiite shrines as outlets to promote the militia.
When it first emerged, it boasted more than 4,000 members. The numbers grew even more just before the United States listed it as a terrorist organization.
The Kataib were associated with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) that are aligned with Iran, but their role extends beyond the military, being more ideologically driven. Expert on terrorist organizations Abdulkader Mahin said the Kataib do not have a secretary general like the Lebanese party, underlining the difference between the need and role of the two organizations. The Kataib are deployed in southern Iraq and are aimed at “creating holes in the border with Iran” because they are committed to its expansionist agenda in the region. The Kataib also do not have representatives in parliament or government like the Lebanese Hezbollah.What do the Kataib want?Mahin said the Kataib were originally formed with a military purpose. Things changed after 2009 and they were able to form a sort of military reserve, nothing more, that they could turn to in times of need to support Iran’s policies and agendas.
This changed after the Kataib became directly involved in the conflict in Syria, where their members backed the regime of Bashar Assad. They soon came to boast 4,000 to 5,000 recruits, who were in control of Syrian cities and taking orders from Iran.
The Kataib are not limited to a military role. They still play a part in promoting their ideology and positively portraying Iran’s involvement in Iraq. Its members are also involved in the economy, with many members meddling in important aspects of the sector, such as telecommunications and oil companies, as well as the aviation sector and border controls.Hadi Amiri, one of the group’s most notorious members, had at one point served as transport minister and had been a vocal critic of Kuwait’s construction of the Mubarak Al Kabeer Port. He had claimed that the port blocks Iraq’s access to the Gulf. In the shadows, the Kataib were among the most prominent groups threatening diplomatic missions and undermining political solutions. This did not escape the Iraqi people. When they took to the streets in massive anti-government protests last year, the Kataib were among their favorite targets for their unabashed loyalty to Iran. Another dark mark in the group’s history is their involvement in the 2015 “Qatari ransom” whereby they reaped the greatest reward, receiving more than 1 billion dollars in the exchange for releasing Qataris who had been kidnapped in southern Iraq during a hunting trip.
The victims had claimed to the ruling Qatari family that they were abducted by the ISIS group, but leaked reports in 2016 revealed that they were held by the Kataib. This in effect refutes the official Qatari story that said it had paid the ransom to the Baghdad government.The Kataib Hezbollah and their Lebanese namesake will likely continue to follow in the same footsteps in the future. They will continue to spark crises in order to maintain Iran’s religious and political influence, with the Kataib studiously and carefully pursuing Tehran’s agenda in Iraq.

Sudan accuses Qatar of ‘conspiracy’ against military council
The Arab Weekly/May 25/2020
“We made an immediate decision not to receive the Qatari foreign minister and prevented his plane from landing,” Hamidati said.
London – The deputy chairman of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (“Hamidati”), revealed new details of an alleged Qatari plot against his country that was thwarted by the military leadership.
“Qatar has led a conspiracy against the Transitional Military Council that was formed after Bashir was removed, when it sent its foreign minister to visit Sudan without notifying the leadership in Khartoum,” Hamidati said in a televised interview on a local channel in Khartoum.
Hamidati, who is also commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, revealed that the Military Council refused to meet with the Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman al-Thani because it was not notified about the visit in advance.“We were surprised in April 2019 when we were told the Qatari foreign minister was on his way to Sudan,” he said. “For a while, we wondered about Doha’s behaviour. Then, we made an immediate decision not to receive the Qatari foreign minister and prevented his plane from landing,” Hamidati said in the May 24 interview broadcast on Sudan 24 TV channel. Hamidati stressed that Sudan’s “relations with the world are based on common interests as there is no desire to ally with any regional axis.” He described Qatar’s move at the time as a “malicious conspiracy” that was intended to sow discord between leaders and members of the Transitional Military Council. He suggested that confusion was furthered by elements of the previous regime who falsely claimed the council’s president, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, had been made aware of the Qatari visit. “At that time, Burhan confirmed to me that he was not aware of the visit and we agreed not to receive the Qatari minister,” Hamidati said. Hamidati stressed that “we have no problem with Qatar. We are not supposed to ditch any countries, but rather build on common interests.” The Qatari foreign minister’s plan to visit Khartoum came a few days after the Transitional Military Council ousted former President Omar al-Bashir following mass protests against his rule that lasted nearly 30 years. Doha, which had close ties with the previous regime, has also been a major supporter of Islamist groups in Sudan. In April 2019, the Transitional Military Council denied news of the visit, but recent statements by the deputy chairman of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council confirmed that it took place. There are currently no diplomatic relations between Doha and Khartoum, with Sudan accusing Qatar of working to destabilise the country by supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamidati strongly denied Qatari media reports that Sudan had sent fighters to support the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, saying Khartoum has not sent “any mercenaries to fight in Libya.”He said the false reports were part of a media campaign against the Rapid Support Forces that worked to protect protesters from Bashir’s ousted regime.
“The allegation of the existence of fighters from the Rapid Support Forces in Libya is false and baseless,” Hamidati said, stressing that “the presence of Sudanese forces in Yemen aims at supporting the legitimacy. We are not mercenaries.”Hamidati spoke about his efforts to mediate between Libyan rivals during a visit by the GNA’s deputy prime minister to Khartoum, but added that “some Libyan parties did not accept our initiative.”

AU Supports Resumption of Renaissance Dam Talks
Cairo - Mohammed Abdo Hassanein/Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 May, 2020
The African Union (AU) has welcomed the announcement of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to resume the technical discussions on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), as part of efforts exerted by the three parties to reach an agreement on the dam’s filling and operation.
Chairperson of AU’s Commission Moussa Faki welcomed the recent developments on GERD. He commended Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan for agreeing to resume technical-level engagements through their water ministers to resolve outstanding differences and reach an amicable solution.
The Chairperson encouraged the three states to pursue their engagements in good faith, guided by principles of cooperation, common understanding and transparency, as stipulated in the 2015 Declaration of Principles on the GERD.
Faki also expressed the AU Commission’s willingness to assist all parties in finding a peaceful resolution and achieving a mutually beneficial agreement. A statement issued by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry last week said Cairo is willing to resume negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan on the rules for filling and operating the dam. However, the Ministry stressed the importance that the negotiations be serious and constructive, and contribute to reaching a fair, balanced and comprehensive agreement that preserves Egypt’s water interests while also taking into account the interests of Ethiopia and Sudan.
Negotiations between the three countries had stalled in February after Ethiopia skipped the final round of US-brokered negotiations held earlier this year and refused to sign a draft agreement prepared by Washington and the World Bank. Only Egypt initialed the resulting draft agreement. Later, Addis Ababa warned that it would begin filling the dam in July without signing an agreement. But earlier this month, Sudan rejected Ethiopia’s proposal. Last week, UN chief Antonio Guterres, the European Union and China encouraged Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to persevere with efforts to overcome their differences and reach agreement on the dam.

China Warns U.S. of Countermeasures over Hong Kong Trading Threats
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 25/2020
Beijing has warned the US that it will take "every necessary measure" to protect its interests after a top White House advisor warned that Washington might revoke Hong Kong's special trading privileges if China enacts a tough new security law. China plans to impose legislation on the semi-autonomous city that bans treason, subversion and sedition, officials said in response to months of massive, often-violent pro-democracy protests in the financial hub last year.
US national security advisor Robert O'Brien warned Sunday that the new law could cost the city the preferential trading status it enjoys with the United States, the world's largest economy.
But China's foreign ministry said Monday the US has "no right to criticise and interfere.""What laws, how, and when Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) should legislate are entirely within the scope of China's sovereignty," said foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian.
"If the US insists on hurting China's interests, China will have to take every necessary measure to counter and oppose this," he added.
He said Beijing had already made "stern representations to the US."
Hong Kong residents enjoy rights -- including freedom of speech -- unseen on the mainland, and the city has its own legal system and trade status.
Many Hong Kongers fear the proposal could spell the end of the territory's treasured freedoms, and thousands protested on Sunday against the Chinese measure despite a ban on mass gatherings introduced to combat coronavirus.
O'Brien's remarks came amid soaring tensions between Washington and Beijing -- and only a day after China's foreign minister Wang Yi warned that the two countries seemed poised "at the brink of a new Cold War."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday the proposed law, which China's rubber-stamp legislature is expected to act on quickly, would be a "death knell for the high degree of autonomy Beijing promised for Hong Kong."

Japan Set to Lift Coronavirus Emergency as Cases Slow
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 25/2020
Japan was poised to lift its nationwide state of emergency over the coronavirus on Monday, gradually reopening the world's third-biggest economy after new cases slowed to a crawl. Compared with hard-hit areas in Europe, the United States, Russia and Brazil, Japan has been spared the worst of the pandemic, with 16,581 cases in total and 830 deaths. Yet with infections threatening to run out of control, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared an initial state of emergency for Tokyo and six other regions on April 7 -- later expanding it to cover the entire country.
Businesses and schools were urged to shut and people were requested to remain home but Japan's "lockdown" was far softer than in other parts of the world and there was no punishment for anyone flouting the rules.
Citizens largely heeded the orders, with most of Tokyo's famously packed streets falling quiet, and the number of new infections has fallen from a peak of around 700 per day to just a few dozen nationally. "It was acknowledged that the state of emergency measure was not necessary for all the prefectures and the declaration for lifting (the state of emergency) was approved," said Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of the virus response.
Abe was expected to confirm the decision formally at a news conference at 6 pm (0900 GMT). There does not appear to be one single reason why the pandemic has hit Japan as hard as other comparable countries, and trying to pinpoint possible causes has become a favourite sport on social media.
High levels of hygiene and general health, removing shoes indoors, widespread masks, bowing as a greeting rather than shaking hands or kissing: all have been advanced as possible reasons but analysts agree there has been no silver bullet.
Recession and deflation
Japan has come under fire for a relatively low level of testing with around 270,000 carried out, the lowest per capita rate in the group of seven advanced economies, according to Worldometer. But Japanese authorities insist that mass testing was never their strategy, as cases remained low enough to rely on aggressive contact tracing to contain clusters. Nevertheless, testing has been ramped up in recent weeks as authorities warn of a possible next wave of the virus that could overwhelm their previous strategy.
Medical facilities are also being boosted after horror stories of coronavirus victims being unable to find a suitable hospital bed -- mainly for administrative reasons as only certain establishments are designated to deal with the virus.
Although the human toll has been less severe than in other parts of the world, the economy -- already struggling from the effects of natural disasters and a consumption tax hike -- has suffered. The world's third-largest economy has plunged into its first recession since 2015, data published last week showed, shrinking by 0.9 percent in the first quarter. With economic activity slowing to a crawl, the spectre of deflation is looming again, with consumer prices in March logging their first drop in more than three years.
In a bid to stem the damage, Abe has ordered a mass handout of 100,000 yen ($930) per person, part of a stimulus package worth around $1 trillion.
Coronavirus has also taken its toll politically, with polls showing support for Abe falling rapidly -- a recent survey for the Asahi Shimbun suggested backing had dropped to 29 percent, the lowest since he took office in 2012.
He performed a rare U-turn on the cash handouts -- initially announcing an entirely different policy -- and is seen to have bungled another signature move involving the distribution of two masks per household, which attracted widespread mockery.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 25-26/2020
Turkey's President Erdoğan Underwent Surgery for Cancer, Suffers from Epilepsy
Abdullah Bozkurt/Nordic Monitor/May 26, 2020
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (center) underwent surgery for colon cancer in 2011 and suffers from epilepsy, according to former aides and regime insiders.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor and suffers from epilepsy, among other possible health complications, which may explain his sometimes erratic behavior, angry outbursts and conflicting remarks that puzzle many outside observers, a Nordic Monitor investigation has found.
Just like the cloud obscuring how his government spends taxpayers' money and enacts laws that deal blows to transparency in governance in Turkey, President Erdoğan is also not forthcoming in revealing details about the status of his health, fueling all sorts of speculation. The president's aides often portray him as perfectly healthy and downplay any health issue that have caught public attention. Nevertheless, there is enough evidence to confirm that the Turkish president has suffered or still experiences multiple health problems.
Cancer
What is known for a fact is that he survived colon cancer and underwent surgery on November 26, 2011 in Istanbul when he was 57 years old. According to sources who have inside knowledge of Erdoğan's health, the cancer was discovered during an examination of Erdoğan, who was complaining of digestive problems and blood in his stool. The sources were interviewed on condition of anonymity for fear of threats to their lives by the Erdoğan government, which has dismissed and/or imprisoned over 20,000 health care professionals including doctors and nurses since 2016.
His doctors performed both a colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy by sampling areas of the colon suspected of possible tumor development. The microscopical examination of a tissue sample indicated that he had tumor known as a villous adenoma, which means he had an advanced form of adenoma and a precursor to cancer.
With further tests and examinations, it was later determined that Erdoğan had late stage 2 or early stage 3 cancer and that the tumor was located 10-15 centimeters from the anal verge, which may also be classified as rectal cancer because of its close proximity to the anus.
Having made a determination that surgery was required, Erdoğan's doctors started asking who the best surgeon to perform such an operation was. The name of Professor Dursun Buğra, a well-known surgeon, came up during the consultations, which were discreetly led by Dr. Fahrettin Koca, who later became the health minister in the Turkish cabinet. Koca was at the time in charge of running the Erdoğan family's secret investments in the health and medical industries including the Medipol hospital.
Secrecy was paramount as any revelation of Erdoğan's declining health could encourage his opponents, who would start raising questions as to whether he was fit to occupy the country's highest executive office. Some suggested that Buğra was known as a man who kept things to himself and would be less likely to divulge any information about the health of his patient. In the end the surgery was performed at Marmara University Hospital by a team of surgeons and specialists led by Buğra and his assistant, Dr. Emre Balık. Some 20 to 25 centimeter of Erdoğan's colon were removed during the procedure.
The only official public statement about the surgery came two days later, with the prime minister's office stating that Erdoğan underwent a successful surgery for a digestive problem and would soon resume work after a rest. It did not mention any cancer or tumor. Then-Health Minister Recep Akdağ, who is now lawmaker in Erdoğan's party, said there was nothing wrong with Erdoğan's health but that doctors had simply recommended that he rest.
The only public comment made by the medical team that performed the procedure came from Professor Mehmet Füzün, also a specialist in colorectal cancer and then president of 9 Eylül University. He was only present during the surgery as an expert and did not participate in the operation. "The intestinal polyps we removed during the 3-hour-long operation were big but not malignant," he said.
It is not clear to what extent Füzün's remarks reflect reality, given the fact that he had been tried on charges that he wrote a false health report for 81-year-old Meliha Öktem, a close relative and psychiatric patient, in order to change her will and inherit all her wealth and assets. The will emerged after Öktem's death on April 25, 2007, surprising 16 other relatives who were the legal heirs. At the end of the trial, the will was voided, and the inheritance was shared according to the ratio prescribed by law. He also faced criminal charges of document forgery and abuse of authority by the prosecutor in the town of Urla.
Füzün was appointed by the government as president of the university despite the fact that his rival, Professor Sedef Gidener, received the most votes from academic staff and that Füzün came in third. According to him, Erdoğan was "among the top three or five leaders in the world." Therefore, his remarks on Erdoğan's health should be taken with a grain of salt.
Erdoğan was discharged from the hospital on November 30. The first photographs released by Erdoğan's office after the surgery showed him smiling and meeting with Joe Biden, the then-US vice president, at his home in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul on December 3, 2011. Biden was in Turkey to attend the Entrepreneurship Summit. The second picture was with then-Qatari ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. Al-Thani and Erdoğan met at Erdoğan's home in İstanbul for one-and-a-half hours on December 7, 2011.
During the surgery, doctors also performed an ileostomy onto Erdoğan's skin to collect the stool that was diverted into a bag to keep stool away from the recently operated-on area while healing occurred. Erdoğan had to live with a temporary pouch for two-and-a-half months until he had the second operation on February 11, 2012. The reverse ileostomy took some 30 minutes and was conducted by the same surgeon, Dr. Buğra, at the Medipol hospital.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Cancer Country Profile 2020 data, Turkey had 210,537 cancer cases in 2018, the last year reported. Of this, 9.5 percent consisted of colorectal cases, with a mortality rate of 3.6 percent. The occurrence of colorectal cancer in Turkey is more than double the global average of 4.4 percent, the WHO data revealed. The most common type of cancer in Turkey is lung cancer, which accounted for 16.5 percent of cases in 2018, with a mortality rate of 28.9 percent.
A specialist and surgeon who was involved in the consultations before the surgery told Nordic Monitor that Erdoğan went through chemotherapy afterwards but not radiology treatment, which allowed the president to function as normally as possible. "The people who are operated on for this type of cancer can survive as a healthy person for up to 20 years," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to concerns for his safety.
Despite health troubles in the past, President Erdoğan appears to have been functioning well and seemed healthy enough to give several public speeches on a single day on some occasions. However, there have been several instances where he was seen dozing off during live press events with his counterparts and losing his balance while walking, to the extent that he nearly fell over. Specialists who observed Erdoğan say such events may very well have been related to the workload on the president, who was simply tired and did not get enough sleep.
Epilepsy
Erdoğan also suffers from epilepsy, a disorder of the central nervous system that specifically impacts the brain. He had shown symptoms such as seizures. On October 17, 2006 he was on his way to parliament when a seizure struck, and his bodyguards, who had accidentally locked him in the car in the panic, had to destroy the windows with a sledgehammer to get him out. He was taken to the nearby Güven Hospital for emergency treatment. His office claimed Erdoğan's blood pressure was low as he was fasting and that his health was good.
Erdoğan, suffering a seizure on October 17, 2016, was pulled out of a locked car after his bodyguards smashed the windows with a sledgehammer.
In the hospital, Erdoğan was immediately taken to the radiology department where a brain CT scan was performed to identify any issue with the brain that may have caused Erdoğan to temporarily lose consciousness. He was stabilized, and his vitals went back to normal. No confirmation of epilepsy was made by either the hospital or his office. It was claimed that neurology specialist Dr. Fethiye Sümer Güllap, the first doctor who treated Erdoğan when he was rushed to the emergency room, made a determination that Erdoğan had suffered an epilepsy attack. However, her report went missing in the hospital records, and she passed away at the young age of 42 under what some described as suspicious circumstances.
Journalist Serdar Özsoy, who took the first pictures when Erdoğan was having the seizure in the car, was detained by bodyguards at the request of Erdoğan's spokesperson, Akif Beki, who seized the journalist's camera and pictures. Erdoğan's team spared no effort in making sure he was portrayed as a man in good health and prevented the facts from coming out in media coverage. Beki made flurry of calls to media owners to kill any story or picture that would damage Erdoğan's image as a healthy man.
Erdoğan's doctors were concerned that he might experience a seizure while speaking in public.
The claims of epilepsy were also raised by government insider Fuat Avni on Twitter in May 2016. Avni, whose whistleblowing revelations proved true in many instances, said Erdoğan's seizures had increased and that his doctors were concerned that he might experience a seizure while speaking in public.
The specialists Nordic Monitor consulted said the seizure at the time was most likely caused by a medication that was not properly adjusted for Erdoğan or that he skipped taking the pills. As long as he keeps taking drugs in the proper dosage, he should be fine, they added.
President's Erdoğan's public outbursts, outrage and quick mood changes at press events when a tough question is asked might be explained by his condition. After all, the possible side effects of epilepsy drugs include mood swings, irritability, agitation or depression. Perhaps this partially explains Erdoğan's quick turnaround on his publicly recorded remarks, denying what he said earlier. Although politicians in Turkey often lie, Erdoğan breaks the record and contradicts himself within a few hours after his initial statements to the public.
When added to constant stress and the lack of sleep that comes with the job, Erdoğan's epilepsy problem may be getting worse, confirming whistleblower Avni's revelations. The president's tendency to be suspicious and have difficulty trusting the people around him may aggravate the condition as well.
It is also worth noting an interesting claim made by Turhan Çömez, a medical doctor and former ally of Erdoğan who was indicted on criminal charges in Turkey in 2008. Appearing on TV in December 2014, Çömez said he was advising Erdoğan on his health when he was working with him. "I participated in the surgeries that Erdoğan underwent. I even kept the anesthesia equipment in my home the day before the surgery in case somebody wanted to harm him [by tampering with the equipment]," he said. He also added that he once took Erdoğan abroad for treatment. He declined to provide details on why Erdoğan was treated overseas or for what. Çömez fled Turkey and remained a fugitive for years in the UK before the charges against him were dropped. He still lives in the UK.
*Abdullah Bozkurt, a Middle East Forum Writing Fellow, is a Swedish-based investigative journalist and analyst who runs the Nordic Research and Monitoring Network and is chairman of the Stockholm Center for Freedom.

The Palestinian Virus of Jihad
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/May 25, 2020
While doctors, nurses and many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are complaining about a shortage of medical supplies, the Palestinian armed groups, including PIJ and Hamas, do not appear to be facing the same problem.
The masked men [in the video] are not covering their faces or wearing gloves because they are worried about the virus. Instead, they are wearing gloves and using hand sanitizers as they prepare to descend into a tunnel built to enable Palestinians to infiltrate from the Gaza Strip into Israel [to kill or kidnap Israelis]. Once they are inside the tunnel, the militiamen are seen carrying out construction and drilling work.
Since 2014, Hamas has invested about $120 million per year in the terror tunnels. Quality concrete goes into the construction of these tunnels, instead of residential buildings. In addition, electricity is redirected to build and light up the tunnels 24 hours a day, while hospitals and the homes of civilians suffer constant power outages. According to various estimates, a terror tunnel can cost anywhere from three to 10 million dollars, depending on its length and depth.
Palestinians, particularly those living in the Gaza Strip, do not speak out against the two organizations: they are afraid for their lives.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip need jobs and proper healthcare more than rockets and tunnels. The leaders of Iran, Hamas and PIJ, nonetheless, are determined to pursue their goal of eliminating Israel. The biggest losers are the two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the Iranian people, whose money and resources are being wasted on Palestinian terror groups and Lebanon's Hezbollah militia.
Since 2014, Hamas has invested about $120 million per year in building terror tunnels. Quality concrete goes into the construction of these tunnels, instead of residential buildings. In addition, electricity is redirected to build and light up the tunnels 24 hours a day, while hospitals and the homes of civilians suffer constant power outages. Pictured: Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in a tunnel in the south of the Gaza Strip on March 3, 2015.
The Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the second largest group in the Gaza Strip after Hamas, is using latex gloves and hand sanitizers to prepare terrorist attacks against Israel, not to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The use of gloves and hand sanitizers for terrorism comes as Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are complaining about a shortage of drugs and medical equipment needed to fight the pandemic. In the past few weeks, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health has repeatedly appealed to international institutions and aid organizations to provide drugs and medical equipment to the Gaza Strip in light of the outbreak of the new virus.
China is one of a number of countries that have responded to the appeal by promising a package of medical assistance to the Gaza Strip. "An advanced Chinese medical laboratory, in line with international standards, is coming from China to the Gaza Strip," said Dr. Yousef Abu al-Rish, a senior Ministry of Health official. Abu al-Rish praised the "positive role" played by China in standing by the Palestinians at these critical times and said the medical devices provided by the Chinese would enhance the capacity of the Palestinian health sector.
What the Chinese and the rest of the world need to know is that the medical aid to the Gaza Strip is being used not only to help combat the coronavirus pandemic, but also for facilitating jihad (holy war) against Israel.
For PIJ, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip, the war against Israel seems to be more important than the battle to stem the spread of a disease.
While doctors, nurses and many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are complaining about a shortage of medical supplies, the Palestinian armed groups, including PIJ and Hamas, do not appear to be facing the same problem. These groups, in fact, have even made sure that their militiamen are equipped not only with weapons, but also with protective medical gear such as gloves, hygienic masks and sanitizer gel. Why do heavily armed Palestinian militiamen need protective medical gear? Is it because they want to distribute the gloves and sanitizer gel to medical teams or needy families in the Gaza Strip? Is it because these militiamen want to protect themselves from the coronavirus? Not exactly.
The militiamen want the medical protective gear in order to facilitate their mission of building new tunnels along the Gaza-Israel border for the purpose of infiltrating into Israel and kidnapping and killing as many Israelis as possible. They also want the protective gear in order to install more rockets in underground launch sites in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas, PIJ and their friends in the Gaza Strip are now trying to assure Palestinians that the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic does not mean that these groups have abandoned the jihad against Israel.
A video clip recently published by the "Military Media" of PIJ's armed wing, Al-Quds Brigades, states that "our jihad is continuing and our determination is stronger."At the beginning of the video clip, masked militiamen belonging to PIJ are seen rubbing their hands with alcohol gel before donning blue latex gloves. At first glance, it appears as if the militiamen are engaged in some kind of an activity to help combat the spread of the coronavirus among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. It quickly turns out, however, that the PIJ militiamen are on a different mission that is completely unrelated to the health and safety of their people.
The masked men are not covering their faces or wearing gloves because they are worried about the virus.
Instead, they are wearing gloves and using hand sanitizers as they prepare to descend into a tunnel built to enable Palestinians to infiltrate from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Once they are inside the tunnel, the militiamen are seen carrying out construction and drilling work.
Since 2014, Hamas has invested about $120 million per year in the terror tunnels. Quality concrete goes into the construction of these tunnels, instead of residential buildings. In addition, electricity is redirected to build and light up the tunnels 24 hours a day, while hospitals and the homes of civilians suffer constant power outages. According to various estimates, a terror tunnel can cost anywhere from three to 10 million dollars, depending on its length and depth.
Later on, the video clip features PIJ militiamen hiding rockets in underground launch sites in the Gaza Strip. The rockets will be used for one purpose: to attack Israel.
Last year Israeli Air Force jets struck various weapon trucks headed to the Gaza Strip from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. The shipments included Iranian missiles meant for Hamas and PIJ.
Mohammed Sadeq Al-Hosseini, a former advisor to Iran's president, said in a February 6, 2019 interview on Russia Today TV that Iran's military capabilities are "directed towards Palestine" and that Iran is sending weapons to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Al-Hosseini explained that Iran supports Palestinians from every faction -- not just the Islamists -- and that the [Palestinian] factions must be united within a "framework of guns, popular uprising, and armed factions that would uproot Zionism. This Zionist entity [Israel] must be dismantled either peacefully or by war."
According to an Israeli intelligence report, Hamas and PIJ enjoy extensive material backing from Iran in their arming efforts, in light of Tehran's determination to amplify its influence in the Palestinian arena and among Palestinian terror groups:
"Iran substantiates its support of the [Palestinian] resistance camp by providing high-quality weapons to both groups. As of 2010 hundreds of standard rockets had been smuggled into the Gaza Strip as well as about 1,000 mortar shells, several dozen anti-tank items, tons of standard explosives and raw materials for explosive production."
Gabi Siboni, an Israeli military analyst, said Hamas and its allies in the Gaza Strip have a "variety of advanced, precise, and effective weaponry, including anti-tank missiles and shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles, both produced by Russia, as well as dome drones."
Earlier this year the Israeli army revealed that it had thwarted an attempt to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip by sea from the Sinai Peninsula. The vessel used in the smuggling attempt was intercepted by naval commandos. The Israeli army did not share details about the seized weapons.
The botched attempt to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip is yet another sign of how Hamas and PIJ are continuing to invest millions of dollars in building a vast arsenal of weapons while their people are complaining about economic hardship and a shortage of medical supplies.
These Palestinians groups have never attempted to smuggle medicine or medical equipment into the Gaza Strip; perhaps they do not care particularly about their people's health and safety. The leaders of Hamas and PIJ want Israel and other countries and aid organizations to dispatch medical supplies to the Gaza Strip: they do not have the time, it seems, to attend to their people's needs. They are too busy preparing their jihad against Israel.
Palestinians, particularly those living in the Gaza Strip, do not speak out against the two organizations: they are afraid for their lives. Palestinians are also afraid that if they dare to criticize Hamas or PIJ, they will be accused of "collaboration" with Israel.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip need jobs and proper healthcare more than rockets and tunnels. The leaders of Iran, Hamas and PIJ, nonetheless, are determined to pursue their goal of eliminating Israel. The biggest losers are the two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the Iranian people, whose money and resources are being wasted on Palestinian terror groups and Lebanon's Hezbollah militia.
Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East.
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US, Amnesty continue to seek justice for Iranian protesters
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/May 25/2020
Hundreds of protesters were killed or wounded by Iranian regime forces in demonstrations that took place in cities across the country in November 2019. The Iranian people were protesting in response to the government raising the price of gasoline. These protests were much bloodier and more serious than the ones that erupted in 2009 in the aftermath of the rigged elections in favor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the scattered anti-regime protests of 2017.
According to Amnesty International, the number of protesters killed by regime forces in the November 2019 protests surpassed 300. Reuters, meanwhile, quoted three officials in the Iranian Ministry of Interior as saying that the death toll had reached 1,500.
Although six months have passed since the protests, the Iranian government has still not issued the real death toll. It has only acknowledged that a small number of people died. Iran’s leadership has consistently described the figures issued by Amnesty and other well-respected international human rights organizations as “lies” fabricated by the regime’s enemies and groups hostile to it.
The large number of protesters killed indicates that the highest levels within the Iranian leadership had given the green light to the security forces to crack down hard. The comments made amid the protests by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in which he lambasted the protesters as “evildoers” creating a security crisis for Iran, were a thinly veiled message to the Ministry of Interior to crush the protests by any means.
The regime’s silence in the six months since the protests and its insistence that only a few people died — despite significant evidence to the contrary — suggests that the leadership in Tehran is desperate to hide the real figures.
The regime’s efforts to deny and cover up its crimes and continuously impede any investigation have reached ludicrous levels. For example, regime officials have insisted there are problems in investigating the killings of protesters since, they claim, it is difficult to identify whether those who died were innocent bystanders or active participants in the protests. According to regime officials, such identification is essential since it will help to identify whether those killed were innocent martyrs or anti-regime conspirators, with the families of martyrs eligible for compensation and other bonuses.
It seems that the Iranian regime hoped that the consecutive events Iran has witnessed since the protests, such as the assassination of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, the downing of the Ukrainian jetliner and the coronavirus outbreak, would help it to deflect attention or hide the reality of its brutal crackdown.
Meanwhile, the US, which is monitoring the situation in Iran closely, has continued to highlight the regime’s crackdown on the protesters. In connection with this, Washington last week imposed new sanctions targeting the Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, eight other officials and three regime security institutions. According to the sanctions, the US-based assets and properties of Fazli and the other officials have now been frozen and US financial institutions have been banned from conducting dealings with them. These sanctions come amid predictions of fresh protests over Iran’s deepening economic crises, which are the direct result of the regime’s failed policies.
Political disputes within the Iranian regime reveal that the US sanctioning of Fazli was correct. Only two days before the sanctions were announced, former Member of Parliament Ali Motahari accused Fazli of being the main culprit in the ruthless crackdown. He subsequently also accused Khamenei. Several other lawmakers also called for Fazli to face questioning in parliament, but Speaker Ali Larijani dismissed these calls.
The brutal crackdown on the protesters and the Iranian regime’s insistence on denying any responsibility have provided the US administration with another pretext to continue with its maximum pressure policy against Iran. This policy has included the imposition of harsh economic sanctions on Tehran. The White House accuses Iran of being the primary sponsor of terrorism in the region.
The crackdown also provided the US with an unmissable opportunity to pit the street against the regime and position itself as the defender of the Iranian people.
Meanwhile, Amnesty last week reiterated its call for UN Human Rights Council member states to immediately address the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown on protesters. It wants an inquiry to investigate the protests and determine the truth, seek justice, compensate the families of victims, and ensure that no such killings happen in the future.
The regime’s silence suggests that the leadership in Tehran is desperate to hide the real figures.
Rejecting the Iranian regime’s claims that only a few protesters were killed in the crackdown, Amnesty reiterated that it possesses conclusive evidence of the deaths of at least 304 people, including women and children, during the crackdown. It has stated that most of the victims were killed illegally by security forces and has strongly denied there is any evidence to suggest that the protesters carried firearms or posed any imminent threat.
The Iranian regime’s ruthless repression, deceitfulness and well-known skills in the devious falsification of information make it imperative that the international community strongly opposes the vicious brutality inflicted on the Iranian people in response to every protest demanding their legitimate rights.
We can only hope that Washington’s decision to blacklist the interior minister and the other Iranian officials for their role in killing innocent protesters — along with Amnesty’s demand for an investigation into the killings — provide an opportunity for bereaved Iranian families still mourning their loved ones to get justice. Their only “crime” was to protest the government’s unjust decision to raise the price of gasoline.
*Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is Head of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah). Twitter: @mohalsulami

How the world abandoned Syria
Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/May 25/2020
In Syria today, a cease-fire in Idlib province continues to hold, but it offers no long-term solution for the many Syrians trapped between the border with Turkey and the hostile Assad regime. As events of the last few months have clearly indicated, much of the world has abandoned the people of Syria.
Many global leaders just want the Syrian civil war to end and appear to have accepted that Bashar Assad will rule most or all of the country. In January 2019, US President Donald Trump said: “Syria was lost long ago… We’re talking about sand and death.” While Trump faced criticism for these comments, the reality is that he accurately summed up how much of the world feels about Syria.
At the start of the war, many global and regional powers were appalled by the Assad regime’s brutal response to protests — brutality that only escalated with time, leading to the deaths of many thousands of Syrians, stunning human rights abuses, and the use of chemical weapons against civilians. Over time, however, global and regional actors developed a sense of fatigue and helplessness regarding Syria.
With the exception of Russia, outcomes in the Syrian war reflect global inaction more than action. However, the world was not helpless, and key turning points led to the situation in Syria today.
In 2012, US President Barack Obama warned Assad not to use chemical weapons, calling it a “red line.” A year later, Assad’s forces used sarin gas in a horrific attack. It was the moment for Washington to reinforce the global norm against chemical weapons, as well as US credibility, but Obama postponed military action. The decision by the UK parliament not to participate in any military response apparently played a role in Obama’s delay. A month later, Washington agreed a deal with Moscow to remove and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons. However, this did not stop the Syrian regime from using chemical weapons against civilians many more times. Under Trump, the US has twice conducted strikes on Syria in response to the regime’s use of chemical weapons; however, these moves exist within an environment in which Trump has taken other steps to reduce America’s involvement in Syria.
Many Syrians expected more support from the US and Europe, which claim to support democracy and human rights. However, the Western response was heavily influenced by the experience of the Iraq War, which made their leaders and publics question the efficacy and cost of such interventions. The US briefly ran a program designed to vet and train Syrian rebels, but it was more focused on fighting Daesh and did not last long.
The rise of Daesh in Syria in 2014 led many Western and Gulf countries to militarily intervene, specifically focused on combating the terror group. Working closely with Kurdish forces, which were essential on the ground, the coalition conducted extensive air strikes. While the campaign against Daesh was largely successful, it sent the clear message that the US and Europe were willing to intervene to defeat such groups, but not to support movements for democracy.
In 2015, Russia significantly increased its support for the Assad regime, primarily by providing airstrikes to back its forces. This Russian assistance, combined with significant Iranian and Hezbollah forces on the ground, turned the tide of the war in Assad’s favor. It became clear that Russia was more willing to invest in extending its influence in the region and undercut the US than Washington was willing to invest to maintain its influence and defend democracy and human rights.
The refugee crisis of 2014 to 2016 demonstrated that the effects of the Syrian war would not be contained and could have major consequences for Europe and elsewhere. However, it led European leaders to look for a quick end to the war, increasing their willingness to accept Assad rule. Refugee flows and Syrian Kurds’ growing autonomy also led to a change in Turkish policy, which shifted to focus on solutions that might allow Syrian refugees in Turkey to return home and on crushing Kurdish forces and independence.
Trump came into office in 2017 with an “America First” foreign policy and a desire to avoid US involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts. The Trump administration was willing to fight Daesh; however, once that threat receded, Trump was keen to pull out, including talking about withdrawing US forces that were critical to supporting the Kurds. In October last year, he did so, pulling out US troops that had effectively stood between the Kurds and Turkish forces. The few US forces remaining in Syria are focused on counterterrorism and containing Iranian influence.
With the exception of Russia, outcomes in the Syrian war reflect global inaction more than action.
Throughout the war, there have been multiple peace efforts. Multiple UN officials have worked hard but without success. Efforts by countries involved in the war have produced cease-fires but no lasting solution.
While much of the world wants the war to end, whatever the cost, the problem is that an Assad-led Syria is likely to present long-term risks of radicalization, terrorism and instability. It also would make it difficult for refugees to return. The regime is not trying to unite and heal the country but rather to engineer post-Syrian society to its advantage. This will leave many Syrians excluded from basic economic and political opportunities, unsure of their safety, and without the type of reconciliation that might lay the foundation for long-term recovery.
*Kerry Boyd Anderson is a writer and political risk consultant with more than 16 years’ experience as a professional analyst of international security issues and Middle East political and business risk. Her previous positions include deputy director for advisory with Oxford Analytica and managing editor of Arms Control Today. Twitter: @KBAresearch