LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 23/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.september23.19.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky,
but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12/54-59/:”Jesus also said
to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say,
“It is going to rain”; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind
blowing, you say, “There will be scorching heat”; and it happens. You
hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why
do you not know how to interpret the present time? ‘And why do you not judge for
yourselves what is right? Thus, when you go with your accuser before a
magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged
before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer
throw you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the
very last penny.’””
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese
Related News published on September 22-23/2019
All Historic FactsThat Every Lebanese MUST Know About The South Lebanese Army
From A To Z
The War Against South Lebanon- South Lebanese Army/The document was prepared and
published by The Committee of Support for the Lebanese in Enforced Exile in
Israel/Coordinator: Claude Hajjar/January 2007
Lebanon: Beqaa Witnesses Wave of Kidnappings Amid Failure to Control Security
Lebanon: Dissociation Policy Reinforces International Support for Economy
Suspected Lebanese Hijacker Arrested in Greece
Bassil windsup Diaspora Energy Conference: Our success in electricity,
environment, economy and foreign affairs belongs to all, and our failure affects
us all
MP Sami Gemayel from Biaqout: For rallying around principles and convictions
instead of quotas
German delegation visits West Bekaa and Rashaya to build partnership in
electricity, environment and alternative energy
Abou Faour in a tour along the Litani: Slaughterhouses to close if they fail to
comply
Chinese delegation visits Zahle Chamber of Industry and Commerce
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports
And News published on September 22-23/2019
High-Level Meetings at UN in Anticipation of Trump's speech on Aramco Attacks
Iran Escalates Rhetoric, Vows to Make Aggressor’s Land the Battlefield
Iran Accuses Foreign Forces of Raising Gulf 'Insecurity'
Damascus, Tehran Send Reinforcements to Deir Ezzor
Israel's Lieberman Says Not Backing Netanyahu or Gantz for PM
Greenblatt Discusses in Israel ‘Best Timing’ to Launch ‘Deal of Century’
Israeli Prosecutors Press Towards Deal Ensuring Netanyahu’s Imprisonmen
Israel's President Starts Talks to Form New Government
Iraqi PM Issues New Order on PMF Restructuring
Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandes Marginalized at Iraqi 'Hashd' Leadership
Tunisia: Karoui Says Optimistic About Winning Elections
LNA Announces Major Advances in Tripoli Battles
Sudan: Hamdok to Launch Investigation over Protesters' Deaths in June
Damascus, Tehran Send Reinforcements to Deir Ezzor
Seven Killed in Baghdad Suburb despite Anti-IS Sweep
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published on September 22-23/2019
All Historic FactsThat Every Lebanese MUST Know About The South Lebanese Army
From A To Z/Claude Hajjar/January 2007
High-Level Meetings at UN in Anticipation of Trump's speech on Aramco AttacksNew
York- Ali Barda/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September, 2019
Pro-Iran PMU forces take over Iraq’s Saudi, Jordanian borders, threaten Israel
from the east/DEBKAfile/September 22/2019
"Convert, Marry Me, or Die": Persecution of Christians, July 2019/Raymond
Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/September 22/2019
Immunity is off the table for Netanyahu/Tova Tzimuki and Moran Azoulay/Ynetnews/September
22/2019
Why Iran’s ‘Awakening’ created a nightmare for the Gulf/Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab
News/September 23/2019
Iran’s acts of war should not go unanswered/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/September
23/2019
Reconnecting with the past, reimagining the future/Faisal J. Abbas/Arab
News/September 23/2019
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News
published
on September 22-23/2019
حقائق
تاريخية موثقة تحكي كل قصة وملف جيش لبنان الجنوبي/All
Historic FactsThat Every Lebanese MUST Know About The South Lebanese Army From A
To Z
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/78740/all-historic-factsthat-every-lebanese-must-know-about-the-south-lebanese-army-from-a-to-z-%d8%ad%d9%82%d8%a7%d8%a6%d9%82-%d8%aa%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%ae%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%85%d9%88%d8%ab%d9%82%d8%a9/
The War Against South Lebanon- South Lebanese Army/The document
was prepared and published by The Committee of Support for the Lebanese in
Enforced Exile in Israel/Coordinator: Claude Hajjar/January 2007
Lebanon: Beqaa Witnesses Wave of Kidnappings Amid Failure
to Control Security
Beqaa - Hussein Darwish/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September,
2019
Recent security developments in Lebanon's Beqaa have highlighted the failure of
a security plan in the area after around six months of relative calm. The
province of Baalbek-Hermel has seen over the past three weeks looting and murder
operations and three kidnappings for ransom. This has led political movements to
call on the state to re-impose its control over the area and to put an end to
the spread of illegal weapons. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Strong Republic
parliamentary bloc MP Antoine Habshi said that the recent security events
“showed that the State was outside this region and that security plans are not
useful.”“The State is required to stop the spread of illegal weapons,” he noted.
On August 24, unidentified gunmen kidnapped Lebanese Joseph Hannoush, while he
was in western Baalbek, and transferred him through illegal crossings to the
Syrian interior. His fate is still unknown.
Last week, Hannoush’s family received a call from one of the kidnappers, who
went to the area of Tal al-Abyad, one of the districts of Baalbek, to call them
and demand a $500,000 ransom for their son’s release. The family and friends of
Hannoush held several sit-ins calling for the State’s help, but the case has
seen no progress so far. According to exclusive information available to Asharq
Al-Awsat, Syrian security services raided on Friday Syrian villages on the
border with Lebanon in search of Hannoush and failed to liberate the man
following clashes with the kidnappers who managed to escape. Last week, Murhaf
al-Akhras, the son of Syrian businessman Tarif al-Akhras, was kidnapped between
Aley and Chtaura in Mount Lebanon. His family received a call from the
kidnappers demanding a $2 million ransom before he was released last Thursday,
without confirming whether the ransom was paid or not. Operations of theft,
looting and smuggling of cars through illegal crossings and selling them inside
Syria have been active recently. A Lebanese army intelligence patrol last month
captured, on one of the illegal crossings, a professional gang led by a Syrian
woman, who rented cars with fake IDs and transported them to Syria to sell them
there. Commenting on the situation, a member of the Baalbek-Hermel parliamentary
bloc, MP Ibrahim al-Moussawi, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the security situation
was a priority for the Baalbek-Hermel MPs and the Hezbollah leadership. “There
is no security without development and no development without security,” he
said, noting that the lack of resources, livelihoods, and services would drive
some people towards certain directions” outside the law.
Lebanon: Dissociation Policy Reinforces International Support for Economy
Beirut- Mohammed Shokair/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September, 2019
The CEDRE Conference follow-up committee will convene in Paris in November to
launch the implementation of development projects worth $1.4 billion to help
Lebanon overcome its economic and financial crisis.
Ministerial sources told Asharq al-Awsat that the meeting of the strategic body
would be held in the presence of Prime Minister Saad Hariri and French ministers
and representatives of the countries and financial institutions participating in
the CEDRE Conference. Hariri has recently met with French President Emmanuel
Macron and senior French officials in Paris to discuss the implementation of
reforms by the Lebanese government. The sources noted that the government would
accelerate the completion of financial and administrative reforms and would seek
to adopt the State Budget within the constitutional deadlines, within an attempt
reduce the budget deficit and the public debt service. The ministerial sources
stressed, however, that the international support to Lebanon mainly depended on
the country’s commitment to its dissociation policy, which meant staying away
from regional conflicts and wars.
They emphasized that abandoning the policy of dissociation would drag the
country into chaos, not only at the security level, but also with regards to the
political and economic situation. The sources also noted that maintaining the
dissociation policy required all parties to adopt moderate political rhetoric.
The ministerial sources also talked about optimism over a recent statement by
Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan about an imminent dialogue with the
Lebanese government to provide financial support to the country. They added that
Hariri was personally conducting talks with the Saudi side to coordinate the
holding of a meeting of the joint Saudi-Lebanese Economic Committee in Riyadh
next month. According to the sources, the meeting will witness the signing of
bilateral agreements and the announcement of important economic steps to support
monetary stability in Lebanon.
Suspected Lebanese Hijacker Arrested in Greece
Naharnet/September 22/2019
A Lebanese man, accused of involvement in the hijacking of a TWA plane and the
murder of a US navy diver, has been arrested in Greece, police said on Saturday.
The 65-year-old was spotted by policemen in the island of Mykonos and detained
on Thursday, a statement said. Greek authorities said there was a European
arrest warrant issued by Germany for the hijacking as well as a kidnapping
committed in 1987. Greek media said he was involved in June 14, 1985 hijacking
of TWA Flight 847 and the murder of an American passenger. The plane was
travelling from Cairo to San Diego with stops in Athens, Rome, Boston, and Los
Angeles. It was hijacked after it took off from Athens. Over a horrific 17 days,
TWA pilot John Testrake was forced to crisscross the Mediterranean with his 153
passengers and crew members, from Beirut to Algiers and back again, landing in
Beirut three times before he was finally allowed to stop. On June 15, 1985
during the first stop in Beirut, 23-year-old US navy diver Robert Stethem was
severely beaten, shot point blank in the head and thrown onto the tarmac of
Beirut airport.
Bassil windsup Diaspora Energy Conference: Our success in electricity,
environment, economy and foreign affairs belongs to all, and our failure affects
us all
NNA - Sun 22 Sep 2019
Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Minister Gebran Bassil stressed Sunday that the
state's success in the electricity, environment, economy and foreign affairs'
dossiers is a success that belongs to all the Lebanese, while its failure in any
of these fields would impact all Lebanese as well.
"Our success is a success for all in electricity, environment, economy and
foreign affairs, and our failure is a failure for all of us," he asserted.
Bassil's words came at the closing of the works of the 4th Diaspora Energy
Conference held for two days in North America, with around 800 Lebanese
expatriates residing in the United States and Canada attending. "The biggest
challenge lies not in the oil extraction, economy, waste and electricity issues,
but rather in maintaining Lebanon's grandiosity because there are those who want
it small and accustomed to their size," Bassil underscored.
He went on to indicate that "there are two teams competing in Lebanon, the first
continuously nagging, complaining and cursing over the electricity, waste and
economy dossiers, whilst the second sows hope and brainstorms for solutions to
the waste and electricity issues."
"You decide which image you want for Lebanon," he told the attending audience.
"Whenever I meet you, my heart grows with joy through you, and then I feel sad
when we part. You are the true image of Lebanon...Your belonging to Lebanon
brings you together, and your Lebanese identity is one of diversity and
openness," Bassil corroborated. "You preserve your belonging to Lebanon by
registering your birth records at embassies, regaining your nationality,
participating in parliamentary elections, consuming Lebanese products and making
investments in your motherland, Lebanon," he urged the Lebanese emigrants.
"Carry Lebanon's cause in your daily life and defend it in your countries of
residence...Visit your land of roots and get acquainted with its environment,
and touristic and religious landmarks, taste its rich cuisine...Participate as
you did today in proposing solutions to its environmental problems, treating its
waste issue, enhancing its exports and transferring expertise to it and boosting
its work opportunities," Bassil maintained.
"Lebanon is majestic through its Lebanese residing citizen and emigrant," he
underlined. Bassil concluded his word by setting a date for the upcoming
Diaspora Conference in July 2020, and invited Lebanese emigrants to come to
Beirut to participate especially that the Conference coincides with the
celebration of the centenary of the foundation of the "State of Greater
Lebanon". At the end of the work session, Minister Bassil and Environment
Minister Fadi Jreissati, alongside a large number of participants, planted
Lebanon's cedar in the garden of the hotel which hosted the Conference in
Washington.
In its recommendations, the Conference called for boosting the strong relations
between the Lebanese and American peoples, and the contribution of Lebanese
emigrants in building the Lebanese economy and investing it its available
opportunities. It is to note that Minister Bassil will be visiting Virginia on
his way to New York, where he will join the Lebanese delegation headed by
President Michel Aoun to partake in the UN General Assembly.
MP Sami Gemayel from Biaqout: For rallying around principles and convictions
instead of quotas
NNA - Sun 22 Sep 2019
Lebanese Kataeb Party Chief, MP Sami Gemayel, called Sunday for uniting around
principles and convictions instead of quota sharing, and to return to the
unified cause and to the teachings of the late leaders Pierre Gemayel and
Camille Chamoun. He stressed that "reaching the Lebanon we aspire for lies in
adhering to the project of building the state."Gemayel's words came during his
visit to Biaqout earlier today, where he met with its citizens in the town hall
following Sunday Mass held in the town's church, and listened to their demands
and daily sufferings. Gemayel said that "the Kataeb Party is committed to
telling the truth, and adheres to the teachings of the Phalangist School in
testifying to the right and refusing to surrender or to bargain."He added that
his Party was among those who sacrificed a lot for the country's survival;
hence, it will not agree to anything that does not serve the interest of
Lebanon. The MP also called on citizens to hold accountable those to whom they
gave their confidence votes in the elections, so as to adopt other options in
case they fail to honor their promises.
German delegation visits West Bekaa and Rashaya to build
partnership in electricity, environment and alternative energy
NNA - Sun 22 Sep 2019
A German delegation of experts in electricity, sewage and solar energy, headed
by Trojahn Steine Province Governor Siegfried Falsh, visited Sunday the Union of
Bekaa Municipalities in West Bekaa and the Union of Municipalities of Jabal
Al-Sheikh in the district of Rachaya, where they held talks with the heads and
members of both Municipality Unions on the nature of their work, especially at
the level of energy saving and reducing pollution rates. The German delegation
began its tour with a meeting at the headquarters of the Buheira Municipalities
Union in the town of Jeb Jenin, during which discussions touched on ways of
facilitating alternative energy projects, and mechanisms for the development of
sanitation projects to reduce their pollution rates and to alleviate their
damage to the Litani River in all the Bekaa. The delegation then inspected the
solid waste sorting center in the town, which opened two days ago under the
auspices of State Minister for Administrative Development May Chidiac, where
they discussed the possibility of its running on solar energy. Union Head Yehia
Daher stressed that "the delegation's tour is the result of communication and
partnership with the German side, especially with the Governor of Trojahn Steine,
to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of electricity and benefit from
their expertise and experience in this domain."He added that they reviewed the
future studies and plans to save energy and mitigate its damage, and were
promised support to implement environmentally-friendly projects in this area.
Daher also indicated that the delegation will visit Monday the sewage treatment
plant in Aitanit for the same purpose. The delegation then moved to Rachaya,
where they were received by Jabal Al-Sheikh Municipalities Union Head Saleh Abu
Mansour and municipal council members. Abou Mansour briefed the delegation on
the work plan for the operation of the five private generators in the city of
Rachaya, and its future work mechanism with engineering visions that will save
energy and reduce pollution and burdens on citizens. For his part, Falsh said:
"Almost a year ago, we came to Rachaya to build a partnership with the Union of
Municipalities of Jabal al-Sheikh, with the aim of carrying out a joint project
which the Union considers a priority in this region."He expressed his joy for
this visit today and "the readiness for constructive dialogue that would make
this project a success, especially in the fields of electricity, environment and
alternative energy."
Abou Faour in a tour along the Litani: Slaughterhouses to
close if they fail to comply
NNA -Sun 22 Sep 2019
Industry Minister Wael Abou Faour inspected Sunday a number of slaughterhouses
on the Litani River Basin, in the context of his commitment to reaching "zero
industrial pollution" along the Litani. Abu Faour said in his tour that
"slaughterhouses are among the prerogatives of the Ministry of Industry," noting
that "there are slaughterhouses that meet the required conditions, but there are
significant damages caused by a number of slaughterhouses that do not meet the
necessary specifications and contribute to polluting the Litani River with their
wastes." "We have issued warnings to these slaughterhouses, and very soon we
will start taking action against the violators and closing them down, if they do
not comply with the required specifications and conditions," the Minister
asserted.
Chinese delegation visits Zahle Chamber of Industry and Commerce
NNA - Sun 22 Sep 2019
A delegation from the Chinese Commercial Attaché in Lebanon and the Chinese
Academy of Sciences visited on Sunday the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in
Zahle and the Bekaa, where they held a work meeting with the Chamber's Vice Head
Mounir al-Teeneh, Agriculture Ministry Director General Louis Lahoud, and
several other prominent dignitaries and officials in the agriculture domain.
Talks mainly focused on ways of promoting agricultural and scientific relations
between Lebanon and China.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on September 22-23/2019
High-Level Meetings at UN in Anticipation of Trump's speech on Aramco Attacks
New York- Ali Barda/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September, 2019
The 74th annual session of the UN General Assembly kicks off next week in New
York, with the participation of 152 presidents, kings, princes, three vice
presidents and 36 heads of government, as well as hundreds of senior officials
and diplomats from the 193 member states to discuss the most pressing issues and
challenges. Observers noted that this year's top-notch international forum will
be launched with speeches from a group of “strong men” referring to Presidents
of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro and US Donald Trump, and UK Prime Minister Boris
Johnson. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will address the global climate
change crisis, which will draw more attention to other leaders' plans such as
Presidents of France Emmanuel Macron and Mexico Andres Manuel Obrador, as well
as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and NGO’s pushing for practical steps to save
the planet from the devastating effects of global warming. The UN
Secretary-General says that he is counting on public pressure to compel
governments to take much stronger action against what he calls the climate
change “emergency”.
“What I want is to have the whole society putting pressure on governments to
understand they need to run faster. Because we are losing the race,” he warned.
Observers know that these two milestones in this year's UN General Assembly do
not overshadow other global concerns, notably the international emergency crisis
with Iran and its destabilizing role in the Middle East. Tehran’s involvement in
the attack on Aramco’s oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais marked a serious
turning point in the Iranian threats to the global oil supply. Speculation about
a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and Iranian Hassan Rouhani
quickly dissipated. Guterres cautioned that tensions are boiling over and
everyday people always pay the highest price, calling for cooling tensions, “and
nowhere is that more important than in the Gulf.”He also called for promoting
dialogue “and pave the way to political solutions from Libya to Yemen, from
Syria to Israel-Palestine, from Afghanistan to South Sudan.”
The Sec-Gen was speaking at the Peace Bell ceremony in New York marking
International Peace Day, warning of the threat posed by climate change to peace
in the world. Peace is more than just the absence of war, noted Guterres,
asserting that it is about respect, tolerance, and thriving societies in which
people live in harmony with each other and with the environment. “Our theme this
year is exactly “Climate Action for Peace” because we know how much climate
change threatens world peace.” Climate Action Summit is only one of five major
global summits, however, it is the most prominent. Director of the Center for
Earth Ethics at the Colombia University Karenna Gore indicated that there is
good reason why most world leaders consistently identify it as the preeminent
and central challenge for humanity in our time.
The Climate Action Summit begins on September 23, and is expected to be a forum
to hold countries accountable to the international commitments they made to cut
global warming as part of the 2016 Paris Agreement. Karenna, daughter of former
US Vice President Al Gore, told CBS News that although much is made of the Trump
administration's announced withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement,
"technically the US is still in the agreement." On Monday, the General Assembly
will hold a high-level meeting on universal health coverage, themed “Universal
Health Coverage: Moving Together to Build a Healthier World.” The meeting aims
to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC), including
financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and
access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and
vaccines for all.
More than 150 world leaders are expected to attend the UN Sustainable
Development Summit to formally adopt an ambitious new sustainable development
agenda. This momentous agenda will serve as the launchpad for action by the
international community and by national governments to promote shared prosperity
and well-being for all over the next 15 years. The 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed
and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and
other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and
education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling
climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
On September 26, the General Assembly will convene its first High-level Dialogue
on Financing for Development since the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action
Agenda. It is estimated that annual investments of $5-7 trillion in all sectors
are urgently needed to achieve these development goals.
On September 27, the General Assembly will hold a one-day high-level review of
the progress made in addressing the priorities of small island developing States
(SIDS) through the implementation of the SAMOA Pathway.
The General Assembly has decided that the high-level 5-years review will result
in "a concise action-oriented and inter-governmentally agreed political
declaration". Meanwhile, the world awaits President Trump's address to the UN
General Assembly on Tuesday where he’ll state his positions amid unprecedented
escalating tensions with Iran, as well as other possible positions concerning
the Middle East and the Arab world. Trump is set to host a fundraising dinner,
along with a photo opportunity, which can cost up to $250,000 each. Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo will also spend a week at the United Nations where he will
brief his counterparts on the results of his visit to Saudi Arabia after the
Aramco attacks. However, President Rouhani is not expected to come up with a
meaningful initiative in his speech to world leaders, knowing that FM Zarif will
meet with journalists on September 23.
Iran Escalates Rhetoric, Vows to Make Aggressor’s Land the Battlefield
London- Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September, 2019
Iran threatened that it would retaliate any attack targeting it, in response to
the US decision to send military reinforcements to Gulf states, where head of
the Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Maj-Gen Hossein Salami asserted that
Tehran will pursue any aggressor, even if it carries out a limited attack.
“Whoever wants their land to become the main battlefield, go ahead,” he told a
news conference in Tehran. Salami asserted that Iran will never allow any war to
encroach upon its territory, hoping that other states don’t make a strategic
mistake. Salami's comments come a week after attacks on Aramco’s oil facilities
in Saudi Arabia, which were adopted by Houthi rebels in Yemen, but Riyadh and
Washington attributed to Iran. Earlier this month, missile attacks targeted
Khurais oil facility in eastern Saudi Arabia, and the largest crude oil refinery
in the world located in Abqaiq, about two hundred kilometers northeast of
Khurais. The attacks have raised fears of a military confrontation between Iran
and the US, especially after the Tehran downed a US drone in June. Salami was
speaking at Tehran’s Islamic Revolution and Holy Defense museum during the
unveiling of an exhibition of what Iran says are US and other drones captured in
its territory. “What are your drones doing in our airspace? We will shoot them
down, shoot anything that encroaches on our airspace,” Salami addressed
Washington, noting Iran had overcome “US technological dominance” in air defense
and drone manufacture. The conference also featured a badly damaged drone with
US military markings said to be an RQ-4 Global Hawk that Iran downed in June, as
well as an intact RQ-170 Sentinel captured in 2011. “We will target anyone who
violates our borders. This issue is clear and we announce it clearly, so that
you know that we will announce any action we do,” he asserted. Meanwhile, Iran’s
Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif warned Thursday of an “all-out war” if the
US or Saudi Arabia launches military strikes in retaliation.
“I make a very serious statement about defending our country. I am making a very
serious statement that we don’t want to engage in a military confrontation,” he
said, adding that a military response based on “deception” about the weekend
attacks would cause “a lot of casualties.”US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said
the US is still striving to build out a coalition in an act of diplomacy while
Iran’s FM is threatening with war. “We'd like a peaceful resolution,” asserted
Pompeo, hoping Iran sees it the same way. Earlier, US President Donald Trump
said he believed his military restraint so far showed “strength,” as he instead
imposed another round of economic sanctions on Tehran. “Because the easiest
thing I could do, ‘Okay, go ahead. Knock out 15 different major things in
Iran... But I’m not looking to do that if I can,” Trump told reporters at the
White House. Tensions have been on the rise between Iran and the US since
Washington unilaterally withdrew in May 2018 from a nuclear deal and subsequent
tough sanctions on Iran. On Friday, Trump announced new sanctions against Iran's
banking sector, especially the central bank, and US Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin said this means there will be no money going to IRGC. Zarif also
condemned the most recent US sanctions against Iran’s Central Bank and its
national reserve fund, saying “it is a sign of desperation,” insisting that the
sanctions are directed at the Iranian people who will not be able to get food
and medicine. The FM noted that the US pulled out of the deal and the
negotiating table is open and “it was the US who left it.” However, Zarif
indicated that in the world of diplomacy nothing is impossible, but in the
current conditions, it does not seem like an arrangement can be made in the
remaining few days.
Iran Accuses Foreign Forces of Raising Gulf 'Insecurity'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 22/2019
President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday denounced the presence of foreign forces in
the Gulf and said Iran will put forward a peace plan, after arch-foe the United
States ordered reinforcements to the tinderbox region. "Foreign forces can cause
problems and insecurity for our people and for our region," Rouhani said before
a massive military parade marking the Iran-Iraq war. Rouhani also said Iran
would present a peace plan to the United Nations within days. "In this sensitive
and important historical moment, we announce to our neighbours that we extend
the hand of friendship and brotherhood to them," he said. Rouhani and top
military brass saluted as row after row of soldiers marched past them in tight
unison followed by an array of homegrown military hardware. The parade showcased
tanks, armoured vehicles, drones and missiles -- including the Khorramshahr said
to have a range of 2,000 kilometres (more than 1,200 miles). Tensions between
Iran and the US and its allies have threatened to boil over since May last year
when President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal and
later began reimposing sanctions. The tensions escalated in the wake of
devastating September 14 attacks on Saudi oil installations that Washington and
Riyadh have, to varying degrees, blamed on Tehran. Following the attacks, which
caused global oil prices to spike, Trump initially raised the possibility of a
military response, saying the US was "locked and loaded". Washington later
expanded its long list of sanctions against Tehran by further targeting its
central bank, as Trump indicated he did not plan to strike back.On Friday,
Defence Secretary Mark Esper said the US was sending reinforcements to Saudi
Arabia at "the kingdom's request", while noting the forces would be "defensive
in nature".
'Stay away'
In his speech, Rouhani called on the foreign powers to "stay away" from the
Gulf. "If they're sincere, then they should not make our region the site of an
arms race," he said. "Your presence has always brought pain and misery... The
farther you keep yourselves from our region and our nations, the more security
there will be. "We are even ready to ignore their past mistakes... since today
the situation is such that the enemies of Islam and the region, meaning America
and Zionism, want to abuse the rift between us. "Our logic is the logic of a
Persian Gulf whose security comes from within."The annual military parade marks
the start of the week commemorating Iran's 1980-1988 war with Iraq known as the
"sacred defence".
'Act of war'
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that Rouhani would announce
details of the "Hormuz Peace Endeavour" at the UN General Assembly. Rouhani is
expected to travel to New York on Monday, a day before general debate kicks off
at the UN gathering. Tensions have flared in the Gulf since May, when Iran began
reducing its commitments to the nuclear deal and the US said it was sending
forces to waters near the Islamic republic in response to "indications of a
credible threat" from its forces. The US deployed an aircraft carrier strike
group and a bomber task force to the sensitive waterways, before sending B-52
bombers, an amphibious assault ship and Patriot missile battery. Following the
deployments, commercial ships were mysteriously attacked, drones downed and oil
tankers seized in Gulf waters. Trump in June authorised a military strike after
Iran shot down a US drone, only to call off the retaliation at the last moment.
The crisis deepened with the September 14 attacks on Saudi energy giant Aramco's
Abqaiq processing plant and Khurais oilfield which halved the kingdom's crude
output. Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed responsibility, but the US says
attacks involved cruise missiles from Iran and amounted to "an act of war".
Saudi Arabia, which has been bogged down in a five-year war in Yemen, has warned
of "appropriate measures" once the source of the strikes is confirmed by a UN
investigation. A Huthi plan for a cessation of hostilities announced on Friday
has been welcomed by the UN, but Saudi Arabia was sceptical, saying it would
"judge other parties by their deeds".
Damascus, Tehran Send Reinforcements to Deir Ezzor
Damascus, London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September, 2019
Syrian regime forces and Iranian militias sent reinforcements to Deir Ezzor
following protests on Friday against the Iranian presence. The Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that large military mobilization by the
SDF arrived at the contact lines with the regime forces in the villages of Al-Junaynah,
Jiaa and the area of Al-Maamel in the northern and western countryside of Deir
Ezzor. At the same time military reinforcements by regime forces and Iranian
militiamen arrived in the areas of Al-Salihiyah and Hatlah in the northern and
eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. A source from Deir Ezzor Civil Council –
affiliated with the Syrian opposition – revealed that two people were killed.
One of them is a civilian and the other is an SDF member. Also, more than 20
were wounded due to Syrian and Iranian forces shooting fire on protesters as
they moved towards al-Salihiyah (5km to the north of Deir Ezzor). A source
affirmed to DPA that after the protesters seized the first checkpoint, around 2
km away from the town’s north, the regime forces shot fire but the protesters
kept moving forward and seized the second checkpoint, at the northern entrance
of the town. Dozens of vehicles carrying hundreds from Deir Ezzor arrived in al-Salihiyah
to storm it, and the demonstrators demanded to expel Iranians from the town.
“The repercussions of the continuous smuggling between SDF controlled areas and
regime forces’ controlled areas in the countryside of Deir Ezzor continue to
shed light and reveal the involvement of more figures within the Syria
Democratic Forces in these smuggling operations, despite the operations by the
SDF and the Coalition to limit them, and their arrest of former leaders involved
in the smuggling operation and arresting others for investigations,” SOHR added.
Israel's Lieberman Says Not Backing Netanyahu or Gantz for
PM
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 22/2019
Israeli ex-defence minister Avigdor Lieberman said Sunday he will not endorse
either Benjamin Netanyahu or Benny Gantz for prime minister following last
week's deadlocked elections. Lieberman, who could potentially play a kingmaker
role, spoke to journalists as Israeli President Reuven Rivlin began meeting
political parties on who they will back for prime minister. Lieberman's
nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party was due to meet Rivlin later Sunday.
Greenblatt Discusses in Israel ‘Best Timing’ to Launch
‘Deal of Century’
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September, 2019
Talks currently held between US special envoy for the peace process Jason
Greenblatt and Israeli officials could have tackled details of US plan to end
the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Israeli media reported. Until Saturday
evening, no meeting was held between Head of the centrist Kahol Lavan Party
(Blue and White) Benny Gantz and Greenblatt, who had earlier met with incumbent
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Despite reports on a meeting
scheduled for Friday between Greenblatt and Gantz, the latter’s office announced
that he had not been invited to such a meeting. Israeli sources have suggested
that Greenblatt and US ambassador to Israel David Friedman prefer dealing with
Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump’s friend. Americans believe that forming a
unity government would be more suitable to be able to promote the deal Trump is
working on because a narrow right-wing government may face difficulties in
implementing the terms of the peace plan. Greenblatt and Netanyahu made no
comments to reporters following their meeting at the Premier’s residence that
was attended by Israel’s ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer and
Friedman. “Jason Greenblatt will hold talks with various parties on US-Israel
relations, regional dynamics and the US government's peace efforts,” the US
embassy in Israel said. Israeli media said talks might have tackled the best
timing to launch the US peace plan to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It
is noteworthy that Greenblatt had arrived in Israel on Thursday on a visit
believed to be aimed at verifying whether the time has come to announce the deal
of the century, and the best time to release it, either during coalition
negotiations or once the government is formed. It is also suggested that
Greenblatt’s current visit is also aimed at influencing the political system in
Israel and making sure the deal of the century will be part of the consultations
to form the next government. The US envoy will also try to pave the way for the
deal and try to reduce objections. The election's results in Israel, in which
Netanyahu suffered a defeat, seem to have overshadowed the US peace plan. With
nearly all votes counted Thursday, the centrist Blue and White party stood at 33
seats in Israel's 120-seat parliament. Netanyahu's conservative Likud stood at
31 seats.
Israeli Prosecutors Press Towards Deal Ensuring Netanyahu’s Imprisonment
Ramallah- Kifah Zboun/ Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September, 2019
Prosecutors have told the defense lawyer of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu that if he is charged, the prosecution will oppose the plea bargain
unless it includes an actual prison sentence. Sources familiar with the case
said it currently isn’t possible to reduce or drop the charges against the prime
minister. A televised report by Channel 13 claimed that Netanyahu was looking
into the possibility of arranging a deal that would see him receive a pardon
from President Reuven Rivlin in a series of corruption cases if he agrees to
step down as premier. Netanyahu dispatched an envoy to the President to see
whether Rivlin would consider granting clemency to the prime minister if he left
office and the political scene. The reporter added that Netanyahu is not sure
Rivlin agreed to his request so far. Having failed to achieve a clear electoral
victory for the second time in six months, it seems that Netanyahu now believes
he can no longer stay in power or at least he should share it. However,
Netanyahu's spokesmen denied that he was seeking a deal adding that the prime
minister's lawyer would attend the hearing as planned and submit their appeals.
Netanyahu faces the possibility of indicting him in several cases, including
case 1000 which involves alleged illegal gifts, case 2000 concerning
conversations with Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes on favorable coverage
in exchange for reducing competition, and case 4000 or the Bezeq-Walla case, in
which there was an alleged deal to receive favorable media coverage in exchange
for regulatory and financial benefits.
Netanyahu was betting on a clear electoral victory to ensure that he could avoid
trial and is still seeking a way to stay in power. He called on his rival Benny
Gantz to form a unity government, but Gantz responded that he would form the
government alone. President Rivlin will begin consultations with the
newly-elected Knesset factions on Sunday in order to decide who to task with
forming a government after last week’s election. A statement by Rivlin's office
said he would begin a round of consultations with all parties that entered the
Knesset and would then continue talks with candidates recommended to form a
government. At the end of those two-day consultations, the President will make
his decision and select one of the candidates for the post of Prime Minister. In
his recent analysis, founding editor of The Times of Israel, David Horovitz
noted that Netanyahu is on the defensive, compelled to cancel his trip to the UN
in New York next week, and thus forced, ignominiously, to cancel a planned
meeting with US President Donald Trump. Trump revealed Wednesday he hadn’t
spoken with Netanyahu since the elections and, anyhow, “our relationship is with
Israel.” But, for now, his party is standing by him. While Gantz is hoping Likud
will start to crack, Netanyahu is scouring for options, playing for time, with
the advantage of being prime minister. “This is the Middle East, where external
affairs can intrude at any moment on the plots and schemes of politicians; where
external affairs can also be encouraged to intrude.”Horovitz indicated the
Israeli electorate has had its say, and the one man who could single-handedly
break the deadlock, Avigdor Liberman, is insisting on the unity partnership both
of the big party leaders claim to want but not really with each other. Israeli
president will begin Sunday the sensitive task of trying to convert the will of
the people, the diverse will of the people, into a viable leadership for Israel,
to cajole our elected representatives into some kind of stable government, he
concluded.
Israel's President Starts Talks to Form New Government
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September, 2019
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin is starting his two-day consultations with all
elected parties before deciding upon the prime minister-designate amid
post-election deadlock. Rivlin will begin hearing Sunday the recommendations of
various parties at his residence, the Associated Press reported. The largely
ceremonial president is tasked with picking the politician with the best chance
of forming a stable coalition. It's usually a formality, but this time Rivlin
plays a key role after an almost tied election result. In last week's vote,
Benny Gantz's centrist Blue and White party won 33 seats in the 120-seat
parliament, while Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative Likud took 31 seats. Neither
can muster a majority coalition with their traditional smaller allies. According
to AP, the emerging compromise appears to be some form of unity government
between the two, though both insist upon leading it.
Iraqi PM Issues New Order on PMF Restructuring
Baghdad - Fadhel al-Nashmi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September, 2019
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has issued a new decree on the
restructuring of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) after around three months
of a similar order. A source, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that both
orders serve the same purpose that is comprehensive structuring of PMF. While
the first decree laid the general framework, the second came to tackle details,
the source noted. This will be followed by other decrees on the PMF
deployment-regions, their tasks and merging all brigades in one institution with
forecasts that all factions would abide by the new instructions, the source
continued. The new structure consists of three division: office of the chairman,
general secretary and chief of staff. Several Iraqi local parties see that the
new order deprived Deputy Chairman Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis his power over the PMF,
knowing that during the past months he caused several crises inside the
organization. Muhandis announced earlier forming an aerial force, which PMF head
Faleh al-Fayadh had denied. Dr. Hisham al-Hashemi, a security expert, told
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that it is unlikely that Muhandis would be assigned to
the chief of staff – he affirmed that the visit of Iran's Major General Qassem
Soleimani was for the sake of reaching a settlement: either to dismiss Muhandis
or maintain the leaders and Muhandis with minimum powers. Hashemi sees that
Abdul Mahdi has sought since a long time to establish a new structure that
embodies national unity inside the PMF, away from party, regional, tribal,
ethnic, and sectarian beliefs. The leaders are aware that the restructure
epitomizes procedures that reduce their powers, unite the forces under the Iraqi
state and provide a legal framework to protect them from Israel, US and its
allies.
Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandes Marginalized at Iraqi 'Hashd'
Leadership
Baghdad - Fadhel al-Nashmi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September, 2019
A new Iraqi diwan order marginalized Abu Mahdi al-Muhandes, the deputy chairman
of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), by canceling his seat and instead,
strengthening the powers of his chief, Faleh Fayyad.
The decision came after the PMF announced on Saturday a restructure approved by
Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi as part of the group’s ongoing integration into
the Iraqi Army. Under the new order, Fayyad is now charged with the replacement
of all PMF-assigned military titles with those of the Iraqi Army, after
presenting the changes to the Prime Minister for approval. On July 1, Abdul-Mahdi
issued a decree allowing all the PMF units until July 31 to integrate into the
army. However, the deadline of the decree was postponed until September 30,
2019, after an official request to postpone the deadline from Fayyadh. The
decree stipulates that forces that choose not to integrate into the army may
“transform” into a political party. However, they will not be allowed to carry
weapons for any reason other than the protection of its offices. An informed
source, who wished to remain anonymous, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday that
all PMF factions should respect the new restructure announced by the PM.
However, he predicted that the decision to remove the seat of deputy chairman
could cause a problem, particularly if Muhandes is not offered a new important
title, such as the Army chief of staff. In the past months, Muhandes created
more than a crisis inside the ranks of the PMF, particularly when he announced
early this month the formation of the air force directorate, prompting his chief
to deny the reports.
Also, in August, Muhandes held the US responsible for the blasts on PMF camps
and depots, threatening to respond to the attacks. However, Fayyad said he
respected the position of the Iraqi government, and therefore, would wait for
the release of final results of investigations conducted by a fact-finding
committee tasked with probing the explosions.
Tunisia: Karoui Says Optimistic About Winning Elections
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September, 2019
Jailed Tunisian media magnate Nabil Karoui said he is "reasonably optimistic"
about winning Tunisia's presidential runoff. Karoui is facing independent law
professor Kais Saied. They beat out two dozen other candidates in the
first-round of voting on Sept. 15, according to The Associated Press. Karoui was
jailed Aug. 23 pending an investigation into alleged money laundering and tax
evasion charges. Hwas allowed to remain in the race because he has not been
convicted. AP sent questions to his lawyer, Kamel Ben Messaoud, who responded
with Karoui's comments. In those written answers, Karoui said "of course we have
a chance, because it's a second round and both candidates will restart from
scratch." No date has been set yet for the presidential runoff but Tunisia's
electoral body said earlier it will take place by Oct. 13.
LNA Announces Major Advances in Tripoli Battles
Cairo- Khalid Mahmoud/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September, 2019
The Libyan National Army announced Saturday that its forces have made new
advances on ground in the capital, Tripoli, following what it called a “violent
attack against armed militias” loyal to Fayez al-Sarraj’s Government of National
Accord (GNA). LNA spokesman Major General Ahmed al-Mesmari said forces, fighting
for six months to liberate Tripoli, have launched a “fierce attack on the
terrorist militias in Salah al-Din area to free it and clear it of terrorist and
criminal gangs.”Mesmari pointed out that the attack was supported by heavy air
cover by the air forces, inflicting mass losses on the militias. He pledged to
continue the attack until “wiping these terrorist militias and cleaning the
capital from their presence,” asserting that the pace of operations continues in
accordance with plans and stages laid out by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar to
liberate Tripoli and get rid of all terrorist militias. A senior military
official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the army forces pre-empted their attack on
Saturday with a series of airstrikes targeting Sarraj militias’ positions in
most of Tripoli, especially in the airports, Ain Zara and Khalat Furgan. He
mentioned the collapse in the armed militias’ defense system facing LNA forces,
which he said has made steady field advance as part of its plan to take over the
capital and eliminate terrorist groups and armed militias. In this context,
LNA’s Military Information Division announced that its “military units have made
advances on the area surrounding al-Yarmouk camp, reinforced by air cover.” The
Division noted that the forces have fought fierce battles, in which a number of
major officials in the militias were killed, in reference to the leaders of
militias loyal to Sarraj’s GNA. The media center of LNA’s “Dignity Operations”
Room announced in a brief statement on Friday that means of anti-aircraft
defenses in Tripoli’s outskirts had shot down a Turkish espionage plane. It
didn’t yet disclose further details, saying only that the plane was shot down
when trying to carry out an exploratory monitoring mission.
Sudan: Hamdok to Launch Investigation over Protesters' Deaths in June
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September, 2019
Sudan's newly appointed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is launching an
independent probe into June's deadly crackdown on protesters which left dozens
dead. Hamdok said late Saturday the seven-member committee includes a top judge,
an independent figure and two attorneys. The justice, defense and interior
ministries will be represented on the committee which should conclude its probe
within six months, according to The Associated Press. In June, security forces
killed dozens of pro-democracy protesters when they violently dispersed a sit-in
outside the military's headquarters in the capital, Khartoum. Protest leaders
demanded the establishment of an independent inquiry as part of a subsequent
power-sharing agreement with the military. An investigation by Sudanese
prosecutors in July claimed that the ruling generals did not order the deadly
break-up, but blamed the widely condemned dispersal on paramilitary forces who
exceeded their orders.
Damascus, Tehran Send Reinforcements to Deir Ezzor
Damascus, London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 22 September, 2019
Syrian regime forces and Iranian militias sent reinforcements to Deir Ezzor
following protests on Friday against the Iranian presence. The Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that large military mobilization by the
SDF arrived at the contact lines with the regime forces in the villages of Al-Junaynah,
Jiaa and the area of Al-Maamel in the northern and western countryside of Deir
Ezzor. At the same time military reinforcements by regime forces and Iranian
militiamen arrived in the areas of Al-Salihiyah and Hatlah in the northern and
eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. A source from Deir Ezzor Civil Council –
affiliated with the Syrian opposition – revealed that two people were killed.
One of them is a civilian and the other is an SDF member. Also, more than 20
were wounded due to Syrian and Iranian forces shooting fire on protesters as
they moved towards al-Salihiyah (5km to the north of Deir Ezzor). A source
affirmed to DPA that after the protesters seized the first checkpoint, around 2
km away from the town’s north, the regime forces shot fire but the protesters
kept moving forward and seized the second checkpoint, at the northern entrance
of the town. Dozens of vehicles carrying hundreds from Deir Ezzor arrived in al-Salihiyah
to storm it, and the demonstrators demanded to expel Iranians from the town.
“The repercussions of the continuous smuggling between SDF controlled areas and
regime forces’ controlled areas in the countryside of Deir Ezzor continue to
shed light and reveal the involvement of more figures within the Syria
Democratic Forces in these smuggling operations, despite the operations by the
SDF and the Coalition to limit them, and their arrest of former leaders involved
in the smuggling operation and arresting others for investigations,” SOHR added.
Seven Killed in Baghdad Suburb despite Anti-IS Sweep
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/September 22/2019
Seven people have been killed in three attacks in the northern outskirts of the
Iraqi capital, security sources said Sunday, despite the army recently declaring
the area swept of jihadists. The overnight attacks Saturday into Sunday targeted
the homes of tribal fighters belonging to the powerful Hashed al-Shaabi
paramilitary force, as well as army barracks, in the Sunni suburb of Tarmiya,
the sources said. The Tribal Hashed is composed largely of Sunni fighters and
feeds into the broader Shiite-dominated Hashed al-Shaabi, which fought back the
Islamic State group with Iraqi troops. Tarmiya has long been a bastion of Sunni
extremist groups and IS sleeper cells have continued to operate in the area,
according to the security sources. "Unidentified gunmen attacked the home of a
member of the Tribal Hashed, killing him, his wife, his son and mother," a
police officer told AFP, asking to remain anonymous. The officer said a separate
attack overnight saw sniper fire hit an army barracks, killing two members of
the security forces. And at dawn on Sunday, another attack targeted a Tribal
Hashed member's home, killing one, he added. On Sunday afternoon, security
forces announced they had killed one would-be suicide bomber in a village in the
Tarmiya region. For weeks this summer, Iraqi forces -- the army, police and the
Hashed -- combed the orchards around Tarmiya for IS sleeper cells. In July, they
declared the operation a success after arresting several alleged IS members. IS
overran large parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in 2014, declaring a
"caliphate" in areas they controlled. Iraq in late 2017 declared victory against
IS but the group's disparate network of undercover fighters still carries out
deadly attacks across the country. On Friday, an attack claimed by IS killed 12
people on the edge of Karbala, as the Shiite holy city prepares to receive
millions of pilgrims next month.
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on September 22-23/2019
Pro-Iran PMU forces take over Iraq’s Saudi,
Jordanian borders, threaten Israel from the east
DEBKAfile/September 22/2019
Iran was on its next move by the time the US announced on Sept. 21 the
deployment of more troops and enhanced air and missile defense systems for Saudi
Arabia and the UAE in response to the attack on Saudi oil facilities. As the USS
Nitze destroyer deployed to the northern Red Sea opposite the Saudi coast, armed
with Aegis combat systems for tracking and intercepting cruise missiles, Iraqi
Shiite Population Mobilization Forces (PMU) swarmed up to Iraq’s borders with
Saudi Arabia and Jordan, DEBKAfile’s exclusive military and intelligence sources
reveal.
Washington’s cautious response to the attack on Saudi Arabia and US sanctions
were met by Iranian aggression in full momentum and its heightened threat to
Saudi Arabia and US allies. By posting its Iraqi proxy PMU forces on the two
border regions, Tehran directly threatens the Saudi capital Riyadh from the
north and Israel from the east. The Iraqi militia far outstrips Iraq’s national
army in scale and armament, possessing new tanks, ground-to-ground missiles and
an array of explosive UAVs. This is also Tehran’s countermove for the
Saudi-Israeli air strikes on the IRGC Al Qods-PMU military compounds at Abu
Kamal in eastern Syria and Al Qaim on the Iraqi side of the border. (See the
previous DEBKA report). According to our sources, the PMU’s double border
takeover began on Sept 18 and was in place by Saturday. Sept. 21. The operation
was set up by the Al Qods chief, Iran’s Middle East commander Gen. Qassem
Soleimani, who spent part of last week in Baghdad in conference with PMU
leaders. An officer called Col. Qassem Masliyah was appointed to lead Iran’s
seizures of the two key borders. The operation was codenamed “The Will of
Victory.”
The Iraqi militia used the Iraqi national army’s operations against ISIS
remnants in western Iraq to camouflage its movements, at times even exploiting
the Iraqi air force for its secret purpose. However, by Sunday, Sept. 22, The
Will of Victory cat was out of the bag. Iraqi prime minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi
ordered the army to recover the border regions from the PMU. This was largely an
empty step, since the Iraqi army is no match for the powerful pro-Iranian
militia and its commanders are unlikely to take on the challenge.
"Convert, Marry Me, or Die": Persecution of Christians,
July 2019
ريموند إبراهيم: جدول بحوادث اضطهاد المسيحيين خلال شهر تموز 2019
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/September 22/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/78736/%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%85%d9%88%d9%86%d8%af-%d8%a5%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%87%d9%8a%d9%85-%d8%ac%d8%af%d9%88%d9%84-%d8%a8%d8%ad%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%ab-%d8%a7%d8%b6%d8%b7%d9%87%d8%a7%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14904/persecution-of-christians-july
"How ready is the government to go up against certain groups that try to impose
their own will on others." — Reverend Timotheus Halim, head of the Family of God
Church ucanews.com, July 25, 2019, Indonesia.
Fatemeh Azad, a 58-year-old Muslim woman who had converted to Christianity
against her Muslim husband's will and fled to Germany, was denied asylum there
and deported back to Iran. There she was immediately arrested by authorities
waiting for her plane to land.... "When Fatemeh made her asylum appeal, her
lawyers argued that apostasy (conversion away from Islam) is punishable by the
death penalty in Iran." This, however, was insufficient for Germany.... —
Persecution.org; July 25, 2019, Iran, Germany.
Finally, a 14-year-old Christian girl was abducted, forcibly converted to Islam,
forced to marry a Muslim man, and then taken before a Muslim judge to sign a
statement saying she had acted on her own free will...."[G]irls often give such
statements because they are already living with their kidnappers," and "death
threats are made towards their family, and therefore the victims have no choice
but to say what their kidnapper wants them to say in court....." — Lawyer,
AsiaNews.it; July 26, 2019; Pakistan.
On June 27, unidentified armed individuals entered the village of Bani, Burkina
Faso, looking for Christians. When they found four men wearing crosses, "the
assailants singled them out. All four were taken aside and executed." Pictured:
Bani, Burkina Faso. (Image source: Adam Jones/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0)
Slaughter of Christians
Syria: Islamic jihadis gang-raped a 60-year-old Christian woman before stoning
her to death. When no one in Yaqoubiya, a small Christian village in Idlib
governorate, saw Susan Grigor (or "Gregory") on July 9, the worried priest sent
parishioners to search for her. They eventually found her mangled and bloodied
corpse on the ground of a field adjacent to her home.
The autopsy revealed that Susan had been repeatedly raped and tortured over the
course of nine hours before finally being murdered by stoning. The men
responsible are believed to be members of the al-Qaeda-linked jihadi group, al-Nusra.
Described as a pious Christian, Susan had never married and lived her entire
life as a virgin. Although she never children, Susan reportedly loved them and,
after retiring, volunteered much of her time helping educate the youths of her
local church.
Before that, Susan was an Arabic language schoolteacher for more than 30 years.
According to one Arabic report, some of her murderers "are from the area. In
other words, those who raped and stoned her might have been from among her
former students, whom she taught Arabic in school over the course of 30
years.... Surely she never dreamt to see such depraved savagery in the eyes of
her former students.... Nonetheless, they preyed on her like wild beasts — even
though wild beasts do not rape their mothers."
Burkina Faso: Lethal Islamic terrorist attacks targeting Christians that had
begun in earnest in February 2019, continued throughout July. In one instance,
the slain were identified and killed for wearing crucifixes. According to the
report,
"unidentified armed individuals entered the village of Bani (about six miles
from the town of Bourzanga), looking for Christians... [T]he militants told
everyone to lie down and proceeded to look for Christians by asking for first
names or looking for anyone wearing Christian insignia (like crosses). The
deadly search yielded four men.... They were all wearing crosses.... [W]hen they
saw crosses, the assailants singled them out. All four were taken aside and
executed."
Before leaving the village, the terrorists torched a shop that belonged to one
of their victims. They then moved on to another village, Pougrenoma, where "They
also told Christians to convert or risk execution." Between February and July 27
Christians have been killed under similar circumstances, including instances
when "the armed terrorists challenged Christians to convert or die."
Nigeria: The jihad on Christians, which has widely been described as a genocide,
continued to claim more lives. A pregnant woman, a mother of two children, was
among those slain when Muslim Fulani herdsmen raided the Christian village in
the early hours of July 15, and torched 75 Christian homes and two churches. On
the same day, the jihadis raided another Christian village. Among those slain in
that attack were a father (46) and his young son (7), who had been returning
home from church. The father was beheaded. "We have been experiencing daily
attacks by these Fulani herdsmen in our communities, most especially on Sundays
during worship hours or Thursdays when church activities are held," a local
Christian said.
Attacks on Churches
Syria: On July 11, the Islamic State detonated a car bomb just outside the
Virgin Mary Church in the city of Qamishli. More than ten people, including an
8-year-old child, were injured in the blast. An intercepted communication
indicated that the terrorists were targeting a gathering of "belligerent
Christians." Photos and videos of the explosion and its aftermath show
substantial damage, including from fire, which spread throughout the street.
Another terror attack the same day in the village of neighboring city of Afrin
claimed thirteen lives.
Pakistan: A Muslim mob attacked Internal Salvation Church in Bhiki village,
Punjab district, on July 23. The mob charged in, in the middle of prayer
services and began beating members of the congregation. A local human rights
organization described the incident:
"There were over a hundred of individuals praying in the church when Muhammad
Azam, Muhammad Ijaz, Muhammad Amjad and Muhammad Zafar, along with other armed
Muslim men, intruded into the church. They forcefully seized the prayer service
and reportedly thrashed both men and women."
During the beating, the Muslim men used abusive language, disparaged Christians
and Christianity, and demanded that the church "stop this circus." The church
submitted a complaint to local police; it was rejected. The human rights group
continued:
"There has been a sharp rise in the number of incidents violating the religious
freedom rights of Christians in Pakistan. Their churches are being attacked,
properties are being grabbed, forced to stop their prayer services and other
church activities, and are forced to convert to Islam. This is alarming for
Christians in this country."
Indonesia: Following protests from Muslim locals, the Bantul regency government
revoked and canceled the building permit of a Pentecostal Christian Church in
Sedayu district on July 26. The congregation was subsequently banned from
meeting and performing worship service in the building. Although authorities
said the church had failed to meet building codes, "the administration seems to
have created a made-up reason to stop the church operation," according to the
commissioner of the National Commission on Human Rights.
In a separate situation, Muslim protests caused a Protestant church to stop
holding services, even though it had the required governmental permit.
Protesters claimed that the church was in a predominantly Muslim region and in
close proximity to an Islamic boarding school and a mosque. Church
administrators rejected the claim and said there was no mosque or school nearby.
Reverend Timotheus Halim, head of the Family of God Church, said the same Muslim
protesters—particularly the Islamic Defenders Front—had hounded them out of
their last church building in West Jakarta: "We have moved here, and have met
similar opposition.... I will fight and not give up because we have a legal
permit and have fulfilled all requirements from the government." Indonesian law
states that, in order to build a place of worship, a religious community must
have at least 90 congregation members, as well as the approval of at least 60
people from other religious communities (namely Muslims) living in the vicinity.
Halim said he and his 150-strong congregation were eagerly looking forward to
their first prayer meeting in the church on July 7, when the Muslim threats
began. "How ready is the government to go up against certain groups that try to
impose their own will on others," he asked.
Egypt: On July 17, a Christian community was again forced to hold its fourth
funeral in the street since the police shuttered its church in December 2018.
The funeral was rushed in part due to the extreme heat of the summer day (110
degrees Fahrenheit). Although the village has about 2,500 Christians, repeated
requests to build a church have been turned down; when Christians began to use a
home, Muslims rioted, prompting officials to shut down the unregistered
building.
Attacks on Apostates
Iran: On July 1, "Eight converts to Christianity, including five members of one
family, were arrested in the southwestern city of Bushehr," according to a
report:
"The arresting officers introduced themselves as agents from the Ministry of
Intelligence (MOIS). They stormed the Christians' homes in a coordinated
operation at around 9am, confiscating Bibles, Christian literature, wooden
crosses and pictures carrying Christian symbols, along with laptops, phones, all
forms of identity cards, bank cards and other personal belongings.... The
officers are reported to have treated the Christians harshly, even though small
children were present during the arrests."
Later the same day, one of the arrested women "whose arrest came after six cars
carrying security officials turned up outside her home, was released the same
day due to her age." The rest of the "Christians remain detained, with no access
to lawyers, and are being held in solitary confinement..." From the start of
2019 to July, the total number of Christians arrested in similar circumstances
grew to at least 34. "Reporting suggests that Christianity is on the rise in
Iran, along with other non-Islamic religions," a human rights organization,
explained.
"This is a threat to the Islamic republic, a regime based on a narrow and
totalitarian view of Islam. As the regime faces more internal unrest, the more
it'll crack down on religious minorities it views as threatening its
stranglehold on religion."
A month before this latest incident, Iran's Intelligence Minister, Mahmoud Alavi,
openly admitted to apprehending and questioning apostates because mass
conversions to Christianity were "happening right before our eyes."
Separately, on July 27, another Christian woman Mahrokh (Roksare) Kanbari (65)
was sentenced by the Karaj Islamic Revolutionary Court to one year in prison, on
the charge of "propaganda against the system." Friends present at her sentencing
said that the "judge was very rude and tried to humiliate" the woman, who was
apparently an apostate. She had been initially arrested just before Christmas,
2018, when three agents had raided her home and taken her away for ten days of
extensive interrogation before releasing her on bail.
Finally, Fatemeh Azad, a 58-year-old Muslim woman who had converted to
Christianity against her Muslim husband's will and fled to Germany, was denied
asylum there and deported back to Iran. There she was immediately arrested by
authorities waiting for her plane to land. She has since been released on bail
and awaits her trial. According to the report, "When Fatemeh made her asylum
appeal, her lawyers argued that apostasy (conversion away from Islam) is
punishable by the death penalty in Iran." This, however, was insufficient for
Germany — which has taken in millions of Muslims who are not being persecuted in
their homelands — to provide her with asylum.
Uganda: Muslims harassed, threatened, and displaced a former Muslim woman who
embraced Christianity to return to Islam or face the consequences. Sharifa
Nakamate began receiving threatening text messages after she had a Christian
pastor bury her husband, 65, who had died on June 15. "It is now clear to the
clan that you and your deceased husband abandoned Islam, since Hajji was buried
by Christians," read one text. "We are giving you a few days to recant the
Christian faith or face the wrath of being an apostate." Her 29-year-old son was
among those threatening her. Finally, on July 11 she fled her home. "I realized
my life was now in danger, so I sought refuge at the church," said Sharifa.
Although she has since relocated to another undisclosed location, last reported
she was preparing to flee again. "Two days ago a Muslim from my home village
came and bought items from me," she explained.
"I am afraid that she will go back and spread news of my new place of residence.
This new place is not safe for me.... I never expected such thing to happen to
me. I have lost everything that I did in developing the homestead for more than
30 years of our married life, only to lose everything just like that because of
following Jesus."
The church that helped her has since also been targeted; a member received an
anonymous text message that read, "Please let Nakamate return to her religion to
avoid any negative repercussion of your church."
Another Muslim apostate in Uganda, a 20-year-old man, was beaten and disowned by
his family after they learned that he had embraced Christianity. Asuman Kaire's
stepfather, who called him a "disgrace to the family," nearly beat him to death.
When local Christians rushed to the young man's cries for help, his stepfather
and other Muslims fled, leaving him unconscious. "After recovering, I feared
going back home because I knew they were going to kill me," said Kaire, so he
began living in the streets. When a church took him in, and local Muslims
learned of it, in mid-June, when Kaire was in the church, a mob and tried to
storm it. They cried out, "Allahu Akbar" and said that the apostate must die.
Kaire has since moved again, lives in hiding, and is unable to finish his last
year in high school: "I fear my classmates who are Muslims, as they might plan
something bad for my life," he said.
Abduction, Rape, and Murder in Pakistan
On July 10, a Muslim man shot and killed a Christian woman because she refused
to convert to Islam and marry him. Problems began a few months earlier when
Muhammad Waseem began accosting Saima Sardar, 30, often on her way to and from a
hospital in Faisalabad, where she worked as a nurse. The harassment got so bad
that she asked her brother to walk her to work. According to another family
member:
"Saima was in [a] healthy and friendly relationship with Waseem. However, when
he continuously insisted Saima convert [to Islam], she decided to keep distance
from him and prove her loyalty to her Christian faith. Therefore, Saima very
boldly refused his proposal even though she was threatened with consequences."
When Muhammad learned that she was set to marry a Christian man in November, he
got more aggressive and threatened that "if you do not convert and marry me, you
will die." Finally, on July 10, the Muhammad managed to get into the hospital,
even though Saima had warned guards about him, and shot her dead, before taking
his own life. "Converting to another religion or marrying someone is a personal
choice," said a local human rights organization concerning this incident.
"Unfortunately, in Pakistani society Muslim men who like minority girls think
that the latter should obey them and that their offer cannot be refused."
On a separate occasion, a Muslim parliamentarian, his wife, and two sons
repeatedly beat and raped their domestic worker, a 15-year-old Christian girl.
According to Riaz Masih, the girl's father,
"I am a poor person living in a rented house with my children whereas, my
daughter Saima who is 14-15 years old, was working at the MPA's [Member of the
Provincial Assembly] house for the last six months. A couple of days ago, she
told me that the MPA raped her twice and his sons have been harassing her while
his wife beats her over petty issues besides making her work day and night. They
had warned my daughter of beating her up more if she ever dared to tell me
anything.... They pressurised me to not go to the police but I need justice
because my underage daughter has been tortured and raped several times."
A medical facility "confirmed that she had been raped many times." The First
Information Report which was lodged against Mian Tahir Jamil, the
parliamentarian, offers more insights:
"Tahir Jamil had forcefully raped his [Masih's] daughter after threatening her
to remain silent or risk losing her life. Samia also reported that Tahir's sons
also sexually abused her. In fact, a week before the incident, Tahir had made
sexual advances at her but she locked herself in the restroom to protect
herself. When the family was finally able to retrieve her, Tahir's wife, Bano
Bibi, beat her mercilessly and cut her hair as a punishment for hiding.
Thankfully, Samia was able to run away from the family to her home this week.
She recounted the story of her abuse to her father, highlighting that besides
the rape incident on June 19, 2019, Tahir's sons consistently molested her while
his wife, Bano Bibi verbally abused her."
In a similar incident, a Muslim family accused their 14-year-old Christian
domestic worker of robbing the household as a way to cover up the fact that she
was raped there. According to the mother of the teenaged victim:
"Razia, a Muslim woman, hired us for a week to clean her house and to take care
of guests during the wedding ceremony of her daughter. Suneha [the daughter]
stayed at the employer's house for a night due to late-night parties and the
load of work.... During the wedding week, on July 6, one of the men of the
family sexually assaulted Suneha. When Suneha resisted and threatened to make a
complain[t] to the elders of the family, she was locked up in a room and beaten
frequently."
Her rapist subsequently accused the girl and her mother of stealing jewelry,
gold, and other valuables to members of the Muslim household, who joined in the
thrashing. "It was unbearable torture and a heartbreaking situation," Suneha
explained.
"They abused us stating 'you Christians – Chooras, you are thieves'. We resisted
and assured that we have done nothing, however after four days of 'in house'
investigation and torture, the Muslim family reported us to the police."
Responding to this incident a human rights activist said :
"Christian women face double vulnerability as of a woman and as a segment of the
Christian community. They are the softest target for rape. The Christian
domestic workers are often threatened to keep their mouth shut after rape
attempts otherwise are alleged for steeling [sic] valuables or committing
blasphemy against Islam."
Finally, a 14-year-old Christian girl was abducted, forcibly converted to Islam,
forced to marry a Muslim man, and then taken before a Muslim judge to sign a
statement saying she had acted on her own free will. According to the report,
"The girl, Benish Imran, went missing from home on 2 July, after she was
kidnapped by Waheed Ahmed, who then forced her to deny her Christian faith and
marry him. The following day, Imran Masih, the father of the 14-year-old, went
to the police station and filed a complaint against people unknown, unaware of
what had happened to his daughter. A few days later, the police informed him
that they had received Benish's conversion and marriage certificates, and that
the latter was going to go before the district magistrate in Lahore on 12 July
to register her statement."
Her father hired a lawyer, who pointed out to the judge that, whatever the case
may be, the girl is, according to Pakistani law, underage, and therefore could
not be legally married, even if she wanted to of her own free will. The judge
refused to relent and had the girl's statement recorded. According to the
lawyer, the entire fiasco "is a normal practice," as "girls often give such
statements because they are already living with their kidnappers," and "death
threats are made towards their family, and therefore the victims have no choice
but to say what their kidnapper wants them to say in court..... [W]e have seen
in the past that many girls flee whenever they get a chance."
General Abuse of and Hate for Christians
Turkey: A number of successive fires broke out in as many as eight Christian
villages, nearly turning them to ash, near the nation's southern border. "Local
activists," said one report, "claim that the fires were intentionally started to
eliminate the Christian heritage in the region":
This part of Turkey borders both Iraq and Syria. In these two countries, arson
has become a recognized insurgent tactic which targets the agricultural
resources of villages. In Turkey's case, these fires also targeted agriculture,
as an estimated 7-800 olive trees were damaged. It is these kinds of
similarities between this situation and the fires in Iraq / Syria that have
caused concern that these fires were also started by arson.
An investigation was said to be underway.
In a separate incident, two Muslim men beat a Christian teenager in the street
after they noticed he was wearing a crucifix around his neck. They initially
stopped him and pulled on his cross-necklace while asking him if he "knows what
this means?" When the youth responded, "Yes, I know. I'm a Christian," they beat
him and fled. The Protestant Association of Churches said in response that "This
attack is a result of the growing hatred against Christians in Turkey. We invite
government officials to take action against hate speech."
Sri Lanka: Before the Islamic suicide bombing of churches and hotels on Easter
Sunday, April 21, 2019, which claimed more than 250 lives, Sri Lanka, a Buddhist
majority nation, with Muslim and Christian minorities (9.7% and 7.4% of the
total population, respectively), was not seen as a nation where Muslims
persecute Christians. Since the spotlight has been placed on it, however, more
information is appearing. According to a July 11 report, "Many Tamil Christians
and Hindus in Sri Lanka are being ordered by Muslim extremists to convert to
Islam or leave the villages where their families have lived for generations."
Egypt: Sarah Atef, a Christian college student, was kidnapped while standing
near her church. "When her mother knew that her daughter was kidnapped," a
family neighbor said, "she got out to the balcony and screamed to [sic] loudly.
She was hitting her face. All of the neighbors got out of their houses to
monitor." After the family contacted police, many websites, including some
affiliated with the Islamic State, claimed that the girl had called her mother
and informed her that she had willingly converted to Islam and married a Muslim
man. The local Coptic bishop, who met with the family, confirmed that no such
phone call ever taken place, nor has anyone from the Christian community heard
from the girl. "This is a trap for Christian girls," one of her teachers
elaborated. "This girl is very religious and believes in Jesus. It is hard (for
her) to convert to Islam."
About this Series
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by
extremists is growing. The report posits that such persecution is not random but
rather systematic, and takes place irrespective of language, ethnicity, or
location.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14904/persecution-of-christians-july
Immunity is off the table for Netanyahu
Tova Tzimuki and Moran Azoulay/Ynetnews/September 22/2019
Analysis: Relief was evident among the judicial community as election results
became clear; they were concerned that the assault on the courts, the
contentious laws and the political appointments would continue and increase if
Netanyahu were to emerge the winner
It was meant to be the campaign that would guarantee Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu immunity from prosecution.
Netanyahu and his Likud partners have been promoting controversial laws to be
tabled in the new Knesset, some of them in order to help the prime minister deal
with his own legal trouble.
The elections ending with less than a 61-seat majority for the
right-wing-religious bloc, means these laws will most likely not be tabled.even
in the unlikely event that Netanyahu is picked to lead the next government and
any coalition that may be formed, with Benny Gantz or other partners from the
center-left camp will not support such legislation. If Israelis would be asked
to vote for a third time in less than a year, an unlikely scenario thus far,
Netanyahu would still be unable to ensure his immunity because by the time that
third election is decided, the legal proceedings will have begun and the
immunity option will have been lost. Another contentious bill that was to be
tabled after the formation of a new right-wing-religious coalition is a law
granting the Knesset the ability to override Supreme Court rulings, if the court
finds that the Knesset legislation goes against the basic laws that are the
judicial building blocks of the state.
One such case the Supreme Court may want to act against might be Netanyahu's
bill to ensure his immunity from prosecution.
Such legislation - which that would severely weaken the Supreme Court - requires
a full majority of 61 members of Knesset. Such a majority eludes Netanyahu at
this time. Members of the judicial community were relieved when the results of
last Tuesday's elections emerged.
They understood that Netanyahu's political maneuvering, which forced a second
election campaign on the Israeli public, was in order to pass the law needed to
solidify his immunity.
After a long campaign aimed at disparaging and weakening the judicial system as
a whole and Supreme Court in particular and delegitimizing Attorney General
Avichai Mandelblit, who must decide the fate of Netanyahu's prosecution,
judicial sources assumed the prime minister's assault would continue.
Such an assault would have weakened all government agencies tasked with the
prevention of corruption. It would have seen political activists placed in
gatekeeper roles and would have seen illegal and immoral legislation.
Netanyahu has already appointed a political ally to the office of the State
Comptroller.Matanyahu Englman, handpicked by the prime minister for the job,
decided to grant Netanyahu permission - previously refused twice - to use funds
from a foreign benefactor to pay his growing legal bills.
Barring any major change of events, Netanyahu is due next month to have his
pre-trial hearing with the attorney general for the corruption cases pending
against him. According to sources, there are thus far no discussions regarding a
plea bargain for any of the three cases that the prime minister will be required
to defend himself against. If such a deal were to be struck, Netanyahu would be
forced to withdraw from public office. Judicial scholars note that 80% of cases
prosecuted in Israel end in a plea bargain, so it is not inconceivable that the
prime minister would enter such an agreement. Nontheless, any deal offered by
the state would include a demand for a ruling of moral turpitude. This would
prevent Netanyahu, who will be 70 next month, from seeking public office for at
least a decade.
Why Iran’s ‘Awakening’ created a nightmare for the Gulf
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/September 23/2019
To weigh the consequences of the Iranian revolution on the Gulf region, one
needs to investigate Iran’s relations with its Arab neighbors before the
overthrow, specifically during the second era of the Pahlavi dynasty in the
1960s and 1970s when some Gulf states gained independence from Britain.
While relations in that period were not as amicable as some suggest, they were
certainly not as bleak as they have been since 1979.
During this era, there was political and national rivalry as well as differences
of opinion between Iran and its Arab neighbors, such as over the Arab identity
of Bahrain, and the three Emirati islands.
These disagreements extended to the subject of relations with Israel, especially
during the Arab-Israeli wars. However, all these differences were resolved
through direct diplomatic channels and handled within a political framework,
separately from any other factors.
Beneath the religious extremist exterior, however, the primary force driving
this expansionism is colonialist anti-Arab Persian ethno-nationalism, which
twists history and geography, as well as dehumanizing and demonizing Arabs as
culturally and racially inferior, as a way of justifying Iran’s conquests.
After the 1979 revolution, there was initial optimism among Arab states since
many believed that Iran’s new political system would consolidate relations,
given the slogans of unity that the revolutionaries had used. However, within
two years this optimism had faded. The regime’s policies in the region proved to
be a far greater threat to Arab national security than those of any of Iran’s
previous leaders. The hard-line theocratic regime brought unwelcome factors to
the fore and has tried tirelessly to exploit them ever since.
Political Islam was given the limelight as a result of the revolution, with
religion being manipulated to serve political objectives and initiatives. The
new ruling elites in Iran, especially the most senior figures, were inspired to
a large extent by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and worked for decades to
build bridges with the movement. The Muslim Brotherhood also promoted its
political platform among Iranians through translated works, with Iranian regime
figures citing many of its political slogans.
After 1979, supporters of political Islam in Arab countries felt jealous of
their peers in Iran who had climbed to the highest positions of power.
As a result, they worked on implementing a similar project in Arab countries to
change the political systems and to install new governments that would maintain
harmony with Iran’s “revolutionary” theocracy. As a result, their media
rhetoric, like Iran, focused on denouncing global imperialism and the West, with
the aim of wooing the masses and impassioned young people.
This fusion of political Islam with revolutionary tendencies gave rise to
unwelcome developments in Arab society. The first of these was the attempt by a
politically and religiously motivated extremist group led by the unpopular
Juhayman Al-Otaibi to seize control of the Grand Mosque in Makkah in 1979. The
link between this incident and developments in Iran at the time shows how
religious devotion was exploited for
political ends.
Before the 1979 revolution, sectarianism was not an issue in Gulf communities,
all of which have a mixture of sects, and there were no transnational tensions
or problems of a sectarian nature. All that changed after 1979, with sectarian
conflicts and factional standoffs becoming a hallmark of many regional societies
where Sunnis and Shiite had coexisted harmoniously for centuries, particularly
in societies such as Syria and Iraq that were prone to instability due to
sectarian faultlines.
An inevitable consequence of sectarianism was the rise of terrorism and the
formation of terror cells along sectarian lines. Since the beginning of the
1980s, the Iranian regime has worked to support and establish extremist
militias, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hezbollah Al-Hejaz in Saudi Arabia, and
Hezbollah in Bahrain, as well as the Zainabiyoun Brigade, the Afghan Fatemiyoun
Brigade, the Popular Mobilization Units in Iraq and the global Shiite army.
In an October 1979 report issued by the CIA’s Near East Department, analysts
stressed that Iran’s regime was working to recruit Shiite minorities in
predominantly Sunni Arab countries to serve Iran’s objective of undermining the
security and stability of its neighbors.
While the Tehran regime focused its efforts initially on Shiite minorities in
Bahrain and Kuwait, it later expanded this policy across the region to
devastating effect.
The formation of such organizations had a significant impact on some young
people in the Arab region, with many joining various Tehran-backed organizations
during the phase known as the “Awakening,” or what the regime still praises,
even now, as the “Islamic Awakening.”
While it is true that the war in Afghanistan contributed to the emergence of
this “Awakening,” the roots of this phenomena and the excessive religious zeal
that the Iranian regime attempted to foment and exploit were connected with the
Iranian revolution and the Muslim Brotherhood under the umbrella of political
Islam.
The Iranian regime continues to use similar tools in its expansionist drive to
“export the revolution.” Beneath the religious extremist exterior, however, the
primary force driving this expansionism is colonialist anti-Arab Persian
ethno-nationalism, which twists history and geography, as well as dehumanizing
and demonizing Arabs as culturally and racially inferior, as a way of justifying
Iran’s conquests.
Unfortunately, the regime’s success in recent years is encouraging its efforts
to occupy much of the region through military force, and by using these “soft”
and “hard power” approaches.
• Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is an expert in Iranian affairs. He received his Ph.D.
from Leiden University in 2014. He is the founder and chairman of Rasanah:
International Institute for Iranian Studies.
Iran’s acts of war should not go unanswered
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/September 23/2019
Last week’s attacks against Aramco oil facilities were not primarily directed
against Saudi Arabia — they represented an act of aggression against the
civilized world and its economic lifeblood. Earlier this year, Iran attacked oil
tankers owned by neutral states like Norway and Japan. Tehran’s threats to shut
down the Strait of Hormuz are likewise calculated to demonstrate its ability to
sabotage global energy supplies.
China, Russia and the Europeans complacently view the current escalation as
Donald Trump’s problem. The US administration’s flawed containment strategy is
indeed a factor; yet aggressive Iranian expansionism, its sponsorship of
paramilitary proxies and its acts of terrorism all precede Trump. The dramatic
escalation of these activities largely arises from the shortcomings of the 2015
nuclear deal, which drastically increased the funds Tehran had available for
militancy and was secured at the cost of turning a blind eye to Iran’s regional
machinations.
Blaming Trump feels therapeutic but does not make us safer. Iranian militancy is
the world’s problem. We either grab the bull by the horns or await Tehran’s next
attempt to torpedo the global economy.
There was never a prospect of the US’ “maximum pressure” strategy succeeding
without support from pivotal UN Security Council members, notably Russia and
China, which reliably veto measures against Tehran. States like China and India
have likewise continued dealing with Iran, despite being disproportionately
impacted by threats to the Saudi oil supply. European appeasers, meanwhile,
facilitated Tehran’s circumvention of sanctions while stubbornly ignoring its
proxy hordes. Russia has, for a long time, abetted Iran’s paramilitary strategy
in Syria.
Although unprovoked strikes against the economic infrastructure of a neighboring
state are, by definition, acts of aggression, where are the tangible responses
from around the world? Even symbolic actions, such as the withdrawal of
ambassadors. Statements of “regret” and “condemnation” are worse than useless
because they are taken as an excuse for inaction. Iran’s leaders must be
jubilantly incredulous that they are getting away scot-free.
The post-Second World War international institutions were designed to protect
the sovereignty and integrity of member states, rendering cross-border acts of
aggression unthinkable. Saddam Hussein’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait saw an almost
unanimous global response, and even Vladimir Putin found himself summarily
expelled from the G8 over Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.
When there is a failure to multilaterally implement punitive measures, aggressor
nations are effectively rewarded for their actions and other rogue states seize
the opportunity to follow suit. The subversion of vigorously enforced and
universally respected international norms leaves us with the law of the jungle,
inflicting a devastating cost on our globalized, interdependent world.
Trump is getting cold feet about his Iran strategy at the worst possible moment,
while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mumbles incomprehensibly about pursuing a
“peaceful solution.” Civilized negotiations and peaceful solutions are only
possible when engaging with honest and sincere interlocutors who themselves
desire peace. The ayatollahs of Tehran do not fulfill these criteria.
If new sanctions are the only items in Trump’s presidential toolbox that he is
willing to use, this collective abdication of responsibility invites further
Iranian escalations. Simply sending more US forces to the region plays no role
in hindering drone attacks, other than giving Qassem Soleimani additional
targets to fire at. Statements of ‘regret’ and ‘condemnation’ are worse than
useless because they are taken as an excuse for inaction.
Nobody wants war. Yet Iran’s expansionist foreign policy is predicated on what
it can get away with: Relatively inconsequential attacks on tankers and drones
this summer rapidly escalated to targeting infrastructure responsible for a
significant percentage of global oil production.
Just as Barack Obama discovered when Bashar Assad stomped all over his chemical
weapons “red lines,” deterrence only functions when it is backed up by credible
consequences. Trump’s obvious allergy to Middle Eastern military commitments is
the equivalent of wading into a gunfight with both hands tied behind one’s back.
Trump talks about forcing Saudi Arabia to pay, yet this isn’t Riyadh’s
confrontation. Gulf states are paying the price for the international failure to
contain Iran, and are demonstrating admirable restraint in the face of
unprovoked aggression. The relentless targeting of oil tankers and production
facilities could trigger an environmental catastrophe, either in the shallow
Gulf waters or for civilians and the natural environment around targeted sites.
Iran’s principal PR weapon, Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, smilingly
lies, lies and lies again to the international media, threatening “all-out war”
and blustering about Iran’s readiness to fight “to the last American soldier.”
The ayatollahs lash out because they are cornered, desperate and have little to
lose. Iran should not be treated as a supreme regional powerhouse. It is a
minuscule neighborhood irritant that, through successive botched efforts at
appeasement, has been allowed to mutate into a global menace.
Just as the European leaders of the 1930s appeased their way into a global
confrontation with Nazi Germany, a hugely destructive war can today only be
avoided by radically cutting Iran’s war making capacities down to size — its
missile bases, military hardware, paramilitary proxies and perhaps even its
militarized nuclear installations. Some commentators worry that a robust
response could trigger conflict. On the contrary, a carefully calibrated,
multilateral response may be the only means of preventing all-out war.
Mustering a determined and coherent international response requires significant
political will; yet the failure to protect the integrity of the international
system brings with it the ruinous costs of contagious instability and threats to
energy security.
Trump must overcome his aversion to multilateralism, while other world leaders
must overcome their aversion to Trump if the threat of Iranian aggression is to
be neutralized. NATO, the EU, the Arab League and other global bodies must come
together to delineate responsible solutions to a shared threat. The upcoming UN
General Assembly could be the perfect moment for member states to speak with one
voice.
Contemporary diplomacy is often wrongly treated as a zero-sum game; yet Russia,
Asia and Europe are equally menaced by the prospect of unrestrained rogue states
willing to use terrorism and militancy to undermine global stability. The entire
world’s economy is endangered by strikes against oil installations and supply
routes.
If we fail to protect the territorial integrity of just one peace-loving UN
member state today, tomorrow we will find our own nations under threat as the
system of international law and collective security disintegrates.
• Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle
East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has
interviewed numerous heads of state.
Reconnecting with the past, reimagining the future
Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/September 23/2019
This Saudi National Day, Arab News celebrates the future of Saudi Arabia by
reviving its past. In particular, we go back to 1979 — a year in which
cataclysmic events took place that changed the Kingdom, as well as the whole
region.
Why 1979? Because as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said during his interview
with Norah O’Donnell on CBS last year: “We were living a very normal life like
the rest of the Gulf countries. Women were driving cars. There were movie
theaters in Saudi Arabia. Women worked everywhere. We were just normal people
developing like any other country in the world until the events of 1979.”
The famous words of the crown prince were: “This is not the real Saudi Arabia. I
would ask your viewers to use their smartphones to find out. And they can Google
Saudi Arabia in the 1970s and 1960s, and they will see the real Saudi Arabia
easily in the pictures.”
A year before the interview, in October 2017, the crown prince addressed the
Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, and said: “We are returning
to what we were before — a country of moderate Islam.”
So what happened in 1979? Two events in particular: The Iranian revolution that
brought Khomeini to power, and led to the terrorist acts of Juhayman Al-Otaibi
in Saudi Arabia.
If music existed in the days of the Prophet, and if men and women sat and worked
together, then what right have these extremists to forbid what God has allowed?
Narrow-minded parochial winds swept the region as soon as Khomeini stepped off
the plane from Paris in Iran. That led in turn to the whipping up of negative
passions and actions by an equally dangerous obscurantist, Juhayman. He, along
with his deluded followers, violated the sanctity of the Holy Mosque in Makkah
by holding it hostage and spilling blood in the most hallowed place in Islam,
our religion’s holy of holies, its sanctum sanctorum.
The events of 1979 cast a long shadow on what had been a peaceful Saudi society.
They unleashed forces of darkness that plunged the whole region into unrest and
uncertainty. It will be worth reading the article in our special National Day
edition by our Iran affairs expert and head of the International Institute for
Iranian Studies (Rasanah), Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami. He explains in scholarly
detail how the Iranian revolution had a negative impact on the entire Gulf. As
he points out: “Iran’s relations with its Arab neighbors ... in the 1960s and
1970s ... were not as amicable as some suggest, (but) they were certainly not as
bleak as they have been since 1979.”
We highlight the importance of Makkah and the savage acts of Juhayman and his
men with accounts of eyewitnesses. We will also revisit this event on Nov. 20
this year — the 40th anniversary of the siege — and we promise our readers there
will be a special Arab News documentary on every single aspect of those events.
Of course, the effects of 1979 manifested themselves in a wide variety of ways.
They led to the previously unchecked power of the infamous religious police. As
one of our articles points out, members of the group went about causing chaos in
the name of religion. They banned cinemas, destroyed musical instruments, and
raided hotels and restaurants, asking couples who were enjoying a meal together
in public, or just having a coffee, for proof that they were indeed married.
These so-called “promoters of virtue” intruded into the private lives of
ordinary citizens, even engaging in car chases that resulted in accidents and
loss of life.
This monopoly and high-handedness of the religious police was checked by the
announcement of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 program. The
removal of the religious police from Saudi streets was, and is, one of the less
hyped but most significant reforms of the current leadership. As we detail in
one of the articles, the curbing of the religious police’s powers had a domino
effect that allowed women to drive, work, travel freely, go to movies, enjoy
music — and contribute positively and overall to the growth and progress of our
country.
The reforms were criticized by some extremists who said what was happening in
Saudi Arabia was a departure from religion — which is utter nonsense. If music
existed in the days of the Prophet, and if men and women sat and worked
together, then what right have these extremists to forbid what God has allowed?
As one of the articles explains, until the end of 1979, Saudi TV used to
broadcast songs and concerts by Saudi folk bands and artists, including female
singers such as Toha, Etab and Ibtisam Lutfi, to say nothing of concert
performances by Um Kalthoum, Fayza Ahmad, Samira Tawfik, Najat Al-Saghira and
Farid Al-Atrach.
All this, and many more interesting and highly researched articles in this
special edition, highlight how Saudi Arabia is reconnecting with its moderate
past and moving into a future that has links to the past. While the missiles and
drones from the land of Khomeini and the ayatollahs continue to spread darkness,
Saudi Arabia is spreading light for a bright future for its people.
We hope you will enjoy our labor of love as much we have in executing this
special project. A very happy National Day to all.
• Faisal J. Abbas is the editor-in-chief of Arab News