LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 26/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.september26.19.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus cures the Caaanite Woman’s Daughter/Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.”
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 15/21-28/:”Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on September 25-26/2019
Archive/The hope coming from the South
President Aoun urges world leaders to work for safe return of Syrian displaced
Aoun meets Irish President
Aoun to Guterres: Lebanon holds onto UN role in enhancing security in the south
Aoun Meets Sisi on Sidelines of UN General Assembly
Lebanese Man back Home after Mistaken for Hijacker in Greece
Berri meets Iranian Foreign Minister's Senior Aide for Special Political Affairs
Bassil meets Jordanian, Armenian FMs in New York
Joseph Hanoush liberated from abduction
Report: U.S. Begins 'Tough' Visa Measures for Lebanese
Report: Washington Urges Lebanon Banks to Remove Violations
Report: U.S. Begins 'Tough' Visa Measures for Lebanese
Hariri Vows to Close Smuggling Routes on Border with Syria
Hajj Hassan Calls for Investigation into Mobile Network File

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 25-26/2019
Israeli President Gives Netantahu Mandate To Form Government
Saudi Crown Prince, US Secretary of Defense discuss troop deployment
Bahrain Amb. to US: Confrontation is the way to deal with a country like Iran
Sanctions-Hit Iran Props up Economy with Bartering, Secret Deals
Pentagon chief: ‘Iran is responsible for extraordinary attack on Saudi Arabia’
If US lifts sanctions, Iran to accept ‘small changes’ to nuclear deal: Official
Pompeo: Iran's involvement in Saudi Aramco attacks increases risk of conflic
Iran: Detention of British Tanker Lifted but Investigation of Ship Ongoing
US issues new sanctions on Chinese companies linked to Iran
Stena Bulk CEO says not in talks with Iran over seized tanker
Qusair Residents Ask For International Guarantees to Leave Arsal
Israel Final Vote Results Give Netanyahu Additional Seat
Israel Arrests Palestinian Minister for Jerusalem Affairs
Equipment for Building Hospital Enters Gaza within Israel-Hamas Understandings
Egypt: Army Pledges to Maintain Stability Amid Calls For Pro-Sisi Marches
Egypt calls Erdogan statements ‘ironic,’ accuses Turkey of sponsoring terrorism
Several injured after bomb explodes in southern Turkey: State media
Russian 'Advisers' Train New Syrian Battalion
Democrats Launch Formal Trump Impeachment Inquiry

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 25-26/2019
The hope coming from the South/CBC/1988
President Aoun urges world leaders to work for safe return of Syrian displaced/NNA/September 25/2019
Israeli President Gives Netantahu Mandate To Form Government/Jerusalem Post/September 25/2019
UK: Brexiteers vs. Remainers, Gambling at The Last Chance Saloon/Andrew Ash/Gatestone Institute/September 25/2019
How Hamas Leaders Fool Palestinians/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/September 25/2019
West’s ambivalence toward Middle East allies helping Iran/Peter Welby/Arab News/September 25/2019
Trump reluctant to pursue military options on Iran/Ellen R. Wald, Ph.D/Arab News/September 25/2019
Wanted: A new leader for the ‘free world’/Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor/Arab News/September 25/2019

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on September 25-26/2019
The hope coming from the South
CBC/1988
Audio/The hope coming from the South This documentary about Lebanon seen from the Southern eye is very important as a document talking about how the Southerners us...
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/78829/%d8%b5%d8%b1%d8%ae%d8%a9-%d8%ba%d8%b6%d8%a8-%d9%85%d9%86-%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%a6-%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%a5%d8%b3%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%a6%d9%8a%d9%84-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF1KZtR-120&feature=youtu.be
This documentary about Lebanon seen from the Southern eye is very important as a document talking about how the Southerners use to look at the situation during the eighties. About 20 years later things changed and South Lebanon returned to the occupied country without the Guardians of the Land.The people of Lebanon especially new generations don’t have a clue about that period they were miss lead and may consider the real protectors of the land as traitors and those who sold the country to strangers as heroes.
When general Lahad passed away he wasn’t even buried in the land he tried to protect for the generations to come. Cesar Sakr who wrote the script wasn’t allowed to be buried in his own village too. Those who are sending Lebanese to be killed faraway for no reason are still given the spot lights of the Media.
This short documentary is coming from the old days to say that many other options were available to give better future for our beloved county.
Should we ever dream again of a change?…

President Aoun urges world leaders to work for safe return of Syrian displaced
NNA/September 25/2019
President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, on Wednesday urged the world leaders to work for the safe return of Syrian displaced to their country, warning against turning them into "hostages in an international game."
Addressing the United Nations' 74th General Assembly session in New York, President Aoun delivered the following speech:
"Your Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations,
Honorable Heads of States and Governments,
Ladies and gentlemen,
At the onset, it gives great pleasure to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election to preside over the seventy-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly, wishing you success in your duties.
I would also like to thank Her Excellency Mrs. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garcés for her good conduct of the last session, and to salute the UN Secretary-General for his endeavors, especially his reform project for the international organization, targeting its various areas of competency, and the attention he is granting to the issues of our region in general, and Lebanon in particular.
On the 16th of this month of September, the General Assembly voted on Resolution 344 in favor of the establishment of "the Academy for Human Encounters and Dialogue" in Lebanon. In this context, allow me to convey my country's acknowledgement to all the member-States that co-hosted this project and voted in its favor, with all the encouragement that this bears for us to move forward with this initiative that I had launched before you two years ago.
I will follow up with keenness the creation of this Academy, because I believe that true peace is the one established between humans and not on paper, and because I also have faith in the role and vocation of Lebanon as a land of convergence and dialogue, and in the experiences and expertise of its people and plural society, which made them reject intellectual and religious extremism, and taught them how to live tolerance and the acceptance of the other.
This Academy is all the more important because it embodies an international project for the convergence of the various cultures, religions and ethnicities, promotes the spirit of coexistence, and spreads the culture of knowing and accepting the other, in line with the principles of the UN and what the organization aims for through its noble programs which strive to bridge the gap among peoples, on top of which preventive diplomacy for the prior eradication of the causes of conflicts.
Two days ago, the Climate Summit was held here at the United Nations, upon the invitation of the Secretary-General. In this context, Lebanon joined the group of countries supporting the initiative of His Excellency the President of Austria "for more Climate Ambition", after it was at the forefront of the signatory countries of the Paris Agreement in 2015.
On another hand, Lebanon has taken numerous steps this year to promote the role of women. Indeed, the Lebanese Government adopted a comprehensive national plan to put into effect UN Security Council Resolution 1325 about women, peace and security, and it embarked on its implementation. We have also completed all the steps related to the work of the National Commission for Human Rights and the Torture prevention committee.
Mr. President,
Esteemed audience,
The heated war that prevailed over many countries in the Middle East during the last decade has recessed. Nevertheless, its repercussions on our countries and societies are becoming more widespread and entrenched, especially at the economic and social levels.
The debates of the General Assembly this year are under the theme "Galvanizing the multilateral efforts for poverty eradication, quality education, climate action and inclusion". Shall we remind you again of the size of the adverse impact entailed by the Syrian displacement crisis and its repercussions on Lebanon in the security, political, social, economic and environmental spheres, as well as on infrastructure, growth and the increased unemployment rate? This displacement has posed a serious threat to the achievement of the sustainable development goal agenda in Lebanon, and led to the aggravation of its economic crisis.
If Lebanon strives hard to face the difficult economic situation, relying on a set of drastic structural measures and reforms to its economic and financial system, in cooperation with the concerned international institutions, this also urges me to call on all the world leaders to work for the safe return of the displaced to Syria, especially that addressing this crisis is certainly not the sole responsibility of Lebanon, but rather a shared international responsibility that makes it imperative for all of us to collaborate together to urgently find solutions thereof.
Indeed, the international community cannot content itself with providing minimum assistance to the displaced and refugees in their regions of displacement only, while excluding programs for their safe and dignified return.
The conditions of such return have become available: in fact, as per international reports, the security situation on most of the Syrian territories has become stable, the military confrontations have become confined to the Idlib region, and the Syrian State has officially declared, time and again, that it welcomes the return of its displaced citizens. To date, around 370.000 displaced have left Lebanon, more than 250.000 of whom having returned to Syria; and there is no feedback which states that they have been subject to persecution or mistreatment.
On the other hand, we have many question marks about the positions of some active States and concerned international organizations, trying to hinder this return, the allegations that the security situation in Syria is dangerous, and sowing fear among the displaced, which clearly indicates the political postulates through which the displacement crisis is being tackled, as if the displaced have become hostages in an international game to be swapped when settlements and solutions are imposed! De facto, this may drive Lebanon to foster the undertaken return process, in agreement with the Syrian State, when needed, to solve this dilemma which threatens our entity and existence, because the experience of displaced peoples around the world, and waiting for political solutions are not at all reassuring. Our history witnessed two discouraging experiences in this respect: the first in 1974, after the war broke out in Cyprus, and a large number of Cypriots took refuge in Lebanon, then they swiftly returned to their country as soon as a cease-fire was declared, without waiting for the political solution, which has not been achieved till the day. The second experience started in 1948, with the waves of displacement of the Palestinian people to the countries of diaspora, and in particular to Lebanon where the Palestinians are still living in camps, nurturing the dream of return, and awaiting the political solution and the implementation of Resolution 194 for seventy-one years now.
In a connected context, I guard against the danger of reducing the services provided by UNRWA to the Palestinian refugees, which added to the social and fiscal strains weighing on them and on us, thus threatening to turn the Palestinian youth from 'education candidates' to 'revenge candidates'. Here I would like to note Lebanon's categorical rejection of any attempt to undermine the UNRWA or modify its mandate. I call on the countries that contribute to its budget to double their contributions to enable it to recover its vital role.
Mr. President,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Middle East crisis which has been lingering for decades is becoming more complicated because all the solution approaches and all the Israeli practices contradict the founding principles of the United Nations.
Indeed, the judaization of Al-Quds (Jerusalem), the methodic colonial policy, the legislations that contradict human rights, the recognition of the annexation of lands that were occupied by force, as in the case of the Golan Heights, the electoral promises to annex new lands, with all what leaks about "the Deal of the Century" from removing the borders of some States and striking their territorial unity, to liquidating the Palestinian cause, keeping the Palestinians where they are, the subsequent damage that Lebanon will suffer because it hosts a large number of refugees,... all the above undermines any chance for peace in the Middle East and points undoubtedly to a dark unknown future because the rights of the peoples remain alive as long as it takes.
Mr. President,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Israeli violations of Resolution 1701 have never ceased, and neither have the exaggerated aggressions against the Lebanese sovereignty, by land, see and air. The blatant hostile act carried out last month against a residential area in the heart of Beirut is the most serious infringement of this Resolution. Moreover, the fires that lasted for days in the occupied Shebaa farms as a result of the incendiary Israeli shells, represent an international environmental crime that requires a condemnation of those who caused them.
From this rostrum, I reiterate that Lebanon is a peace-loving country, that we are committed to Resolution 1701, and we always strive to respect it; yet, this commitment does not eliminate our natural non-transferable right to legitimately defend ourselves, our land and our people, with all available means.
I also reiterate that Lebanon holds on to its sovereign rights over the occupied Shebaa Farms, the Kfarshouba Hills and the Northen Ghajar. It shall spare no opportunity to consecrate its internationally land borders which are firmly documented at the United Nations, and to demarcate its maritime borders as well, under UN supervision, while welcoming any help from any country in this respect, at a time when the exploratory oil and gas drilling operations will start in its territorial waters by the end of the year as per international laws and norms.
Mr. President,
Esteemed audience,
As Lebanon embarks on the preparations to celebrate the centenary of "Greater Lebanon", you celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations which was founded on 24/10/1945. Ever since, the world has known many wars and conflicts, especially in the Middle East, the constant flashpoint where temperature rises or drops but never cools down, and our peoples always pay the price, with their security, stability, peace, economy and even demographic diversity.
The core of the problem is the same: contradiction between the interest of the strong and the right of the weak; thus principles, logic and justice are lost, and solutions are diluted.
The aberration prevailing in politics nowadays has cost the world its stability after all parameters have been undermined, and there are no more criteria to stem and control differences and thus solve them according to the applicable rules.
This has made many countries incapable of taking political decisions beyond their limits, and has prevented them from converging and cooperating. Thus, many opportunities for conflict resolution were lost, and the door was wide open for chaos.
The United Nations has undertaken many initiatives aimed at making the voice of peace and development heard. Some of them succeeded while many did not reach the desired outcome. We hope that the UN will promote today the general principles, the international law and the charters as they are the only reference to safeguard the rights, for no justice shall rise, no right shall be consecrated and no peace will be established, as long as the principle prevailing in our world is: I am strong, then I am right!
Thank you."

Aoun meets Irish President
NNA - Wed 25 Sep 2019
President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, currently in New York, met with President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins.

Aoun to Guterres: Lebanon holds onto UN role in enhancing security in the south
NNA - Wed 25 Sep 2019
NNA - President Michel Aoun renewed Lebanon's high regard for the role assumed by the international peacekeepers to maintain security and stability in south the country, in remarks made Wednesday during his meeting with UN chief Antonio Guterres in New York.
"Lebanon holds onto the role of the international organization in enhancing security and stability in the south through the UNIFIL, in implementation of UN Security Council’s resolution 1701," Aoun told his host who received him and an accompanying delegation at the UN headquarters.
During the meeting, Aoun stressed that the displaced Syrians' dossier was still a priority for Lebanon, highlighting the necessity to push for their repatriation and to offer them aids in their country. Furthermore, the President thanked Guterres for his support to endorse the foundation of the Academy for Human Encounter and Dialogue in Lebanon. Accordingly, he indicated that Lebanon was conducting the necessary contacts with the concerned states to ink bilateral agreements. For his part, Guterres underlined that the UN was keen on Lebanon’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.It is to note that the pair also discussed the current situation in the region in light of the latest developments.

Aoun Meets Sisi on Sidelines of UN General Assembly
Naharnet/September 25/2019
President Michel Aoun met with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi at the UN headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly meeting, the National News Agency reported on Wednesday. Talks between the two men highlighted the bilateral relations between Lebanon and Egypt and discussed the means to “develop” them, said NNA. Stressing Egypt’s support for “Lebanon, its president, government and people,” Sisi said “Egypt is keen on Lebanon’s security and stability.”He reiterated that Egypt “will spare no effort” to help Lebanon find a solution to the issue of displaced Syrians because of the negative repercussions it has on various sectors in Lebanon. Sisi said he followed up closely on the Israel-Lebanon developments in the South, saying Egypt was in contact with the US and other States to alleviate any escalation and to prevent any deterioration. “The Arab public opinion does not accept any aggression against Lebanon, as in 2006,” during the Hizbullah-Israel war he said. The meeting was held in the presence of Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations, Amal Mudallali, Lebanese Ambassador to Washington Gaby Issa, and Aoun’s adviser Mireille Aoun. On the Egyptian side, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri, Director of Egyptian Intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, Director of the President’s Office Mohsen Abdel Nabi and Presidency Spokesman Bassam Radi. Discussions touched on the regional developments mainly in the Gulf following the attacks on Saudi oil installations. They also discussed the so-called "deal of the century," stressing that Arab countries will not approve of any form rejected by the Palestinians themselves,” saying “this position is clear and unanimous. It has already been stressed."

Lebanese Man back Home after Mistaken for Hijacker in Greece
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 September, 2019
A Lebanese journalist is back home in Beirut after being mistakenly detained last week in Greece on suspicion of involvement in a 1985 TWA airline hijacking. A Greek police statement said the name on the man's passport came up on a European police computer system as that of a man wanted by Germany over the hijacking, in which an American was killed. Mohamed Saleh told reporters upon his arrival in Beirut Wednesday that he was charged by a "country that I never visited in my life." He was referring to Germany. Asked if he plans to take legal action against Greece and Germany, Saleh said he will discuss it with his lawyer and decide later.Saleh, 65, was detained for five days while on a cruise ship touring southern Europe. TWA Flight 847 was commandeered by hijackers shortly after taking off from Athens on June 14, 1985. It originated in Cairo and had San Diego as its final destination, with stops scheduled in Athens, Rome, Boston and Los Angeles. The hijackers shot and killed US Navy diver Robert Stethem, 23, after beating him unconscious. They released the other 146 passengers and crew members on the plane during an ordeal that included stops in Beirut and Algiers. The last hostage was freed after 17 days. Several Greek media outlets had identified the Mykonos detainee as Mohammed Ali Hammadi, who was arrested in Frankfurt in 1987 and convicted in Germany for the hijacking and Stethem's slaying. Hammadi, an alleged member of the Hezbollah party, was sentenced to life in prison but was paroled in 2005 and returned to Lebanon. Germany resisted pressure to extradite him to the United States after Hezbollah abducted two German citizens in Beirut and threatened to kill them. Hammadi, along with fellow hijacker Hasan Izz-Al-Din and accomplice Ali Atwa, remains on the FBI's list of most wanted terrorists. The FBI offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to each man's capture.

Berri meets Iranian Foreign Minister's Senior Aide for Special Political Affairs
NNA - Wed 25 Sep 2019
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Wednesday welcomed at his Ain Tineh residence Senior Aide of the Iranian Foreign Minister for Special Political Affairs, Ali Asghar Khaji, in the presence of Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon, Mohammed Jalal Feroznia. Talks reportedly touched on most recent developments in the region, in light of the recent Astana Summit. Following the almost one-hour meeting, Khaji said that his tour in the region comes in light of the recent development in Syria, bringing to attention that he has met earlier with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem, over most recent developments and the prospects for addressing the Syrian crisis in the future. Khaji added that he held with Speaker Berri a tour d'horizon bearing on the various developments vis-s-vis the Syrian crisis, and the course of the Yemeni crisis. Khaji stressed the necessity of intensifying the level of consultation, cooperation and exchange of views with Lebanon visi-a-vis the Syrian crisis notably that Lebanon has become recently an observer at the ASTANA. On the other hand, Berri met with IDAL Vice President Alaa Hamieh.

Bassil meets Jordanian, Armenian FMs in New York
NNA - Wed 25 Sep 2019
Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil held Wednesday a series of talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where he met with his Iraqi counterpart Mohammad Ali al-Hakim, over an array of common interests and affairs between Lebanon and Iraq. The pair discussed the opening of crossings between Iraq and Syria, to facilitate the passage of Lebanese goods. They also took up the reoperation of Tripoli's oil refinery and the rehabilitation of the oil pipeline between Lebanon and Iraq. Bassil also held talks with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, and Finland's Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari, with whom he discussed bilateral cooperation at the levels of trade and tourism.

Joseph Hanoush liberated from abduction
NNA - Wed 25 Sep 2019
Citizen Joseph Sami Hanoush, who went missing in Bekaa on August 27, was released from abduction this afternoon, National News Agency correspondent reported on Wednesday.

Report: U.S. Begins 'Tough' Visa Measures for Lebanese
Naharnet/September 25/2019
Washington has reportedly begun “tough” measures for Lebanese wishing to travel to the United States, the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat reported on Wednesday.
Quoting ministerial sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, the daily said the US Consulate in Beirut, which reports directly to the Department of Homeland Security, began to enjoy broad powers in terms of refusing renewal of US entry visas for some Lebanese and revoking entry visas for others before it expires.The sources affirmed that the Consulate had refrained from giving entry permits or renewing them to a number of Lebanese deputies. “Pro-Hizbullah Health Minister Jamil Jibaq, was not the only one who could not renew the entry permit to be part of the delegation accompanying President Michel Aoun to New York,” they said.“Even individuals with valid entry visas must contact the US Consulate in Beirut to ascertain they are still entitled to travel and that their visas are not cancelled,” they added. “Such measures also apply to Lebanese who have European citizenship (with Visa Waiver Program- VWP),” said the sources, noting that some “Lebanese with European nationalities had to return to the place where they traveled from upon arrival at US airports.”Lebanese officials brought that issue with US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker during his recent visit to Beirut, the sources said. But Schenker said the Secretary of State is not to blame for the measures.

Report: Washington Urges Lebanon Banks to Remove Violations
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 25/2019
The brief visit of US Treasury Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing Marshall Billingslea to Beirut, comes as part of “Washington's inclusion of Lebanon on the list of countries subject to its strict control,” the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat reported on Wednesday. Billingslea’s visit came to closely follow up on the US sanctions on Hizbullah, being the military and political arm of Iran, and to get the latest updates on the liquidation of Lebanon’s Jammal Trust Bank, sanctioned by the US for funding Hizbullah, said the daily. Ministerial and bank officials told Asharq al-Awsat that Bellingslea has warned Hizbullah’s allies of violating US sanctions, or providing any kind of support for Hizbullah. The sources said Bellingslea was satisfied with the measures taken by Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh in liquidating JTB, and that he did not name any new Lebanese banks that could be subject to US sanctions as reports claim. The US official was very “strict” said the sources “when stressing the need that Lebanese banks should avoid opening any accounts linked to Hizbullah.”He was “very keen on preserving the banking sector in Lebanon and supporting the economic stability,” said the sources, noting that he “praised the cooperation with the Association of Banks in Lebanon, as well as Banque du Liban (BDL), to combat terrorism, money laundering and the drying up of financial assets of Iran and its allies in the region.”“Even if we assume that banks committed irregularities and mistakes in opening accounts for the party, we do not mind to initiate a clean-up,” Bellingslea was reported as saying.

Report: U.S. Begins 'Tough' Visa Measures for Lebanese
Naharnet/September 25/2019
Washington has reportedly begun “tough” measures for Lebanese wishing to travel to the United States, the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat reported on Wednesday.
Quoting ministerial sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, the daily said the US Consulate in Beirut, which reports directly to the Department of Homeland Security, began to enjoy broad powers in terms of refusing renewal of US entry visas for some Lebanese and revoking entry visas for others before it expires.
The sources affirmed that the Consulate had refrained from giving entry permits or renewing them to a number of Lebanese deputies.
“Pro-Hizbullah Health Minister Jamil Jibaq, was not the only one who could not renew the entry permit to be part of the delegation accompanying President Michel Aoun to New York,” they said. “Even individuals with valid entry visas must contact the US Consulate in Beirut to ascertain they are still entitled to travel and that their visas are not cancelled,” they added. “Such measures also apply to Lebanese who have European citizenship (with Visa Waiver Program- VWP),” said the sources, noting that some “Lebanese with European nationalities had to return to the place where they traveled from upon arrival at US airports.”Lebanese officials brought that issue with US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker during his recent visit to Beirut, the sources said. But Schenker said the Secretary of State is not to blame for the measures.

Hariri Vows to Close Smuggling Routes on Border with Syria
Naharnet/September 25/2019
Prime Minister Saad Hariri assured that the government is working seriously to close all illegal crossings and smuggling routes between Lebanon and Syria, stressing that smugglers will be brought to justice.
“Smuggling is a real problem and the government is working seriously to close all illegal crossings. Soon the Lebanese will hear that a large number of smugglers, whether state employees or traders, are brought to justice,” he said, adding that the judiciary today is much better than it was in the past, and there will be no interventions in favor of the smugglers who will be arrested. Hariri was addressing participants in the Lebanon Agriculture Development Conference 2019, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Economic Office at the Council of Ministers, the Union of Agricultural Syndicates and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Lebanon, in cooperation with Al-Iktissad Wal-Aamal, at the Phoenicia Hotel. Hariri said: “There is no doubt that the state is not doing enough for the agricultural sector and the main problem is that the policy of agriculture is floundering. There is no clear strategy for the farmer to know what crops he should focus on so that they are an added value to what is found in neighboring and distant countries. The government problem is that it does not help farmers achieve these specifications.”
However, he noted that the government is ready to support the agriculture that gives the country and farmers an added value, and said that the government is working on a project with the ministries of finance and agriculture to complete the assessment of Lebanese lands, especially agricultural ones.
“This sector cannot wait anymore for an integrated strategy, and we cannot go halfway and then stop. The strategy must be integrated in everything we do today, whether in electricity, telecommunications, agriculture or industry. Closing our markets to some foreign products is closing on ourselves, because this prevents us from exporting our products to these countries,” emphasized the Premier. “There are already some free trade agreements that need to be reviewed, but there is a workshop that will take place at the Grand Serail, organized by the ministry of agriculture with FAO and the World Bank, to establish a strategy for the sector as part of the McKinsey Study. Some infrastructure is lacking, but the advantage we have today is the projects approved at the CEDRE Conference, which will advance the agricultural sector and its infrastructure in all Lebanese regions, which will develop various other sectors. In CEDRE, there is funding for all projects from A to Z in an integrated manner,” he noted. Highlighting measures to combat smuggling, Hariri said: “Last week, I had a meeting with the interior and defense ministers and all the military and customs leaderships about smuggling. Smuggling is a real problem. For example, with the start of the war in Syria in 2012, our smuggling dropped to 2 percent. Now that things in Syria calmed down, smuggling has risen again to 30 and 40%, which is unacceptable, so we held these meetings and are working to close all illegal crossings. The government will approve the issue of scanners and other detectors to focus on all land, sea and air ports.”Hariri concluded by noting that the proposals that will come out of this conference will be discussed, and most of them should be part of the plan to be adopted by the government in the field of agriculture. We have to develop ourselves, and this conference is one of the ways to develop, in order to reach solutions to the problems facing the agriculture sector in Lebanon, and to develop an integrated strategy for the promotion of agriculture, and thus the economy.

Hajj Hassan Calls for Investigation into Mobile Network File
Naharnet/September 25/2019
Chairman of the Parliamentary Telecommunications Committee, MP Hussein Hajj Hassan, pushed in a press conference for the formation of a parliamentary committee of inquiry into the mobile network file, the National News Agency said on Wednesday. He said: “The representative of Etisalat Company had admitted that the Minister of Telecommunications was forcing the two companies to change the results of transparent tenders and sign with certain companies.”Hassan added: “We have listened to statements made by officials in the mobile network companies, and were informed of irregularities and pressures. We have hundreds of documents and data,” he asserted."We have requested the formation of a parliamentary investigation committee to hold accountable the parties responsible for breaches committed in the companies operating the mobile sector and the violations of successive ministers," Hajj Hassan concluded.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 25-26/2019
Israeli President Gives Netantahu Mandate To Form Government
الرئيس الإسرائيلي كلف نيتنياهو مهمة تشكيل الحكومة الجديدة واعطاه فترة 4 أسابيع للتنفيذ
Jerusalem Post/September 25/2019
President Reuven Rivlin formally gave Netanyahu four weeks to form the government after a meeting at the President's Residence.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has another chance to form a government after failing to do so following the April election.
President Reuven Rivlin formally gave Netanyahu four weeks to form the government after a meeting at the President's Residence with Blue and White leader Benny Gantz failed to bring about a breakthrough.
"Netanyahu has more of a chance to form a government," Rivlin said in a speech alongside Netanyahu.
Rivlin said he gave the mandate to Netanyahu, because he received 55 recommendations from MKs, compared to Gantz's 54. He called upon parties to stop disqualifying each other. He lamented that a unity government was not formed.
In his speech, Rivlin revealed that he offered the possibility of passing a law enabling a prime minister to suspend himself while under indictment and have a vice prime minister take over until the prime minister is cleared. He also noted that by law, after the candidate with a mandate fails to form a government, instead of giving the mandate to another candidate, the Knesset can choose a candidate with the support of 61 MKs. Netanyahu already has a bloc of 55 MKs from his Likud and his allies in Yamina, Shas and United Torah Judaism. He would need Yisrael Beytenu, Labor-Gesher or Blue and White to join to form a government. All have repeatedly refused to do so. "My inability to form a government is slightly less than that of Gantz," Netanyahu said in accepting the mandate.
Netanyahu called on Gantz to form a government led by him, citing security, diplomatic and economic reasons and raising the prospects of both war with Iran and a peace process with the Palestinians led by US President Donald Trump.
If Netanyahu fails, Rivlin could give the mandate to Gantz or to another candidate in Likud. He could also tell Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein that there is no candidate. If that happened, there would be 21 days in which any candidate could try to get 61 MKs together andform a government.
Gantz reiterated after Netanyahu was given the mandate that his party would not enter a government led by Netanyahu while a possible indictments is waiting in the wings. Sources close to Rivlin said on Tuesday that he would likely only appoint a candidate to form a government next Wednesday after the Rosh Hashana holiday. But after no progress was made in initial talks between Likud and Blue and White, Rivlin changed his mind.
Just in case there would be a breakthrough that would lead to coalition talks, the Likud coalition negotiating team came to the President's Residence. The Blue and White team did not come. They said they were prepared to come quickly if there would be a breakthrough, but that they had low expectations from Netanyahu. At 7:23pm Rivilin left Netanyahu and Gantz to talk alone for half an hour, but their talks did not succeed

Saudi Crown Prince, US Secretary of Defense discuss troop deployment
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Thursday, 26 September 2019
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a phone call on Wednesday from the US Secretary of Defense during which they discussed ongoing arrangements to send US troops of a defensive nature to the Kingdom, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Mark Esper that recent attacks on Aramco oil facilities were “a dangerous escalation for the whole world that requires a firm stand to preserve international peace and security,” SPA said.

Bahrain Amb. to US: Confrontation is the way to deal with a country like Iran
By Staff Writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Bahrain’s Ambassador to the US Abdulla R. Al-Khalifa said on Wednesday that the only way to deal with a country like Iran is “to confront it,” in remarks at an event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. “If you have a country within the region with hegemonic ambitions that aren’t going to change, that really is a problem. The only way to deal with it is to confront it,” said Al-Khalifa at the United Against Nuclear Iran summit. Al-Khalifa said that there have been dozens of Iranian “acts of war” in the Middle East and Arabian Gulf in the past few years, usually through proxies, from missile and IED attacks to cyberattacks. “We have to expose how our communities are being exposed by the IRGC [Iranian Revolutionary Guards] ... and what we've done to push back on their behavior,” said Al-Khalifa. Al-Khalifa discussed the history of Iran’s interference in the region, providing evidence that Iran’s meddling in foreign affairs is nothing new. He showed a picture of pro-Iranian activists demonstrating on the streets of Bahrain’s capital city of Manama in 2009. Al-Khalifa said that Iran was trying to foment a coup in Bahrain. “But we pushed back. Otherwise we would have become Lebanon,” Al-Khalifa said, adding that Iran’s leadership has repeatedly tried to overthrow Bahrain’s king. Amid rising tensions in the region, Al-Khalifa said it was important to stand behind Saudi Arabia. Bahrain is scheduled to co-host a conference on “maritime and air navigation security” with the US next month.

Sanctions-Hit Iran Props up Economy with Bartering, Secret Deals
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 September, 2019
Washington’s policy of applying “maximum pressure” on Iran with wide-ranging sanctions has shredded the country’s oil revenues, sent its economy into recession and devalued its national currency. Yet Iran remains defiant in the face of US efforts to compel it to accept tougher restrictions on its nuclear program and scale back support for proxy wars across the Middle East. Iranian officials, business people and analysts say the country is staying on its feet by stepping up exports of non-oil goods and increasing tax revenues, but most importantly resorting to bartering, smuggling and back-room deals. To circumvent US banking and financial sanctions, Iran’s rulers have built up a network of traders, companies, exchange offices, and money collectors in different countries, they say. “America cannot isolate Iran,” said one senior Iranian official, who like other officials asked not to be named. Ali Vaez, Iran Project Director at the International Crisis Group, said although the Iranian economy was in dire straits, it was far from being overwhelmed. “Iran is quite experienced in living under economic duress ... In the past few years, its non-oil exports have grown significantly and so has their trade with neighboring countries like Iraq and Afghanistan,” Vaez said, according to Reuters. “Iran can also smuggle oil and generate some revenue.”
Tough sanctions
Western companies raced back to Iran’s market and its oil income surged a year after a 2015 nuclear pact agreed with six major powers ended the sanctions regime imposed in 2012 over its disputed nuclear program. New sanctions brought in after President Donald Trump withdrew from that agreement last May are the most painful ever imposed by Washington, targeting nearly all sectors of Iran’s economy including how it finances its international trade. The OPEC member’s crude exports have been slashed by more than 80 percent since last year, against 2012 when exports plummeted to less than 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd) from about 2.5 million bpd. Although food and medicine are exempt, lack of access to the global financial system has given rise to a humanitarian crisis with shortages of specialized medicine. The International Monetary Fund has forecast that Iran’s economy will contract in 2019 by 3.6 percent because of dwindling oil revenues. The World Bank anticipates inflation jumping to 31.2 percent in 2019-20 from 23.8 percent in 2018-19 and 9.6 percent the year before that. Some economists believe inflation has actually topped 40 percent. Iranian officials repeatedly contend that the country can weather the storm, but the reality on the ground is harsh.
The sharp devaluation of Iran’s national currency and difficulty paying for urgent import needs have led to spikes in the prices of bread, rice and other staples. “It is easy for officials to talk about resisting America’s pressure. They don’t have to be worried about the rent or increasing prices of goods,” said Ali Kamali, a 63-year-old retired teacher in Tehran. “Prices are going up every day.”An end to sanctions is not in sight anytime soon, with Trump saying on Tuesday that pressure will intensify on Iran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will give a speech at a UN General Assembly on Wednesday that will likely determine whether Tehran will re-engage with the United States. Tensions have been further raised by September 14 attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil sites that Washington, Riyadh and the European Union blame on Iran. Tehran denies involvement in the attacks, which were claimed by Iran-aligned Houthi militias in Yemen. “Iran doesn’t have many other sources of income, beyond oil, so their economy is in a tailspin ... They do have considerable budgetary reserves ... to get them past the next few months, but the situation is not tenable,” said Chuck Freilich, senior fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
Finance has dried up
The financial sanctions have hit banks, institutions, individuals and front companies in several countries like Turkey and Qatar. Iran has used the barter system to evade such sanctions in the past, but the scale is bigger this time, especially with neighboring countries, including Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. “We are a rich country with long borders with so many countries. If you sell anything below its market price, you can find dozens of buyers ... And transfer the cash by land, sea or even through a third country,” said another Iranian official. The majority of Iran’s non-oil exports are from the petrochemical industry, whose output reached 44.8 million tons in the first ten months of the last Iranian year that ended in March. Exports generated over $9.7 billion. Iran is still managing to export cargoes of petrochemical products and liquefied petroleum gas to Asia, including to China and Malaysia. “Our customers come to Iran or we meet them in a neighboring country. This is business and when the price is lower than the market price, you can find many buyers,” said a third official. On a recent visit to Istanbul, Reuters was invited to a meeting of three young Iranians with a small group of foreign traders to discuss non-oil export deals.
After hours of discussions and several calls to Tehran to get guidance on the price and location of delivery, two deals worth around two billion dollars were finalized. “No insurance, no banks ... just cash,” said one of the Iranians, who ran a government-linked import-export company.

Pentagon chief: ‘Iran is responsible for extraordinary attack on Saudi Arabia’
Staff Writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 25 September 2019
On Tuesday the US Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, took to Twitter to state that having met with some of the US’s key allies, “The consensus is clear – Iran is responsible for the extraordinary attack on Saudi Arabia.”Esper added that the expectation among the allies he met was that “others will step up and call Iran out.”Esper’s comments follow widespread condemnation of Iran from regional and international governments. The attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities on September 14 briefly interrupted the supply of an estimated 5.7 million barrels of crude oil per day - around five percent of global supply - and two billion cubic feet of gas. Following the attacks, President Trump told Saudi Arabia that Washington stood ready to cooperate with the Kingdom to support security and stability. The strikes had initially been claimed by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen. Recent reports and statements from top officials in Saudi Arabia have said that investigations suggest that the attack likely came from Iran, while the weapons have been confirmed Iranian-made.By September 17 Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman confirmed that the Kingdom had returned oil supply levels to pre-attack levels.

If US lifts sanctions, Iran to accept ‘small changes’ to nuclear deal: Official
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Iran is willing to give reassurances on not seeking nuclear arms and accept "small changes" to its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers if the United States returns to the deal and lifts sanctions, a government spokesman said on Wednesday. "If the sanctions are ended and there is a return to the (nuclear) accord, there is room for giving reassurances towards breaking the deadlock and President (Hassan Rouhani) even has a proposal for small changes in the accord," the spokesman, Ali Rabiei, said on state TV.

Pompeo: Iran's involvement in Saudi Aramco attacks increases risk of conflict
Staff Writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 25 September 2019
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that Iran’s involvement in Saudi Aramco attacks increases risk of conflict.He made his remarks to the Iran Summit, hosted by United Against Nuclear Iran. Pompeo also said that “the enforcement of sanctions [on Iran] has been, and will continue to be, relentless.” Sanctions have forced the regime into “panicked aggression,” added Pompeo. Too many people listen to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif and take their words as relevant or important or material or accurate, said Pompeo. "The world is awakening to the truth, the truth is that Iran responds to strength," added Pompeo. Pompeo also addressed US sanctions on Iran. He said that Washington is taking new action to disentangle the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the economy. The US will be educating companies on how to desist from financing the IRGC, and punishing them if they refuse.Pompeo also drew attention to Wednesday's sanctions on Chinese entitites for knowingly transferring oil to Iran despite US sanctions. It is important that the US is sanctioning their chief executives too, he added.
"We will sanction every violation of sanctionable activity," summarized Pompeo. The secretary of state then described US diplomacy as drawing attention to Iranian malign influence.

Iran: Detention of British Tanker Lifted but Investigation of Ship Ongoing
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 September, 2019
Iran’s foreign ministry said a detention order on the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero was lifted on Wednesday, but added that an investigation into the vessel was ongoing. “The lifting of the detention order against Steno Impero was finalized today, but the investigation of some of its violations and environmental damage remains open,” ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in a tweet. “The owner and captain of the ship have made a written commitment to accept the court’s decision in this regard,” he said, Reuters reported. Iranian forces seized the Stena Impero on July 19 for alleged marine violations two weeks after British marines detained an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar. The Iranian vessel was released in August.

US issues new sanctions on Chinese companies linked to Iran
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 25 September 2019
The United States on Wednesday announced fresh Iran-related sanctions on five Chinese individuals and six entities, including two Cosco Shipping corporation Ltd subsidiaries, the U.S. Department of Treasury said.The sanctions target Cosco Shipping Tanker Co and Cosco Shipping Tanker Seaman and Ship Management Co Ltd but do notapply to the parent company, the notice on the department's website said. They also target China Concord Petroleum Co, Kunlun Shipping Company Ltd, Kunlun Holding Company Ltd and Pegasus 88 Limited, the department said.

Stena Bulk CEO says not in talks with Iran over seized tanker
Reuters, Stockholm/Wednesday, 25 September 2019
The company which owns the British-flagged Stena Impero oil tanker seized by Iran is not in negotiations with Iran and is not aware of any formal charge against the crew or the company, its chief executive said on Wednesday. “We haven’t been accused of anything. Not through any formal letter or anything else to the company. We are still in the dark over why we are anchored in Bandar Abbas,” Stena Bulk CEO Erik Hanell told Reuters by telephone. Iran seized the British tanker near the Strait of Hormuz for alleged marine violations two weeks after British forces detained an Iranian tanker near Gibraltar, accusing it of shipping oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. The Iranian tanker was later released, and Iran freed seven of the 23 crew members of the Stena Impero tanker. Iranian officials said on Monday that the vessel was free to depart after legal hurdles were cleared, but Hanell said it remained in port.

Qusair Residents Ask For International Guarantees to Leave Arsal
Beirut - Paula Astih/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 September, 2019
Thousands of residents of the Syrian border region of Qusair, most of whom live in the eastern Lebanese town of Arsal, are asking for international guarantees after Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has asked them to return to their land. The area has turned in the past six years into a major military base for Hezbollah, from which its elements fight in various regions of Syria. Some of the people of the region, who have been publicly prohibited in recent years from returning to their towns and cities, insist that the guarantees must be international. Many of those had previously engaged in operations against Hezbollah and the Syrian regime, or were supporters of the opposition fighters. Around 30,000 Quseir citizens currently live in the town of Arsal, which has witnessed recently calls by Lebanese citizens against the deterioration of the economic situation, which they blame on the Syrian presence.
The mayor of Arsal, Bassel Hujeiri, noted that a large part of Syrian refugees were demanding international assurances and guarantees that may be difficult to achieve in the current situation. He added that it might be useful to work instead on intra-Syrian understandings, “which had contributed earlier to the repatriation of many of the displaced we were hosting in our town to other regions, including areas of the western Qalamoun.”“Despite all the challenges and difficulties we face, we have been insisting on the voluntary return of the displaced, and we believe that initiating the return to Qusair will leave a major impact on the entire Arsal community,” he remarked. Last week, Nasrallah announced that his party has arranged its positions in the villages of Qusair, adding that all of the residents could now safely return to their villages, based on a decision by the Syrian leadership. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the return of citizens to the city of Qusair located in western Homs countryside “is still shy, given the obstacles and fears that stand in the way of their return, despite [Hezbollah’s] assurances.”“This return is conditional,” the Observatory noted, revealing that Sunni Muslim and Christian citizens are required to prove their loyalty to [Hezbollah], and are subject to lengthy investigations before being allowed to return to their homeland.

Israel Final Vote Results Give Netanyahu Additional Seat
Tel Aviv- Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 September, 2019
Israel's election committee published final results from last week's election on Wednesday that gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud an additional seat, but which did not change the deadlock the country faces. The final results from the September 17 vote gave the rightwing Likud 32 seats compared to Benny Gantz's centrist Blue and White's 33 in the 120-seat parliament. The two parties are in the process of trying to negotiate a unity coalition, and President Reuven Rivlin has one week to name someone to form a government. Likud's additional seat came at the expense of one of Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, United Torah Judaism, which now has seven. Israel's Arab parties, running together under the Joint List alliance, finished as the third-largest force in parliament with 13 seats. Netanyahu has received the endorsement of 55 parliament members to be prime minister, while Gantz has received 54. Neither has a clear path to a majority coalition. Rivlin, who will formally receive the results later Wednesday, has leaned heavily on Gantz and Netanyahu to work out a unity coalition between them, including in a joint meeting on Monday. Rivlin is due to host the two for a follow-up meeting on Wednesday night. A rotation arrangement has been floated, but the question of who would be premier first remains a major stumbling block. The timing is especially important for Netanyahu, who is facing possible corruption charges in the weeks ahead pending a hearing set for early October. A prime minister does not have to step down if indicted -- only if convicted with all appeals exhausted -- while other ministers can be forced to do so when charged.

Israel Arrests Palestinian Minister for Jerusalem Affairs
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 September, 2019
Israeli police arrested on Wednesday Palestinian Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Fadi al-Hadami after raiding his house in Jerusalem. Hadami was last arrested on similar grounds in June. Police also summoned Palestinian Authority-appointed Jerusalem governor, Adnan Gheit, for investigation. A statement from the Fatah movement said the arrests were part of Israel’s plot to declare its control over the holy city. Palestinian official Adnan Husseini said the arrests were meant to stop "social and cultural activities."Israeli authorities alleged Hadami and Gheit were detained for breaking a law prohibiting political activity in Jerusalem by the PA, which is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967 and annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community.

Equipment for Building Hospital Enters Gaza within Israel-Hamas Understandings
Gaza - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 25 September, 2019
A Hamas source has confirmed that equipment for building an international hospital arrived Tuesday in the Gaza Strip through Kerem Shalom border crossing. The move came as part of a ceasefire understandings reached a couple of months ago with Israel under the auspices of Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.Alongside, a US delegation of volunteers arrived in the Gaza Strip shortly after through Erez Crossing to supervise the construction of the hospital. In July, the Palestinian government declared that it doesn’t object over establishing a field hospital in Gaza but under the condition of coordinating with it. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Ashtiyeh stated then that no one coordinated with the government about the hospital, to be funded by a private US institution and with Israeli approval on the northern border of Gaza. Ashtiyeh explained that the PA doesn’t know the funding institution or its affiliations, however, it is willing to discuss the project. The PM stressed that any activity in Gaza Strip should serve the Palestinian interest and facilitate people in light of the worsening situation there. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement that the government's attempts to interfere with the establishment of the hospital comes in the framework of continuing attempts to pressure Gazans and exacerbate their crises.

Egypt: Army Pledges to Maintain Stability Amid Calls For Pro-Sisi Marches
Cairo - Mohammed Nabil Helmi/Wednesday, 25 September, 2019
In response to limited protests that emerged last week in some Egyptian cities, supporters of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi began calling for demonstrations on Friday, in parallel with an invitation by an Egyptian actor and contractor, called Muhammad Ali, to organize adverse movements.
For his part, Sisi ruled out, during a meeting with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, the Egyptians’ acceptance of “political Islam” governing the country, pointing out that the people “rejected this rule,” in reference to the year when late Mohamed Morsi was in power (2012- 2013), before being ousted by the army after mass demonstrations demanding his departure. Trump expressed full support to Sisi, saying the United States and Egypt have a great long-term relationship. “Everybody has demonstrations,” Trump during the meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. “No, I’m not concerned with it. Egypt has a great leader,” he added. Earlier this week, the Public Information Service of the Egyptian Presidency called on the international media to “avoid exaggeration and put things within their context and size” with regards to the coverage of recent events in Egypt. General Mohamed Zaki, the minister of Defense, said on Tuesday that the armed forces were working “with the utmost vigilance and readiness to secure the borders of the state, and to face all attempts to undermine Egypt’s security and stability.” In parallel, lawyers defending citizens who were arrested for participating in the opposition demonstrations, said that the investigative authorities issued a decision on Tuesday to detain 270 people for 15 days pending charges against them. Those included “participating in a movement involving the Muslim Brotherhood for the purpose of carrying out hostile acts.”

Egypt calls Erdogan statements ‘ironic,’ accuses Turkey of sponsoring terrorism
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Egypt’s foreign ministry spokesman, Ahmed Hafez, slammed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statements at the UN General Assembly this week where he urged the UN to “handle the suspicious death of Morsi,” referring to the deceased former president of Egypt, and member of the Muslim Brotherhood. In an official statement, Egypt’s foreign ministry spokesman, Ahmed Hafez, said that Erdogan “claimed to defend the values of justice in his speech, but at the core showed feelings of hatred and spite toward Egypt and its people who have nothing but appreciation for the people of Turkey.”
Hafez added that it was “ironic” for Erdogan to make these allegations “in light of his sponsorship of terrorism in the region due to his regime’s flagrant violations against the friendly Turkish people where he tries to hold them hostage to a fake freedom and alleged justice.”
He went on to list ongoing human rights violations in Turkey under Erdogan’s leadership, including the thousands of political prisoners, the suspicious deaths of dozens of prisoners due to torture or inhuman prison conditions, and the closure of thousands of universities and educational institutions.
Erdogan had blamed Morsi’s death on current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, stating that “Sisi is a tyrant, not a democrat.”“They didn’t make the slightest intervention as the country’s first democratically elected president suffered for more than 20 minutes. They didn’t deliver his remains to his family or let him be buried in his hometown per his will,” Erdogan said on Sunday during a gathering in New York with heads of Muslim organizations in the US. The gathering was sponsored by the Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC), whose co-chairperson is Erdogan’s cousin. In 2016, TASC officials were questioned by US authorities on suspicion of involvement in political espionage on behalf of the Turkish government. Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi died in a hospital in June after fainting during a court hearing. The public prosecutor said he had collapsed in a defendants’ cage in the courtroom shortly after speaking, and had been pronounced dead in hospital at 4:50 p.m. (1450 GMT). Morsi’s family attended funeral prayers a day after his death in the mosque of Tora prison, then buried him in Cairo’s western district of Nasr City. In the statement, Hafez said that the Turkish president’s “malicious practices are apparent after he embraced the terrorist Brotherhood organization and its elements in Turkey, and provided them with political support and media platforms for its terrorist elements to continue to promote their subversive ideas in Egypt and the Region.”He added that Erdogan’s statements on Egypt are a “desperate attempt for him to steer attention away from his deteriorating regime and the successive losses he is suffering on the party level, the Turkish scene, and the international arena.”The Turkish leader had come under heavy fire after the country’s top election body annulled the results of the March 31 mayoral vote in Istanbul and ordered a re-run on June 23. The original vote was narrowly won by the opposition candidate, dealing the ruling AKP party its first defeat in the city, which has been controlled by the AKP and its predecessors, for 25 years. But Erdogan alleged “serious corruption” in the count. In his UNGA speech, Erdogan also compared Israel to Nazi Germany, referring to the “massacre in the Gaza Strip” and comparing it to the Holocaust.

Several injured after bomb explodes in southern Turkey: State media
Agencies/Wednesday, 25 September 2019
A bomb attack hit a bus carrying police in the southern Turkish province of Adana on Wednesday morning and some people were wounded, security sources said. The blast in Adana was either an "improvised explosive device or a different type of bomb," the governor, Mahmut Demirtas, told Anadolu news agency. One of those hurt was a police officer, he said, but the casualties did not suffer serious injuries. The other four injured were passers-by, Demirtas added. "The injured are in a really good condition. Citizens went to the hospital as a precaution. There are no issues for our police," Demirtas said after police and ambulance services rushed to the scene. Images in Turkish media showed the damaged bus underneath a footbridge in Yuregir district. The Adana governor did not speculate on who carried out the bombing. Turkey was hit by a series of terror attacks in 2015 and 2016 which killed hundreds of people and were blamed on the Islamic State extremist group and Kurdish militants. CNN Turk broadcast video of a badly damaged bus surrounded by debris and other damaged vehicles under a pedestrian overpass in the area of Yuregir in Adana. The sources said ambulances took the wounded to hospitals in the area. Armed police sealed off the area and were examining the scene. It was not clear who might be behind the attack.

Russian 'Advisers' Train New Syrian Battalion
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 25/2019
Wearing clean bullet-proof vests and knee pads, fighters from a new Syrian amy battalion showcase the skills they have learned from Russia's military advisers. In the countryside west of Damascus, the soldiers carry out a mock assault, fire mortar rounds and rockets, perform mine-clearing and first aid exercises.
Large clouds of dust rise over the training camp as troops in camouflage fatigue open fire. In the afternoon sun, top brass from both countries and dozens of journalists, including an AFP team invited from Moscow, are looking on. "We sacrifice our blood for you Bashar," the soldiers chant in unison, throwing their fists in the air, in praise of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. With military backing from Russia, Assad's forces have retaken large parts of Syria from rebels and jihadists since 2015, and now control around 60 percent of the country. Russia often refers to troops it deployed in Syria as military "advisers" even though its forces and warplanes are also directly involved in battles against jihadists and other rebels. On Tuesday, Russian advisers appeared in front of cameras, wearing green face masks and sunglasses, in a rare display of Moscow's military operations in war-torn Syria.
With the help of an Arabic translator, an adviser instructed troops on how to detect and defuse mines, while another trained them on treating war injuries.
Eyes on Idlib
"The battalion was created on August 10 and started training that same day," said Omar Mohamed, who heads this new elite force. "Thanks to the Russian advisers, the level of preparation among soldiers has increased and they know how to use all types of weapons," he told AFP. After undergoing two months of individual military training, members of the force will now learn to operate in large groups. The commanders do not rule out the possibility that troops could deploy to the last major opposition redoubt, Idlib in the northwest. A deal Russia and rebel-backer Turkey reached last year was meant to prevent a bloodbath in the jihadist-run region, but bombardment re-started in late April. Since August 31, a separate Russian-backed ceasefire has largely held, despite sporadic strikes. But Damascus has repeatedly vowed to take back all of Syrian territory, including the Idlib region.
"We pin our hopes on a political solution, but if we do not see results, we will then resort to the military option," one commander told reporters. General Hassan Hassan, head of the Syrian army's political administration division, is more definitive.
"Idlib will be liberated in all cases" he said. "We will see each other there soon," he told reporters. The Syrian conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and driven millions from their homes since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.

Democrats Launch Formal Trump Impeachment Inquiry
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 25/2019
Top US Democrat Nancy Pelosi Tuesday announced the opening of a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, saying he betrayed his oath of office by seeking help from a foreign power to hurt his Democratic rival Joe Biden.
The dramatic move -- the first step in a complex process that stands little chance of driving Trump from office -- pushed US politics into a perilous new chapter just 14 months before new elections for control of the White House and Congress.
Following the bombshell developments from Trump Tower in New York -- after addressing the UN General Assembly -- the president denounced the inquiry as "Witch Hunt garbage" -- while also claiming it would help his re-election chances in 2020. "The actions of the Trump presidency revealed the dishonorable facts of the president's betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security, and betrayal of the integrity of our elections," Pelosi told a highly anticipated news conference in the US capital. "Therefore, today I'm announcing the House of Representatives moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry."
Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and other Democratic Party leaders had resisted taking the step for months, preferring to focus on the coming election fight. But a combination of the newest allegations that Trump offered Ukraine aid in return for help to damage Democratic White House frontrunner Biden, and a groundswell of support for impeachment among the party's rank and file, appeared to tip the balance. "The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law," she said.
'PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!' -
The ramped-up push for impeachment was fueled by a scandal over Trump's reported attempt to pressure the incoming president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to open a corruption investigation into Biden, and Biden's son Hunter, who had done business in the Eastern European country.
Triggering the confrontation was an as yet secret whistleblower complaint reportedly centered on Trump's phone call July 25 with Zelensky.
Seeking to head off the looming impeachment threat, Trump announced Tuesday he would release the transcript of the call.
"You will see it was a very friendly and totally appropriate call. No pressure and, unlike Joe Biden and his son, NO quid pro quo!" he tweeted.
Live news channels played Pelosi's speech on TV over the lobby bar at Trump Tower, where the president retreated Tuesday afternoon after an intense day of UN diplomacy. "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT" he lashed out on Twitter afterwards. "Such an important day at the United Nations, so much work and so much success, and the Democrats purposely had to ruin and demean it with more breaking news Witch Hunt garbage," he wrote. Trump has admitted discussing Biden with Zelensky, but denies he tied hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Kiev to it investigating the former US vice president. On Tuesday the US leader said he had frozen aid to Ukraine, but only to force European allies to increase their own support for Zelensky's government.
Biden backs impeachment
Trump's decision to release the transcript was too little to appease Democrats, who are demanding the White House release to Congress the complaint from the intelligence community whistleblower, believed to contain additional evidence of wrongdoing. Lawyers representing the whistleblower said in a statement on Tuesday that there had been a "decision to release the whistleblower complaint," but did not provide further details. Democrats also want more documents and testimony on other investigations into Trump, on allegations he obstructed justice, illegally profiteered from his position as US leader, colluded with Russia and other alleged abuses.
Setting up more Washington drama, senior Democrat Adam Schiff said the still-unidentified whistleblower, believed to work for one of the US government's myriad intelligence bodies, could soon testify to the House Intelligence Committee, which he leads. The New York Times reported Tuesday that intelligence and White House officials were working on a deal for the whistleblower to meet with congressional investigators. Having held off for weeks, Biden himself declared Tuesday his support for an impeachment investigation.
"If he continues to obstruct Congress and flaunt the law, Donald Trump leaves Congress in my view no choice but to initiate impeachment," Biden told a news conference. "That would be a tragedy, but a tragedy of his own making."
Perilous process
Launching an impeachment probe is a politically perilous move, coming just as both parties begin to gear up for next year's elections.
Now that a formal inquiry has been made, a committee would normally be assigned the task of gathering evidence to support the case against the president.
If the evidence is firm enough, the committee will draft articles of impeachment -- formal charges against the president -- for the entire House to vote on. They can pass with a simple majority. From there the process would go to the Senate, where the Republican majority could conceivably block a formal trial of the president. If a trial is held, conviction would require two-thirds of the Senate to vote in support, leading to the president's removal.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 25-26/2019
UK: Brexiteers vs. Remainers, Gambling at The Last Chance Saloon
Andrew Ash/Gatestone Institute/September 25/2019
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14913/uk-brexiteers-remainers
The [British Remainers] opposition camp, having already succeeded in obstructing Britain's exit from the European Union for three years, have now won themselves extra time in which to block the path of democracy.
Anything and everything is apparently in the cards for the obstructionists, whose true agenda appears to be not to work out a Brexit deal at all -- but to ignore the referendum result, and for the UK to remain in the untransparent, unaccountable and un-unelectable EU.
Anything and everything is apparently in the cards for the Brexit obstructionists, whose true agenda appears to be not to work out a Brexit deal at all -- but to ignore the referendum result, and for the UK to remain in the untransparent, unaccountable and un-unelectable EU. Pictured: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The latest twist in the UK's ongoing battle to leave the European Union has -- unsurprisingly -- reached yet another impasse. The supreme court has ruled that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's suspending of Parliament was unlawful because it "had the effect of frustrating parliament." He was also accused of giving unlawful advice to the Queen in asking her for permission.
As is routine for a newly appointed PM, Johnson suspended Parliament in order to announce his domestic agenda with a Queen's Speech. Furious Remainers claim that he shut it down to prevent Parliamentary scrutiny of his plans to leave Europe -- with or without a deal. The suspension, which infuriated his foes, was the latest move in an ongoing battle to deliver Brexit -- in spite of the opposition's determined refusal to accept the will of the people.
Johnson's detractors, inevitably, have leapt upon the decision, passed by a panel of eleven judges, to void his decision to prorogue -- or suspend -- Parliament. The Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, have called for Johnson's resignation, and demanded a new election. Mr Johnson -- who is currently in New York on his first UN summit -- has steadfastly refused to stand down.
The ruling comes as a blow to the PM, who has set a deadline of October 31 to leave the European Union. The opposition camp, having already succeeded in obstructing Britain's exit from the EU for three years, have now won themselves extra time in which to block the path of democracy.
As a result of the judges' decision, MPs have now been called to return to the House of Commons "as a matter of urgency" by one of Johnson's most staunch opponents, Speaker of the House John Bercow, who "welcomes" the Supreme Court's judgement.
Bercow, a former Conservative, along with his anti-Trump rhetoric, has thrown his all into preventing Brexit from happening ever since the referendum result in 2016, even going so far as to display a "Bollocks To Brexit" sticker on his car.
Shadow PM Jeremy Corbyn, clearly revelling in the latest turn of events, which come at the start of the Labour Party's annual conference in Brighton, said after the ruling, "I invite Boris Johnson to consider his position and become the shortest serving PM there has ever been."
European Union members, somewhat inevitably, have also expressed their unbridled joy at the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Johnson's suspension of Parliament, and once again thwart the democratic rights of the people of Britain.
Member of European Parliament Guy Verhofstadt, oblivious to the irony of his statement, commented:
"At least one big relief in the Brexit saga: the rule of law in the UK is alive & kicking. Parliaments should never be silenced in a real democracy.
"I never want to hear Boris Johnson or any other Brexiteer say again that the European Union is undemocratic."
Mr Johnson, however, insists that the suspension was not obstructive, but necessary, and insisted that MPs were only losing "four or five days of parliamentary scrutiny, when parliament has had three years to discuss the issue."
Despite the hyperbole from the likes of Jeremy Corbyn and John Bercow, however, the prime minister cannot be forced out of office by today's ruling, although it does leave him open to a potential vote of no confidence when Parliament reconvenes -- which would make the likelihood of a general election far more likely -- quite possibly within weeks. This tactic would be quite a gamble for the Remainers: if the Conservatives win, even if it means forming an alliance with Nigel Farage's Brexit party, it would cause the very same "no deal Brexit" to which his detractors claim to be so opposed.
The opposition seem nevertheless willing to take the gamble: they are running out of alternative methods to hold up proceedings for much longer. Anything and everything is apparently in the cards for the obstructionists, whose true agenda appears to be not to work out a Brexit deal at all -- but to ignore the referendum result, and for the UK to remain in the untransparent, unaccountable and un-unelectable EU.
*Andrew Ash is based in the United Kingdom.
© 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.

How Hamas Leaders Fool Palestinians
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/September 25/2019
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14912/hamas-leaders-corruption
"Frustrated Palestinian youths are committing suicide because of poverty, while the sons of the leaders are holding birthday parties!" — Hussein Qatoush, on Facebook.
The problem... is when your father is a senior terrorist leader who devotes himself to inciting against Israel and Jews and encouraging other young Palestinians to sacrifice their lives in the war against Israel. Hamad, like the rest of the Hamas leaders, would never send his own son to attack soldiers at the border with Israel.
It is time for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to revolt against the leaders who are keeping them chained in poverty and sending them to their deaths.
It is also time for the international community to wake up to the fact that it is wealthy Hamas leaders, and not Israel, who are responsible for the humanitarian and economic disaster that is known as the Gaza Strip.
In recent years, reports have surfaced regarding the wealth and luxurious lives of Hamas leaders, such as Ismail Haniyeh (pictured), whose capital is estimated at $4 million. It is time for the international community to wake up to the fact that it is wealthy Hamas leaders, and not Israel, who are responsible for the humanitarian and economic disaster that is known as the Gaza Strip.
The leaders of Hamas, the Palestinian terror group ruling the Gaza Strip since 2007, seem to have hearts of stone regarding the suffering of the people living under their regime.
These leaders have no problem sending Palestinians to risk their lives near the border with Israel, while they and their families enjoy a comfortable life. More than 250 Palestinians have been killed and thousands injured in clashes with the Israel Defense Forces since the beginning of the Hamas-sponsored weekly protests near the Gaza-Israel border in March 2018.
While the protests are continuing and more Palestinians continue to put their lives at risk at the behest of the Hamas leadership, the terror group's senior officials are busy throwing lavish parties for their family members and upgrading their personal treasuries. It is as if the Hamas leaders were telling their people: Sacrifice yourself for the cause of destroying Israel and killing Jews so that we and our families can continue to live it up.
The latest example of this exploitation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip surfaced in the form of a video of the birthday celebration of 20-year-old Mohammed, son of senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad.
Hamad, a former deputy foreign minister in the Hamas government of 2012, currently serves as deputy minister in the Hamas-controlled Ministry for Social Welfare and is personally entrusted with overseeing aid to the most impoverished families in the Gaza Strip. Ironically, the man in charge of caring for the poorest families was caught on camera throwing a lavish birthday party for his son.
The video of the birthday party in the Gaza Strip has gone viral on social media. Many Palestinians expressed outrage over the celebration which, they said, took place at a time when the residents of the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave are facing dire economic conditions and are being killed in clashes with the Israeli security forces as they try to infiltrate the border with Israel and throw rocks, petrol bombs and explosive devices at Israeli soldiers.
"The sons of our leaders are always different from the ordinary people," commented Facebook user Ahmad Hassan.
Another Palestinian, Bashar Bashar, wrote: "This party is at the expense of the victims of the weekly demonstrations [near the border with Israel]."
Hussein Qatoush, yet another Facebook user, wrote: "Frustrated Palestinian youths are committing suicide because of poverty, while the sons of the leaders are holding birthday parties!"
Many other social media users said they were not surprised to see a Hamas leader throwing a big party for his son at a time when young Palestinians are fleeing the Gaza Strip because of soaring unemployment and economic hardship there.
The good news is that a growing number of Palestinians seem to be aware of the corruption of their Hamas leaders and the wide gap between the leadership and the people. The bad news is that Palestinians are still afraid to revolt against the Hamas rulers who have been holding them hostage in the Gaza Strip since the terror group's violent takeover of the area 12 years ago.
Alarmed by the widespread criticism, the Hamas leader rushed to issue an "apology," claiming that his son's friends were the ones who held the birthday party and not him.
"I'm not satisfied with this party and I don't accept it," Hamad said.
"I apologize to everyone for this grave mistake. I live a simple life, like the rest of our people. I fully understand the suffering and harsh conditions of our people, and repeat my apology. I promise that this will never happen again."
The Hamas leader, who also promised to "punish" his son, would never have apologized had the video of his son's birthday bash not been leaked on social media. His apology hardly passes as sincere.
In truth, Hamad and the rest of the Hamas leaders owe an apology to the families of the Palestinians they send to attack Israeli soldiers near the border with Israel.
They owe an apology to the thousands of Palestinians killed in wars with Israel because of the rockets Hamas and other terror groups have been firing at Israeli civilians for the past 12 years.
They owe an apology to the tens of thousands of unemployed Palestinians, some of whom are being forced to flee the Gaza Strip in search of a decent life abroad.
They owe an apology to the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian families living in squalor and misery as a result of Hamas's disastrous policies and actions.
Hamad is very, very far from alone in his appropriation of money intended for indigent Palestinians.
In an attempt to calm down Palestinians concerning this issue, Hamas announced on September 23 that it decided to impose a fine of 5,000 Jordan Dinars (about $7,000) on the son of another Hamas leader.
Anas, the son of senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan, was accused of taking advantage of a Saudi grant to families of Palestinians killed in clashes with Israel to travel to Mecca for the Islamic pilgrimage (hajj). Although the Saudi grant was dedicated only for those families, the son of the Hamas leader was able to add his name to the list of beneficiaries.
Many Palestinians took to social media to express their outrage over the trip to Mecca, seriously embarrassing the Hamas leadership for nepotism and corruption.
After the uproar, Hamas formed a commission of inquiry; it concluded that the son of the Hamas leader had acted in "violation of the norms and procedures" concerning the Saudi grant.
Let us return to Hamad, who claims that he lives a "simple life": this is a laughable lie.
In recent years, various reports have surfaced regarding the wealth and luxurious lives of Hamas leaders.
One report suggested that Musa Abu Marzouk, the No. 2 in Hamas, "is considered one of Hamas's wealthiest billionaires, with a wealth estimated at $2-3 billion."
Another report said that the former leader of Hamas, Khaled Masha'al, is worth $2.6 billion. The next Hamas tycoon is Ismail Haniyeh, whose capital is estimated at $4 million, according to Dr. Moshe Elad, a lecturer in the Middle East Department of the Western Galilee Academic College.
Hamas's rivals in the ruling Fatah faction, headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, say that while Gaza is one of the poorest places in the world, there are 1,700 millionaires among Hamas members. Professor Ahmed Karima of Al-Azhar University, pointed out that Hamas has long become a movement of millionaires. According to Karima, Hamas can count no fewer than 1,200 millionaires among its members.
Generally speaking, it is heartwarming to see parents celebrating their children's birthdays. Palestinians, of course, are entitled to hold birthday parties and other celebrations. It is better to see Palestinians dancing and singing than stabbing Jews or firing rockets at Israeli cities.
The problem, however, is when your father is a senior terrorist leader who devotes himself to inciting against Israel and Jews and encouraging other young Palestinians to sacrifice their lives in the war against Israel. Hamad, like the rest of the Hamas leaders, would never send his own son to attack soldiers at the border with Israel. As far as these leaders are concerned, the blood of their children is apparently redder than the blood of other Palestinians.
It is time for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to revolt against the leaders who are keeping them chained in poverty and sending them to their deaths. The birthday party scandal could serve as a trigger for such a revolt. It is also time for the international community to wake up to the fact that it is wealthy Hamas leaders, and not Israel, who are responsible for the humanitarian and economic disaster that is known as the Gaza Strip.
*Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based on the Middle East.
© 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.

West’s ambivalence toward Middle East allies helping Iran
Peter Welby/Arab News/September 25/2019
A delegation from the UK Parliament this week visited Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq oil processing facility, which was struck by a large number of drones and missiles in an attack on Sept. 14. Their photos and accounts of the visit show just how precise the strikes were: In a facility that includes large areas of open space, the targets were carefully chosen. Some were hit multiple times. Countering the claim by Yemen’s Houthis that they were responsible, the damage shows the attack came from the north.
As the Saudi government has said (backed up by comments from the UK prime minister on Monday), all the signs point to this being an Iranian attack. If so, it marks new heights in the escalation Iran has pursued in the past year: From shooting down an American drone to planting limpet mines on tankers, both in port and at sea, to the seizure of UK-flagged shipping.
This escalation has gone largely unanswered, except by sanctions. And yet, bizarrely, many in the West — people who know about the world, and upon whom politicians rely for support — seem to think that there is Western (and Saudi) culpability in what is happening. I have had multiple conversations with people that include phrases like “it takes two to tango.” They point to past Western interference in Iran, such as the overthrow of Mohammed Mossadegh in 1953; the attempted rescue of the US Embassy hostages launched by President Jimmy Carter; the support for Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War; interference in Iran’s “backyard” with the occupation of Iraq and support for the rebels in Syria; support for Israel against Hezbollah; or, most recently, the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. The list can go on and on.
The funny thing about such arguments is how one-sided they are, and how increasingly difficult that becomes to sustain the closer we get to the present day. It seems incredible to say, but the Mossadegh coup was 66 years ago. Many of those in positions of power in the West today were not even alive then, and none were actively involved in government. Every other example that is given follows the Iranian revolution: A revolution that, not only in its words but also in its actions, opposed not only Western involvement in the Middle East, but seemingly the very idea of the democratic West itself.
This is not to say that every decision Western powers (and here we are largely talking about the US) have taken regarding Iran has been wise. Far from it: In retrospect, many actions taken on Iran have been foolish and laced with hubris. But the antagonism felt in the US and many other capitals toward Iran is not for its own sake but because, every time an olive branch is offered, Iran escalates.
Without getting into the merits or otherwise of President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry’s Iran deal, it was an effort by the US to develop a mutually beneficial relationship and welcome Iran back into the rules-governed global order. The response was Iran using the income generated by its opening economy not to better the lives of its citizens, but to pour resources into exacerbating civil wars and unrest in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
Iran is encouraged by swaths of Western public and political opinion, most prominently on the left.
Iran follows a tactic beloved of those who oppose the global order — Russia and China (it is no coincidence that Iran, Russia and China have just announced joint military exercises) — that of incremental advance toward one’s goals. Break the rules a little bit: If there is no response, or none that breaches what can be sustained, then break them a little more. Before long, that country’s rule-breaking is the new normal, and so it escalates, like a drug user moving from softer to harder and harder drugs, seeking the purity of that first high.
In this rule-breaking, Iran is encouraged by swaths of Western public and political opinion, most prominently on the left. A survey published in the UK this week to mark the opposition Labour Party’s annual conference reports that 40 percent of party members think that Daesh and the UK are equally to blame for terror attacks on the UK; another 30 percent believe that the blame lies mostly with Britain. More members blamed Britain for the terror attacks committed by the Irish Republican Army than blamed the IRA themselves. It is these attitudes that lead Jeremy Corbyn to stand with Hezbollah and Hamas and call them his “friends.” And I can guarantee you that, if the survey had asked a question about Iran and the recent strikes on the Aramco refineries, the majority would have said that the West and Saudi Arabia were mostly to blame.
Why should Iran worry about escalating the situation in the Gulf, attacking its neighbors or boosting terrorist groups when it knows that the Western commitment to supporting its allies in the Middle East is so fragile? When it sees such ambivalence, why should it believe that Western threats of action are to be taken seriously? It isn’t the West that suffers most from the consequence of this ambivalence, but its allies here in this region. And, despite many of the same people believing that the West’s allies must share some of the blame for what happens to them, simply by virtue of being allies of the West, they are actually at risk because they refuse to bow to a power as nakedly aggressive and acquisitive as any that Europe has produced. Iran is no longer dominated by the ideology of the Islamic revolution, any more than the Soviet Union was by communism in the end. But revolutionary ideology can get it what it wants: Using passionate believers as its proxies elsewhere. It must be resisted, and there is no place for ambivalence in the West.
*Peter Welby is a consultant on religion and global affairs, specializing in the Arab world. Previously, he was the managing editor of a think tank on religious extremism, the Center on Religion & Geopolitics, and worked in public affairs in the Gulf. He is based in London and has lived in Egypt and Yemen. Twitter: @pdcwelby

Trump reluctant to pursue military options on Iran
Ellen R. Wald, Ph.D/Arab News/September 25/2019
Much of the Middle East and Europe wants to know what the US intends to do about Iran. They want to know if President Donald Trump is really seeking to meet with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani or other Iranian leaders. They want to know how much harsher Trump is willing to make the sanctions or if he will loosen them. They want to know if anything will draw Trump into military conflict with Iran. And they want to know how the 2020 presidential election and its aftermath will impact the US response to Iran.
Yes, Trump would meet with Iranian leaders if the opportunity arose and he thought it could lead to a peaceful resolution. This has always been his stance. Trump was hired by the people in large part because they hoped he would be a strong negotiator, not because he would refuse to try. He has met with Kim Jong Un of North Korea, so we can assume he will meet with anyone.
When it comes to sanctions, Trump has been, and continues to be, very hard on Iran. However, the world must also realize that, if he sees an opening, he will be willing to relax sanctions. Trump has reiterated many times that his strategy in a negotiation is to be very tough and demanding at the start but also willing to make concessions in exchange for concessions from the other side. Trump has regularly alternated between toughness and concessions in trade negotiations with China, and those talks are more vital to the basic wellness of the US than the Iran situation.
War is a different matter altogether. A peaceful resolution with Iran is a top priority. The president clearly does not want to fight if it can be avoided. From the US perspective, Iran must know that the American military is ready, but Trump is not as eager to pull the trigger as some other past presidents.
Most importantly, the people of the US do not want war. More than a year ago, I wrote in this column that the governments of the Middle East should realize “the United States is not going to fight Iran for you.” At that time, I wrote about the thousands of American servicemen and women who have been killed and the tens of thousands wounded in the Middle East and Afghanistan over the last 40 years. Americans do not want to send more of their young men and women into danger at the other end of the globe. Any way to avoid combat while limiting Iran’s militaristic and bellicose behavior is preferred.
President Trump and his top aides realize this, and they seem to agree with the American people. On Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke about the US’ actions countering Iran. Pompeo, who is one of the president’s most loyal aides, said: “Our mission set is to avoid war.” He explained that the deployment of additional troops to Saudi Arabia was “for the purpose of deterrence and defense.”
The American military is ready, but Trump is not as eager to pull the trigger as some other past presidents.
However, within the Washington society of pontificators, there are many advocates for military adventurism in Iran, and they are constantly pushing the White House to act. These come from both the right and the left, from within the traditional Republican and Democratic circles. The most well-known among these is John Bolton, who was recently fired (he claims he quit) as the White House national security adviser. Bolton is a well-known hawk and his policy ideas clashed with Trump’s. Unfortunately for Bolton, in the US, the president sets foreign policy.
There are think tanks, newspaper columnists, television news personalities and legislators in Washington who seemingly want combat with Iran. Many of them argue that Tehran is a rising threat that must be contained. Some go so far as to cite Nazi Germany, which is an unreasonable historical comparison.
Iran is a threat and cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear bomb, yet it is important for the US to limit itself to proportional responses to any Iranian aggression. After Iran shot down an American drone a few months ago, the president’s advisers pushed for a strike on Iranian targets. Trump stopped the mission before it started when he was told that Iranians would be killed. He said later that killing Iranians would have been disproportionate when Iran only destroyed a piece of American equipment.
Trump’s restraint has led to an odd phenomenon in American politics. Many Democrats, eager to oppose any policy of the president’s, are now hinting that they support military responses to Iranian aggression. This is a marked divergence from the near-unwavering Democrat support for President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal. But the Middle East and Europe should not believe that this growing belligerence is real. There is no heart for war with Iran in any part of the American electorate, and a Democrat president is no more likely to pursue it at this point than Trump has been.
*Ellen R. Wald, Ph.D. is a historian and author of “Saudi, Inc.” She is the president of Transversal Consulting and also teaches Middle East history and policy at Jacksonville University. Twitter: @EnergzdEconomy
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point-of-view

Wanted: A new leader for the ‘free world’
Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor/Arab News/September 25/2019
I once had high hopes for US President Donald Trump. I appreciated his big personality, positive outlook and business acumen. He enticed the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt early in his presidency with promises to be the “great defender” against Iranian aggression and his vow to cleanse the region of terrorism. I had high hopes for President Trump and, sad to say, they have all been dashed.
He has destabilized our planet, pitting allies against allies, turning adversaries into outright enemies and threatening to defund post-Second World War institutions, the UN and NATO — tried and true alliances designed to protect us from the sins of the past costing many millions of lives. Thanks to his dysfunctional foreign policies, the Doomsday Clock ticks ever closer to midnight.
Trump is a maestro of making threats and promises that change on a dime. His policy U-turns, inability to discern fact from fiction and his withdrawal from US commitments on a range of issues have been wake-up calls.
He initially billed himself as an anti-war leader pledging to bring home US troops from Middle East conflict zones. The troops remain. US bases have increased. And, since he grew comfortable in his Oval Office chair, he has been provoking leaders, some with access to a nuclear button, in the mistaken belief they will capitulate to his demands. How is that working for him?
In the trade war, China’s President Xi Jinping shows no signs of rolling over. On the contrary, he is matching US tariffs blow for blow.
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is clearly unimpressed with Trump’s honeyed approach; he demands action in the form of sanctions relief before engaging in further face-to-face talks.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has hung on to his chair despite the Trump administration’s far-reaching attempts to replace him.
Trump is a maestro of making threats and promises that change on a dime.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has refused to return to the table or meet with his American counterpart to renegotiate the nuclear deal as long as anti-Iranian sanctions persist. Trump has threatened Iran with obliteration. Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed Javad Zarif now threatens all-out war if struck in response to his country’s alleged role in airstrikes on two Saudi oil facilities.
How can we put our trust in such an inconsistent character? He could force countries into the position where they will have to take sides and then stand on the sidelines watching, or — in the worst-case scenario — decide to help our enemies.
The “great defender” treats friendly heads of state with disrespect as though they are underlings who exist only to do his bidding, and those he has targeted with insulting tweets are seen during press conferences groveling before him.
Trump’s message to all knocking at his door is “pay up or else.” Money talks loudest in the Trump White House. Even the most disreputable can win his favor with an offer of billions of dollars’ worth of investments or weapons purchases. They vie with each other as to who can come up with the biggest enticements. He has given deeper meaning to the saying “there is no such thing as a free lunch.”
He snubbed the mild-mannered Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen merely for calling his bid to buy Greenland “absurd.” He accused her of being “nasty” and canceled an upcoming state visit to Copenhagen.
He labeled Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as being “very dishonest and weak” and, in response to the French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for a united European military, Trump hit back with a tweet underscoring Macron’s low approval rating and France’s high rate of unemployment.
He termed former British Prime Minister Theresa May as “foolish” and slammed the UK’s former ambassador to the US as being “a pompous fool.” Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel has also borne the brunt of his tongue lashings.
Frankly, his behavior hardly befits the world’s greatest democracy, which was founded on the unshakeable values that are enshrined in the US Constitution and the rule of law.
There are exceptions. This “America First” president reserves his charm offensives for the likes of his friend Kim who, while testing ballistic missiles, sends him “beautiful letters,” or Russian President Vladimir Putin, who US intelligence agencies accuse of meddling in the 2016 election. He fawns all over Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, whom he once charged with funding terrorism, because, in his book, who cares as long as the billions keep rolling in.
And not forgetting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the recipient of the US president’s most spectacular gifts — Jerusalem and the occupied Golan Heights. And, if Netanyahu had been re-elected, he would have received Trump’s blessing to annex the Jordan Valley, part of the Dead Sea and all Jewish colonies in the West Bank. However, Trump is allergic to losers. If his buddy facing three corruption cases falls on his face, the US president will not be picking him up.
Foreign visitors do not have a monopoly on Trump’s offensive behavior; they also extend to his own advisers and staff. On his watch, the world is witnessing an unprecedentedly high turnover in the administration. Either he lacks the insight to choose suitable team members, his temper flares out of control, or anyone who dares to voice disagreement is given their marching orders.
Congress has launched a probe into Trump’s activities with a view to impeachment, which has little chance of succeeding. Many of those concerned rely on the good people of America to vote him out next year.
*Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor is a prominent UAE businessman and public figure. He is renowned for his views on international political affairs, his philanthropic activity, and his efforts to promote peace. He has long acted as an unofficial ambassador for his country abroad. Twitter: @KhalafAlHabtoor