English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For August 12/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the
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Bible Quotations For today
You
hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from
the manger, and lead it away to give it water
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint
Luke 13/10-17/:”Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And
just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for
eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight.
When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are set free from
your ailment.’When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight
and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus
had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, ‘There are six days on which
work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath
day.’ But the Lord answered him and said, ‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you
on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to
give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound
for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?’ When
he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was
rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.”” ’
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials
published on August 11-12/2021
Lebanon reports 2,591 new COVID-19 cases, highest count since April
Lebanese parties to boycott parliament session aimed to derail Beirut blast
probe
Lebanon’s central bank officially lifts subsidies on fuel amid worsening crises
Lebanon can no longer subsidize fuel purchases: Central bank governor
Spain seizes Lebanese hash cannabis worth $470 mln in Atlantic Ocean: Irish
Times
Saudi assistance to Lebanon condictioned on serious reforms
Bassil Slams Some Blocs' Bid to 'Prevent Judiciary from Unveiling Port Blast
Truth'
Geagea Accuses Parliamentary Majority of Obstructing Justice
Diesel Shortage Plunges Lebanon into Darkness, Affects Hospitals, Bakeries
Miqati Says Won't Form Govt. Similar to Previous Ones
FPM Lawmaker Says No New Government in Near Future
Lebanese Queue for Cooking Gas amid Economic Crisis
TO BE OR NOT TO BE/Jean-Marie Kassab/August 11/2021
The EU’s Flawed Framework for Sanctions on Lebanon/Tony Badran/ Policy Brief-FDD/August
10/2021
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon/Tony Badran/International Organizations
Monograph/FDD/June 30/202
The fearless in Lebanon are becoming a thorn in the side for Hezbollah/Makram
Rabah/Al Arabiya/August 11/2021
The ‘ghosts’ helping Iran flex its muscles in Lebanon/Mohamed Chebaro/Arab
News/August 11/2021
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 11-12/2021
Iran’s Raisi unveils new cabinet: IRNA
Iran urges Iraq to expel Iranian rebels from Kurdish region
Iranian ex-Official Ordered Executions in 1988, Swedish Prosecutors Say
Israel foreign minister arrives in Morocco on first visit since normalization
Iran asks Iraq to expel Iranian rebels from Kurdistan region
Israel said to warn CIA chief that new Iranian president is mentally disturbed
'Hundreds' of Afghan Soldiers Surrender to Taliban near Kunduz
Biden’s military strategy for Iraq should be applied in Afghanistan/Clifford D.
May/FDD/August 11/2021
Egypt seems to gain favour with Washington over ‘constructive role’ in regional
security
Sudan announces decision to hand over Bashir to ICC
Algeria sees ‘criminal hands’ behind forest fires, scores dead
Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC
English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on
August 11-12/2021
Saied needs to move quickly for his power grab in Tunisia to succeed/Rami
Rayess/Al Arabiya/ August 11/2021
Tunisians Want More from Democracy than Just to Vote/Oussama Romdhani/The Arab
Weekly/August 11/2021
Return of a hard-line Iran raises worrying questions/Ishtiaq Ahmad/Arab
News/August 11/2021
Turmoil in Tunisia: An early warning sign that cannot be ignored/Mohammed Abu
Dalhoum/Arab News/August 11/2021
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 11-12/2021
Lebanon reports 2,591 new COVID-19 cases,
highest count since April
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/11 August ,2021
Lebanon has reported 2,591 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, the
highest daily case count since April, the Ministry of Health announced on
Tuesday.
The Ministry of Health also reported 6 new deaths, raising the total number of
deaths since the start of the pandemic to 7958. Health authorities also
confirmed that the total number of recoveries has reached 540,003 cases while
the total number of infections reached 576,550. The health ministry said 412 are
in critical condition while 18,181 cases remain active in the country. The small
Mediterranean nation has full vaccinated 1,281,017 corresponding to 27 percent
of targeted population. Lebanon’s deepening economic crisis has piled pressure
on hospitals, leaving them ill-equipped to face any new wave of the coronavirus,
a top hospital director has warned. Already struggling with shortages of
medicine and an exodus of staff abroad, the country’s health facilities are now
also having to contend with almost round-the-clock power cuts. “All hospitals...
are now less prepared than they were during the wave at the start of the year,”
said Firass Abiad, the manager of the largest public hospital in the country
battling COVID-19. “Medical and nursing staff have left, medicine that was once
available has run out,” and ever lengthening cuts to the mains power supply have
left hospitals under constant threat. Even the Rafik Hariri University Hospital
he runs has been struggling to cope.“We only get two to three hours of mains
electricity, and for the rest of the time it’s up to the generators,” Abiad
said. On top of worrying they could burn out, “we have the huge burden of having
to constantly be on the hunt for fuel oil.”- With AFP
Lebanese parties to boycott parliament session aimed to derail Beirut
blast probe
Reuters/11 August ,2021
Several Lebanese parties said on Wednesday they would boycott a parliamentary
session called to discuss a proposal that critics say would effectively derail
judicial efforts to question senior officials over the Beirut port blast.
More than a year since the Aug. 4 blast, many Lebanese are furious that no
senior official has been brought to account for more than 200 lives lost and
thousands of injuries. With leading Christian and Druze groups planning to
boycott, it was not clear if there would be enough MPs for quorum at the session
called on Thursday by Speaker Nabih Berri. The only item on the agenda is the
petition from a group of MPs asking that the senior officials including the
caretaker prime minister be referred to a special council that hears cases
against former presidents and ministers.
The Christian Lebanese Forces said the petition was an attempt to obstruct the
judicial probe. MPs aligned with Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said it would
“obstruct reaching the truth”. If approved, the petition would first lead to a
parliamentary inquiry, said Nizar Saghieh, head of The Legal Agenda, a research
and advocacy organization. The process could lead to a trial by the special
council if two-thirds of MPs voted for one, he said, adding that the inquiry
could go on indefinitely. “The aim of the petition is to create a parallel
parliamentary inquiry and consequently to confuse the judicial inquiry,” he
said. The petition was lodged after investigating judge Tarek Bitar requested
immunity be lifted from former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, former Public
Works Minister Ghazi Zeaiter and former Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk, all of
whom are MPs. It seeks permission for those three, in addition to caretaker
Prime Minister Hassan Diab and Youssef Finianos, another former public works
minister, to be referred to the special council. All deny wrongdoing. Khalil and
Zeitar are both senior members of Berri’s Amal Movement and allies of the
Iran-backed, Shiite group Hezbollah. Finianos belongs to a Christian faction
that is allied to Hezbollah. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on
Saturday accused Bitar on Saturday of playing politics, calling the
investigation politicized. Bitar has not commented on the accusation.
Lebanon’s central bank officially lifts subsidies on
fuel amid worsening crises
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/11 August ,2021
Lebanon has officially lifted the subsidies on fuel according to a statement
released by the central bank on Wednesday evening. Lebanese central bank
governor Riad Salameh said earlier on Wednesday that he could no longer open
lines of credit for fuel imports or subsidize its purchase, Lebanon’s al-Jadeed
TV quoted him as saying in a meeting of the Supreme Defense Council. Lebanon’s
central bank announced that, as of Thursday, it will “secure the necessary
credits related to fuel imports, using the same previous mechanism, but by
calculating the price of the dollar on the Lebanese pound according to market
prices.”The statement pointed out that it is up to the Ministry of Energy to
determine the new prices for fuels. The representative of fuel distributors,
Fadi Abu Shaqra, told a local TV station: “We leave the pricing of fuels to the
Ministry of Energy, because I personally cannot utter the new estimated prices
which is also pending confirmation of the implementation mechanism.”
Lebanon can no longer subsidize fuel purchases:
Central bank governor
Reuters/11 August ,2021
Lebanese central bank governor Riad Salameh said on Wednesday he could no longer
open lines of credit for fuel imports or subsidize its purchase, Lebanon’s al-Jadeed
TV quoted him as saying in a meeting of the Supreme Defense Council.
Reuters could not immediately reach Salameh for comment on his remarks during a
meeting of the Supreme Defence Council. Lebanon is suffering crippling fuel
shortages as a result of a financial crisis that has sunk the Lebanese pound by
more than 90 percent against the dollar in less than two years. Since the onset
of the crisis, the central bank has been using its dollar reserves to finance
fuel imports at official exchange rates that have been well below the price at
which dollars have been changing hands on the parallel market. The government
raised fuel prices in June after the central bank began extending credit lines
for fuel at a rate of 3,900 pounds per dollar, more than the official rate of
1,500 pounds but still well below the parallel market rate. Dollars were
changing hands at around 20,000 pounds on the parallel market on Wednesday.
Spain seizes Lebanese hash cannabis worth $470 mln in Atlantic Ocean: Irish
Times
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/11 August ,2021
Spanish law enforcement and customs officials have seized $470 million worth of
hash cannabis on a cargo vessel en route from Lebanon to Lagos, according to the
Irish Times. The Irish Times added that the cargo vessel Natalia was boarded by
Spanish law enforcement and customs officials on Sunday in international waters,
about 75km south of Canary Islands.A search of the vessel led to the seizure of
20 tons (19,876 kgs) of hashish. The ship came to the attention of the Irish
desk of the European Maritime Analysis Operations center and Spanish and French
customs officials due to several suspicious changes which were made to its
registry last month. These included the ship’s name being changed to Natalia and
its flag being changed from Togo’s to that of the island nation of Palau. The
Natalia was en route from Lebanon to Lagos via the Turkish port of Iskenderun
when its tracking started. The ship, which was in a dangerously unseaworthy
condition, was crewed by 11 Syrian men who are now in custody. The ship was
found to be in danger of sinking by the authorities. It is common for drug
smugglers to use ships which are near the end of their useful lives. Authorities
believe the drugs were destined for Morocco from where they would have been
smuggled to Italy or Greece before being distributed across Europe.
Saudi assistance to Lebanon condictioned on serious reforms
The Arab Weekly/August 11/2021
Saudi Arabia reiterated on Tuesday its solidarity with the Lebanese people, but
said any assistance to the current or future government depends on serious
reforms, state news agency SPA reported, citing a statement by the Saudi
Cabinet.
“Any assistance provided to the current or future government depends on it
carrying out serious and tangible reforms, while ensuring that aid reaches its
beneficiaries, and avoiding mechanisms that enable corrupt people from
controlling the fate of Lebanon,” the Cabinet said. The Saudi statements come
after the Iran-backed Hezbollah group nearly took Lebanon to war last week, at a
time when the country is facing unprecedented crises on all fronts. Saudi
Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said on Wednesday the insistence of
the Iran-backed Hezbollah group on imposing its will in Lebanon was a main
reason for the country’s crisis, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. Bin
Farhan also said Riyadh was concerned that no tangible results had been reached
in investigations into the Beirut port explosion that devastated swathes of the
capital a year ago. He noted any assistance to Lebanon would be linked to
serious reforms in the country. Last April, Saudi Arabia has banned the import
of Lebanese fruits and vegetables after a reported increase in drug smuggling
from Beirut. The move came after Saudi Customs foiled an attempt to smuggle over
5 million pills of Captagon stuffed inside fruit imported from Lebanon. Captagon
is used by fighters at war because of the effects it can have to fight
tiredness. It is an amphetamine that has widely been made and exported illegally
from Lebanon. Ties between Beirut and Riyadh have soured in recent years
following the steady expansion of Hezbollah’s influence and control over the
state and its institutions. A report by The Arab Weekly earlier this month
concluded Riyadh will unlikely act to provide financial support to Lebanon,
whether in the form of aid, loans or investments. The current Saudi apathy
towards Lebanon, the report stated, shows the kingdom is unwilling to play a
role in resolving the country’s crisis, as was the case on many previous
occasions. This factor threatens to exacerbate the situation in Lebanon,
especially with Europe’s threat of sanctions against those involved in
obstructing the formation of a new government. In early July, US Ambassador to
Lebanon Dorothy Shea and French Ambassador Anne Griot visited Saudi Arabia. The
visit showed the US administration and the French government have concluded they
had no other choice but to mediate with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, so that it
may agree to come to Lebanon’s help. However, the statements of the two
ambassadors upon their return made it clear that Saudi Arabia was not interested
in making a comeback in Lebanon in light of Hezbollah’s ongoing control of the
country. Lebanon is facing a stifling economic crisis that requires the Arab
Gulf states, in particular Saudi Arabia, to provide financial support so as to
avoid a collapse of the Lebanese state, which observers say is imminent.
Bassil Slams Some Blocs' Bid to 'Prevent Judiciary from
Unveiling Port Blast Truth'
Naharnet/August 11/2021
Bassil Slams Some Blocs' Bid to 'Prevent Judiciary from Un
Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil on Wednesday noted that
Thursday's parliamentary session is "illegitimate." It does not conform to "the
legal mechanism stipulated by Article 93 of parliament's bylaws and Articles 20
and 22 of the penal code for trials before the Higher Council (for the Trial of
Presidents and Ministers), which strips the session of its legality and renders
all its measures illegal," Bassil tweeted. "The FPM's principled stance is in
favor of lifting the immunities that prevent the prosecution of those
responsible for the port blast, and we reject the attempt by some in parliament
to bypass the judiciary and prevent it from continuing the investigation to
unveil the truth," Bassil added. "We will not tolerate the concealment of the
truth," the FPM chief stressed. Thursday's session -- which will be boycotted by
the FPM, the Lebanese Forces, the Progressive Socialist Party, the Armenian bloc
and several independent MPs -- is dedicated to discussing a controversial
parliamentary petition aimed at prosecuting three MPs summoned by Judge Tarek
al-Bitar in the port blast probe. The petition calls for the Higher Council for
the Trial of Presidents and Ministers to look into the charges instead of Bitar,
who is the lead investigative judge named by the Higher Judicial Council -- the
country's top national security court. The Higher Council for the Trial of
Presidents and Ministers consists of eight judges and seven MPs. It was only
activated twice in Lebanon's history -- in 1993 and 1999.
Geagea Accuses Parliamentary Majority of Obstructing
Justice
Naharnet/August 11/2021
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday announced that his party’s bloc
will boycott a parliamentary session scheduled for Thursday and dedicated to
discussing a controversial parliamentary petition aimed at prosecuting three MPs
summoned by Judge Tarek al-Bitar in the port blast probe.
"We submitted a parliamentary petition for holding a parliamentary session for
looking into the investigative judge's request for lifting immunity off some
MPs, but we were surprised by the call for a session tomorrow according to
Article 22, not to look into the investigative judge's request but rather for
looking into an illegal petition signed by some MPs to take the investigation to
another track," Geagea said at a press conference. "I have never seen a
parliamentary majority that deceives its people in this manner," the LF leader
added, accusing the parliamentary majority of doing all it can to obstruct
justice. Calling on "free" MPs from all blocs to join the boycott campaign,
Geagea noted that should the session be held, it would be "a hallmark of shame
on parliament's forehead forever."Bitar is demanding that parliament lift the
immunity of three ex-ministers who are current MPs so he can proceed with
investigations, but lawmakers have requested more evidence before deciding on
whether to waive immunity. Bitar has rejected parliament's request for more
evidence while the legislature has decided to refer the case to the Higher
Council for the Trial of Presidents and Ministers -- a body that consists of
eight judges and seven MPs. The Council was only activated twice in Lebanon's
history -- in 1993 and 1999. Geagea noted Wednesday that never in the world's
history has a case been tackled by two bodies in the same country, describing
the endeavor of some blocs as a blatant attempt to obstruct justice.
Diesel Shortage Plunges Lebanon into Darkness, Affects
Hospitals, Bakeries
Naharnet/August 11/2021
Lebanon has been plunged into darkness while hospitals and bakeries have sounded
the alarm in connection with the growing diesel shortage crisis. As Lebanon’s
biggest serums factory announced that it has stopped its manufacturing
operations due to lack of diesel and some hospitals said that they will soon
stop operating, the association of flour mill owners issued a statement saying
that several mills have closed due to the same reason. “The other mills will
successively and gradually stop operating within several days according to their
diesel reserves,” the association warned, which threatens to deprive citizens
and residents of the vital bread commodity. The head of the association of
bakery owners, Ali Ibrahim, meanwhile decried in remarks to al-Akhbar newspaper
“the indifference of the officials,” after he sounded the alarm five days ago in
a bid to avoid the crisis. He warned that the “real crisis” will begin on
Thursday, unless “a miracle happens and bakeries receive diesel supplies” on
Wednesday. “I told all the bakeries that called me yesterday to inform me that
they had run out of diesel to turn off their ovens and close their doors,”
Ibrahim said. He also noted that he had asked officials about the presence of
diesel in large quantities on the black market and its absence through licensed
suppliers, lamenting that his warnings have fallen on deaf ears. Diesel is
meanwhile needed to operate the privately-owned neighborhood generators that
supply subscribers with much-needed electricity amid the cash-strapped country's
severe power rationing crisis. Lebanon, grappling with an economic crisis
branded by the World Bank as one of the planet's worse since the mid-19th
century, has been hit in recent months by a wave of shortages of basic items
from medicine to fuel. Foreign currency reserves are rapidly depleting, forcing
the country to scale-down imports to shore up the little money it has left. Some
traders and importers have been meanwhile accused of hoarding essential supplies
and withholding them from the market in order to achieve hefty profits.
Miqati Says Won't Form Govt. Similar to Previous Ones
Naharnet/August 11/2021
Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati has stressed that he will not form a
government that resembles the previous governments. “I know that the mission is
very difficult and that my designation has become the only hope, and I have made
this step in order to form a government and not something else, but I will not
form a government that is similar to the previous ones,” Miqati told al-Joumhouria
newspaper in remarks published Wednesday. He added that the formation of such a
government would lead to “disputes and conflicts inside cabinet over the draft
laws and decisions that will be taken by the government.”“I’m not asking for
extraordinary jurisdiction, but at least I should be able to practice my powers
as a prime minister for the sake of facilitating action,” Miqati went on to say.
Denying that he has canceled an appointment at the presidential palace, the
PM-designate clarified that “there was no appointment in the first place because
the contacts that we made did not produce a meeting.”“This issue was clear in my
remarks after the last meeting,” he added. Sources close to President Michel
Aoun meanwhile said that there is a possibility for the formation of the new
government in “the next two weeks,” adding that the President “is exerting
utmost effort so that it be formed during this timeframe.” “There is a solution
that is being finalized to resolve the dispute over the interior portfolio,” the
sources added, noting that the issue of the justice portfolio “has nearly been
settled.”
FPM Lawmaker Says No New Government in Near Future
Naharnet/August 11/2021
MP Mario Aoun of the Free Patriotic Movement announced Wednesday that “there
will be no government in the near future.” “The opposition camp is trying to
waste time and it only wants this presidential tenure to come to an end, but
what’s happening is a crime against Lebanon and its people,” Aoun said in an
interview with Radio Voice of All Lebanon. “Only some ministers are acting in
caretaker capacity,” he added. “PM-designate Najib Miqati is behaving in a
manner similar to that of ex-PM Saad Hariri albeit in a diplomatic way. He is
deliberately promoting a positive atmosphere in his statements as if things have
been finalized, whereas there is no will to form a cabinet,” Aoun charged.
Accusing Miqati of seeking to “waste time” in order to form an “elections
government,” the lawmaker said “the other camp” is trying to evade the “forensic
audit.”
Lebanese Queue for Cooking Gas amid Economic Crisis
Agence France Presse/August 11/2021
Lebanese have lined up in long queues to stock up on cooking gas following
warnings of imminent shortages, as an economic crisis eats away at supplies of
basic imports. Lebanon, grappling with an economic crisis branded by the World
Bank as one of the planet's worse since the mid-19th century, has been hit in
recent months by a wave of shortages of basic items from medicine to fuel.
Liquefied petroleum gas, usually sold in canisters and used widely in homes and
businesses for cooking and heating, had been readily available in the market.
But importers warned it would soon join the list of scarce goods, prompting a
country-wide panic. "Our current stock will last one week," said Farid Zeynoun,
who heads a syndicate of petroleum gas distributors. "After which, if no
solution is found, gas used in homes will be sold on the black market." Zeynoun
blamed the crisis on a delay by the central bank in opening credit lines to fund
imports. Gas is subsidized by the government with a set price, but dealers warn
that if official supplies run dry, prices could shoot up by more than a third.
Foreign currency reserves are rapidly depleting, forcing the country to
scale-down imports to shore up the little money it has left.
Zeynoun said that a vessel carrying 5,000 tons of liquefied petroleum docked in
Lebanese waters 17 days ago, but is awaiting approval by the authorities to
unload its cargo. The official National News Agency reported "unprecedented"
demand for gas in the northern Akkar district. "Importing companies have stopped
meeting our gas needs," said Walid al-Hayek, the head of a gas distribution
company, according to NNA. Hayek also blamed the crisis on a central bank delay
in opening credit lines. In the southern city of Sidon, people flocked to a
local gas supplier to refill their canisters. "Is there anything more
humiliating than this?" asked Mohammad Ali Hasan, one of those in the queue,
waiting for hours under the scorching sun."We use gas... to cook for our
children... we will soon wait in line for water".
TO BE OR NOT TO BE
Jean-Marie Kassab/August 11/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/101301/%d8%ac%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%83%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%a8-%d9%8a%d8%ac%d8%a8-%d8%a3%d9%86-%d9%86%d9%83%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%a3%d9%88-%d9%84%d8%a7-%d9%86%d9%83%d9%88%d9%86-jean-marie-kassab-to-be/
Je suis dans le noir total sauf que j'y vois très clair. Assez pour voir qui tue
le Liban et massacre son peuple. Oui, tue le Liban et rien d' autre , à petit
feu comme pour prendre plaisir de cette agonie oū la victime expire son âme dans
la souffrance. Sauf que , sauf que le temple s'ecroulera sur la tête de tout le
monde et le meutre deviendra suicide collectif. Bien sûr , l' iran de Teheran ne
sentira rien et en fait s'en fout pas mal de son bras local ou des chiites
Libanais. L Iran se bat toujours jusqu' au dernier Libanais sans perdre un seul
homme.
Acceptez vous Libanais cet état des choses? L'éléctricité et l'énergie sont
vitales et non seulement essentielles au 21 ème siecle.
Des malades vont mourir fautes de soins. Les victuailles vont pourir. Les
employés incapables de rejoindre leurs postes. Les élèves bientôt sans école
même en ligne. Etc etc. Autant de tragédies et désastres . Ils nous mettent à
genoux pour dévorer le pays. Un être humain à genoux , affamé, humilié a
tendance à tout céder, et les limites sont atteintes je le crains.
طوني بدران/إطار عمل الاتحاد الأوروبي المعيب بما يتعلق
بالعقوبات على لبنان
قوات الأمم المتحدة (اليونيفل) العاملة في جنوب لبنان
The EU’s Flawed Framework for Sanctions on Lebanon
Tony Badran/ Policy Brief-FDD/August 10/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/101296/%d8%b7%d9%88%d9%86%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d8%af%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a5%d8%b7%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d9%82%d9%88%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%a8%d9%8a/
The Council of the European Union announced on July 30 that it has adopted a
framework that “provides for the possibility of imposing sanctions against
persons and entities who are responsible for undermining democracy and the rule
of law in Lebanon.” Whether the framework will be activated, however, is far
from certain, as its criteria for imposing sanctions are highly subjective,
which could animate lingering EU divisions. What is more certain is that the
European Union will not be targeting Hezbollah.
The EU framework outlines three criteria for possible designations: (1)
hampering the formation of a government or upcoming elections; (2) obstructing
the implementation of critical reforms; (3) serious financial misconduct and the
unauthorized exportation of capital.
If imposed, sanctions for designated entities would entail an asset freeze,
while sanctions for designated individuals would consist of both an asset freeze
and a travel ban excluding them from the European Union. But that is a big if.
For instance, it is unclear how various European nations will come to a common
determination as to who among Lebanon’s sectarian leaders is responsible for
blocking the government’s formation, assuming such blockage continues.
Identifying those responsible for holding up critical reforms is an equally
subjective exercise, especially when Lebanon’s entire political class is not
only implicated in corruption but also regularly engages in blame trading for
political purposes.
Regardless, if the Europeans can agree on whom to target, it will not be
Hezbollah. French President Emmanuel Macron has openly met with Hezbollah in his
efforts to stand up a new Lebanese government. Likewise, France is the European
Union’s principal opponent of the argument for designating Hezbollah in toto as
a terrorist organization. Not only will France, first and foremost, not alter
its longstanding position on this issue, but it also will not cross Hezbollah
while French soldiers are serving in the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in southern
Lebanon. Hezbollah regularly employs threats, backed with action, as a means of
intimidation. Finally, France will not jeopardize its existing and potential
investments in Lebanon.
Instead, France appears to have a much lesser target in mind for EU sanctions.
Before the EU framework was adopted, a senior European official told Reuters
that the designee Paris is considering is Gebran Bassil, Lebanon’s former
foreign minister and the current president’s son-in-law, whom the Trump
administration designated for corruption in 2020. While Bassil is a fully
deserving target for sanctions, such a narrow designation, should it even
happen, might appear hard-hitting but would in fact be secondary. Moreover, it
would conform European policy to the political games of Lebanon’s oligarchs.
Ultimately, the European sanctions framework is not only not intended to target
Hezbollah; it is not even intended to punish or sideline the country’s corrupt
political class. Rather, it aims to prod sectarian leaders to press ahead with
forming a government with which the European Union can then deal, and to hold
elections, which will see those same leaders re-elected. Like their American
counterparts in both Republican and Democratic administrations, European
policymakers continue to draw a distinction between Hezbollah and the so-called
Lebanese “state,” in addition to their false distinction between Hezbollah’s
so-called political and military “wings.” Consequently, U.S. and EU policy boils
down to preserving the Hezbollah-run order in Lebanon.
*Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD),
where he also contributes to FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power (CEFP).
For more analysis from Tony and CEFP, please subscribe HERE. Follow Tony on
Twitter @AcrossTheBay. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD and @FDD_CEFP. FDD is a
Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national
security and foreign policy.
طوني بدران/قوات الأمم المتحدة (اليونيفل) العاملة في جنوب
لبنان
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
Tony Badran/International Organizations Monograph/FDD/June 30/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/101296/%d8%b7%d9%88%d9%86%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d8%af%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a5%d8%b7%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d9%82%d9%88%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%a8%d9%8a/
Introduction
UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) 425 and 426 established the UN Interim
Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in 1978 following Israel’s Operation Litani in
southern Lebanon. UNIFIL was tasked with “confirming the withdrawal of Israeli
forces, restoring international peace and security and assisting the Government
of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area.”1 In
2006, after the war between Israel and Hezbollah, UNSCR 1701 increased UNIFIL’s
size and updated its mandate. The force ballooned to over 10,000 soldiers (with
a troop ceiling of 15,000) and employed a civilian staff of around 900
employees, both foreign and local. UNIFIL’s annual budget stands at around $512
million, of which the United States contributes roughly 28 percent, or about
$145 million.
UNSCR 1701 mandates UNIFIL to “accompany and support the Lebanese armed forces [LAF]
as they deploy throughout the South, including along the Blue Line” with Israel,
and to assist the LAF in “the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani
river of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than
those of the Government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL deployed in this area.”2 The
references to armed personnel and weapons are understood to mean Hezbollah and
its arsenal. UNSCR 1701 also authorizes UNIFIL “to take all necessary action in
areas of deployment of its forces … to ensure that its area of operations is not
utilized for hostile activities of any kind,” and “to resist attempts by
forceful means to prevent it from discharging its duties.”
UNIFIL includes a naval component, the Maritime Task Force, consisting of five
ships, to support the Lebanese Navy in “preventing the unauthorized entry of
arms or related materiel by sea into Lebanon.”3
A UNIFIL patrol drives past a billboard showing the faces of former deputy
leader of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (left),
former Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani (center), and former
Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh (right) in southern Lebanon on August 26,
2020. (Photo by Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images)
Problems
Hezbollah’s infrastructure and capabilities have grown exponentially since 2006
under UNIFIL’s nose. The group actually uses UNIFIL’s area of operations for
cross-border attacks into Israel, including breaches of the border fence. In
addition, Hezbollah erects observation and intelligence-gathering posts along
the border through a front environmental group connected to Hezbollah.4 At the
same time, the LAF impedes UNIFIL’s monitoring of the Blue Line, according to a
former UNIFIL liaison officer,5 a fact also noted in the UN secretary-general’s
latest report on the implementation of UNSCR 1701.6
Hezbollah also constrains UNIFIL’s freedom of operation with attacks on the
force’s patrols as well as with harassment and obstruction by what are commonly
referred to as “local civilians.”7 Video of a 2018 attack showed Hezbollah
operatives assaulting a UNIFIL vehicle and disarming its soldiers.8 In 2020,
“local civilians” mobbed and obstructed a Finnish patrol in the village of
Blida.9 Former officers note how these attacks impeded UNIFIL’s access to
villages. The officers have also observed inertia at the command level, which
seeks to avoid confronting Hezbollah.10
The LAF also inhibits UNIFIL by demanding that UNIFIL seek prior authorization
before inspecting “private property” – a pretext to deny access to suspect
sites.11 The LAF, for example, has denied UNIFIL requests to inspect a series of
Hezbollah attack tunnels revealed by Israel in 2018.12 The LAF further restricts
UNIFIL’s movement by regularly objecting to patrol routes UNIFIL proposes, under
the pretext that they are “private roads.”13
Lebanese officials claim that inspecting Hezbollah arms depots or removing its
weapons from the area south of the Litani, UNIFIL’s area of operations, is out
of the question.14 Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft
therefore described the Lebanese government as an accomplice of Hezbollah in
obstructing and denying UNIFIL access.15
UNIFIL’s Maritime Task Force, which is supposed to ensure no illegal weapons are
smuggled to Hezbollah by sea, is limited by its mandate, which authorizes the
force merely to hail suspect vessels and then refer them to the LAF navy for
inspection. In 2019, Israel briefed the Security Council that Iran was smuggling
“dual-use items” by sea, specifically through the Port of Beirut, “to advance
Hezbollah’s rocket and missile capabilities.”16 This is likely a reference to
Hezbollah’s lethal and growing precision-guided munitions arsenal, provided by
Iran in recent years.17 But none of the 15,000 ships referred to the Lebanese
authorities for inspection have ever been declared to be carrying materiel for
Hezbollah.18 This suspicious behavior continues. In the period between June and
October 2020, UNIFIL referred 245 vessels to the LAF for inspection. According
to the UN secretary-general’s report on that period, six of those referrals
“were not acted upon.” UNIFIL did not receive clarification as to why.19
Recommendations
The Trump administration failed to amend UNIFIL’s mandate to allow for more
robust patrolling, unrestricted access, and increased freedom of operation. In
2020, the United States threatened to veto renewal of the force’s mandate unless
modest reforms were adopted.20 Under diplomatic pressure, the Trump
administration backed down and supported the mandate’s renewal with minor
changes that did not alter the longstanding status quo.21
Given UNIFIL’s long record of failure, the Biden administration and Congress
should consider the following policy options:
Veto UNIFIL’s mandate. The Security Council and troop-contributing nations are
highly unlikely to agree to structural changes necessary for UNIFIL to bypass
the obstruction by Hezbollah and the Lebanese authorities. Consequently,
UNIFIL’s continued failure to enforce an area of operations “free of any armed
personnel, assets and weapons” that is “not utilized for hostile activities of
any kind” is a foregone conclusion. Therefore, the only meaningful way forward
is to veto the renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate at the Security Council in August
2021.
Transfer UNIFIL’s liaison function to the Office of the UN Special Coordinator
for Lebanon. UNIFIL’s liaison function, which consists of the Tripartite Forum
with the Israel Defense Forces and the LAF, is sometimes cited as a useful
mechanism worth keeping. However, retaining the forum does not require keeping a
bloated force with a half-billion-dollar budget. The liaison function requires a
staff of no more than a dozen people.
Withhold Funding. If the Biden administration extends the status quo and renews
UNIFIL’s mandate, which has failed to advance U.S. interests, Congress should
withhold U.S. assessed contributions to UNIFIL.
UNIFIL vehicles patrol the Lebanese southern coastal area of Naqura on October
11, 2020. (Photo by Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images)
Notes
UN Security Council, Resolution 425, March 19, 1978. (http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/425);
UN Security Council, Resolution 426, March 19, 1978. (http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/426)
UN Security Council, Resolution 1701, August 11, 2006. (http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/1701)
UN Interim Force in Lebanon, “UNIFIL Maritime Task Force,” accessed May 27,
2021. (https://unifil.unmissions.org/unifil-maritime-task-force)
Tony Badran, “Hezbollah’s Environmental Warriors,” Tablet Magazine, June 27,
2017. (https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/hezbollahs-environmental-warriors);
Dion Nissenbaum and Nazih Osseiran, “A Row Over Trees Could Spark the Next
Israel-Lebanon War,” The Wall Street Journal, June 28, 2020. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-row-over-trees-could-spark-the-next-israel-lebanon-war-11593345635)
Maxime Perez, “Le blues des Casques bleus au Liban,” Le Journal du Dimanche
(France), February 23, 2018. (https://www.lejdd.fr/International/Moyen-Orient/au-liban-le-blues-des-casques-bleus-3578882)
مكرم رباح/العربية: الشجعان في لبنان أصبحوا شوكة في خاصرة
حزب الله
The fearless in Lebanon are becoming a thorn in the side for Hezbollah
Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/August 11/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/101315/%d9%85%d9%83%d8%b1%d9%85-%d8%b1%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%ad-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b4%d8%ac%d8%b9%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a3%d8%b5%d8%a8/
For, Chouaya a small village in the district of Hasbaya in the South of Lebanon,
last Friday August 6 was simply another tranquil day, until Hezbollah, Iran’s
Lebanese militia decided to use the outskirts of the village to launch a barrage
of missiles against Israeli positions in the Shebaa farms.
While the rockets fired mostly fell in desolate plots of land and Israeli
retaliation to it was limited, the reaction of the villagers of Chouaya was
excessively violent as they intercepted the camouflaged truck hiding the rocket
launcher and beat up the eight-team militiamen escorting it and arrested them
before handing them over to the Lebanese Army, which released them that same
evening.
A video of the incident was leaked, and showed a furious mob, some of them
wearing the religious Druze outfit, objecting to Hezbollah turning their homes
into potential military targets for Israeli retaliation. The Druze villagers’
encounter with Hezbollah sparked a nationwide show of solidarity as many
Lebanese were joyous that someone was bold enough to confront Iran’s militia and
challenge its unheeded drive to drive Lebanon further into a war it cannot win.
To add insult to injury, Hezbollah resorted to using sectarianism to save face,
calling upon its powerbase to attack the Druze for daring to do the bidding of
Israel, and making it appear as if they were preventing Hezbollah from
liberating Palestine.
This dangerous sectarian rhetoric and peddling resulted in an assault by
pro-Hezbollah youths on two Druze clerics selling figs and cactus in the
vicinity and forcing them out of the village.
This triggered a violent reaction, as they ambushed Taxi vans driving up the
Beirut-Damascus highway into the Beqaa and assaulting anyone they believed to be
Shia. The Druze that attacked these vans did so with the assumption they are
supporters of Hezbollah, while in fact many of which were Sunni and others were
only heading towards the Beqaa. A cruel and barbaric act which made a bad
situation even worse.
Notwithstanding these recent events Hezbollah’s position is uneasy situation. It
has been under pressure internally due to Lebanon’s economic collapse.
The decision to escalate hostilities across the border seems to have been
dictated by Iran which is already under tremendous pressure with international
condemnation of piracy activities in the Arabian Gulf. There most recently
exploit saw the finger being pointed at them for their suspected attack on the
HV Mercer Street oil tanker off the coast of Oman.
Recent evidence from last year’s port blast in Beirut suggests that only 20
percent of the confiscated 2500 tons of nitrate had exploded, inferring that
Hezbollah might have smuggled it elsewhere. To Syria perhaps, to help supply a
key ingredient to the Assad regime for their infamous barrel bombs. To many,
Hezbollah’s decision to provoke Israel by firing several unidentified missiles
on the one year anniversary of the Beirut blast was nothing short of an attempt
to deflect accusations of its involvement in the seismic blast that destroyed
downtown Beirut.
It is mostly assumed that Hezbollah would not have declared its responsibility
for the Chouaya launch had it not clashed with the villagers. Its usual tactic
is to use Palestinian militant organization to take responsibility for these
theatrical launches.
In his latest TV appearance Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of
Hezbollah, tried to downplay the Chouaya incident and assured his audience that
the Druze village incident was a simple misunderstanding. Hezbollah consciously
chose to stand down and did not retaliate against the attack.
He made a similar claim when his militants clashed with members of the Arab
Tribes in Khalde, South of Beirut.
What transpired at Chouaya was not simply a Hezbollah military operation that
went wrong, but is another vivid reminder that the group is indifferent about
using Lebanon and the people as human shields in a losing fight with Israel, and
merely to serve the ultimate goals of Iran’s transnational expansionist project.
By human shields, he will not risk the lives from his supporter base. No Shiite
villages are considered viable for missile launches. It isn’t worth the risk of
alienating these people.
The villagers of Chouaya, along with their Lebanese compatriots, and this
includes Hezbollah supporters, do not want to be turned into human targets.
Equally the people realize that Hezbollah – as a corrupt political Lebanese
party, and as an Iranian sponsored militia – is accountable for their country’s
port blast tragedy.
The Druze of Chouaya were beyond courageous in standing up to Hezbollah, but
this show of courage needs to be turned into a nationwide protest movement to
tell it, and the corrupt political establishment that protects it, that their
dangerous military endeavors stops here.
*Picture Enclosed: Lebanese Citizen,Yehya temani who stood tall in Chouaya
southern village against Terrorist Hezbollah
The ‘ghosts’ helping Iran flex its muscles in Lebanon
Mohamed Chebaro/Arab News/August 11/2021
The Lebanese are holding their breath again amid fears of a Hezbollah-Israeli
military confrontation that would add salt to the wounds opened by the Beirut
port explosion a year ago.
They are told once again that maybe ghosts could have shipped, stored and later
ignited the ammonium nitrate in the Lebanese capital — without the knowledge of
the political or security establishment in Lebanon, of course.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned against “politicizing” the
probe into the world’s biggest single explosion since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki
atomic bomb blasts 75 years ago.
In his televised speech, Nasrallah dismissed as “fabrications” and “ridiculous”
the accusations that his party shipped and stored the deadly chemicals in Beirut
to be used as barrel bombs directed at Syrian civilian towns and villages during
that country’s civil war.
Despite its important timing — the speech coincided with dangerous skirmishes on
the border with Israel — there was nothing new in Nasrallah’s statement for the
divided Lebanese, apart from the fact that most might have missed watching it
due to power cuts across the country.
For the first time Hezbollah militants and their missile launcher were
intercepted by local villagers who feared Israeli retaliation, indicating a
further erosion of the party’s standing among civilians in the south. The
Lebanese army later released the militants, showing the extent to which its
forces have been sidelined as Hezbollah entangles the country further in Iran’s
continued shadow wars with Israel in Syria, Lebanon and beyond.
While Israel repeated its mantra that it will hold Lebanon and its army
responsible for any attacks, even if Hezbollah or other groups are involved,
Nasrallah reiterated that he will not be constrained by the country’s internal
divisions or its economic crisis, warning Israel not to “miscalculate” and
adding that the missiles fired last week have sent a “clear message.”
What is interesting is that Hezbollah’s leader acknowledged the country is
caving in internally, an admission that showed more cracks are appearing in the
traditional and tacit consensus that Hezbollah’s resistance reigns above all
else. But the scale of the economic collapse has led many more Lebanese to
question the role of the party and its regional operations as the “long arm” of
Iran in its bid for supremacy in the Middle East.
The latest exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel began last Wednesday with a
rocket strike for which no group claimed responsibility. That attack brought
retaliatory Israeli air strikes unseen in south Lebanon for seven years, and
came 15 years after the end of the July 2006 war.
The missile strike appears to be connected to the alleged Iranian attack on an
Israeli-managed tanker in the Gulf last week in which two crew members were
killed. Iran denied responsibility in keeping with what has become known as the
ghost or shadow war between the two countries.
To many in Lebanon the link between the two violent developments is obvious. The
G7, US and Israel pointed to Tehran as the culprit in attacking the Mercer
Street tanker off Oman, saying that the drone was Iranian made. All this led the
new Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to say that his country was enlisting
the world in response to the attack but warning that it is also capable of
acting alone.
It is never up to Hezbollah alone to start a war unless its Iranian patrons call
for one. Neither could Israel start a conflict without the blessing of the US.
According to experts, Hezbollah’s targeting of wasteland rather than Israeli
army positions demonstrates that the missile strike was designed to be a mere
message or warning to Israel against any action aimed at Iran proper.
For the first time Hezbollah militants and their missile launcher were
intercepted by local villagers who feared Israeli retaliation.
Condemnation and the threat of sanctions — covert responses or overt ones — look
like the only game in town for the time being. The events of the past 10 days
point toward classic Iranian posturing as its new president, Ebrahim Raisi, was
sworn in. On the one hand, he offers the olive branch to make peace with Iran’s
neighbors. And then he says during his inauguration speech that the regime
“stands alongside the oppressed,” whether they be at the heart of Europe, in
America, Africa or Yemen, Syria or Palestine. While Iranian operatives were
sending drones to attack Israeli ships, Iran-allied militias launched
projectiles from Gaza toward Israel, and “ghosts” fired volleys of missiles
toward contested territories between Lebanon, Syria and Israel. Lebanon’s border
skirmishes that risk an all-out war should be seen through such a prism. Despite
its struggle to alleviate its deep economic and social woes, Iran’s duplicity
will continue with meddling, shadow or ghost mini-wars, while a busy West is
hoping only to reschedule another round of talks in Vienna to restart the
stalled 2015 nuclear deal.
*Mohamed Chebaro is a British-Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years’
experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy. He
is also a media consultant and trainer.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
Reports And News published on August 11-12/2021
Iran’s Raisi unveils new cabinet: IRNA
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/11 August ,2021
Iran’s new president Ebrahim Raisi presented on Wednesday his list of cabinet
choices to parliament, the official IRNA news agency reported. Raisi, elected in
June, was sworn in last week before parliament as Iran’s eighth president. The
parliament is required to review and approve Raisi’s nominations. His choices
are not expected to face any opposition from a parliament that is considered
ideologically aligned with the president. Among the key nominees is Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian, a diplomat reportedly close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC). He will replace Mohammad Javad Zarif as foreign minister. Raisi
has chosen Javad Owji as oil minister and Ahmad Vahidi as interior minister,
according to the list of proposed ministers published by IRNA. Owji is a former
deputy oil minister and managing director of the state-run National Iranian Gas
Company, while Vahidi is a former defense minister who has also served as the
head of the Quds Force, the overseas arm of the IRGC. Esmail Khatib, a cleric
who previously served as the head of the judiciary’s intelligence unit, has been
tapped as intelligence minister, according to IRNA. Khatib had also previously
worked in the office of the supreme leader, according to Iranian media.
Raisi forms cabinet of hardliners with anti-Western
slant
The Arab Weekly/August 11/2021
TEHRAN— Iran’s new president chose a Cabinet dominated by hard-liners many of
whom are under Western sanctions, it was reported on Wednesday. The list
provides one of the first glimpses into the policies he might pursue over the
next four years. The conservative cleric and former judiciary chief, Ebrahim
Raisi, nominated hard-line career diplomat Hossein Amirabollahian to the crucial
post of foreign minister as Iran and the US seek to resuscitate Tehran’s
landmark nuclear deal with world powers. Amirabollahian, 56, has served in a
range of administrations over the decades. He was deputy foreign minister for
Arab and African affairs under former populist hard-line President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, known in the West for his Holocaust denial and disputed re-election
in 2009. When relative moderate Hassan Rouhani, who struck the nuclear deal that
granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program,
entered office in 2013, Amirabollahian kept his job before leaving to become an
international affairs adviser to the former parliament speaker. The Cabinet
list, which offered few surprises, must still be confirmed by Iran’s parliament.
The supreme leader also typically weighs in on picking officials for the most
sensitive positions, such as foreign minister. The parties to the nuclear accord
have met in Vienna for months to try to revive the deal. The last round of talks
ended in June with no date set for their resumption. Raisi has promised his
administration will focus on lifting sanctions that have clobbered Iran’s
already ailing economy. Raisi also appointed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi as his interior
minister — a former defence minister blacklisted by the US in 2010 and wanted by
Interpol over his alleged role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center
in Buenos Aires. The attack killed 85 people and wounded hundreds. Javad Owji,
54, a long-time official in the country’s vital oil and gas sector, was
nominated as oil minister. Raisi picked Rostam Ghasemi, a former oil minister
under Ahmadinejad, as the minister for roads and urbanisation. The list named
Gen. Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, a former deputy chief of staff of the armed forces,
as defence minister. Raisi on Sunday named the chairman of a powerful
state-owned foundation Setad as his first vice-president, the president’s
official website said. The Setad and Mokhber were blacklisted by the US Treasury
in January.
On Thursday, Raisi took the oath of office before parliament, to which he must
present a list of ministers within two weeks. A former judiciary chief, Raisi
has been criticised by the West for his human rights record and sanctioned by
the US since 2019.
Raisi also picked Gholamhossein Esmaili, the judiciary’s spokesman during his
tenure, as his chief of staff. A former prosecutor, Esmaili is under sanctions
by the European Union. He was first blacklisted in 2011 as Iran’s prisons’
organisation chief over “serious human rights violations”. Raisi’s presidency is
due to consolidate power in the hands of conservatives following their 2020
parliamentary election victory, which was marked by the disqualification of
thousands of reformist or moderate candidates.
Iran urges Iraq to expel Iranian rebels from Kurdish
region
The Arab Weekly/August 11/2021
DUBAI--A senior Iranian security official urged Iraq on Tuesday to expel Iranian
rebels from Iraqi Kurdistan, or expect Tehran to take “preventative measures”
against the armed groups, Iranian state media reported. Iran has in the past
shelled armed Kurdish opposition groups based in northern Iraq, mostly in areas
controlled by the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). “We call
on the Iraqi government to take more serious action to expel these groups from
Iraqi Kurdistan so that Iran does not have to take preventative measures
against…these armed terrorists,” said Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s top
national security body, the state news agency IRNA reported. Shamkhani, who made
the remarks at a meeting with visiting Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, did
not refer to the KRG. Hussein met his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif
in Tehran Tuesday, Iranian media reported, as Baghdad prepares to host a
regional summit later this month. Iraq is seeking to establish itself as a
mediator between Arab countries and Iran. Baghdad has been brokering talks
between regional heavyweights Riyadh and Tehran since April on mending ties
severed in 2016. There are frequent clashes along Iran’s border with northern
Iraq between Iranian security forces and Kurdish militant groups such as the
Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) and the Party of Free Life of
Kurdistan (PJAK), which has links to Kurdish PKK insurgents in Turkey. Earlier
in August, Iran’s oldest Kurdish separatist party, now based in neighbouring
Iraq, accused Tehran of murdering one of its leaders. Mussa Babakhani, a member
of the central committee of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), was
“assassinated by a terrorist affiliated” with Iran, a statement from the party
said. Babakhani was “kidnapped August 5 by two terrorists and found dead and
bearing marks of torture” on August7 in a hotel room in Erbil, the capital of
Iraqi Kurdistan, the statement said. Kurdish security forces have said they are
investigating his death. The KDPI accuses Iran of murdering several of its
leaders in recent years. It said Babakhani, born in 1981, joined the party in
1999. The group was banned after Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution. In September
2018, an Iranian missile strike on the KDPI headquarters in Iraq’s Kurdish
region killed 15 people. In July 2019, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had
attacked suspected “terrorists” in Iraqi Kurdistan, killing and wounding
several. Kurds, a non-Arab ethnic group, have long agitated for their own state.
They number between 25 million and 35 million people and are spread across
Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. In Iran, they make up around 10 percent of the
population.
Iranian ex-Official Ordered Executions in 1988, Swedish
Prosecutors Say
Agence France Presse/August 11/2021
A former Iranian prison official handed out death sentences as part of a 1988
purge of political dissidents, Swedish prosecutors said on the first day of a
landmark case likely to stoke tensions in the Islamic republic. Hamid Noury, 60,
appeared relaxed in light-colored clothing in Stockholm District Court and
listened through a translator as prosecutors read out a litany of charges
including "murder" and "war crimes", dating from July 30 to August 16, 1988,
when Noury was allegedly assistant to the deputy prosecutor of Gohardasht prison
in Karaj, near Tehran.Prosecutor Kristina Lindhoff Carleson accused Noury of
"intentionally taking the life of a very large number of prisoners sympathetic
to or belonging to the People's Mujahedin" (MEK) as well as others considered
opponents of the "theocratic Iranian state".Human rights groups have estimated
that 5,000 prisoners were killed across Iran, allegedly under the orders of
supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini in reprisal for attacks carried out by the MEK
at the end of the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88. While not accused of directly
carrying out any of the killings, Noury's participation included handing down
death sentences, bringing prisoners to the execution chamber and helping
prosecutors gather prisoners' names, the prosecution said. Defence counsel
Daniel Marcus pledged to refute all charges during the three-day trial, and
denied Noury even worked at the prison. Also in court were lawyers for the group
of over 30 civil complainants who helped bring the case, including victims and
their families.Among those following the case was Lawdan Bazargan, 52, whose
brother was executed while in prison for belonging to a left-wing group in 1987,
and whose sister will testify in the trial. "When we tried to reclaim his body
they told us 'An apostate does not have a body'", Bazargan told AFP, having
travelled to Sweden from her home in the US for the trial. A verdict in the
three-day case, the first of its kind, is expected in April 2022.
'Death commission' accusations
MEK supporters were among several hundred protesters who gathered outside the
court carrying photos of the dead and demanding justice. The case is
particularly sensitive in Iran, where campaigners accuse current government
figures of having a role in the deaths, most notably newly inaugurated president
Ebrahim Raisi. The former head of Iran's judiciary was accused by Amnesty
International in 2018 of being a member of a "death commission" which was behind
the secret executions. Questioned in 2018 and 2020, Raisi denied involvement but
paid "tribute" to Ayatollah Khomeini's "order" to carry out the purge. Khomeini
died in 1989. In early May, more than 150 personalities, including Nobel Prize
winners, former heads of state and former U.N. officials, called for an
international investigation into the executions.
Lured to Sweden -
Sweden's principle of universal jurisdiction means that its courts can try a
person on serious charges such as murder or war crimes regardless of where the
alleged offences took place. Noury was arrested at Stockholm airport in November
2019 following the efforts of justice campaigner and former political prisoner
Iraj Mesdaghi. After compiling an evidence dossier of "several thousand pages"
on Noury, Mesdaghi set about luring the former prison official to the Nordic
country -- where he has family members -- with the promise of a luxury cruise.
Noury was arrested as he stepped onto Swedish soil. "This is the first time that
one of the persecutors has been held accountable in another country," Mesdaghi
told AFP.
Israel foreign minister arrives in Morocco on first visit
since normalization
AFP, Rabat/11 August ,2021
Israel’s top diplomat landed in Morocco on Wednesday for the first visit by a
senior official from the Jewish state since the two sides agreed to normalize
ties last year. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid is expected to meet on Wednesday
with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, and open a diplomatic
representation on Thursday in the capital Rabat. “We have landed in Morocco.
Proud to represent Israel during this historic visit,” Lapid wrote on Twitter as
his flight operated by Israeli national airline El Al arrived. Israel and
Morocco normalized ties last year after then US president Donald Trump
recognized Morocco’s contested sovereignty in Western Sahara. Morocco was the
fourth Arab state to establish ties with Israel last year after the United Arab
Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. The move infuriated the Palestinians as it
shattered the longstanding Arab consensus that there should be no normalization
until Israel agrees to a comprehensive and lasting peace. The Israeli delegation
is expected to visit the royal mausoleum where kings Hassan II and Mohammed V
are buried, before the bilateral meeting between Lapid and Bourita. Lapid is
also expected to visit the Beth-El synagogue in Casablanca on his two-day visit,
the Israeli foreign ministry said. The North African country hosts the Arab
world’s largest Jewish community of some 3,000 people. They are the remnant of a
once much larger community. Some 700,000 Jews of Moroccan descent now live in
Israel. Morocco and Israel maintained liaison offices in the 1990s, before
closing them during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, that raged
from 2000 to 2005. Lapid’s visit to Rabat follows a June trip to the United Arab
Emirates, where he inaugurated the new Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi. It comes
just days before Israel is due to require all travelers returning from Morocco
to quarantine following a review of the risks of COVID-19 infection.
Iran asks Iraq to expel Iranian rebels from Kurdistan
region
Reuters/August 11/2021
A senior Iranian security official urged Iraq on Tuesday to expel Iranian rebels
from Iraqi Kurdistan, or expect Tehran to take "preventative measures" against
the armed groups, Iranian state media reported. Iran has in the past shelled
armed Kurdish opposition groups based in northern Iraq, mostly in areas
controlled by the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). "We call
on the Iraqi government to take more serious action to expel these groups from
Iraqi Kurdistan so that Iran does not have to take preventative measures
against...these armed terrorists," said Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's top
national security body, the state news agency IRNA reported. Shamkhani, who made
the remarks at a meeting with visiting Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, did
not refer to the KRG. There are frequent clashes along Iran's border with
northern Iraq between Iranian security forces and Kurdish militant groups such
as the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) and the Party of Free Life
of Kurdistan (PJAK), which has links to Kurdish PKK insurgents in Turkey.
*Reporting by Dubai newsroom Editing by Mark Heinrich
Israel said to warn CIA chief that new Iranian president is
mentally disturbed
By TOI STAFF and AFP/August 11/2021
William Burns visits Israel for talks focused on Iran; reportedly given dossier
describing Ebrahim Raisi as a demented extremist who can’t be negotiated with
Israel hosted US Central Intelligence Agency chief William Burns Tuesday for
talks focused on Iran, with Jerusalem reportedly attempting to snooker any
American rapprochement with Tehran by presenting Iran’s new president as a
deranged misfit. Officials gave no details of the agenda for the CIA chief’s
talks in Israel, but the Walla news site reported that Burns planned to meet
with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Mossad spy agency head David Barnea and
other senior intelligence figures. During the meeting with Barnea, Mossad
official presented Burns with information intended to show Iran’s President
Ebrahim Raisi as untrustworthy and incapable of negotiating a new nuclear deal
or sticking to his commitments, Channel 12 news reported.
According to the channel, Barnea gave Burns a dossier on Raisi that portrayed
him as exceptionally extreme, cruel, corrupt and unstable.
“The Mossad described him as someone with mental disturbances,” the channel
claimed in the unsourced report. Raisi, a hardline former judiciary head who was
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s choice for the role, has been accused of ordering
the execution of thousands of prisoners toward the end of the Iran-Iraq war in
1988.He took office on Thursday, taking over for Hassan Rouhani, a relative
moderate who agreed to a landmark deal in 2015 that curbed Iran’s nuclear
activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Burns, a career diplomat, played a
key role in the US rapprochement with Iran that led to the deal between Iran and
major powers. US President Joe Biden has sought to rejoin the pact after former
president Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018. Israel opposes the deal and
government officials have held successive rounds of talks with US counterparts
on the nuclear negotiations. The visit by Burns comes amid what analysts have
called a “shadow war” that has seen a spate of attacks on facilities in Iran and
maritime vessels linked to Israel. Last month, the MT Mercer Street, an oil
products tanker operated by Israeli-controlled Zodiac maritime, was struck by a
drone off the Omani coast, killing two crew members — a Briton and a Romanian.
G7 foreign ministers on Friday pointed the finger of blame for the attack at
Iran, as the US military released the findings of an investigation alleging the
drones were made in the Islamic republic. Iran dismissed the allegations.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Tuesday said Iran was “the greatest threat to
peace in the region”.
'Hundreds' of Afghan Soldiers Surrender to Taliban near
Kunduz
Agence France Presse/August 11/2021
Hundreds of Afghan soldiers who retreated to the airport outside Kunduz after
the Taliban captured the northern city at the weekend have surrendered, a local
lawmaker told AFP Wednesday.Amruddin Wali, a member of the Kunduz provincial
council, said soldiers, police and uprising forces "surrendered to the Taliban
with all their military gear."
Biden’s military strategy for Iraq should be applied in
Afghanistan
Clifford D. May/FDD/August 11/2021
A few weeks ago, the night before he was to meet with President Joe Biden,
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani broke bread with a group of friendly diplomats,
military officers, scholars, and journalists. The dinner was off-the-record, so
I can’t tell you what Mr. Ghani or others said. With one exception.
I hadn’t planned to speak. But there was a point I thought needed to be made.
And no one else was making it.I rose from my seat and said: “Mr. President, may
I suggest that you tell President Biden that you, your government, and your
armed forces intend to continue fighting the Taliban and al Qaeda. Emphasize
that with a minimal level of American assistance, you’re confident our common
enemies will not prevail. But if America abandons Afghanistan, the consequences
are likely to be dire – for Afghans, of course, but also for Americans.” If
President Ghani took my advice, it had no impact. American forces are
withdrawing from Afghanistan in time for the 20th anniversary of the most lethal
terrorist attacks ever on American soil, attacks that al Qaeda planned, honored
guests of the Taliban – then and now. Those of us who oppose this retreat
acknowledge that Republican and Democratic administrations alike failed to
develop coherent strategies for Afghanistan. We do not pretend that the Afghan
government is an exemplar of rectitude. And no prominent voices – certainly not
those of Gen. H.R. McMaster, Gen. David Petraeus, or Gen. Jack Keane – are
arguing for a major U.S. commitment to the ongoing battle against jihadis in
Afghanistan. We are arguing against repeating President Barack Obama’s mistake
in Iraq in 2011 when he ignored his national security cabinet’s advice that a
small residual force remain in-country. He ordered all U.S. forces to depart.
From the ashes of al Qaeda in Iraq, the Islamic State soon arose. Shia militias
loyal to the Islamic Republic of Iran were emboldened. Three years later, Mr.
Obama sent U.S. forces back to Iraq.
Egypt seems to gain favour with Washington over
‘constructive role’ in regional security
The Arab Weekly/August 11/2021
WASHINGTON--US President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday called Egypt a
“constructive” defence partner as it considers new military aid, downplaying
previous reservations about Cairo’s human rights record. The US administration
cited various aspects of the role played in recent months by Egypt to promote
regional security. Biden took office vowing to establish human rights policies
as a yardstick for his foreign policy decisions. He pledged to work for the
promotion of democracy and freedoms in the Middle East although analysts
predicted US interests in the turbulent region will force him to accept policy
compromises with friendly regimes over threats from Iran and Islamic extremists.
In Egypt, specifically he said he was intent on not delivering “blank checks” to
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi who has imposed restrictions on the work of civil
society activists as he led a campaign against Islamist militants. Sisi had it
easy with the Republican administration which lent priority to strategic issues,
including the fight against terror and ties to Israel, over human rights
considerations in its relations with Cairo. Trump unsuccessfully tried to
negotiate a deal on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, or GERD, a vast project
on the Nile that Egypt and Sudan fear will deprive them of vital water. The
issue of US Egyptian relations has resurfaced in recent weeks as Biden was
considering whether to release $300 million in military aid that was linked by
Congress to human rights standards.
Questioned at a Senate hearing, State Department and Pentagon officials said
that Biden has made human rights a priority in talks with Egypt.
“But we also believe and support that Egypt has legitimate security concerns and
believe that security assistance to Egypt is a critical tool in supporting those
needs,” said Dana Stroul, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the
Middle East.
“The current view of the administration is that Egypt is playing a constructive
role when it comes to border security, Libya, GERD, obviously the conflict in
Gaza, et cetera,” she said, pointing as well to US military overflights and Suez
Canal transit.
Stroul also praised Egypt for agreeing to devote its own funds — not just part
of its $1.3 billion in annual US security aid — to upgrade its Apache
helicopters. Egypt, the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel, has
helped broker a ceasefire, last May, that ended the worst fighting in years
between the Jewish state and Hamas, the militant group which controls the Gaza
Strip. The fighting caused scores of civilian casualties on both sides of the
conflict, especially in Gaza. Egypt engaged at the time in intense mediation
efforts on the ground and dispatched assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.
Israelis and Americans have expressed their appreciation for Cairo’s successful
role in stopping the hostilities.Stroul was responding to Democratic Senator
Chris Murphy, who voiced doubt that Egypt would curb cooperation due to lower
aid and warned that the United States “compromises our ability to lead the
world” on human rights if Egypt faces no consequences. He pointed to the alleged
prison treatment of Mohamed Soltan, a US-Egyptian citizen who has filed a filed
a lawsuit against former Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi, who resides in
the US, claiming torture during two years in prison during Beblawi’s tenure.
“That’s the kind of behaviour that we empower when we continue to send $1.3
billion to that regime,” Murphy said. US President Joe Biden’s administration
confirmed last April the immunity of Beblawi against prosecution.
Sudan announces decision to hand over Bashir to ICC
The Arab Weekly/August 11/2021
Sudan will hand longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal
Court along with other officials wanted over the Darfur conflict, Foreign
Minister Mariam al-Mahdi said on Wednesday. The “cabinet decided to hand over
wanted officials to the ICC,” Mahdi was quoted as saying by state media. There
have been speculation that handing Bashir over to the ICC could spark
disagreements within the civilian-military interim government as some military
officers could be wary of being dragged into the Darfur issue over their role in
the bloodshed. Bashir, who ruled Sudan with an iron fist for three decades
before being deposed amid popular protests in 2019, faces charges of genocide,
war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. The United Nations says
300,000 people were killed and 2.5 million displaced in the conflict, which
erupted in the vast western region in 2003.
Bashir, 77, has been wanted by the ICC since 2009, when it issued a warrant for
his arrest. The decision to hand him over came during a visit to Sudan by ICC
chief prosecutor Karim Khan. Sudan has been led since August 2019 by a
transitional civilian-military administration that has vowed to bring justice to
victims of crimes committed under Bashir. Khartoum signed a peace deal last
October with key Darfuri rebel groups, with some of their leaders taking top
jobs in government, although violence continues to dog the region. The Darfur
war broke out in 2003 when non-Arab rebels took up arms complaining of
systematic discrimination by Bashir’s Arab-dominated government. Khartoum
responded by unleashing the notorious Janjaweed militia, recruited from among
the region’s nomadic peoples. Human rights groups have long accused Bashir and
his former aides of using a scorched earth policy, raping, killing, looting and
burning villages. Last year, alleged senior Janjaweed militia leader Ali
Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman, also known by the nom de guerre Ali Kushayb,
surrendered to the court. ICC judges said in July he would be the first suspect
to be tried over the Darfur conflict, facing 31 counts including murder, rape
and torture.
Algeria sees ‘criminal hands’ behind forest fires, scores dead
The Arab Weekly/August 11/2021
ALGIERS--Wildfires tearing through forested areas of northern Algeria have
killed at least 65 people, state television reported on Wednesday, as some of
the most destructive blazes in the country’s history continued to rage. The
government has deployed the army to help fight the fires, which have burnt most
fiercely in the mountainous Kabylie region, and 28 of the dead are soldiers,
with another 12 critically injured with burns. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune
declared three days of national mourning for the dead and froze state activities
not related to the fires. Dozens of separate fires have raged through forest
areas across northern Algeria since Monday night and Interior Minister Kamel
Beldjoud accused arsonists of igniting the flames, without providing more
details on the allegations. “Only criminal hands can be behind the simultaneous
outbreak of about 50 fires across several localities,” he said. Last week, a
European Union atmosphere monitor said the Mediterranean had become a wildfire
hotspot as massive blazes engulfed forests in Turkey and Greece, aided by a
heatwave. Residents of the Tizi Ouzou region in Kabylie used tree branches to
try to smother burning patches of forest or hurled water from plastic containers
in a desperate effort to douse the fire. The soldiers were killed in different
areas, some while trying to extinguish the flames and others after they were cut
off by the spreading fire, Kabylie residents said. The Defence Ministry said
more soldiers had been badly injured with burns. Several houses were burnt as
families were escaping to hotels, youth hostels and university residences,
witnesses said, adding that a dense smoke hampered the visibility of fire crews.
“We had a horror night. My house is completely burnt,” said Mohamed Kaci, who
had fled with his family from the village of Azazga to a hotel.
Speaking on state television on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Ayman
Benabderrahmane said the death toll had risen to 42, including 25 members of the
military. The government was in “advanced talks with (foreign) partners to hire
planes and help speed up the process of extinguishing fires,” he added.
Tunisia has announced it will be sending firefighting helicopters to Algeria
after a phone conversation between the two countries’ presidents. Firefighters
and the army were still trying to contain the blazes, and Beldjoud said the
priority was to avoid more victims. He vowed to compensate those affected.
Smaller fires have ravaged forests in at least 16 provinces of the North African
country since Monday night. An opposition party with roots in the Kabyle region,
the RCD, denounced authorities’ slow response to the rash of blazes as citizens
organized local drives to collect bottled water and other supplies. Calls for
help, including from Algerians living abroad, went out on social media, one in
English trending on Twitter with the hashtag #PrayforAlgeria. Photos and videos
posted showed plumes of dark smoke and orange skies rising above hillside
villages or soldiers in army fatigues without protective clothing.
The Latest LCCC English analysis &
editorials published on August 11-12/2021
Saied needs to move quickly for his power grab in Tunisia
to succeed
Rami Rayess/Al Arabiya/ August 11/2021
As Tunisia’s President Kais Saied, reshuffled the country’s political landscape,
a rift has divided the nation. The constitutional and political measures
installed by him was unprecedented.Based on the controversial article 80 of the
constitution, the President decided to freeze parliamentary functions for thirty
days, withdrew legal immunity for parliamentary officials, ousted the Prime
Minister without appointing an alternative and imposed a partial night curfew
for a month.
The reason put forward was because the cabinet had to tackle the COVID-19 health
crisis and the economic slump attributed to the pandemic. The constitutional
court never verified if these measures were legal. The move saw both opponents
and supporters of the measures take to the streets, and on the back of clashing
views between the population it’s difficult to know if the country is sliding
into chaos or is on the verge of turning the page of Political Islam.
The timing of changes poses a number of questions about the silent battle
between the president and his supporters and the Islamist Ennahda whose leader,
Rached el-Ghannouchi is the parliamentary speaker.
The Tunisian president is aiming to break the political deadlock by shaking up
the power balance in a way that will give him an upper hand in running the
country.
The timing to do this successfully is perhaps running out, with what are
currently mild criticisms from human rights organizations and some governments.
Will these criticisms become more severe? They are expressing concern that
Saied’s motives are the first steps towards returning Tunisia to the pre-Zine el
Abidine Ben Ali era when a one party rule dominated the political spectrum.
Saied does appear to have support in the region, however. His recent visit to
Egypt indicated that the two countries are coordinating efforts to confront the
organizations of political Islam.
If the President succeeds in limiting the rising influence of the Islamist
groups and basic democratic principles, then this will become a turning point
for political Islam in Tunisia. Islamist Ennahda took a conciliatory approach
following Saied’s changes and called for political dialogue and withdrawing
calls for protests. The army too is an important stakeholder in the standoff,
and meticulously executed the presidential orders. In the past it has stepped
back and kept a measured distance from different political factions in the
country.
With the highest ranking military officials taking part in the president’s press
conference announcing the governmental changes, it is clear the army has
consented to them.
Ten governments over ten years have all failed to address basic economic and
social issues. According to the World Bank, Tunisia’s macroeconomic status in
2020 experienced a sharper decline in economic growth than most of its regional
peers, having entered this crisis with slow growth and rising debt levels.
Tunisia was at one point viewed as a role model for how a government in the
region should function following the Arab Spring.
It marched towards the path of democracy while other countries descended into
chaos and civil strife. Free and fair elections held in the country gave way to
diverse political representation with Islamists, liberals and communists all
prominent.
This was all well and good, but it has proved somewhat futile because stalemate
in the political process has never fully receded.
Tunisia’s constitutional institutions have failed to curb the social and
economic crises that ignited the 2010 protests. The mishandling of the COVID-19
pandemic has aggravated the situation, with protests the result.
The fall of political Islam in Tunisia, if that is the objective, cannot be
achieved through controversial unilateral steps. Rather, the rise of a new
Tunisia requires implementing a long-term plan that preserves democracy,
introduces development across the country through job creation, and develops
sound economic policies. Tunisia can reach this stage. It enjoys all the
cultural and human resources needed for such a leap.
Tunisians Want More from Democracy than Just to Vote
Oussama Romdhani/The Arab Weekly/August 11/2021
The West is struggling to understand Tunisia after president Kais Saied’s
suspension of parliament and dismissal of the prime minister. But it may be
asking the wrong questions and not seeing the whole picture. It has failed to
appreciate the monumental changes required — and with which the country has
struggled — since the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time ruler Zine El Abidine
Ben Ali. As in too many cases, the West failed to appreciate that its
formalistic understanding of democracy — voting — does not always go
hand-in-hand with the implicit, crucial necessity for the political process to
be matched by sound governance and socioeconomic progress. For sake of Tunisia’s
people, the West should take the time to understand the country’s complexities.
But it won’t be easy. Witness a New York Times reporter’s summing up of her
impressions on the streets of Tunis: “There was almost no sense of dread about
the fate of Tunisian democracy; I went around feeling its lack like a phantom
limb.” For many in the West, Tunisia was the poster boy of the Arab Spring, a
sort of ideal built on the pedestal of voting. Too simplistic and too detached
from reality.
Anyone who has paid attention to public opinion in Tunisia would have understood
that the reality did not always match the West’s political construct or
expectations. Most Tunisians rejoiced at their hard-earned freedoms, but they
never felt themselves custodians of the Arab Spring. While the outside world
celebrated the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Tunisia’s National Dialogue Quartet
in 2015, Tunisians were more focused on the mounting and daunting challenges of
their new reality.
Street protests never ceased in the aftermath of the toppling of Ben Ali, as
discontent with unmet expectations and the performance of the political class
continued. Indeed, polls showed a widening gap of distrust — if not outright
rejection — of the whole ruling elite, by the common man.
Appearances notwithstanding, the democratic idea is not out of fashion in
Tunisia, even though many have had second thoughts about those they brought to
power, most recently in 2019, and the electoral system that made that possible.
Freedom remains non-negotiable. Indeed, what Tunisians still yearn for is the
very substance of democracy. But in a country beset by economic and health
crises, and hit by rising poverty, unemployment and a shrinking middle class,
the democratic transition did not usher in a socioeconomic recovery.
As a consequence of that, some of the country’s nearly 250 political parties —
surely too many; surely an atomization of special interests as opposed to the
national need — shrank in size and stature or simply became extinct. The
public’s deep distrust of political parties and politicians perhaps is best
epitomized by the dramatic drop in support for Ennahda, the main Islamist party,
which used to think that it enjoyed “Teflon” protection from criticism over the
part it played in successive governments’ failures and inept performances since
2011.
In all that time, the West seemed to think that economic assistance alone could
do the job of rebuilding a new Tunisia. Billions of dollars poured into the
country — though not as much as some had hoped for. But all that it accomplished
was to fuel misguided spending and corruption. The aid failed to build jobs that
ensure dignity; for many, it even failed to put food on the table.
Democracy itself was further tainted by the endless horse trading among
politicians and the insults and abuse they heaved on each other in parliament,
often carried live on television. This did no small damage to the credibility of
the democratic transition and its main actors. The West now faces a quandary.
Some wonder if reverse engineering might reset the system to the status quo ante
and put back on track the same old process — such is its unalloyed dedication to
the formalistic idea of democracy. Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state,
articulating the wishes not just of his government but perhaps also that of
Europe, asked Saied to “adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights.”
The statement is a reflection of the West’s reductive approach to the problem;
one of the reasons it was clearly surprised by developments.
The most detailed prescriptive pronouncement came from Blinken’s colleague, Jake
Sullivan, the national security advisor, who called for the resumption of the
democratic process and “the timely return of the elected parliament.” Tunisian
analysts are still parsing the meaning of “timely.” But there is no ambiguity
about the West’s insistence that Saied must make clear a strong commitment to
democratic rule.
To be sure, a re-commitment to democratic principles should not be difficult.
But a resumption of the political process may not necessarily mean a full return
to the recent past. Saied, a constitutional jurist, believes the old system to
have no redeeming value. An advocate of local government, he has often talked of
a bottom-up democracy. He may be tempted to tweak the electoral system
accordingly. Speaking to French president Emmanuel Macron, he pledged a quick
unveiling of a roadmap and to give a “rightful place to popular legitimacy.”
To that end, he believes that a presidential regime is better fit for the needs
of Tunisia — a system that would give the directly elected leader greater
latitude. Such a change would require constitutional amendments and probably a
popular referendum in the absence of a sitting parliament. Saied could use his
emergency powers to introduce the reforms needed for this.
But nothing is yet a done deal. As usual, Saied is proceeding with caution. He
has to accommodate two potentially conflicting issues. He must be careful of
popular blowback in case he opts for a full U-turn, which would disavow his own
verdict that the old system has failed. The other would be the need to avoid any
move that risks alienating the West, a crucial economic and security partner.
The future of Tunisia and the country’s relations with the West will have to be
based on acknowledging nuances in Tunisia’s social, economic and political
culture. It is likely to be made through adjustments and compromises, not
confrontation. Failure could be potentially de-stabilizing for the country, with
possible repercussions for its immediate neighborhood. Now as before, the pulse
on the street might be a better indicator of things to come than theoretical
models of transition.
*This opinion piece was also published by Syndication Bureau
www.syndicationbureau.com.
Return of a hard-line Iran raises worrying questions
Ishtiaq Ahmad/Arab News/August 11/2021
With the assumption of the Iranian presidency by a hard-line leader whose
political interests seem to align with the dogmatic vision of Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei, Iran is likely to become more aggressive in its external behavior.
In his inaugural speech last week, President Ebrahim Raisi expressed his desire
to have better relations with Iran’s Arab neighbors, while also pronouncing
Iranian militarism across the Arab world as a source of “stability and peace in
various nations.”
This paradox has marked the Iranian approach toward its Arab neighbors since
1979, with Tehran aggressively seeking regional hegemony by exporting
sectarianism while also keeping the pretense of brotherhood alive.
Hence, the time ahead for the Gulf countries is fraught with potential risks.
There are two major security concerns with Iran: Its support for militant
proxies that cause instability across the Arab world, and its use of
precision-guided missiles and drones against critical infrastructure in Saudi
territory and maritime traffic in the Arabian Gulf.
These concerns underscore a major security dilemma that is at the heart of two
parallel negotiating processes underway since April 2021: The P5+1 (UN Security
Council permanent members and Germany) talks with Iran to revive the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), whose sixth round ended in June without an
agreement; and the informal talks between Saudi and Iranian interlocutors,
facilitated by Baghdad.
The fate of both dialogues now hangs in balance. For the new Iranian leader,
“regional and missile issues are non-negotiable.” Saudi Arabia and its Gulf
allies want these issues to be incorporated in the revised JCPOA. The 2015
nuclear accord failed to do so, thereby enabling Iran to expand its militant
network across the Arab world, and develop precision strike capabilities using
drones and guided ballistic missiles.
Consequently, Iran has stirred up regional conflict and instability through the
Quds Force, militias in Iraq and in Syria, the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in
Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine. Iran has also put into practice its precision
strike capabilities by orchestrating, directly or through the Houthis in Yemen
and militias in Iraq, major attacks against critical infrastructure in Saudi
Arabia. Iran also continues to target maritime traffic in the Arabian Gulf with
greater vigor and has geared up the nuclear enrichment process in violation of
the JCPOA.
A major reason Iran has been able to get away with its militarism and nuclear
jingoism is the consistent erosion of the US military commitment in the region —
a process that has accelerated under the Biden administration. In fact, by
removing the Houthis from the US designated list of terrorist organizations,
Washington has implicitly endorsed Iran’s deadly activities in the region.
The US and its allies will have to work out a joint military and economic
strategy to bring the Iranian leadership to its knees.
But the return of the hard-line leadership in Iran has pushed Tehran into a
cul-de-sac: Biden now has to deal with an elected president facing US human
rights sanctions for his role as a judge in the tribunal that awarded death
sentences to thousands of Iranian citizens in 1988. Frustrated with the Iranian
demands that cannot be met, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has already
said the talks to renew the JCPOA “can’t go on forever.”
The US special envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, has also lately discovered that
the real culprits in the Yemen war are the Iranian-backed Houthis. Hence, the
recent talk of the US Treasury imposing sanctions on Houthi leaders and Iran’s
precision strike capabilities.
With the hard-liners returning to power in Iran, the US and its allies in the
region will have to work out a joint military and economic strategy to bring the
Iranian leadership to its knees.
Conditions are ripe for this purpose. Iran is already crippled economically
under the impact of US sanctions. The Abraham Accords have strategically aligned
the Gulf against Iran. And the post-pandemic economic recovery has enabled Saudi
Arabia and its Gulf allies to resume economic diversification plans, even amid
persisting security threats from Iran.
The proposed strategy could entail the expansion of international economic
sanctions against Iran; the redesignation of the Houthis as a terrorist entity;
and an unequivocal US guarantee to protect shipping lanes in the Gulf waters
against Iranian drone and missile attacks. Depending on the outcome, more
punitive measures may follow.
*Ishtiaq Ahmad is a former journalist, who has subsequently served as the Vice
Chancellor of Sargodha University in Pakistan and the Quaid-e-Azam Fellow at the
University of Oxford.
Turmoil in Tunisia: An early warning sign that cannot be
ignored
Mohammed Abu Dalhoum/Arab News/August 11/2021
While dismissing the government and suspending the parliament, Tunisian
President Kais Saied said: “We have taken these decisions and other decisions
will be issued in the form of decrees as stipulated by the constitution until
social peace returns to Tunisia.” The fact is Tunisia’s current political
turmoil has been bubbling beneath the surface for months.
In late March, the country’s political troubles took a new turn. Saied laid out
an invitation for a national youth dialogue, but the General Labor Union said
that it had made such calls before. The union’s general secretary wanted the
dialogue to include affiliated young Tunisians, adding that the president had
hijacked the initiative.
The union’s priority was to address the country’s crisis before moving to
governance-related solutions. The president, on the other hand, said that he
would not engage in the union’s initiative before the resignation of the prime
minister.
Taken at face value, this may appear irrelevant amid the recent developments.
However, at its core, the fiasco between the president and the General Labor
Union highlights some of Tunisia’s deeply rooted administrative issues:
Competition over agency, a scramble for public support and increasing public
mistrust, all of which intersect with a troubled economy.
A study by the US think tank International Republican Institute in late 2020
found that 64 percent of Tunisians believed the country needed either structural
reforms and systemic change or gradual reform. Around 75 percent of Tunisians
said that the national government achieved nothing of note in 2020, while 85
percent claimed that the government was doing little or nothing to address the
needs of citizens, compared with 81 percent for ministries and 88 percent for
parliament.
Ultimately, 87 percent indicated that Tunisia was heading in the wrong
direction, a 20 percentage points increase compared with a previous poll in late
2019. By way of comparison, data from the Arab Barometer in 2011 suggests that
32 percent of Tunisians either had little or no trust at all in the government.
About 26 percent of Tunisians believe that the government will be unable to
resolve the country’s problems within the next five years, according to the
Afrobarometer, also in 2011.
If the main tenets of the Arab Spring were manifested in freedom, democracy and
human rights as a vehicle for improved livelihoods, then the signs of this
potential wave are more direct, and encompassed in poverty, unemployment,
mistrust and growing impatience.
Meaning, skepticism among Tunisians in the months leading up to the current
political crisis was worse than at the height of the Arab Spring demonstrations
a decade ago.
Data from 2009-2011 remains alarming for both policymakers and experts.
Academics produced numerous papers in the past decade proclaiming that the
events of the Arab Spring were not unforeseen, as the countering camp argued.
Nevertheless, more eyes were seeking early warning signs to essentially predict,
and perhaps prevent, similar events from happening again.
The “had we known, we would have done better” discourse of the past decade is no
longer applicable. This time, the early warning signs are clearer, louder,
somewhat familiar, and perhaps much more precarious. The continued disconnect
between experts, analysts and academics on one side and policymakers on the
other, coupled with the inability of policymakers to comprehend the signs (or
acknowledge their threat), is a strong indicator that we may witness an Arab
Spring 2.0. This time, however, the outcomes might be much more destructive.
If the main tenets of the Arab Spring were manifested in freedom, democracy and
human rights as a vehicle for improved livelihoods, then the signs of this
potential wave are more direct, and encompassed in poverty, unemployment,
mistrust and growing impatience.
Unemployment stands at around 17.8 percent in Tunisia (29 percent among youth),
compared with 39.5 percent in Lebanon, 25 percent in Jordan (40-50 percent among
youth), 30 percent in Libya (45.2 percent among youth), and 40 percent in Iraq.
Such countries face tremendous economic crises, exacerbated by the global
pandemic. Apathy is on the rise. Public confidence in governments and
parliaments is in freefall.
This poses a serious threat to the social contracts, which were slightly
adjusted over the past decade. With increasing levels of mistrust, and
deteriorating confidence and optimism, people are becoming more wary of any
proposed solution, unwilling to wait to “reap” the promised results.
Tunisia is likely to emerge out of this political crisis on its feet, aided by a
strong constitution, public commitment to the success of its democracy, and a
president whose words resonate with the people. But the next few months must be
handled carefully and expertly.
On the other hand, Libya, Iraq and Lebanon are not supported by such strong
constitutional frameworks. Their governments are unwilling or unable to resolve
the economic crises, and citizens have grown alarmingly apathetic toward the
usual discourse.
The global pandemic may have shattered economies in the region, but it has also
somehow maintained the internal stability of many countries. Citizens have been
unable to voice their contempt through large protests similar to those of 10
years ago.
The persistence of failing economies, lack of job opportunities and increasing
poverty might propel people along two paths: Overlooking the pandemic and
government shutdowns to vent their need for food and jobs, or finding their way
into the dangerous arms of extremist and terrorist groups. The past decade
showed us that both paths were taken.
• Mohammed Abu Dalhoum is president of MENAACTION and a senior research analyst
at NAMA Strategic Intelligence Solutions.