English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese,
Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For February 18/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews21/english.february18.21.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own
Matthew 06/25-34/“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you
will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than
food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not
sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are
you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a
single hour to your life/“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the
flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not
even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how
God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown
into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not
worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we
wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows
that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of
its own.
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials
published on February 17- 18/2021
Elias Bejjani/Visit My LCCC Web site/All That you need to know on Lebanese unfolding news and events in Arabic and English/http://eliasbejjaninews.com/
Ministry of Health: 2479 new infections, 60 deaths
Heavy Snowfall Hits Lebanon in Winter Storm
Traders in Blast Devastated Beirut Areas Await Compensation
Sawwan Reportedly Issues Arrest Warrant for ex-Minister Fenianos
Hariri Holds Talks in Qatari Capital
Saudi Ambassador Affirms Support for 'Lebanese People, Institutions'
PSP Deplores Attack on Arbil Airport
Berri, Jumblatt tackle government situation
Nasrallah denies role in Slim’s killing, warns Israel against war
SOHR: 14 Drug Factories Near Damascus Ran by Hezbollah, Local Militias
Lebanon: Diab Rejects Aoun’s Call For Cabinet Session, Prioritizes Govt
Formation
Interior Minister says solution to crises lies within government formation
Lebanon witnesses unprecedented hike in fuel prices
Hezbollah Is Vulnerable. Lokman Slim’s Assassination Proves It./Hanin Ghaddar/Foreign
Policy/February 17/2021
Lebanese boy scout Facebook group likes woman’s Valentine’s photo, issues
apology
LPRND, IFI, and other NGOs issue joint statement addressed to Lebanese
government, international organizations on COVID-19 vaccination program
Titles For The
Latest
English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on
February 17- 18/2021
After long wait, Israel’s Netanyahu has ‘warm’ phone call
with US President Biden
First UAE ambassador to Israel tweets from new official account
Germany’s Merkel tells Iran’s Rouhani to ‘create trust’ with international
community
Europe powers, US to hold talks on Iran nuclear deal: France
Iranian Factions Breach Iraqi Kurdistan’s Security
Western Allies Condemn Rocket Attack in Iraq’s Erbil
Biden Administration Requests Clarification on Hamas-Fatah Election Partnership
US approves $200 million arms sale to ‘strategic partner’ Egypt
Sisi Sets ‘Conditions’ for Political Opposition
Gaza Top Islamic Judge to Revise Law Barring Women From Travel Without Male
Consent
Joint statement by Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada and United
Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary on crackdown on Belarusian civil society
US warns against ISIS, Iran interference with Iraq election
U.S. court dismisses case against Turkey's Halkbank by victims of Iran-linked
attacks
US Urges Houthis to Halt Marib Assault
Sudan’s Bashir Doesn’t Regret Anything He’s Done
Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 17- 18/2021
Despots dominate the WHO and the UNHRC/Clifford D. May/FDD/February
17/2021
Fakhrizadeh Killing Reveals Dissent Within the Regime in Iran/Alireza Nader/FDD/February
17/2021
It’s Time for Biden to Call Netanyahu/Jonathan Schanzer/FDD/February 17/2021
Universities Demonize and Disavow Christian Self-Sacrifice and Altruism (AKA,
‘the Crusades’)/Raymond Ibrahim/February 17/2021
It is lobbying time in Washington/Haitham El-Zobaidi/The Arab Weekly/February
17/2021
Arab Christian figures rebut argument for removing US sanctions on Syria/Ephrem
Kossaif/Arab News/February 17/2021
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 17- 18/2021
Elias Bejjani/Visit My LCCC Web site/All That you need to know on Lebanese unfolding news and events in Arabic and English/http://eliasbejjaninews.com/
Ministry of Health: 2479 new infections, 60 deaths
NNA/February 17/2021
The Ministry of Public Health announced 2479 new coronavirus infection cases,
which brings the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 34,6063.
60 deaths have been registered over the past 24 hours.
Heavy Snowfall Hits Lebanon in Winter Storm
Associated Press/February 17/2021
Snow blanketed parts of Lebanon on Wednesday, blocking roads and disrupting
traffic. Storm Joyce hit late Tuesday in Lebanon with gale force winds
registering between 85 km/h (52 miles/h) and 100 km/h (62 miles/h). The storm is
expected to get stronger Thursday. Breaking a warm spell, the storm brought
heavy rainfall, a sharp drop in temperatures and the heaviest snow fall in
Lebanon this year. Snow is expected to cover areas of altitudes as low as 400
meters high, according to the Meteorological department. Nearly a dozen roads in
eastern and northern Lebanon were closed to traffic because of the snow.
Traders in Blast Devastated Beirut Areas Await Compensation
Naharnet/February 17/2021
Political figures in Lebanon reportedly took an initiative to devise a
compensation plan for the owners of shops affected by the Beirut Port explosion
“to avoid a wave of exodus” from the area where merchants have not received any
compensation from the state until this moment, the Saudi Asharq el-Awsat
reported on Wednesday. The head of Achrafieh's Merchants Association, Tony Eid,
told the newspaper: “The situation of traders in the affected areas is
deplorable. They haven’t received any compensation from the state until this
moment.”
Merchants are “promised aid from the state, but it will be insignificant because
the compensations will be at the official exchange rate of the dollar, which
means that the real value of compensation will be about 10 per cent because the
currency lost 80 per cent of its value,” he added in remarks to the daily. Eid
pointed to other financial losses that the state will not compensate for. He
said the closures after the explosion, and the delay in reconstruction works,
and the lockdown measures because of coronavirus have all taken a toll on their
situation. “Twenty percent of the stores did not resume any activity because of
a liquidity shortage amid the worsening economic crisis and health measures
taken against the coronavirus outbreak,” noted Eid. He said the other sixty
percent of shop owners open their stores intermittently, “it is difficult to
mention anything that life is back to normal in these affected areas.” A
delegation of the Strong Lebanon parliamentary bloc had met with a delegation of
Ashrafieh merchants and discussed a compensation plan for the affected families.
Sawwan Reportedly Issues Arrest Warrant for ex-Minister
Fenianos
Naharnet/February 17/2021
The lead judicial investigator into the Beirut port blast catastrophe, Judge
Fadi Sawwan, has issued an arrest warrant for former public works and transport
minister Youssef Fenianos on charges of negligence leading to the devastating
explosion, TV networks said on Wednesday.
LBCI TV later quoted judicial sources as saying that Sawwan "cannot issue an
arrest warrant over the phone against ex-minister Youssef Fenianos prior to
tomorrow's session." “Fenianos can object against the notice if it is not
received three days before the session’s date,” the sources added.
Earlier in the day, Fenianos had announced that he would not attend a
questioning session scheduled for Thursday by Sawwan. “I received a phone call
at 7:21 pm from the Central Criminal Investigations Department, informing me
that I should appear tomorrow morning as a defendant before Judge Sawwan,”
Fenianos tweeted. “Seeing as the notice came in violation of the Code of
Criminal Procedures, I will not be attending tomorrow’s session,” the
ex-minister added.
Hariri Holds Talks in Qatari Capital
Naharnet/February 17/2021
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri arrived Wednesday evening in the Qatari
capital Doha, his press office said. “He immediately met with Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassem Al-Thani and
held talks with him over a dinner banquet thrown in his honor,” the office said
in a statement. The talks tackled “the various general situations in Lebanon and
the region and the bilateral relations between the two countries,” the office
added. Hariri will also meet with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani
according to media reports. Hariri’s trip to Qatar comes days after the Qatar
foreign minister visited Lebanon and met with top officials. Arab diplomatic
sources told al-Joumhouria daily in remarks published Wednesday that Hariri’s
trip to Qatar has special significance because it also comes after the Qatari
foreign minister’s trip last week to Iran where he met Iranian counterpart
Mohammad Javad Zarif. The Qatari official discussed the Lebanese situation with
Iranian officials, the sources said. During his visit to Lebanon, the Qatari
minister called on all Lebanese parties to prioritize the national interest and
to expedite the formation of the government, stressing that Doha will support
any way that leads to that. Hariri had on Sunday announced that his meetings
abroad are aimed at rallying support for crisis-hit Lebanon. “I’m visiting Arab
states and countries in the region and the world to rally support for Lebanon
and mend ties, especially Arab relations, so that the solution can begin quickly
once the government is formed, and it will be formed,” he said.
Saudi Ambassador Affirms Support for 'Lebanese People,
Institutions'
Naharnet/February 17/2021
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid al-Bukhari reiterated the Kingdom's support
for the “Lebanese people and their institutions,” during a meeting he held with
Grand Sunni Mufti of the Republic Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan in Dar el-Fatwa.
Bukhari voiced hopes that Lebanon “rapidly overcomes the crisis it is enduring,”
stressing that “SA won’t abandon the Lebanese people and will remain supportive
of it and of its institutions,” a statement released by the press office in Dar
el-Fatwa said. Daryan and Bukhari discussed the general situation in the region,
it said. For his part, Daryan thanked Saudi Arabia for the assistance it
provided to the Lebanese people, stressing significance on “firm relations”
between the two countries. Daryan also denounced the attacks of Huthi rebels at
Saudi Arabia.
PSP Deplores Attack on Arbil Airport
Naharnet/February 17/2021
The Progressive Socialist Party deplored in a statement on Wednesday the rocket
attack on Arbil airport in Iraq. A statement released by the PSP press office
read: The Progressive Socialist Party condemns the attack on Arbil International
Airport and the residential area in the city, and affirms total condemnation of
such terrorist attacks that target the stability of the Kurdistan region and the
entire Iraq. The hail of more than a dozen rockets was fired Monday evening from
around eight kilometres (five miles) west of Arbil. They appeared to be aimed at
a military complex inside the Arbil airport that hosts foreign troops deployed
as part of a US-led coalition that has helped Iraq fight jihadists since 2014.
But they struck all over the city's northwest, including in residential
districts where they wounded five civilians, the Arbil health directorate told
AFP. Coalition spokesman Wayne Marotto said three rockets hit Arbil airport and
killed one civilian contractor, who he said was neither an Iraqi nor US
national. Another nine people were wounded, including eight civilian contractors
and one US soldier, he said.
Berri, Jumblatt tackle government situation
NNA/February 17/2021
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri welcomed in Ain Al-Tineh the President of the
Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, with talks touching on the general
situation in Lebanon and the region and the latest political developments,
especially the government situation.
Jumblatt left without making any statement.
Nasrallah denies role in Slim’s killing, warns Israel
against war
The Arab Weekly/February 17/2021
BEIRUT--Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah dismissed on Tuesday
accusations of any links between his Shia group and the killing of researcher
and activist Lokman Slim. He also warned Israel against intimidation, alluding
to Israeli combat drills that took place earlier this month, warning any attack
would be reciprocated. “We are not looking for a confrontation but we don’t
abandon the blood of our martyrs. If a confrontation happens we will respond to
it … if you attack our cities we will attack yours,” Nasrallah said in a
televised speech. The Israeli Defense Forces held large-scale exercises along
the northern border with Lebanon on February 9-10. They said at the time the
exercise would examine lessons learned from operational activities that took
place along the Lebanese border over the summer and prepare troops for a variety
of scenarios including readiness for “combat days.” “I want to also warn that
these threats we are hearing in recent days – combat days and what not – I want
to warn that this game of combat days is a dangerous one,” Nasrallah said. “No
one can guarantee it would not lead to war.” Israel’s air force also said on
Monday it began a “surprise exercise” to improve combat readiness along the
country’s northern border to last until Wednesday. Hezbollah has been under
increasing pressure lately amid repeated accusations of involvement in violent
incidents, most seriously Slim’s killing. The activist was found shot dead in
his car in south Lebanon earlier in February, marking the first killing of a
high-profile activist in years. “Any incident that happens in your area then you
are accused until the opposite is proven? Is this something that is practiced in
the whole wide world? Where else is this logic present?” Nasrallah said in a
televised speech. Slim was a critic of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. His
sister has suggested he was murdered because of those views. Hezbollah has
previously condemned the killing. A filmmaker and publisher, Slim had spoken out
against what he called Hezbollah’s intimidation tactics and attempts to
monopolise Lebanese politics. Nasrallah was also critical on Tuesday of blame
pointed at the group for involvement in the August 4 Beirut blast that killed
200 people. “Hezbollah is guilty until proven otherwise – what kind of a rule is
that? …Beirut port – you, Hezbollah, blew up Beirut port until the truth about
the explosion is revealed,” he said. The judicial investigation into the blast
is still underway in Lebanon, with judge Fadi Sawan charging caretaker Prime
Minister Hassan Diab, whose cabinet quit after the blast, and three former
ministers with negligence. Sawan is due to interrogate one of the three former
ministers, Youssef Finianos, a Hezbollah ally sanctioned by the United States
for his links to the group that Washington considers a terrorist organisation.
“Our information says that the technical investigation ended and the army sent
it to the judge…we asked that day the army and internal security to reveal the
results of that investigation ….we are repeating our call for this and we insist
on it.” The explosion, one of the biggest non-nuclear blasts in history, added
further strains to a country struggling with its worst crisis since the
1975-1990 civil war. It was caused by a massive quantity of ammonium nitrate
stored unsafely for years.
SOHR: 14 Drug Factories Near Damascus Ran by Hezbollah,
Local Militias
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 17 February, 2021
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported a widespread trade of
“narcotics” in Damascus countryside and nearby areas, revealing that Hezbollah
and other loyal local militias were involved in the drug business. Citing
sources from al-Qalamoun area bordering Lebanon, SOHR said there is a rise in
the trade of narcotic pills in the region under the control of officials and
members of Hezbollah and other militant groups. According to the war monitor,
nearly 14 factories are producing these pills, with three factories in Sergaya,
two in Rankos, two in Assal al-Ward and two in al-Jebba. Also, there is one
factory in each of Talfita, Bakha’a, al-Toufil, Madaya and al-Saboura. The drug
products are sold in different areas in Syria and the region. On January 16,
SOHR sources said that the proliferation of illicit pills was noticeably
escalating throughout Syria, especially among youth, as they are sold in public
in all regime-controlled areas, Damascus and Rif Dimashq in particular, and at
lower prices than in other countries. This has made it easy for anyone to access
drugs that could be available even in supermarkets and cloth stores. Reliable
SOHR sources have confirmed that military groups affiliated to the Lebanese
Hezbollah are the ones responsible for the broad proliferation of hashish and
pills across regime-controlled areas, as cargoes of hashish are still allowed to
cross, via nonofficial crossings, from Lebanon to several areas under its
control in Rif Dimashq. These crossings include one in Sarghaya area on the
border with Lebanon and Assal Al-Ward, which is one of the most prominent areas
where cargoes of hashish cross into Syria, as well as the nonofficial crossings
with Al-Qusayr city in Homs countryside, which is controlled by officers and
members of the regime-backed forces. A civilian from Damascus known by his
initials as M.A. - who is as an employee in a regime governmental circle - has
told SOHR that “the area of Al-Baramekah in the capital, Damascus, became a
hotbed for the dealers of hashish and drug pills. These dealers were seen
standing on street corners with their hands in their pockets, waiting for boys,
girls and even children and sell them drugs in public."I did witness one of such
deals when a young man bought hashish from a drug dealer, while I was waiting
for a bus,” he noted.
Lebanon: Diab Rejects Aoun’s Call For Cabinet Session,
Prioritizes Govt Formation
Beirut - Mohammed Shukair/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 17 February,
2021
A silent crisis has emerged between Lebanon's President Michel Aoun and
caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab, due to the latter’s refusal to respond to
the president’s insistence on the holding of a cabinet session. Ministerial
sources well-informed of the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat that Diab - who moved
immediately to his home in Talat al-Khayyat in Beirut following his resignation
– attends his office in the Grand Serail only periodically and insists not to
convene the Council of Ministers, but presides over ministerial committee
meetings to manage the country’s affairs “within very narrow limits.”The sources
added that Diab has been taking lately unprecedented security measures as he
moves from his home to the Serail, saying that his refusal to meet Aoun’s demand
was based on several considerations, including the “unfounded allegations
against him in the port explosion case”. Moreover, the caretaker prime minister
sees that he was forced to resign after Aoun dismissed the government in
response to the wishes of his political heir, head of the Free Patriotic
Movement, MP Gebran Bassil. According to the sources, Diab wants the new
government to be formed immediately and fears the negative repercussions of
hindering its birth, amid rumors that his caretaking role would last until the
end of Aoun’s tenure. Thus, his compliance with Aoun’s desire to hold a cabinet
session will push him into a political clash with the Sunni street, which will
see his consent as an agreement with the president to obstruct the formation of
the new government.
Also, the sources noted that Diab would not provide the political cover for the
adoption by the Cabinet of an inflated budget that is intended to divert
attention from the high deficit in return for the decrease in imports due to the
lack of a reform plan.
Interior Minister says solution to crises lies within
government formation
NNA/February 17/202
Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Mohammad Fahmi, on Wednesday
highlighted the necessity to speed up the formation of the new government, in
order to embark on addressing the crises the country is facing.
"The key to solving the various crises and problems facing Lebanon lies within
the formation of a new government," Fahmi told an interview with the director of
the Beirut office of Middle East News Agency (MENA).
"The security situation in Lebanon is composed and stable to a very large
extent, despite the reverberations of the many political, economic, and
livelihood crises," he said. "The security forces are exerting tremendous and
extraordinary efforts in the field of preemptive security to combat terrorism
and organized crime," he added. Commenting on Tripoli events, Fahmi revealed
that the security apparatuses managed to detect a "systematic plan devised by
some sides aiming to run riot and target the prestige of the state."
Lebanon witnesses unprecedented hike in fuel prices
NNA/February 17/202
Fuel prices in Lebanon registered an unprecedented hike on Wednesday as the can
of gasoline (95 octanes) has increased by LBP 1600, the can of gasoline (98
octanes) has increased by LBP 1700, diesel has increased by LBP 800, and the gas
cylinder has maintained the same price.
Consequently, the new prices are as follows:
95 octanes: LBP 31,200
98 octanes: LBP 32,200
Diesel: LBP 21,400
Gas: LBP 24,400
Hezbollah Is Vulnerable. Lokman Slim’s Assassination Proves
It.
Hanin Ghaddar/Foreign Policy/February 17/2021
حنين غدار/فورن بوليسي: حزب الله ضعيف واغتيال لقمان سليم يؤكد ضعفه/مطلوب من فرنسا
وأميركا وضع خطوط حمراء لحزب الله وإلا فإنه سوف
The Biden administration and the French government must draw clear red lines, or
the group will escalate its campaign of terror.
The assassination of the Lebanese activist and writer Lokman Slim—who was openly
critical of Hezbollah—was in the making for years. His killer pulled the trigger
earlier this month because the timing at home and abroad was convenient for his
assassins, who wanted to send a message.
It has always been a matter of time. Hezbollah’s critics—including myself—always
felt the shadows following. You have to go about your daily life constantly
looking over your shoulder, checking under your car for a bomb every time you
leave your house, and feeling your heart sink deeper each time your children’s
school bus is late. We always knew we were being followed and monitored. Slim
refused to live his life in these shadows, but he was not careless.
When I decided to leave Lebanon for good in 2016, after receiving similar
threats, Slim encouraged me to do so. He refused to leave but did not expect me
to do the same because he also knew that not everyone could afford to make the
same sacrifices. His motto—“Zero Fear”—which has taken over Lebanon’s social
media scene recently, is not a requirement; it’s a choice and a very calculated
one.
Slim was threatened directly and repeatedly by Hezbollah, and he himself wrote a
statement last year holding the party responsible for any action that would harm
him or his family. He was assassinated in the south of Lebanon—a Hezbollah
stronghold—a mile away from a U.N. compound. Most importantly, he was killed in
a way that would send a clear message to other activists and to the
international community. If Hezbollah’s leaders only wanted to get rid of Slim,
they could have easily made it look like a car accident or a robbery, and
thereby avoid the blame, but they wanted to send a message to others while
testing the limits of the international community.
A new administration is taking shape in Washington, but it is not finalized; key
Middle East posts that will deal with Lebanon and Hezbollah remain unfilled. In
addition, there have been signs that the Middle East is not at the top of the
Biden administration’s foreign-policy agenda and that the Lebanon dossier could
be allocated to French President Emmanuel Macron.
Hezbollah and its Iranian sponsors have established a pattern of testing any new
U.S. administration. Four years ago, they tested the Trump administration in
Syria when the Assad regime used chemical weapons against civilians at Khan
Sheikhoun in 2017 and then the pro-Iran militias used armed drones against the
U.S.-British garrison near the border town of Tanf. These tests were met with
force, and Iran and its proxies got the message.
Slim’s assassination sends a message to local critics and activists, but it
could also be a way to test the limits of the international community—to see
when and how the Biden administration would draw its red lines. Many of Slim’s
fellow activists are today worried that Hezbollah might start a new wave of
assassinations, similar to the ones that followed the 2005 killing of former
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and which only stopped when Hezbollah took control
of state institutions in 2008.
n Lebanon, Hezbollah currently faces a number of challenges. The 2019 October
protests that marked the collapse of Lebanon’s economy, and then last year’s
Beirut explosion, have put Hezbollah in an uncomfortable position domestically.
Slim was at the core of the 2019 protests and much of the activism that
followed. He established the Hub, which carried out panels, discussions, and
debates in the middle of the protests’ base in Beirut’s city center. In December
2019, Hezbollah burned the tent that hosted the Hub and threatened him and his
colleagues. A group of pro-Hezbollah protesters gathered in front of his house
in the southern suburbs of Beirut, painting slogans on the walls reading:
“Lokman Slim is a traitor and infiltrator,” “Hezbollah is the honor of the
nation,” and “Glory to the silencer.”
Although the protests subsided without achieving the desired change and
accountability, they did plant the seeds for possible change in the long run.
Hezbollah’s corrupt allies—such as Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri,
President Michel Aoun, and his son-in-law Gebran Bassil, the leader of the Free
Patriotic Movement—were the initial targets of the protesters. Although they are
still in power, the popular base they used to enjoy has indeed shrunk.
After the Beirut blast in August 2020, the protests returned to the city’s
streets, but this time around, Hezbollah was directly targeted. Protesters set
up symbolic nooses in Beirut’s central Martyrs’ Square to hang cardboard cutouts
of politicians they believed responsible for the destruction and death caused by
the blast, including one of the party’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, himself—a
sight no one in Lebanon would’ve imagined could pass without dire repercussions.
But it did pass, probably because of the magnitude of the tragedy.
This encouraged many Lebanese to begin criticizing Hezbollah publicly, and
despite the security forces’ arrests and interrogation campaign against
protesters, social media started overflowing with posts, memes, and videos that
criticized and ridiculed Hezbollah and its allies.
Hezbollah knows what that means in the long run. Parliamentary elections are
coming in May 2022, and based on the various university and union elections that
took place in 2019 and 2020, Hezbollah, its allies, and all political parties in
Lebanon are likely to lose a significant part of the Parliament.
Meanwhile, investigations into the Beirut Port explosion are ongoing. Although
the local authorities have been purposefully slow and ineffective, some
information from local and international sources and investigative reports
indicate a link between three Syrian businessmen who backed Bashar al-Assad and
a shell company that bought the explosives and stored them at the port in
Beirut.
Slim stood at the heart of all these dynamics. Those who work with him closely
know that he had been analyzing the links between the explosives hidden in the
Beirut Port, Hezbollah, and the Syrian regime. In an interview last month, Slim
accused Hezbollah of hiding the explosives in Beirut on behalf of the Syrian
regime. “The Obama administration forced the Syrian regime to hand over its
chemical weapons in October 2013. About a month later … the ship Rhosus carrying
the ammonium nitrate arrived at the Beirut Port,” Slim stated. He believed that
the timing was significant: In early 2014, the momentum of barrel bomb attacks
in Syria rose significantly, especially those that contained ammonium nitrate.
Slim was not the first person to be assassinated with circumstantial links to
the Beirut blast. Since the explosion, two others have been killed in mysterious
circumstances. In early December, Col. Munir Abu Rjeili, who served in Lebanese
Customs and led a division that counters overland smuggling, was found dead in
his home. Later that month, Joe Bejjani, a telecommunications employee and
freelance photographer, was shot in a similar manner. Local media reports said
Bejjani was one of the first photographers who arrived at Beirut’s port to take
pictures after the blast and that he had been working with foreign
investigators.
Lebanese boy scout Facebook group likes woman’s Valentine’s
photo, issues apology
Al Arabiya English/17 February ,2021
A screenshot of a Lebanese boy scout Facebook group liking a photo of a woman
posing in a red dress next to Valentine’s Day flowers has been circulating on
social media, prompting the group to issue an apology for their “mistake.”Screenshots
of the photo of the woman in the red dress were shared that showed that “Imam
Khomeini Regiment Ayta ash Shab” Facebook group had liked it. The group, which
is based in a village in southern Lebanon, shared the following explanation for
the incident: “Clarification, It is important for the management the page of
Imam Khomeini regiment of Ayta ash Shab to clarify that the mistake that took
place by liking one of the (inappropriate) pages was done by mistake by one of
the sons of the managers of the page, as he was playing with the phone and
entered the group’s page, which required clarification and correction, however,
no pictures or pages are ever liked other than the group’s associated pages.”
LPRND, IFI, and other NGOs issue joint statement addressed
to Lebanese government, international organizations on COVID-19 vaccination
program
NNA /17 February ,2021
A screenshot of a Lebanese boy scout F
The Lebanon Policy and Research Network on Displacement (LPRND), the AUB Issam
Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI), and other
NGOs and centers issued the following joint statement addressing the Lebanese
government and international organizations on the COVID-19 vaccination program:
The 2019-Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has affected countries and
populations around the world, including Lebanon, adding to the burden of
vulnerable groups and people already living in poor conditions before the
pandemic. In Lebanon, COVID-19 outbreak has further confirmed, highlighted, and
exposed fundamental inter-sectoral problems in various areas of social,
economic, civil, and political life. The outbreak has aggravated long-standing
structural inequalities in terms of access to basic goods and services including
healthcare, WASH, education, and protection. As COVID-19 vaccines have already
started to be provided in Lebanon, there is a need for a comprehensive, sound,
and transparent vaccination plan including prioritization, distribution, and
implementation, following a human rights-based approach.
In 2020, the Health sector was faced with an unprecedented crisis which started
late in 2019 with country-wide protests and a deteriorating socio-economic
situation. The COVID-19 outbreak further hampered the access for both vulnerable
Lebanese and displaced individuals to needed primary healthcare and hospital
care. At the beginning of August 2020, the devastating Beirut Port explosions
topped off the exceptional situation and hindered access to physical and mental
healthcare services even further not only in Beirut and Mount Lebanon but across
the country. In the blast area, three major hospitals had to close and three
more had to reduce their capacity. In some facilities, COVID-19 preventive
measures were not being adhered to[1]. The medical supplies were depleted in all
health facilities especially first aid and trauma kits. Healthcare facilities
were faced with an increased demand that put them under pressure given their
already compromised capacity in terms of human resources and healthcare workers
leaving the country seeking better work opportunities.
Today, with the situation described above and the surge in the number of
COVID-19 positive cases[2], the capacity of the Lebanese Health sector in
general and the hospitals in particular to deal with the continuation of care
and the COVID-19 healthcare needs became highly compromised. From December 25,
2020 to January 25, 2021, COVID-19 positive cases, registering an average of
3,679 cases per day. Up to January 27, 2021, there has been a record of 2,477
COVID-19 related deaths in the country, which has an estimated population of 5.6
million with a substantial refugee population including approximately 1.5
million Syrian refugees. At the level of hospital care, the multiple crises did
not only affect the public facilities. The private hospitals have experienced a
financial hardship as well and were challenged to offer needed general or
COVID-19 care for the population.
Lebanon has secured around 6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, 2.1 million from
Pfizer-BioNTech, more than 2.5 million through the COVAX platform, and two
million from AstraZeneca. The vaccines will cover 3 million of the country's
residents, both Lebanese and non-Lebanese according to the Ministry of Public
Health. Dr. Hamad Hassan, the Minister of Health, affirmed that the country was
about to sign a deal for vaccine supplies and that the first batch, out of three
batches, would arrive during the first week of February. The vaccines will be
distributed through 35 centers across the country. Healthcare workers, as well
as people aged 75 and above (Phase.1 A) will be prioritized for the first batch.
A registration platform meant to identify priorities was made available End of
January, with the start of the vaccination campaign.
The World Bank allocated $34 million under the Lebanon Health Resilience Project
to support vaccines to face the unprecedented surge in coronavirus cases.
Although Lebanon has signed up to join COVAX, a global scheme backed by the WHO
to provide vaccines to poorer countries, there are still mounting concerns that
vulnerable populations in Lebanon might be left without vaccinations. Some
refugees and undocumented migrants may refrain from accessing health services,
fearing that their legal and/or medical status might put them at risk of
detention or deportation. These vulnerable groups often face obstacles in
accessing COVID-19 testing facilities and some of them are likely to end up
excluded from the vaccination process. It is important to note that the
exclusion of these groups jeopardizes the global effort to contain the outbreak.
With more than half of the Lebanese population and the majority of refugees
trapped in poverty, it is essential for the Lebanese government to adopt a human
rights-based approach when tackling the global and critical issue of access to
vaccination. According to the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High
Commissioner (OHCHR), COVID-19 vaccines should be treated as global public goods
rather than products available only to those who can afford to pay the asking
price, as access to health and development is a basic human right. The vaccines
should be fairly distributed across the country in alignment with the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include reducing inequality within
and among countries and require States to cooperate towards an enabling
environment for human rights and development. COVID-19 vaccines should be
accessible and affordable for all without discrimination. This is especially
relevant in relation to vulnerable groups experiencing marginalization or
exclusion such as refugees, persons with disabilities, older people,
undocumented migrants, women and girls, stateless and others. The Lebanese
government should ensure full accessibility to COVID-19 vaccines to all persons
residing in Lebanon following a clear prioritization mechanism. In addition,
private financial profit should not be prioritized over public health and the
Lebanese government should adopt a strategy to protect the primacy of the right
to health for all. Furthermore, there is a need for transparent and clear
protocols and procedures in relation to the prioritization of the vaccine
delivery. The decision should be based on appropriate criteria in line with
human rights standards and norms and made public. Furthermore, the government
needs to implement a clear communication plan with the general public and to
explain about the vaccination plan and the prioritization mechanism and the
importance of vaccinating all population cohorts in order to account for and
prevent social tension. Finally, civil society must be included in the
development of vaccine distribution processes in order to support public
institutions and authorities in Lebanon in assuring a fair, transparent,
inclusive and accountable implementation, hence rebuilding trust in the public
system.
In this context, we urge the Lebanese government to adopt the following
recommendations:
Guarantee the inclusion of all people living in Lebanon, the fair and unbiased
implementation of the vaccination strategy, and ensure that the government will
follow the designated criteria without exceptions.
Implement a clear communication plan with the public that explains the flow of
the vaccination process and the prioritizing mechanism and that highlights the
public health importance of vaccinating all the population groups on the basis
of a non-discriminatory approach.
Ensure that the distribution chain will take into account all the technical
aspects needed for safely preserving the vaccines (temperature, storage,
adequate transportation, etc.)
Include civil society and community groups in the process of planning and
implementing the vaccination and the communication campaign.
Guarantee transparency and clarity in relation to prioritization protocols and
procedures for vaccine delivery.
Prioritize public health over profit among private healthcare providers and
adopt a strategy to protect the primacy of the right to health for all. The
government should set a margin for profit for companies who will be selling the
vaccines and assure close monitoring by the MOPH of the companies as well as
private laboratories and hospitals.
Make health services, including COVID-19 testing and treatment, accessible and
affordable for all regardless of citizenship status, legal status, or
background.
Create a protective environment through ensuring coordination between health and
security services to enable asylum seekers, refugees, migrants, and stateless
persons to access services without fear and risk of arrest or detention.
Safeguard the vaccination process to ensure that it does not result in fueling
xenophobia and racial discrimination.
This statement was initiated by the Lebanon Policy Research Network on
Displacement (LPRND). LPRND which was founded in September 2016, contributes to
the vision, principles, and charter of the MENA Civil Society Network for
Displacement (CSND). The Network works and advocates for refugee policies that
are based on human rights, dignity, and respect. It aims to address the negative
narrative associated with refugees and influence policy making in a way that
promotes refugee dignity. Through a participatory approach, the Network seeks to
amplify the voices of local actors and strengthen inclusive partnerships which
encompass refugees and host communities, as well as diverse components of civil
society. The Network functions in close coordination with UNHCR and other
relevant stakeholders.
The AUB Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs serves
as the secretariat of the Network which includes a diversity of members such as
NGOs, universities, research institutes, foundations, media, and academia who
work on displacement issues and can be further engaged in the protection,
resilience, and integration of displaced persons and their host communities.
The statement has been endorsed by:
The Lebanon Policy and Research Network on Displacement
Adyan Foundation
ALEF - Act for Human Rights
Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND)
Himaya
Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, AUB
Crisis Observatory
Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH)
Legal Agenda
Proud Lebanon
Refugees=Partners (R=P)
Ruwad alHoukouk FR
Skoun Lebanese Addictions Center
The Middle East Council of Churches
The
Latest
English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on
February 17- 18/2021
After long wait, Israel’s Netanyahu has ‘warm’ phone call
with US President Biden
Al Arabiya English/17 February ,2021
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call with US President
Joe Biden on Wednesday, Netanyahu’s office and the White House said in separate
statements. “Together, the leaders discussed the importance of continued close
consultation on regional security issues, including Iran,” the White House said.
Biden also voiced his support for the recent normalization of relations between
Israel and countries in the Arab and Muslim world. “He underscored the
importance of working to advance peace throughout the region, including between
Israelis and Palestinians,” the statement read. As for Netanyahu, his office
said “the conversation was very friendly and warm and lasted about an
hour.”Netanyahu acknowledged on Monday his differences with US President Joe
Biden, specifically over Iran and Palestine, but stressed the two enjoyed a
“very strong” working relationship. There has been speculation that the
Democratic president could be signaling displeasure over the close ties
Netanyahu forged with former President Donald Trump, who called Netanyahu two
days after his inauguration in 2017. “The two leaders noted their longstanding
personal ties and said they would work together to further strengthen the strong
relations between Israel and the United States,” Netanyahu's office said on
Wednesday.
First UAE ambassador to Israel tweets from new official
account
Al Arabiya English/17 February ,2021
The UAE’s first ambassador to Israel took to Twitter Wednesday to express his
excitement at his new role. Tel Aviv and the UAE agreed to normalize diplomatic
relations after last year’s Abraham Accords were signed at the White House in a
deal brokered by then-President Donald Trump.
“Delighted to launch my official account as the #UAE’s first Ambassador to
Israel,” Mohamed Al Khaja tweeted. He added: “I look forward to strengthening
ties between Emiratis and Israelis by fostering peace, understanding and
prosperity among our people and across the region. Marhaba, B’ruchim Haba’im,
Welcome!”Al Khaja posted the same tweet in Arabic and Hebrew. The UAE Embassy in
Israel also posted its first tweets on its new account. Al Khaja was sworn in as
the first UAE envoy to Israel last week after the UAE approved plans to
establish an embassy in Tel Aviv.
This came after Israel announced the opening of its embassy in the UAE. Eitan
Na’eh, a veteran Israeli diplomat, will be the head of mission, according to The
Associated Press.
Germany’s Merkel tells Iran’s Rouhani to ‘create trust’
with international community
AFP/Published: 17 February ,2021
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday held a rare telephone call with
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in which she voiced her “concern” over Tehran’s
non-compliance with the 2015 nuclear pact, her spokesman said. “She expressed
her concern that Iran continues to fail to meet its obligations under the
nuclear agreement,” her spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement. The
chancellor also said that “now was the time for positive signals that create
trust and increase the chances of a diplomatic solution,” he added. The call
came on the eve of crunch talks between three European countries and the United
States on how to salvage the deal aimed at reigning in Iran’s nuclear programme.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will host his German and British
counterparts in Paris, with America’s new top diplomat Antony Blinken joining
via videoconference, the French foreign ministry said. The three European
signatories to the deal want to revive the agreement that former US president
Donald Trump walked away from in 2018. The administration of Trump’s successor
Joe Biden has said it could rejoin if Tehran returns to compliance. Analysts
have said that only a small window of opportunity remains to save the deal and
world powers will have to act fast. The West is concerned that violations of the
accord mean Iran is moving faster towards having the “breakout” capacity for
building an atomic bomb, while Iranian presidential elections in June add a
major risk factor.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was based on Iran providing
safeguards that it would not make an atomic bomb, in exchange for a gradual
easing of international sanctions. But the return of sanctions after Trump left
the deal prompted Tehran to retaliate by intensifying its nuclear work in
repeated violation of the deal. The UN nuclear watchdog said last week Iran had
started producing uranium metal in a new violation of the accord, prompting the
European powers to warn Tehran risks losing the chance of seeing the full
benefits of the deal.
Rouhani has said that if sanctions are lifted, Iran will need only “a few hours”
to verify the move and “then we will return to our commitments.”
Europe powers, US to hold talks on Iran nuclear deal:
France
Agencies/Published: 17 February ,2021
France said it will host talks Thursday between the top diplomats of European
powers and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken focused on Iran, as they try to
salvage a 2015 deal on Tehran’s nuclear program. French Foreign Minister
Jean-Yves Le Drian will meet his counterparts Heiko Maas of Germany and Dominic
Raab of Britain in Paris, with Blinken joining via videoconference, the French
foreign ministry said Wednesday. The European powers want to revive the nuclear
deal that former president Donald Trump walked out of in 2018 but that the
administration of Joe Biden has said it could rejoin if Tehran returns to
compliance with the deal. The announcement came after Iranian Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said Iran wants to see “action not words”
from parties to the country’s 2015 nuclear deal. “We have heard many nice words
and promises which in practice have been broken and opposite actions have been
taken. Words and promises are no good. This time (we want) only action from the
other side and we will also act,” Khamenei said in a televised speech. Under the
deal, sanctions were lifted in return for Iran agreeing curbs to its nuclear
program. Since Trump ditched the deal and reimposed sanctions, Tehran has
gradually breached the deal’s terms.
Iranian Factions Breach Iraqi Kurdistan’s Security
Erbil - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 17 February, 2021
More than a dozen rockets fell on Erbil and the international airport Monday,
killing one person and injuring six US servicemen, in the most recent attack
launched by Iran-backed factions against US forces. Half a dozen of the rockets
targeted residential areas, wounding four civilians. The Sec-Gen of the Ministry
of Peshmerga Affairs Jabar Yawar said that the operation was carried out using
108 mm rockets with a range of no more than 8 kilometers. Yawar told Asharq Al-Awsat
that for the first time, these groups were able to breach the security cordon,
using the open terrain surrounding the area, which made it easier for them to
attack. He indicated that the lack of intelligence and military coordination
between the Peshmerga and the federal forces, despite the ongoing negotiations
between the two governments, enabled these groups to execute the operation. The
president of the Kurdistan region sent an official statement to the federal
government and the Security Council stressing the need to intensify efforts and
bolster coordination between Iraqi, Peshmerga, and the international coalition
forces in the area. This operation is similar to all operations against US
targets in Iraq, executed by armed groups with fictitious names that show their
opposition to foreign presence in the country, according to Yawar. The Sec-Gen
believes such groups are one of the challenges facing the Iraqi Prime Minister,
Mustafa al-Kadhimi, and present a threat to the security and stability of the
region. Political analyst Omar Abdulqader told Asharq Al-Awsat that the attack
is a “dangerous precedent” aiming to convey several messages, notably the
groups’ ability to target US bases, even if they are based deep in the
security-fortified Kurdistan region. The group also wanted to inform the
Kurdistan region that they can break its security, according to the analyst. A
group calling itself Saraya Awliya al-Dam claimed responsibility for the attack
on the US-led base, saying it targeted the “American occupation” in Iraq. Last
August, it announced its responsibility for an attack in Nineveh targeting
coalition forces' convoy en route to Kurdistan. Iran condemned speculation on
its involvement in the rocket attack on Erbil as “suspicious,” asserting that
the stability and security of Iraq are central to the region and its neighbors.
Fars news agency quoted Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh
as saying that the “suspicious attempts to link the Erbil attacks to Iran are
condemned,” stressing that Tehran “rejects any attempt that disturbs the peace
and order of the country.” Mahmoud Kifah, an advisor of the leader of the
Kurdistan Democratic Party Masoud Barzan, told Asharq Al-Awsat that there were
clear indications of the group’s affiliation with the Iranian Revolutionary
Guards Corps (IRGC). He indicated that an Iranian-made weapon was used in this
operation, adding that initial investigations revealed that “Fajr-1” was among
the missiles launched at Erbil. Kifah stressed that this operation aims to send
a message to US President Joe Biden and test his administration’s policies in
the region, and the extent of its support for the Kurdistan region. The second
message is directed at Kadhimi and his reform program, while the third is aimed
at the Kurdistan region because of its clear opposition to the incursion of
illegal militias.
Western Allies Condemn Rocket Attack in Iraq’s Erbil
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 17 February, 2021
France, Germany, Italy, Britain and the United States on Wednesday condemned "in
the strongest terms" a rocket attack on an airbase in Iraq's Kurdistan region
that killed a foreign contractor. The firing of more than a dozen rockets in the
northwest of the Kurdish regional capital Erbil on Monday wounded at least 14
people, as well as fatally injuring a contractor working for the US military.
"We are united in our view that attacks on US and coalition personnel and
facilities will not be tolerated," the foreign ministers of the five Western
allies said in a joint statement. "Together, our governments will support the
government of Iraq's investigation into the attack with a view to holding
accountable those responsible." The barrage of 107 mm rockets -- the same
caliber used in recent attacks in Baghdad -- was fired late Monday from around
eight kilometers west of Erbil. They appeared to be aimed at a military complex
inside the Erbil airport that hosts foreign troops deployed as part of a US-led
coalition that has helped Iraq fight militants since 2014. But they struck all
over the city's northwest, including in residential districts where they wounded
five civilians. One US solider was among those injured at the airport, where at
least three of the rockets landed. The nationality of the foreign contractor
killed has not been disclosed.
Biden Administration Requests Clarification on Hamas-Fatah
Election Partnership
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 17 February, 2021
US President Joe Biden’s administration has asked Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas for clarifications on the partnership with Hamas in the upcoming
elections, according to a Channel 12 report. The United States wants
reassurances that any future Palestinian government will recognize Israel,
renounce violence and uphold agreements and abide by them, the report added.
Neither the US administration nor the Palestinian Authority (PA) commented on
the report, yet a well-informed source ruled out in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat
any dispute on the matter. “Elections will be held under the Palestine
Liberation Organization’s (PLO) sponsorship,” the source explained, stressing
that the PLO is committed to all the agreements, in accordance to which the
government will be formed. “This is clear to everyone and to all the Palestinian
factions. They all agreed not to give Israel any reason to prevent the elections
from taking place or incite against the next government.”The PA has officially
resumed contacts with the new US administration. It had cut relations with
former US President Donald Trump’s administration for more than two years due to
its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the punitive steps
against Palestinians. Contacts with Biden’s administration are carried out
through Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs
Hady Amr. They earlier discussed means to restore Palestinian-US relations,
especially the reopening of the PLO’s office in Washington and renewing US
financial aid to the PA and the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Contact
between the PA and new US administration has been expected in light of previous
indirect communication through mediators. The PA is hoping that the Biden
administration would rectify the tense relations and advance a new peace process
in the region. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said the upcoming
elections are an existential issue that cannot be reversed. “They pave the way
for ending the division and leading to reconciliation,” he explained during a
meeting with head of mission of the Office of the Quartet John Clarke in
Ramallah. He affirmed his country’s readiness for a serious political path based
on international legitimacy and international law. Both sides discussed the
latest political developments and preparations for the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee
(AHLC) meeting, which will be held in New York on Feb. 23. Clarke said the
Quartet is ready to support the elections, accelerate efforts to restore
bilateral relations with the US, and implement development projects, especially
those targeting the energy and water sectors, with priority given to the Gaza
Strip.
US approves $200 million arms sale to ‘strategic partner’
Egypt
The Arab Weekly/February 17/2021
WASHINGTON--US President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday approved a nearly
$200 million arms sale to Egypt, confirming that Cairo “continues to be an
important strategic partner in the Middle East.” The sale’s approval to Egypt
raises many questions, especially after the Biden administration vowed to end
support for Saudi Arabia’s offensive operations in Yemen’s war and said it is
reviewing a major jet sale to the United Arab Emirates. The $197 million sale of
168 tactical Raytheon-made Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAMs) was requested by the
Egyptian navy to improve defense in coastal areas and around the Red Sea, the
State Department said. The State Department said in a statement that it approved
the sale, subject to Congressional review. The sale also includes tri-pack
shipping and storage containers, manuals, technical documentation and US
government and contractor technical support. The State Department said in a
statement that the proposed sale of the missiles and related equipment “will
support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping
to improve the security of a Major Non-NATO Ally country that continues to be an
important strategic partner in the Middle East.”
“The proposed sale will support the Egyptian Navy’s Fast Missile Craft ships and
provide significantly enhanced area defense capabilities over Egypt’s coastal
areas and approaches to the Suez Canal,” the statement added. The State
Department also confirmed that the proposed sale and support “will not change
the basic military balance in the region and that there will be no negative
impact on the defensive readiness of the United States.”Last Saturday, Egyptian
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stated that he saw “no room for any concern or
optimism” regarding dealing with the Biden administration. He explained that
“Over the past four decades, (Egypt-US relations) have been strong, strategic,
and have had many fields of cooperation and common gains.”“The US is a
superpower with both political and economic capabilities that make it important
(for Egypt) to deal with it and find out mutual interests,” he added. “The
relations… have continued, whether the administration is republican or
democratic. This succession over the past 40 years has made us deal with
different administrations that held different viewpoints. We always had in-depth
dialogue with them, as well as points of consensus and points of difference.” He
added that the difference in views eventually found a point of consensus. “On
many occasions, the Egyptian point of view is correct, and the American point of
view is correct, and we assess the matter eventually according to events and
results,” Shoukry noted.He affirmed that Egypt currently maintains contact with
the US through the former’s embassy in Washington, the State Department and the
White House National Security Council. “There is certainly no room for any
concerns and no room for any optimism,” since “it all depends on the normal and
practical management of bilateral relations,” the Egyptian minister noted.
Egypt’s regional rivals are relying on the Biden administration to put pressure
on the Egyptian regime regarding the human rights file, especially since there
have been previous remarks in this regard by the US president towards his
Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, after years of close relations
between the latter and former US President Donald Trump. Observers point out
that Cairo does not want to engage in a confrontation with Washington, and is
working to reduce tensions over controversial issues. Egypt has recently sent
positive messages on the human rights file, most notably through the approval of
executive regulations for the law on NGOs that were suspended for three years
and the release of political activists.
Sisi Sets ‘Conditions’ for Political Opposition
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 17 February, 2021
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi said on Tuesday that the state "accepts
opposition views that aim to improve people’s lives.”The president’s remarks
came during a ceremony to inaugurate a medical complex in Ismailia as well as a
number of other hospitals and medical institutions in the country.
“Yes, people have the right to express their opinion and people have the right
to have an opposition,” the president said. However, the president noted that
the goal of expressing opinion and of the political opposition "should be to
improve people’s living conditions and lives." "The goal is not opposition for
the sake of opposition." Sisi added that the state accepts opposition “on the
condition that the opposition understands what they are talking about.”The
burden on opposition would be eased if the state showed seriousness in facing
its challenges, he noted. “Didn’t you do a revolution in 2011 for a better life?
It won’t be accomplished with a population crisis,” he stressed, addressing
citizens. “Overpopulation is a national security matter”, and the security and
stability of the state are linked to reducing the population growth. He
explained that the rate of population growth must be proportional to the
resources available to the state, explaining that an increase in population
negatively affects all sectors. In this context, the Minister of Planning and
Economic Cooperation, Hala El-Said, pointed out that Egypt recorded 2.35 million
births, equivalent to 270 new births per hour in the year 2020. During the
ceremony, Sisi paid tribute to the health sector workers who lost their lives
and to those who are making sacrifices to protect Egyptians during the pandemic.
Gaza Top Islamic Judge to Revise Law Barring Women From
Travel Without Male Consent
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 17 February, 2021
Gaza’s top Islamic judge agreed on Tuesday to revise a recent court ruling that
bars women from travel without permission from a male guardian such as a husband
or father. The restriction, imposed on Sunday by the Higher Sharia Council in
Islamist Hamas-run Gaza, had drawn criticism from rights groups which said it
violated Palestinian laws against gender-based discrimination. Protests also
erupted outside the office of the council’s Hamas-appointed chairman, Hassan
Jojo, who had signed the edict into law. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Jojo
said: “We have agreed to redraft this ruling.” He did not say if the language
banning female travel without a male guardian’s approval would be removed. Hamas
leaders have repeatedly denied any intention to impose Islamic law on the Gaza
Strip’s 2 million residents, Reuters reported. The Independent Commission for
Human Rights (ICHR), a Palestinian rights group with offices in Gaza and the
West Bank, said Sunday’s ruling “violates women’s dignity and rights and places
them at an inferior level” in society. ICHR also noted Palestinian laws bar
discrimination “on the basis of race, gender, color, religion, political opinion
or disability”. Reham Owda, a Palestinian political analyst and womens’ rights
expert, said the ruling might have aimed at stemming a recent increase in Gaza
women seeking work outside the small coastal territory, where employment is 49%.
“The government in Gaza wanted to limit (travel) and restrict the movement of
women who are ambitious from leaving in search of study or jobs, and escape the
Israeli blockade,” Owda aid.
Joint statement by Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Canada and United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary on crackdown on Belarusian civil
society
February 17, 2021 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and United Kingdom’s
Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, today issued a joint statement:
The persecution yesterday of human rights organisations and independent
journalists across Belarus in targeted raids by the Belarusian authorities is
appalling. This is a further assault on civil society and liberties in that
country, which has faced extraordinary oppression from the Lukashenko regime.
We have seen over the past six months how these brave individuals and
organisations have valiantly sought to defend the human rights of the Belarusian
people and to hold the regime to account. For these simple acts, they have been
under constant attack. It was in recognition of their outstanding courage and
professionalism that we awarded the inaugural Canada-UK Joint Media Freedom
Award in November last year to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, which
was one of the organisations targeted today.
Our governments jointly call on the Belarusian authorities to immediately cease
their campaign of violence and harassment against journalists, human rights
defenders and civil society actors. We have previously responded to these grave
violations of human rights with sanctions targeting those directly responsible,
including Lukashenko himself, and we continue to support work to implement the
recommendations of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s
Moscow Mechanism report.
The people of Belarus have the right to determine their own future in a genuine
and inclusive manner, and to be able to do so without fear of arbitrary
detention or violence. Human rights organisations and a free media are critical
features of an open society, and Canada and the United Kingdom will continue to
stand with Belarusian civil society against state oppression.
US warns against ISIS, Iran interference with Iraq election
The Arab Weekly/February 17/2021
NEW YORK - UNITED NATIONS - The new US administration said Tuesday a top
priority in Iraq is to help the country assert its sovereignty “in the face of
enemies” by preventing a resurgence of the extremist ISIS group and addressing
destabilising activities of Iran and Iranian-backed militias.
US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Mills told the UN Security
Council that President Joe Biden’s administration “supports a strategic
partnership with a stable, democratic Iraq,” including backing efforts to
control militias and advising and assisting the country’s counterterrorism
forces.
The United States will also be “a steady, reliable partner that supports Iraq’s
anti-corruption and economic reform efforts, strengthens regional relationships,
holds accountable human rights violators and those who abuse human rights, (and)
provides humanitarian assistance,” Mills said.
“A conducive environment means that we must address Iran-backed militias and
Iran’s destabilising activities in Iraq, as well as the remaining ISIS (Islamic
State) elements,” Mills told the 15-member council. “These groups undermine the
public’s trust in the government, and in the October 2021 elections. They’re
killing Iraqi citizens and depriving Iraq of much-needed economic relief and
foreign investment. No one is immune,” he said. A rocket attack on US-led forces
in northern Iraq on Monday killed a civilian contractor and injured a US service
member. The attack was claimed by a group that some Iraqi officials say has
links with Iran.
The United States has about 2,500 US troops in Iraq. “Such reckless attempts to
inflame tensions pose grave threats to Iraq’s stability. Close collaboration
between Baghdad and Erbil, to bring the culprits to justice, is now of the
greatest importance,” UN Special Envoy to Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert told
the Security Council on Tuesday. ISIS seized Iraqi cities and declared a
self-styled “Islamic caliphate” in a large swathe of territory it took control
of in Iraq and neighbouring Syria in 2014. US airstrikes and a US-backed,
Iraqi-led ground campaign led to the group’s defeat in Iraq in 2017, leaving
tens of thousands dead and Iraqi cities in ruins. But the group’s sleeper cells
continue to launch attacks in different parts of Iraq, including on a market in
Baghdad in December that killed at least 30 people and wounded over 100. Mills
said helping Iraq prevent a resurgence of ISIS and working toward the country’s
stability also means supporting its efforts to hold peaceful elections on
October 10, four months later than originally planned. “These scheduled
elections will be critical in establishing responsive and representative
government,” he said. Mills referred to the hundreds of thousands of protesters
who have taken to the streets in Baghdad and the predominantly Shia south since
late 2019. Protesters have called for an end to endemic corruption by a
political class largely seen as having squandered Iraq’s oil resources through
greed and mismanagement over the years. They have demanded political and
economic reforms including early elections. The protests were met with a heavy
military crackdown and hundreds were killed.
Mills said the US welcomes a recent letter from the Iraqi government to the
Security Council asking the UN political mission in Iraq known as UNAMI to
provide election observers. “We support international observation of Iraqi
elections to ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible, and look
forward to working with Iraq, the council, fellow members, and the UN to
determine the most feasible form such an effort can take,” he said. The US is
providing $9.7 million to UNAMI to assist the government’s election
preparations, and Mills encouraged international donors to also contribute.
Mills urged Iraq’s electoral administration and key security personnel to start
working immediately to ensure security around the elections. He stressed that
militias, including those backed by Iran, and remaining ISIS extremists are
killing Iraqis, attacking UN convoys, targeting diplomats and non-governmental
organisations “and depriving Iraq of much-needed economic relief and foreign
investment.” He pointed to Monday’s rocket attack outside Erbil International
Airport, near where US forces are based in the semi-autonomous Kurdish-run
region of northern Iraq, killing a civilian contractor working for the US-led
coalition and injuring at least eight other people including an American.
–– UN role —
Hennis-Plasschaert said “a positive, stable relationship between federal Iraq
and the Kurdistan region is absolutely essential to the stability of the whole
country.” And she lamented “the harsh reality” that Baghdad and Erbil have
failed to agree on key laws including on sharing oil revenue and disputed
territories.
As for the October election, Hennis-Plasschaert said parliament has passed
legislation to finance the voting process, and countrywide registration of
candidates and alliances as well as the updating of voter lists has begun. But
she said parliament must immediately finalise the Federal Supreme Court law
because the court certifies election results. Looking at the year ahead, she
said, “Iraqis hope to turn the page on a number of fronts: recovery from the
pandemic, elections, economic reform, strengthening the rule of law and
delivering a more secure environment for all.”
But this requires decisive and concerted action, including meaningful reforms
and refuting “poisonous” misinformation and conspiracies, Hennis-Plasschaert
stressed. “For elections to be trusted, unfounded theories must be disproved,
baseless accusations refuted, intimidation replaced with accountability,” she
said. “Transparency must rule and loyalties cannot be for sale.”
U.S. court dismisses case against Turkey's Halkbank by
victims of Iran-linked attacks
ISTANBUL (Reuters)/February 17/2021
A U.S. judge on Tuesday agreed to dismiss a case against Turkish state lender
Halkbank filed by victims of attacks by groups linked to Iran, on the condition
that the sides reach an agreement to carry on with the case in Turkey. Halkbank
has been at the centre of a major dispute between Ankara and Washington. It was
indicted in a separate case in New York in 2019, accused of helping Iran evade
American sanctions. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote agreed to dismiss the case
brought against Halkbank by 876 plaintiffs who were victims or related to victim
of “an overseas terrorist attack committed by a group linked to Iran.” The court
accepted Halkbank’s request that the case be dismissed, saying the case could be
handled by a court in Turkey. It ordered the sides to submit an agreement by
March 2 to litigate the case in Turkey. “Dismissal shall be conditioned on
Halkbank’s agreement to accept service in Turkey, submit to the jurisdiction of
Turkish courts, and waive any statute of limitations defense that may have
arisen since the filing of this action,” the court said. In the main case
against Halkbank, U.S. prosecutors accused the lender of using money service
providers and front companies in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to
evade sanctions on Tehran, enabling oil and gas revenue to be spent on gold and
facilitating sham food and medicine purchases. Halkbank has pleaded not guilty
to bank fraud, money laundering and conspiracy charges brought in 2019.
US Urges Houthis to Halt Marib Assault
Aden - New York - Ali Rabih and Ali Barada/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 17
February, 2021
The United States urged Yemen’s Houthi militias on Tuesday to halt an offensive
on the government-held city of Marib. State Department spokesman Ned Price
called on the Houthis to halt the attack, cease all military operations, and
participate in a UN-led peace process. “The Houthis’ assault on Marib is the
action of a group not committed to peace or to ending the war afflicting the
people of Yemen,” Price said in a statement. Referring to UN figures that
estimate 1 million Yemenis have sought refuge in Marib since the beginning of
the war to escape Houthi violence, Price said this assault will only "exacerbate
the humanitarian crises." "Marib is controlled by the legitimate government of
Yemen," he said. "This assault will only increase the number of internally
displaced persons and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, already home
to the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe." "If the Houthis are serious
about a negotiated political solution, they must cease all military advances and
refrain from other destabilizing and potentially lethal actions, including
cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia," the spokesperson added. Price urged the
Houthis to “constructively participate” in UN-led peace efforts and “engage
seriously” with the recently appointed US special envoy for Yemen, Timothy
Lenderking. Mark Lowcock, the UN’s humanitarian chief, also warned against the
impact of the Marib attacks. “An assault on the city would put 2 million
civilians at risk, with hundreds of thousands potentially forced to flee, with
unimaginable humanitarian consequences,” the UN official said in a Twitter post
on Tuesday. Battlefield sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that ten days
prior to the military operation, the Houthis deployed fighters in several fronts
in the west and northwest of Marib. They added that the Houthi militants resort
to rugged terrains to circumvent the Yemeni army’s front lines. The army, for
its part, continues to repel the attacks, backed by the Coalition to Support
Legitimacy in Yemen.
Sudan’s Bashir Doesn’t Regret Anything He’s Done
Khartoum, London - Mohammed Amine Yassin,Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 17 February,
2021
Ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir refused to make any statements before
the investigation committee during his court session, asserting that he does not
regret anything he’s done. Bashir is on trial for the 1989 coup and refused to
deliver his statement before the Public Prosecution’s investigation committee
without the presence of his lawyer. He also lodged an appeal with the public
prosecutor accusing the constitutional court of lack of impartiality. The
representative of the committee stated that Bashir also refused to comment on a
TV interview during which he details the coup. Bashir told the judge that he
insisted on his lawyer’s presence to ensure he won’t make a mistake in his
statements, as was the case with a previous charge. A committee member read the
statements of defendant Youssef Abdel Fattah, known as Rambo, as mentioned in
the investigation report. He recounted details of the meetings to plan the coup,
which was backed by Islamist movement leader, Hassan al-Turabi, and his deputy,
Ali Othman Mohammad Taha. The investigation revealed that Abdel Fattah admitted
he was one of the perpetrators of the coup, in addition to a number of civilian
leaders of the Islamist movement.
The report noted that Abdel Fattah admitted to his knowledge of the criminality
of the coup against the legitimately elected government, and they still went
ahead with it. However, Abdel Fattah denied confessing to that, adding he never
mentioned any names in the official report. Meanwhile, Sudan's Supreme Court has
upheld death sentences for 29 intelligence officers for torturing and killing a
teacher arrested during anti-government protests that toppled Bashir, a
prosecution lawyer told AFP Tuesday. Ahmed al-Khair, 36, died in custody in
February 2019 following his arrest for participating in demonstrations triggered
by economic hardship in the eastern state of Kassala. His killing sparked wide
public outcry, fuelling further mass protests, and the army eventually ousted
Bashir in April 2019. "This week's ruling by the Supreme Court confirmed the
December 2019 death sentences of 29 intelligence officers," lawyer Adel
Abdelghani told AFP, adding the men "could still appeal the ruling before the
constitutional court." Bashir was convicted of money laundering and corruption
and sentenced to two years in Kober Central Prison. He is also on trial for the
Islamist-backed 1989 military coup that brought him to power.
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 17- 18/2021
Despots dominate the WHO and the UNHRC
Clifford D. May/FDD/February 17/2021
I understand why Joe Biden wants to rejoin the World Health Organization and the
United Nations Human Rights Council. The new president is a multilateralist,
which his predecessor certainly was not, and he’s eager to draw that contrast
quickly and clearly.
What I don’t understand: Why he wouldn’t ask these two U.N. agencies for at
least a few reforms in exchange for America’s return? The need for such reforms
can hardly be in doubt.
Start with the WHO. Would anyone give it a passing grade for its response to the
global pandemic? Does anyone not comprehend that its leaders take theirs
marching orders from China’s rulers?
How the Dems' 'very dangerous' bill creates a publicly accessible gun registry
Woke teachers want Shakespeare cut from curriculum: 'This is about White
supremacy'
Legacy media protects Democrats by omission
Was anyone surprised when Beijing-approved WHO investigators last week declared
it “extremely unlikely” that the bat virus that has caused of so much death and
destruction around the world had its origins in a Wuhan laboratory that conducts
secret experiments on bat viruses, including “gain of function” research that
can give viruses the ability to infect different species?
The WHO investigators came to this conclusion after spending all of three hours
at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, with Chinese authorities denying them access
to critical data.
A spokesman for the investigators then suggested that the virus might have come
to China in a shipment of frozen Australian beef. Last year, Chinese officials
alleged that the virus could have been introduced into China by the U.S. Army. A
Chinese government spokesman last week called for an investigation of American
laboratories while state-controlled Chinese media accused the U.S. of putting
the blame on China to “cover for its own ineptitude.”
To his credit, State Department spokesman Ned Price responded: “I don’t think
there is any reasonable person who would argue that the coronavirus originated
elsewhere” other than China. But that raises a question: Why re-join and again
become the top funder of an organization under the control of unreasonable
persons?
Fakhrizadeh Killing Reveals Dissent Within the Regime in
Iran
Alireza Nader/FDD/February 17/2021
In a revealing comment, the Islamic Republic’s intelligence minister, Mahmoud
Alavi, said last week that the November 2020 assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh,
Iran’s top nuclear scientist, was arranged by a “member of our armed forces.”
Alavi’s comment may have been an attempt to defend his ministry against charges
of incompetence in the wake of Fakhrizadeh’s death, but it also demonstrates
deep fissures within the regime and possibly within the Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC) as well. Israel is the top suspect in Fakhrizadeh’s killing,
and the successful operation suggests that the Mossad, Israel’s leading
intelligence agency, has built a sizeable infrastructure for its operations in
Iran. It is even possible that Israel’s network included elements of the regime,
including security forces such as the IRGC.
The Revolutionary Guard is tasked with protecting the regime from all internal
and external threats. Yet not all Guards are entirely devoted to their leaders.
The same forces that have created widespread dissatisfaction and disillusionment
throughout Iranian society, including corruption, economic mismanagement, and
repression, have impacted the Guard as well.
To be sure, the top echelon of the Guard may be devoted to Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as they have become enormously powerful and wealthy
under his patronage. Still, some Guards may be motivated to cooperate with
Israel by financial incentives or career dissatisfaction. Guards opposed to the
regime itself may wish to weaken it from within by cooperating with Jerusalem.
Many Guards once supported the reform efforts of former President Mohammad
Khatami (1997–2005) and backed Mir Hussein Mousavi, the reformist presidential
candidate who challenged the fraudulent re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in
2009. Yet hopes for reform in Iran have completely faded, not only among the
public, but among the elite as well.
Iranians, including regime insiders, view the Islamic Republic as a failed
political system that has reached a dead end under Khamenei, an ideologically
rigid and self-indulgent dictator.
It is no surprise that some Guards may be actively plotting against Khamenei.
Senior Guardsmen have criticized him in the past, only to be silenced under
duress by the regime. Some members of the Guard are reportedly unhappy with
efforts by Khamenei and his son Mojtaba to consolidate power by replacing the
regime’s older elites. In so doing, they seek to ensure the IRGC’s ultimate
loyalty to Khamenei’s revolutionary principles as the regime experiences
widespread popular and elite dissatisfaction.
Guards and other security forces loyal to Khamenei were responsible for crushing
popular revolts in 2018 and 2019, killing an estimated 1,500 Iranians in the
November 2019 demonstrations alone. Future demonstrations are likely to face
similar or greater violence from a regime desperate for survival.
Yet some Guards may face a moral dilemma, as many are recruited from the general
population and may be reluctant to butcher their own people. Some may resist
orders, while others may actively work with Jerusalem to weaken the regime,
including by sharing information that leads to the killing of senior regime
officials and the destruction of crucial nuclear infrastructure.
The recent explosions at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, which
reportedly destroyed numerous centrifuges, are likely the work of the Israelis,
who may well have had insider help. The security of Natanz, like that of Iran’s
entire atomic program, falls under the purview of the IRGC.
The regime will not hesitate to use violence against the population – the 2019
massacre was a message to Iranians never to come to the streets in protest
again.
But the killing of Fakhrizadeh suggests that elements from within the regime’s
power structure may be willing to betray Khamenei to prevent Iran from sinking
into the abyss.
Fakhrizadeh’s death and the divisions within the regime also provide the Biden
administration with alternative options for exerting pressure on the regime if
it fails to roll back advances in its nuclear program.
Outnumbered and outgunned for now, disaffected Revolutionary Guards may bide
their time for the right opportunity as the regime slinks from crisis to crisis.
Fakhrizadeh’s killing is today’s crisis. Tomorrow may bring one much bigger.
*Alireza Nader is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD),
where he also contributes to FDD’s Iran Program and Center on Military and
Political Power (CMPP). For more analysis from Alireza, the Iran Program, and
CMPP, please subscribe HERE. Follow Alireza on Twitter @AlirezaNader. Follow FDD
on Twitter @FDD and @FDD_Iran and @FDD_CMPP. FDD is a Washington, DC-based,
nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
It’s Time for Biden to Call Netanyahu
Jonathan Schanzer/FDD/February 17/2021
He might want to avoid controversy right now, but he can't avoid our most
valuable ally in the Middle East.
Rip off the Band-Aid, Mr. President.
We’re one month into the Biden administration and the president still has not
called the prime minister of Israel, America’s most valuable ally in the Middle
East. Admittedly, the sky is not falling. There is still plenty of time for the
two leaders to speak. And there are plenty of senior officials downstream in the
U.S. bureaucracy who are engaging with their Israeli counterparts. Secretary of
State Blinken spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. National
Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with Meir Ben Shabbat, Netanyahu’s NSA.
Innumerable other American bureaucrats are working with their counterparts in
Jerusalem, too. The U.S.-Israel relationship is both wide and deep.
Nevertheless, critics of the president and his loyalists are attacking and
defending the silence along partisan lines. The longer the pause before the
call, the more fears mount of a return to the bad old days of acrimony between
the Netanyahu government and the Obama administration, when the White House
lowered its shield, allowing the United Nations to pass a horribly one-sided
Security Council resolution against Israel denying its very heritage in
Jerusalem.
Spoiler: It is not going to be that bad. Biden is a pragmatist who values the
alliance. The same can be said for a number of his top advisers, even if there
are some ideologues (Rob Malley, most notably) among them.
But as this pregnant pause stretches into its second month of gestation, there
are some obvious warning signs.
First, this is a clear deviation from the norm. This is particularly noteworthy
after four years of Democrats decrying how the Trump administration violated
norm after norm (which it did). President Bill Clinton called Prime Minister
Yitzhak Rabin on January 23 and met with Rabin two months later. President
George W. Bush called Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on February 6. President
Barack Obama spoke with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on January 2 (before
inauguration). He called Netanyahu on April 1, the day after Netanyahu was sworn
in. President Donald Trump spoke with Netanyahu on January 22, and hosted the
Israeli prime minister the following month. We could go back further in time,
but you get the point.
Then there is the assertion that the president is more than justified in
postponing his call with Netanyahu because foreign policy is less important
these days. To be sure, there are many pressing domestic agenda items that Biden
must prioritize: the pandemic, the economy, and the fractured Washington
politics that prompted security officials to wrap the Capitol in concertina
wire.
But if Biden has in fact decided to keep the focus at home, how has he made time
for Vladimir Putin (Russia), Xi Jinping (China), Justin Trudeau (Canada), Andres
Manuel Lopez Obrador (Mexico), Boris Johnson (U.K.), and others? An obvious
answer to this question is that Biden has time for foreign policy issues on our
immediate borders (Canada and Mexico), great power competition (Russia and
China), and repairing transatlantic alliances (U.K.) after four years of Trump
administration policies that strained those ties. This makes perfect sense.
Here’s what doesn’t make sense: The Biden administration continues to issue
statements about its intent to return to the highly controversial 2015 Iran
nuclear deal, otherwise known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Biden and Blinken tapped controversial figure Rob Malley as the envoy to try to
resurrect that agreement. The appointment is one of several unmistakable signs
that the Middle East remains a significant area of interest for this White
House.
Here’s press secretary Jen Psaki: “If Iran comes back into full compliance with
the obligations under the JCPOA… the United States would do the same, and then
use that as a platform to build a longer and stronger agreement that also
addresses other areas of concern.”
Here’s Secretary of State Tony Blinken: “President Biden has been very clear on
this. He’s said that if Iran returns to compliance with its obligations under
the agreement, we would do the same thing.”
And here’s Jake Sullivan: “We are actively engaged with the European Union right
now, particularly the three members of the P5+1: Germany, the UK, and France. We
are talking to them at various levels of our government. Those consultations, I
think, will produce a unified front when it comes to our strategy towards Iran
and towards dealing with diplomacy around the nuclear file.”
So, the intent is clear. The Iran deal remains a priority. Therefore, the Middle
East remains a foreign policy priority. Cue the contentious debate.
During the last go-round, the Israelis emerged as the most effective and
outspoken critics of the Iran deal. From public statements to private meetings,
the Israelis were both relentless and substantive in their opposition. This was
perfectly understandable given that Israel is within range of Iran’s missiles.
Also, Iran has been perfectly honest about the fact that it seeks the
destruction of the Jewish state.
But the Israelis were certainly not the only critics of the deal. The JCPOA will
go down as one of the most controversial foreign policy initiatives in modern
American history for its generous sanctions relief to the world’s foremost state
sponsor of terrorism, and for its sunset clauses that granted Iran permission in
12 years to return to the illicit nuclear activity that it never admitted it was
pursuing in the first place. The deal provoked harsh criticism from Republicans
and national security hawks. The Gulf Arab states—notably the United Arab
Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain—are aligned in opposition to a return to the
JCPOA. Indeed, they stand opposed to any deal that doesn’t stop Iranian
enrichment, regional aggression, and missile development.
But, without question, the foremost critic of the deal was Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Obama resented him, not only for his controversial
address to a joint session of Congress on the topic in 2015, but for this
constant messaging on the matter at every turn.
With the Iran deal back on the table, the rather severe policy disagreement
between the prime minister and America’s new president is quite likely to pick
up right where it left off. And, if anything, the Israelis have more ammunition
now, given that Iran has crossed many redlines since 2015.
President Biden is trying to avoid controversy early on in his presidency. He is
admirably trying hard to be a healer and a uniter. But with the JCPOA as his
signature foreign policy, he may find that increasingly difficult. For now, he
appears to be deliberately pressing pause on what will quickly escalate into a
heated debate, both at home and abroad. In the interim, he has his top
officials—Blinken and Sullivan—quietly engaging with Israel and other opponents
of the JCPOA.
Here’s the problem: The longer Biden waits to engage, the more his silence can
run the risk of signaling a deeper problem with Israel. Critics are already
deriding his foreign policy as “Obama’s third term.”
There is an easy way for Biden to disabuse his critics of this notion. He needs
to rip off the Band-Aid. He should speak to Netanyahu. It can be quick and
breezy if they table the JCPOA discussion for another time. Or it can be
substantive and potentially uncomfortable if they want to get down to business.
Either way, it’s time to cut the act. The U.S.-Israel relationship is just
fine—but the JCPOA looms large. Expect turbulence ahead.
*Jonathan Schanzer, a former terrorism finance analyst at the United States
Department of the Treasury, is senior vice president at the nonpartisan
Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him on Twitter @JSchanzer.
Universities Demonize and Disavow Christian Self-Sacrifice and Altruism (AKA,
‘the Crusades’)
Raymond Ibrahim/February 17/2021
“Racist” and “hateful” imagery that must go.
The Indiana-based University of Valparaiso is scrapping its Crusader mascot,
nickname, and logos—because they convey “hate” and are not “inclusive” enough.
According to the university’s Feb. 11, 2021 statement:
Interim President Colette Irwin-Knott of Valparaiso University (“Valpo”)
announced today that it will retire its existing mascot, the Crusader.… The
Crusader imagery related to the Crusades has been embraced and displayed by hate
groups including the Ku Klux Klan. “The negative connotation and violence
associated with the Crusader imagery are not reflective of Valpo’s mission and
values, which promote a welcoming and inclusive community,” Irwin-Knott said, …
[adding] “Valpo is and always has been a faith-based institution, and we want to
make sure our symbolism is in alignment with our beliefs and speaks to the core
values of the Lutheran ethos.”
In the coming month, a committee will be established “to engage the campus
community in considering and adopting a new mascot.”
The statement further justifies its action by adding a reminder that Valpo is
only doing what schools and other institutions all throughout America are doing:
Valpo’s decision is in line with athletic teams across all levels – from
interscholastic to professional sports programs – that are replacing offensive
mascots with less divisive symbols. With this decision, the university is
following the same course as virtually all other universities that carried the
Crusader as their mascot or a symbol for their school.
To be sure, this sort of betrayal of the West’s heritage is not without
precedent and is hardly limited to college campuses, AKA, hotbeds of political
correctness and Western guilt/self-hatred. In November, 2019, the owners of a
famous New Zealand rugby team scrapped their longtime logo—a Crusader—to show
how “woke” they were vis-à-vis Muslims.
Nor is it just “militant” expressions of Christianity that are being flushed
down the memory hole to appease Muslims, but mere expressions of Christianity.
As one memorable example, in 2004, “Spanish football giant Real Madrid … dropped
the Christian cross affixed at the top of its official crest after signing a
sponsorship deal with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi.”
Meanwhile, Muslim nations, such as the home of Islam itself, Saudi Arabia (AKA
“US friend and ally”™), proudly depict scimitars on their national flags, with
the words, “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger”—words that
have gotten countless people, past and present, slaughtered for not reciting. No
non-Muslim seems to be offended or concerned by that, but Westerners are rushing
over themselves to change the logos and flags of, not nations, but schools or
teams of men who play with balls—lest they appear too militant, too “mean.”
That, in a nutshell, sums up how the West and Islam see themselves and respond
to one another. While Islam venerates its violent, jihadi past—and, wherever
possible, seeks to relive it—the West is constantly disavowing its Crusader
heritage.
And what exactly were the Crusades? They were a militant, no nonsense response
to more than four centuries of jihadi aggression against and conquests of
Christian and European territory. The particular Muslim invasions (between 1071
and1095) that occasioned the First Crusade saw hundreds of thousands of Eastern
Christians (Armenians, Syriacs, and Greeks) slaughtered or enslaved by Muslim
Turks acting in the name of jihad. As the contemporary Byzantine princess, Anna
Komnenos, wrote, “cities were obliterated, lands were plundered, and the whole
of Rhomaioi [Anatolia] was stained with Christian blood.”
Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r.1081 to 1118), Anna’s father, recounted his
people’s travails in a letter addressed to his friend, the “Count of Flanders
and to all the princes of the whole kingdom, lovers of the Christian faith.” In
it, he lamented how the Turks “pillaged daily and constantly raided, with
Christians being murdered and mocked in various indescribable ways.” Not only
did the Muslim invaders “defile the holy places in innumerable ways, [and]
destroy them,” but they would “circumcise Christian boys and youths above
Christian baptismal fonts, pour the blood from the circumcision into the fonts
in mockery of Christ, force them to urinate on it, and then drag them round the
church and force them to blaspheme the name and faith of the Holy Trinity. Those
who refuse are subjected to various punishments and eventually killed.” As for
Christian women, the Muslim invaders
took virgins and made them public prostitutes…. Mothers were violated in the
presence of their daughters, raped over and over again by different men, while
their daughters were compelled, not only to watch, but to sing obscene songs and
to dance. Then they changed places, and the suffering, which is painful and
shameful to speak of, was inflicted upon the daughters, while the filthy
activity was adorned by the obscene songs of the unfortunate mothers…. When the
female sex was not spared (an action which might be excused since it is at least
in accord with nature), they became worse than animals, breaking all human laws
by turning on men. Their lust overflowed to the point that the execrable and
profoundly intolerable crime of sodomy, which they committed against men of
middle or low station, they also committed against a certain bishop, killing
him.
It was this—concern for fellow Christians—that prompted the First Crusade when
it did; and it is this that is making contemporary Western Christians fall over
themselves to disavow anything associated with the Crusades.
After describing some of the aforementioned atrocities at the Council of
Clermont in France on November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II cried out, “Who is to
revenge all this—who is to repair this damage, if you do not do it?” The
Christians present cried “God wills it!” and the First Crusade was born.
Soon they would set off to provide succor to their Eastern coreligionists, while
sacrificing much in the process: rather than gain anything from the First
Crusade, most who took the cross lost—and expected to lose—everything, from
their estates in Europe to their lives in battle against Muslims.
This is especially ironic in light of the following sentence from the
university’s recent statement: “At Valpo,” Irwin-Knott continued, “we strive to
seek truth, serve generously and cultivate hope. We do not believe having the
Crusader as our mascot portrays these values.”
Actually, it was the First Crusaders who sought to live up to “these values.”
They did “strive to seek the truth,” no matter how ugly, by ascertaining—and
accepting and acting on—what Islam was doing to Christians in the East; and they
did “serve generously and cultivate hope” for those same Christians: The sources
contain numerous accounts of Armenians and other Eastern Christians falling on
their knees and tearfully thanking their Western coreligionists for liberating
them from the Islamic yoke.
Such are the contradictions that we are regularly expected to swallow nowadays.
For, and contrary to all the glib talk of “Valpo” and its interim president, it
is in fact Western universities that do not “strive to seek truth”—especially
those truths that stray from the “official” narrative—nor do they “serve
generously and cultivate hope” for the billions who suffer under politically
incorrect causes around the world, chief among them those many millions who
suffer under Islam.
Note: Historical quotes in this article were sourced from and are documented in
the author’s book, Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam
and the West.
It is lobbying time in Washington
Haitham El-Zobaidi/The Arab Weekly/February 17/2021
The arrival of Biden’s administration to the White House has imposed a different
reality on the activities of the world’s leaders and senior officials, in
addition to those of foreign embassies and institutions in Washington,
especially those from the Arab world.
The four years after 2016 have shaped the nature of government during former US
President Donald Trump’s era. There was really no American administration. Only
Trump mattered.
In some cases, there was a gatekeeper called Jared Kushner, Trump’s adviser and
son-in-law. With the exception of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, members
of the cabinet and White House advisers seemed largely expendable. They were
replaced quickly depending on the mood of the president.
It did not make sense for any envoy or foreign minister from an allied nation to
sit with a US secretary of state like Rex Tillerson and explain to him what he
wants, only to quickly find out that Trump is bashing his cabinet member or
firing him with a tweet.
This happened again and again with senior officials in national security and
defence portfolios. Presidents and officials in the world quickly learned that
talking with the president, and only the president, was key to seeking tangible
results. This lasted until the last days of Trump’s presidency.
This trend within the administration was largely reflected in US foreign policy
matters. Trump acted on Middle East issues on that basis.
In some instances, he succeeded. In others, things did not make any serious
headway. Certain issues cannot be dealt with expediently or selectively. Despite
everything Trump did, for example on Iran-related issues, Tehran remained
strategically resilient if financially weakened by the end of Trump’s term.
Trump supposed that four more years would have been enough to drain Tehran. But
Iran had another point of view. What was more dangerous is that it had the tools
to realise its vision.
It had its lobby in Washington, which was in fact the most dangerous lobby in
town. That lobby was none other than the previous Democratic administration,
which is now in power.
It can be said that the matter included Qatar. Shortly after Trump’s election,
Doha understood that its democratic season would be delayed and it would have to
wait.
Doha coexisted with the realities of the Trump era, then switched gears with the
return to the times of former Democratic President Barack Obama reincarnated as
President Joe Biden’s administration. Obama, more than any American personality,
was the official sponsor of the “Arab Spring’s” chaos.
Doha was the executive contractor. It was in fact both a US-commissioned
contractor and a customer of the “Arab Spring”.
The arrival of Biden’s administration to the White House has imposed a different
reality on the activities of the world’s leaders and senior officials, in
addition to those of foreign embassies and institutions in Washington,
especially those from the Arab world.
The past four years ended up being different in terms of the activities of
Washington’s lobbies and counter-lobbies. Today, the vacation that extended
throughout Trump’s term in office has expired; and serious political and
diplomatic work is underway.
Biden is the legitimate child of the US deep state. He spent five decades in all
sorts of public service activities and held all kinds of positions. He will not
act as a transactional businessman considering his age and the extent of his
career. The important thing is for him now to form his team and let it work.
In the early days of his presidency, there was no doubt that he would speak on
issues of national security and foreign relations. So he did. And we have read
his speech at the US State Department which spelled out the general outlines and
left it for the team to fill in the blanks.
This is what will likely happen as he wants to devote his attention to the
United States as a country that faces the risks of political polarisation,
populism, economic crises and the coronavirus pandemic.
Foreign affairs, national security and military affairs are the broadest areas
where the lobbies can operate. Biden’s choices make their job easier. He has
brought back many from the Obama team with known leanings. Many of them are
professional civil servants, but no one will miss the ideological prism through
which some of them will operate.
The Saudi files moved early because of the lobbies that prepared themselves
early, that is, since it became clear that Trump was heading out and Biden was
on his way in.
It is dangerous for the United States to indicate that it is engaging Saudi
Arabia, but there are no plans in the near future to communicate with Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. MBS, as the crown prince is
widely known, is targeted by a campaign exploiting a number of issues that have
made him an easy target, especially human rights and the Jamal Khashoggi case.
But make no mistake. You cannot engage Saudi Arabia without going through MBS.
The Iranian file has been put on hold because the lobby behind it does not want
it to advance quickly. Kushner’s reconciliation initiative in the Gulf preempted
whatever problems Biden and his team might create for the boycotting countries.
More scores for the lobbyists.
The Yemen war has become a priority. A priority that Iran and the Houthis
endorsed by sending a great number of drones and missiles towards targets in
Saudi Arabia and by moving to seize Marib, the place in Yemen where the Saudis
have invested the most, politically and on the popular level.
By appointing Timothy Lenderking as a special envoy for Yemen, the United States
has indicated that it wants to get its hand on the region’s issues early on.
Lenderking is clearly not about to complete what the failed UN delegate Martin
Griffiths has spent two years exploring in endless and sterile tours.
What is more striking is that Washington has lowered the level of representation
of envoys to delegates in order to limit access to the White House: “We sent you
an empowered delegate so talk to him,” it seems to say. The era of direct
contact with the president or his close advisers is over.
It becomes necessary now to interpret the Washington scene in a different
manner. There are competent Arab diplomats who have already made important
breakthroughs in the United States, although they now seem to be targeted by
gossip.
But many of them are most capable of tackling the task of reaching out to the
ruling political and legislative class in the US. They will be targeted by more
gossip which will test their patience.
These diplomats cannot be left to do the job alone. Any capable English-language
media that seek to clarify the policies of Arab countries towards Iran, Turkey
and political Islam would be of invaluable help as these media will say what
diplomats cannot. But the existing media are now of modest means, size and
quality. It is risky to prematurely conclude that the new US administration is
bound to be hostile. This would be a gift for the other camp. And even if the
administration was like that, wasn’t the Trump administration hostile to Iran/
Arab Christian figures rebut argument for removing US
sanctions on Syria
Ephrem Kossaif/Arab News/February 17/2021
فرام قصيف/عرب نيوز: شخصيات مسيحية عربية ترفض الحجج الداعية إلى رفع العقوبات
الأمريكية عن سوريا
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/96135/arab-christian-figures-rebut-argument-for-removing-us-sanctions-on-syriarong-%d8%b4%d8%ae%d8%b5%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%aa%d8%b1/
NEW YORK CITY: When the time came for Bashar Jaafari, Syria’s former UN
permanent representative, to leave New York, only one person saw him off at JFK
airport: his loyal office assistant.
The symbolism of the moment perhaps eluded the lady as she waved goodbye to the
diplomat disappearing through the throng of travelers: Nothing more than
Jaafari’s lonely departure could embody the image of Bashar Assad’s regime as it
stands isolated on the world stage today.
Jaafari went back to Damascus where he would take up his functions as deputy
minister for foreign affairs, back into the arms of a regime that was his sole
supporter at the UN headquarters.
He had for years used the time allotted to him at the Security Council to blame
the West for the misery Syrian people rile under. He once called Western nations
“Ali Baba’s thieves without borders,” there only to pillage Syria’s wealth, both
material and cultural.
Jaafari’s insults did nothing, however, to alter the member states’ stance on
what are now firmly established facts, regularly emphasized by the
secretary-general’s reports on Syria. In every council meeting, representatives
called on Assad to come clean about his chemical weapons which, they repeated,
he has used against his own people.
They rejected Assad’s plans for “sham elections.” And when the regime, backed by
Russia, organized a conference designed to encourage Syrian refugees to return
to “now safe” Syria, the Americans dismissed it as “a dog and pony show.”
Apart from Russia, which reliably comes to the regime’s defense, Security
Council members seem to harbor no doubt that only the regime is behind the
atrocities inflicted on Syrians, and that only the regime’s corruption is able
to account for the ever-worsening economic disaster.
Isolated and paralyzed by the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act’s sanctions,
the regime has been using every ruse in the book to find a way around them. The
changing of the guard in Washington, coupled with the appointment of senior
White House advisers keen on a thaw with Iran, may be just the break Assad and
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah had been waiting for.
“We as Syrians are afraid of those advisers who have good ties with the
Iranians,” said Ayman Abdel Nour, a Syrian reformist. “Are they going to sell us
out — like they did under (President Barack) Obama — as the icing on the cake of
another nuclear accord?
A widely publicized letter sent to President Joe Biden on Jan. 21 by Michel Abs,
secretary-general of the Middle East Council of Churches, and co-signed by
Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan, Melkite Catholic Patriarch
Joseph Absi and Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II, argued that
“unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States make the economic
plight of the Syrian people worse.”
The signatories include also other clerics besides officials and civil
personalities with close ties to the Assad regime.
As scholars of modern Middle East history can attest, the Assad regime has a
long history of using minorities as a means to burnish its image abroad while
keeping its crimes under wraps.
When Hafez Assad came to power in 1970, he presented himself from day one as the
“minority protector” and the antidote to rising Islamic fundamentalism. In the
name of fighting radicalism, Assad the father erased entire towns, carried out
brutal massacres, and tightened his minority Alawite regime’s iron fist on the
nation as its absolute ruler.
His son Bashar continues to use the Christian minority in his various attempts
to get around the sanctions, and as he desperately tries to regain some sort of
international recognition.
Thus, he sent four patriarchs to Washington in 2013 to meet with President
Barack Obama. When the latter watched them repeat the same talking points from
small paper notes hidden in their pockets, he was infuriated.
“It was a disaster, that meeting,” remembers Abdel Nour, who met with the four
patriarchs at their hotel lobby before their meeting with Obama.
“It was very clear that the patriarchs were the regime’s intelligence messenger.
So, when they returned the following year, Obama refused to meet with them.”
Assad had more tricks up his sleeve, so to speak, as the sanctions’ noose
continued to tighten. In 2017, After he declared victory in Aleppo, he went on
to seek the Vatican’s public support.
In order to get it, he gave the Holy See two offers the latter could not refuse:
The first was a license to build a Roman Melkite faculty of theology open to
seminarians from all over the Middle East.
The second was a visit he personally paid to a Syriac Catholic youth camp. All
smiles, he posed for the cameras that showed him buddying up with the Christian
youths.
ASSAD REGIME IN NUMBERS
* 128,000 People believed murdered in Syrian jails by Assad regime.
* $ 7.6bn Estimated Iranian line of credit to Assad regime since 2011.
* 70% Decline in Syria’s per capita budget spending since 2010.
* $902m Syria’s projected budget deficit for 2021.
* $117bn Estimated cost of rebuilding Syria’s physical assets.
Patriarch Younan, who was appointed by the Vatican, was very pleased. He and his
Roman Melkite counterpart sent Pope Francis telegrams lauding the generosity of
the president and imploring him to send a delegation to meet with Assad.
“The pope could not say no. These are his two patriarchs for the whole Middle
East, not just Syria,” said Abdel Nour. “They have constituencies in Lebanon,
Jordan and Palestine. So, he sent that delegation. And Assad used the photo-op
to show the world that he has the Vatican’s support.”
Again, however, the Vatican quickly moved to distance itself from Assad’s
“actions.” Thus, when Abdel Nour, who is also the editor-in-chief of All4Syria,
Syria’s leading independent news outlet, got wind of the Jan. 21 letter, he was
alarmed. He says he picked up the phone and called the signatories. He learned
that some had been coerced to sign; others had sought changes to the letter
before agreeing to sign, but their names were added anyway without any changes
made.
One signatory was on a hospital bed when Abdel Nour called him. The patient had
not even heard of the letter, he said.
An examination of the background of one of the letter’s signatories, SOS
Chrétiens d’Orient (SOS-CO), reveals that the French NGO knowingly transferred
money and equipment to the pro-regime National Defense Forces (NDF).
The Nov. 2020 report compiled by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights (SOHR) also claimed there are close ties between SOS-CO’s founders and
NDF leaders.
The US Treasury Department defines the NDF as “a pro-Assad, Iranian-affiliated
militia.” It sanctioned one of its top leaders late last year for his alleged
role in the massacre of more than 70 civilians.
What alarmed Abdel Nour most was the sophisticated, efficient language of the
letter. It was written by highly respected Christian dignitaries who wrote a
single, simple demand: that sanctions be lifted.
This is the kind of letter that gets attention in Washington, D.C. “They worked
very hard on it. They started writing in December, two months before Biden took
the oath of office,” said Abdel Nour.
“And they submitted it to him on January 21, his second day in office, hoping to
capitalize on the new momentum. The letter makes it look as though all the
suffering of the Syrian people is due to the Caesar Act sanctions against the
figures of the regime.”
Something needed to be done, said Abdel Nour, who is president of the non-profit
Syrian Christians for Peace. Work on a new letter then began. A response was
written and signed by prominent Christian and Muslim figures from six Arab
countries.
They included members of the Christian Arab Congress; the Jordanian diplomat
Marwan Muasher; and Lebanese former MPs Fares Souaid and Ahmed Fatfat; in
addition to Iraqi intellectuals and politicians, university rectors and famous
writers.
The signatories wrote that, in Assad, the world is dealing with a leader who has
been summoned by European courts for his war crimes and crimes against humanity.
They argued that Syrians are suffering indeed, but for reasons that have nothing
to do with sanctions: The regime has found ways to steal humanitarian aid, sell
the goods on the market and use the profits to finance its military operations
against civilians.
Syrian civil defence volunteers search for victims following Syrian government
air strikes on the Eastern Ghouta rebel-held enclave of Douma, on the outskirts
of the capital Damascus on March 20, 2018. (AFP/File Photo)
They called for aid to be delivered directly to impoverished Syrian citizens
living in refugee camps under the supervision of international organizations.
The letter also pushed to put a stop to any increase in humanitarian supplies,
contending that it is not the quantity of aid that is the problem, but the way
it is distributed. Instead, according to the signatories, it would be more than
enough for the US to push for a full implementation of Resolution 2254, which
called for a ceasefire and political settlement.
The letter apparently did not go unnoticed at the State Department. Anthony
Blinken, who during his five-hour Senate confirmation hearing last month did not
once mention Syria, called UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and discussed
some of the letter’s recommendations: Both reaffirmed their commitment to the
political process under the Security Council Resolution 2254 and the extension
of a cross-border authorization to deliver aid and help relieve the suffering of
the Syrian people.”
The issue again came up during a call between Blinken and his Turkish
counterpart. “Blinken showed he is an official who has dignity,” commented Abdel
Nour. “He read a credible letter from a reputable group of signatories and he
adopted it as policy.”
Abdel Nour, whose podcast Risala Ila Sourriyyin (Letter to Syrians) has 1.5
million weekly listeners, said the US still has no strategy for dealing with the
Syrian crisis, although the State Department is fashioning one. He believes it
will not be separate from the strategy for the Middle East, which includes Iran.
In a list of recommendations that he was asked to share, Abdel Nour urged the
State Department team to heed the lessons taught by the Obama-era 2015 nuclear
accord: “The deal did not prevent the Iranian regime from expanding and taking
control of Arab capitals. It put US allies (the GCC countries) in constant
danger. The nuclear agreement should not be reinstated without first addressing
the concerns of Arabs who live in the region. Then there is the case of Iran’s
ballistic missiles which, if developed, will reach European capitals.”
That the nuclear agreement needs to be updated is, to be sure, Blinken’s own
stance. But in a Security Council that has been for years paralyzed by US-Russia
sparring, is an updated deal a realistic option?
“I think so,” replied Abdel Nour, “because in the past two years Iran has shown
its hostile face. It has shown how much damage it can inflict on Saudi oil
facilities using Yemen and Iraq. And that’s very dangerous. What they also did
against the American embassy in Iraq is unacceptable. “This will not pass. There
will be retaliation.”
*With inputs from Oubai Shahbandar in Washington, D.C.