English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For January 08/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

#elias_bejjani_news
 

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Bible Quotations For today

Jesus performs His First Miracle and Changes Water Into Wine
John 02/01-11/On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b] Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 07-08/2020

Lebanon reports 4,774 COVID-19 cases, highest to date, total surpasses 200,000
Coronavirus: Lebanon begins new lockdown amid surge in COVID-19 cases
Most Dangerous Extremists report ranks Nasrallah first, ISIS’ caliph second
Patriarch Al-Rai resumes mediation between Aoun and Hariri to form government
In Beirut, a bronze bust of Soleimani sparks resentment
Lebanon-Israel Border Talks Won't be Moved to 'Geneva or Paris'
Geagea Says Govt. Delay a ‘Blatant Crime against Lebanese’
Imminent Formation of Government Ruled Out
Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denies issuing any statement on US developments
“Loyalty to the Resistance” Bloc pushes for resuming cabinet formation efforts
Information Minister mourns Journalists Bachir and Jurdi: Great loss for Lebanon

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 07-08/2020

Egypt’s Copts celebrate Christmas at home
Congress completes electoral count, finalizing Biden's win after violent delay from pro-Trump mob
Trump pledges orderly transition after Congress affirms Biden's win and Capitol riot
World Leaders Condemn 'Assault on Democracy' at U.S. Capitol
Facebook Bans Trump 'Indefinitely'
Overnight strikes by Israel on Syria killed three Iran-backed fighters: Monitor
Syria responds to ‘Israeli aggression’ in south: State media
Iraq court issues arrest warrant for US President Trump over Soleimani killing
Rouhani says Western democracy ‘fragile, vulnerable’ after chaos at US Capitol
Iran’s IRGC blames US for own downing of Ukraine passenger plane, one year later
Iran identifies ‘all’ those involved in killing of top nuclear scientist: Official
France calls on Iran to release South Korean-flagged tanker
Qatar Airways restarts a number of flights through Saudi Arabia’s airspace
Turkey says talks with France to normalize ties going well
Jordan calls for Arabs to take part in Iran nuclear talks
Gulf optimism but also caution after reconciliation summit
Turkey, Iran jockey to reap dividends of Qatari ‘victory’
 

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 07-08/2020

Egypt: The European Union Should Stop Lying/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/January 07/2021
The End of the Gulf Crisis Is Big News—But Middle East Sands Always Shift/Simon Henderson/Washington Institute/January 07/2021
2021: Things can only get better/Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/January 07/2021
Time for Iran to inspire a changing of the seasons/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/January 07/2021
World needs greater diversity in its climate action champions/Chandrahas Choudhury/Arab News/January 07/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 07-08/2020

Lebanon reports 4,774 COVID-19 cases, highest to date, total surpasses 200,000
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/Thursday 07 January 2021
Lebanon reported its highest daily number of new coronavirus cases since the outbreak began in December 2019, with the health ministry reporting 4,774 new infections in the past 24 hours. The total number of confirmed cases in the country is now 204,699. Lebanon also reported 16 new coronavirus deaths Thursday, bringing the number of total coronavirus deaths in the small Mediterranean country to 1553 deaths. Lebanon began a 25-day nationwide lockdown Thursday to limit the spread of the coronavirus as infections hit a new record in the tiny Mediterranean nation and patients overwhelm the health care sector. The lockdown is the third in Lebanon since the first case was reported in late February. It closes most businesses and limits traffic by imposing an odd and even license plate rule on alternating days. It also reduces the number of flights at the country’s only international airport.
It came after a holiday season in which tens of thousands of visitors flying into the country to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s. “The best way to limit the spread is to stay at home,” outgoing Health Minister Hamad Hassan told the local LBC TV station. - With Wires

Coronavirus: Lebanon begins new lockdown amid surge in COVID-19 cases
The Associated Press/BeirutThursday 07 January 2021
Lebanon began a 25-day nationwide lockdown Thursday to limit the spread of the coronavirus as infections hit a new record in the tiny Mediterranean nation and patients overwhelm the health care sector.
The lockdown is the third in Lebanon since the first case was reported in late February. It closes most businesses and limits traffic by imposing an odd and even license plate rule on alternating days. It also reduces the number of flights at the country’s only international airport.
As of Thursday, a daily 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew takes effect that will last until February 1. On Wednesday, Lebanon broke its single-day record of new coronavirus infections on the eve of the lockdown with 4,166 cases reported in 24 hours. It came after a holiday season in which tens of thousands of visitors flying into the country to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s. Lebanon also reported 21 new coronavirus deaths Wednesday, bringing the number of total coronavirus cases in the small Mediterranean country to nearly 200,000, with more than 1,500 deaths.
“The best way to limit the spread is to stay at home,” outgoing Health Minister Hamad Hassan told the local LBC TV station.
In Beirut’s commercial Hamra district, many shops were closed Thursday morning as police patrols drove by to make sure the lockdown was implemented. Police checkpoints fined motorists who violated the lockdown orders.
First responders in the country hit by a severe economic crisis say they have been transporting nearly 100 patients a day to hospitals that are now reporting near-full occupancy in beds and intensive care units. Lebanon saw new infections begin to increase during the summer, following a massive explosion in Beirut’s port in August that shook the city and its heath sector, killing over 200 people and injuring 6,000. August’s numbers increased by over 300 percent from July as a result, and they have been climbing since. The new lockdown comes as Lebanon was already struggling with an unprecedented economic and financial crisis that has caused it to default on debt and sent its local currency plunging, losing 80 percent of its value to the dollar.
The shortage of hard currency in Lebanon has severely curbed imports to the import-dependent country, including medicine and medical supplies. Many medicines are missing at pharmacies as the crisis worsens. The US dollar was trading on the black market Thursday at about 8,800 pounds, a 5 percent drop from last week and there are concerns that the lockdown will further hammer the economy that the World Bank projected will contracted 19.2 percent in 2020 alone.

Most Dangerous Extremists report ranks Nasrallah first, ISIS’ caliph second
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya/EnglishThursday 07 January 2021
Lebanon-based Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, current ISIS caliph Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla, Hamas's Ismail Haniyeh, and others have been ranked as the ‘Most Dangerous Extremists’ in a report published by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP).
The list of the top 20 ‘Most Dangerous Extremists’ considered individuals from across the spectrum of ideologies and beliefs. This included, ISIS, the Muslim Brotherhood and Ma Ba Tha, the anti-Muslim Buddhist group in Myanmar. All are considered as huge threats to international security, according to the report.
Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah
Nasrallah was ranked first because it has shaped Hezbollah into the dominant political power in Lebanon, and is the “driving force” behind its military operations.
“Before September 11, 2001, Hezbollah was responsible for more deaths of Americans worldwide than any other organization,” the report added.
Current ISIS caliph
Current ISIS caliph Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla was ranked second in the list. An Iraqi national, al-Mawla succeeded Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the leader of ISIS in 2019. “He was a senior terrorist leader in ISIS’s predecessor organization, al-Qaeda in Iraq, and steadily rose through the ranks of ISIS,” CEP said. It reported that al-Mawla has helped drive the abduction, slaughter, and trafficking of members of Yazidi religious minority groups in Iraq.
Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh
Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas political chief, was ranked third in the report.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas fired Haniyeh as prime minister in June 2007 following clashes between Hamas and Fatah forces. Haniyeh refused to accept his dismissal and instead expelled Fatah and the PA from Gaza. The US Department of the Treasury designated Ismail Haniyeh as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on January 31, 2018.
Muslim Brotherhood ideologue
In the report, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Islamist theologian and unofficial chief ideologue of the Muslim Brotherhood, was ranked fifth in the list. Qaradawi has been banned from the US, France, and Britain due to his extremist views. He has been designated as a terrorist by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and Bahrain.
Ashin Wirathu, Communal Leader of the anti-Muslim Movement in Myanmar, was ranked seventh on the list.
Anti-Muslim Buddhist leader
The report added that Wirathu is the anti-Muslim Buddhist group leader, and he has regularly called on Myanmar’s Buddhists to boycott Muslim businesses and has warned that Myanmar’s Muslims want to, “take over our country, and make it an evil Islamic nation.” Wirathu previously served a nearly decade-long prison sentence for fomenting religious conflict, though he was released in 2012. Wirathu’s extremist and conspiratorial messaging is sold on DVDs and CDs throughout Myanmar.
Secretary-General of Kata’ib Hezbollah
Ahmad al-Hamidawi, Secretary-General of Kata’ib Hezbollah, was ranked tenth by the report. Hamidawi is the secretary-general of the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH). He received political, military, and intelligence training from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was soon promoted to the KH’s Shura Council.
The report also featured multiple other extremist figures linked to al-Qaeda, ISIS, and several ultra-right Neo-Nazi movements.

Patriarch Al-Rai resumes mediation between Aoun and Hariri to form government
Najia Houssari/Arab News/January 07/2021
BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Thursday met Christian Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, who is unhappy with the delay in forming a government due to the conditions put forward by the president.
The meeting took place as Israeli warplanes violated Lebanese airspace following a similar breach of Lebanese waters on Wednesday night, when Israeli soldiers on a gunboat fired at Lebanese fishing boats, according to the Lebanese army command.
The Aoun-Al-Rai talks continued for 45 minutes. Afterwards, Aoun said that the purpose of the meeting was to wish each other happy holidays because circumstances prevented them from being at the Patriarchate at Christmas.
He said, however, that they had touched on “the general conditions that are still unannounced because all that happened with us is not reported in the media, and unfortunately, everyone in the media writes as they please.”
Aoun spoke of the “possibility” of a meeting between him and the prime minister-designate, Saad Hariri, but did not specify a date for the meeting.
There is information that Al-Rai was arranging a meeting between Aoun and Hariri as part of his efforts to accelerate the formation of the government. This has reached stalemate as Aoun has not yet responded to the lineup suggested by Hariri a month ago in accordance with the French initiative — that it does not include ministers affiliated with politicians in power, but rather technocrats. Hariri returned to Beirut on Thursday after spending the holidays abroad. The media bureau of the president said: “There is no truth in the information that a meeting was to be held in Bkerke between Aoun and Hariri, under the auspices of Al-Rai. The truth is that Al-Rai made a similar proposal to the president during their Thursday meeting, and Aoun did not know about it in advance.” The dispute between Hariri and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), which is headed by the president’s son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, escalated a few days ago when Hariri’s media office announced its rejection of the FPM bloc’s holding “others responsible for the obstacles that the movement deliberately creates” in forming a government.
Hariri’s office said: “Hariri has carried out his national and constitutional duties to the fullest. He has presented the president with a government lineup of non-partisan specialists known for their competence and success, and this lineup is waiting for the president to finish studying it.”
Hariri’s office accused the FPM of being “the party that obstructed the country for more than two and a half years (in order to elect Aoun as president),” stressing that “it is the last to lecture others on wasting time and creating obstacles.”
Hariri’s office said that what impedes the formation of the government is the “insistence on impossible conditions that undermine everything stipulated in the French initiative and eliminate any hope for addressing the crisis, starting from stopping the collapse and ending with the reconstruction of what was destroyed by the Beirut Port blast.”
The vice president of the Future Movement, Mustafa Alloush, told Arab News: “Things have not changed. There is no change in attitudes and no pressure is being exerted to solve the complexes facing the government.”He added: “We have to wait for the outcome of the meeting between Aoun and Al-Rai, but PM Hariri is committed to a government of 18 ministers and refuses to give the obstructing third to any party.”
Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces party, described the delay in forming a government as “a crime against the people of Lebanon.”He said: “In spite of all the tragedies, the financial collapse, and society’s concern for their present and their fate, what impedes the formation of the government is not a disagreement over the nature of the required reforms, nor about which minister can implement reform better than the other, but about who takes what.”Geagea added: “There is no hope for the current ruling group, and the only solution is to go immediately to early parliamentary elections.”

MP Anwar El-Khalil, of Speaker Nabih Berri’s parliamentary bloc, blamed the president for the deterioration. He said: “Thirty months of presidential vacancy, the investigation into the port explosion has not been completed, the country has the worse economic and financial indicators, 55 percent of the Lebanese are below the poverty line, deposits have evaporated, and the value of the Lebanese pound has declined by 78 percent. You impeded the judicial formations. There is no reform, especially in the electricity file of your son-in-law.”
Emirati ambassador to Lebanon, Hamad Saeed Al-Shamsi, visited Al-Rai on Thursday and said: “We believe Patriarch Al-Rai has a positive national role.”
Al-Shamsi also visited Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian and praised the “efforts made to form a new government that fulfils the ambitions and hopes of the Lebanese citizens.”

In Beirut, a bronze bust of Soleimani sparks resentment
The Arab Weekly/January 07/2021
BEIRUT--The unveiling of a large statue in Beirut of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, killed by the US last year, has sparked indignation among many in Lebanon — the latest manifestation of mounting resentment against the pro-Iran stances of Hezbollah and of a growing schism between supporters and opponents of the militant Shia group.The bronze bust of Soleimani was erected Tuesday by the Ghobeiry municipality in a Hezbollah stronghold near Beirut’s airport to commemorate the slain general’s supportive role in Lebanon’s wars with Israel. Soleimani, the architect of Iran’s proxy militias and enforcer of its aggressive policies in the Middle East, was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport a year ago. Many Lebanese, mostly critics of Hezbollah, took to social media to lambast the celebration of a foreign military leader in Lebanon’s capital. “Occupied Beirut,” tweeted one Lebanese, Amin Abou Mansour, who posted it with the hashtag #BeirutFree_IranOut. Others lamented what they described as the cultural hegemony of the militant Hezbollah and its ally, Iran. Wael Attallah, a Lebanese Canadian, tweeted: “This is a cultural aggression being imposed on Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese today feel violated and powerless. The Schism is getting wider day by day, little by little.” One Lebanese media figure said she received death threats after her criticism on social media of the new statue. The criticism has triggered backlash among Hezbollah supporters, who started a Twitter storm with the hashtag: #Soleimani-is-one-of-us. The killing of Soleimani and a top Iraqi militia leader last year at Baghdad’s airport significantly ratcheted up tensions in the region, sparking outrage among their supporters and bringing Iran and its allies and the US close to an all-out conflict. Iraq and Hezbollah, Iran’s closest allies in the region, have called for the expulsion of US troops from the region and threatened to retaliate for the killing of the two commanders. The fallout over the Soleimani statue reflected deepening divisions in the small country that has become increasingly pushed by Hezbollah to align with Iran, alienating traditional Arab and Western backers. A report by the online site Al-Modon called the bust in southern Beirut a “symbol of (an) Iranian mandate” in Lebanon that replaces symbols of a bygone era when pictures or statues of Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser and Syrian President Hafez Assad were prevalent. The bronze bust about 3 meters (10 feet) high is located in a roundabout on a street named for the Iranian general and is linked to a highway named after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini — a reflection of growing Iranian influence in Lebanon.Giant posters of Soleimani were also installed along the airport highway and in streets and neighborhoods allied with Hezbollah, in some instances sparking angry reactions from locals. In the eastern Bekaa highway to the Brital area, unidentified men torched a billboard of Soleimani on Sunday, according to the local LBC TV channel. The following day, other portraits of Soleimani were burned north of Beirut in Nahr al-Kalb by men who brandished the portraits of Christian leader Bachir Gemayel, who was assassinated in 1982.

Lebanon-Israel Border Talks Won't be Moved to 'Geneva or Paris'
Naharnet/January 07/2021
A meeting held in Ain el-Tineh over the issue of Lebanon’s sea border demarcation talks with Israel was a “preparatory meeting,” a lawmaker said. The MP was referring to a meeting between Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker defense and foreign ministers Zeina Akar and Charbel Wehbe, and the head of the Lebanese delegation to the border negotiations, Brig. Gen. Bassam Yassine. “What’s important is that we have returned the negotiations to Naqoura, after they tried to move the talks to Geneva or Paris,” MP Yassine Jaber of Berri’s Development and Liberation bloc said, in remarks to the Progressive Socialist Party’s al-Anbaa news portal. “It’s a good thing that we have kept the negotiations in Naqoura and it is necessary for the military committee to take its time in preparing its files,” Jaber added, noting that “there is nothing on the front burner.”In December, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced regret over a stalemate in the negotiations and offered Washington's mediation. Lebanon and Israel which remain technically at war had opened the negotiations in October after quiet U.S. diplomacy, seeking to clear the way for offshore oil and gas exploration sought by both. The latest session of talks between Israel and Lebanon was put off after Israel accused Lebanon of inconsistency. The two sides have been negotiating based on a map registered with the United Nations in 2011, which shows an 860-square-kilometer patch of sea as being disputed. But Lebanon considers that map to have been based on wrong estimates and now demands an additional 1,430 square kilometers of sea farther south, which includes part of Israel's Karish gas field, according to Lebanese energy expert Laury Haytayan.
 

Geagea Says Govt. Delay a ‘Blatant Crime against Lebanese’
Naharnet/January 07/2021
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday described the protracted delay in the cabinet formation process as a “blatant crime against the Lebanese.” “What is happening regarding the formation of the government is a blatant crime against the Lebanese,” Geagea said in a statement. “Despite all the tragedies that the Lebanese people are living, the flagrant financial collapse and the societal anxiousness over the present and the fate, what’s delaying the government’s formation is not disagreement over the nature of the required reforms nor over which minister is more reformist than the other, but rather over who gets what,” Geagea added. “It is a farce-tragedy at a time the Lebanese people are burning with the flames of the current crisis,” the LF leader lamented. He also once again decried that “there is no hope to be sought from the current ruling group,” stressing that “the only solution is to go immediately to early parliamentary elections.”

Imminent Formation of Government Ruled Out
Naharnet/January 07/2021
Center House sources have ruled out the possibility of forming a new government this month, citing “the statements of the Strong Lebanon bloc on the eve of PM-designate Saad Hariri’s return to Beirut.”In remarks to the Progressive Socialist Party’s al-Anbaa news portal, the sources described the statements as “the explosion that precedes the storm.”“MP Jebran Bassil will have a speech on Sunday and Hariri’s response will be of the same caliber, and therefore the issue of the government will be postponed,” the sources explained. MP Yassine Jaber of the Development and Liberation bloc meanwhile told al-Anbaa that the formation of a government “in these circumstances” is ruled out. “We are hearing how U.S. President Donald Trump has gone mad… There are no indications that the government will be formed,” Jaber added.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denies issuing any statement on US developments
NNA/January 07/2021 
Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Thursday confirmed that it "has not issued any statement or warning about the most recent developments in the United States,” denying all the statements that have been attributed to it via social media in this regard.

“Loyalty to the Resistance” Bloc pushes for resuming cabinet formation efforts
NNA/January 07/2021 
The “Loyalty to the Resistance” Parliamentary Bloc on Thursday held its regular weekly meeting at its headquarters in Haret Hreik, headed by MP, Mohammad Raad. In its meeting, the bloc urged the Prime Minister-designate to resume efforts to form the lengthily awaited cabinet and to continue consultations in a bid to reach a governmental formula that is capable of restoring stability and the people’s confidence in the Lebanese state. Touching on the prevailing lockdown nationwide, the bloc saw that any breach of this decision should not be tolerated. “The commitment of citizens is the main basis for the success of any measure or plan,” the bloc said, renewing its calls for full and firm commitment to the lockdown procedures and requirements. In the context of its follow-up on the country’s monetary and financial situation, as well as on the discussions taking place regarding the possibility of lifting subsidies on some essential consumer goods, the bloc reiterated its position calling for rationalizing subsidies without lifting them altogether. With regard to its follow-up on the repercussions of the economic crisis and the deterioration of the security situation in Lebanon in general, and the Bekaa in particular, the bloc renewed its calls on the security apparatuses to carry out their duties and stabilize the pillars of stability. The meeting had also been an occasion to commemorate late Qasem Soleimani; it also touched on the most recent developments in the US.

Information Minister mourns Journalists Bachir and Jurdi: Great loss for Lebanon
NNA/January 07/2021  
Caretaker Minister of Information, Dr. Manal Abdel Samad Najd, on Thursday mourned in a statement Journalist and Political writer, George Bashir, who died of COVID--19. Minister Abdel Samad eulogized the late Bachir describing him as "the memory of the nation," adding that "with his passing, the media struggle arena has lost a liberal voice."The Minister offered heartfelt condolences to the late journalist's family, saying his absense is a loss for Lebanon and not only for his family. Abdel Samad also mourned the passing of Journalist Issam Al-Jurdi, saying "media in general shall lose a great media figure, and economic media in particular shall miss one of its most significant analysts."Abdel Samad offered heartfelt condolences to the late journalist's family.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 07-08/2020

Egypt’s Copts celebrate Christmas at home
Arab News/January 07/2021
CAIRO: Millions of Egypt’s Copts have been forced to watch Christmas Mass from their homes amid strict precautionary measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Coptic Orthodox churches celebrated Christmas on Wednesday night, but a ban on public attendance at religious festivals meant that Egypt’s streets failed to witness the usual celebrations. The church also adopted stringent preventive measures to ensure the safety of worshippers after many priests became infected with the virus. The latest curbs follow a dramatic rise in cases amid end-of-year festivals, which led to a ban on public attendance at Mass and limits on the number of religious officials performing ceremonies. Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the Saint Mark Episcopate, presided over the Christmas Mass from the Monastery of Saint Pishoy in Wadi El Natrun, Beheira Governorate, while the Evangelical Church organized its own official Christmas celebration with prayers. Coptic satellite channels and Egyptian TV broadcast the Mass live, giving Copts the chance to witness the event from home following the cancelation of the Easter Day celebrations last April. However, the usual well-wishers’ reception was dropped, public attendance was halted at all churches in Cairo and Alexandria, and the role of priests limited elsewhere. Several monasteries canceled visits, while prayers were restricted to monks. Coptic church cemeteries also prohibited visits during Christmas. A number of Coptic monasteries, including the Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Assiut Governorate in Upper Egypt, closed their doors to visitors. The Monastery of Saint Anthony in the Red Sea mountains said that it will refuse visitors until further notice. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi congratulated Pope Tawadros II and the entire Egyptian population on the occasion of Christmas. “I enjoy being present at the celebration in the cathedral every year to congratulate the Coptic brothers, but the coronavirus prevented us from attending the Christmas Mass this year,” El-Sisi said.
 

Congress completes electoral count, finalizing Biden's win after violent delay from pro-Trump mob
CNN/January 07/2021
Congress has formally affirmed President-elect Joe Biden's 2020 victory, completing a final step in the electoral process after a mob incited by President Donald Trump breached the US Capitol on Wednesday and forced lawmakers to evacuate both the House and Senate chambers.Vice President Mike Pence, who presided over the count conducted by a joint session of Congress, announced that Biden had won the Electoral College vote early Thursday after the House and Senate easily defeated Republican objections lodged against the votes sent by two states, Arizona and Pennsylvania. The late-night session was anything but the normal routine for counting Electoral College votes, after the proceedings were halted for more than five hours while lawmakers were forced into lockdown by pro-Trump rioters that overran US Capitol Police.

Trump pledges orderly transition after Congress affirms Biden's win and Capitol riot
CNN/January 07/2021
President Donald Trump publicly acknowledged that he would leave office on January 20 Thursday, pledging an orderly transfer of power after Congress affirmed President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College win. "Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th," Trump said in the statement, repeating false claims he has made throughout the last two months. "I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again." Trump, who has refused to concede the election, had on Wednesday egged on supporters who would later storm the US Capitol in an attempt to stop lawmakers from counting the electoral votes. The riot left four people dead -- one woman was shot and three others had medical emergencies, according to police -- and left some in Trump's Cabinet holding preliminary talks about invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office, according to a well-placed GOP source.

World Leaders Condemn 'Assault on Democracy' at U.S. Capitol
Agence France Presse/Thursday 07 January 2021
World leaders and governments have expressed shock and outrage at the storming of the U.S. Capitol in Washington by supporters of President Donald Trump.
- Germany -
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday she was "furious and saddened" by the events and said Trump shared blame for the unrest. "I deeply regret that President Trump has not conceded his defeat, since November and again yesterday," she said.
- Britain -
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Twitter condemned the "disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power".
- Israel -
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the "rampage at the Capitol yesterday was a disgraceful act and it must be vigorously condemned."
"I have no doubt that... American democracy will prevail. It always has," added Netanyahu, who has repeatedly called Trump Israel's best-ever friend in the White House.
- European Union -
The EU's foreign policy chief condemned an "assault on U.S. democracy."
"In the eyes of the world, American democracy tonight appears under siege," Josep Borrell tweeted. He added: "This is not America. The election results of 3 November must be fully respected."
- France -
French President Emmanuel Macron said: "We will not give in to the violence of a few who want to question" democracy. In a video posted on his Twitter account, he added: "What happened today in Washington is not American".
- Russia -
Russian officials pointed to the storming of the U.S. Capitol as evidence of America's decline, with Konstantin Kosachyov, chairman of the Russian upper house's foreign affairs committee, saying it showed U.S. democracy was "limping on both feet".
"The celebration of democracy has ended. It has, unfortunately, hit rock bottom, and I say this without a hint of gloating," Kosachyov said in a post on Facebook.
His counterpart in the lower house, Leonid Slutsky, said "the United States certainly cannot now impose electoral standards on other countries and claim to be the world's 'beacon of democracy'."
- Iran -
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the chaos unleashed on the Capitol "shows above all how fragile and vulnerable Western democracy is."
"We saw that unfortunately the ground is fertile for populism, despite the advances in science and industry," Rouhani said in a speech broadcast by state television. "I hope the whole world and the next occupants of the White House will learn from it."
- Canada -
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: "Canadians are deeply disturbed and saddened by the attack on democracy in the United States, our closest ally and neighbour."
- Australia -
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison condemned the "very distressing scenes" in the U.S. "We condemn these acts of violence and look forward to a peaceful transfer of Government to the newly elected administration in the great American democratic tradition," he tweeted.
- New Zealand -
Jacinda Ardern tweeted: "Democracy - the right of people to exercise a vote, have their voice heard and then have that decision upheld peacefully should never be undone by a mob."
- NATO -
"Shocking scenes in Washington, DC," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg tweeted. "The outcome of this democratic election must be respected."
- Ireland -
Irish premier Micheal Martin, who has invited the Irish-American Biden to visit his ancestral homeland early in his presidency, tweeted his condemnation.
"The Irish people have a deep connection with the United States of America, built up over many generations. I know that many, like me, will be watching the scenes unfolding in Washington DC with great concern and dismay," Martin said.
- India -
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Trump ally who has heaped praise on the outgoing U.S. president in the past, said he was "distressed to see news about rioting and violence" in Washington.
"Orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue. The democratic process cannot be allowed to be subverted through unlawful protests," the Hindu nationalist leader tweeted.
- Turkey -
In Turkey, which suffered an attempted coup in 2016, the foreign ministry called on "all parties in the US to maintain restraint and prudence. We believe the U.S. will overcome this internal political crisis in a mature manner."
- Slovenia -
In Slovenia -- homeland of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump -- Prime Minister Janez Jansa tweeted: "All should be very troubled by the violence taking place in Washington D.C."
The rightwinger, who backed Trump and who has yet to congratulate Biden on his victory, added: "We hope American democracy is resilient, deeply rooted and will overcome this crisis. Democracy presupposes peaceful protest, but violence and death threats —from Left or Right— are ALWAYS wrong."
- Iraq -
Iraqis have heaped satire on their former occupier, posting parodies online of American diplomatic statements and comparing the incident with fractious episodes in Iraqi politics.
"Arab States... urge America to respect freedom of expression," one web user wrote, saying envoys would be sent to help mediate "peaceful solutions."
- DR Congo -
In the Democratic Republic of Congo -- which saw its first peaceful transition in 2019 after 18 years of iron-fisted rule by Joseph Kabila -- activist Bienvenu Matumo pointed out that it is not just African leaders who have trouble letting go of power.
"We have to stop saying that it's only Africans who don't want democracy," said Matumo, of the Fight for Change citizen movement. "This is proof that refusing to quit power after an electoral defeat is not the prerogative of Africans alone."
 

Facebook Bans Trump 'Indefinitely'
Agence France Presse/Thursday 07 January 2021
Facebook banned President Donald Trump from the platform "indefinitely" due to the US leader's efforts to incite the violence in the U.S. capital this week, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said Thursday. Zuckerberg said on his Facebook page that the ban, which was announced Wednesday for 24 hours, was extended because of Trump's "use of our platform to incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government." "We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great," he wrote.
"Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete."

Overnight strikes by Israel on Syria killed three Iran-backed fighters: Monitor
AFP/Beirut/Thursday 07 January 2021
Strikes conducted overnight by Israel in Syria left three fighters from Iran-backed groups dead, a war monitor reported on Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organization with an extensive network on the ground, was not immediately able to provide the casualties’ nationalities. Read more: Syria War killed 6,800 in 2020, lowest annual toll: Monitor. Syrian state media had reported an “Israeli aggression” overnight against targets in the south of the country, adding that its anti-air defense system had intercepted most missiles. Israel routinely carries out raids in Syria, mostly against targets affiliated with Iran in what it says is a bid to prevent its archfoe from securing further foothold along its borders.

Syria responds to ‘Israeli aggression’ in south: State media
AFP/Damascus/Thursday 07 January 2021
Syrian air defense forces responded late Wednesday to “Israeli aggression” in the south of the country, the state news agency said. Israel launched missiles in the air attack from the disputed Golan Heights at around 11 pm (2100 GMT), SANA reported, citing a military source. “Our anti-air defenses responded, targeting most of the missiles,” the source added. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) later said that the Israeli strikes caused “deaths and injuries” but did not give details. SOHR said the Israeli raids targeted several positions south of Damascus and came two days after a delegation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard visited the area. Israel has not commented on the incident. Last month, Israel said it had hit about 50 targets in the neighboring country in 2020. Israel has consistently vowed to prevent its arch-enemy Iran from gaining a foothold in Syria, where Tehran has backed President Bashar al-Assad throughout the nearly decade-long war. Israel and Syria, still technically at war, have a border along the Golan Heights, which the Jewish State has occupied since the Six-Day War of 1967. The Israeli army has carried out hundreds of air and missile strikes on Syria since the civil war broke out in 2011, targeting Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah forces as well as government troops.Israel rarely acknowledges individual strikes, but has done so when responding to what it describes as aggression inside Israeli territory. Since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war, more than 387,000 people have been killed and millions forced from their homes.

Iraq court issues arrest warrant for US President Trump over Soleimani killing
AFP, Baghdad/Thursday 07 January 2021
A Baghdad court has issued a warrant for the arrest of US President Donald Trump as part of its investigation into the killing of a top Iraqi paramilitary commander. Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, the deputy head of Iraq’s largely pro-Iran Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary network, died in the same US drone strike that killed storied Iranian general Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad airport on January 3 last year. The strike on their motorcade was ordered by Trump, who later crowed that it had taken out “two (men) for the price of one.” The UN special rapporteur for extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, has described the twin killings as “arbitrary” and “illegal.” Iran already issued a warrant for Trump’s arrest in June, and asked Interpol to relay it as a so-called red notice to other police forces around the world, a request that has so far gone unmet. The court for east Baghdad issued the warrant for Trump’s arrest under Article 406 of the penal code, which provides for the death penalty in all cases of premeditated murder, the judiciary said. The court said the preliminary inquiry had been completed but “investigations are continuing in order to unmask the other culprits in this crime, be they Iraqis or foreigners.” In the run-up to Sunday’s anniversary of the twin killings, pro-Iran factions stepped up their rhetoric against Washington and Iraqi officials deemed to have colluded with it.

Rouhani says Western democracy ‘fragile, vulnerable’ after chaos at US Capitol
AFP, Tehran/Thursday 07 January 2021
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday that the chaos unleashed on the US Capitol by US counterpart Donald Trump’s supporters exposed the fragility of Western democracy. “What we saw in the United States yesterday (Wednesday) evening and today shows above all how fragile and vulnerable Western democracy is,” Rouhani said in a speech broadcast by state television.

Iran’s IRGC blames US for own downing of Ukraine passenger plane, one year later
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al arabiya/EnglishThursday 07 January 2021
In a statement ahead of the first anniversary of its downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane in Iranian airspace, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) blamed what it called “US adventurism” for the incident. The IRGC’s statement, published Wednesday on its website, said the plane’s downing was a consequence of the “inhuman adventures and terrorist acts of the US in the region.”“The Ukrainian plane crashed in war conditions following the US’ adventurism and terrorist crime and the subsequent missile strike on the terrorists’ base” in Iraq, the statement read, referring to the US killing of IRGC Commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq on January 3, 2020, and Iran’s retaliatory attack on military bases in Iraq hosting US troops using ballistic missiles five days later. The IRGC shot down the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 on January 8, killing all 176 onboard, hours after the attack on US bases in Iraq. After days of denying responsibility, Iran admitted to downing the plane on January 11, saying its military mistook the passenger plane for a cruise missile. Iranian, Canadian, Ukrainian, British and Afghan nationals were killed in the crash. Canada’s foreign minister recently said he does not believe Iranian claims that the plane was shot down as a result of “human error.”Also on Wednesday, President Hassan Rouhani vowed that those responsible for the downing of the plane would “definitely” be tried in court. The administration “insists on prosecuting the perpetrators in a fair trial,” Rouhani said in a cabinet meeting. In the past year, there has been no mention of any trials for detainees in the case by the Iranian judiciary. Last week, Iran’s cabinet allocated $150,000 for the families of each of the 176 victims of the plane, state media reported.

Iran identifies ‘all’ those involved in killing of top nuclear scientist: Official
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/Thursday 07 January 2021
Iran has identified and will be arresting all those involved in the assassination of the country’s top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a deputy Iranian defense minister said Wednesday. “All the culprits and perpetrators of the assassination of martyr Fakhrizadeh have been identified,” Iran’s Nour News, a news agency close to the Supreme National Security Council, quoted Saeed Shabanian as saying. “The necessary measures are being taken to arrest them, and severe revenge awaits the criminals,” Shabanian added. Shabanian did not provide any details about the individuals that Iranian authorities have apparently identified. Fakhrizadeh, believed by the West to have been the architect of a secret Iranian military nuclear program, was killed in an ambush near Tehran on November 27, 2020. Iranian officials accused Israel of being behind Fakhrizadeh’s assassination and vowed retaliation. Israel declined to comment on the killing. There is “serious evidence” that implicates Israel in the killing of Fakhrizadeh, state news agency IRNA cited Defense Minister Amir Hatami as saying on Wednesday. Hatami did not say what the evidence was. Iranian rights activists had expressed concern that authorities could carry out arbitrary arrests following Fakhrizadeh’s killing. Another Iranian official had said in December that authorities have arrested some of those involved in Fakhrizadeh’s assassination.

France calls on Iran to release South Korean-flagged tanker
AFP/Thursday 07 January 2021
France on Wednesday condemned Iran’s seizure of a South Korean tanker in strategic Gulf waters and called for the vessel’s immediate release. “This incident is fueling tensions in the region,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement. “France calls for the immediate release of the ship and its crew,” it added, stressing the need to preserve the freedom of navigation. On Monday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized the South Korean-flagged Hankuk Chemi and arrested its multinational crew of 20 near the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which a fifth of world oil output passes, alleging the tanker had polluted the area’s waters. The Guards said the arrested crew were from South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar. South Korea has demanded the ship’s release and deployed a destroyer to the area – though with no plans to engage in an offensive operation, an unnamed military official told Yonhap News Agency. Seoul has said it will send a government delegation to Iran to negotiate the release of the vessel and its crew. Iran’s move came after Tehran had urged Seoul to release billions of dollars of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea as part of the US sanctions.

Qatar Airways restarts a number of flights through Saudi Arabia’s airspace
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/Thursday 07 January 2021
Qatar Airways said it has started restarting a number of its flights through Saudi airspace, with the operation of the first scheduled flight from Doha to Johannesburg on Thursday evening. Egypt will open its airspace with Qatar, Al Arabiya sources reported on Tuesday, adding that implementation will be contingent on the fulfillment of Egyptian requirements. According to Al Arabiya sources, Egypt still has a number of reservations in regards to Qatar’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood as well as Qatari media coverage against Cairo. Leaders of the six-member GCC signed the AlUla declaration at the conclusion of the Gulf summit, ending the dispute with Qatar and restoring full ties with it. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, had severed diplomatic, trade and transport ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism – a charge Doha denies. Based on Kuwait's ruler Emir Sheikh Nawaf's proposal, it was agreed to open the airspace and land and sea borders between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar. The reopening of the borders came on the eve of the 41st GCC Summit which was held in Saudi Arabia's AlUla city.

Turkey says talks with France to normalize ties going well
Reuters/Thursday 07 January 2021
Turkey and France are working on a roadmap to normalize ties and talks are going well, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, adding Ankara was ready to improve ties with its NATO ally if Paris showed the same willingness. Turkey has repeatedly traded barbs with France over policies in Syria, Libya, the eastern Mediterranean and Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as over the publication of cartoons of Prophet Mohammad in France. Paris has led a push for EU sanctions on Turkey. Speaking alongside his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Santos Silva in Lisbon, Cavusoglu said the current tensions between the NATO allies stemmed from Paris “categorically” opposing Turkey since Turkey’s 2019 offensive into northeast Syria against the Syrian Kurdish YPG. “Turkey is not categorically against France, but France has been against Turkey categorically since Operation Peace Spring,” Cavusoglu said. Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist organization linked to Kurdish militants on its own soil. “In the end, we had a very constructive phone conversation with my French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian and we agreed that we should work on a roadmap to normalize relations,” he said. “We have been working on an action plan, or roadmap, to normalize relations and it has been going well... If France is sincere, Turkey is ready to normalize ties with France as well.” Last month, the EU prepared punitive measures over Turkey’s dispute with members Greece and Cyprus over rights to offshore resources in the eastern Mediterranean, but decided to postpone the measures until March despite an earlier push by France to sanction Ankara. After months of tensions, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed their differences in a phone call in September, agreeing to improve ties. But, the two presidents later traded accusations over a host of issues as tensions flared again.

Jordan calls for Arabs to take part in Iran nuclear talks
The Arab Weekly/January 07/2021
AMMAN – Jordan’s foreign minister called Wednesday for Arab states to be represented in future dialogue on the Iranian nuclear programme, days after Tehran moved to step up its uranium enrichment. Calling for “an end to tensions with Iran,” Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Jordan “supports the launching of a dialogue with Iran on the nuclear issue and (believes) that states in the region must be represented in any future dialogue on the subject.”He was speaking during a joint news conference with his German and Swedish counterparts at a meeting of the Stockholm Initiative for Nuclear Disarmament.
Iran’s nuclear programme has been the subject of tensions for over a decade, but in 2015 the Islamic Republic signed a deal with world powers that imposed drastic limits on its nuclear programme in exchange for an easing of international sanctions. Iran insists its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes. US President Donald Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew Washington from the landmark deal, but President-elect Joe Biden has signalled his intention to bring the US back to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), although with new conditions. Iran resumed enriching uranium this week to 20%, well in excess of the threshold set out in the deal, in its most recent walk back on commitments since the US withdrawal. Safadi said that the Stockholm talks had “stressed the need to make the Middle East a region free of weapons of mass destruction and the importance of reaching a resolution of tensions with Iran on the issue of nuclear weapons.”He added that Iran’s ballistic missile programme must be addressed, as well as the Islamic Republic’s “interference in Arab affairs,” which he said “must stop.”Iran has been accused of extending its influence in the Middle East, which has contributed to rifts between Arab states and played a role in recent rapprochements between Iranian arch-foe Israel and Gulf countries. “The entire Arab world wants good neighbourly relations with Iran,” Safadi said. “To achieve this, we must hold a sincere, concrete and transparent dialogue on all the causes of tension.”The Stockholm Initiative talks also included foreign ministers from several other countries. Safadi said they had adopted a roadmap ahead of a review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty later this year.

Gulf optimism but also caution after reconciliation summit
The Arab Weekly/January 07/2021
Doha – Many in the populations of the Arab Gulf countries have wavered between optimism and anxiety about the future following the reconciliation announced at the end of the Al-Ula summit held in Saudi Arabia, Tuesday.
Many Gulf Arabs hope that things will return to how they were before the crisis of June 2017 allowing for the reunification of families that have been most affected by the political row. If the political reconciliation was accomplished by a political decision within a limited period of time, social reconciliation will require more time but many see it happening down the road. The decision to open the borders between Saudi Arabia and Qatar has revived hopes of families being reunited but many others will wait until a broader decision is taken to include the rest of the Gulf states.
“All the people I talk to are happy because they can see their families and they will be able to travel,” said Fahd, who works in the oil and gas industry. The reconciliation raised hopes of a new era, although some are still not confident, so they deal with the development with caution. A large number of Qataris had been forced to leave their families in Bahrain and the UAE and go back to Doha after relations were severed. This also fractured many mixed families. According to figures published by the Qatari authorities, more than 3,600 registered marriages between Qataris and Emiratis have been affected by the measures taken by the boycotting countries after their borders and airspace were closed to Qataris. Qatari Rashid, who was born to an Emirati mother, says that in the early days after the severing of relations, “We were so angry with each other that we stopped talking to one another for a while,” saying that it was often about “love of the homeland.” “The same thing happened with my relatives in Saudi Arabia,” Rashid added. “Many marriages failed due to restrictions imposed,” says a former Qatar Airways employee who was in Doha at the start of the crisis.
He explains that “there are many people who lost their husbands or wives.” Some families were able to meet outside the countries concerned by the crisis. “After the agreement and the reopening of the borders, there is no fear and things are fine now, especially with Saudi Arabia, and we do not need anything else,” said Abdul Rahman Rashid Al-Kuwari, a university student studying business administration. We will go to visit the holy places, especially during the Hajj, which a must for us. ”The crisis has also had an economic impact in the entire region, especially with the drop in oil prices and the effects of the coronavirus.During the years of crisis, Saudis were unable to visit Doha for the weekend as they used to do. The real test next month will be the number of fans who will travel from boycotting countries to Doha to watch the Clubs’ World Cup games that will be held in Doha, if the coronavirus-related restrictions do not prevent them from doing so.In the past, Saudi football fans used to come to Qatar in droves. “This,” said Fahd, “will help us avoid seeing empty stadiums” in the 2022 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Qatar.

Turkey, Iran jockey to reap dividends of Qatari ‘victory’
The Arab Weekly/January 07/2021
Fearing a secret agreement that may include reducing their presence in Qatar, the Muslim Brotherhood have launched a smear campaign against boycotting countries. Doha --Turkey and Iran are racing to reap the dividends of what they consider a Qatari “victory” over Saudi Arabia and the boycotting countries after the latest Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, which ended without requiring Doha to curtail its ties with Ankara and Tehran, analysts say. Doha’s ties with Ankara and Tehran were among the main reasons for the row that led the Arab quartet’s boycott which spanned more than three years.
The Turks and Iranians believe that Doha’s still open window will allow them to contnue pushing for the expansion of their influence in the region. This window will preserve their chances of infiltrating the Gulf and preventing a unified position of the GCC countries against Iranian threats on the one hand, and against Turkish encroachment on the other hand. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif praised what he called Qatari “resistance,” which he hinted could be relied upon to influence the region, referring to the sidelining of the Saudi position that seeks to build a regional balance with Iran on the security, military and diplomatic levels. “We congratulate Qatar for its success in its courageous resistance in the face of pressure and blackmail,” Zarif said on his Twitter account.
“Our Arab neighbours know that Iran is neither an enemy nor a threat,” he added.
“Stop blaming others, especially when that renegade leaves power (referring to US President Donald Trump),” he said, adding “it is time to accept our vision of forming a strong region.”Analysts say that Tehran is betting on Doha to play a major role in breaking the alliances that Saudi Arabia seeks to build in the Arab-Islamic world and in connection with the Americans in order to encircle Iran and prevent it from increasing tension in the region. These analysts say that Iran’s strategy is based on fueling tension in the region to persuade Saudi Arabia and the United States that there is a door in Doha to deal with Tehran much like the door Qatar offered in hosting a dialogue between Washington and the Taliban, or in its relationship with other militant Islamic groups, including pro-Iran factions. Analysts have doubts about Qatar’s commitment to changing its relationship with Iran in response to Saudi Arabia’s demands. They see Doha continuing to bet on Tehran as a pressure card against any push to demand that it implement the conditions enunciated in 2017. While Iran is investing in reconciliation in order to secure a foothold that disrupts efforts to isolate it, Turkey views the results of the Al-Ula summit as a gateway to a strong return to the Gulf, especially through investment and tourism, as if reconciliation is supposed to atone for Ankara’s conspiring against the Saudis and not for Doha’s mistakes.
The Turkish foreign ministry welcomed the “Gulf reconciliation” agreement. It said that “the display of a common will to resolve the Gulf conflict and announcement of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Qatar are a source of satisfaction.”It added “With the re-establishment of trust between the Gulf states, Turkey is sparing no efforts to improve our institutional cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council, with which we are a strategic partner.”The Turks believe that Qatar’s “victory” in leaving the Al-Ula summit without any clear commitments is a victory for them, as they are Doha’s main ally in the boycott crisis militarily, economically and diplomatically. They believe this outcome calls for sharing in the dividends of this reconciliation. The Turks are betting on the Saudi leadership’s willingness to forgive and forget, as it deals with reconciliation as a Gulf decision aimed at meeting regional and international challenges.They believe that Saudi Arabia’s lenient stance will lead to it forgetting the many Turkish abuses that accompanied the case of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, stopping a popular boycott campaign in the kingdom against Turkish goods and opening the door for to public and private Saudi investment in Turkey in order to save Ankara’s dilapidated economy due to imprudent political decisions. But analysts note that Riyadh, which is being tolerant towards Doha and wants to stem the dispute over Doha’s regional activity, has not shown any sign of openness or rapprochement towards Ankara since the phone call between Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the eve of the G20 summit.
Also, remarks by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz on Tuesday at the Al-Ula summit did not refer to Turkey in any way, which means that reconciliation is an intra-Gulf issue and the kingdom does not intend to reconcile with Qatar’s allies such as Turkey, Iran or the Muslim Brotherhood.
Due to the ambiguity surrounding the reconciliation drive and the lack of clarity about who could benefit, supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood on social media have launched a campaign to smear the boycotting countries and belittle the reconciliation effort as a free response to Qatar’s pressure.
Analysts believe that the Brotherhood’s campaign against the boycotting countries shows their fear of a secret agreement that may include reducing their presence in Qatar, or that Doha might give them up in exchange for the boycotting countries’ silence about other priority issues.
They point out that the Islamist groups that used to work for Qatar are in a state of shock because reconciliation automatically means the end of the functional role they play in smearing the four boycotting countries, a role that would have brought them political favour, financial support and freedom of movement at home and abroad. These advantages have become threatened, especially since Qatari officials have so far kept the contents of the Al-Ula meetings secret, including pledges they made related to the provision of “strengthening cooperation in combating terrorist entities, currents and organisations.”

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 07-08/2020

Egypt: The European Union Should Stop Lying
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/January 07/2021
Earlier this month, Egypt's military killed 15 Islamist terrorists in Sinai. The army said that since July 22, it has eliminated 77 terrorists as part of Egypt's efforts to combat terrorism at all of the country's strategic borders.
[Egyptian political analyst Dr. Abdel Azim] Ramadan said that the European Parliament's anti-Egypt resolution indicates the presence and remarkable activity of the Muslim Brotherhood lobby inside European Union bodies, including the European Parliament.
"Why does the European Parliament give itself the right to evaluate others? The resolution, aiming to put pressure on Egypt, is in itself opportunism and a clear violation of human rights." — Egypt's Coordination of Youth for Parties and Politicians, Youm7.com, December 19, 2020.
[Prominent Egyptian media personality, Ahmed] Diab accused the Europeans of turning a blind eye to human rights violations in Turkey.... "All the enemies of the Egyptian state were happy with this unacceptable resolution." he said.
Egyptians fear that the jihadi terrorists will interpret the European Parliament's resolution as a green light to continue their terror campaign to overthrow the Sisi government and bring the Muslim Brotherhood back to power. What is certain, meanwhile, is that the resolution is being celebrated by Egypt's enemies -- not a good sign for the future of the war on terrorism.
Egyptians from across the political spectrum have expressed outrage over a "politicized" European Parliament resolution that they say is a blatant intervention in Egypt's internal affairs, which serves the interests of terrorists presently opposing the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Pictured: Sisi addresses a press conference at a joint EU-Arab League summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on February 25, 2019.
Egyptians from across the political spectrum have expressed outrage over the European Parliament's December 18 resolution calling for restrictive measures against Egypt for its "human rights violations."
The Egyptians said that the European Parliament's "politicized" resolution is a blatant intervention in Egypt's internal affairs and serves the interests of Muslim terrorists presently opposing the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
The resolution adopted by the European Parliament "deplores, once again and in the strongest possible terms, the continued and intensifying crackdown on fundamental rights and, among others, the persecution of human rights defenders, lawyers and civil society in Egypt."
According to many Egyptians, the resolution contains countless fallacies and serves as a propaganda platform for the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood organization. The Egyptians are particularly enraged because the European resolution came at a time when Egypt is continuing its fight against the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist terror groups.
Earlier this month, Egypt's military killed 15 Islamist terrorists in Sinai. The army said that since July 22, it has eliminated 77 terrorists as part of Egypt's efforts to combat terrorism at all of the country's strategic borders.
Egyptian Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal said the European Parliament's resolution was "unacceptable, unbalanced and inappropriate."
Accusing the European Parliament of double standards, Aal called on the Europeans to "not install themselves as guardians over Egypt and to stop politicizing human rights issues."
Aal and other Egyptian officials pointed out that the European Parliament did not take into consideration Egypt's efforts to combat Islamist terrorism and maintain security and stability.
The head of Egypt's Senate, Abdel Wahab Abdel Razeq, rejected the allegations made by the European Parliament and said that the charges contradicted the truth about human rights in Egypt. Abdel Razeq accused the European Parliament of exploiting the human rights issue as a pretext to interfere in the internal affairs of Egypt. The anti-Egypt resolution was based on "evil sources working against Egypt," he added, an apparent reference to the Muslim Brotherhood and other jihadist groups.
The General Federation of Egyptian Trade Unions, which represents 25 million workers, said that the resolution ignores Egypt's "pivotal role in pursuing the war on -- and eliminating -- terrorism and terrorists."
"European Parliament did not address Egyptian state's efforts to maintain security and stability and combat terrorism," the Federation noted.
Egypt's Coordination of Youth for Parties and Politicians announced in a statement that it rejects all the fallacies contained in the European Parliament's resolution, asking:
"Why does the European Parliament give itself the right to evaluate others? The resolution, aiming to put pressure on Egypt, is in itself opportunism and a clear violation of human rights."
Senate member Tayseer Matar, said that the resolution "serves the goals of terrorist organizations and is not in line with the existing partnership between Egypt and the European Union countries."
Nashat al-Dihi, a member of Egypt's Supreme Council For Media Regulation, denounced the resolution as worthless. "We will not accept private lessons from anyone," he said, "and the members of the European Parliament should follow the human rights situation in their own countries first."
Egyptian political analyst Dr. Abdel Azim Ramadan, writing in Egypt's Al-Gomhuria newspaper, said that the European resolution "came as a duplicate of other statements by foreign organizations hostile to Egypt and adopts the viewpoint of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood organization and its supporters."
Ramadan said that the European Parliament's endorsement of the anti-Egypt resolution indicates the presence and remarkable activity of the Muslim Brotherhood lobby inside European Union bodies, including the European Parliament.
Explaining widespread Egyptian anger and condemnation of the resolution, Ramadan pointed out that it came in the aftermath of great efforts that Egypt has made since 2014 to protect Europeans, especially in the field of curbing illegal immigration to European countries and combating terrorism:
"Egypt cooperated strongly with the Europeans and the United Nations on the issue of refugees, who posed a serious social and economic challenge to European countries... This is an astonishing, ridiculous and blatant interference in the internal affairs of Egypt. The response to the European Parliament must be decisive and strong."
Ahmed Diab, a prominent Egyptian media personality, responded to the European Parliament resolution by saying: "We do not allow anyone to interfere in the internal affairs of Egypt."
Diab accused the Europeans of turning a blind eye to human rights violations in Turkey and said that the Qatari Al-Jazeera channel celebrated the resolution. "All the enemies of the Egyptian state were happy with this unacceptable resolution," he said.
Several Egyptians, meanwhile, took to social media to express their anger and disgust over the European resolution. A hashtag trending on Twitter under the title "European Union Stop Lying" condemns the "hypocrisy" of the Europeans in dealing with Egypt and human rights issues.
"The European Parliament is a group of mercenary personalities politicized against Egypt," commented Ehab al-Jammal, an Egyptian social media user.
Addressing the European Union, Asma Hassan, another Egyptian social media user, wrote on Twitter: "Egypt is not Syria; Egypt is not Yemen; Egypt is not Iraq. Egypt is a great country and you will never beat us. Long live Egypt."
Clearly, the Egyptians feel betrayed by the European Union, whose representatives choose to ignore the threat that the Muslim Brotherhood poses to Egypt's security and stability. Egyptians fear that the jihadi terrorists will interpret the European Parliament's resolution as a green light to continue their terror campaign to overthrow the Sisi government and bring the Muslim Brotherhood back to power. What is certain, meanwhile, is that the resolution is being celebrated by Egypt's enemies -- not a good sign for the future of the war on terrorism.
*Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem, is a Shillman Journalism Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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The End of the Gulf Crisis Is Big News—But Middle East Sands Always Shift
Simon Henderson/Washington Institute/January 07/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/94672/simon-henderson-washington-institute-the-end-of-the-gulf-crisis-is-big-news-but-middle-east-sands-always-shift-%d8%b3%d9%8a%d9%85%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%af%d8%b1%d8%b3%d9%88%d9%86/
It appears that the Gulf crisis is over. The schism between U.S. allies Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt, on the one hand, and Qatar, on the other, is ending today in a flurry of Arab robes and face-masked embraces at a desert air strip in northwest Saudi Arabia.
This being the Middle East, the wording must be cautious and it’s wise to include a “probably” or “perhaps” somewhere. But there is no doubting the potential significance of the news. An often absurd tiff between Washington’s allies has been taken off the front burner. The significance is arguably bigger than Israel’s recent “normalization” agreements with the UAE and Bahrain. And, given the attendance in the desert today of White House adviser and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner, it’s hard not to recognize it as an achievement of outgoing President Trump.
That success must be balanced against the president’s role in starting the crisis in May 2017, when he attended the Riyadh Arab summit on his first foreign trip. Emir Tamim of Qatar was also there, but his delegation knew something was going wrong when it found itself seated near the kitchens at the banquet. Within days, the Qatar news agency had been hacked to show fake pro-Iranian messages and Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain had broken relations with Qatar. A tweet by President Trump had suggested Qatari support for terrorism. Qatar’s Arab neighbors instituted an “embargo” — in effect, a blockade, cutting the land border and banning air traffic — complaining of Doha’s support for radicals and Islamic extremists.
On a reporting trip to the Gulf a few weeks later, I searched for answers on what had happened and why. Perplexed local diplomats were doing the same. The accepted wisdom was that it was a power play by MbZ and MbS, the up-and-coming personalities of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi, the lead emirate of the UAE, and Mohammed bin Salman, who became the Saudi crown prince in June 2017 after forcing the abdication of his predecessor. Irritated by their once-irrelevant Qatari neighbor, now striding the region and even the world flush with natural gas revenues, they wanted to put it in its place.
A land invasion apparently was contemplated but blocked by Washington. Bahrain, which only a few weeks earlier had taken its begging bowl to Doha seeking Qatari financial support, was given less than 24 hours to make up its mind whether to join the blockade. A list of 13 demands was viewed almost incredulously because its No. 1 was the expulsion of members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from Qatar. An Iran-watching diplomat told me: “There aren’t any.”
The agreement to end the rift, as currently reported, is threefold: the end of the blocking of air, land and sea routes; Qatar will stop legal actions against its neighbors, notably over limitations on air transit; and both sides will stop media campaigns against the other. Of these, the last is possibly the most challenging. Definitions of press freedom and fair comment are works in progress in the Gulf.
This is a moving story and answers to “What does it all mean?” questions will need to wait, literally, until the desert dust settles. The role of MbS’s father, Saudi Arabia’s ailing King Salman, will be worth watching. Notionally, he is chairing the event, but he didn’t attend the main session or the photo of the summit lineup. MbS is clearly the driving force in the diplomatic breakthrough, perhaps realizing that the rift was impacting his vision to modernize the kingdom.
MbZ is not going to the summit, but he doesn’t usually go anyway. Protocol-wise, given the ill-health of his elder half-brother and UAE president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the UAE representative will be the prime minister, Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. This time, though, some might read more into MbZ’s absence.
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Another no-show will be King Hamad of Bahrain, but his son Crown Prince Salman is there. The Omani ruler, Sultan Haitham, also has sent a stand-in, but he may be emulating his predecessor Sultan Qaboos, who traditionally never turned up. President Sisi of Egypt was invited as a guest but will be represented by his foreign minister, so still suggesting a buy-in to the agreement.
The absence of the rift won’t mean Gulf unity but it should be welcomed by the incoming Biden administration, which will try to fashion a new Iran policy. But the Iran nuclear issue won’t be any easier to solve. The sharp-eyed will have noticed that Saudi Arabia chose to have this summit at Al-Ula, an up-and-coming tourist attraction famous for its rocky outcrops and Nabatean carvings. It is also the site of a Chinese-built uranium processing facility, an apparent Saudi effort to build an infrastructure that would be necessary if it wanted to match Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
*Simon Henderson is the Baker Fellow and director of the Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Follow him on Twitter @shendersongulf.

2021: Things can only get better
Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/January 07/2021
We are less than a week into 2021, but if what has happened so far is an indicator of things to come (and I hope it is) we are in for a good year.
The impressive rollout of the coronavirus vaccines, regardless of the maker, shows what humanity can achieve when we decide to collaborate for the greater good. COVID-19 won’t be the last killer disease to sweep the world, kill the vulnerable, destroy our businesses and separate us from our loved ones — but it is now safe to say that in this global battle that began in Wuhan just over a year ago, we are close to declaring victory. While of course credit must first and foremost go to the frontline workers, medical researchers and developers of the vaccine, one must also credit Saudi Arabia’s presidency of the G20, which has helped coordinate and focus efforts among the world’s biggest 20 economies on finding a way out of the crisis.
The Kingdom’s unique leadership abilities were also displayed at AlUla, where a historic reconciliation took place ending the 42-month rift with Gulf neighbor Qatar. Critics who until Tuesday were calling for an end to the boycott will now begin questioning the merits of the resolution that ended it — as if resorting to diplomacy were a bad thing. The truth is, you can always do more with an open palm than a closed fist, and if we put aside the comments of those so-called “Middle East experts” in the US and Europe, who milked the crisis for their own benefit, writing books and speaking at conferences, we would realize that a unified Gulf front represents a great global opportunity from both a security and a business perspective.
One would hope that with a new US administration assuming office in two weeks’ time, the Iranians would take this opportunity to behave better, to renounce their commitment to destabilizing the region and to join the rest of us in recognizing, with the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and a number of Arab states, a genuine opportunity for peace and prosperity.
Yes, the dispute was real, and the boycotting countries had genuine grievances, many of which have been quietly addressed by Qatar over the past three years and communicated through the large number of go-betweens and envoys they sent to patch the rift with the Kingdom.
Will we now live happily ever after with the Qataris? Of course not. Just look at the European Union; who would have thought that after nearly five decades we would see something like Brexit? There will always be differences between neighbors, and perhaps one of the few good things that came out of the recent rift was that it forced those issues to the surface. Not all of them have been addressed, but at least there are no more hidden agendas or emotions, which hopefully means that from here the only way is up.
Saudi leadership was also on display in what Russia’s deputy prime minister called a “new year gift to the market.” After this week’s meeting of the OPEC+ producers alliance, the Kingdom is voluntarily cutting oil production by a million barrels a day for two months. The price is now stable at just above $50 a barrel for the first time since last February, and energy market stability is crucial for a global economy desperate to recover after a crippling coronavirus year.
However, all of this positivity should not distract us from the dangers that remain. As Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned at AlUla, there are still “threats posed by the Iranian regime’s nuclear and ballistic missile program and its plans for sabotage and destruction.” As if to illustrate his point, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces seized a South Korean tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and forced it into the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas — an example for the South Koreans of the sort of malign behavior by Iran that we in the region have endured for so long.
One would hope that with a new US administration assuming office in two weeks’ time, the Iranians would take this opportunity to behave better, to renounce their commitment to destabilizing the region and to join the rest of us in recognizing, with the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and a number of Arab states, a genuine opportunity for peace and prosperity.
Happy new year, everyone.

Time for Iran to inspire a changing of the seasons
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/January 07/2021
Along with the four well-known seasons of the year, in the Middle East we also have what might be called the “Will there be war with Iran?” season. Every year, or sometimes several times a year, we go through this geopolitical season. Mainly due to the Tehran regime’s actions, the region and the world are confronted with it. We know it is upon us when all Middle East analysts take out their old notes — like they would their coats and gloves for winter — to analyze yet again the risks of war between Iran and the US.
This has been a constant for longer than one can remember. Currently it is linked to what is called “heightened tensions” and any possible Iranian retaliation for the one-year anniversary of the killing of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. In short, this season of possible direct confrontation and war between Iran and the US comes and goes a little like the flu season. We just have to wait for it to pass.
In this interaction, the Iranian regime is very aware of the red lines and how to get close to them. It also knows where these red lines are when a Republican is in the White House and when a Democrat is in power; and it is aware of where the Senate stands. To a certain extent, US domestic politics also impact who Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei chooses to be president of Iran. There is no difference between a hawk and a so-called dove, it is always about continuing the regime’s plan, gaining time, and continuing to bite off pieces of the Middle East.
In the current “Iran war” season, it is interesting to note that Tehran has understood the rift between leading US media outlets and President Donald Trump and has been exceptionally good at using this to its advantage in terms of framing the coming dialogue with President-elect Joe Biden. In a sense, Tehran is now, through some of its lobbying affiliates in Washington, becoming successful in manipulating the narrative in its favor.
War with Iran will not happen — not because of past lessons, but because the US does not want to go to war with Iran. So the “drumbeats of war” with Iran can be as loud as possible and the “coming inevitable clash” can be in all the headlines, but no war will take place. In fact, these terms and analyses have been used for decades.
One of the main reasons the war with Iran will not happen is that the US and the rest of the international community are convinced that Iran is needed for balance in the Middle East. In other words, it is about keeping the balance between Arabs and Persians, Sunnis and Shiites. They consider that Iran falling apart could lead to major destabilization across the region.
So the strategy has always been about containment, sometimes with references to “regime change,” which Iran has exploited well. There is also the view that this regime could change direction or that change should come from within; this is due to the fact they consider the local population widely in favor of the West while their leaders are not. Another point is the balance with Russia and China, and there is also the view that, if the planets align, Iran could prove useful to the West.
In any case, war would primarily be a US or international decision, not an Iranian regime call, simply because it knows it would lose. Despite all the Iranian posturing and projections of military power, you can be sure that the legs of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and all the military and security apparatus shake in fear at the thought of a war with the US. Therefore, they have applied a different strategy throughout the region and are masters at asymmetric warfare, which now also includes cyberattacks. They do not seek direct confrontation, but rather to irritate the US and the West.
By now, the Iranians understand that the US also does not want war. If one looks at the direct acts of aggression by Iranian military groups or their proxies, they resemble the actions of a child seeking his parents’ attention and reminding them he is there. They are more symbolic than a cause of true hurt. Currently, it is mostly about getting Tehran’s message across and projecting strength. It is about telling Biden that the Iranian file needs an urgent solution. Therefore, they have increased their harassment actions against oil tankers and, most recently, an Iranian government spokesman announced the restart of uranium enrichment toward a 20 percent target at the Fordow nuclear facility. To put it simply, they are saying “we can be a nuisance so get back to the nuclear deal.” The main reason for this is the need to lift US sanctions, as the regime is in desperate need of financial liquidity to support the country’s collapsing economy. This is an urgent need for the survival of the Iranian regime.
Iran’s acts of aggression resemble the actions of a child seeking his parents’ attention and reminding them he is there.
However, these aggressions are not the most worrying Iranian actions. The most worrying are its takeover of entire Arab countries against the free will of their local populations. This is where you see the ruthlessness of the regime and its expansionist vision. This is what should worry the US and the world alike. The recent unveiling of a Soleimani monument in a Hezbollah district in Beirut is the perfect example of Tehran’s view for the country and where it will lead. It is also very symbolic of the ideological takeover of the region that the Iranian regime foresees.
The coming years will be decisive for the Middle East. Regardless of US disengagement, the region’s importance goes beyond energy, as it is also a key hub for the transport of goods, people and financial flows. The real danger is not war, but that Iran is conducting a covert military nuclear program in parallel to building up its missile capabilities and will, once ready, completely take over Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, locking them into an ironclad nuclear veil.
Hence, a complete shift in US policy toward Iran after all these efforts would be catastrophic. There is an urgent need to find a middle ground between overly muscular policies and systematic disengagement. In short, what is needed is a firm but inclusive US approach that would support the building of a needed “season of peace” in the Middle East. This is what Arab countries wish for; it is time Iran aspired for the same.
**Khaled Abou Zahr is CEO of Eurabia, a media and tech company. He is also the editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.

World needs greater diversity in its climate action champions
Chandrahas Choudhury/Arab News/January 07/2021
Greta Thunberg turned 18 on Sunday, but it feels as though the world’s most influential climate change activist has been around for so long that the news is hard to process.Thunberg’s story is inspiring for so many reasons (let us not forget she has Asperger syndrome). If, by the time you become eligible to vote, you have already been named Time magazine’s Person of the Year, inspired millions of people to take part in a global climate strike and crossed the Atlantic upwind in a yacht to deliver an address at the UN climate action summit, what is the plan for the rest of your life?
So perhaps, if we concede that the pressures of global celebrity are also a strain on someone so young, the most positive way of framing the story of Thunberg’s meteoric rise onto the world stage, which began in August 2018, when she sat on a solo school strike outside the Swedish parliament, is to think of her support base. Thunberg is the unlikely face of the only major global movement for change in which the youth have a voice proportionate to their demographic size and stake in the outcome.
A number of major studies (such as a 2019 22-country survey of 10,000 people aged 18 to 25 by Amnesty International) show that, globally, young people are far more likely to think of climate change as the greatest issue of our age and to demand immediate and radical action by governments and institutions, which is our only hope of slowing climate change to manageable levels. Further, Thunberg’s rallying call for climate strikes — a phrase that has now entered the popular consciousness — is a continuation of the long tradition of nonviolent mass civil resistance that has produced so much transformative change in the last century.
Of course, one can respectfully disagree with Thunberg on some of her stances, arguing that, as a young adult raised in the developed world, she does not appreciate the complexity of the trade-offs between environmental action and economic growth. Thunberg has herself admitted that, partly because of her neurodevelopmental disorder, “I see the world in black and white, and I don’t like compromising.”
Thankfully, then, the second-most prominent global personality on climate change is almost the polar opposite of Thunberg. At 94, the legendary British naturalist and television personality David Attenborough was born not just in a different century to Thunberg but, scientifically speaking, in a different age. “I arrived in this world during a period geologists call the Holocene and I will leave it — as will every one of us alive today — in the Anthropocene, the time of humans,” Attenborough wrote in his recent book “A Life on Our Planet.” He adds that this new period “could prove to be uniquely brief in geological history and one that ends in the ultimate disappearance of human civilization.”
The message is a sobering one but, unlike Thunberg, the tone is not strident: It is the sound of experience rather than innocence. And, as a naturalist and wildlife expert, Attenborough comes to climate change from a different starting point. His concern for its potential effects on the human race come folded into a larger appeal for us to protect the world’s astonishing biodiversity.
Why are the global faces of the movement invariably white and Western, with others consigned to the realm of the ‘local’?
Indeed, some critics have accused Attenborough of facing up to the realities of climate change far too late in his immensely influential television programs (he admits to only being fully convinced of the scientific reality of anthropogenic climate change in 2004). And, as someone who has flown several million miles over the last 50 years to capture the diversity of life on earth (Thunberg, in contrast, refuses to take any flights), Attenborough probably has a larger carbon footprint than anyone alive.
Even so, persuasion and change come in many different packages and who can deny that the climate action movement needs a moderate, courteous, authoritative voice like Attenborough’s. He is someone who can show us what is at stake by reminding us of our place in the entire web of life, and in so doing allow us to transcend the selfish anthropocentric perspective that created the climate crisis in the first place and continues to perpetuate it.
On the subject of climate action, then, one might see Thunberg and Attenborough as two different kinds of shepherd of the human flock — they even met (virtually) for a 2019 show on BBC Radio 4. But even if we accept the huge credibility and legitimacy of this odd and inspiring pair, we must still confront some other unsettling questions about the politics of climate change activism today.
Why are the global faces of the movement invariably white and Western, with climate activists from India and the Middle East, Africa and South America predictably consigned to the realm of the “local?” What does it say about the world’s media, and even ourselves, that we pay a different kind of attention to Thunberg and Attenborough than we do to the longstanding climate activism and wisdom of Wangari Maathai and Sunita Narain? Do we have ears for the indigenous Brazilian climate activist Artemisa Xakriaba or the young Ugandan Vanessa Nakate (who last year found herself cropped out of a group photo of herself and four other youth climate activists, including Thunberg, by the media agency the Associated Press)?
If we are to make a success of climate action in the coming decades, when the climate-aware youth of today turn into world leaders, we will have to embrace a more diverse set of voices than Attenborough and Thunberg, diverse as they themselves are.
• Chandrahas Choudhury is a novelist and writer based in New Delhi. His work also appears in The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.
Twitter: @Hashestweets