English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For January 30/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

#elias_bejjani_news
 

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Bible Quotations For today

For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained
Second Letter to the Corinthians 02/01-11/:"So I made up my mind not to make you another painful visit. For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? And I wrote as I did, so that when I came, I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice; for I am confident about all of you, that my joy would be the joy of all of you. For I wrote to you out of much distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. But if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but to some extent not to exaggerate it to all of you. This punishment by the majority is enough for such a person; so now instead you should forgive and console him, so that he may not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. I wrote for this reason: to test you and to know whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ. And we do this so that we may not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs."

Question: "What did Jesus mean when He promised an abundant life?"
GotQuestions.org/January 29/2021
Answer: In John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Unlike a thief, the Lord Jesus does not come for selfish reasons. He comes to give, not to get. He comes that people may have life in Him that is meaningful, purposeful, joyful, and eternal. We receive this abundant life the moment we accept Him as our Savior. This word “abundant” in the Greek is perisson, meaning “exceedingly, very highly, beyond measure, more, superfluous, a quantity so abundant as to be considerably more than what one would expect or anticipate.” In short, Jesus promises us a life far better than we could ever imagine, a concept reminiscent of 1 Corinthians 2:9: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” The apostle Paul tells us that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, and He does it by His power, a power that is at work within us if we belong to Him (Ephesians 3:20). Before we begin to have visions of lavish homes, expensive cars, worldwide cruises, and more money than we know what to do with, we need to pause and think about what Jesus teaches regarding this abundant life. The Bible tells us that wealth, prestige, position, and power in this world are not God’s priorities for us (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). In terms of economic, academic, and social status, most Christians do not come from the privileged classes. Clearly, then, abundant life does not consist of an abundance of material things. If that were the case, Jesus would have been the wealthiest of men. But just the opposite is true (Matthew 8:20). Abundant life is eternal life, a life that begins the moment we come to Christ and receive Him as Savior, and goes on throughout all eternity. The biblical definition of life — specifically eternal life — is provided by Jesus Himself: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). This definition makes no mention of length of days, health, prosperity, family, or occupation. As a matter of fact, the only thing it does mention is knowledge of God, which is the key to a truly abundant life. What is the abundant life? First, abundance is spiritual abundance, not material. In fact, God is not overly concerned with the physical circumstances of our lives. He assures us that we need not worry about what we will eat or wear (Matthew 6:25-32; Philippians 4:19). Physical blessings may or may not be part of a God-centered life; neither our wealth nor our poverty is a sure indication of our standing with God. Solomon had all the material blessings available to a man yet found it all to be meaningless (Ecclesiastes 5:10-15). Paul, on the other hand, was content in whatever physical circumstances he found himself (Philippians 4:11-12). Second, eternal life, the life a Christian is truly concerned with, is not determined by duration but by a relationship with God. This is why, once we are converted and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are said to have eternal life already (1 John 5:11-13), though not, of course, in its fullness. Length of life on earth is not synonymous with abundant life. Finally, a Christian’s life revolves around “grow[ing] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). This teaches us that the abundant life is a continual process of learning, practicing, and maturing, as well as failing, recovering, adjusting, enduring, and overcoming, because, in our present state, “we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror” (1 Corinthians 13:12). One day we will see God face to face, and we will know Him completely as we will be known completely (1 Corinthians 13:12). We will no longer struggle with sin and doubt. This will be the ultimately fulfilled abundant life. Although we are naturally desirous of material things, as Christians our perspective on life must be revolutionized (Romans 12:2). Just as we become new creations when we come to Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), so must our understanding of “abundance” be transformed. True abundant life consists of an abundance of love, joy, peace, and the rest of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), not an abundance of “stuff.” It consists of life that is eternal, and, therefore, our interest is in the eternal, not the temporal. Paul admonishes us, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:2-3).

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 29-30/2021

All Lebanon’s tragedies Will End With A President Like José Mohica, President of the Republic of Uruguay/Abu Arz - Etienne Saqr/January 30/2021
Lebanese leaders condemn violence after Tripoli unrest
Tripoli burns while officials swap accusations
Macron: We'll Do Everything to Form a Govt. in Lebanon
French President Emmanuel Macron to visit crisis-hit Lebanon for a third time
EU Ambassador to Lebanon Comments on Tripoli Unrest
Army Arrests 5 Suspected of Torching Tripoli Municipality
Army Intervenes after Minor Skirmishes in Tripoli
Tense Calm in Tripoli after Violent Clashes
Aoun Discusses Tripoli Incidents with Akar
Aoun Urges 'Punishment' of 'Known' Tripoli Rioters
Presidency to Hariri: There Won't be a Govt. Contradicting National Pact
Hariri Says Aoun Remarks a Bid to Turn Political Dispute Sectarian
Diab on Tripoli Clashes: Criminals Shall be Brought to Justice
What's Fuelling Lebanon's Lockdown Protests?
Fahmi Meets Security Chiefs, Urges Bigger Coordination
Berri Warns over 'Dangerous' and 'Suspicious' Unrest in Tripoli
PSP: Officials Must Form Govt to Face Serious Challenges after Tripoli Clashes
Judge OKs Extradition of 2 Wanted in ex-Nissan Boss' Escape

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 29-30/2021

Priority for US is dealing with Iran moving closer to nuclear weapon: Official
Biden administration extends program allowing Syrians to seek temporary refuge in US
Regional allies, including Saudi Arabia, needed in new Iran deal talks: Macron
Kosovo, Israel to formally establish diplomatic ties Feb. 1
Saudi Arabia must be included in Iran negotiations: Macron
Small bomb goes off near Israeli embassy in New Delhi, no injuries
Saudi Arabia completes preparations to launch joint defense exercises
Saudi Customs seize over 14m Captagon pills in Dammam
Turkey edges toward ‘intense corruption’ status in global index
France’s Le Pen, at record high in polls, proposes hijab ban
Explosion outside Israeli Embassy in New Delhi
Turkey Urges U.S. to Return to Iran Nuclear Accord
Taliban Says U.S. 'Bombarding Civilians, Houses' in Violation of Afghan Deal
Conflicting reports on reason for sirens in Tehran as Turkish flight diverted to Baku

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 29-30/2021

Iran Turns Gaza Into Storehouse for Weapons/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/January 29/2021
Iran’s unlawful emissaries harming US interests/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/January 29/2021
Biden should look to France for guidance on Middle East/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/January 29/2021
Future Investment Initiative: The Neo-Renaissance and ESG/Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/January 29/2021
‘Strategy’ won’t beat the virus — logistics will/Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/January 29/2021
Day 2 of the Future Investment Initiative: an economist’s perspective or what it/Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/January 29/2021
‘Secretive’ Hamas elections spark internal party row/Hazem Balousha/Arab News/January 29/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 29-30/2021

All Lebanon’s tragedies Will End With A President Like José Mohica, President of the Republic of Uruguay.
Abu Arz - Etienne Saqr/January 30/2021

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/95411/%d8%a3%d8%a8%d9%88-%d8%a3%d8%b1%d8%b2-%d8%a7%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%b5%d9%82%d8%b1-%d9%82%d8%af-%d8%aa%d9%86%d8%aa%d9%87%d9%8a-%d9%83%d9%84-%d9%85%d8%a2%d8%b3%d9%8a-%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%86%d8%a7/
Jose Mohica is the President of the Republic of Uruguay.

His monthly Salary is $ 12,000, from which he takes only $ 1200, and the rest he donates for building homes for the poor.
He drives his 1978 Volkswagen car and refuses to have any escort or guard with him.
He was offered a million dollars for his car, but refused to sell because it was a gift from his friends.
Definitely, All Lebanon's tragedies will come to end when Almighty God grants our oppressed and occupied country  a president cut from Jose Mohica garment.

Sadly our rulers and politicians in occupied Lebanon are mere corrupted thugs.

They evilly destroy and confiscates everything, even the pennies of the widow and the children.
Let us pray that Almighty safeguards and bless Our Beloved and Holy Lebanon
Abu Arz
 

Lebanese leaders condemn violence after Tripoli unrest
Reuters/January 29/2021
TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister and its president on Friday condemned overnight violence in the city of Tripoli, where protesters angry over a strict lockdown clashed with security forces and set the municipality building on fire. Thursday was the fourth straight night of unrest in one of Lebanon’s poorest cities, after the Beirut government imposed a 24-hour curfew to curb a surge in the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 2,500 people and compounded an economic crisis.
“The criminals who set the municipality on fire and attempted to burn the court...represent a black hatred for Tripoli,” Prime Minister Hassan Diab said in a statement. “The challenge now is in defeating these criminals by arresting them one by one and referring them to the judicial system.” President Michel Aoun also condemned the violence. Flames engulfed the Tripoli municipal government building after it caught fire just before midnight on Thursday. Police had been firing tear gas at protesters hurling petrol bombs. A funeral for a man who died from a gunshot wound on Wednesday night had given fuel to protesters. Security forces said they had fired live rounds to disperse rioters trying to storm the government building. Diab’s statement did not mention the killing; Human Rights Watch has called for it to be investigated. “We promise to work quickly to restore the municipality building of Tripoli so that it remains an expression of its dignity and pure heritage,” Diab said. The lockdown against the coronavirus, in effect since Jan. 11, is piling extra hardship on the poor, now more than half the Lebanese population who get little government aid. “We are demanding a state, we are demanding a country and we are demanding an improvement to the social and political conditions in Tripoli,” said Rabih Mina, a Tripoli resident who joined the anti-government protests. The financial meltdown gripping Lebanon could render people more dependent on political factions for aid and security, in a throwback to the 1975-90 civil war era of dominant militias. Some analysts have warned that security forces, their wages fast losing value, would not be able to contain rising unrest. Najib Mikati, a billionaire businessmen and former premier who is from Tripoli, warned on Friday that should the army prove unable to control the situation in his city quickly enough, dangerous disorder could set in. “I may have to carry arms to protect myself and my institutions,” Mikati told local media. Lebanon has been in the throes of its worst financial crisis since 2019 and anger has escalated into street unrest over the economy, endemic state corruption and political mismanagement. A currency crash has raised the spectre of widespread hunger but Lebanese leaders have yet to launch a rescue plan or enact reforms to unlock aid, prompting rebukes from foreign donors.
Diab is steering the government in a caretaker role as fractious politicians remain unable to agree on a new government since his quit in the aftermath of the Aug. 4 Beirut port explosion, leaving Lebanon rudderless as poverty spreads.

Tripoli burns while officials swap accusations
Najia Houssari/Arab News/January 29/2021
BEIRUT: The riots that have accompanied the protests in Tripoli for several days, and which led to the burning of the municipal building on Thursday night, have shocked the Lebanese public and officials., but not enough to force politicians to cooperate on forming a new government. Rioting escalated on Thursday night, when protestors launched Molotov cocktails, hand grenades and stones at the security forces, who attacked protesters with tear gas and rubber and live bullets. People in Tripoli awoke on Friday morning to the damage caused by overnight clashes. The Lebanese Army Command said: “Three people have been arrested, including a Syrian, for participating in acts of vandalism and starting a fire. Another two were arrested for participating in the riots and keeping the civil defense firefighters from getting to the building.” Protesters have been in the streets since Sunday to oppose the extension of the country’s lockdown which was introduced without compensation for those affected by the closures. Tripoli has a population of over 750,000, with 23 percent living on less than two dollars a day. Fears prevailed that these riots would spread to other cities and drag the army into mobile clashes, that have already killed one man in Tripoli and wounded scores of protestors and Internal Security Forces (ISF) members.
The Ottoman period municipal building was stormed, looted and set ablaze following a sit-in earlier on Thursday to denounce the deployment of the armer forces to the city. Tripoli’s Mayor Riad Yamaq said: “Those who were behind the riots came from outside Tripoli.” A security source ascertained that “security forces have photos of the people who threw the hand grenades at the building and those people have certain political affiliations.”A political figure in Tripoli told Arab News: “There is an attempt to hold the army responsible or what happened, and that is a huge mistake. The protesters who were in the streets are from poor neighborhoods, have never been to school, do not have jobs and cannot be controlled, regardless of whether they were politically motivated or were spontaneous in their riots. What happened in the city cannot be seen in other cities across Lebanon because these extremely poor neighborhoods only exist in Tripoli.”The source, preferring anonymity, said that “what happened on Thursday night can be avoided in the future if strict measures are imposed by the security forces to deter and suppress protesters without violence, and riots might stop as a result of fear of prosecution.”
Riots in Tripoli coincided with a $246 million loan agreement signed between Lebanon and the World Bank to fund the country’s social safety nets, to be later referred to Parliament by the government as a draft decree.
Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is from Tripoli, urged the army on Friday “to control the situation in Tripoli in the next 48 hours. Otherwise, we are going somewhere extremely dangerous.”
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri described the events as “an organized crime. Every single person who plotted to jeopardize the stability of the city, burn its institutions and occupy its streets should be held responsible for these events,” he said. Hariri added that those who burned the city were “criminals who do not belong to the city.” “Why did the army stand still on Thursday night and do nothing about the burning building? Who would protect Tripoli if the army did not?” he asked. Hariri refused, however, to entertain notions of the “old Kandahar story,” referring to allegations of extremist infiltrators in the city in the previous incidents of social unrest. “If there was a plan to infiltrate extremism into the city, who is opening the doors for it?” he said.

Macron: We'll Do Everything to Form a Govt. in Lebanon
Naharnet/January 29/2021
French President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday that he will “do everything” to push for the formation of a new government in Lebanon. “We’ll do everything for the formation of a government in Lebanon, even if it doesn’t meet all specifications,” Macron said in remarks to Al-Arabiya television.
Noting that he will make a third visit to Lebanon after “verifying key issues,” the French leader pointed out that “the Lebanese system is in crisis due to the diabolic alliance between corruption and intimidation.”“The French initiative is the only thing that can allow moving forward towards a solution in Lebanon,” Macron added, noting that the initiative is “still on the table” and “there are no other solutions.”“My sympathy goes to Lebanon’s people, while it leaders do not deserve their country,” Macron went on to say. “Lebanon is a pluralistic model in a region lashed by madness. Lebanon’s people are great and they presented abroad unprecedented intellectual and cultural successes,” the French president added.

French President Emmanuel Macron to visit crisis-hit Lebanon for a third time
Joseph Haboush & Hussein Kneiber, Al Arabiya English/ Friday 29 January 2021
French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that he would pay a third visit to Lebanon, less than a year after he made two trips in an attempt to speed up the formation of a new government. Macron, who took the lead on forming a roadmap for Lebanon to crawl out of its unprecedented economic crisis, told Al Arabiya that the French proposal was “still on the table” because there were “no other solutions available.” Following the deadly Aug. 4 Beirut blast, Macron laid out a plan that Lebanese officials and politicians committed to, which required economic reforms and a serious effort to clamp down on corruption. Six months after the explosion, the ruling elite has yet to implement any reforms needed to unlock badly needed economic aid. The international community, including regional countries that have traditionally stood by Lebanon, refuses to provide financial assistance to a ruling elite that is seen as corrupt by a majority of the Lebanese population. But Macron said he would visit Lebanon for the third time after particular actions were taken. He did not elaborate. “We will do everything to help form a new government in Lebanon,” even if it does not meet all the criteria, he said. Macron revealed that preparations are underway for a new round of talks on the Lebanese file. He also commended the Lebanese people and the expat community. “As for their leaders, they don’t deserve their country,” Macron said.

EU Ambassador to Lebanon Comments on Tripoli Unrest
Naharnet/January 29/2021
European Union Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf on Friday commented on the unrest that has rocked the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. “The EU recalls the right of people to protest peacefully. Violence and vandalism are not covered by this basic right,” Tarraf tweeted. And noting that “respect for public health measures must be upheld,” he urged security forces to “exercise restraint” in dealing with the protests. “The use of force must be proportionate at all times,” he stressed.

Army Arrests 5 Suspected of Torching Tripoli Municipality
Naharnet/January 29/2021
The army on Friday announced the arrest of five people suspected of involvement in the overnight torching of Tripoli’s municipal building. In a statement, the army said three suspects -- two Lebanese and a Syrian -- were present inside the building when they were detained. An army force meanwhile arrested two others in the Bab al-Tabbaneh area and the Miten Street area on suspicion of preventing firefighters from reaching the burning municipal building and taking part in rioting. Noting that three soldiers were injured in Thursday’s incidents, the Army Command emphasized that “military units are sparing no effort to preserve security and stability in Tripoli and the rest of the Lebanese regions.”“As this Command underlines its respect for the right to peaceful protest and expression, it warns security violators that they will be pursued, arrested and referred to the competent judicial authorities,” the statement added.

Army Intervenes after Minor Skirmishes in Tripoli
Naharnet/January 29/2021
The restive northern city of Tripoli on Friday witnessed minor skirmishes between protesters and security forces after four days of violent clashes that left one person dead and over 250 injured. In the afternoon, a number of young men gathered outside Tripoli’s Serail, the government’s main building in the city, where they pelted security forces with stones as some of them chanted “we’re hungry, we want to eat!”Security forces fired tear gas to disperse them as army troops deployed around the city’s Abdul Hamid Karami Square, which is also known as al-Nour Square. Troops also deployed outside Tripoli’s central bank branch and at the intersection between the Fouad Chehab Boulevard and the Miten Street. The soldiers later intervened and pushed protesters away from Tripoli’s serail and the al-Nour Square, dispersing them to the neighboring streets after which they pelted the troops with stones. Al-Jadeed TV later reported that calm was engulfing the city amid the presence of a few protesters and a huge deployment of army troops.

Tense Calm in Tripoli after Violent Clashes
Associated Press/January 29/2021
A tense calm prevailed in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Friday after rioters set fire to several government buildings, capping days of violent clashes as anger over growing poverty made worse by the coronavirus lockdown boiled over. The authorities deployed more troops in the country's second-largest city in an effort to quell the rioting, which has led to repeated confrontations with security forces in which one person was killed and more than 250 others were injured. Lebanese leaders condemned the violence and demanded an investigation while accusing each other of exploiting the residents' poverty and frustration to score political points. In a worrying sign, some politicians attacked the military, accusing it of doing nothing to stop the vandalism. "Who will protect Tripoli, if the army fails to protect it?" said Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said in a statement issued late Thursday. Hariri, who was tasked with forming a new government more than three months ago, described the violence as "organized crime" and blamed the military for allowing the vandalism to take place. President Michel Aoun, who has been locked in a dispute with Hariri that has prevented the formation of a new government, demanded an investigation. The protests in Tripoli, which started Monday, came as Lebanon grapples with both the pandemic and the worst economic crisis in its history, with only a caretaker government in charge. Tripoli is among the most impoverished and neglected cities in Lebanon, which has been in a state of economic and financial meltdown for the past year. In Tripoli, even before the economic crisis began in late 2019, almost the entire city's workforce depended on day-to-day income. Since then, the Lebanese currency has lost around 80% of its value against the dollar, and nearly half of the country's population has been thrown into poverty. "People are frustrated, we cannot condemn hungry, oppressed people who are not getting their minimum rights in this country. We cannot blame them for everything," said Bilal Jenzarli, a resident. While the protests are targeting the strict lockdown measures, they also reflect the growing anger over authorities' indifference in the face of Lebanon's meltdown. The cash-strapped government has done little to compensate or help the impoverished cope with growing hardships, and politicians have been unable to agree on the formation of a new government since August, when the current Cabinet resigned over a massive explosion at Beirut's port. The confluence of crises has posed the biggest threat to Lebanon's stability since the end of its civil war in 1990. On Thursday night, dozens of young men set fire to the historic municipal building they had been trying to storm for days. They also firebombed two other government buildings and a private university that belongs to a former prime minister, Najib Miqati. Miqati, one of Lebanon's richest businessmen who is from Tripoli, warned of an explosion of unrest unless the military takes control of the situation. "I may have to carry arms to protect myself and my institutions," he said.

Aoun Discusses Tripoli Incidents with Akar
Agence France Presse/January 29/2021
President Michel Aoun met on Friday with caretaker Defense Minister Zeina Akar where discussions highlighted the security situation mainly in the northern city of Tripoli after four nights of clashes between security forces and protesters, the Presidency said on Twitter. The two focused on “overnight riot and the burning down of Tripoli’s municipal building, in addition to sabotages against several official and education institutions,” the presidency added. A new round of clashes broke out Thursday afternoon in Tripoli between security forces and demonstrators protesting dire economic conditions aggravated by the coronavirus lockdown. The protesters staged several attempts to storm Tripoli's serail, the main governmental building in the city, prompting security forces to fire tear gas from rooftops. They later managed to remove a part of the metallic gate of the building. In the evening, the protesters heavily hurled Molotov cocktails and stones at security forces protecting the serail. The Internal Security Forces meanwhile said that a "military hand grenade" landed inside the premises of the serail, lightly injuring an ISF member. Security forces had earlier fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the city’s al-Nour Square. Thursday's clashes between protesters and security forces injured more than 40 people, according to the National News Agency, adding to the more than 300 wounded since confrontations started this week. Frustrations have boiled over in Tripoli amid deteriorating living conditions and strict coronavirus lockdown measures. The violence marks a serious escalation in protests that began Monday and are still ongoing until the moment.

Aoun Urges 'Punishment' of 'Known' Tripoli Rioters
Naharnet/January 29/2021
President Michel Aoun on Friday stressed “the need to punish those who carried out acts of rioting” in the northern city of Tripoli. “They are known by security agencies and their political affiliations are known,” Aoun said during a meeting with a World Bank delegation. “Instructions have been given to security forces to preserve security in the capital of the North and prevent attacks on public and private property,” the president added. A tense calm prevailed in Tripoli on Friday after rioters set fire to several government buildings, capping days of violent clashes as anger over growing poverty made worse by the coronavirus lockdown boiled over. The authorities deployed more troops in the country's second-largest city in an effort to quell the rioting, which has led to repeated confrontations with security forces in which one person was killed and more than 250 others were injured. Lebanese leaders have condemned the violence and demanded an investigation while accusing each other of exploiting the residents' poverty and frustration to score political points. In a worrying sign, some politicians have attacked the military, accusing it of doing nothing to stop the vandalism.

Presidency to Hariri: There Won't be a Govt. Contradicting National Pact
Naharnet/January 29/2021
The Presidency’s press office on Friday accused PM-designate Saad Hariri of “insisting on forming the government on his own” and “rejecting to take President Michel Aoun’s remarks into consideration.”In a statement, the press office said Aoun’s remarks “represent partnership in the formation of the government in line with Article 53 of the constitution.”“This is the main point in all the ongoing deliberations about the formation of the government, especially that unilateralism is the opposite of partnership,” the statement added. “Anyhow, and in brief, there will not be a government that contradicts partnership, the National Pact and real coexistence that is based on national balance and the protection of its requirements,” the Presidency emphasized.

Hariri Says Aoun Remarks a Bid to Turn Political Dispute Sectarian
Naharnet/January 29/2021
PM-designate Saad Hariri’s press office on Friday described President Michel Aoun’s remarks to al-Akhbar newspaper as "an unsuccessful and rejected attempt to turn the political dispute into an Islamic-Christian one."Below is the full text of an English-language statement released by Hariri’s press office: “It is very regrettable and painful that the comments of the President of the Republic, as quoted by ‘Al-Akhbar’ newspaper, are published while the country is facing a series of health, security and political crises, and the second capital, Tripoli, is witnessing an organized attack that raises suspicion in more than one direction. It seems that the country is in a ‘valley’ of suffering and crises, while the ‘strong mandate’ is in in another deep ‘valley’ of indifference, denial and insult to others.What worsens the regret is that the Presidential Palace spheres did not deny nor clarify the comments, in order to spare the President and the position of the presidency incorrect positions and stances that do not suit the position of the presidency and its national responsibilities in these difficult circumstances. We found it necessary to highlight some of the points mentioned in his Excellency's ‘column’, to correct the facts and prevent the fall of the Lebanese public opinion into the traps of poisoned news. First - It is clear from the full context of the attributed comments that the Baabda Palace spheres want to direct the governmental clash towards sectarian paths, thereby removing the president of the republic’s quality of representative of the Lebanese of all sects to limit this representation to his responsibility for the shares of Christians in the state, the authority and the government. He said, according to the article: ‘I will not jeopardize what we accomplished in recent years, by making the Christian team an actual partner and not the creation of others who impose their will on it. Here is the source of my constitutional powers and my political responsibilities.’The palace spheres probably know, and do not want to admit, that Saad Hariri is not the one who jeopardizes the rights of Christians, their role and their place in the state, power and institutions, otherwise General Michel Aoun would not have been in the position of presidency now. And that Saad Hariri is the son of a political school that for decades believed in coexistence in words, deeds and constitutional texts. The transfer of the political dispute to the sectarian arena is an unsuccessful and rejected attempt that will not pass, to organize an Islamic-Christian clash that some consider as the shortest muddy way to refloat those they want to refloat and pave the Baabda road for the political legacy.
Second - His Excellency says in the article: ‘In one of my meetings with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, he told me that he is the Prime Minister-designate and he is the one who forms the entire government. Of course, I did not allow this before, nor now. According to Article 53.’
The comment here is not at its right place and just an illusion and a wrong reading. What sane person can imagine that the Prime Minister-designate adheres to an exclusive right to the birth of the government, while he is the first to realize that the formation decrees are issued by agreement between the two presidents? The constitution is clear and there is no need to use it in political calculations and quotas. The Prime Minister conducts parliamentary consultations to form the government and signs the formation decrees in agreement with the President of the Republic.
Third - The article also quotes his Excellency as saying: ‘It is natural for the President of the Republic to name the Christian ministers due to the reluctance of the Christian parties to participate (...) and he invented the third + 1 as if I am asking for it. This is incorrect, and I have never asked for the third +1 (..) I have asked for six ministers, i.e. five +1. This is the representation quota and not the blocking quota. (...) When you ask him about the Shiite ministers, he says that he is in agreement with Speaker Nabih Berri about the Ministry of Finance, and with Hezbollah over its ministers. As a result, Walid Jumblatt nominates his minister, the Shiites name their ministers, the Tashnag name its minister, Suleiman Frangie too, and Hariri names the Sunni ministers and wants to be a partner in naming the Christian ministers. This cannot be accepted, because it disturbs the balance within the government.’
The President missed the fact that he gave me a list of a group of names, from which I chose a group of persons well known for their competence, most of which were published in the article. He also missed the fact that the solution that was adopted for the Ministry of Finance was obtained by consensus and there was no objection to it from Baabda Palace, evidenced by the fact that the paper he handed to me shows that the Ministry of Finance is allocated to the Shiites. As for the blocking third, it is linked to the distribution of the portfolios to the sects and the representatives of the political forces. This card completely violates the principle of forming a government of specialists, and drags the formation automatically into the blocking third.
In the end, it is desirable to reiterate that we demand a government of specialists, and the palace wants a government of party representatives. The hidden point in this field is no longer hidden when the President says in the article attributed to him: ‘We gave him as he wishes a government of 18 ministers. It seems that he only sees it as he wants it. We will not talk from now on except about a government of 20 with the addition of two ministers, a Druze and a Catholic.’
In summary, there will only be a government of 18 ministers ... period. Fourth - ‘I no longer understand him. What he wants today is different from what he will ask for the next day.’ This phrase quotes the President, but it is suitable to be used by the Prime Minister-designate, who leaves Baabda Palace after each meeting, loaded with positive atmosphere, until obstacles emerge from the surrounding rooms. Prime Minister Hariri bet on opening a new page that would move the country to areas of reconciliation, achievement and economic salvation, and he embarked on the adventure of electing General Aoun for president, realizing the importance of establishing a new phase that is not governed by the policies of denial and obstruction. However, the winds blew unfortunately counter to what good intentions desire, and counter to the will for coexistence and the effort required to stop the state's depletion in the sectarian arenas.
The Press Office did not need all that was said, especially as it remained silent in the name of Prime Minister Hariri and acted on the basis that the country needed calm, not tension, and wisdom in approaching matters and principles in the relations between the presidencies and not the tendency towards escalation.
As for the conclusion of the article signed by his Excellency, it is also, unfortunately, a poor fabrication of false information saying that the Prime Minister-designate suggested, ‘in order for the government to gain confidence in Parliament, to dismiss the forensic audit. Speaker Berri and Walid Jumblatt do not give confidence in light of the forensic audit.’It seems that His Excellency the President forgot that the Parliament approved the forensic audit on December 20, and the Future bloc agreed to it, along with the two blocs of Speaker Berri and Minister Jumblatt. He perhaps also forgot that he was the first to praise the decision of the Parliament. If he presented to have forgotten, it is a tragedy, and if he really forgot, then the tragedy is greater. What imagination creates all this for the president to justify in front of the Lebanese his policies of obstruction? What mind wants a sectarian clash in any way, sometimes with this side and at other times with another? Their methods will not work with us anymore, and we will not give them the opportunity to rejoice at any Islamic-Christian clash.’

Diab on Tripoli Clashes: Criminals Shall be Brought to Justice
Naharnet/January 29/2021
Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Friday condemned the overnight clashes in the northern city of Tripoli and assured that “criminals will be brought to justice.”“Tripoli’s loss in chaos and rioting aims to tarnish its image,” said Diab in a statement, adding “the criminals who wrecked havoc in the city and in its official educational and economic institutions shall be brought to justice.”Diab stated that the city is being used as an “arena to deliver fiery political messages that only brought havoc upon the city.”A new round of clashes broke out Thursday afternoon in Tripoli between security forces and demonstrators protesting dire economic conditions aggravated by the coronavirus lockdown. The protesters staged several attempts to storm Tripoli's serail, the main governmental building in the city, prompting security forces to fire tear gas from rooftops. They later managed to remove a part of the metallic gate of the building. In the evening, the protesters heavily hurled Molotov cocktails and stones at security forces protecting the serail. The Internal Security Forces meanwhile said that a "military hand grenade" landed inside the premises of the serail, lightly injuring an ISF member. Security forces had earlier fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the city’s al-Nour Square. Thursday's clashes between protesters and security forces injured more than 40 people, according to the National News Agency, adding to the more than 300 wounded since confrontations started this week. Frustrations have boiled over in Tripoli amid deteriorating living conditions and strict coronavirus lockdown measures. The violence marks a serious escalation in protests that began Monday and are still ongoing until the moment.

What's Fuelling Lebanon's Lockdown Protests?
Agence France Presse/January 29/2021
More than 400 people have been wounded in northern Lebanon this week in clashes between security forces and protesters angered by a coronavirus lockdown they say is starving them. What is behind the escalating tensions in the main northern city of Tripoli, and is Lebanon heading towards mass social unrest as anger mounts over government mismanagement of the country's many crises?
Cocktail of crises -
Since 2019, Lebanon has grappled with its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. More than half the population now lives below the poverty line, according to the United Nations, while the Lebanese pound has lost more than 80 percent of its value against the dollar on the black market. According to the International Monetary Fund, gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 25 percent last year while prices jumped by 144 percent over the same period. Compounding the situation, Lebanese banks have prevented depositors from fully accessing their foreign currency savings, only allowing them to convert them into the local currency at half the black market rate, incurring a substantial loss. This amounts to a "de-facto haircut" on deposits, affecting mostly small and medium-sized depositors, said economist Jad Chabaan of the American University of Beirut. The coronavirus pandemic finished off businesses already struggling to survive the financial downturn. By June last year, Covid and related measures had already pushed nearly one in three Lebanese into unemployment, the UN food agency said. An August 4 explosion at Beirut port piled new misery onto an already desperate situation. The country's worst peace-time tragedy killed more than 200 people and ravaged entire swathes of the capital, costing the government billions of dollars in blast damages. Authorities opened an investigation into the blast but its slow progress has added to widespread public anger against political leaders widely blamed for the disaster. Outgoing premier Hassan Diab, who resigned in the aftermath of the explosion, said it was caused by a highly explosive shipment of ammonium nitrate fertiliser left to languish for years in the port. Nearly six months on, political leaders have yet to form a new government despite international pressure. Foreign donors have pressed for a government committed to long-awaited reforms, including restructuring of the national debt. Lebanon defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time last year and bailout talks with the IMF hit a wall just months later.
Lockdown woes
Lebanon has recorded 293,157 coronavirus cases and 2,621 deaths since February last year. This month it recorded one of the world's steepest per-capita surges in infections, forcing authorities to impose a full lockdown until February 8.
The restrictions include a round-the-clock curfew, with grocery shopping only allowed through deliveries. With day labourers making up around half of Lebanon's workforce, the restrictions have prompted alarm. "We are very concerned that vulnerable families and their children will be left to deal with a catastrophe on their own," the Save the Children charity has said. To ease the burden, the World Bank has approved emergency aid worth $246 million to help 786,000 Lebanese. Local authorities say they have started disbursing monthly payments of 400,000 Lebanese pounds (around $50 at the market rate) to some 230,000 families.But caretaker social affairs minister Ramzi Musharrafieh acknowledged Tuesday that three quarters of the population of more than six million need assistance.
'Worst to come'
Angered by the lockdown, residents of Lebanon's poorest city of Tripoli have rioted for four nights in a row, prompting the heavy deployment of troops and riot police. Protesters have lobbed molotov cocktails, fireworks and stones. The security forces have responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Clashes since Monday night have injured more than 400 people, according to an AFP tally. Mohamed al-Beiruti, an anti-poverty activist in Tripoli, said earlier this week that living conditions were "bringing popular anger to a boil", and the worst was likely still to come. Chaaban, the economist, warned popular discontent was unlikely to abate any time soon. If the political deadlock over forming a new government persists and protests continue, the exchange rate to the dollar on the black market could rise further, and prices increase even more, he said. This all comes as the government has been mulling lifting subsidies on fuel or medicines, which would further stoke inflation, he said. As for the big picture, Lebanon cannot unlock billions of dollars in international aid until it has a new government, and there is no political breakthrough on the horizon.

Fahmi Meets Security Chiefs, Urges Bigger Coordination
Naharnet/January 29/2021
Caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi on Friday held a meeting with the country’s army chief and heads of security agencies in the wake of several days of violent protests in the northern city of Tripoli. The conferees discussed “the security developments in all Lebanese regions, especially in the city of Tripoli,” the National News Agency said. Fahmi for his part stressed “the need to boost coordination among all security agencies to protect citizens and public and private property,” NNA added. “The acts of sabotage, attacks on public property and torching of the municipal building have nothing to do with the revolution of the hungry,” Fahmi said. “Through the efforts of its reasonable sons, Tripoli will not be dragged behind those tampering with its security and the security of Lebanon and it will not allow the tendentious hands to sabotage it,” the minister added. The meeting was attended by Army chief General Joseph Aoun, Internal Security Forces head Maj. Gen. Imad Othman, General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, State Security head Maj. Gen. Tony Saliba, ISF Intelligence Branch chief Brig. Gen. Khaled Hammoud and military intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Tony Qahwaji.

Berri Warns over 'Dangerous' and 'Suspicious' Unrest in Tripoli
Naharnet/January 29/2021
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday described this week’s wave of violent protests in Tripoli as “dangerous” and “suspicious.” “Those in charge of things -- especially those in the caretaker cabinet and those concerned with forming a rescue and mission government, as well as those obstructing its formation -- must quickly act to douse the political, security, social, developmental and health blazes,” Berri said. He urged them to put an end to “the settling of scores and the conflict of foreign agendas whose flames have suspiciously started to erupt through the bloody scenes in Tripoli.”The Speaker also called for thoroughly analyzing “the fires that were systematically and deliberately started overnight in official buildings, public facilities and municipal, educational and judicial institutions” in the northern city.

PSP: Officials Must Form Govt to Face Serious Challenges after Tripoli Clashes
Naharnet/January 29/2021
The Progressive Socialist Party deplored in a statement the latest incidents in the impoverished northern city of Tripoli, urging authorities to expedite a government formation in order to face these “serious challenges.”“It is more useful for authorities to form a government as soon as possible to face these dangerous challenges. The time is not for political games, but for responsible action to secure the rights of the people, to protect the State, the nation and entity,” said the PSP in a statement. “Again, Tripoli and its people pay the harshest price due to decades of neglect, historical injustice, and deep deprivation,” added the statement, noting that poverty and hunger in the impoverished city incite such incidents. The PSP said the city has long been abandoned by authorities. “With all this suspicious abandonment” by authorities, the need arises for “genuine and effective support for poor and needy families, starting with Tripoli,” in order to “deter exploiters from using the people’s rightful needs to stoke the flames of crisis.”The party stressed the need for “official, urgent and effective moves to secure the rights of the people of Tripoli, and the whole Lebanese community, in parallel with a decisive decision not to harm security or civil peace,” it cocnluded. A protester was killed and 226 people were injured in overnight clashes in Tripoli. Dozens of young men have been taking part in the nightly protests, throwing rocks, firecrackers and Molotov cocktails at security forces and in some cases torching vehicles. On Wednesday, protesters repeatedly tried to break into the municipal building and the Internal Security Forces said several “military hand grenades” were lobbed at security forces. The ISF responded with water cannons, volleys of tear gas and live ammunition.

Judge OKs Extradition of 2 Wanted in ex-Nissan Boss' Escape
Naharnet/January 29/2021
A U.S. judge on Thursday cleared the way for the extradition of an American father and son wanted by Japan for smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of the country while he was awaiting trial. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani rejected a request to block the U.S. from handing Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, over to Japan. Her ruling comes three months after the U.S. State Department said it had approved their extradition. Talwani had put their extradition on hold in October after their lawyers filed an emergency petition. The judge said in her ruling on Thursday that U.S. authorities have "sufficiently established" that that the actions the Taylors are accused of making "amount to an extraditable offense." The men's lawyers, which included former Trump White House attorney Ty Cobb, had been lobbying officials within the State Department and White House to block the extradition. Another one of their lawyers, Paul Kelly, declined to comment on Thursday. The Taylors' legal team said in court papers that they plan to appeal to the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "This distinguished former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces and his son did not commit any crime and are being pursued by Japan in an effort to save face after the departure of Carlos Ghosn from their country," Cobb and attorney Paul Kelly said in an emailed statement after the State Department's October decision. The Taylors are wanted by Japan so they can be tried on charges that they helped the former Nissan chairman flee the country last year with Ghosn tucked away in a box on a private jet. Ghosn had been out on bail and awaiting trial on allegations that he under-reported his future income and committed a breach of trust by diverting Nissan money for his personal gain.
Ghosn, who led Japanese automaker Nissan for two decades, rescuing it from near-bankruptcy, denies any wrongdoing. He said he fled because he could not expect a fair trial, was subjected to unfair conditions in detention and was barred from meeting his wife under his bail conditions.
Ghosn is now in Lebanon, where he has citizenship but which has no extradition treaty with Japan. The Taylors have not denied helping Ghosn flee but insist they can't be extradited because they say what they are accused of isn't a crime under Japan law. They have been behind bars in Massachusetts since their arrest in May. Prosecutors have described it as one of the most "brazen and well-orchestrated escape acts in recent history, involving a dizzying array of luxury hotel meetups, fake personas, bullet train travel and the chartering of a private jet."
Michael Taylor flew into Osaka on a chartered jet from Dubai with another man, George-Antoine Zayek, carrying two large black boxes and told airport employees they were musicians carrying audio equipment on Dec. 29, 2019, authorities said. Meanwhile, Ghosn headed to the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo and met up with Peter Taylor, who was already in Japan. The elder Taylor and Zayek joined after a brief stop to rent a separate room near the airport. Soon after their arrival, the group left the Grand Hyatt and split up. Peter Taylor hopped on a flight to China, authorities say. The others got on a bullet train and went back to a hotel where Taylor and Zayek had booked a room. They all went in; only two were seen walking out. Authorities say Ghosn was inside one of the big black boxes, lugged by the two men to Japan's Kansai International Airport, authorities said. The boxes passed through a security checkpoint without being checked and were loaded onto a private jet headed for Turkey, officials said in court documents.
 

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 29-30/2021

Priority for US is dealing with Iran moving closer to nuclear weapon: Official
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/Friday 29 January 2021
A “critical” early priority for the Biden administration is to deal with Iran getting closer to a nuclear weapon, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Friday. “A critical early priority [for the administration] is to deal with the escalating nuclear crisis [as Iran] moves closer and closer” to getting a nuclear weapon, Sullivan said during a webinar with the United States Institute of Peace. In a slight jab at the Trump administration for withdrawing from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Sullivan claimed that Iran was “significantly” closer to manufacturing a nuclear weapon than under the Obama administration. Sullivan also touched on Iran’s ballistic missile capability, which “has advanced, and advanced under the Obama administration.” But he said this had “now accelerated” under former President Donald Trump. Direct attacks on US partners in the region, as well as Tehran’s support for proxies, has become “more audacious,” Sullivan said. “Our view is that if we can get back into diplomacy to put Iran’s nuclear program back into a box,” it will put Washington in a position to address the ballistic missile program. “We have to address Iran’s other malign behavior in the region,” Sullivan said. Earlier in the day, French President Emmanuel Macron said it was necessary to include regional allies, including Saudi Arabia, in any future nuclear talks.

Biden administration extends program allowing Syrians to seek temporary refuge in US
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English Friday 29 January 2021
The Biden administration Friday issued an order to allow thousands of Syrian nationals to stay in the United States for at least another year and a half due to the ongoing civil war and danger faced by the Assad regime. Syria’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation was extended for another 18 months, acting Homeland Security Secretary David Pekoske announced in a statement. According to his statement, more than 6,700 eligible Syrians will benefit from the action, which now allows them to seek refuge in the US until September 2022. Another 1,800 individuals can file applications to become eligible for this status, Pekoske added. The program allows people without nationality, but last lived in Syria, to apply. The TPS designation is issued when a country is in a state of armed conflict or environmental disaster. “The Syrian civil war continues to demonstrate deliberate targeting of civilians, the use of chemical weapons and irregular warfare tactics, and use of child soldiers. The war has also caused the sustained need for humanitarian assistance, an increase in refugees and displaced people, food insecurity, limited access to water and medical care, and large-scale destruction of Syria’s infrastructure,” Pekoske said. Due to the circumstances, Syrians cannot safely return to their homeland, he said. Syria’s TPS designation was first issued in March 2012, nearly a year after the outbreak of the Syrian war.

Regional allies, including Saudi Arabia, needed in new Iran deal talks: Macron
Joseph Haboush & Hussein Kneiber, Al Arabiya English/Friday 29 January 2021
Talks on a new Iran deal will need to have the participation of countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday. “Dialogue with Iran will be rigorous, and they will need to include our allies in the region for a nuclear deal, and this includes Saudi Arabia,” Macron told Al Arabiya while speaking to reporters in Paris. Macron also noted that there needed to be trust and confidence with Saudi Arabia, and “they need to be included in any [potential] agreement with Iran.”The French president said it was necessary to refrain from making the same mistakes made in 2015 when the first Iran nuclear deal was signed, one of which was distancing regional powers from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). As for a new deal, Macron said the time remaining before Iran creates a nuclear weapon was “very short.”Renewed discussions over a new nuclear pact have come to the fore since Joe Biden was elected as the new US president. Biden was the vice president under Barack Obama when the JCPOA was signed in 2015. But President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal and began what became known as the “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran.

Kosovo, Israel to formally establish diplomatic ties Feb. 1
AP/January 29/2021
PRISTINA, Kosovo: Kosovo’s Foreign Minister on Friday said a formal ceremony will be held next week to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, a “historic moment” in the Balkan country’s history. Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla said she and her Israeli counterpart Gabriel Ashkenazi would hold a virtual ceremony on Feb. 1. “Recognition by Israel is one of the greatest achievements for Kosovo, coming at a key moment for us, thanks to the United States of America, our common and eternal ally,” she said. The decision on mutual recognition between Kosovo and Israel was achieved last September at a summit of Kosovo-Serbia leaders at the White House in the presence of then-President Donald Trump. At the meeting Belgrade also agreed to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, something it hasn’t done so far. The Trump administration recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in late 2017 and moved the US embassy there in May 2018. Washington has encouraged other countries to do the same but has been widely criticized by the Palestinians and many in Europe because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains unresolved. Kosovo’s Parliament declared independence from Serbia in 2008, nine years after NATO conducted a 78-day airstrike campaign against Serbia to stop a bloody crackdown against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Most Western nations have recognized Kosovo’s independence, but Serbia and its allies Russia and China have not. The ongoing deadlock and Serbia’s unwillingness to recognize Kosovo have kept tensions simmering and prevented full stabilization of the Balkan region after the bloody wars of the 1990s.

Saudi Arabia must be included in Iran negotiations: Macron
Arab News/January 29/2021
LONDON: Negotiation with Iran on a nuclear deal will be very strict, France’s President Emmanuel Macron said in comments to Al Arabiya on Friday. Speaking to the news channel, the president said that Saudi Arabia must be included in any negotiations on an agreement with Iran. Macron added that the time remaining to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon was very short.  The French president also said the mistake of 2015's Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), when regional powers were excluded from the agreement with Tehran, should be avoided. In a wide-ranging interview, Macron also said Lebanon’s regime was in trouble due to corruption and intimidation and that he would pay the country a third visit after checking “fundamental issues.”
 

Small bomb goes off near Israeli embassy in New Delhi, no injuries

Reuters/January 29/2021
NEW DELHI/JERUSALEM: A small blast near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi on Friday was caused by a "very low intensity improvised device" a police spokesman said, adding that there were no injuries.
The explosion damaged the window panes of three nearby parked cars, a Delhi police spokesman said in a statement. "Initial impressions suggest a mischievous attempt to create a sensation," the statement said. "An explosion occurred recently near the Israeli embassy in India. There were no casualties in the blast, and no damage to the building," Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement. "The incident is under investigation by the authorities in India, who are in contact with the relevant Israeli authorities." The blast occurred shortly after 1700 IST (1130 GMT), while India's President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were participating in a military ceremony a kilometer away from the site. A Reuters eyewitness said the site of the blast was quickly cordoned off by police. In 2012, a blast near the embassy in New Delhi injured an Israeli diplomat's wife, her driver and two others. It coincided with an attack on another Israeli diplomat in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Saudi Arabia completes preparations to launch joint defense exercises

Arab News/January 29/2021
LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense, represented by the Royal Saudi Air Force, is preparing to launch maneuvers in the Air Warfare Center at the King Abdulaziz Air Base in the Eastern Province. The exercises are called Rumah Al-Nasr, or Spears of Victory, and will take place from Feb. 1 to 12 with the participation of the Royal Saudi Land Forces, the Royal Saudi Navy and the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces. “All participating air systems have arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base in preparation for the start of the exercise, which is one of the most important joint exercises, in which the air force participates with other branches of the Saudi Armed Forces to increase readiness, enhance joint action, raise combat efficiency and exchange experiences,” a statement published on the Saudi Press Agency said. The Air Warfare Center provides a real combat environment and an advanced ability to train air, technical and support crews in a modern simulated warfare environment. It also contributes to the development and modernization of combat plans against potential threats, developing and evaluating air force capabilities, and testing and evaluating the effectiveness and impact of systems and weapons, the statement added.

Saudi Customs seize over 14m Captagon pills in Dammam

Arab News/January 29/2021
LONDON: More than 14.4 million Captagon pills found hidden inside a consignment have been seized by Saudi Customs at King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam. The stimulants were found hidden inside the recesses of wooden panels during an X-ray scan carried out as part of customs procedures, Mohammed Al-Naeem, the authority’s undersecretary for security affairs, said. Al-Naeem said that smugglers are devising new routes in an attempt to transport increasing quantities of contraband. However, he said that the authority's mission to provide security and protect the Kingdom will deter smugglers.
“Saudi Customs stands on alert through all its land, air and sea ports, and exerts its utmost efforts to detect and thwart any attempt that might harm the nation and its capabilities.” Al-Naeem added that Saudi Customs “works to tighten customs control over the movement of imports, exports and travelers by making use of the latest security technologies provided by customs in all ports.”

Turkey edges toward ‘intense corruption’ status in global index
Arab News/January 29/2021
ANKARA: Turkey was edging closer to being branded as a country run in an environment of “intense corruption,” a global report has revealed. Transparency International’s latest Worldwide Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranked Turkey 86th out of 180 countries and warned that the nation was losing ground in defeating dishonesty and fraud in high places. The survey’s status grading system showed the country was only 40 points away from falling into the index’s “intense corruption” category. Index publisher Transparency International said that broad consultation in political decision-making was associated with lower levels of corruption. On Turkey’s case, the report said: “There is little space for consultative decision-making in the country. The government recently cracked down on NGOs, closing at least 1,500 foundations and associations and seizing their assets, while continuing to harass, arrest, and prosecute civil society leaders.” Oya Ozarslan, chairwoman of Transparency International’s Turkish branch, pointed out the worrying trend in Turkey’s backsliding in the fight against corruption.
She told Arab News: “Worldwide CPI 2020 results indicate that democracy in countries is directly related to corruption.
“Countries governed by dictators and authoritarian regimes or frequently experiencing human rights violations, conflicts, chaos, and wars are the countries that are performing badly in the CPI, usually scoring less than 50 out of 100.” In assessing Turkey’s index ranking, Transparency International focused on nepotism, bribes, and the inclination for giving state tenders to pro-government companies. The ownership by government officials of several businesses was commonplace in Turkey regardless of criticisms about conflict of interests. The country’s Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy drew public anger last year after becoming the new owner of the luxurious Hilton hotel in the resort town of Bodrum. Turkey’s Education Minister Ziya Selcuk owns one of the biggest private school chains in the country, while Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has a chain of private hospitals.
Meanwhile, the Turkish health ministry’s tender for the preservation and distribution of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines was given to a company investigated three years ago by the country’s Court of Accounts over the spoiling of 1.6 million doses of measles and rubella vaccines which came at a cost of 11.3 million liras ($1.5 million) to the public purse. “When we compared CPI results with the health care spending of each country, we saw striking results. Countries that are fighting better against corruption spend more on health care,” Ozarslan said. Separately, after candidates from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) ousted the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) nominees from Ankara and Istanbul municipalities in the 2019 Turkish local elections, the decades-long patronage system in the two cities came under the spotlight. The mayors of both cities claimed that several public works projects were outsourced to pro-government private companies, resulting in unnecessary expenditure using public resources. “The recently elected mayors of municipalities like Ankara and Istanbul give very positive messages on transparency with their practices. Transparency was the main slogan they used to reach out to the masses in these cities and they pursued very innovative approaches in the fight against corruption that were appraised by the people,” Ozarslan added. In January, Istanbul mayor and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s long-time challenger, Ekrem Imamoglu, submitted 35 files about alleged previous irregularities. The municipality was also working on 40 other corruption files covering transactions carried out when the municipality was governed by an AKP-affiliated mayor. In December, the mayor of Ankara, Mansur Yavas, filed a criminal complaint about alleged irregularities involving executives of the previously AKP-led municipality over the purchase of malfunctioning “rotating telehandlers.” Ozarslan said such moves by the municipalities would set a precedent for the way politics was done in the country, with the prospect of “clean politics” gaining ground. “People who are fed up with corruption allegations can support this new transparent governance approach,” she added.

France’s Le Pen, at record high in polls, proposes hijab ban
AFP/January 29/2021
PARIS: French far-right leader Marine Le Pen proposed a ban on Muslim headscarves in all public places on Friday, seeking to build on a record recent poll putting her almost neck-and-neck with President Emmanuel Macron. The hijab policy, which would be contested in court and almost certainly be ruled unconstitutional, saw the 53-year-old return to a familiar campaign theme 15 months from the country’s 2022 presidential election. “I consider that the headscarf is an Islamist item of clothing,” Le Pen told reporters at a press conference where she proposed a new law to ban “Islamist ideologies” which she called “totalitarian and murderous.” Since taking over France’s main far-right party from her father, Le Pen has run twice for the French presidency, losing badly in 2017 to political newcomer Macron in a defeat that she took months to recover from.
But recent polling shows her closer than ever to her ultimate prize and has led to a rash of new speculation about whether the anti-EU, anti-immigration populist could finally enter the Elysee Palace. Despite recent setbacks for fellow ideologues such as Donald Trump, and Matteo Salvini in Italy, a survey reported earlier this week showed her within striking distance of Macron. The poll conducted online by Harris Interactive suggested that if a final-round presidential run-off were held today Le Pen would garner 48 percent while Macron would be re-elected with 52 percent, Le Parisien newspaper reported.
“It’s a poll, it’s a snapshot of a moment, but what it shows is that the idea of me winning is credible, plausible even,” Le Pen said at the Friday press conference. The prospect of a tight race set off alarm bells in the French political mainstream as the dual health and economic crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic sweep across the country. “It’s the highest she has ever been at,” said Jean-Yves Camus, a French political scientist specialized in the far-right, while adding that it was “too early to take the polls at face value.”
He said Le Pen was benefiting from frustration and anger over the pandemic, with France on the verge of a third lockdown, but also the beheading of a French school teacher by an Islamist last October. “It had a major impact on public opinion,” the expert from the Jean-Jaures Foundation told AFP. “And in this area, Marine Le Pen has an advantage: her party is well known for its position denouncing Islamism.” The beheading of Samuel Paty in a town northwest of Paris rekindled bitter arguments in France about immigration and the threat of Islamism, while putting the country’s strict form of secularism under international scrutiny. The secondary school teacher was attacked in the street by an 18-year-old extremist after he showed satirical cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to pupils during a civics class on free speech. In response to Paty’s death, Macron’s government shut a number of organizations deemed Islamist and drafted law legislation initially called “the anti-separatism bill” which cracks down on foreign funding for Islamic organizations. If re-elected after a campaign that is expected to be centered on jobs, the pandemic and the place of Islam in France, 43-year-old Macron would be the first president since Jacques Chirac in 2002 to win a second term. Under the presidential system, the top two candidates in a first round of voting progress to a second-round run-off where the winner must get more than 50 percent. A Le Pen win “was improbable three and half years ago,” veteran political commentator Alain Duhamel told the BFM news channel this week. “But today I wouldn’t say that it is probable, but I’d say, without any pleasure, that it seems to me to be possible.”A re-run of the Macron-Le Pen contest of 2017, which all polls currently show as the most likely outcome, could increase the abstention rate and disillusionment with the French political system. Turnout in the second round in 2017 was 74.6 percent, its lowest level since 1969, because many voters from the left declined to cast a ballot.

Explosion outside Israeli Embassy in New Delhi
Agence France Presse/January 29/2021
A blast outside the Israeli embassy in New Delhi on Friday damaged cars but did not cause injuries, police said. The district around the embassy was sealed off after the explosion and police and bomb disposal experts took over the scene. A police statement described it as a "very low intensity improvised device" that blew out the windows on three nearby cars. "Initial impressions suggest a mischievous attempt to create a sensation," the statement added. In February 2012 a bomb attack on an Israeli diplomatic car in Delhi injured four people.
The latest incident took place close to where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other government and military leaders were attending an army parade. The Indian capital is also on a security alert because of farmers' protests against government agriculture reforms that deteriorated into serious unrest this week.
 

Turkey Urges U.S. to Return to Iran Nuclear Accord
Agence France Presse/January 29/2021
Turkey urged the United States on Friday to return to the Iran nuclear agreement and lift sanctions on the Islamic republic, clearing the way for improved trade between the two neighbours. US President Joe Biden's administration has signalled a fresh approach to the Middle East, including a gradual return to diplomacy with Iran. But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington would only rejoin the Iran agreement, which Donald Trump abandoned in 2018, once Tehran resumes complying with its terms. "We hope the United States will return to the agreement under the Biden administration," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint press appearance with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Istanbul. "God willing, sanctions and embargoes on Iran will be removed," he said. On Thursday, Zarif said Washington had to take the first step because it was the one that walked away from the landmark 2015 accord, which was also signed by the European Union, Russia and China. "We are ready to do our part once America fulfils its commitments," Zarif reaffirmed on Friday. Biting US sanctions on Tehran that accompanied Trump's decision to drop the deal have hampered trade between Turkey and Iran, which once included large Turkish purchases of Iranian oil. "Turkey has a clear stance against the US sanctions," Cavusoglu said. The visit by Iran's top diplomat comes as part of a regional tour that took him to Baku, Yerevan, Tbilisi and Moscow. Turkey and Iran, two regional powers with diplomatic disagreements that include Syria, became entangled in a spat in December linked to Turkey's support for Azerbaijan in its victorious war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. Erdogan, who attended a victory parade in Baku, recited a poem that Iranian officials said supported separatism among Iran's large ethnic Azerbaijani minority. Tehran and Ankara have since tried to move past the dispute. Iran has condemned the imposition of US sanctions on Turkey over its procurement of a Russian S-400 air defence system, saying it showed "contempt for international law"."Unfortunately, America is used to imposing sanctions and these policies harm the whole world and the US itself," said Zarif, who is also due to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday.

Taliban Says U.S. 'Bombarding Civilians, Houses' in Violation of Afghan Deal
Agence France Presse/January 29/2021
The Taliban on Friday accused Washington of violating a landmark deal signed between the two sides, after the Pentagon said the hardline group had failed to meet its side of the agreement. "The other side have violated the agreement, almost every day they are violating it," Mohammad Naeem, a Taliban spokesman in Qatar, told AFP. "They are bombarding civilians, houses and villages, and we have informed them from time to time, these are not just violations of the agreement but violations of human rights."

Conflicting reports on reason for sirens in Tehran as Turkish flight diverted to Baku
Ismaeel Naar and Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/Saturday 30 January 2021
Air raid sirens were sounded in and around parts of Iran’s capital Tehran, according to reports and videos shared on social media. The siren was heard for several minutes in western Tehran, according to videos shared by Iranian users. Around the same time, a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Tehran circled above the Iranian capital before being diverted away. A Flight Radar 24 path of the airplane showed it changed its flight path to Baku during the same time as reports of the sirens were heard. The two events are “unrelated,” Iran’s state TV reported, citing unnamed sources. The Public Relations office of Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport said the Turkish Airlines plane had diverted due to “weather conditions.” “The pilot of the Turkish Airlines plane changed its route to Baku due to weather conditions and will return to Tehran as the weather conditions stabilize,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted the airport department as saying. The siren heard in western Tehran was due to a “disruption in the sound system of an organization,” the semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Hamidreza Goudarzi, Tehran Governor’s Deputy for Security, as saying. Goudarzi did not say which organization. “There are no security problems and people should not worry,” Goudarzi added.The director general of Tehran’s crisis management organization told state TV the siren heard in the capital was the security alarm of “a complex” which was “activated due to a leak caused by heavy rainfall.”

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 29-30/2021

Iran Turns Gaza Into Storehouse for Weapons
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/January 29/2021
Instead of storing medicine and vaccines, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are busy storing rockets and explosive devices.
The Palestinian terror groups that moan about a crippling economic crisis in the Gaza Strip somehow always seem to find enough money to purchase, smuggle or manufacture weapons.
In addition, Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups have frequently violated the laws of war by firing rockets from within populated areas.
It is important to stress that Hamas is planning to participate in the election while continuing to store weapons in residential areas in the Gaza Strip.
Had the explosion in Bet Hanoun been caused by Israel, international media outlets would have been falling over themselves to shout about another Israeli "war crime." Perhaps it is time to heed the postings.... that call out the true enemy: Hamas, PIJ, and other Palestinian terrorist groups.
Rather than doing anything to secure COVID-19 vaccines for the two million Palestinians living under their rule in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian terror groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are continuing to do what they have proven themselves experts at doing: prepare for war against Israel and endanger the lives of innocent civilians, Israelis and Palestinians alike. Pictured: A spokesman for Gaza-based terrorist groups speaks at a press conference during joint military exercises led by Hamas, in Gaza City on December 29, 2020. (Photo by Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images)
As many in the international community express more and more concern about the economic and humanitarian crisis in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, the Palestinian terror groups there seem less and less concerned about improving the living conditions of their people.
These groups, specifically Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), are not doing anything to secure vaccines against COVID-19 for the two million Palestinians living under their rule in the Gaza Strip.
Instead, Hamas and PIJ are continuing to do what they have proven themselves experts at doing: prepare for war against Israel and endanger the lives of innocent civilians, Israelis and Palestinians alike.
In preparing for war, the two Iranian-backed groups are manufacturing and smuggling various types of weapons, including rockets and explosive devices, that they plan to use in their attacks on Israel. Instead of storing medicine and vaccines, Hamas and PIJ are busy storing rockets and explosive devices.
The weapons are stored in the homes of Palestinians and public institutions throughout the Gaza Strip, including schools, hospitals and mosques. Hamas and PIJ do not store weapons in their offices and installations because they are afraid of being targeted by Israel. By storing weapons among local civilians, Hamas and PIJ exhibit their total disregard for the lives of their people, who are being used as both cannon-fodder and human shields in a jihad (holy war) against Israel.
Significantly, international human rights organizations and "pro-Palestinian" advocacy groups around the world -- by ignoring the dangerous actions of Hamas and PIJ, not only against Israel, but against Palestinians as well -- are also showing disregard for the safety and lives of the Palestinians.
In the absence of international attention, Hamas and PIJ have turned the Gaza Strip into one big warehouse for stockpiling weapons of all kinds. The Palestinian terror groups that moan about a crippling economic crisis in the Gaza Strip somehow always seem to find enough money to purchase, smuggle or manufacture weapons.
The voices of the international human rights organizations and "pro-Palestinian" activists around the world are also not heard when Palestinians fall victim to the reckless practices of Palestinian terror groups.
Take, for example, the explosion that rocked Bet Hanoun, a Palestinian town in the northern Gaza Strip, the morning of January 23, 2021.
According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Public Works and Housing, the explosion that occurred inside a house completely destroyed two houses and damaged 100 others.
At least 47 Palestinians, including nine children and 15 women, were wounded in the explosion, according to the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, a Palestinian organization.
The explosion, which Palestinians refer to as an "accident," was caused by weapons that were stored inside a house belonging to a member of PIJ from the Alkafarna family in Beit Hanoun.
Such "accidents" are not uncommon in the Gaza Strip. In 2009, a rocket fired by Palestinian terror groups toward Israel hit a house in the town of Bet Lahiya in the Gaza Strip, killing two Palestinian girls, aged five and 12. In addition, Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups have frequently violated the laws of war by firing rockets from within populated areas.
On January 2, another three children and a woman were injured in another "accident" in the Shajjaiyeh neighborhood of Gaza City. The explosion was apparently caused by weapons stored by Palestinian terror groups in a house.
In April 2020, a Palestinian man was killed and three others injured in yet another "accident" in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City. Again, the explosion was apparently caused by weapons belonging to Hamas and PIJ.
Four months later, four PIJ militiamen were killed when a rocket they were handling accidentally exploded east of Gaza City. The militiamen were apparently preparing to fire the rocket into Israel from a residential area in the Gaza Strip.
Most residents of the Gaza Strip are too terrified to criticize the Palestinian terror groups for storing weapons in residential areas. After the Bet Hanoun explosion, however, several Palestinians condemned Hamas and PIJ for endangering the lives of innocent civilians. according to the Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm:
"Social media users and citizens directed sharp criticisms against the Islamic Jihad for its reckless behavior and its lack of concern for the safety of innocent civilians, due to its concealment and storage of explosive materials in the homes of citizens, which caused many victims in the past."
The newspaper quoted an unidentified witness as saying that the Bet Hanoun explosion occurred inside a house belonging to a family known for its close relations with Hamas and PIJ.
Maysara Alkafarna, a Palestinian who lives in the area where the explosion occurred, took an unusual and brave step by attacking the Palestinian terror groups over their disregard for the safety of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
In a post on Facebook, Alkafarna wrote:
"Until when will this disregard for the lives of people continue? Why should the hearts of an entire neighborhood be killed out of fear and their shouting reach the sky? Isn't it enough that they are already living in hunger and poverty? To our leaders: enough of your carelessness. You have destroyed us. We are not a field for experiments."
The Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, meanwhile, called for an investigation into the explosion. The organization revealed that a three-storey house was completely destroyed, while six adjacent houses were partially damaged, including a school, a youth club and a police station.
"The Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights views the explosion with concern," it said in a statement, adding that similar incidents have taken place in the past in residential areas in the Gaza Strip.
"These incidents violate human rights and international humanitarian law. Al-Mezan reiterates its call for a comprehensive and serious investigation into this incident, and for publishing the results of the investigation and taking the necessary measures to prevent their recurrence."
The explosion in the Gaza Strip occurred as leaders of Hamas, PIJ and other Palestinian factions are expected to meet in Egypt in the coming weeks to discuss preparations for holding new general elections. The Palestinian factions are not scheduled to discuss the consequences of the explosion, mainly because it is seen as an embarrassment for the terror groups that use the homes of civilians to store weapons.
Hamas has already expressed a readiness to participate in the upcoming elections. It is hoping to repeat its victory in the 2006 parliamentary election.
It is important to stress that Hamas is planning to participate in the election while continuing to store weapons in residential areas in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas can rest easy, knowing that the international community does not care if more Palestinians continue to pay the price for "accidents" caused by explosives and rockets stored inside the homes of Palestinians. Had the explosion in Bet Hanoun been caused by Israel, international media outlets would have been falling over themselves to shout about another Israeli "war crime." Perhaps it is time to heed the postings like those of the Alkafarna -- postings that call out the true enemy: Hamas, PIJ, and other Palestinian terrorist groups.
*Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem, is a Shillman Journalism Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2021 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Iran’s unlawful emissaries harming US interests
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/January 29/2021
While there have been many media reports exposing Iran’s agents and spies in the Middle East and Europe, little attention has been paid to Tehran’s operatives in the US. Unfortunately, however, their importance in shaping American policies toward Iran, promoting the regime’s propaganda, getting paid by Tehran without reporting it, and harming the US national interest has long been downplayed.
Just last week, political scientist and author Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi was arrested at his home in Watertown, Massachusetts. According to the US Justice Department, he has been charged with “acting and conspiring to act as an unregistered agent of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).”
What is more shocking is that Afrasiabi, who has been in the US for almost 35 years, had allegedly been working for the Iranian regime for more than 13 years without being detected. His chargesheet states that, from July 2007 to November 2020, he received at least $265,000 from the Iranian government. According to the Lobbying Disclosure Act, anyone who is paid to lobby the US federal government is required to register with the secretary of the Senate and the clerk of the House of Representatives.
Examining Afrasiabi’s activities could be an important way to shed light on how Iran’s agents operate in the US and other countries. He presented himself as an independent political scientist, academic and expert. He allegedly wrote articles and books and gave TV interviews while getting guidance and payments from the Iranian regime. In one instance, when an Iranian official asked him to revise an article that he had already submitted, he reportedly complied with the instructions. In addition, without disclosing his ties with his paymaster, he helped a US congressman draft a letter to former President Barack Obama in favor of a deal that Iran wanted. He is also accused of trying to obtain important information by sending an email to an official in the State Department inquiring about the administration’s “thinking” on Iran’s nuclear program.
US policy on Tehran has a significant impact on the regime’s economy, its military adventurism in the Middle East, the development of its nuclear and ballistic missiles programs, and its pursuit of regional hegemony and pre-eminence. As a result, it is realistic to argue that the regime has operatives who attempt to sway public opinion in the US and push the government to introduce specific policies that favor the ruling clerics.
The Iranian leaders use their agents to spread propaganda and promote their narratives, such as that the American sanctions on Tehran ought to be lifted; that the nuclear deal is a good one for the West and the wider international community; that Iran’s involvements and interventions in other countries are minimal or nonexistent; that Iran’s militaristic roles in Syria and Iraq are aimed at protecting those nations from extremist groups, and so on.
Many questions remain unanswered about why Iran’s agents hide their connections to their paymaster. Is it to avoid paying taxes? Or is it to maintain some legitimacy and credibility by not exposing their links to the world’s top state sponsor of terrorism?
The significance of the role that Iran’s agents play in the US must not be downplayed. When Mehdi Hosseini, the chairman of Iran’s Oil Contracts Restructuring Committee, was asked in 2013 whether there were any Western entities that pressured their governments on behalf of Iran, he stated: “Yes. They have done this in the past.” These efforts, he added, “help us and we should exploit these opportunities.”
The regime has operatives who attempt to push the US government to introduce specific policies that favor the ruling clerics.
Last year, Republican Sens. Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton and Mike Braun called on the Department of Justice to open an investigation into the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). The congressmen stated that this entity was a lobby group that “may be conducting lobbying and public relations activities in coordination with or on behalf of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” NIAC is not registered as a lobby group and has reportedly been operating for more than a decade. The organization calls itself a “nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advancing the interests of (the) Iranian-American community.” Intriguingly, according to the senators’ statement: “NIAC’s former acting policy director, Patrick Disney, admitted in internal emails that he and the organization’s legislative director spent more than 20 percent of their time conducting lobbying activities. He wrote, ‘I believe we fall under this definition of lobbyist.’”
There are likely many people in the US who are disguised as “independents” but in reality get paid by the Iranian regime, promote its propaganda, and harm the US national interest. America and other Western countries must take this issue seriously and track these people down.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Biden should look to France for guidance on Middle East
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/January 29/2021
The Greater Middle East is the second place the transatlantic vision and alliance will be most challenged in the coming years, the first being in Western capitals. For the first time in decades and as the world’s geopolitical order is being reshuffled, there are questions about whether the entire Middle East region might shift from its historical alliance with the West, namely the US and Europe.
As we all know, the US is becoming energy independent from the region and is also looking to shift and reduce its footprint. Europe, on the other hand, is still dependent on the region and Russia to warm its homes in winter. Beyond the energy aspect, Western capitals will be deciding whether they are willing to keep their pre-eminence and defend their values not only in the Middle East but globally. One thing is for sure: Any mistake in the region will this time provoke a geopolitical shift that will have a big impact on global security and problematic consequences for the West.
It seems that, historically, Washington’s decisions on the Middle East and many other foreign policy issues always came after taking advice from Downing Street. The UK has always been a privileged adviser to the US, if not the most privileged, more than Paris or any other capital in the world. When discussing this topic with friends from the UK, I always tell them that I do not understand why the US listens to them so much. They keep giving the US bad advice, and I jokingly say that they do this on purpose because they are frustrated the US became the new leader of the world, replacing the UK, and because they hold a grudge toward France, which supported US independence. But, jokes aside, I believe that, at least when it comes to the Middle East, this should change and Washington should work more closely with Paris than any other capital.
Today, as challenges mount across the globe and especially in the Middle East, there is a need for a strong and renewed partnership between the US and Europe, particularly France. There is also an urgent need for Europe to step up to the challenges that it is facing on its borders. Until now, and unfortunately, Europe has appeared as a weak link in the Western alliance. This weakness has sometimes even made it a sort of bargaining chip or as something in need of rescue in regional issues.
The US has much to gain from working closely with France in these challenging times. France has a strong knowledge of the Middle East, understands its mechanisms, and often has a fair and balanced approach to its issues. More importantly, France — and Europe generally — has skin in the game in the region and is a committed long-term partner, which makes its decision-making process focused on long-term stability and problem-solving. President Emmanuel Macron also has a positive approach toward Russia and China alike, which is needed to find long-term solutions in the region.
Sunday’s call between Joe Biden and Macron, which came after the US president spoke to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, could be the beginning of such a partnership. During the call, both leaders outlined some of the key issues and challenges facing the transatlantic alliance and NATO, including the Middle East, with its never-ending peace process and eternal Iranian nuclear issue. Ultimately, all the issues in the Middle East symbolize the challenges the world is facing. It is also a witness to the growing influence of China, as well as Russia, and the potential shift toward a stronger eastern alliance. A final point where France and the US are now in complete alignment is climate change, and this will also have a bigger than expected impact on our region on many levels.
These geopolitical shifts come at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has, more than anything else, shown the weaknesses of Europe when handling a difficult situation. Many people in the rest of the world are questioning if we are witnessing the end of Western influence. Has the influence of Europe and the US, through both hard and soft power, entered the final phase of decline, especially in the Middle East? This has led to a more defiant and independent policymaking attitude in the Middle East, by both the enemies and friends of the transatlantic alliance. When US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Wednesday, they discussed ways to renew and further strengthen the transatlantic relationship. Blinken also referred to France as the US’ oldest ally.
The key issue the Western alliance should understand, which will have strong consequences on where the Middle East goes from here, is the Iranian nuclear file. This is especially true for Lebanon, which Macron has been genuinely trying to help and which he was adamant on mentioning during his call with Biden. However, the prosperous future for Lebanon that Macron envisions cannot take place if there is a full takeover by Hezbollah. A new weak nuclear agreement that does not cover the subject of Iranian interference beyond its borders will be the equivalent of handing the keys of the region to Iran, and those of Lebanon to Hezbollah. It would be a big mistake for the Western alliance.
France has a strong knowledge of the region, understands its mechanisms, and often has a fair and balanced approach to its issues.
The biggest loser would end up being the Western alliance itself, not the Arab countries as one might expect. The Western allies in the region would be forced to shift and rebalance their alliances and withdraw from the openness they have privileged the West with until now. At the same time, a weak deal would not bring the Iranian regime any closer to the West, but would rather encourage it to challenge the West even more and with greater resources. Arab allies of the Western alliance would find a way to cope and to rebalance their interests, but the West would lose out.
A decade ago, this was not the case, and leading Arab countries were genuinely worried. Today, they have carved out for themselves a more independent niche and have larger maneuvering prospects. They will be able to rebalance their interests, cooperating on security files with the West when needed, while also deepening their relations with China, India and Russia. Another weak nuclear deal might just be the final nail in the coffin for the old relationship status between the West and the region. France, which does not have the means of its policies but understands the importance of empowering local allies, would therefore be capable of helping the US find the proper and needed balance.
*Khaled Abou Zahr is CEO of Eurabia, a media and tech company. He is also the editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.

Future Investment Initiative: The Neo-Renaissance and ESG
Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/January 29/2021
This was not surprising as the title of the conference was “The Neo- Renaissance,” inspired by the impetus to the economy and culture in 15th and 16th century Florence as the world emerged from the plague – another pandemic with global reach. The pandemic has changed the world for good. Hence, how one could build better is pivotal. The governor of the Public Investment Fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, eloquently pointed out that the pandemic constituted an unprecedented opportunity for fresh thinking.
If we want to make sure that the global economy and the world at large emerge from the crisis in a better place than before, the environment, social equity and governance are surely a good starting point.
ESG has become a buzzword and big business at the same time. Deloitte estimates that, in the US alone, funds invested in this category will treble between now and 2025. By then, 50 percent of professionally managed money in the country is expected to conform with ESG standards.
Looking at the growth trajectory of that investment class, it would not be a surprise if even a bigger percentage of all assets under management would be expected to conform to ESG principles by then.
In the US, the incoming administration of President Joe Biden has lost no time in working on the environmental agenda by re-joining the Paris Agreement on climate change and a whole raft of other measures. We should expect COP26, when the signatories of the Paris accord meet in Glasgow this November, to set more ambitious goals. On an intellectual level, everyone can agree to lofty ESG goals. At the practical level, it is important to look at this new investment class through the prism of reality, which is precisely where the FII conference delivered.
Net-zero goals are important if we are to save the planet. They need to be triangulated, though, with the need to lift close to a billion people in the third world out of energy poverty. Affordability is an important factor for developing economies. The CEO of Total, a corporation by now defining itself as an energy company rather than an oil company, made an excellent point when he highlighted the role of natural gas in energy transition.
The FII conference was refreshing in as much as it went beyond stipulating the home truth that investments need to be more sustainable from an environmental, social and governance perspective if we are serious about building a better world.
Energy demand will grow alongside a growing world population, which means that fossil fuels will remain an important part of the energy mix for years to come. This necessitates that, rather than being dogmatic about eliminating hydrocarbons, the world has to become smart about how to mitigate their CO2 emissions. Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman brought that message home when he stressed the important role of the circular carbon economy and Saudi Arabia’s carbon sustainability program.
Indeed, the Kingdom is poised to become a leader in green energy just as it has traditionally been one in oil and gas. The renewables program under Saudi Vision 2030 and the use of advanced technologies to produce blue and green hydrogen are just two examples to prove that case.
As with everything, lofty ambitions and visions are great, but execution is where the rubber meets the road. It was, therefore, not surprising that over the last two days a lot of emphasis was placed on how to measure the impact of ESG compatible investments. There is currently no unified set of metrics, and the time horizon for measuring the efficacy of ESG goals is much longer than the current quarter-to-quarter approach that publicly quoted companies adhere to when it comes to financial performance.
Various organisations like the UN, the World Economic Forum, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation are all working toward developing a universal set of metrics. This has so far been a goal and we have collectively embarked on the journey of getting there, which is no easy task. Al-Rumayyan had a point when he said that, particularly on the S (social) dimension, there was still ground to be covered. New technologies and digitization drive forward the quest for measuring the ESG impact of investments, which inspired hope on Thursday. All in all, the FII conference was refreshing in as much as it went beyond stipulating the home truth that investments need to be more sustainable from an environmental, social and governance perspective if we are serious about building a better world while we emerge from the pandemic.
Where the last two days really contributed to the debate was that they were anchored in reality and highlighted the areas where the debate could be improved – a welcome dose of realism. If we are serious about building better, we need to have the right ESG values and, at the same time, be realistic in what it takes to achieve them.
*Cornelia Meyer is a Ph.D.-level economist with 30 years of experience in investment banking and industry. She is chairperson and CEO of business consultancy Meyer Resources. Twitter: @MeyerResources

‘Strategy’ won’t beat the virus — logistics will
Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/January 29/2021
For those who have lived through 2020, the rollout of coronavirus vaccines as that terrible year came to an end was a welcome glimpse of what seemed to be light at the end of a very dark tunnel — the product of unprecedented global cooperation by scientists, microbiologists, virologists, and pharmaceutical companies. Then, however, two things happened: A new variant of the virus emerged, at the same time as many of the world’s citizens lowered their guard, causing another spike in infections and ultimately deaths.
The sad truth is that while the battle against coronavirus (COVID-19) may be nearing its end, it is far from over. To use a football analogy, the 90 minutes are up, but now we are in extra time, and the sudden death rule is in operation.
There is therefore a need for even greater caution. Greater awareness. Greater alertness. Not a single day passes without heartbreaking news from colleagues and friends, which should be enough to illustrate the importance of mass vaccination and protective measures.
What we are now seeing across the world — from developed societies such the UK or the EU, to the less developed, such as Lebanon — is evidence of how mistakes can be costly.
While the new vaccines were in the development and trial stages, the world had 10 months to prepare for the day when they could be used. Some countries either completely failed to grasp the gravity of the situation, or allowed the issue to be politicized.
As the US Second World War general Omar Bradley famously observed: “Amateurs talk strategy. Professionals talk logistics.” No sensible person questions the strategy of vaccination. The important question is, how do you get as much vaccine into as many arms as possible?
It is tragic that some countries have indulged in discrimination when it comes to vaccine administration. This is not a time for bickering and apportioning blame. We are all in the same boat. It is in this context that Saudi Arabia will supply the vaccine to Yemen and other less well-off countries. “We are negotiating with a lot of the vaccination companies to provide more vaccinations, particularly to low-income countries,” Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan told the virtual World Economic Forum in Davos.
This virus does not recognize national boundaries or man-made borders; it has no religion, so it doesn’t care what yours is. It is therefore tragic that some countries have indulged in discrimination when it comes to vaccine administration. There was no justification for Israel to brag about the success of its vaccination program while denying the vaccine to Palestinians, the crassest case of racism imaginable. When it comes to defeating COVID-19, we are all in this fight together. For the vaccine to be effective, we must all be responsible. We must see that everyone is protected, not least our neighbors, regardless of how great the differences between us may be. Fighting one deadly biological virus is difficult enough, but hate and discrimination can be viruses too. Let us not create any more.
• Faisal J. Abbas is the editor in chief of Arab News.
Twitter: @FaisalJAbbas.

Day 2 of the Future Investment Initiative: an economist’s perspective or what it
Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/January 29/2021
The second day of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) investigated what the post-COVID -19 economic future might look like, and presented some bold visions. This was the logical progression from Day 1 of the conference, which had painted with a broad brush the impact the pandemic has had on the economy, and delineated what that meant for investments in all sectors.
The theme of this year’s event, “neo-renaissance,” was cleverly chosen. It was inspired by the renaissance in Florence during 15th and 16th centuries, when the economy, culture and the arts flourished as the world was recovering from another pandemic, the Black Death.
A true neo-renaissance is synonymous with building better, which can only be achieved with vision. Just as nothing succeeds like success, nothing proves the importance of such vision better than a strong example — and the rousing start to the second day of the FII provided just that.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman inspired the audience with his vision and plan to develop Riyadh into an exciting new metropolis with 15 to 20 million inhabitants. His presentation was accompanied by a flurry of announcements by international companies that they will base their regional headquarters in Riyadh. This is not the only big urban project in the Kingdom. Under Saudi Vision 2030 there is also the NEOM city of the future, Qiddiya and Amaala, among other projects. These are not just cities and resorts of the future in terms of digitization, technology and transport, they are also leading the way in terms of the environment and sustainability. NEOM, for example, will be 100 percent powered by renewable energy. These bold projects will not just set the standard and pace in the region but also globally.
Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih explained the importance of domestic and international private-sector investment, and the government’s determination to create the framework conditions necessary to achieve the vision for Riyadh’s future. A vision without a plan for execution leads nowhere, as Fahd Al-Rasheed, the president of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, pointed out most eloquently. He emphasized the crown prince’s focus on execution and governance. Saudi Arabia is leading the way in thinking big and thinking outside the box, which is what is needed if we are to build better.
The Kingdom also played an important leadership role throughout 2020, when it held the presidency of the G20 and called an early summit in March when the pandemic began. Fahad Al-Mubarak, governor of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), and the Kingdom’s G20 sherpa, stressed the importance of multilateral cooperation. Under Saudi leadership, the G20 drove coordination of the economic response to the pandemic by governments, a coordinated approach to healthcare and vaccines, as well as the Debt Service Suspension Initiative, which is a crucial mechanism for the weakest developing countries.
In the same vein, Saudi Ambassador to the US Princess Reema bint Bandar instilled in the audience a sense of global responsibility by asking them to contribute to the efforts of the World Food Program, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year. In the past year, the pandemic, conflicts and climate change combined to double the number of people facing starvation worldwide from 130 million to 270 million. To prevent them from starving would cost $5 billion. From a macroeconomic perspective the conference powerfully highlighted the importance of international cooperation when dealing with global threats such as COVID-19. It also showed how those who were best prepared and had contingency plans and operational capabilities in place — be they countries or companies — had fared much better than those who did not.
The world will be a very different place after COVID-19. Advancements in digitization, biotech technologies and artificial intelligence have accelerated beyond the wildest expectations. It is these technological advances that will allow the global economy to become a more equitable and prosperous place.
Digitization helped the world get through the pandemic by allowing for work, education and other activities to be carried out remotely. It will also shape future economic activity, as new industries such as financial technology, or fintech, prove. The growth of fintech accelerated by leaps and bounds as a result of the pandemic — the 40 percent penetration it reached in the Kingdom in 2020 is just one example of this.
Corporate-financing methods have also changed and ever-evolving innovation will require investment of capital from venture capitalists as well as conventional financial institutions. The latter have become more concentrated since the financial crisis. They are also better capitalized, which is important because the rebuild will require capital. The conference also made clear that the interplay between fintech and traditional financial institutions will increase in the coming years.
ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) was again woven through all sessions, which makes a lot of sense if the aim is to build better. A better world is one that is environmentally sustainable, more equitable and where governance matters.
The focus on the environment also has to be seen in the context of COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference, which will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, in November. It will set the bar a lot higher than ever before in terms of the commitments expected from signatories to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. This holds especially true because the US has re-joined the accord under the Biden administration.
Frustration over the lack of ESG metrics was voiced again. However, the emerging view on the second day of the conference was that digitization is giving investors the tools to measure compliance. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a big test for humanity and for the global economy. In the words of Lubna Olayan, chairwoman of Saudi British Bank, we should not let the crisis go to waste. She is right: we should build better and, as far as ESG is concerned, listen to the voices of younger generations who deeply care about equity and the environment.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund set the tone when he opened the conference by stating that the pandemic presents an unprecedented opportunity for fresh thinking. He was absolutely right. Just as fresh perspectives were the cornerstone of the renaissance in Florence, they are also what the neo-renaissance will be all about.
If one thing became obvious over the past two days, it is that out-of-the-box thinking will be required. The FII masterfully teased out the most important examples of what it takes to build better. The conference was unique in going well beyond the usual commonalities of conference speak, and giving the audience specific ways in which we can build a better, post-pandemic tomorrow.
• Cornelia Meyer is a Ph.D.-level economist with 30 years of experience in investment banking and industry. She is chairperson and CEO of business consultancy Meyer Resources.
 

‘Secretive’ Hamas elections spark internal party row
Hazem Balousha/Arab News/January 29/2021
GAZA CITY: Secret Hamas internal elections have become the subject of a growing rift in the party amid calls for greater openness and representation ahead of Palestine’s general elections scheduled for May.
The General Shoura Council of Hamas rejected a request by the political leadership to postpone internal elections for one year in order for the party to devote time to legislative elections, in which Hamas can maximize its political clout. Hamas, which will celebrate its 34th anniversary this year, is looking to new leadership to lead the party over the next four years, but internal disputes are surfacing, bucking the trend of secrecy and traditionalism within the movement.
An official Hamas source said that if the Cairo-hosted inter-Palestinian dialogue on general elections proves successful, Hamas will immediately begin internal elections, provided they finish in two months instead of six.
Hamas conducts its elections in complete secrecy in three regions — the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and the diaspora — once every four years in order to choose its leadership. Positions up for grabs range from leadership of sub-regions, Shoura Council spots and Political Bureau posts, which represent the highest “executive authority” in the movement.
The Political Bureau consists of 15 members, distributed evenly across Gaza, the West Bank and the diaspora. They are chosen by the Shoura, Hamas’ highest regulatory authority, which maintains an anonymous member count.
The last internal elections were held in 2017 and saw Ismail Haniyeh become head of the Political Bureau — the first time a Gaza-based leader was elected to an executive position.
According to widely circulated information, Haniyeh is not guaranteed to remain in his post for a second term in light of Turkish-Qatari support for the return of former chief Khaled Mashaal, who, according to procedural rules, can become president again.
Haniyeh, who comes from a refugee family, has lived abroad for more than a year, moving between Ankara and Doha, while Mashaal, who was born in Kuwait, has resided permanently in Doha since Hamas left Syria following disputes with the Bashar Assad regime.
Last month, Hamas held elections for new leadership of the High Commanding Authority in Israeli prisons. Salama Al-Qatawi, a detainee, was appointed chief, detainee Abdel Nasser Issa his deputy, while 13 other prisoners were granted membership of the movement.
The anonymous Hamas source told Arab News that Hamas prisoners are dissatisfied with the leadership positions and their perceived lack of power in decision-making.
The source added that the prisoners are calling for prisons to be adopted as a fourth region in elections, their leader made a member of the new Political Bureau, and his deputy made a member of the Shoura Council.
If their campaign proves successful, the prisoners will have a representative in the Political Bureau for the first time in years.
Wasfi Qabha, a prominent Hamas leader in the West Bank and former minister of prisoners, defended the right of the prisoners to be represented in the Political Bureau.
He expressed dissatisfaction with prisoner and West Bank representation in the last election, adding: “It is not acceptable for the prisoners not to have a representative, and those who represent the West Bank have members residing outside it.”
The West Bank is represented in the Political Bureau by exiled ex-prisoners and leaders who have settled in the region, which has led to accusations that its leadership lacks authenticity.
“The principle is that whoever leaves the West Bank is counted on the quota of abroad, and leaves the representation of the West Bank to its people. The West Bank is not a minor child in need of guardianship,” Qabha told Arab News.
West Bank elections are supervised by Saleh Al-Arouri, deputy head of the Political Bureau, who has lived abroad following his deportation in 2011 that came after his release from an Israeli prison as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.
Hamas’ internal system relies on secrecy. It forbids members from directly running for any of its leadership bodies. Rather, it is based on the principle of endorsement, whereby figures are selected to compete for leadership vacancies — from the lower level to the upper.
Recently, new voices have emerged within Hamas calling for a change in the traditional pattern of elections to keep pace with developments and to face both internal and external challenges.
These include Ghazi Hamad, head of the Ministry of Social Development in Gaza, who wrote the article “Hamas elections — between traditional stereotypes and the required renewal,” in which he argued that it is time to “break the tradition and adopt change, frankness, boldness and qualitative action.”
Hamad addressed the Hamas base, saying that it is wrong to limit the elections of a great movement with a history, popularity and national presence to purely partisan walls.
He added that some people want elections to remain “traditional, stereotypical and secret,” denying members the ability to communicate and revise leadership, and limiting choices only to certain geographic areas.
Khalil Al-Hayya, a member of the Political Bureau, said in an interview with Hamas’ Aqsa TV that the movement took its decision to conduct internal elections as per the scheduled dates, adding that elections will be conducted “smoothly and in a friendly atmosphere.”