English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For July 29/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12/01-05/:”Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered in thousands, so that they trampled on one another, he began to speak first to his disciples, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops. ‘I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 28-29/2021
Wildfire in Northern Lebanon Scorches Forest, 1 Person Dead
Massive fire breaks out in northern Lebanon's Qoubaiyat, flames near homes
Al-Sisi Receives Army Commander, Praises Army’s Role
Lebanon’s PM-designate Mikati says he has international backing to stop collapse
Miqati Meets Aoun, Senses 'Acceptance' of Line-Up Suggestions
FPM: Bassil 'Did Not' Ask Miqati for Interior Ministry
Bassil Advises Miqati Not to be 'Hariri's Fifth Victim'
Report: Miqati to Form 24-Seat Techno-Political Govt.
Hariri on Aoun: I Never Expected He'd Have Such a Personality
Hariri Demands Lifting Immunity of All Officials Involved in Port Blast Probe
US Urges Lebanon’s Mikati to Form Government Quickly
Former German intelligence chief details meetings with Hezbollah’s Nasrallah
National Mourning Day on August 4
World’s cheapest Big Mac can be found in Lebanon, most expensive in Venezuela
U.S. Court Upholds Conviction of Alleged Hizbullah Agent
'Wounded Soul': Beirut Blast Haunts Scarred Survivors
3RF Consultative Group Discusses Lebanon's Worsening Socio-Economic Situation
Najib Mikati named Lebanon’s Prime Minister: The political establishment strikes back/Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/July 28/2021
The Hope of a Nation Lies in Education: For Lebanon This Has Never Felt More True/Op-ed by British Ambassador to Lebanon Ian Collard/Naharnet/July 28/2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 28-29/2021
What caused Tunisia’s President to sack PM, suspend Parliament?
Tunisia opens corruption probes of leading Islamist party
Political Parties Call for Roadmap in Tunisia but Differ over Goals
Tunisian President Kais says 460 people looted the country's money and resources
New US sanctions announced against Syria, Assad regime
Iraqi Armed Factions Coordinate with Political Allies to Oust Kadhimi
Jordan Foils ISIS Plot to Kill Israeli Soldiers
Algeria Exempts Travelers from Mandatory Quarantine
Palestinian Killed by Israeli Forces in West Bank
Swedish prosecutors charge Iranian for alleged 1988 ‘war crimes’

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 28-29/2021
Canadian Church-Hate Comes for Coptic Christians/Raymond Ibrahim/Coptic Solidarity/July 28/2021
The Real "Islamophobia Industry"/A.J. Caschetta/National Review/July 28/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 28-29/2021
Wildfire in Northern Lebanon Scorches Forest, 1 Person Dead
Associated Press/28 July ,2021
A wildfire raged in a forested area of mountainous northern Lebanon on Wednesday, reaching just outside some residential homes and killing a 15-year old who was helping firefighters put out the blaze, the civil defense and state news agency said.Firefighters, military helicopters and civilians battled the wildfire near the village of Qobayat in Akkar province that burned for hours and spread to nearby areas, the civil defense said. Late in the day, the fire was still advancing toward houses at the edge of the mountainous area. Lebanon's Red Cross said it evacuated 17 people and transported eight people to hospitals for emergency services. At least 25 residents were treated on the spot, the Red Cross said. Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab called for urgent assistance from neighboring Cyprus. A three-day brush fire in Cyprus earlier this month was described as the most destructive blaze in the country's 61-year history as an independent republic. The Qobayat area is described by many as having one of the most beautiful forests in Lebanon, with oak, pine and cedar trees. Lebanon's civil defense said the fire destroyed large parts of the forest. The state-owned National News Agency said the fire spread over seven kilometers =and was two kilometers across, claiming tens of thousands of pine trees so far. One young man who was helping to fight the fire was injured and died, the civil defense said. The NNA later said he was 15. Firefighting vehicles were dispatched from the capital, Beirut. Lebanon suffered devastating wildfires in October 2019 that lasted for more than two days and spread from the mountains in Chouf to just outside the capital Beirut. Lack of equipment and preparedness combined with high temperatures and gusty winds caused the fire to rage and destroy acres of forest. The government's handling of the fires was among the factors that fueled nationwide protests later that month, which were originally called because of arbitrary government economic policies.

Massive fire breaks out in northern Lebanon's Qoubaiyat, flames near homes
Joanne Serrieh & Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/28 July ,2021
Firefighters and civil defense authorities are working to put out a massive fire in northern Lebanon's Qoubaiyat, the Lebanese News Agency (NNA) reported on Wednesday, with social media videos showing flames approaching homes in the Akkar area. “Directives were given to all civil defense centers in Akkar to go to Qoubaiyat to help put out the fire. Work is underway to secure water tanks for supply,” the NNA reported. The Lebanese Red Cross said its teams were transporting patients from the site of the fire to nearby hospitals and evacuating families and the elderly. Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun followed up on the development of the fires that broke out in Akkar district, especially Qoubaiyat and Beino villages, and asked the Army Command and Civil Defense to make all efforts to put the fires out and prevent them from spreading to homes and to help the people. The President gave directions to seek the assistance of Cyprus to contribute to extinguishing the fires in the event of any further widespread. Lebanon’s National Agency said the army has managed to evacuate a number of citizens who had been trapped in their cars by the fire on Qoubaiyat’s main highway. Lebanese parliament member Wehbe Qatisha said that it seems that the fire has expanded to the nearby Andket forests. “I call on the security forces and the Civil Defense to go to the historical forests to save them from the fire as soon as possible,” he added. Lebanon’s National Agency announced and mourned the death of one of the volunteers who was trying to extinguish the fires in Kaftoun village in northern Lebanon.

Al-Sisi Receives Army Commander, Praises Army’s Role
Naharnet/28 July ,2021
The Army Command tweeted on Wednesday that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received Army Commander General Joseph Aoun and praised the role of the Lebanese Army “at this delicate stage.”Al-Sissi stressed on the army’s efforts “to provide security and stability” for Lebanon. Aoun, from his side, thanked al-Sisi for "Egypt's continuous support for Lebanon and the Lebanese army."

Lebanon’s PM-designate Mikati says he has international backing to stop collapse
Bloomberg/28 July ,2021
Lebanon’s newly appointed prime minister said he has the international backing and business experience to stop the country’s descent toward an economic and social implosion that would reverberate across the Middle East. “I have the needed international support from the EU, and particularly from France, Najib Mikati, a billionaire businessman and two-time former premier who was appointed this week, said in a phone interview. “And I’m confident the US will be open to support as well, he said, beyond the assistance Washington already gives to Lebanon’s army.” I can’t put out the fire, Mikati said Wednesday, promising to lead from the front. “But I can stop it from spreading, and that’s what I intend to do and hope to do in the first 100 days in office,” he added. France’s President Emmanuel Macron has spearheaded international efforts to shore up Lebanon, a former French colony, amid its worst ever financial crisis. Donors have pledged a war chest worth billions of dollars on the understanding Beirut embarks on critical economic reforms and tackles endemic corruption. Mikati has met with the president twice since his appointment to discuss a proposed cabinet, after two predecessor premier-designates failed to install an administration. Lebanon has been run by a caretaker government since a massive explosion ripped through the port of Beirut in August last year, killing more than 200 people and damaging swaths of the capital. The pick for the post of finance minister will have to be able to communicate with the International Monetary Fund over stalled talks on a $10 billion bailout, as well as prospective partners overseas, he said, while also dealing with the crisis-hit central bank. But Mikati signaled he’d play a major role in financial decision-making. “I come from the world of business and finance, and I will have a say in all finance-related decisions because in this kind of crisis, you need a decision-maker,” he said. After overseas remittances dried up, Lebanon defaulted on $30 billion in Eurobonds over a year ago to save what was left of its dwindling hard currency reserves. A collapse in the value of the pound has decimated the savings of millions of Lebanese, while shortages of fuel add to the misery. The IMF estimates the central bank’s “embedded losses, as well as those incurred by lenders, at around 241 trillion pounds, or $69 billion, based on a proposed exchange rate of 3,500 pounds per dollar, far below the current black-market rate of 18,000 pounds.”Mikati said he would have negotiated with creditors to reschedule and refinance debt rather than default. “The default decision hurt the country and the banks who have their money in Eurobonds, treasury bills and deposits at the central bank,” he said. “But that’s done and we want to work on how to resolve this.” Mikati said he was sure outside powers “know that if Lebanon descends into a full crash, it will be a bomb and a shock for the entire Middle East.”Lebanon’s political crises have in the past led to armed conflicts that quickly turn sectarian given its fragile power-sharing system. The country is also host to more than 1 million refugees from Syria’s war.

Miqati Meets Aoun, Senses 'Acceptance' of Line-Up Suggestions
Naharnet/28 July ,2021
Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati on Wednesday held talks with President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda. “I submitted to President Aoun my suggestions regarding the cabinet line-up and I sensed acceptance from his side,” Miqati said after the meeting. “I took his remarks into consideration and I hope we will see a government soon,” the PM-designate added. Miqati had also met with Aoun on Tuesday to brief him on the outcome of his nonbinding consultations with the parliamentary blocs regarding the new government. He had pledged earlier on Tuesday to hold continuous meetings with the president in order to speed up the formation of the new government.

FPM: Bassil 'Did Not' Ask Miqati for Interior Ministry
Naharnet/28 July ,2021 
The Free Patriotic Movement's central media committee issued a statement on Wednesday as a reply to an article published by Nidaa al-Watan newspaper, denying “claims” that FPM leader Jebran Bassil had asked PM-designate Najib Miqati for the Interior portfolio.The newspaper had published in its headline that "two main obstacles are standing in the way of government formation” and that “it will be impossible to overcome these obstacles, if Bassil continues to demand the Ministry of Interior and the blocking third."The FPM’s central media committee said in its statement that Bassil had previously told Miqati at a dinner held at his house in the presence of MP Eddy Maalouf, and later in the parliamentary consultations on Tuesday that “he did not want to discuss anything related to the government formation and its details.”“The (FPM) committee, as well as the media office of the Prime Minister-designate, had previously denied that Bassil had asked Miqati for the Ministry of Interior,” the committee added.

Bassil Advises Miqati Not to be 'Hariri's Fifth Victim'
Naharnet/28 July ,2021
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has advised PM-designate Najib Miqati not to be the “fifth victim” of ex-PM Saad Hariri. “My advice for Miqati is not to be Hariri’s fifth victim. Hariri booted out (Mohammed) Safadi, (Samir) al-Khatib, (Bahij) Tabbara, Mustafa Adib and himself,” Bassil said in an interview on LBCI, referring to candidates for the PM post who preceded Hariri and Miqati. Saying that, “God willing, there will be a government” soon, Bassil added that the FPM “will not interfere in the entire cabinet formation process,” and that it wants the government to be formed “quickly” and “according to the National Pact and the constitution.”“But this is something to be decided by Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister and the blocs that will take part, while our confidence will be granted or withheld based on the line-up and the program,” Bassil went on to say. Moreover, the FPM chief said he “disagrees” with Aoun on a point related to the government. “According to what right does he prevent a camp from obtaining the blocking one-third if it is entitled to have it based on its size? When the President agreed to the idea of not granting the blocking one-third to any camp, that was the first point that pushed us to say that we won’t take part in the government,” Bassil added. He also revealed that the FPM will not grant the new government its confidence in parliament “should all portfolios be rotated except for finance.”

Report: Miqati to Form 24-Seat Techno-Political Govt.
Naharnet/28 July ,2021 
Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati has been named as part of a “domestic-international settlement” in order to form a “salvation government,” a senior source from the Hizbullah-Amal alliance has said. “The government will consist of 24 ministers and it will be a techno-political government,” the source told al-Liwaa newspaper in remarks published Wednesday. “The PM-designate and ex-MP Walid Jumblat will get eight ministers, the Baabda camp will be allocated eight ministers and the Shiite duo and their Marada and Syrian Social Nationalist Party allies will be allotted eight ministers,” the source said. The source added that 18 of the ministers will be technocrats and the remaining six will be “political ministers.”The government will comprise ministers “who represent the civil society and enjoy international approval,” the source went on to say.

Hariri on Aoun: I Never Expected He'd Have Such a Personality
Naharnet/28 July ,2021
Ex-PM Saad Hariri on Wednesday said he “regrets” the settlement that made Michel Aoun president, adding that he “never expected him to have such a personality.”“But I made the settlement to halt the collapse and strife,” Hariri added, in an interview with SkyNews Arabia. He also revealed that he stepped down as PM-designate this month because “things got personal” with Aoun. Separately, Hariri said that “Lebanon’s interest lies in PM-designate (Najib) Miqati’s success in forming a government.” “We strongly support him,” the ex-PM added. He also suggested that “the revolution we are seeing in Lebanon will consolidate its presence through the results of the upcoming parliamentary elections.”

Hariri Demands Lifting Immunity of All Officials Involved in Port Blast Probe
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 28 July, 2021
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri has not ruled out “negligence” on behalf of President Michel Aoun on last year’s Beirut Port explosion, announcing that Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc has submitted a proposal to suspend all legal clauses that provide immunity to the President of the Republic, heads of government and deputies, ministers, and lawyers to pave way for their prosecution in the case. Around 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in Beirut's port caused a blast that devastated the city on August 4, 2020. The explosion also killed more than 200 people and caused millions of dollars' worth of damage.
“It is the right of the Lebanese to know who brought the nitrate and who is behind this disaster,” Hariri said in a press conference in Beirut on Tuesday, denying allegations that his Mustaqbal Movement was against lifting immunity. “Our proposal is to take an extraordinary decision to suspend all constitutional and legal clauses that grant immunity or special treatment to take to trial the president of the republic, the prime minister, ministers, representatives, judges, officials and even lawyers,” the former premier added. Hariri continued: “Talks that our parliamentary bloc […] signed a petition not to prosecute the accused is the peak of slander and lies, and today we refute all these fabrications and demand equality before the judiciary.” Earlier this month, Investigative judge Tarek Bitar had requested to lift the immunity of MPs and former ministers Nohad Machnouk, Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeaiter, as well as former Minister Youssef Fenianos, to allow their questioning in the explosion. Following a meeting with Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati on Tuesday, Machnouk suggested “amending the constitution to lif immunities in the case of the Beirut port explosion and in all cases referred to the Judicial Council.”

US Urges Lebanon’s Mikati to Form Government Quickly
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 28 July, 2021
The United States on Tuesday called on Lebanon's prime minister-designate Najib Mikati to move quickly to form a government to address the country's long crisis. "The US renews its calls to quickly form a government that's empowered and a government that's also committed to implementing critical reforms," State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters. On Tuesday, Mikati met with top political parties. "There was unanimous agreement from all blocs and lawmakers on the need to speed up the process of cabinet formation," he said after consultations ended.
Lebanon can no longer provide electricity to its citizens for more than a handful of hours each day, nor can it afford to buy the fuel needed to power generators. Almost none of the international community's demands for a broad program of reforms have so far been met. Further stalling the bankrupt state's recapitalization has been the government's failure to engage the International Monetary Fund and discuss a fully-fledged rescue plan. Until then, the monetary institution is due to send around $900 million, but experts warn it will not be enough and risks being misused.

Former German intelligence chief details meetings with Hezbollah’s Nasrallah
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/28 July ,2021
Former German intelligence chief August Hanning said in a recent interview that he had “a lot of contact” with Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah during his time in office. Hanning was Germany’s State Secretary in the Federal Interior Ministry from 2005 to 2009 after serving as the Director Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from 1998 to 2005. His meetings with Nasrallah were part of his work to find and repatriate the remains of Ron Arad, an Israeli air force pilot who disappeared after his plane crashed in Lebanon in 1986. “I was responsible for different negotiations with Hezbollah in the Ron Arad case for Israel. It was a years-long, very difficult negotiation with Hezbollah, Iran and Israeli intelligence on the other side,” Hanning was quoted as saying in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.Hanning stopped short of praising Nasrallah but said he was “an interesting person” who always surprised the German about his knowledge of Israel. “He closely followed Israel,” Hanning said. And through his meetings with the head of the Iran-backed militant group, Hanning said he learned that Nasrallah “had a lot of different balls” to juggle at the same time. “He was successful. I do not want to praise Hezbollah, but Nasrallah is, of course, very impressive,” Hanning said. But the former German intel chief explained how difficult negotiations were. “I had a lot of contact with him. If you negotiate, you have to regard the other person as a partner [of sorts] to get to solutions. If you [merely] regard the other side as the enemy, you cannot achieve anything,” he was quoted as saying.
US-Iran nuclear deal.
Hanning voiced his opposition to the resumption of the 2015 nuclear deal between the US and Iran. “A nuclear-armed Iran is a threat for the whole region,” he said, adding that allowing Tehran to acquire a nuclear weapon would to an arms race in the Middle East. A staff member removes the Iranian flag from the stage during the Iran nuclear talks in Criticizing Iran’s regional interference and destabilizing behavior, Hanning was quoted as saying: “Iran’s role in the region is not very positive. We see this problem with its missile program. If you are carrying out such an ambitious missile program, and they have had some successes … very clearly, you do not develop these missiles for protection, but for military purposes.” The Biden administration rushed into indirect negotiations with Iran to resume the 2015 nuclear deal, but talks have been put on hold by the Iranian leadership. Tehran has said talks could resume after a new president takes office on Aug. 5. But on Wednesday, Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei lashed out at the US, calling it “the enemy” and saying that “trusting the West does not work.”

National Mourning Day on August 4
Naharnet/28 July ,2021
The Premiership on Wednesday issued an administrative memorandum declaring national mourning on the anniversary of the Beirut Port blast, which will be marked on August 4.The PM Press Office's memo stated that “public administrations, public institutions and municipalities will be closed on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, in commemoration of the tragic anniversary of the Beirut Port blast."It added that "flags will be flown at half-mast over administrations, public institutions and municipalities." The memo also said that "regular programs on radio and television stations shall be modified to commemorate the painful tragedy in solidarity with the families of the martyrs and the wounded”.

World’s cheapest Big Mac can be found in Lebanon, most expensive in Venezuela
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/28 July ,2021
The world’s cheapest Big Mac can be purchased in Lebanon, according to The Economist’s “The Big Mac index.”Meanwhile, the most expensive Big Mac can be found in Venezuela, where The Big Mac index study says the hamburger is 47.7 percent overvalued. Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and the US took the following four slots for being the most expensive. The Big Mac index was formed in 1986 “as a lighthearted guide to whether currencies are at their ‘correct’ level,” The Economist says. Differences in local prices are considered to suggest what exchange rates should be based on the US dollar. And for those who argue that the cost of products in poor countries is reasonable, the GDP-adjusted index takes this into account. Lebanon is arguably experiencing its worst crisis ever, with the local currency plummeting and the coronavirus pandemic and rampant corruption steering the country into the abyss. Venezuela has been battered by economic sanctions resulting in inflation of the local currency.''

 U.S. Court Upholds Conviction of Alleged Hizbullah Agent
Associated Press/July 28/2021
The conviction of a New Yorker charged with providing material support to Hizbullah by seeking targets in New York City for terrorist attacks has been upheld by an appeals court, though one of three judges questioned the 40-year prison sentence, saying it was too long because nobody was harmed directly by the crimes.The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled on Ali Kourani's appeal challenging the conviction and the sentence. Prosecutors said the Lebanon-born Kourani spent years conducting surveillance at federal buildings, airports and day care centers after he was recruited, trained and deployed by Hizbullah's Islamic Jihad Organization. In a majority opinion written by Circuit Judge Jose A. Cabranes, the appeals judges concluded that a trial was properly conducted before Kourani's 2019 conviction and that the judge did not error by allowing prosecutors to use confessions he made during 2017 interviews with the FBI at his trial. The 2nd Circuit said FBI agents were not coercive when they met with Kourani at a conference room at Seton Hall University, where the agents were dressed in business-casual clothing and did not display weapons. But in a partial dissent, Circuit Judge Rosemary S. Pooler said the 40-year sentence was overly harsh when compared with the prison sentences given to other defendants convicted of similar crimes. She wrote that a 20-year prison term would have been more consistent with what resulted from similar convictions. And she said: "It is not lost on me that Kourani's actions could have culminated in far more injurious results. Nevertheless, they did not, and accordingly, the sentence imposed is disproportionately high." Authorities said Kourani came to the U.S. legally in 2003, earning a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering in 2009 and a master's degree in business administration in 2013. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in April 2009 and was issued a U.S. passport. Prosecutors said Kourani was recruited by Hizbullah after a family residence was destroyed in 2006 during the conflict between Israel and Hizbullah. They said he traveled to Lebanon in 2011, when he learned to use a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, assault rifles, a submachine gun, a machine gun and a Glock pistol.

'Wounded Soul': Beirut Blast Haunts Scarred Survivors
Agence France Presse/July 28/2021
A year after the cataclysmic Beirut port blast, Shady Rizk's doctors are still plucking glass from his body. The latest extraction was a centimeter-long sliver above his knee pit. "Almost every month, I find a new piece... the glass is still stuck in my thighs, my legs, and I guess, in my arms," said Rizk, a 36-year-old network engineer who was sprayed with shards during the explosion. "The doctors said there will continue to be glass in my body for several years," he said. The August 4 blast that thundered through the city levelled entire neighborhoods, killed more than 200 people, wounded 6,500 others and pummeled the lives of survivors. This dark blotch in Lebanon's chaotic history has since folded into a nightmarish year amid a stalled blast probe and an accelerating financial crisis branded by the World Bank as one of the worst in modern times.With no politicians held to account and the country facing soaring poverty, a plummeting currency, angry protests and shortages of basic items from medicine to fuel, many survivors are simmering in the lead-up to the tragedy's first anniversary. "The explosion still lives inside of me," Rizk said, speaking to AFP from under the office building where he was when the blast went off.
"With August 4 approaching, knowing that nobody has been caught or sent to prison, the anger is hitting hard," he added. "It makes you want to break things, take to the streets in protest, throw Molotov cocktails, spark a fire... anything to let the anger out."
'Survival mode'
Rizk was standing on a balcony overlooking the port, filming plumes of smoke rising from a warehouse, when the hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer stocked inside it exploded in front of him. The blast left him with more than 350 stitches and permanently impaired his vision. He can barely see at night now, making his world even darker in a country blighted by endless cuts. But physical scars are a secondary problem, he said. "The trauma, it rips you up inside," said Rizk, who is now planning to emigrate to Canada. "It's like internal crying."Sitting in his clinic nearby, Rony Mecattaf said he is adjusting to the permanent loss of vision in his right eye after three surgeries and several meetings with specialists in Europe over the past 12 months. To compensate for blind spots, the 59-year-old psychotherapist always sits on the corner of the table and walks on the left side of the street. He laughs along when his friends jokingly call him the "one-eyed man."Mecattaf said the past year has felt like a "shedding of illusions.""It's been an incredible illusion this country, this capacity that we always prided ourselves on, on being able to have fun... to live the life," Mecattaf said. "All of that got shattered." What remains is the reality of collective trauma and the lack of space to heal as the country slides deeper into chaos. "There is a survival mode we are all in," Mecattaf said. "This surviving process doesn't allow for a real and healthy time to process."
'Home is so sad'
On the roof of her apartment in Mar Mikhael, a neighborhood severely damaged by the blast, Julia Sabra said she now feels unsafe at home. The 28-year-old singer moved back to her renovated flat five months after it was devastated by the explosion. "My boyfriend was unconscious on the floor, blood all over his face and leg," Sabra said. Since moving back, she said they have been "just terrified of any sound... doors shutting, storms, winds being too loud, hearing something fall down the stairs." With the blast's anniversary date approaching, Sabra said she mostly felt "rage and hopelessness.""You can't get a break... you are trying to heal from a certain trauma or wound from the blast and you also have to deal with day-to-day shortages of everything," she said. In July, Sabra and her band -- Postcards -- played at the renowned Baalbek festival, including a track which explicitly references the explosion and is called "Home is so Sad" after a Philip Larkin poem. The nagging drumbeat and ethereal vocals convey deep sadness and vulnerability, aptly capturing what has been the dominant mood for many Beirutis since the blast. "Something changed," Sabra said. "I'm not sure if I would say (Beirut) lost its soul, I still think it has a lot of soul, but it's a wounded soul."

3RF Consultative Group Discusses Lebanon's Worsening Socio-Economic Situation
Naharnet/July 28/2021
The Consultative Group of the Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework (3RF) held its second meeting on Tuesday.
The 3RF Consultative Group consists of the Government of Lebanon, Lebanese civil society, the European Union, United Nations, the World Bank and international donors. Together they monitor progress and give strategic direction to the reforms and activities under the 3RF. Given the context of rapidly worsening socio-economic situation in Lebanon, Consultative Group members focused on next steps.
Below is the co-chairs’ statement of the second 3RF Consultative Group meeting, which outlines the discussion and list of attendees:
1. The second Consultative Group (CG) meeting of the Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework (3RF) was held 27 July 2021 in hybrid format, co-chaired by the Government of Lebanon, Lebanese civil society, European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN).
2. The CG commemorated the 207 victims and thousands of injured in the explosion of 4 August last year. Many more lives were devastated as homes and businesses were destroyed. Testimony from a victim underlined the human tragedy.
3. The situation in Lebanon is worsening by the day through deepening political, economic, financial and social crises. More than half the population now lives below the national poverty line, unemployment is on the rise and an increasing share of households has difficulty accessing basic services like food and healthcare. A government should be formed without delay to implement the necessary reforms. Only then can the assistance offered by the international community, including under the 3RF, make a difference for people. Not taking this responsibility would deepen the crises and would have serious social and security implications.
4. Progress on reforms under the 3RF has been slow. The international community felt a lack of political responsibility to break the deadlock, especially considering the state of emergency Lebanon is in. CSOs called for a public debate and inclusive policy dialogue with the Government and committed to present concrete proposals to ministers at the 3RF table.
5. As committed to at the first CG, the 3RF Technical Team presented the state of implementation of the agreed priorities of the four 3RF pillars, namely Improving Governance and Accountability; Jobs and Economic Opportunities; Social Protection, Inclusion and Culture, and Improving Services and Infrastructures. Emergency Cash Transfers were made to 80,000 vulnerable people. Refurbished health facilities and emergency medical equipment benefitted some 200,000. A total of 94 public and 41 private schools were rehabilitated. Around 3,500 victims of the blast received legal assistance. But delays on some key activities under the 3RF, underline the need for more Government and Parliament responsiveness, especially on the exchange rate for development programmes, the Emergency Social Safety Net, implementation of the Lebanon Financing Facility priority programmes, port site clearance and reform, and addressing the collapse of service delivery starting with the electricity sector. Time is of the essence.
6. The CG was also updated on the formation of the Independent Oversight Body, which has been operational since June 2021, and which its members were present at the CG with observer status. The CG praised Lebanese civil society for their work on the ground and for their engagement with the 3RF, now representing 100 CSOs and businesses. CSOs emphasized that coordination structures and data collection is often too complex for CSOs to constructively take part.
7. The CG members agreed this meeting to be a call for action. A meeting will be held end of August to further discuss the following action points before the next CG to be held in October.
a. These essential reforms that require action on the part of the Government with input from CSOs and funding and technical assistance from the international community:
i. The international community repeated their call for justice and accountability through a transparent investigation into the causes of the explosion;
ii. Macroeconomic-fiscal reform was considered the most fundamental reform required to lessen the crises. With essential elements: exchange rate unification; an orderly exit from subsidy schemes; a Capital Controls law that ensures equal depositor treatment; forensic audit of the Central Bank; and Banking Sector reform.
iii. Maximising the potential benefits of the IMF Special Drawing Rights due in September through a proper mix of consumptive, systemic and investing measures, decided after an inclusive public debate on the use of the SDR.
iv. A budget should be passed for 2021, and more importantly a budget should be prepared for 2022, including a strong programme on social protection, implementing the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) programme and the National Poverty Targeting Programme (NPTP);
v. Independence of the Judiciary law should be passed with principles safeguarding independence reinstated, without further clauses to the contrary;
vi. The National Anti-Corruption Institution should be staffed and funded;
vii. The Public Procurement law secondary legislation should be passed and EDL’s procurement be conducted within the frame of the Public Procurement law;
viii. Installing, staffing and funding a Supervisory Commission for Elections to oversee compliance with campaign spending limits and equal access to media.
b. CSOs will engage with Government and international partners on the eight reforms mentioned above, as well as on an urban strategy for reconstruction and support for the disabled and elderly, in addition to their other activities under the 3RF. 3RF Secretariat will facilitate this contact. CSOs also requested more frequent updates from the Technical Team. CSOs will present their experience of inclusivity in the 3RF at the next CG.
c. The donor base should be widened, also for the LFF, especially to include Arab partners.
d. To facilitate implementation of critical site clearance and waste management inside and outside the port, three critical actions should be taken: operationalize interministerial committee for overseeing the management of waste resulting from the explosion; facilitate access to the Port for site assessments and resulting interventions; and allocate a suitable site for the disposal of non-recyclable rubble and other mixed waste.
e. Aid coordination should be strengthened, ensuring clear monitoring and transparent tracking of aid bearing the humanitarian-development nexus in mind. CSOs requested inclusion in implementation at sector level.
f. CG praised the Army for gathering data from the affected area. And CG encourages further coordination with CSOs to update data and avoid duplication. CSOs requested to work with the 3RF Technical Team and Central Inspection to transform IMPACT as a platform to be more inclusive for citizens and CSOs with oversight by international partners, also to protect beneficiary data.

Najib Mikati named Lebanon’s Prime Minister: The political establishment strikes back
Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/July 28/2021
Prime Minister designee Saad Hariri resigned, with former PM Najib Mikati taking up the mantel as the new designee. Mikati, a billionaire and political establishment insider, is more of the same for a Lebanese people crying out for change.
After over eight months of numerous unsuccessful attempts to convince Lebanese President Michael Aoun to accept a number of cabinet lineups, Hariri announced that he will be stepping down. Hariri’s resignation triggered another round of mandatory parliamentary consolations with President Aoun, which ended with 72 members of Parliament naming Mikati as the new Prime Minster designee.
Mikati who has formed two cabinets in the past, might not necessarily form his third cabinet, as his naming as prime minister designee does not mean he will succeed where others failed. Mikati, a billionaire who has been accused of making his $2.6 billion fortune in a number of illicit ways, is no different from Saad Hariri or the other rich Sunni politicians who aspire to enter the not-so-prestigious club of premier. His naming, however, can possibly yield a new cabinet, as President Aoun and his son-in-law Gebran Bassil have made it clear that they have a personal feud with Saad Hariri and are willing to work with anyone else towards forming the next cabinet. However, if one is to indulge in this logic, why would Mikati succeed where Hariri has failed. The same obstacles which led to Saad Hariri failing are still present, as Aoun and Bassil are still commanding the blocking third in the cabinet. Furthermore, Bassil remains unwavering in his demand for his faction controlling the ministry of the interior, which will supervise the upcoming parliamentary elections slated in Spring of 2022. If Aoun has a personal problem with Hariri, he will face a tougher opponent with Mikati whose experience has showed is unwilling to commit political suicide by forming a government similar to the one the current PM Hassan Diab heads.
Yet, the main challenge Mikati faces goes beyond simple horse trading, something in which his underhanded political career demonstrates a degree of proficiency in, but rather lies in the fact that any cabinet he might potentially lead will lack the popular support of the Lebanese and, more importantly, the international community, who are beyond convinced that no real change can come at the hands of the ruling elite. In reality, Mikati, who was the business partner of Rami Makhlouf, the cousin of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, is also implicated in a number of financial scandals and thus is literally part of the problem – he or any of the so-called elite cannot possibly model themselves as reformers .Above all, PM Mikatit was in office when the infamous ship Rhosus, which transported the 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate responsible for the August 4 Beirut port blast, docked in Lebanon in November 2013. Bringing Mikati back to power will certainly impede the search for justice – a process which thus far has proved to be frustrating and unproductive.
Coincidently, Mikati wishes to repeat his first stint as a premier when in 2005, after the resignation of PM Omar Karami, he was tasked to form an independent cabinet which supervised the elections and to contain the repercussions of the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. In 2005, however, Lebanon was still not fully occupied by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah and, more importantly, many of the Arabian Gulf states still looked at Lebanon as a country worth salvaging, something which is very hard to argue at this stage. The renaming of Mikati to form a government is itself enough proof that the Lebanese political establishment are blind to the repercussions of not passing key structural reforms and, more importantly, reclaim its sovereignty from Hezbollah’s overindulgence in Iran’s regional expansionist project. Perhaps more importantly, Mikati is well known to appease Hezbollah, which will further alienate the international community and Gulf states, whose financial largesse is needed if Lebanon wishes to decelerate its downfall. Hezbollah would be happy to accept a cabinet headed by Mikati as cover for its continued siphoning of goods, subsidized products and gasoline into Syria. Yet Hezbollah are in no rush to offer any serious concessions which might be perceived by the West as a sign of weakness. Equally, Hezbollah will continue to allow Bassil and Aoun to play their game of demanding the unfeasible as it simply reinforces the claims that Lebanon’s problems are not rooted in Hezbollah’s violence, but rather in the archaic political sectarian system. At this stage, Mikati will enter into a new round of horse-trading with different political parties, trying to win over more seats to their advantage. The ultimate outcome will not change given the present circumstances, however, as Lebanon is a rogue state, and its political elite have failed both morally and politically to run the country. Bringing back Mikati or any other political insider to the forefront and branding them as a saviors is nothing short of a farce, one which Lebanon needs to avoid at all costs if it is climb out of its pit of despair.

The Hope of a Nation Lies in Education: For Lebanon This Has Never Felt More True
Op-ed by British Ambassador to Lebanon Ian Collard/Naharnet/July 28/2021
“The main hope of a nation”, said the Dutch scholar Erasmus, “lies in the proper education of its youth”. For Lebanon, this has never felt more true. The country’s best times have been founded on a strong investment in its education sector – creating Lebanese thinkers, entrepreneurs, and professionals who were able not just to shape their nation positively but whose ambitions spread into the region and indeed beyond. Sadly, one of the greatest risks to Lebanon now, as it deals with one of the most challenging periods in its history, is what is happening to the education of its children.
The UK has been a strong supporter of education in Lebanon, as we have globally. This week in London we are hosting, jointly with Kenya, a Global Education Summit to emphasise the importance of the education agenda, and especially education for girls. Indeed, for any country aspiring to improve their society all the evidence suggests that girls’ education is one of the smartest investments we can make to lift people out of poverty, grow economies, save lives, and build back better from Covid-19.
Here in Lebanon, despite the heroic efforts and commitment of the country’s many teaching and education professionals, the crises that have hit here – including the political and economic turmoil, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Beirut Port explosion – have all badly affected the education sector. At least 1.2 million children across Lebanon have had their education disrupted for more than a year, with many having not attended school since October 2019. This has affected Lebanese and refugee children alike.
Any parent in Lebanon today will appreciate the practical challenges of remote education. Online learning is compromised by a weak digital infrastructure and limited access to technology. These remain a significant barrier for many across Lebanon; those already vulnerable are likely to be worst affected. And whether it be in the world of technology, education, entrepreneurship, law, economy, civil society and more, Lebanon simply cannot afford to lose a future generation.
So education continues to be a priority for the UK in Lebanon. Through our programmes and political advocacy, and with international and Lebanese partners, the UK is proud to help to provide children here with education opportunities and crucial life skills. We have invested in financial and technical assistance to strengthen the public education system and to improve teaching and learning standards, including inclusive education and distance learning. British Council partnerships have digitally connected Lebanese and British schools, and its free access Digital Library offers something for everyone.
Only two weeks into my role in Lebanon, I greatly look forward to meeting the many inspirational people in the country who are committed to doing all they can to make Lebanon secure, stable and prosperous. Indeed, the Lebanese people remain the country’s greatest asset and the reason why – in the long run – I remain an optimist, despite the difficulties of the moment. But the system is gravely failing the people, and the next generation. And the collateral damage to education provision from the political impasse and failure to tackle Lebanon’s big challenges is serious and substantial.
A decent education is a human right – it offers a ladder to economic success, and empowers young people with the skills necessary to realise their broader potential. But it is more than that. Against the challenges of an interconnected modern world, a successful Lebanon will be one that stays true to its roots as an outward facing, energetic and inquisitive country. And it is educational excellence – “turning mirrors into windows”, broadening horizons and openings minds – that will deliver this. You can bet on this like your future depends on it: because, quite honestly, it does.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 28-29/2021
What caused Tunisia’s President to sack PM, suspend Parliament?
Tala Michel Issa, Al Arabiya English/28 July ,2021
On Sunday, Tunisia’s President Kais Saied announced he would sack the country’s Prime Minister and suspend Parliament following a series of widespread protests amid an economic crisis fueled by COVID-19. The decision has triggered reactions from around the world, with many waiting to see what President Saied’s next steps for Tunisia will be. But what triggered the President to take these actions?
Fractured government
Since the 2010 Tunisia has been ruled by a parliament, albeit a fractured one. Opposing parties came together in a form of power-sharing with their own views and prejudices against the other, leading to clashes, sometimes physical, and governmental paralysis. The majority of Tunisia’s Parliament consists of: The Islamist Ennahda party, the Free Destourian Party (‘Destour’ translates to ‘Constitution’ in English), the Heart of Tunisia and the Democratic Current, among others. Ennahda became the Parliament’s largest party due to votes, which were arguably affected by the fact that it was one of the few established parties at the time of its latest formation – although turnout in 2019 for the parliamentary vote was low at just over 40 percent. Abir Moussi (C), president of the Free Destourian Party (PLD), lifts her face mask as she gestures during a parliamentary session as Tunisian lawmakers debate ahead of a confidence vote on the new government reshuffle by the prime minister at the Tunisian .The President, however, is not affiliated with any political party. It was in fact Saied’s independence which won over voters in the 2019 presidential election, Sarah Yerkes, a former State Department and Pentagon official and senior fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program who focuses on Tunisian politics, told online news media Vox. When asked about the heightened tensions in Tunisia’s parliament, Yerkes told Vox: “It’s always been there. The difference is the polarization — before, there was kind of a consensus government and all the parties put aside their differences. And now, people are literally beating each other up in the Parliament.”The Tunisian people have become increasingly disenfranchised with parliament, with numerous accounts of underhand political dealings and corruption rife in its 10 years of existence. Since 2011, the country has had nine governments. The lack of stability and widespread polarization in the midst of an economic crisis caused protests to break out across the country.
Protests and the COVID-19 pandemic
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic which worsened the country’s crisis. Tunisia’s GDP contracted by 8.6 percent in 2020 alone, according to the World Bank. The country’s coronavirus-related deaths kept increasing, eventually climbing to almost 18,000 – one of the biggest death rates per capita, with only 7 percent of its 11.7 million population vaccinated against the virus. The country was experiencing mass protests spurred by the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, COVID-19 deaths reached a record, passing 300 in a period of 24 hours, the BBC reported on Tuesday. In a move to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations, the government officially opened up vaccinations to everyone aged 18 and over. The announcement was met with stampedes and violent incidents, leading to the eventual sacking of the health minister, initiated by then-Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi. Protests broke out on July 25, Tunisia’s Republic Day, when protestors stormed the offices of the Islamist Ennahda party, and calling for Mechichi to quit and parliament to be dissolved. When President Saied announced that he would be suspending Tunisia’s parliament and dismissing Mechichi, people took the streets in celebration.

Tunisia opens corruption probes of leading Islamist party
The Associated Press/28 July ,2021
Tunisian prosecutors have opened investigations into alleged foreign campaign funding and anonymous donations to Islamist movement Ennahda and two other political parties, according to local media. Ennahda is the dominant party in parliament, whose activities were suspended this week by President Kais Saied. Tunisia’s leader also fired the prime minister and key Cabinet members, saying it was necessary to stabilize a country in economic and health crisis. But Ennahda and other critics accused him of overstepping his power and threatening Tunisia’s young democracy. The spokesperson for the financial prosecutor’s office, Mohsen Daly, said Wednesday on Mosaique FM radio that the investigations were opened in mid-July. He also announced investigations were opened earlier this month into the country’s national anti-corruption agency — suspected itself of corruption — and into Tunisia’s Truth and Dignity Commission created to confront abuses during Tunisia’s decades of autocratic rule. Calm prevailed in Tunis, the capital, four days after nationwide protests that ended with the president’s decision to centralize power in his hands “until social peace returns to Tunisia and until we save the state.” The following day, on Monday, security forces raided the Tunis offices of Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based satellite news network and shut it down. The Cairo bureau chief for the New York Times tweeted Wednesday that she and her team reporting in Tunis were detained for two hours by police. “We’re continuing to report in Tunis,” Vivian Yee tweeted. She provided no details. Ennahda’s leader, who is the speaker of parliament, said Tuesday that his party is a perfect target to blame for Tunisia’s crescendo of economic, health and other problems. Coronavirus infections are notably ravaging the country, aggravating public anger. Rachid Ghannouchi told The Associated Press that his party is working to form a “national front” to counter Saied’s decision to suspend the legislature, to pressure the president “to demand the return to a democratic system.” He conceded that Ennahda, which has been accused of focusing on its internal concerns instead of managing the coronavirus, “needs to review itself, as do other parties.”Tunisia, which ignited the Arab Spring a decade ago when protests led to the overthrow of its longtime autocratic leader, is often regarded as the only success story of those uprisings. But democracy didn’t bring prosperity.

Political Parties Call for Roadmap in Tunisia but Differ over Goals
Wednesday, 28 July, 2021 - 08:45
Tunis - Kamel Ben Younes Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 28 July, 2021
Tunisian President Kais Saied and Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi have phoned senior world officials, including US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, to reaffirm their support for the multilateral and democratic track in their country. In their calls, Saied and Jerandi stressed that recent decisions the administration had taken were “circumstantial” and aimed at “correction and reform,” not overturning the Tunisian constitution or enforcing martial law. The president had suspended parliament, dismissed the government, and said he plans to put some lawmakers on trial for corruption. He also said he would choose a new prime minister. He lifted the parliamentary immunity of legislators and later fired the defense and justice ministers. While many political parties in the North African state have collectively stepped up their demands for a clear roadmap following the president’s move, they differed on the reasoning, objectives, and timeline the plan should take. As for Saied, he held marathon meetings with representatives of bar associations, judges, journalists, worker unions, farmers to reassure them that his move does not mean he is straying the country away from democracy. He explained the reasons behind removing the government of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi with the help of the army and freezing parliament. After meeting with the president in the presence of national figures, Ibrahim Bouderbala, the head of Tunisia’s Bar Association, praised “Saied’s will to support national political dialogue with all political parties without exclusion, including the leaders of Ennahda Party and other opposition parties.”Bouderbala stated that the only political figures to be excluded from the dialogue are corruption suspects that include several politicians and current and former lawmakers facing charges of smuggling, tax evasion, taking bribes, and receiving illicit financial support. Meanwhile, a handful of senior constitutional law experts in Tunisia, including human rights defender Salwa Hamrouni and the academic Saghir Zakraoui, praised the decisions announced by Saied on Sunday evening. Despite the support the president’s move received from the experts, some political leaders in Tunisia and abroad described his decisions as a “coup against the constitution and the results of parliamentary elections.”'

Tunisian President Kais says 460 people looted the country's money and resources
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya Englsih/29 July ,2021
Tunisian President Kais Saied said on Wednesday that the number of those who looted the country's money reached 460, accounting to 13.5 billion dinars ($4.8bln), adding that he had a list of the names of those who stole the looted money. Saied affirmed that the exceptional measures he has taken are required by duty. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. He also accused deputies of hiding behind parliamentary immunity, stressing that the looted funds must be returned to the Tunisian people. In addition, Saeed confirmed that whoever tries to destroy the documents will bear the responsibility before the judiciary, announcing the preparation of a legal text for a judicial settlement to return the looted funds. He called for penal reconciliation, pointing out that there is no intention to abuse anyone or harm businessmen.

New US sanctions announced against Syria, Assad regime
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/28 July ,2021
The United States has announced new sanctions targeting the Assad regime for human rights violations, Biden administration officials announced Wednesday. Wednesday’s move comes after several regional and international capitals appeared to be inching towards normalizing ties with the Syrian president and his government. “Today the Treasury Department is taking action against the Assad regime and its human rights abuses, including torture in Syrian military prisons,” Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Andrea Gacki said.
Gacki told reporters that five senior prison officials within the Syrian intelligence apparatus were being sanctioned. “Bashar al-Assad and his brutal regime continue to extend the conflict in Syria, and their brutal treatment to oppose the policies and murderous activities, such actions cannot continue,” she said.
The Treasury Department also said it would sanction two Syrian “armed” groups. One of the groups, Ahrar al-Sharqiya, is widely seen as an offshoot of ISIS. “Ahrar al-Sharqiya has committed numerous crimes against civilians, particularly Syrian Kurds, including unlawful killings, abductions, torture, and seizures of private property,” Gacki said. Saraya al-Areen, a militia affiliated with the Syrian Arab Army, was sanctioned by the State Department. A Turkey-based al-Qaeda financial facilitator and Syria-based terrorist fundraiser and recruiter were also sanctioned. “These designations expose the continued efforts by al-Qaeda and Hay’et Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) to use the global formal financial system and highlight the need for continued vigilance against terrorist fundraising and recruitment on the internet,” the Treasury Department said in a statement. Eight individuals and 10 entities were sanctioned in total. Zehra Bell, the director for Iraq and Syria at the National Security Council, told reporters that the sanctions were part of a “broader US strategy for Syria.” “Today’s action is not a random event, but rather part of a carefully considered approach by this administration over the last several months to identify key priorities in Syria … and to make clear that the US values on human rights in Syria are extremely important,” Bell said.

Iraqi Armed Factions Coordinate with Political Allies to Oust Kadhimi
Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 28 July, 2021
Iraqi armed factions loyal to Iran, alongside a handful of political allies, have decided to withdraw confidence from Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi’s government by delaying upcoming elections indefinitely, local sources reported. The meeting between US President Joe Biden and Kadhimi on Monday failed to satisfy pro-Iran armed factions because they are determined to escalate matters with Washington and undermine US interests in Iraq. Kadhimi’s White House talks sealed a deal for ending US combat missions in Iraq by the end of 2021 without any indication of concluding US presence in the country. Ending US presence in Iraq is a core demand of the armed factions under constant pressure from Tehran, their crucial supporter. In a televised interview, Akram al-Kaabi, the founder and secretary-general of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba in Iraq, reaffirmed that his forces would continue to attack US troops in the country regardless of whether they are training or carrying out combat missions. “All truce agreements with the government and the US are now under revision,” a political chief in one of the armed factions, who requested anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat. “We do not know if the current polling date is independent of the upcoming changes,” they added. It goes without saying that the goal of ending Kadhimi’s mandate and the move to postpone elections may be contradictory. Still, current changes, added to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, have forced the factions to seek ousting the prime minister through manipulating election dates. “The leaders of these factions began urgent understandings with allied political actors, both Sunnis, and Shiites, to agree on mechanisms to withdraw confidence from Kadhimi,” sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. “Taking confidence away from Kadhimi depends on embarrassing him by postponing elections,” revealed a senior party official. “They want him weak to strike the final blow,” the official added.

Jordan Foils ISIS Plot to Kill Israeli Soldiers
Amman - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 28 July, 2021
The Jordanian security apparatuses have foiled an ISIS plot to kill Israeli forces stationed at the border with the Palestinian Territories, precisely in the Ghor es-Safi area, south of the capital Amman, a local newspaper revealed Tuesday. Four ISIS members were arrested for being in connection with the planned attack. The suspects intended to first attack Jordanian soldiers near the border with Israel before reaching Israeli troops and killing them. The Jordanian newspaper Al-Rai reported Tuesday that Jordanian prosecutors issued an indicted against the the four ISIS members, charging them of conspiring to commit an act of terror and propagating the ideology of a terror organization. Three members of the cell were arrested in February, while the fourth was apprehended at the end of 2020. The newspaper said that while preparing for the attack, the four members held several meetings in the Jordanian city of Karak, south of Amman, and near the border with the occupied Palestinian territories, and in the city of Irbid, located north of the capital. According to the indictment, the four suspects had supported and spread ISIS ideologies on social media. Ghor es-Safi is located between the governorates of Karak and Tafilah, near the southern Dead Sea.

Algeria Exempts Travelers from Mandatory Quarantine
Algiers - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 28 July, 2021
Algerian authorities said they have lifted a five-day mandatory quarantine imposed on arriving travelers despite a spike in daily COVID-19 infections, AFP reported. "Upon the instructions of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, travelers are exempted from a five-day quarantine," said Prime Minister Ayman Benabderrahmane in a note addressed to the government. The note dated July 25 stipulates that travelers present a negative PCR test issued in less than 36 hours and undergo a rapid test on arrival. The North African country reopened air borders on June 1, but it required that passengers arriving in Algeria quarantine for five days at a government-selected hotel, and the quarantine would be extended to 10 days for those who test positive for COVID-19 at the end of the first five days. The measures had angered Algerian expatriates, who were requested to pay for the hotel expenses. Comments posted by travelers on their social media accounts also revealed criticism on the bad conditions in some hotels, which Algerian authorities had chosen for them. The Health Ministry announced on Tuesday a surge in daily infections with 1,544 new coronavirus cases, 728 recoveries and 25 deaths over the last 24 hours. Also, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Waqf announced in a statement a series of measures related to the partial lockdown decided in 35 provinces of the country, consisting mainly in the suspension of collective prayers in mosques. The North African country had closed its borders in March 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic spread. It resumed domestic flights in December last year. Algeria, the most populous country in the Maghreb with its 44 million inhabitants, has officially recorded more than 163,000 cases, including more than 4,000 deaths. The Pasteur Institute of Algeria announced last Sunday on its Facebook page that the Delta variant represents 71 percent of COVID-19 cases and could reach 90 percent in the coming weeks.

Palestinian Killed by Israeli Forces in West Bank
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 28 July, 2021
A Palestinian man was killed late Tuesday in Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank, the scene of clashes between protesters and Israeli forces for weeks, Palestinian officials said. Shadi Omar Lotfi Salim, 41, was shot dead near the flashpoint Palestinian village of Beita, the Palestinian health ministry said. Beita deputy mayor Mussa Hamayel told AFP that Israeli soldiers killed the man as entered the village on his return from work. "He was killed in cold blood," the deputy mayor alleged, adding that there had been no protests in the area Tuesday night. The Israeli army issued a statement saying that while on routine duty soldiers "spotted a Palestinian suspect in the area," south of Nablus. "When the Palestinian began advancing rapidly towards the troop with a suspicious object identified as an iron bar in his hand, the troop operated to stop the suspect following the standard procedures, including by firing warning shots into the air," the Israeli army said in a statement. "When the suspect continued advancing, the commander of the troop fired towards the suspect. The incident will be investigated," it said . Beita has been the scene of frequent unrest since May, when dozens of Israeli families arrived and began building the wildcat settlement of Eviatar on a hilltop near Nablus in defiance of Israeli and international law. After weeks of clashes and tensions, the government of nationalist Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett struck a deal with the settlers that saw them leave the Eviatar outpost. The settlers left behind the rudimentary homes they built until the Israeli defense ministry determines whether the land can be considered state territory. The Israeli military is maintaining a presence in Eviatar until the decision is made. The agreement was rejected by the mayor of Beita, who said last Thursday that "clashes and protests will continue" as long as any Israeli "remains on our land". All Jewish settlements in the West Bank are regarded as illegal by most of the international community.

Swedish prosecutors charge Iranian for alleged 1988 ‘war crimes’
AFP/28 July ,2021
Swedish prosecutors said Tuesday they were charging an Iranian man for “war crimes and murder” over the execution of more than 100 political prisoners in 1988 in Karaj, Iran. The case against 60-year-old Hamid Noury, who was arrested in Sweden in 2019 when he came to visit relatives, concerns his alleged part in the mass killings of prisoners toward the end of the 1980-1988 war between Iran and Iraq. Human rights groups have been campaigning for years for justice for what they consider to be the extrajudicial execution of thousands of Iranians, mostly young people, across the country. Sweden’s Prosecution Authority noted in a statement that the prisoners had been linked to the “People’s Mujahedin of Iran,” a political organization seeking to overthrow the clerical leadership whose armed branch had launched several attacks against Iran. In the summer of 1988, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini “issued an order to execute all prisoners held in Iranian prisons who sympathized with and were loyal in their convictions to the Mujahedin,” the authority noted. According to the authority, Noury held the position of “assistant to the deputy prosecutor at the Gohardasht prison,” on the outskirts of Karaj, west of Tehran.
“The accused is suspected of participating, together with other perpetrators, in these mass executions and, as such, intentionally taking the lives of a large number of prisoners, who sympathized with the Mujahedin and, additionally, of subjecting prisoners to severe suffering which is deemed torture and inhuman treatment,” the authority said. In the charge sheet, seen by AFP, prosecutor Kristina Lindhoff Carleson noted that these actions constituted a violation of the Geneva Conventions. Noury’s lawyer told AFP that he denies the charges against him. Following the mass executions, and after a ceasefire between Iran and Iraq was enacted, the Iranian leadership also decided that other political prisoners “who sympathized with various left wing groups and were regarded as apostates by the Iranian leadership, should be executed.” Prosecutors said Noury, in his role at the prison, was also complicit in the killings that followed. “These acts are classified as murder according to the Swedish Penal Code since they are not considered to be related to an armed conflict,” the authority said. In May, a group of more than 150 rights campaigners, including Nobel laureates, former heads of state or government and former UN officials, called for an international investigation into the 1988 killings. The case remains sensitive in Iran as activists accuse officials now in government of being involved.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials published on July 28-29/2021
Canadian Church-Hate Comes for Coptic Christians
Raymond Ibrahim/Coptic Solidarity/July 28/2021
ريموند إبراهيم: احراق كنيسة قبطية في مدينة سُوري-برتش كولوميا الكندية على خلفية ما يُعتقِّد أنه الكراهية
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/100970/raymond-ibrahim-canadian-church-hate-comes-for-coptic-christians/
A Coptic Christian church was recently burned to the ground—not in Egypt, where the torching of Coptic churches is not an uncommon occurrence, but in Canada, also known as “the church-burning centre of the Western world.”
In the early morning hours of July 19, St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Surrey, (Surrey is a city in British Columbia, Canada) which served 500 families and provided food for the homeless, was set aflame and completely destroyed. Only one charred wall remains standing.
According to the report, “The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Surrey RCMP [police] said it is being treated as ‘suspicious.’ The St. George Coptic Orthodox Church was also the target of an attempted arson just last Wednesday, although authorities do not know if the two incidents are connected.”
What, exactly, do Canadian mounted police find “suspicious”? The church was clearly targeted for arson, as evidenced by the fact that it was targeted for arson a few days earlier, and at the very same time (between 2:30-4:00 am). On July 14, surveillance video captured a woman lighting a fire, one that failed to catch, at the church door. That the “authorities do not know if the two incidents are connected” seems like wishful thinking.
What is deserving of the term “suspicious” is that, days after the church reported the first failed arson attempt to police—which should have led to better awareness and security for the church—another successful arson attempt took place.
After expressing its “immense sadness and pain” at the loss of the church, a statement from the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Mississauga called on Premier John Horgan and the authorities to expedite the investigation, correctly observing that “The timing of this fire … raises many questions about what the authorities did to protect our church, especially considering the attempt on the same church this past Wednesday.”
Similarly, congregant Nancy Khalil, whose family helped build the now destroyed sanctuary, as well as dozens of “priceless” hand-painted icons, also expressed disappointment that “neither provincial nor federal leaders had yet spoken out about the fire.” “It hurts,” she said, “to see no word from the government. I’m very, very much hoping for at least a statement from the premier to condemn what is happening.”
She shouldn’t hold her breath. The leaders of Canada could care less about yet another church burning to the ground. Before this Coptic church was burned, at least 50 other churches, mostly Catholic, a few Anglican, were also vandalized or torched in Canada. Here’s how Canada’s leading voices responded: Harsha Walia, the head of British Columbia’s Civil Liberties Association—which claims to “promote, defend, sustain, and extend civil liberties and human rights”—tweeted: “Burn it all down.”
Prominent Newfoundland lawyer, Caitlin Urquhart, feels the same way—“Burn it all down.”
Heidi Mathews of Harvard Law School bizarrely described the vandalization and torching of churches as “the right of resistance to extreme and systemic injustice.”
As for the Prime Minister himself, Justin Trudeau, after offering the usual lip service and saying that ongoing church attacks are “unacceptable,” he said: “I understand the anger that’s out there … against institutions like the Catholic Church. It is real, and it is fully unders
tandable given the shameful history that we’re all becoming more and more aware of.”
So attacks on Christian churches are “unacceptable”—but they’re also “understandable.” Considering that these two words neutralize each other, Trudeau’s stance is impotent, his words meaningless.
But why are they “understandable” in the first place? According to Canadian “mainstream” media—all of which are left of Left—unmarked graves of Natives were recently discovered by boarding schools, and the Catholic Church is being accused of killing them and trying to cover it up. The problem, however, is that this widely shared narrative appears to be inherently false (see here and here): these graves were once marked and therefore known, and most of those buried in them died of natural causes.
More specifically, the deaths mostly took place in the early 1800s. Apparently some plague—epidemics were especially common back then—broke out in these church-sponsored boarding schools for natives, in part due to the prevailing hygiene and lack of proper medical treatment (in comparison to modern standards and technology).
At any rate, that the current accusation against the Catholic Church was always a pretext to justify anti-Christianism in general is amply demonstrated by this most recent torching of a Coptic church: what on earth do the Copts, Egypt’s native Christians, who began migrating to Canada over a century after these graves were first dug, have to do with this issue?
Nothing, they just happen to be Christian—and that’s apparently all that matters, all that warrants an attack in Leftist Canada. Evil, after all, never needs an excuse to manifest itself, though a pretext always offers good cover.
https://www.raymondibrahim.com/2021/07/28/canadian-church-hate-comes-for-coptic-christians/

The Real "Islamophobia Industry"
A.J. Caschetta/National Review/July 28/2021
Excerpts of article originally published under the title "Ilhan Omar and the Islamophobia Industry."
Rep. Ilhan Omar wants the U.S. government to wage a "global" campaign against so-called "Islamophobia."
It was bad enough when Secretary of State Antony Blinken invited the U.N. to investigate racism in the U.S., but now Representative Ilhan Omar and 24 of her fellow Democrats want him to create a special envoy to investigate and combat "Islamophobia," which they call "a genuinely global problem that the United States should tackle globally." ...
[Omar] has an entire industry supporting her — one that has evolved to discover, and in many cases fabricate, offenses against Muslims and Islam. It consists mostly of lawyers who specialize in cases of alleged anti-Muslim discrimination and academics who write books and form programs and initiatives to publicize "Islamophobia."
In a book titled The Islamophobia Industry (2012), Nathan Lean claimed that there is a massive, global anti-Islamic movement. In the book's foreward, John Esposito, founder of Georgetown University's Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, describes it as a "multi-million-dollar cottage industry of fear mongers and the network of funders and organizations that support and perpetuate bigotry, xenophobia, and racism, and produce a climate of fear that sustains a threatening social cancer."
The real "Islamophobia" industry is a network of activists who libel and slander critics of Islamism.
Of course Esposito has it entirely backward. The real industry is the network of academics, lawyers, activists, and funders who libel and slander critics of Islamism, even those who cautiously stipulate between Islam and Islamism. It is filled with the same people who have been warning since 9/11 of an always-imminent anti-Muslim "backlash" that never comes.
The legal component is spearheaded by the once-venerable Southern Poverty Law Center, and the academics take their cues from Georgetown University's Bridge Initiative (where Nathan Lean was once director and John Esposito reigns). The true Islamophobia Industry is not a cottage industry but a massive one consisting of thousands of people who make their living by promulgating fear of "Islamophobia" and defending its alleged victims. While stifling discussion of Islamism, they keep themselves on the receiving end of grants, donations from wealthy Muslim patrons, and lifetime tenured employment.
The SPLC has spent most of the 21st century tarring critics of Islamism as fringe, right-wing Muslim haters. Its self-righteous blinders have led it to reflexively libel even accomplished scholars. After it labeled Maajid Nawaz and the Quilliam Foundation as anti-Muslim extremists, it was forced to apologize and pay Nawaz millions of dollars in damages.
Likewise the Bridge Initiative staff smears conservatives, journalists, academics, and even Muslim analysts (such as Zuhdi Jasser and Tarek Fatah) and former Muslims (such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali) whom they deem "Islamophobic." Both groups display profound hypocrisy and a lack of self-awareness by condemning purported Islamophobic groups for keeping lists of Islamists — which they publish in their own lists of scholars, conservatives, and organizations guilty of spreading Islamophobia. The Bridge Initiative calls its lists "factsheets," and the SPLC published a now-deleted "Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists."
Other influential members of the industry include the Center for American Progress, which produced a report titled "Fear, Inc.," analyzing the alleged "Islampohobes," and the Al Jazeera network, which produced a documentary titled Islamophobia Inc.
Wokeism was just the thing the Islamophobia Industry needed to reinvigorate itself and seem as relevant as it did in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. It has latched onto the anti-racist zeitgeist through yet another academic invention called "intersectionality." This is where Ilhan Omar comes in playing her role with aplomb. Being a black Muslim woman who came to the U.S. as a refugee makes her intersectionality score quite high. The House's newest radical Squad member, Representative Cori Bush (D., Mo.), knows this, as her recent defense of Omar ended with "Stop with the anti-Blackness and Islamophobia."
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that speaking disrespectfully about Islam is not protected speech.
For the moment, the European version of the Islamophobia Industry is far ahead of the American one. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that speaking disrespectfully about Islam is not protected speech. In England, people who placed bacon at mosques got prison sentences, and one prison official was fired in 2001 after mocking Osama bin Laden. In 2017 a party in Cambridge was raided by police after a song mocking bin Laden was overheard by a police officer who deemed it a "racial hatred incident." Scotland's "Hate Crime and Public Order Bill" was introduced in April 2020 by Justice secretary Humza Yousaf who sought to punish Islamophobia because, as he put it, "freedom of expression is not an absolute right."
If the Islamophobia Industry gets its way — and Blinken appoints someone like Yousaf as the new special envoy — we will see similar attempts to limit freedom of expression in the U.S. and abroad. In the meantime, the cry of "Islamophobia" remains a handy offensive defense whenever someone like Ilhan Omar lets her guard down and shows her true beliefs.
*A. J. Caschetta is a principal lecturer at the Rochester Institute of Technology and a a Ginsburg-Milstein fellow at the Middle East Forum.