English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 30/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the
lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews21/english.june30.21.htm
News Bulletin Achieves Since
2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006
Bible Quotations For today
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved
Letter to the Romans 10/12-21/:”For there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous
to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall
be saved.’ But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And
how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they
to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless
they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring
good news!’ But not all have obeyed the good news; for Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who
has believed our message?’ So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard
comes through the word of Christ. But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they
have; for ‘Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the
ends of the world.’Again I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, ‘I
will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I
will make you angry.’Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, ‘I have been found by
those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for
me.’But of Israel he says, ‘All day long I have held out my hands to a
disobedient and contrary people.”.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials
published on June 29-30/2021
The Cancerous Lebanese Political Parties/Elias Bejjani/June 29/2021
Health Ministry: 185 new Corona cases, three deaths
President Aoun: Expression of opinion is secured for all, provided that it does
not turn into chaos and riots
Canada supports EFP Lebanon in expanding its reach to vulnerable families
through a national social support scheme
Lebanon’s government raises fuel prices amid protests, roadblocks
U.S., France, KSA Push Jointly for Lebanon Action
Akar meets Vatican's Foreign Minister
Lebanese security forces on high alert as violent protests continue/Najia
Houssari/Arab News/Arab News
Lebanese security forces on high alert as violent protests continue
Strong Lebanon: Measures to provide fuel incomplete as long as borders remain
uncontrolled
Nasrallah's double game/Oded Granot/Israel Hayom/June 29/2021
ISF thwarts attempt to smuggle Captagon to KSA
The Al Ghurair Hub for Digital Teaching and Learning launches in partnership
with the American University of Beirut
USAID Enhances Access to Quality Technical and Vocational Education and Training
in the Beqaa, South, and North Lebanon
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June
29-30/2021
Analysis: US sends warning to Iran with weekend strikes, but escalation
unlikely
UN expert backs probe into Iran’s 1988 killings, Raisi’s role
Iran ‘examining’ whether to extend IAEA monitoring deal
Raisi’s hard-line stance ‘could spell trouble’
What might Israel want if the United States rejoins the Iran deal?
Lapid: Biden admin. tying Israel-Arab normalization to Palestinians
Police, Palestinians clash as Israel begins demolition in Jerusalem’s Silwan
Palestinian refugees flee authorities amid claims of Greek ‘pushback’ policy
Lapid is the most senior Israeli to make the trip to the Gulf
Lapid, on UAE Trip, Opens First Israeli Embassy in Gulf
Saudi, US foreign ministers hold talks on Iranian interference
Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal, US Secretary Blinken meet in Italy for G20
El-Sisi stresses importance of preventing escalation in Israeli-Palestinian
tensions
Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC
English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June
29-30/2021
How can people still trust the same faces?/Mouafac Harb/The Daily
Star/June 29/2021
Getting Out of Iran’s Way/Bradley Bowman & Behnam Ben Taleblu/The Dispatch/FDD/June
29/2021
US warns that Islamic State extremists still a world threat/Matthew Lee/ROME
(AP)/June 29/2021
Why Iranian missiles are targeting Makkah/Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/June
29/2021
Peace the priority as US, Afghanistan open new chapter/Ajmal Shams/Arab
News/June 29/2021
Cut Off the Blood Supply to China's Communist Party: End Trade/Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone
Institute/June 29/ 2021
Something is Sinking, and It's Not Just the Dead Sea/Naomi Linder Kahn/June
29/2021
The Istanbul Canal is simply another Erdogan populist scam/Rami Rayess/Al
Arabiya/June 29/2021
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on June 29-30/2021
The Cancerous Lebanese Political Parties
Elias Bejjani/June 29/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/100147/elias-bejjani-the-cancerous-lebanese-political-parties-%d8%a3%d8%ad%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%a8-%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%87%d9%8a-%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b6-%d8%b3%d8%b1%d8%b7%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a-%d9%82%d8%a7/
Quite frankly and with a peaceful conscience, we can say loudly that all the
political parties in occupied Lebanon are mere thugs, Trojans and puppets. They
serve their owners' hunger and greed for power and riches. The sole focus of all
these parties is on securing ways and means to their owners' individual
ambitions and agendas.
The parties hypocrite owners know nothing about honesty, patriotism, hope or
faith. They are extremely cancerous and actually accountable for all the
disasters and hardships that Lebanon and the Lebanese are facing and going
through from A to Z and foremost the Iranian occupation.
These parties handed over the country to Hezbollah, with shame succumbed to its
occupational Iranian anti-Lebanese scheme and betrayed the Lebanese people and
state.
These same parties are currently advocating for parliamentary elections under
the Hezbollah hegemony umbrella in an evil bid to legitimize its occupation
The first step in Lebanon's recovery and salvation must start with abandoning
all these parties and by stoning their mercenary and malevolent owners.
Health Ministry: 185 new Corona cases, three deaths
NNA/June 29/2021
In its daily report, the Ministry of Public Health announced on Tuesday the
registration of 185 new Coronavirus infections, thus raising the cumulative
number of confirmed cases to-date to 544,705.
It added that three deaths were also recorded during the past 24 hours.
President Aoun: Expression of opinion is secured for
all, provided that it does not turn into chaos and riots
NNA/June 29/2021
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, pointed out that “What
happened in the past few days in front of the gas stations is unacceptable, and
the humiliation of citizens is also unacceptable under any consideration. All
those concerned, including administrators and security, should work to prevent
the recurrence of these practices, especially since a new schedule for the
installation of fuel prices was issued today which would ease the impact of the
crisis”.
The President also stressed that “Expression of opinion is secured for everyone
so that it does not turn into chaos and riots”, noting that road blocking
practices have caused great suffering for citizens in addition to what they
suffer from as a result of the difficult financial and economic conditions in
the country.
“Security apparatuses should not be lenient in dealing with these practices in
order to preserve the safety of citizens and public stability, and to protect
public and private properties” President Aoun added.
After reviewing the report prepared by the General Directorate of Customs on the
status and safety of oil depots on the Lebanese coast, President Aoun called for
taking the necessary measures to ensure that they comply with the conditions of
public health and safety.
For his part, Prime Minister Dr. Hassan Diab clarified that he understands the
situation of the soldier, who is asked to confront those who raise slogans of
objection to the living, social and financial conditions. Premier Diab also
stated that there is a difference between objection and assault on people, their
property and livelihood, and what is happening distorts people’s cry, and wastes
their rights.
“Today, we are primarily concerned with addressing this destructive chaos, which
increases crises and pressures on the country and on the Lebanese” PM Diab said.
Stances of President Aoun and Prime Minister Diab came during the meeting of the
Supreme Defense Council, which was held at 1:00 pm in the Baabda Palace, headed
by President Aoun and attended by PM Diab and ministers of: Finance Ghazi Wazny,
Interior and Municipalities, Mohamed Fahmy, Economy and Trade Raoul Nehme,
Public Works and Transport Michel Najjar, Raymond Ghajar, Energy and Water, and
Public Health Hamad Hassan.
Also attending were: Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, Director General of
General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, Internal Security Forces Director
General, Major General Imad Othman, Director General of State Security, Major
General Tony Saliba, Secretary General of the Supreme Defense Council, Major
General Mahmoud Al-Asmar , Acting Governmental Commissioner at the Military
Court, Judge Fadi Akiki, Chairman of the Higher Council of Customs, ret.
Brigadier General, Assaad Al-Toufaili, Acting Director General of Customs,
Raymond Khoury, Director General of Civil Defense Brigadier, Raymond Khattar,
Assistant Director General of State Security, Brigadier Samir Sinan, Director of
Intelligence, Brigadier General Antoine Kahwajy, Head of the Information Branch
in the Internal Security Forces, Brigadier General Khaled Hammoud, Director of
Information in the General Directorate of General Security, Brigadier Youssef
Al-Medawar, Airport Chief, Fadi Al-Hassan, Director-General of the Presidency of
the Republic, Dr. Antoine Choucair, the President’s Security and Military
Advisor, retired Brigadier General, Paul Matar.
Statement:
After the meeting, Major General Al-Asmar read the following statement:
“At the invitation of His Excellency, President of the Republic General Michel
Aoun, the Supreme Defense Council convened in a meeting attended by Prime
Minister, Dr. Hassan Diab and Ministers of: Finance, Interior, Economy, Public
Works, Energy and Public Health.
The Army Commander, heads of the security apparatuses, Customs, Civil Defense,
the Governmental Commissioner to the Military Court, and the head of Rafic
Hariri International Airport, also attended.
At the beginning of the meeting, His Excellency the President of the Republic
indicated that the main purpose of this meeting is to address the security
situation in the country, especially as summer season is close, and the tourist
season is expected to be promising with the arrival of the Lebanese abroad. His
Excellency also said that this necessitates providing the appropriate atmosphere
to secure a peaceful and quiet stay for tourists.
His Excellency also pointed out that what happened in the past few days in front
of gas stations is unacceptable, and the humiliation of citizens is rejected
under any consideration. “All those concerned, including administrations and
security, must work to prevent the recurrence of these events, especially since
a new schedule for fuel prices was issued today and would reduce the brunt of
the crisis” the President said.
In addition, His Excellency the President spoke about the closure of roads and
impeding movement, where he pointed out that these practices have caused great
sufferings for citizens, in addition to what citizens are already suffering from
as a result of the difficult financial and economic conditions in the country.
“The expression of opinion is secured for all, provided that this doesn’t turn
into riots and chaos. Security apparatuses must not be negligent in dealing with
these events in order to preserve the safety of citizens, public stability and
to protect public and private properties” President Aoun added.
Moreover, the President tackled the situation at Rafic Hariri International
Airport and pointed to the existence of difficulties, obstructions and crowding,
especially during conducting PCR examinations, as well as complaints about the
way some employees interact with travelers or those arriving at the airport.
“These conditions at the airport cause great harm because the airport is the
front of our country and measures must be taken to correct this issue in various
fields” the President continue.
The President then referred to the report prepared by the General Directorate of
Customs, and submitted it to the General Secretariat of the Higher Defense
Council on the status and safety of oil depots on the Lebanese coast. The
President called for taking necessary measures to ensure that they comply with
the conditions of public health and safety.
Afterwards, the Prime Minister said: “I understand the pressures you are facing
during this difficult period in the country. I understand the situation of the
soldier who is being tasked to confront those who raise slogans of objection to
the current living, social and financial conditions.
This soldier, whether in the Army, ISF, General Security, or State Security, is
basically also suffering from these conditions. However, there is a difference
between objecting and attacking people, their properties and livelihood.
Blocking roads doesn’t express people opinion, blocking roads is against people.
Chaos, breaking cars and attacking the Army are not an expression of objection
to the situation. What is happening distorts peoples’ cries and wastes their
rights.
What is happening is against people themselves. Therefore, we are primarily
concerned today with addressing this destructive chaos which increases crises
and pressures on the country and on the Lebanese”.
Afterwards, the Council addressed agenda topics, and took the following
decisions:
Demanding military and security agencies to maintain necessary readiness to
prevent some breaches of security to destabilize the security situation due to
financial, economic and living conditions, especially regarding road blocking or
encroaching on public and private properties.
Requesting Ministries of Public Works and Public Health to take necessary
measures to expedite and facilitate the process of conducting PCR tests for
travelers arriving at Rafic Hariri International Airport.
Requesting the Public Works Ministry, especially the general Directorate of
Civil Aviation, to complete necessary procedures to facilitate the movement of
passengers and ensure their comfort as soon as possible.
Requesting the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, in coordination with the
airport security apparatus, to address the problems which occur between
passengers, employees and workers, in light of the laws in force, while taking
necessary measures against violators.
Requesting the Finance Minister to coordinate with the Defense and Interior
Ministers to find ways to support the military and security apparatuses,
especially in light of the deteriorating financial and economic conditions.
Assigning the energy Minister, based on the national strategy for oil
installations on the Lebanese coast prepared by the ministry, to draw-up the
necessary report within a maximum period of one month to assess the standards
and conditions of public health and safety. Accordingly, requesting concerned
companies to take the necessary action in accordance with the requirements and
time period set by the ministry, and in case companies do not respond, security
assistance to implement the necessary will be requested through the General
Secretariat of the Supreme Defense Council.
Questions & Answers:
Question: There are roads that were cut off during the council meeting. What are
the procedures that will reassure people not to cut off roads?
Answer: “Decisions are clear, and the security and military agencies have been
assigned to address the issue”.
Question: How will security support for the Ministry of Finance be given?
Answer: “The Finance Minister is required to coordinate with the Ministers of
Interior and Defense to find the most appropriate way”.
Question: Will the security apparatuses be assigned tasks directly related to
the living situation?
Answer: “As you have noticed, the General Directorate of State Security were
spread yesterday at all stations and obligated those who were closed and who had
a quantity of fuel to fill this material for those who needed. Thus, the
security services are present and following up”.
Question: Will drug stores that do not deliver their stock also be pursued?
Answer: “If His Excellency the Minister of Health requests support, the security
forces are ready”.
Question: Are there security concerns as a result of the situation?
Answer: “The situation is difficult, and it affects everyone, including the
security apparatuses, not just a segment of the people. But the security
apparatuses are ready to meet all that is required of them to control the
security situation”. -- Presidency Press Office
Canada supports EFP Lebanon in expanding its reach to
vulnerable families through a national social support scheme
NNA/June 29/2021
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) received a CAD10.5 (US$8.7)
million contribution from the government of Canada to scale up food assistance
to the most vulnerable Lebanese through a key national social support.
WFP aims to expand its support to reach 350,000 people per month through the
National Poverty Targeting Programme (NPTP) of the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Lebanese families are struggling to make ends meet amidst an ongoing economic
downturn with a collapsing currency and skyrocketing inflation.
Canada’s contribution also enables WFP to provide technical assistance to the
Ministry of Social Affairs with a focus on gender mainstreaming in the National
Poverty Targeting Programme (NPTP) operations. This includes researching women’s
needs and concerns, and training social workers to better address women-related
issues. “The economic situation in Lebanon has pushed people to the edge. For
most Lebanese families, every day has become a struggle,” says WFP
Representative and Country Director in Lebanon Abdallah Alwardat. “We are very
grateful for the people and Government of Canada for their support that will
help us bring food to the tables of the most vulnerable who have become
desperate.”
“Canada is committed to supporting the Lebanese people and to ensure that
immediate assistance is delivered to provide access to food and preserve
livelihoods for the most vulnerable in the face of the current crises,” says
Chantal Chastenay, Ambassador of Canada to Lebanon.
Since 2014, together with the Ministry of Social Affairs, WFP with the support
of generous donors has been the backbone of sustaining the food assistance
component of the National Poverty Targeting Programme (NPTP). WFP reached
167,000 people in May and has also repeatedly increased monthly cash assistance
transfers to keep up with rising prices to 100,000 LBP for each member of a
family that holds the NPTP e-card. Canada has been supportive of WFP’s work in
Lebanon for many years. This new contribution brings Canada’s total support
towards WFP assistance for vulnerable people in Lebanon to CAD21.5 (US$17.5)
million in 2021.
Lebanon’s government raises fuel prices amid protests,
roadblocks
Reuters, Beirut/29 June ,2021
Lebanon’s government raised fuel prices on Tuesday, after agreeing last week to
effectively cut fuel subsidies, a move aimed at alleviating crippling shortages
but which will increase the pressure on impoverished consumers. The average
price of 95-octane gasoline was set at 61,100 Lebanese pounds ($40.58) per 20
liters, an increase of 15,900 pounds, or 35 percent higher, the energy ministry
said in a document. Diesel prices were set at 46,100 pounds, up 12,800, or 38
percent, the document showed. Lebanon’s central bank said on Monday it would
start giving credit lines to import fuel at 3,900 Lebanese pounds to the dollar,
a weaker rate than the 1,500 pounds previously offered under the subsidy
program. However, dollars were changing hands at about 16,700 pounds on Tuesday
on the parallel market, one market participant said. Lebanon is in the throes of
a financial crisis described by the World Bank as one of the deepest depressions
of modern history. Motorists have been queuing for hours to get barely any
gasoline for the past few weeks often leading to violent squabbles. Sporadic
roadblocks across Lebanon, with a few protesters blocking roadways by burning
garbage containers, have spread in the past few days as frustrations have grown,
according to a Reuters witness.
U.S., France, KSA Push Jointly for Lebanon Action
Agence France Presse/June 29/2021
The top diplomats of the United States, France and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday
jointly pushed for Lebanon's squabbling leaders to come together to address the
country's mounting crises. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held an
impromptu three-way meeting on Lebanon's troubles with his Saudi and French
counterparts on the sidelines of talks of the Group of 20 major economies in
Matera, Italy. The three discussed "the need for Lebanon's political leaders to
show real leadership by implementing overdue reforms to stabilize the economy
and provide the Lebanese people with much-needed relief," Blinken wrote on
Twitter. Lebanon has been without a functioning government since a massive blast
in Beirut in August 2020 killed more than 200 people and ravaged swathes of the
capital. The political indecision comes amid an economic crisis that includes
massive waits for fuel and a tumbling value of the Lebanese pound. The United
States, Saudi Arabia and France -- the former colonial power -- are key players
in Lebanon, having worked together on the 1989 Taif accord that ended a bloody
civil war and established a complicated agreement to split power among the
country's communities. Another major actor is Iran which supports the Shiite
militant movement and political party Hizbullah. Blinken repeatedly discussed
Lebanon on a week-long European tour including with Pope Francis and French
Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who he also saw on Friday in Paris.
Akar meets Vatican's Foreign Minister
NNA/June 29/2021
Deputy Prime Minister, Caretaker Defense Minister and Acting Foreign Minister
Zeina Akar, on Tuesday met with Foreign Minister of the Vatican, Archbishop Paul
Gallagher, in presence of Lebanon's Ambassador Farid Khazen. The meeting
reportedly touched on the current situation and latest political, economic, and
social developments in Lebanon, in addition to the burden caused by the massive
presence of displaced Syrians. Also, conferees discussed the imminent meeting
for the Lebanese Christian leaders at the behest of Pope Francis.
Moreover, talks touched on the Pope's possible visit to Lebanon.
Lebanese security forces on high alert as violent
protests continue
Najia Houssari/Arab News/Arab News/June 29/2021
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Supreme Defense Council has asked the military and security
services to stay on high alert to prevent attempts to destabilize the security
situation amid the financial and political crises the country is facing. The
council, headed by President Michel Aoun, convened on Tuesday amid protests
against the fuel shortage. Promises to provide fuel after the partial lifting of
subsidies have not reduced the public anger nor the never-ending queues at gas
stations. During the meeting, Aoun said that “what happened in front of the gas
stations is unacceptable,” stressing that “humiliating citizens is unacceptable
under any circumstances, and all concerned parties should work to prevent the
recurrence of such scenes.”Aoun objected to “roads being closed as they cause
additional suffering to citizens.”He said: “Everyone is entitled to their
opinion, but it should not turn into chaos and riots, and the security
authorities should not be lenient.”The attempt to contain the chaos coincided
with a comprehensive strike carried out by all banks in Lebanon on Tuesday to
protest the attack on the headquarters of the Lebanese Swiss Bank on Hamra
Street in Beirut. The bank said that “about a hundred people occupied the bank’s
general administration building on Monday and beat the employees, injuring three
of them, as they used violence to force managers to make money transfers to
Turkey.”Since November 2019, banks have refrained from making transfers abroad
in light of the financial crisis.
The bank’s administration said the attackers belonged to a charity called Baneen,
which had demanded the courts approve the transfers, but the Judge of Urgent
Matters dismissed the case. The banks’ association condemned the attack and
called on “the competent judicial and security agencies to pursue the
perpetrators.” Meanwhile, street protests continued on Tuesday as citizens
blocked roads in different areas to express their anger over dire living
conditions and the fuel shortage. The rush to the gas stations that dared to
operate amid the tense climate inspired several brawls. Protesters destroyed a
gas station in the Akkar region due to the owner’s reluctance to sell diesel and
petrol, despite not running out, but was waiting to sell the fuel at higher
prices. Fadi Abu Shakra, a representative of the union of fuel distributors and
gas stations in Lebanon, told Arab News: “A delegation from the union met the
minister of interior in the caretaker government to discuss the security
situation at gas stations in light of the many fights that are erupting.
“The minister asked gas station owners to refrain from filling gallons to
prevent them from being stored in homes since this poses a danger to citizens,
and to only sell small quantities for motorcycle owners to prevent them from
selling fuel on the black market.”Abu Shakra stressed that “fuel will be
available to the Lebanese within a few days, as the remaining ships will be
unloaded and the quantities delivered after the Banque du Liban began opening
credits for ships anchored off the Lebanese coast.”While covering the long
queues in front of a gas station in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a foreign
journalist was attacked and detained by Hezbollah on Monday. In a statement, the
Tahalof Watani publication condemned the attack on Matt Kynaston, a
correspondent of the Beirut daily, NOW Lebanon, “who was only doing his job,”
demanding the security and judicial agencies “pursue the aggressors and punish
them as required by justice and to protect the freedom of media professionals,
which is guaranteed by the Lebanese Constitution.”In a similar vein, an
investigation session with the anti-Hezbollah cleric, Ali Al-Amin, was
postponed. A case was filed against him by Hezbollah supporters, who accused him
of participating in a meeting in Bahrain that was allegedly attended by
Israelis. A sit-in was organized in front of the Palace of Justice in Beirut in
solidarity with Al-Amin on Tuesday. The protesters raised banners saying, “ideas
are more powerful than your guns,” and “violent messages do not silence the
voice of our freedom.” Samy Gemayel, the head of Lebanon’s Kataeb Party,
expressed his solidarity with Al-Amin “and support for his free and open mind in
the face of oppression and close-minded people.”He added: “We will not accept
intimidation, and we will bring down the police state and the militias behind
it.”
Lebanese security forces on high alert as violent protests
continue
AFP/June 29, 2021
BEIRUT: Lebanon hiked fuel prices by more than 30 percent Tuesday as it reduced
subsidies that have eaten away at the central bank’s foreign currency reserves
amid a painful economic crisis. Petrol and diesel prices went up sharply,
according to a revised price list published by the official National News Agency
(NNA), in a week when a steep currency devaluation sparked angry street
protests. The sharp fuel price rises came as Lebanon, a small country of six
million people, grapples with an economic crisis branded by the World Bank as
one of the world’s worst since the mid-19th century.
The Lebanese pound — which has been pegged to the dollar at 1,507 since 1997 —
sold for more than 17,000 to the greenback on the black market this week, a
record low. The price of 20 liters of 95-octane petrol shot up nearly 16,000
Lebanese pounds ($10.6 at the official rate) to reach 61,000 pounds ($40.6),
according to NNA. The price of the same amount of 98-octane petrol climbed by
16,300 pounds ($10.8) to reach nearly 63,000 pounds ($42). Meanwhile, the price
of diesel reached 46,100 pounds ($30.7), up from 33,300 pounds ($22.2). The new
prices came after weeks of long queues at petrol stations that had started
rationing gasoline and diesel fuel amid shortages. Fuel importers blamed the
crisis on a delay by the central bank in opening credit lines to fund fuel
imports due to depletion of foreign currency reserves. For their part, Lebanese
officials said smuggling to Syria and stockpiling by fuel distributors had
contributed to shortages. The central bank used to fund 85 percent of fuel
imports at the official exchange rate of 1,507 Lebanese pounds to the dollar
while importers fund the rest of the cost at the street rate. But the government
last week authorized the funding of fuel imports at the weaker exchange rate of
3,900 Lebanese pounds to the dollar instead of the official peg to ease the
crisis. The central bank Monday said it would open credit lines for fuel imports
based on the new exchange rate in compliance with the government’s decision.
Following the central bank announcement, the energy ministry said that fuel
tankers docked in Lebanese waters had started offloading fuel shipments that
would boost supply in the coming days. Fadi Abu Shakra of the union of fuel
distributors told NNA on Tuesday that six tankers had started offloading
shipments and they would soon be distributed to gas stations across the country.
Strong Lebanon: Measures to provide fuel incomplete as
long as borders remain uncontrolled
NNA/June 29/2021
The Strong Lebanon parliamentary bloc discussed, during its periodic meeting
headed by MP Gebran Bassil, the legislative session's schedule, and "took
appropriate decisions, including those related to the ration card law to support
people in their living needs, and reform laws including the public purchase
law," hoping that "the House of Representatives will persevere in the
legislative work to pass all the reform laws related to combating corruption."He
asked "the central bank's governance, why is it not obligatory to record all
sales and purchases exclusively on the platform," calling on "the judicial and
security agencies to implement the laws in force, and arrest and punish
violators." Conferees believed that "whatever the financial and administrative
measures taken to provide fuel and basic materials to the Lebanese, they will
remain incomplete if the security forces do not assume their responsibilities
and control the land borders, ports, and airport in order to limit smuggling,
especially since smuggling operations are scandalous and are carried out by
well-known people, among whom are those who assume political and security
responsibilities."
Nasrallah's double game
Oded Granot/Israel Hayom/June 29/2021
Hezbollah might fear a civil war in Lebanon, but it still hopes that the current
chaos will topple the existing political system and allow it to make Lebanon
into a satellite of Iran.
The incitement that has been simmering just below the surface in Lebanon for
months now erupted this week in the form of furious protesters who tried to
break into branches of the country's central bank in a few different cities in
response to the country's terrible shortages of medicine, fuel, and staple
goods. The army, which miraculously is still functioning even though the
soldiers' salaries have taken a hit, managed to repel the demonstrators.
Lebanon is collapsing. The World Bank claims that in the past 150 years, no
nation has undergone such a severe economic crisis. The US dollar, which in
January 2020 was traded on Lebanon's black market at rate of 2,000 lira, is now
worth 18,000 lira as of the start of June. Drivers waiting to buy gas, which is
imported using foreign currency, fight and sometimes shoot each other in order
to find a place in the endless lines.
Lebanon's finance minister is warning that the country will collapse completely
if it doesn't have enough diesel fuel to run its power stations. In the past 20
months, tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs, and about half of the
Lebanon's 6 million residents are being plunged into poverty.
There are many reasons for the serious economic crisis engulfing Lebanon, such
as the rampant corruption among its controlling class and the leadership of its
ethno-religious sectors (Sunni Muslim, Shiite Muslim, and Christian) –
including, of course, the leaders of Hezbollah – who empties the state coffers.
There is also the influx of refugees, including a million people who fled Syria,
as well as blows to Lebanese exports and imports as a result of sanctions
against Iran.
But what has made the crisis, which has been unfolding for nearly two years,
worse is the political paralysis that has gripped the country since last summer.
The Lebanese government resigned after the blast at the Beirut port, which
killed over 200 people. Attempts to form a new, functioning government failed
due to an ongoing dispute between Prime Minister-designate Said Hariri and
President Michel Aoun and Aoun's son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, who heads the
Christian bloc, over the makeup of the cabinet.
Supposedly, Hezbollah is not involved in the disagreement, but it also isn't
helping find a way out of the impasse. Instead, it is playing both sides of the
game, serving its own interests. On one hand, it is sending messages that it has
no desire to see a civil war, which could break out at any moment if the
nation's distress worsens, and has ordered its people to restrain themselves and
not get dragged into popular provocations. But on the other hand, Hezbollah
leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah isn't lifting a finger to help solve the crisis
and is not putting any pressure on Aoun and Bassil – his political allies – to
find a compromise. The reason for this might lie in the fact that Nasrallah has
long been wishing to see Lebanon's political system, which rests on a division
of roles between the countries Sunni, Shiite, and Christian sectors, collapse.
This system has been in place since 1943, allocating the roles of president and
prime minister to the Maronite Christians and Sunnis, respectively. The
Hezbollah leader believes that the time has arrived for the country's Shiite
sector, which has increased since 1943, to take its place at the helm of the
nation, and use its position as "defender" of the Shiite population and its
military strength to reshape Lebanon as he wants to see it. Nasrallah doesn't
want this to happen as a result of a civil war, which he fears, but he wouldn't
object if the existing system fell apart due to the current chaos, allowing him
to exert his influence to make Lebanon into another satellite of Iran, a sort of
protégé state of the ayatollahs.
Therefore, he also objected stringently to the country acceding to a demand by
the International Monetary Fund to instate extensive reforms as a condition for
economic aid, because the IMF is an entity "controlled by the west." This is why
he suggested this week that Iran, as a "friendly gesture," supply oil to Lebanon
and accept local currency as payment. Nasrallah's opponents in Lebanon have so
far managed to stave off the idea, despite the difficult situation, but
Nasrallah still hasn't said his last on the matter.
ISF thwarts attempt to smuggle Captagon to KSA
NNA/June 29, 2021
The Internal Security Forces on Tuesday foiled an attempt to smuggle Captagon
pills to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a statement by the ISF said.
The pills, approximately 10,000 tablets, were professionally hidden in sanitary
sterilization equipment. A probe launched into the case has successfully
identified those involved in this operation. Three people were arrested,
including two Lebanese nationals and one Syrian national, after admitting to
having prepared for this trafficking operation.
The Al Ghurair Hub for Digital Teaching and Learning
launches in partnership with the American University of Beirut
NNA/June 29, 2021
During a virtual signing ceremony today attended by HE Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair,
Chairman of AGFE, and Dr. Fadlo R. Khuri, President of AUB, The Abdulla Al
Ghurair Foundation for Education (AGFE) announced the launch of the Abdulla Al
Ghurair Hub for Digital Teaching and Learning in partnership with the American
University of Beirut (AUB) at the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and
Architecture (MSFEA) with the aim of improving access to quality online
education for thousands of Arab youth across the region. A first of its kind
initiative in the region, the program will leverage cutting-edge learning
technologies that respond to the rapidly evolving needs of regional and global
employment markets. In addition to launching a combination of at least 15 online
master’s programs, diplomas, and certificates in its first 3 years, the Abdulla
Al Ghurair Hub for Digital Teaching and Learning will be carefully structured to
align with industry needs, and to fill a gap in the regional higher education
and online education market. In order to achieve the goals of the initiative,
AGFE and AUB will pursue a two-pronged approach in which existing residential
courses at MSFEA will simultaneously be digitized to enable improvements in the
teaching and learning experience for students, at the same time new courses and
programs are being developed.
In light of the shared commitment of AGFE and AUB to increasing access to high
quality higher education through quality online learning, the Hub will also
provide support to underserved students, enabling lifelong learning and skill
development opportunities.
H.E Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, Chairman of Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for
Education (AGFE), said: “With today’s unprecedented challenges in providing
high-quality learning opportunities to Arab youth, we are delighted to
collaborate with strategic regional partners such as AUB, to make quality online
learning more accessible to a larger pool of young people. The future of online
learning in the region will be further catalysed by initiatives such as these,
and we are confident that more educational institutions will follow suit, in
order to provide greater access to education across many more fields of study.”
Dr Sonia Ben Jaafar, Chief Executive Officer of Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation
for Education (AGFE), said: “The Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education’s
collaboration with AUB reflects our collective and steadfast commitment towards
promoting higher education standards that meet the need for greater access to
quality online learning platforms in the region. Our main objective is to be a
catalyst for innovation in education as well as provide access to higher
education opportunities for Arab youth. We are confident that this initiative
will consequently serve as a benchmark and knowledge hub for training and
supporting other regional universities interested in building their online and
blended learning capacities, so that more Arab youth can have access to better
higher education at scale."
The Hub is based on an outcomes-based impact financing model, a groundbreaking
financing mechanism for education in the Arab region. This innovative approach
aims to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of philanthropic funding, by
fostering commitment from all partners to meet pre identified outcomes tied to
social impact as defined by key indicators. Moreover, the Hub will become
self-sustaining over the coming years as all revenues it generates will be
reinvested back into its growth and development for the benefit of Arab youth.
The Hub has already powered two new active online programs: the immersive,
flexible, and interactive Engineering Management Master’s degree tailored for
engineers and architects; as well as the Building Energy Systems graduate
diploma that leverages renewable energy solutions which is increasingly demanded
in this era of global warming.
Fadlo R. Khuri, MD, President of AUB, commented: “Today, the region faces
unprecedented challenges in providing high-quality learning opportunities to
Arab youth. That’s why we are pleased to partner with the Abdulla Al Ghurair
Foundation for Education who share our values of providing the best educational
opportunities for Arab youth. We need to make learning in critical fields for
the development of the Arab region, such as engineering and architecture, more
accessible, more interactive, and more engaging. This partnership reflects the
confidence of regional business leaders in the vision and growth of AUB that has
one of the highest employer ratings in the region. We are upgrading the existing
infrastructure to be more digital, adaptive, flexible and interactive and will
serve as a regional leader in online learning for a greater positive social
impact. We hope that this Hub will serve as a model to other institutions in the
region who want to follow suit to cater to the growing population of youth in
need of quality education.” AGFE and AUB’s strategic relationship dates back to
2017 when AUB welcomed one of AGFE’s first fully funded Al Ghurair STEM Scholars
at the university. AGFE engaged in a two-year project to train a number of
faculty and instructional designers to redesign introductory undergraduate
blended courses. To date, over 1200 students have benefited from such courses.
USAID Enhances Access to Quality Technical and Vocational Education and Training
in the Beqaa, South, and North Lebanon
NNA/June 29/2021
USAID, through its Community Support Program (CSP), is providing technical and
vocational education scholarship and internship opportunities to job seekers in
the Beqaa, South Lebanon, and North Lebanon. Since 2019, CSP has been
contributing to workforce development by facilitating quality access to
vocational courses in three promising sectors for growth and employment:
home-based health care, industrial repair and maintenance, and information &
communication technology (ICT). Under the $7.3 million Workforce Development (WFD)
program, USAID’s CSP has so far awarded 190 scholarships to students pursuing
technical and vocational education training (TVET) education. In partnership
with private (TVET) institutes, WFD is designing and delivering new curricula
relevant to these sectors. WFD works to enhance the associated learning
equipment and job placement infrastructure and services of 10 private TVETs
across Lebanon. The program also partners with small and medium enterprises with
demonstrated growth potential who are interested in providing internship and job
opportunities to scholarship recipients. In addition to full tuition coverage,
students receive health insurance, a monthly stipend covering the transportation
fees, and a computer or tablet for the facilitation of online learning. By 2022,
USAID’s CSP aims to improve the employability skills of and career opportunities
for at least 1,000 Lebanese residents from underserved communities.
Commenting on the importance of this program in supporting technical and
vocational education in Lebanon, especially during the current economic crisis,
Father Hanna Kanaan, Principle of the Foyer de la Providence Technical School in
South Lebanon, commented: “It is vital to expand local production and
maintenance industries in Lebanon to contribute to a better economy, as well as
acknowledge that technical and vocational education is a necessary factor in
rebuilding our country”.Scholarship opportunities are currently available for
the upcoming Industrial Repair and Maintenance course at the Tamkeen technical
and vocational institute in Tripoli and the Cortbawi institute in Jounieh. This
five-month course includes five modules: hydraulics, pneumatics,
electro-pneumatics & electro-hydraulics, electricity, and mechanics.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
Reports And News published on June
29-30/2021
Analysis: US sends warning to Iran
with weekend strikes, but escalation unlikely
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/29 June ,2021
“We seek to make clear to Iran and Iran-backed militia groups that there will be
serious consequences if they continue to attack, or to arm, fund, and train
militia groups that attack our people,” the Pentagon said. The US airstrikes on
Iran-backed militias over the weekend were meant to send a warning to Tehran,
and no further escalation is expected despite the militias threatening to
retaliate, officials, analysts and diplomats said. “It was more of a warning,
and the US is trying to draw some lines on what they can tolerate and what they
can’t tolerate,” a senior diplomat based in the Middle East told Al Arabiya
English.
Late Sunday, the Pentagon announced that it had conducted multiple airstrikes on
various operational and weapons storage facilities used by Iranian proxies along
the border of Syria and Iraq. It was unclear if the raids led to any casualties,
but Al Arabiya reported that four militia fighters were killed. Then on Monday,
pro-Iran militias targeted US forces in Syria before the US responded by hitting
rocket launching positions. An increase in drone attacks and the targeting of US
forces and allies in recent months - with all signs pointing to Iran-backed
militias - pushed US President Joe Biden to direct the retaliatory strikes on
Sunday night.The diplomat source pointed to signals sent by the US to Iran
earlier this year that it would not accept the continued attacks by Tehran’s
allies without a response.
While Iran condemned Sunday’s airstrikes, as did Iraq and Syria, attention
turned to the potential for an increased escalation of tensions between
Washington and Tehran.
Hostilities last reached a higher-than-normal level following former President
Donald Trump’s order to assassinate Iran’s Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad Airport
in January 2020. Iran responded by unleashing a barrage of precision-guided
missiles and rockets at Iraqi bases housing US troops. Now, under Biden, the US
has re-engaged with Iran albeit indirectly via European allies, Russia and
China. Six rounds of talks have taken place in Vienna in an effort to reach a
nuclear deal. But, after the latest round of negotiations, both the US and Iran
have warned that they will not engage in talks forever. Events over the last 48
hours appeared to some as threatening the fate of the ongoing talks. The State
Department and Pentagon seemed less concerned about such a possibility, as did
the diplomat and analysts. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters
that the weekend raids were designed to limit the risk of escalation. Pentagon
Spokesperson Commander Jessica McNulty said the strikes were “necessary,
appropriate, and deliberate action designed to limit the risk of escalation.”
In an email, McNulty told Al Arabiya English that the strikes were
“appropriately limited in scope.” The State Department echoed these comments,
saying the airstrikes were a direct response to previous attacks against US
forces in the region. “If the provocations continue, so too must the protective
response,” a State Department spokesperson told Al Arabiya English. Asked about
any concern that this could have on the ongoing nuclear deal talks, the State
Department official said: “We are pursuing the talks in Vienna on mutual return
to compliance with the JCPOA because we believe such a return would be in our
national security interest. We still believe this to be the case and intend to
return to Vienna to continue our negotiations when the next round is scheduled.”
Biden’s decision to carry out the airstrikes on Sunday was the second time he’s
ordered such a move since taking office. Shortly after his inauguration, he
ordered the Pentagon to carry out strikes on buildings in Syria used by
Iran-backed militias. It came after one of several attacks on US forces in Iraq
led to the death of a US contractor.
“In both instances, US action was defensive in nature and in response to
repeated provocations,” said Firas Maksad, a senior fellow at the
Washington-based Middle East Institute and adjunct professor at George
Washington University.
As for the potential to derail the Vienna talks, Norman Roule, former US
National Intelligence Manager for Iran, played down this possibility. Roule
believes that “all parties to these [nuclear] talks have isolated nuclear issues
from other subjects.”
For now, the risk of direct fighting between the US and Iran appears farfetched
and the negotiations will proceed. Randa Slim, a senior fellow and Director of
Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program at the Middle East Institute,
said the deal-making on the nuclear file would continue. But, she said it would
present political obstacles for follow-on talks. Washington has said it wants
Iran to come back into compliance with the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal in
return for sanctions relief. The Biden administration said that following
compliance future discussions on Iran’s ballistic missile program and its
support for militias can take place. Slim said Sunday’s strikes would make it
difficult politically to argue the benefits of a nuclear deal in the absence of
follow-on talks about Iran’s regional behavior “especially as hardliners
consolidate their grip over Iran’s domestic and foreign policies.” Nevertheless,
the US warned that it would continue to hit back if and when needed. “We seek to
make clear to Iran and Iran-backed militia groups that there will be serious
consequences if they continue to attack, or to arm, fund, and train militia
groups that attack our people. We will take necessary and appropriate measures
to defend US personnel, partners, and allies in the region,” McNulty said.
UN expert backs probe into Iran’s 1988 killings, Raisi’s
role
Arab News/June 29/2021
GENEVA: The UN investigator on human rights in Iran has called for an
independent inquiry into allegations of state-ordered executions of thousands of
political prisoners in 1988 and the role played by President-elect Ebrahim Raisi
as Tehran deputy prosecutor. Javaid Rehman, in an interview with Reuters on
Monday, said that over the years his office has gathered testimonies and
evidence. It was ready to share them if the United Nations Human Rights Council
or other body sets up an impartial investigation. He said he was concerned at
reports that some “mass graves” are being destroyed as part of a continuing
cover-up. “I think it is time and it’s very important now that Mr. Raisi is the
president (-elect) that we start investigating what happened in 1988 and the
role of individuals,” Rehman said from London, where he teaches Islamic law and
international law. A probe was in the interest of Iran and could bring closure
to families, he said, adding: “Otherwise we will have very serious concerns
about this president and the role, the reported role, he has played historically
in those executions.” Raisi, a hard-line judge, is under US sanctions over a
past that includes what the United States and activists say was his involvement
as one of four judges who oversaw the 1988 killings. Amnesty International has
put the number executed at some 5,000, saying in a 2018 report that “the real
number could be higher.”Raisi, when asked about allegations that he was involved
in the killings, told reporters: “If a judge, a prosecutor has defended the
security of the people, he should be praised ... I am proud to have defended
human rights in every position I have held so far.” Rehman said: “We have made
communications to the Islamic Republic of Iran because we have concerns that
there is again a policy to actually destroy the graves or there may be some
activity to destroy evidence of mass graves.”“I will campaign for justice to be
done,” he added. Raisi succeeds Hassan Rouhani on Aug. 3, having secured victory
this month in an election marked by voter apathy over economic hardships and
political restrictions. Rehman denounced what he called “deliberate and
manipulative strategies adopted to exclude moderate candidates and to ensure the
success of a particular candidate.”“There were arrests, journalists were stopped
from asking specific questions about the background of the presidential
candidate Mr.Raisi and there was intimidation toward any issues that were raised
about his previous role and background.”Iran has never acknowledged that mass
executions took place under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the revolutionary
leader who died in 1989. “The scale of executions that we hear imply that it was
a part of a policy that was being pursued...It was not just one person,” Rehman
said. He said there had also been “no proper investigation” into the killing of
protesters in Nov. 2019, the bloodiest political unrest since the 1979 Islamic
revolution. “Even by conservative estimates we can say that more than 300 people
were killed arbitrarily, extrajudicially, and nobody has been held accountable
and no compensation,” he said. “There is a widespread and systemic impunity in
the country for gross violations of human rights, both historically in the past
as well as in the present.”
Iran ‘examining’ whether to extend IAEA monitoring deal
Arab News/June 29/2021
TEHRAN: Iran is “examining” whether to extend an agreement to allow the UN to
monitor some of its nuclear activities, government spokesman Ali Rabiei said
Tuesday. Questions around IAEA cameras and other surveillance tools are part of
broader talks underway in Vienna to try to salvage Iran’s tattered 2015 nuclear
deal with major powers. Iran restricted access to some of its nuclear facilities
to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear
watchdog, in February under a law passed late last year. Since then, the Islamic
Republic has refused to provide real-time footage from IAEA cameras and data
from other surveillance devices that the UN agency has installed in these
locations. The IAEA and Tehran have nevertheless negotiated a compromise that
guarantees a certain degree of monitoring of Iran’s nuclear program. The
monitoring equipment remains in the IAEA’s custody, but the data is in the
possession of Iran and should not be deleted as long as the arrangement remains
in force. Initially agreed for three months, the compromise was extended for a
further month but then expired on June 24. The IAEA has since been urging Tehran
to inform it of its intentions. Regarding the agreement with the IAEA, “we are
examining the need [to renew it] and any other possibility,” Rabiei said
Tuesday, without elaborating, at a press conference in Tehran. On Monday, the
Iranian foreign ministry had said “no decision” on the deletion or retention of
the recorded data had been taken yet. The 2015 nuclear deal offered Tehran
relief from Western and UN sanctions in exchange for a commitment to never
acquire nuclear weapons, and a drastic reduction of its nuclear program. But the
pact was torpedoed in 2018 by former US president Donald Trump, who unilaterally
withdrew the United States and reimposed US sanctions and imposed new ones. In
retaliation, Iran renounced most of its key commitments restricting its
controversial nuclear activities, which it says are for peaceful purposes only.
Raisi’s hard-line stance ‘could spell
trouble’
AFP/June 29, 2021
PARIS: The election of a loyal acolyte of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
as Iranian president could ease the West’s dealings with the Islamic Republic
due to a streamlined power structure in Tehran but Ebrahim Raisi’s hard-line
stance could also spell trouble, analysts say. Under pressure to boost an
economy crippled by US sanctions, Raisi is not expected to block EU efforts to
revive a 2015 deal on Iran’s nuclear ambitions by bringing the US back into the
accord. But, according to analysts, his hostility toward the US means Raisi is
unlikely to respond to Western demands for a wider deal covering Iran’s
ballistic program, meddling in neighboring countries and its detention of
Western nationals. “Raisi, like Khamenei, is suspicious and skeptical of Western
intentions vis-a-vis Iran and will be cautious about future Western engagement,”
said Sanam Vakil, senior research fellow at the London-based Chatham House think
tank. “This foreshadows a continued pattern of anti-American resistance,
economic nationalism and internal repression, punctuated by moments of
pragmatism,” she added. “A more monolithic power structure will be less bogged
down by infighting, which often impeded Rouhani’s agenda and that of his
envoys,” said International Crisis Group analysts Ali Vaez and Naysan Rafati in
a note on the election. They said Raisi is set to be the first president under
Khamenei whose views have “mirrored” those of the supreme leader. Before Raisi,
Khamenei has worked with four presidents — all served the maximum two
consecutive terms and none saw completely eye-to-eye with the supreme leader.
Hashemi Rafsanjani (1989-1997) was a longstanding political rival of Khamenei,
Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005) a reformist, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2013) a
maverick who fell out with Khamenei in his second term and Rouhani, an advocate
of better ties with the West. Raisi also enters office as the first Iranian
president to be personally sanctioned by the US under a November 2019 executive
order that cited his record on human rights. “This dynamic is sure to complicate
dialogue between Iran and the West in the years ahead, even if his
administration is likely to support the restoration of the nuclear deal for
now,” said Ali Reza Eshraghi in a report on the elections for the European
Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). Painstaking talks in Vienna to revive the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal have made progress in
recent days, raising the prospect that an accord could be reached before Raisi
takes office. Sanctions would be gradually lifted if the US, which quit the
accord under Donald Trump, re-enters the agreement, allowing the energy-rich
nation to begin realizing its economic potential. “It is a feasible vision but
it will require the lifting of sanctions. That is why the implementation of the
JCPOA will be important, even for Raisi, even for the IRGC,” said Bijan
Khajjehpour, managing partner at Vienna-based consulting firm Eurasian Nexus
Partners. But any hope of a entirely new nuclear deal, let alone one that covers
wider issues, does not appear realistic for now.I see no prospect of serious
talks about (a) longer and stronger” deal, said Suzanne Maloney, director of the
foreign policy program at the US think tank the Brookings Institution.
What might Israel want if the United States rejoins the
Iran deal?
Anna Ahronheim/Jerusalem Post/June 29/2021
It might not be right away, but the US is heading back into a nuclear deal with
Iran; it’s just a matter of time. So what should Israel demand in return? The
Biden administration has said a new deal would be broadened to put greater
limits on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs as well as constrain its malign
activities in the Middle East, where Tehran has been expanding. But Israel is
strongly opposed to any deal with Iran – both under the previous government led
by Benjamin Netanyahu as well as the current coalition led by Prime Minister
Naftali Bennett. Israeli officials, including President Reuven Rivlin, Foreign
Minister Yair Lapid and top military officers, have and will continue to meet
with American officials in an attempt to convince the Biden administration to
refrain from reentering into a deal with the Islamic Republic. IDF Chief of
Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi recently returned from Washington and Tampa, where he
met with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, National Security Advisor Jake
Sullivan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, head of US Central
Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie and head of US Special Operations Command Gen.
Richard Clark. During the meetings, he warned that the current deal had
failures, including a lack of supervision in terms of nuclear proliferation that
would allow Tehran to make “significant” progress related to its nuclear and
ballistic-missile programs. Kohavi “explained the threat created by returning to
the original nuclear agreement and emphasized that all measures should be taken
to prevent Iran from achieving military nuclear capabilities,” the IDF said.
Kohavi has made it clear that he views the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action (JCPOA), the Iran nuclear deal with world powers, as dangerous. In
January, Kohavi said he had directed the IDF to prepare fresh operational plans
to strike Iran to stop its nuclear program if necessary. Following the meetings,
the US released statements that “affirmed the President’s commitment to ensuring
that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon” and that the two allies would continue to
“expand bilateral consultations on the array of strategic challenges facing the
region.”Kohavi’s weeklong meetings were intensive and likely also included quid
pro quo demands from the US.
What might those demands be?
One could be to significantly increase military coordination and cooperation
between the two allies. In January the US moved Israel from EUCOM (European
Command, which currently focuses on Russia and its threats against Europe and
NATO) to CENTCOM’s area of responsibility in January.
The move to CENTCOM is believed to not only simplify the cooperation with
American troops in the region; it can also create potential for a regional
coalition with Arab countries that have normalized ties with Israel against
shared threats posed by Iran. Both Kohavi and Defense Minister Benny Gantz
believe moderate Sunni states such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and
others who have not yet signed agreements with Israel can deepen their ties,
especially in terms of regional security arrangements. The move would “put an
operational perspective” on the Abraham Accords and will set up “further
corridors and opportunities to open up between Israel and Arab countries in the
region” on a military-to-military level, McKenzie told Defense News. The
increased cooperation with CENTCOM and even the Gulf States will give Israel a
leg up in terms of dealing with the threat posed by Tehran. But it’s not
enough.Increased intelligence sharing will likely be a main demand, and
additional monetary support for missile-defense batteries could be another.
The current 10-year $38 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the
two was signed in 2016 and was an increase from the $30b. MOU signed in 2007.
The discussions surrounding the new one, which is set to be signed in 2028, are
already in the works.
The new MOU could allow Israel to have a framework and the freedom to decide and
finance future procurement plans. As part of the demands for rejoining a nuclear
deal, Israel could demand that the new MOU allow Jerusalem to obtain deferred
payments and low interest rates on future major platform purchases. A new MOU
might also secure the ability to front-load platforms, giving the IAF the
fighter jets, helicopters and transport planes now with the ability to pay
later. The replenishing and upgrading of the prepositioned precision-guided
munitions stockpiles that the US keeps in Israel would also save time for
Jerusalem by having immediate access to them in the case of a full-scale
conflict in the North or with Iran. Either of those would bolster Israel’s
strategic and defensive situation. But Israel has always stressed that it would
defend itself, by itself, at any given time.
And last week, during Kohavi’s visit to the US, a manufacturing center for the
production of centrifuges near the Iranian city of Karaj was attacked by a drone
strike. According to a report in The New York Times, the site, known as the Iran
Centrifuge Technology Company, was on a list of targets presented to the Trump
administration last year as being a possible Israeli target. No matter if
Jerusalem gets what it might demand from Washington, the Jewish State has said
loud and clear that it will continue with its “war between wars” against Tehran.
Lapid: Biden admin. tying Israel-Arab normalization to
Palestinians
Lahav Harkov/Jerusalem Post/June 29/2021
ABU DHABI – Foreign Minister Yair Lapid officially dedicated the Israeli Embassy
in the United Arab Emirates and met with the Gulf state’s Foreign Minister
Abdullah bin Zayed on Tuesday, during the historic first visit by an Israeli
minister to the UAE since it established diplomatic relations with Israel last
year. The Biden administration is “positive and excited” about ties between
Israel and the UAE, and the prospect of Israel establishing diplomatic relations
with more Arab countries, Lapid said in a briefing with reporters accompanying
him to Abu Dhabi.
However, two days after meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in
Rome, Lapid said Washington “says that [normalizations] require us to make an
effort with the Palestinians,” contrary to the Trump administration, which “gave
a sense that [the Abraham Accords] were instead of progress on the Palestinian
front, or a way to prove it’s unnecessary.”
Lapid was skeptical about the chances of an agreement with the Palestinians.
“The Palestinians have to want progress themselves for someone to be able to
help them, and that’s not the situation now in the Palestinian Authority or
Hamas,” he said. “Don’t shoot 4,000 rockets at Israelis if you want to get
help,” Lapid said regarding reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. The topic of the
Palestinians came up in his meetings with Blinken and with bin Zayed, he said.
The Emiratis want to have a positive impact on the Palestinian issue, Lapid
said, adding that he is sure they will be helpful if there is any possibility of
progress. Lapid said his meeting with bin Zayed revolved mostly around regional
issues and US involvement in the Middle East, as well as expanding the Abraham
Accords to other countries. He expressed hope that more Arab countries will
follow the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco in establishing relations with
Israel, but naming them would hurt chances of it happening. “There are other
countries we talk to under the radar,” Lapid said. “The goal is to have
relations with as many as possible.”Israel needs to work to develop relations
with Sudan, he said. Those ties have stalled since they were announced last
year.
Lapid declined to answer questions about Iran while in the UAE, which views the
Islamic Republic as an adversary but is less vocal than Israel about it. He also
hailed “the unusually large pile of economic agreements [between Israel and the
UAE] happening quickly that will influence the lives of all Israelis” and will
help Israel’s economy in a difficult time. Lapid and bin Zayed signed an
economic cooperation agreement at the end of their meeting.
Earlier Tuesday, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Israeli Embassy to the
UAE, Lapid said: “Israel wants peace with all of its neighbors. We aren’t going
anywhere. The Middle East is our home, and we’re here to stay, so we call on all
countries in the region to recognize that and talk to us.” History is “made by
people who know history and are willing to change it, by people who prefer the
future over the past,” he said. “We are standing here today because we chose
peace over war, cooperation over conflict... War is the surrender to all that is
bad within us; peace is the victory of all that is good. “Agreements are signed
by leaders, but peace is made by people” he added. “What we are doing here today
is not the end of the road; it’s the beginning.”
Lapid thanked former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “the architect of the
Abraham Accords, who worked tirelessly to bring them about,” as well as former
US president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden for supporting the process.
Lapid was flanked by the Israeli and Emirati flags in a sunny conference room
with a panoramic window facing the sea and Abu Dhabi’s skyscrapers. Emirati
Culture and Youth Minister Noura Al Kaabi attended the event and expressed
“enthusiasm over what we hope will be the first of many high-level visits.”
“In the wake of the Abraham Accords of last year... our two countries have
witnessed incredible strides in the political, economic and cultural fields,”
she said. “The fruits of this cooperation are numerous,” Al Kaabi said, citing
research on the COVID-19 pandemic, travel, trade, cybersecurity and artificial
intelligence. But the most important thing is that the UAE and Israel “have
inspired others in the region to prioritize peace and stability on the path to a
brighter future... and work toward a region that embraces human dignity for all
and inclusiveness and tolerance to prepare our children for a brighter future,”
she said. “We look forward to witnessing what tomorrow will bring for our
countries in this shared journey of cooperation.”
Lapid and Al Kaabi then approached two posts symbolically tied with blue and
white ribbons, which they cut, while chuckling, at Al Kaabi’s count to three.
Rabbi Levi Duchman, the Chabad shliach for the UAE, said the blessing on the
mezuzah installed at the entrance to the embassy in the presence of
representatives of the local Jewish community. Lapid sported a kippah with the
symbol of the State of Israel on it and said the shehecheyanu blessing, marking
the momentous occasion with Duchman. Ambassador to the UAE Eitan Na’eh has been
in the country since January, opening Israel’s representation in the capital’s
iconic Etihad Towers. There are already plans to expand the embassy to a larger
office space. Blinken praised the embassy’s dedication, calling it “significant
for Israel, the UAE and the broader region.” The US will continue to work with
the countries to create a more secure future for the Middle East, he said. Lapid
landed at the VIP terminal of Abu Dhabi International Airport on Tuesday
morning. Israeli and Emirati flags waved, and a red carpet was rolled out at the
foot of the steps descending from an El Al plane. UAE Minister of State Ahmed Al
Sayegh, who is responsible for economic affairs, met Lapid on the red carpet,
and they held a brief meeting in the terminal. On Wednesday, Lapid is set
to dedicate the Israeli Consulate in Dubai and visit Israel’s pavilion at the
Expo 2020 world exposition, which will begin in October. Also Tuesday, Bahrain’s
King Hamad formally appointed Khaled Yousef al-Jalahmah as the country’s
ambassador to Israel. He was tasked with opening the Bahraini Embassy in Israel
three months ago. Jalahama was the director of operations at Bahrain’s Foreign
Ministry and deputy chief of mission at the Bahraini Embassy in the US from
2009-2013.
Police, Palestinians clash as Israel begins demolition
in Jerusalem’s Silwan
Arab News/June 29/2021
JERUSALEM: Israel demolished a Palestinian shop in the East Jerusalem
neighborhood of Silwan on Tuesday, triggering scuffles between police and
protesters who accused authorities of discriminatory enforcement of building
permits in the holy city. Palestinians seek East Jerusalem, which Israel
captured in a 1967 war, for a future state. Israel deems all of Jerusalem its
capital — a status not recognized internationally — and has encouraged Jewish
settlement of predominantly Palestinian areas. A bulldozer escorted by Israeli
police flattened Harbi Rajabi’s butchers shop in the neighborhood which is
overlooked by the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest shrine in Islam and the most
sensitive site in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The shop is one of at least
eight properties that residents said were slated for demolition. The residents
say many have been there for decades, even from before 1967. The authorities
have earmarked the land for a park and say the shops and homes have been built
illegally. Mahmoud Basit who runs the butchers told Reuters 14 family members
depended on income from there. “We have no other way to support our families,”
said Basit, who added he would have to look for new work from scratch.
Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Arieh King said “around 20” buildings in Silwan — which
Israel refers to by its Hebrew name Shiloach — had received demolition orders.
Around another 60 buildings there were in violation of Israeli zoning laws, he
told Reuters. Palestinians in Silwan say it is near-impossible to get building
permits. They see the demolitions as designed to drive them from Jerusalem.
Disputing this, King said the municipality had approved hundreds of new
Palestinian homes in Silwan. Palestinian medics said 13 people were injured in
Tuesday’s confrontations in Silwan. Police said two officers were hurt by
stone-throwers and that three people were arrested for disorderly conduct and
assault. The municipality had given Palestinians until June 28 to dismantle the
structures themselves. King said the land would be cleared to make way for the
park and public buildings, adding that Silwan’s biblical links made it “an
important historical site.”Nader Abu Diab, who also received a demolition order,
lives in fear of the knock on the door from municipal inspectors. “My
grandchildren ask me questions and I can’t answer them. They’re children. What
can I tell them? That they’re going to demolish our home?” Abu Diab, 55, said.
His brother, Fakhri Abu Diab said he applied seven times for an Israeli permit
to expand his home in Silwan “but it was always rejected”. He added that over a
hundred Palestinians could become homeless if the current round of demolitions
continues. The future of another East Jerusalem neighborhood, Sheikh Jarrah, was
one of the flashpoints at the heart of fighting between Israel and Palestinian
militants last month.
Palestinian refugees flee authorities amid claims of
Greek ‘pushback’ policy
Arab News/June 29/2021
LONDON: A Palestinian woman and her three children have become the latest
example of refugees being the victims of a “pushback” policy used by the Greek
government to turn away migrants arriving at the borders of the EU. The UK’s
Guardian newspaper reported that Aisha (a pseudonym to protect her identity),
31, arrived on the island of Samos as part of a large group on April 21, but was
forced to hide in the mountains with her children after authorities arrested and
deported other migrants. “It was a stressful and dangerous journey,” Aisha told
the Guardian. “We found out the others had been caught and deported back to
Turkey, but I made up my mind to stay on the island at any cost and even live on
water for many days. I didn’t want to go back to Turkey. “We had been living in
a tragic situation in Palestine, and I went to Turkey and it was worse, and then
I made it to Greece and it was even worse,” she added. Aisha said that the
family was forced to drink from streams and sleep outdoors as they traveled 40
km to the refugee camp at Vathy, Samos’ largest city. “We were (suffering from)
hunger, thirst and the terror of being caught,” she said. Once in Vathy, she was
told by locals to find a lawyer named Dimitris Choulis, who would be able to
help with her case. On April 26, she found him. Choulis told the Guardian: “She
said ‘pushback,’ and I understood what had happened.”Aisha and her family were
the only members of the group — originally numbering 32, according to the NGO
Aegean Boat Report — to avoid removal. On April 22, Turkish authorities said
they had rescued 28 people stranded in orange life rafts off the coast opposite
Samos. “It’s naturally proof of a pushback,” said Choulis. “I don’t know why we
need anything more to prove it.” According to the Border Violence Monitoring
Network, Greece has pushed back 6,230 asylum seekers from its territory since
January 2020 — a practice many human rights organizations say is illegal. This
was backed up in May this year by the Council of Europe, which asked Greece to
end pushbacks and launch an investigation into the practice. The UN refugee
agency (UNHCR) said that it believed the events of April 21-22 constituted an
illegal pushback. Mireille Girard, a UNHCR representative, told the Guardian:
“On April 21, UNHCR received a message that a group, including women and
children, had arrived on Samos. We sought information multiple times from the
local and central authorities but did not receive confirmation of any arrival.
Local residents were reporting on social media that new arrivals had been
spotted in the wider area of Ormos Marathokampou and that there was activity,
and a vessel in the area that subsequently left the port late at night.
“In the following days, UNHCR was informed that a family, reportedly the only
one from the group who had arrived at Marathokampou, had remained on the island
and was accompanied by a legal representative to the government facility for new
arrivals to be registered.
“These elements are concerning. They are indications of a pushback from Samos
and need to be formally investigated by the authorities,” she added. The Greek
coast guard (HGC) denied a pushback had taken place, adding: “While exercising
the sovereign rights of the country, the HCG has often become the object of
systematic and methodical targeting on social media, in some media, but also
from some NGOs. The vast majority of these posts/information are based on
unsubstantiated reports and unconfirmed or unreliable sources that cannot be
identified.”
Lapid is the most senior Israeli to make the trip to the
Gulf
Arab News/June 29/2021
ABU DHABI: Israel’s top diplomat Yair Lapid opened the Jewish state’s first
embassy in the Gulf during a trip to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday after
ties were normalized ties last year. “The opening of the Israeli Embassy in Abu
Dhabi with the Emirati Minister of Culture and Youth,” he tweeted with a photo
of himself and UAE minister Noura Al-Kaabi cutting a ribon in the blue and white
of the Israeli flag. Israeli ministers have previously visited the UAE, but
newly appointed Lapid is the most senior Israeli to make the trip, and the first
to travel on an official mission. “Israel wants peace with its neighbors. With
all its neighbors. We aren’t going anywhere. The Middle East is our home. We’re
here to stay. We call on all the countries of the region to recognize that. And
to come talk to us,” Lapid said during the opening ceremony. Since their
US-brokered normalization agreement was announced in August last year, Israel
and the UAE have signed a raft of deals ranging from tourism to aviation and
financial services. During his visit, Lapid will also inaugurate a consulate in
Dubai. Lapid’s trip comes nearly a year after the nations moved to normalize
ties, and follows a string of visits by Israeli officials that were planned then
scrapped over issues including the Covid pandemic and diplomatic scuffles.
Netanyahu, replaced as prime minister by Jewish nationalist Naftali Bennett in a
coalition government cobbled together by Lapid weeks ago, had already postponed
a February visit to the UAE and Bahrain over coronavirus travel restrictions.
According to the Jerusalem Post daily, Netanyahu sought to prevent his foreign
minister Gabi Ashkenazi from making an official visit to the UAE, to keep him
from stealing the spotlight ahead of March elections. Then-tourism minister Orit
Farkash-Hacohen, now science and technology minister, reportedly also had to
cancel trips. In August 2020, former White House senior adviser Jared Kushner
and Israeli national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat made history by flying to
Abu Dhabi on an El Al plane from Israel. That was feted by both sides as a
breakthrough in efforts for peace in the Middle East, marked by the El Al jet
touching down adorned with the word “peace” in English, Arabic and Hebrew. The
normalization accords Israel struck with the UAE, followed by deals with
Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan also last year, have been condemned by the
Palestinians. They break with years of Arab League policy of no relations with
Israel until it makes peace with the Palestinians. Lapid is a centrist former
television presenter who tenaciously hammered together Israel’s new coalition,
ending Netanyahu’s more than decade-long tenure as prime minister. He has sought
to break from his rival’s policies, saying Monday that Netanyahu’s government
had taken “a terrible gamble” by focussing only on ties with the Republican
party in Washington.
Lapid, on UAE Trip, Opens First Israeli Embassy in Gulf
Agence France Presse/June 29/2021
Israel's top diplomat Yair Lapid opened Israel's first embassy in the Gulf
during a trip to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, nine months after they
signed a normalization deal. He met with his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh
Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, tweeting a picture
of the two of them shaking hands shortly after the opening of the embassy. Lapid
earlier also tweeted a photo of himself and UAE minister Noura al-Kaabi cutting
a ribbon in the blue and white of the Israeli flag. U.S. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken welcomed the opening as "historic". Lapid's visit and the opening
of the first Israeli embassy in a Gulf state are "significant for Israel, the
UAE, and the broader region", he said in a statement. Israeli ministers have
previously visited the UAE, but newly appointed Lapid became the most senior
Israeli to make the trip, and the first on an official mission.
"Israel wants peace with its neighbors. With all its neighbors. We aren't going
anywhere. The Middle East is our home. We're here to stay. We call on all the
countries of the region to recognize that. And to come talk to us," Lapid said
during the opening ceremony. Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said
Lapid would meet "five (Emirati) ministers in less than 30 hours". Since their
U.S.-brokered normalization agreement was signed last September, Israel and the
UAE have signed a raft of deals ranging from tourism to aviation and financial
services. During his visit, Lapid was also due to inaugurate a consulate in
Dubai. Lapid's trip comes nearly a year after the nations moved to normalize
ties, and it follows a string of visits by Israeli officials that were planned
then scrapped over issues including the Covid pandemic and diplomatic scuffles.
In March, a planned official visit by Israel's then-prime minister Benjamin
Netanyahu was cancelled due to a "dispute" with Jordan over the use of its
airspace, according to Israeli officials. Netanyahu, replaced as prime minister
by Jewish nationalist Naftali Bennett in a coalition government cobbled together
by Lapid weeks ago, had already postponed a February visit to the UAE and
Bahrain over coronavirus travel restrictions.
'Shalom'
According to the Jerusalem Post daily, Netanyahu sought to prevent his foreign
minister Gabi Ashkenazi from making an official visit to the UAE, to keep him
from stealing the spotlight ahead of March elections. In August 2020, former
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Israeli national security adviser
Meir Ben-Shabbat made history by flying to Abu Dhabi on an El Al plane from
Israel. That was feted by both sides as a breakthrough in efforts for peace in
the Middle East, marked by the El Al jet touching down adorned with the word
"peace" in English, Arabic and Hebrew.
The normalization accords Israel struck last year with the UAE and then also
with Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan have been condemned by the Palestinians. The
deals break with years of Arab League policy of no relations with Israel until
it makes peace with the Palestinians. Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for the
Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas which rules Gaza, said the embassy opening
showed the UAE was "insisting" on the "sin" of implementing the normalization
accord. Also on Tuesday, Bahrain appointed its first ambassador to Israel. Lapid
is a centrist former television presenter who tenaciously hammered together
Israel's new coalition, ending Netanyahu's more than decade-long tenure as prime
minister. He has sought to break from his rival's policies, saying Monday that
Netanyahu's government had taken "a terrible gamble" by focusing only on ties
with the Republican party in Washington.
Saudi, US foreign ministers hold talks on Iranian
interference
Arab News/June 29/2021
RIYADH: The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and the US discussed strengthening
coordination between the two countries to stop Iranian interference in the
region. Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his American counterpart, Antony Blinken,
also discussed stopping the Islamic Republic’s financing of the Houthi militia
in Yemen and terrorist groups that threaten international peace and security.
The two officials spoke of ways of strengthening the strategic partnership
between the Kingdom and the US to serve common interests on the sidelines of the
G20 Foreign Affairs Ministers' meeting being held in Matera, Italy. Prince
Faisal and Blinken also touched upon the most prominent topics raised at the G20
meeting. Foreign ministers from the Group of 20 major economies met on Tuesday
for the first time in two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. Later, Blinken
and Prince Faisal met with France’s foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, and
they discussed the latest regional and international developments. The US
secretary of state wrote on his Twitter account that the three officials held an
important discussion “regarding the need for Lebanon’s political leaders to show
real leadership by implementing overdue reforms to stabilize the economy and
provide the Lebanese people much-needed relief.”
Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal, US Secretary Blinken meet
in Italy for G20
Tala Michel Issa, Al Arabiya English/29 June ,2021
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with US Secretary
of State Antony Blinken at the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in Matera, Italy on
Tuesday. During the meeting, the two officials discussed details of strategic
partnerships between the two countries, according to Saudi Arabia’s foreign
ministry. The pair also spoke about the ways in which they could provide support
to each other in a bid to further strengthen their ties in several other avenues
and to serve the greater good. The foreign mister and secretary spoke about
strengthening their joint coordination on dealing with Iran and its subversive
interference in the region, as well as its financing of Houthi militias in Yemen
and other extremist militant groups that threaten international security and
peace. In addition to this, the discussion also featured some of the most
prominent topics discussed at the meeting of foreign ministers of the G20
countries. The G20 meeting marked a push in the direction of returning to
normalcy as the group of foreign ministers met for the first time in two years
on Tuesday, with host Italy aiming to push multilateral cures for global crises
such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The one-day gathering in the southern Italian
city of Matera is expected to include debate on how to improve cooperation on
global health, climate change and international trade, among others. In a sharp
reversal from the previous US administration, Blinken emphasized the need for
multilateral institutions as foreign ministers from the Group of 20 major
economies met in the ancient Italian city of Matera. “Multilateral cooperation
will be key to our collective ability to stop this global health crisis,” said
Blinken, winding down a week-long trip to Europe. “That’s also true for the work
we must do to strengthen global health security moving forward so we can detect,
prevent and respond better to future health emergencies.”The talks will prepare
for a G20 leaders’ meeting in October in Rome that is expected to see the first
summit between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping
amid soaring tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
With China participating virtually in Matera, Tuesday’s conference was focused
more on general themes but marked a major US shift following the defeat of
former president Donald Trump, who belittled international institutions as part
of his “America First” philosophy.
*With agencies
El-Sisi stresses importance of preventing escalation in
Israeli-Palestinian tensions
Arab News/June 29/2021
CAIRO: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi affirmed on Tuesday Egypt’s support for
all efforts to reach a just and lasting solution between Palestine and Israel in
order to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East. In a phone call to
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the first between them after Bennett
took office, El-Sisi stressed the importance of preventing an escalation of
tension between the Palestinians and Israelis, as well as the importance of
supporting Egyptian efforts to rebuild the Palestinian territories. Bassam Rady,
the Egyptian presidency spokesman, said the development of bilateral relations
was also discussed during the call. Bennett expressed his appreciation for the
efforts made by Egypt to achieve security and stability in the region and broker
a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. He also praised its sponsorship
of prisoner exchange negotiations and the results achieved since the two
countries signed the peace agreement under American auspices. After his recent
first security meeting, Bennett said that he would not accept violence and
rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and that his government would not tolerate any
rogue terrorist organizations, stressing that “Tel Aviv’s patience has run out.”
Regarding Hamas’ retention of the remains of missing soldiers and Israeli
citizens in the last seven years, he said: “We will do everything in our power
to bring them home.”Egypt has worked hard to stop Israeli-Palestinian tensions
from escalating following a conflict that erupted on May 10 and lasted 11 days,
amid Palestinian anger over Israeli police raids in the vicinity of the Al-Aqsa
Mosque compound in Jerusalem and plans to expel Palestinians from Jerusalem’s
Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
The Latest The Latest LCCC English
analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June
29-30/2021
How can people still trust the same faces?
Mouafac Harb/The Daily Star/June 29/2021
موفق حرب/ديلي ستار: كيف يمكن للناس أن يثقوا بنفس الوجوه
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/100164/mouafac-harb-the-daily-star-how-can-people-still-trust-the-same-faces%d9%85%d9%88%d9%81%d9%82-%d8%ad%d8%b1%d8%a8-%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%84%d9%8a-%d8%b3%d8%aa%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d9%83%d9%8a%d9%81-%d9%8a%d9%85/
Managing expectations is the only way to avoid disappointments,
except in Lebanon where people have no high hopes from their rulers and they
keep expecting them to find solutions and subsequently get surprised and
disappointed at every turn.
Hope in the corruption ravaged country is like the electric power supplied by
the state, it comes and goes several times a day, but the average Lebanese keeps
hoping the situation will improve.
On daily basis, Lebanese follow the exchange rate of the crumbling Lebanese
pound to the US dollar, gas prices and supply and signs of the possibility of
having a new Cabinet. Despite the worsening living conditions and the imminent
collapse, main political powers refuse to compromise and persist in their
demands and powersharing privileges. So far, the rising anti-political
establishment sentiments didn’t affect the main political parties’ hold on
power. The usual suspects that led the country for decades continue to call the
shots and determine the path of the nation, despite their track record. The
current anti-political establishment is on the rise but how widespread remains
debatable.
There are sporadic hopes that change is on the way, but hopes are traditionally
dashed when the sectarian slogans are raised. One of the hopeful signs that
Lebanese can no longer tolerate the traditional political groups was over the
weekend when political parties lost in a landslide in the Union of Engineers in
Beirut’s election. A loose coalition of independent and civil society candidates
built on the rising anti-establishment sentiments dealt a blow to the political
parties’ establishment, sending a message that the Oct. 17 protest movement is
still alive.
Those in charge of running the country know how bad the situation is and feel
the decline in their base support, but they believe this can be restored if they
achieve political gains in the current political battle in forming a new
Cabinet. They capitalize on the absence of credible and strong alternatives that
can challenge their decades-old grip over the country.
Some Western and Arab capitals believe Lebanon needs to reset in order to change
the current slowly - but surely - Hezbollah’s takeover of the country. To stop
this trend, some believe, an economic collapse may blow up in the face of the
pro-Iranian group and its allies. Others argue that Hezbollah is in a win-win
situation. The economic collapse manifested by the collapse of the national
currency and the failure of commercial banks to release people’s funds has hurt
all Lebanese except Hezbollah, which is banned from all financial institutions
and threatened by US sanctions. Countries are reluctant to help Lebanon
financially before serious reforms are introduced and are assured that
Hezbollah’s grip is eased, otherwise they fear they will be helping the
pro-Iranian group prevail and keep its dominance of the country.
When the dust settles and it is time to reconfigure Lebanon following the total
collapse, there are justified fears that Hezbollah may be the only side
standing, since its financial support is secured by Tehran. There is an
immediate need to re-establish some sort of a balance of power in the country to
halt the scenario of a total collapse and the return to chaos. The only way to
achieve that is by forming a new and credible Cabinet that can provide basic
services and restore international trust in the Lebanese state. The only way to
challenge Hezbollah’s authority and channel public anger against it is when
Hezbollah’s activities are viewed by public opinion as an impediment to the
recovery of the country.
For years we heard that the situation in Lebanon is not sustainable and the
country is going to collapse and people got used to it. This time it is the real
thing and the country cannot wait for the term of the current president to
expire in a little over a year. Analysts and diplomats are busy trying to
envision how the collapse would manifest itself. In a highly polarized and
sectarian country it would be the first time that people take to the street,
participate in a mob looting and fight in front of gas stations and bakeries. We
saw a glimpse of it in the past two weeks. It is pure fragmentation and it will
get ugly.
Mouafac Harb is a veteran American-Lebanese journalist based in Beirut. He
contributes a weekly column in The Daily Star.
Getting Out of Iran’s Way
Bradley Bowman & Behnam Ben Taleblu/The Dispatch/FDD/June 29/2021
The election of Ebrahim Raisi shows Iran's lack of interest in peace with the
West—and the perils of pulling out of the Middle East altogether.
The Guardian’s diplomatic editor put it best. “If Joe Biden thinks Vladimir
Putin deserves to be called a killer, his description of Ebrahim Raisi, the
60-year-old president-elect of Iran, is likely to be unprintable.”
The selection of Raisi—an ultra-hardline cleric responsible for the mass
execution of dissidents—provides a timely reminder as to the nature of the
regime in Tehran, the threat it represents, and the continued requirement for
forward-positioned U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Raisi’s revolutionary resume stands out due to his participation in a
four-person “death commission” that oversaw the execution of an estimated 5,000
political prisoners in the late 1980s. And the passage of time has apparently
not encouraged any contrition from Raisi. During his first post-election press
conference on Monday, Raisi was asked about his role in the mass murders. “I
have always defended people’s rights,” he responded. “Human rights have been a
pivotal point for me.”
That retort likely pleased Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As Iran’s
“most important voter,” Khamenei sees elections as a way to squeeze the already
narrow political spectrum in the country. A reported 592 candidates registered
for the election, but only seven were approved to run by the Guardian Council,
which vets candidates for public office and is loyal to Khamenei. Given his age,
82, Khamenei was eager to use the election to cement the hardline domination of
Iran’s institutions and keep the country on its revolutionary trajectory even
after his death.
Don’t forget missiles and terrorism.
Raisi also used Monday’s press conference to make clear he was on the same page
as Khamenei regarding the regime’s foreign policy. Reflecting the support Raisi
enjoys from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, he reiterated that Iran’s
ballistic missile program and support for regional proxy (terrorist) groups are
“not negotiable.”
Raisi’s comments are noteworthy not because they represent an independent
viewpoint. They are significant because they clearly signal stasis in Iranian
policy, which is ultimately determined by Iran’s supreme leader.
The Biden team appears to understand that the buck stops with Khamenei, and yet
the administration unfortunately remains determined to re-enter the flawed 2015
Iran nuclear deal. Astute analysts have long understood that the deal provides
Iran a patient pathway to nuclear weapons capability. Raisi’s comments, however,
should serve as a reminder that the agreement also lowered international
pressure on Iran’s ballistic missile program and Tehran’s procurement and
proliferation of arms. In fact, the agreement provided Tehran even more
resources to support both efforts.
In full damage control mode on Monday, State Department spokesman Ned Price
argued that issues related to missiles and terrorism would be addressed in
“follow-on diplomacy.” But any Biden administration belief that it can, after
re-entering the Iran deal, elicit subsequent and serious concessions from Tehran
on missiles and terrorism is naïve at best. In reality, once Tehran locks in the
United States to the agreement again and achieves sanctions relief, the regime
will have even less incentive to negotiate in good faith regarding its missile
arsenal or its support for terrorist groups.
That is a serious problem for the United States, Israel, and Iran’s Arab
neighbors.
The Islamic Republic, after all, already possesses the largest ballistic missile
arsenal in the Middle East and has been working to improve the accuracy,
lethality, and range of its missiles.
And that growing arsenal is not simply for show. Tehran has demonstrated an
increased willingness to use its ballistic and cruise missiles (as well as
drones) to conduct attacks, while proliferating some of those capabilities to
its terrorist proxies throughout the region.
In January 2020, Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two bases in
Iraq housing U.S. troops in retaliation for the killing of Qassem Suleimani. Let
there be no doubt—Tehran was trying to kill Americans. The Pentagon had no
ballistic missile interceptors in range, leaving the American service members
vulnerable and scrambling for cover. While more than 100 American troops
tragically suffered traumatic brain injuries, no Americans died thanks to early
warning provided by U.S. satellites.
Iran has also shared missiles and other arms with its proxies.
U.S. naval interdictions in November 2019 and February 2020 uncovered Iranian
weapons shipments headed to Yemen that contained land-attack cruise missiles,
surface-to-air missiles, and anti-ship cruise missiles. Iran-backed Houthi
rebels have used these types of capabilities to launch an attack on a U.S. Navy
destroyer in the Red Sea, as well as hundreds of strikes targeting civilians in
Saudi Arabia.
Iran’s proliferation efforts have also included a concerted campaign to help
Hezbollah—Tehran’s terror proxy in Lebanon—field thousands of precision guided
munitions to target Israel. Israel views this growing PGM arsenal in Lebanon as
an increasingly grave threat, second only to Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon
capability. Indeed, the two threats are connected. Tehran almost certainly views
Hezbollah’s arsenal in Lebanon as a means to deter or punish any effort by
Israel to conduct a major attack on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
It would be a mistake to assume Hezbollah will never use this arsenal against
Israel. After all, Tehran played a vital role in arming and equipping Hamas and
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza with rockets and domestic production
capabilities. Last month, Iranian proxies in Gaza employed these weapons,
launching roughly 4,300 rockets in an attempt to murder Israeli civilians.
Hezbollah has attacked Israel before, too, and will likely do so again. When
Hezbollah does so, it may employ, thanks to Tehran, a larger and more advanced
arsenal than Hamas and PIJ possesses. That will enable Hezbollah to more
effectively counter Israel’s missile defenses, while hitting targets more
precisely and inflicting more civilian casualties.
Unfortunately, the Islamic Republic’s weapons proliferation extends to Iraq too.
Given Raisi’s comments on militias, one can expect Iranian policy to change
little in Iraq, where the preeminent goal is to drive the Americans out and
co-opt the Iraqi state through its diverse militia network backstopped by the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force (IRGC-QF) and its various fronts.
Iranian efforts in Iraq, after all, resulted in the deaths of more than 600 U.S.
service members during the Iraq War. And the attacks by Iran and its proxies
continue against Americans in Iraq. Between May 2019 and February of this year,
Iran-backed militias were believed to be behind at least 83 distinct rocket
attacks against positions affiliated with U.S. forces. There have been at least
10 more strikes since then, amounting to a total of more than 90 rocket attacks
in two years.
Some might respond by shrugging and saying the U.S. should simply withdraw the
modest military contingent that remains in Iraq (roughly 2,500 U.S. service
members there now, compared with 170,000 in 2007). Yet, the continued presence
of U.S. forces in Iraq (and Syria) helps prevent the return of the ISIS
caliphate and helps Iraq push back on Iranian efforts to create a
Hezbollah-style veto over Baghdad’s policies.
What’s next?
The Biden administration is currently conducting a U.S. military global force
posture review, which will determine future U.S. military posture in the Middle
East and elsewhere.
Some are eager to shift U.S. forces out of the Middle East to focus more on the
threat from China. It is certainly vital to strengthen U.S. military posture in
the Indo-Pacific. But slashing necessary U.S. military presence in the Middle
East in the service of that objective ignores China’s increasing security role
in the Middle East. That includes Beijing’s recent strategic deal with Iran, its
growing arms sales in the Persian Gulf, and its first overseas military base in
Djibouti—across the water from Yemen and overlooking the southern entrance to
the Red Sea.
Indeed, the great power competition with China is a global one—and that includes
the Middle East.
Plus, if Washington wants to focus on China, the U.S. should not pursue
unconditional, timeline-based withdrawals of the U.S. troops serving in
Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Such withdrawals will increase the chances of an
ISIS resurgence or another 9/11-style attack on the U.S. homeland.
That, more than the cost of current U.S. military posture in the Middle East,
would siphon finite Pentagon resources away from necessary investments in the
Indo-Pacific. And what kind of investment in the Middle East is required to
protect vital American interests? On January 20, 2021, the U.S. had roughly
6,000 troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria combined. That is hardly an
unsustainable troop commitment. There were four times that number of service
members on Capitol Hill after January 6.
And American bases in and near the Persian Gulf help protect one of the world’s
most vital commercial waterways, enable efforts to build partner capacity
(thereby reducing our security burden), and provide power projection platforms
needed to keep pressure on Islamist terrorist groups.
And if we ever have a serious military conflict with China, we will be glad to
have military bases near the Strait of Hormuz—one of the world’s most vital
energy chokepoints.
Loud and often ill-informed voices from both parties frequently respond to such
arguments by bemoaning so-called “endless wars,” viewing American military
withdrawals as an unambiguous and invariable good. Yet, that approach ignores
former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s point that withdrawals deserve as
much scrutiny as decisions to launch military interventions. The “endless war”
approach also ignores the dramatic reduction of U.S. forces that has already
occurred in the Middle East, persistent threats there, and the fact that
adversaries in the wider Middle East tend not to halt their hostile behavior
following withdrawals. Instead, withdrawals often simply leave adversaries with
momentum, opportunities to gather strength, and eventually a greater ability to
conduct attacks.
Washington should have learned that lesson from the Obama administration’s
withdrawal from Iraq in 2011—where U.S. forces were forced to return in 2014.
Yet, the Biden administration is making the same mistake now in Afghanistan.
President Biden is pursuing a timeline-based withdrawal that ignores continuing
threats to American interests and the advice of commanders. The fundamental flaw
in the president’s thinking on Afghanistan is a dangerously inaccurate
assessment of the nature and goals of the adversary, as well as their
determination to continue to pursue hostile policies regardless of the American
withdrawal. That determination of adversaries is independent of whether America
chooses to confront the threat proactively abroad alongside brave partners or
alone, later, and at greater cost on the streets of America.
Wars sometimes choose us and threats sometimes follow us home—an obvious lesson
of 9/11 that apparently requires repeating.
Accordingly, as Biden implements his military withdrawal from Afghanistan,
conditions there are unsurprisingly and tragically deteriorating quickly. As we
saw in Iraq, don’t be surprised if American forces are forced to return to
Afghanistan soon—perhaps even in a matter of months.
If the Biden administration brings a similar approach to the Islamic Republic of
Iran and U.S. military posture in the Middle East more generally, don’t expect a
better result. Ignoring the nature and objectives of the adversary, neglecting
continued threats to core American interests in the Middle East, and failing to
maintain a well-designed forward-based military posture there will simply leave
Tehran increasingly unchecked as it sows terrorism around the region and targets
Americans, Arabs, and Israelis.
Given the Islamic Republic of Iran’s consistent track record over the last four
decades, the burden of proof clearly rests on anyone who suggests we will see a
dramatic departure in the regime’s oppression of the Iranian people, instinctual
hostility to America, and systematic support for terrorism.
If you doubt that argument, simply look at who the regime just picked as its
president and what he said last week.
*Bradley Bowman is senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power
at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Behnam Ben Taleblu is a
senior fellow. Follow Bradley on Twitter @Brad_L_Bowman. FDD is a Washington,
DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and
foreign policy.
US warns that Islamic State extremists still a world threat
Matthew Lee/ROME (AP)/June 29/2021
As the U.S. works on its military withdrawal from Afghanistan, members of the
global coalition fighting the Islamic State group met Monday to chart future
steps against the extremist group.
The meeting came just a day after the U.S. launched airstrikes against
Iran-backed militias near the Iraq-Syria border
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di
Maio co-chaired the gathering of senior officials from the seven-year-old,
83-member bloc. Participants were taking stock of current efforts to ensure the
complete defeat of IS, whose remnants still pose a threat in Iraq and Syria and
have shown signs of surging in parts of Africa.
Amid significant other international priorities, including taming the
coronavirus pandemic and stepping up the fight against climate change, the
coalition is hoping to stabilize areas liberated from IS, repatriate and hold
foreign fighters accountable for their actions and combat extremist messaging.
Blinken and Di Maio urged representatives of the 77 other countries and five
organizations that make up the coalition not to drop their guard.
“We must step up the action taken by the coalition, increasing the areas in
which we can operate,” said Di Maio.
Outside of Iraq and Syria, he said there was an “alarming” surge in IS activity,
particularly in the Sahel, Mozambique and the Horn of Africa. He called for the
coalition to create a special mechanism to deal with the threat in Africa.
Blinken noted that despite their defeat, IS elements in Iraq and Syria “still
aspire to conduct large-scale attacks.”
“Together, we must stay as committed to our stabilization goals as we did to our
military campaign that resulted in victory on the battlefield,” he said.
Blinken announced a new U.S. contribution of $436 million to assist displaced
people in Syria and surrounding countries and called for a new effort to
repatriate — and rehabilitate or prosecute — some 10,000 IS fighters who remain
imprisoned by the Syrian Defense Forces.
“This situation is simply untenable,” Blinken said. “It just can’t persist
indefinitely.” However, no countries present made any new commitment to
repatriating their citizens and it was unclear if the number of detainees could
be reduced in any significant way in the near-term.
Blinken also announced sanctions against Ousmane Illiassou Djibo, a native of
Niger, who is a key leader of the Islamic State affiliate in the greater Sahara.
Djibo was designated a global terrorist, meaning that any of his U.S. are frozen
and Americans are barred from any transactions with him.
In addition to the meeting on IS, foreign ministers of countries concerned about
the broader conflict in Syria met in Rome ahead of a critical U.N. vote on
whether to maintain a humanitarian aid corridor from Turkey. Russia has resisted
reauthorizing the channel amid stalled peace talks between the Syrian government
and rebel groups.
Two senior U.S. officials said Blinken told the Syria conference that the U.S.
believes the corridor must be reauthorized and expanded to prevent more deaths.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t
authorized to publicly discuss the private diplomatic conversations, said
Blinken made clear that any U.S.-Russia cooperation on Syria would be dependent
on Moscow agreeing to the extension. Russia, however, wasn’t present at the
meeting.
Last week, the U.N. special envoy for Syria, Geir Pederson, said there were
worrying signs that the Islamic State may be getting stronger in the country and
called for a boost in cooperation to counter it. Pederson has also joined calls
for new international talks on ending Syria’s civil war.
Since the Syrian conflict erupted in March 2011, numerous high-level gatherings
aimed at ending the fighting and guiding the country to a political transition
have failed. The U.N., U.S., Russia and many other countries support a 2015
Security Council resolution endorsing a road map to peace in Syria that calls
for a new constitution followed by U.N.-supervised elections.
Blinken, who also met with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and President
Sergio Mattarella on Monday, hailed the state of U.S.-European relations, noting
that Italy, France and Germany — the three countries he visited on his current
European tour — are the only members of NATO, the Group of Seven and the
European Union. “We share a deep commitment to promoting democracy and human
rights,” he said. “We see the same big challenges on the horizon. And we
recognize that we can’t tackle them alone.” Blinken and Di Maio downplayed
differences between the U.S. and Italy over China, saying there was an
increasing awareness of the complexities and dangers of dealing with Beijing.
Why Iranian missiles are targeting Makkah
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/June 29/2021
Since 2014-2015, when the Houthis overthrew the internationally recognized
Yemeni government in Sanaa, they have been systematically targeting Makkah, with
the Saudi air defenses succeeding in shooting down many ballistic missiles aimed
at the holy city.
At the start of this period, with the first wave of Houthi attacks on Makkah and
the surrounding areas, I wrote several times that the missiles were specifically
targeting Makkah rather than Saudi military bases like the one in Taif, as the
Houthis claimed. I noted that this first wave of Houthi attacks marked a
dangerous development regarding the targeting of sensitive locations deep inside
Saudi territory.
As the Houthi attacks have continued in recent years, the Saudi air defenses
have again managed — by the grace of God — to shoot down dozens of ballistic
missiles. The concerned entities have reiterated that these missiles have all
been of Iranian origin and have targeted Makkah. We have seen the angry
domestic, regional and broader Islamic response to the reckless behavior of this
militia.
As I have previously stated on this matter, the Houthis’ attacks targeting
Makkah are not accidental but rather are an integral part of their belief
system. Here, I will attempt to clarify this for the broader readership,
especially for my Western audience.
For two main reasons, I am quite certain that these ballistic missiles
specifically targeted Makkah rather than any other city or location in the
Kingdom. The first of these two reasons is ideological and is related to the
belief held by some Shiite extremists in Iran that the reappearance of the
“hidden imam” will not be achieved unless killing and devastation spreads
throughout Makkah.
For example, in a study titled “Akhir Al-Zaman,” published on an Iranian website
focusing on ideology and theology, a researcher wrote: “Among the conditions for
the reappearance of the Mahdi is that the stage is set in Makkah. The
reappearance of the Mahdi will not be achieved unless chaos unfolds across Hijaz,
because the existence of a powerful and harmonious government that is hostile to
Shiites and the Mahdi is a major impediment to bringing together the Mahdi’s
followers. The honorable narratives indicate that unrest will unfold across
Hijaz, which will prompt the reappearance of the Mahdi. It could be said that
this chaos will not unfold if there is a powerful central Makkah.”
This quote enables us to understand two crucial points. First, it underlines the
necessity, from the Iranian regime’s viewpoint, to create the conditions that it
believes will bring about the Mahdi’s re-emergence — namely the spread of chaos
and killings in Makkah. Secondly, such attacks target the Kingdom’s ruling
government and aim to undermine it to enable “supporters of the Mahdi” to unite,
as claimed by the Iranian regime.
A more dangerous threat than this appeared in a film named “313,” which is about
the Mahdi and the omens foretelling the signs of his imminent reappearance. The
film alleges that the signs will include “the shedding of blood on the Kaaba in
Makkah before the world knows that Mahdi has reappeared.” Such a claim is
self-explanatory and consistent with the Iranian regime’s Twelver Shiite
doctrine, which seeks to achieve political objectives under a cloak of religious
piety.
Even if those who adopt this belief constitute only a minority (or at least we
sincerely hope they are a scant minority), the ambition of domination that
preoccupies the minds of the ruling elite in Tehran, the leaders of the
hard-line movement and the IRGC leads us to the conclusion that literally
everything and anything is possible under the rule of such hard-line
mindsets.The second reason for the Houthis specifically targeting Makkah is
their innate irrationality, with their reckless acts leading to much devastation
and chaos throughout the region.
The irrational nature of these militias and terrorist groups — whether the
Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Popular Mobilization Units and its
affiliates in Iraq, Al-Qaeda or Daesh — and those who adopt their ideology makes
predicting their next steps impossible. For this reason, I emphasize the danger
of allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons, because such weapons can easily be
transferred in one way or another to pro-Iranian militias that will not hesitate
to use them when threatened. Typically, the Iranian regime will condemn and
denounce, but this will be after further chaos and destruction flares up in the
region, unleashed by Tehran and its proxies.
The ballistic missiles fired toward Makkah by the Houthis in Yemen confirm our
legitimate fears — that those who seek to target the holy city will not hesitate
to take further steps. I think it is wrong, however, to blame the Yemeni militia
alone. Such groups are merely proxies acting on behalf of others. Instead, the
finger of blame should be pointed firmly at the Iranian regime, focusing on the
fact that the Zelzal-3 or Burkan-1 missiles used to target Saudi territory — as
acknowledged by both Iranian and Houthi media outlets — originated from Iran.
These straightforward and well-documented truths further expose the Iranian
regime’s continual denials of its smuggling of weapons to the Houthis in Yemen
and highlight once again that Tehran poses a real and grave threat to Saudi
Arabia and the entire region. The Houthis’ attacks on the holy city are not
accidental but rather are an integral part of their belief system. More
importantly, the Arab coalition should take steps at the Arab, Islamic and
international levels to solely hold the Iranian regime accountable for the
consequences of any reckless actions that the Houthis in Yemen may take against
the Kingdom, as they act solely on Tehran’s directives. And we should bear in
mind that the firing of any Iranian missile deep into Saudi territory is
considered a proclamation of war by Iran on the Kingdom. On the battlefield, the
military response to any threats to the Two Holy Mosques must be sufficiently
powerful to ensure that the Houthis never again dare to even think of repeating
such heinous acts.
*Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is President of the International Institute for Iranian
Studies (Rasanah). Twitter: @mohalsulami
Peace the priority as US, Afghanistan open new chapter
Ajmal Shams/Arab News/June 29/2021
For the past 20 years, the US has had a defining role in shaping politics in
Afghanistan. President Ashraf Ghani’s weekend visit to the US was significant in
that it happened just a few months before American forces are due to leave
Afghanistan. The final withdrawal date has been set as Sept. 11 — the date whose
tragic events in 2001 were the main reason for the US forces’ presence in
Afghanistan. With Al-Qaeda’s defeat and guarantees by the Taliban not to host
Al-Qaeda or any other forces that threaten US security, Washington finds little
reason to stay in Afghanistan any longer. It believes its presence in
Afghanistan is no longer financially or politically worthwhile.
The Afghan delegation, whose composition reflected ethnic diversity rather than
the relevancy of roles, met with key US officials and had a chance to discuss
the nature of the relationship between the two countries in the wake of the
upcoming US troop withdrawal. The most important message from the meeting
between US President Joe Biden and Ghani was the former’s emphasis that it is up
to Afghans to decide their own future. Ghani called this a new chapter in their
relationship. This new phase of engagement presents both challenges and
opportunities for Washington and Kabul alike.
There have been mixed feelings among Afghans about the visit, with government
supporters touting it as a major policy achievement. Symbolism is part and
parcel of Afghan society. Instead of focusing on the substance and outcomes of
the visit, many Afghans are celebrating how the delegation was received by the
US government in terms of protocols.
The priority of the US government during the visit was its support for peace and
stability in Afghanistan in spite of limited progress in the peace negotiations.
Its tone was carefully planned and mostly looking to the future, rather than
associating itself with the incumbent government. This indicated that the US
will honor its landmark agreement with the Taliban made in February 2020. For
Afghanistan, the continuation of the US partnership and its support for the
country even after the withdrawal of its forces is significant.
The Afghan delegation might have hoped for a change in America’s decision in
terms of the deadline for its troop withdrawal in the wake of the Taliban’s
capture of district after district and its challenge to central government
authority in large parts of the country. However, there was no change in
America’s withdrawal schedule, which Ghani referred to as transformational.
The US will continue its economic, political and diplomatic support for
Afghanistan, in addition to its assistance to the Afghan National Defense and
Security Forces (ANDSF). Biden emphasized that, even with America’s withdrawal,
the country’s partnership with Afghanistan is enduring. It is to be noted that
the ANDSF is totally reliant on US financial support, with a $4 billion annual
contribution that is critical for the country’s national security. Meanwhile, US
support for Afghan coronavirus disease relief in the form of financial aid and
the provision of vaccine doses is commendable and timely, as the country has
been hit hard by a third wave of the pandemic.
The US government’s promises of support for preserving Afghanistan’s gains in
democracy, human rights and the empowerment of women can only be truly realized
in the case of a peace settlement. Continuing war will bring more misery and
suffering to the Afghan people and will not give a meaningful dimension to
strategic Afghan-US relations.
For Afghanistan, the continuation of the US partnership and its support for the
country even after the withdrawal of its forces is significant.
In a joint media briefing with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Ghani outlined his
country’s achievements and his government’s commitment to the empowerment of
women. However, the reality on the ground is different. Can the appointment of a
few elite women to high-level government positions offer any fundamental change
to the quality of lives of millions of Afghan women? An absolute majority of
Afghan women face hardships due to insufficient healthcare and are the victims
of injustices in recruitment if they are not politically connected. Worst of
all, thousands of young brides of fallen soldiers face unfair treatment when
seeking their benefits from security institutions. Women begging on the streets
are a common sight in Afghan cities.
The Afghan government, the Taliban movement and the US government have different
priorities for the future of Afghanistan. The Afghan government would be happy
with the status quo, as long as it can retain minimal control over the country
and continue to receive financial aid, even with the ongoing violence. On the
other hand, the Taliban is hoping for a military victory. However, the US would
prefer a political settlement that can ensure a stable Afghanistan to help
protect its strategic interests in the region. It is time the silent majority of
Afghans had their voices heard by all three important players.
*Ajmal Shams is Vice-President of the Afghanistan Social Democratic Party and is
based in Kabul. He is a former Deputy Minister in the Afghan National Unity
Government. Twitter: @ajmshams
Cut Off the Blood Supply to China's Communist Party: End
Trade
Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/June 29/ 2021
The real problem for Beijing is that consumption, the only sustainable part of
the Chinese economy, looks far softer than officially reported, something
evident from the widely followed China Beige Book survey. Spending will not
fully recover until the coronavirus pandemic passes, and that is unlikely to
happen soon due to China's barely effective vaccines.
In any event, Washington must begin enforcing laws, especially those banning the
importation of products made with forced or slave labor.
Japan's Uniqlo is not the only brand that has been implicated. Nike and Apple
have, through subcontractors, apparently used such labor. Enforcement has been
hampered by, among other things, lack of personnel and a failure of political
will.
The larger goal has to be an ending of trade relations with China. "Because the
threat posed by China to the United States results from its hostile system and
includes economic, technological, and military dimensions, only systemic, not
piecemeal, responses can possibly protect critical U.S. interests," Washington,
D.C.-based trade expert Alan Tonelson tells Gatestone. "Sanctions against
individuals or companies will inevitably produce only pinprick effects, and even
these are easily nullified with shell game corporate renamings and personnel
changes."
"I want to be clear on this, our goal is not to hold China back," said U.S.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a June 25 interview with Anne Claire
Coudray of TF1. "It is not to establish a policy against China."
Really? The Chinese regime spread a disease that has at last count killed
604,000 Americans; last year it urged the violent overthrow of the American
government; it is killing tens of thousands of Americans annually with fentanyl
and related opioids; and it steals half a trillion dollars of American
intellectual property every 12 months. It has even declared a "people's war" on
America.
To defend itself, the United States should declare that its policy is to end the
rule of China's Communist Party.
At the moment, the Party is especially vulnerable because China's economy is
weaker than reported and the country is still dependent on the American market.
Beijing's National Bureau of Statistics reported an 18.3% growth of gross
domestic product in the first quarter of this year compared to the same quarter
in 2020. Fortune described the results as "eye-popping."
China's Q1 result, however, was probably inflated and in any event fell below
consensus estimates. Tellingly, the country's Q1 GDP registered only a 0.6%
increase from the previous quarter. That figure trailed the 2.6%
quarter-on-quarter growth between the third and fourth quarters of last year.
The real problem for Beijing is that consumption, the only sustainable part of
the Chinese economy, looks far softer than officially reported, something
evident from the widely followed China Beige Book survey. Spending will not
fully recover until the coronavirus pandemic passes, and that is unlikely to
happen soon due to China's barely effective vaccines.
Until consumption recovers, China will have to rely on exports. Growth for China
in recent quarters has been largely export-driven, but as Bo Zhuang of TS
Lombard told Fortune, "Exports and industrial production have slowed down from
very high levels." Export growth, he correctly says, "is running out of steam."
That is especially true now that COVID-19 outbreaks are substantially slowing
the movement of goods out of Guangdong province ports.
An export-dependent China is an America-dependent China. Last year, China's
merchandise trade surplus with the U.S. was 58.0% of its overall merchandise
trade surplus. China, therefore, remains extraordinarily dependent on its sales
to America, a circumstance that gives Washington extraordinary leverage.
In any event, Washington must begin enforcing laws, especially those banning the
importation of products made with forced or slave labor. U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) in January seized Uniqlo-branded shirts arriving in Los Angeles
on the suspicion they were made with such labor in the so-called Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region.
Beginning in 2020 and continuing into this year, CBP has dramatically stepped up
enforcement. In the current federal fiscal year, beginning in October, the U.S.
has seized 1,255 shipments, up from just 324 cargoes in the preceding fiscal
year and 12 the year before that.
That is a great start, but so far CBP has just scratched the surface. Japan's
Uniqlo is not the only brand that has been implicated. Nike and Apple have,
through subcontractors, apparently used such labor. Enforcement has been
hampered by, among other things, lack of personnel and a failure of political
will.
The market still rewards companies utilizing forced and slave labor, "taking
advantage of the weak," onshoring expert Jonathan Bass tells Gatestone. The
permissive attitude toward slavery is not only "morally repugnant, it punishes
American companies by making them uncompetitive," says Bass, CEO of Whom Home,
which bought back its production to this side of the Pacific Ocean. "Who can,"
he asks, "compete with a company that pays virtually nothing for labor performed
in facilities resembling concentration camps?"
At the moment, the Chinese economy is benefitting from U.S. Customs not
effectively tracking country of origin. Furniture manufacturers in China,
including American public companies, are transshipping products through Vietnam
to evade increased U.S. tariffs. This evasion is evident. According to Furniture
Today, Vietnam's furniture exports to the U.S. last year increased an astounding
31% from 2019. China's shipments fell a too-good-to-believe 25%.
Gatestone Institute
Such changes do not occur in the absence of tariff fraud, Bass, who is in the
furniture and furnishing business, argues. Customs can stop this age-old Chinese
stratagem. Its use is criminal, and everyone involved knows it is happening.
Customs needs to stop looking the other way.
Gatestone Institute
Ultimately, it is everyday purchasing decisions that fuel a hostile China. Cleo
Paskal of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies has been promoting a
Shopping for Victory program. A 2020 Deutsche Bank survey reported that 41% of
Americans didn't want to buy products made in China. "Online retailers
deliberately make it difficult to know where products are made," she tells
Gatestone. "There should be an online retail portal where country of origin is
clearly marked. The site would give consumers the choice to join the battle for
what is right, one purchase at a time." There are proposals in Congress to
require online retailers to include COOL information, that's COOL as in country
of origin labeling. We all should support these bills.
In any event, China is no longer the world's low-cost producer for many
products, so even price-obsessed consumers can love products made elsewhere.
The larger — and longer-term — goal has to be ending trade relations with China.
"Because the threat posed by China to the United States results from its hostile
system and includes economic, technological, and military dimensions, only
systemic, not piecemeal, responses can possibly protect critical U.S.
interests," Washington, D.C.-based trade expert Alan Tonelson tells Gatestone.
"Sanctions against individuals or companies will inevitably produce only
pinprick effects, and even these are easily nullified with shell game corporate
renamings and personnel changes."
China's Communist Party runs a system where all entities are in service of the
party-state. That means all Chinese entities should be treated as one and their
products banned.
"It is, for all our countries, a very complicated relationship that cannot be
simplified with a single word or a single sentence," Blinken said in his TF1
interview, referring to Sino-U.S. ties.
No, Secretary Blinken, you are wrong. Sever ties with China right now, Mr.
Secretary.
As Bass, the trade expert, says, "it's high time to cut off the blood supply to
the Chinese Communist Party."
*Gordon G. Chang is the author of The Coming Collapse of China, a Gatestone
Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board.
© 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.
Something is Sinking, and It's Not Just the Dead Sea
Naomi Linder Kahn/June 29/2021
Fake News and Jew-Hate in Europe and the Media
The Palestinian Authority (PA) uses European funding to cultivate more and
bigger tracts of Israeli state land every year, a well-known... loophole in the
Ottoman Land Law (still in force in these territories) that grants rights to
anyone who uses land for agricultural purposes for a period of several years,
whether they own it or not.
[T]he question should be, how was this water allocation determined, and how are
the actual water needs of this population determined? .... [H]ow much water does
each Palestinian in this region need, and how many people are we talking about?
The PA invests untold millions of European taxpayer-funded "humanitarian aid" to
initiate massive, unsustainable agricultural projects in desert areas under
Israeli jurisdiction... to take control, physically, of ever-expanding swaths of
territory. It goes to tremendous lengths to pad "population statistics" --
allowing people born abroad who have never set foot in the Middle East to
register as residents... failing to remove deceased persons from the rolls, and
double-counting people who live in other areas.
The allocation of water to Palestinian residents under Israeli jurisdiction was
determined in the framework of the Oslo Accords according to population size.
Simply put, there would be no water crisis if Europe and the PA would not have
orchestrated a large-scale migration of people.... for political purposes.
Israel provides approximately 70 million cubic meters (MCM) per year of water to
the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria (the "West Bank") alone... even
though the Water Agreement signed in the Oslo framework allocates a much smaller
quantity of only 23.6 MCM/year.... If the PA so desired, the residents of the
"village" of Kardala could easily be living in Bardala and enjoying sufficient
water supplies.
Similarly, the housing needs of all Palestinians currently living in illegal
structures on Israeli state land throughout Area C [under Israeli jurisdiction]
could easily be met if the PA invested its resources in development and
construction in [the Arab jurisdiction] areas A and B -- where there is no
threat of demolition, confiscation of equipment or materials, and no need for
Israeli permits.
[O]ver 60% of land resources under Palestinian Authority jurisdiction remain
available. Rather than using its resources to improve the lives of its people,
the PA instead chooses to divert all its resources into illegal, politically
motivated projects that are designed to wrest control of as much land as
possible away from Israeli jurisdiction.
Agenda-driven journalism is not journalism. It is propaganda....
The recently-aired episode of ABC Australia's "Foreign Correspondent" program,
titled "The Sinking Sea," presents visually stunning images that convey a sense
of loss of a major geographic feature of the Middle Eastern landscape. The video
documentary by Eric Tlozek, ABC's outgoing Middle East correspondent, focuses on
the demise of the Dead Sea caused by the diminished supply of its tributary
waters.
Tlozek's tenure as ABC's Middle East correspondent followed a long line of ABC
journalists, including Sophie McNeill, who have faithfully pushed ABC's
anti-Israel agenda; in fact, McNeill will be the keynote speaker at the
Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network's annual dinner this month. Apparently,
Tlozek and McNeill share more than an entry on their respective CVs.
The first 13 minutes of "The Sinking Sea" give us a look at the vast, rapid
changes that have been caused by the "drying up" of the Dead Sea, through the
eyes of geologists who have made this issue their life's work. The subject is
weighty, and the scholarly opinions have a strong impact, lending Tlozek's
presentation a veneer of scientific objectivity.
Unfortunately, it soon becomes evident that this factual introduction is nothing
more than a ploy to lure unsuspecting viewers into what comes after the
13-minute mark. Tlozek shifts the focus upstream to the Jordan Valley, where the
waters that feed into the Dead Sea continue to be illegally diverted for human
use. Tlozek's entire documentary of the Dead Sea's woes then is revealed as
being nothing more than the backdrop for a web of blood libels against Israel:
The next 20 minutes or so are used to imply that the Israeli "occupation" and
Israeli "settlers" are to blame for water shortages and the cataclysmic shifts
in the landscape around the Dead Sea, a result of the dispossession of the
"indigenous" Palestinian population" -- even though the Jews have lived in that
area for nearly 4,000 years.
Before addressing the blatant falsehoods that Tlozek includes in his
"documentary," it is perhaps even more important to consider what is not
included: the questions that were not answered because they were not asked.
One point that was strangely obscured, and only mentioned in the last minute of
the piece, is the very first question any journalist should have asked, but this
journalist didn't, apparently because it did not suit his political agenda: What
actually caused the Dead Sea's problems? When did the downward spiral begin?
Although Tlozek never comes straight out with it, by inference Israeli
"settlers" in the Jordan Valley are portrayed as the cause of the death of the
Dead Sea; no mention whatsoever is made of the construction of dams and the
rerouting of the waters of the Jordan River in the 1950s -- when Jordan still
(illegally) occupied Judea and Samaria. The Degania Dam in northern Israel
(which enabled the development of Israeli agriculture and provided the life
source for the entire Israeli economy), coupled with the massive Jordanian abuse
of both the tributary waters and the Dead Sea itself, are not given a moment's
consideration, presumably because they cannot be blamed on the "evil" post-1967
settlers. There is also no mention of the fact that in a central pillar of the
Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty signed in 1994, Israel agreed to give Jordan 50
million cubic meters (1.8×109 cu ft) of water each year -- and for Jordan to
receive 75% of the water from the Yarmouk River. Since that time -- and despite
Jordan's complete inflexibility on other elements of the treaty where compromise
and negotiation were written into the accords (such as extending the lease to
Naharayim and Tzofar) -- Jordan has repeatedly requested and received even
greater water allocations, further depleting the Dead Sea tributaries.
Tlozek also failed to mention that the when the Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee),
which is full today precisely because of the Degania Dam, enjoys another season
of heavy rainfall, or if the planned Israel-Jordan desalination project comes to
fruition, the dam will be opened and water will once again flow to the Dead Sea,
restoring (at least in part) its water and salinity levels. Lastly, honest
reporting of the situation would have at least mentioned that throughout
history, the water and salinity of the Dead Sea have fluctuated, and the current
situation may be part of a much larger ecosystem cycle. In fact, similar
environmental phenomena are occurring in many other inland seas around the
globe, including the Caspian Sea, Lake Urmia, and the Great Salt Lake -- and no
Israeli settlers have been blamed for those ... yet.
Now let's consider what the "documentary" did, in fact, present as fact,
beginning with the very damning and specific claims by and about the residents
of Kardala. Let's start at the most basic, most accessible level -- where any
primary school pupil would begin if they were interested in getting information:
Wikipedia. The entry on Kardala, written by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in
2017, puts the population of this "village" at 200 people in 2010; to have
achieved a population of over 1,000 people in only a decade, as stated in the
documentary, would have been nothing short of miraculous, particularly since the
number of structures on the ground in the village has remained more or less
constant since the Wikipedia entry was penned (some 24 structures all told --
hardly capable of housing over one thousand residents). The Wikipedia entry also
states: "There are no schools or health centers in the village." I remind you
that this is as of 2017. The villagers' claim, accepted as fact by Tlozek, that
the school and the road that accesses it are "decades old," is an outright
fabrication.
These truths about Kardala -- irrefutable facts -- are borne out by satellite
photos available to anyone interested in obtaining them, either from the
Palestinian Authority website or from the open-source Israeli government map
site (govmap.gov.il). Below are two images downloaded from the latter: an aerial
view of Kardala, marking the school and road (mentioned in the documentary) in
2021 -- and the exact same view in 2018, where there is no school and no road.
Kardala School in 2020.
The same area in 2018 - no school and no road.
On the same website, you can access historic maps of the area; a map created by
the British Mandatory mapping division in 1935 shows "Khirbet Kardala" -- the
ancient ruins at Kardala -- with no settlement of any kind nearby.
The land surrounding this newborn village has been developed for agricultural
use at an astounding rate in recent years, and this is neither a coincidence nor
the result of the ingenuity and talent of the local farmers: The Palestinian
Authority long ago slated this crucial area for takeover and has poured
tremendous resources into illegal activity designed to support the very same
specious claims presented by Tlozek in the ABC documentary. This includes
creating a system through which water is illegal siphoned off from the Israeli
national water grid and piped to the fields for irrigation -- a practice so
widespread that Jewish communities -- where citizens pay a premium price for
their water -- have major problems with water pressure that actually result in
their sometimes having no water in summer months due to uncontrolled pressure
drops; reflux contamination and salination caused by the sub-standard piping
systems used to steal water, and more. The Palestinian Authority uses European
funding to cultivate more and bigger tracts of Israeli state land every year, a
well-known exploitation of the loophole in the Ottoman Land Law (still in force
in these territories) that grants rights to anyone who uses land for
agricultural purposes for a period of several years, whether they own it or not.
This illuminates some of the additional questions that were not addressed by
Tlozek: While the man speaking for the residents of Kardala solemnly explains
that the Israelis provide only one third of the water that is actually needed to
support the population and agricultural projects of the village, the question
should be, how was this water allocation determined, and how are the actual
water needs of this population determined? In other words, how much water does
each Palestinian in this region need, and how many people are we talking about?
Therein lies the rub -- or a number of rubs, one might say: The case of Kardala
is illustrative of some of the most well-concealed elements of what has come to
be known as "the battle for Area C," the section of Judea and Samaria placed
under full Israeli jurisdiction under the Oslo Accords. The Palestinian
Authority invests tremendous resources in moving people into Area C -- people
who are actually residents of Areas A and B, the portion of Judea and Samaria
placed under Palestinian Authority jurisdiction by the Oslo Accords.
PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced special grants and tax incentives
for any PA residents willing to relocate to Area C Jordan Valley "communities,"
and even greater incentives for agricultural work. The PA invests untold
millions of euros of European taxpayer-funded "humanitarian aid" to initiate
massive, unsustainable agricultural projects in desert areas under Israeli
jurisdiction in order to take control, physically, of ever-expanding swaths of
territory. It goes to tremendous lengths to pad "population statistics" --
allowing people born abroad who have never set foot in the Middle East to
register as residents of Area C, failing to remove deceased persons from the
rolls, and double-counting people who live in Area A or B.
Another well-documented practice is the gerrymandering of the boundary lines of
existing communities in Areas A and B to connect with illegal structures it
builds in Area C -- and then "redefining" the entire complex as Area C, in order
to churn out ever-rising population figures. This appears to be the case with
the village of Kardala, located in Area C but connected to the older Area B
village of Bardala. In this way, all the residents of both "villages" --
actually one village under Palestinian Authority jurisdiction and an adjacent
cluster of 24 structures that have sprung up on land under Israeli jurisdiction
-- are now counted as residents of Area C. All told, Kardala and Bardala may or
may not have more than 1,000 residents -- but by conflating the data for the
two, the Palestinian Authority has managed to re-brand the residents of a
village fully under its own jurisdiction as part of the (fictitious) burgeoning
population of Palestinians living in Area C, and turn them into the
responsibility of the Israeli government.
Essentially, this is a shell game played with people, the same people who one
minute are under PA jurisdiction, but with a flick of the wrist, the wink of an
eye, a bit of creativity and a cooperative "journalist", suddenly become
residents of a "historic" Area C village of a thousand residents who are being
killed by water deprivation professedly at the hands of a cruel occupation
regime and the rapacious settlers that do its bidding.
This is nonsense at best, mendacious falsehood bordering on blood libel at
worst.
The allocation of water to Palestinian residents under Israeli jurisdiction was
determined in the framework of the Oslo Accords according to population size.
Simply put, there would be no water crisis if Europe and the PA would not have
orchestrated a large-scale migration of people into Area C for political
purposes.
Another question that might have been asked by an honest journalist is, what
options are there to alleviate this crisis? Israel provides approximately 70
million cubic meters (MCM) per year of water to the Palestinian Authority in
Judea and Samaria (the "West Bank") alone, not including the Gaza Strip, even
though the Water Agreement signed in the Oslo framework allocates a much smaller
quantity of only 23.6 MCM/year (for the "West Bank" alone). If the PA so
desired, the residents of the "village" of Kardala could easily be living in
Bardala and enjoying sufficient water supplies. Similarly, the housing needs of
all Palestinians currently living in illegal structures on Israeli state land
throughout Area C could easily be met if the PA invested its resources in
development and construction in the areas under its jurisdiction, Areas A and B,
where there is no threat of demolition, confiscation of equipment or materials,
and no need for Israeli permits.
A recent study of the availability and utilization of land resources in Judea
and Samaria, published by Regavim, found that over 60% of land resources under
Palestinian Authority jurisdiction remain available. Rather than using its
resources to improve the lives of its people, the PA instead chooses to divert
all its resources into illegal, politically motivated projects that are designed
to wrest control of as much land as possible away from Israeli jurisdiction.
Agenda-driven journalism is not journalism. It is propaganda, and cannot stand
up to the daylight of facts. Let the consumer of propaganda -- and its victims
-- beware.
Naomi Linder Kahn is Director of the International Division of Regavim, a public
Israeli movement dedicated to the protection and preservation of Israel's
resources and sovereignty.
To learn more about these issues, see Regavim's "Roots of Evil" report and the
comprehensive report on the progress of the Fayyad Plan to establish a de facto
Palestinian state in Area C, "The War of Attrition." Both reports, and
additional materials, can be accessed here.
© 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.
The Istanbul Canal is simply another Erdogan populist
scam
Rami Rayess/Al Arabiya/June 29/2021
Populism is driving Turkish politics. Aiming to reduce the sliding economy and
the seasonal devaluation of the local currency, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan is grabbing at straws to prop up his crumbling political dominance. He
has launched a $15 billion megaproject to construct a new waterway that connects
the Black Sea to the Aegean and Mediterranean Sea. The Istanbul Canal is an
endeavor he himself once described as “crazy.”Erdogan wants the support of local
hard-liner nationalists to boost what’s left of his political appeal. These
nationalists, and particularly members and supporters of the ruling AK Party
view the Istanbul Canal as a symbol of national pride and sovereignty. It backs
up the Montreux Convention agreement of 1936 concerning the Dardanelles strait.
Broadly the convention permitted free passage of commercial ships through the
canal and imposed restrictions on military vessels.
Turkey’s aim at the time was to remain unbiased in any international
confrontation similar to what happened in World War I. Erdogan wants to
reciprocate the effects of Montreux by launching this project. It’s a perfect
project for Erdogan to exploit to see support transpose in casts for him at the
ballot box.
The government claims the canal is being pursued from economic and security
considerations and has claimed congestion caused by mega tankers crossing the
Bosporus endangers the surrounding environment. It has cited a 1979 accident
that led to enormous amounts of oil leaking from a ship.
No, the populist political agenda cannot be overlooked.
Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu confirmed this when he expressed a staunch
opposing stance to the project saying that he believes it threatens the city.
Ten retired naval generals that voiced their objections were put under house
arrest. Erdogan believes executing this project will make him a national hero
who has made a five centuries long dream come true. Since the days of Suleiman
the Magnificent in the 16th Century, the idea of building a grand artificial
sea-level waterway connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara has been an
ambition unrealized. Suleiman came close when architects almost completed plans,
while some preparations started. The project collapsed with military conflicts
rife in the region. Over the ensuing centuries the concept has resurfaced, and
continues to. In 2011, the project was re-introduced again by then Prime
Minister Erdogan. The proposal sparked controversy in the country.
“Either Istanbul or Canal” was one of the famous slogans recurrently raised by
protestors against the project in the city over several periods of time. Today,
Erdogan appears firm in his stance that implementing the project is essential,
and announced this during a ceremony for its launch.
“Today, we are opening a new page in the history of Turkey’s development.
Whether you like or not, we are starting it, we will build it, and we will
deliver it to our nation.”
Neo-Ottomanism has engrossed Erdogan throughout his governing tenure. From
building grand luxurious mansions to pursuing expansionist foreign policies it’s
clear that Erdogan’s political defense mechanism is to go big in the ‘making the
empire strong again’ rhetoric. The Istanbul Canal is simply more of the same.