English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 01/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

#elias_bejjani_news
 

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http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews21/english.may01.21.htm
 

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Bible Quotations For today

See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
First Letter to the Thessalonians 05/12-28/:”But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labour among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. Beloved, pray for us. Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all of them. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you..”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 30-May 01/2021

Heartily Felt Condolences To The Israeli Families Of Today's Victims Of The LagBOmer Tragedy/Elias Bejjani/April 30/2021
Israel stampede: dozens die in crush at Lag BaOmer religious festival
Health Ministry: 1,001 new Corona cases, 29 deaths
Lebanese politicians blocking government formation to be banned from France
Paris Restricts Entry for Lebanese Involved in Political Crisis, Corruption
France's Le Drian to head to Lebanon May 5-6 for crisis talks
Al-Rahi meets with National Liberal Party Chief, Ambassador of Hungary, Cedar Revolution Council delegation
US announces resumption of Lebanon-Israel maritime negotiations
Tons of dead fish wash up on shore of polluted Lebanon lake near Litani river
Bassil Chooses 'Lebanon's Stability' over Becoming President
Ship prepares to ferry hazardous materials from Lebanon’s Port of Beirut to Germany
Lebanese prosecutor opens probe into central bank governor Riad Salameh and brother
Letter To The United Nations On Lebanon's Maritime Dispute With Israel/Elie Aoun/April 30/2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 30-May 01/2021

Israel stampede: dozens die in crush at Lag BaOmer religious festival
Canada expresses condolences to Israel following Lag B’Omer tragedy
US President Biden speaks to Israel’s PM after deadly stampede
World powers want an Iran nuclear deal by mid-May to avoid monitoring tussle
US-Iran nuclear deal talks are in an ‘unclear place,’ NSA Jake Sullivan says
Iran welcomes Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince statements, says mark ‘change of tone’
Germany rejects Russian entry bans against eight EU citizens
Pentagon to cancel Trump border wall projects using military funds
UN fails to agree on joint Myanmar statement, diplomats blame China, Russia
Eight Republican 2024 presidential candidates to speak in Texas, but not Trump
Palestinian leader delays first elections in 15 years, Hamas rejects delay as 'coup'
 

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 30-May 01/2021

Why Abbas Does Not Want Elections/Bassam Tawil/ Gatestone Institute/April 30/2021
A Palestinian State: What Would Ben Gurion Have Said?/Amir Taheri/ِAsharq Al Awsat/April 30/2021
Can There Be Peace in the Middle East?/Hussein Shobokshi/ِAsharq Al Awsat/April 30/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 30-May 01/2021

Heartily Felt Condolences To The Israeli Families Of Today's Victims Of The LagBOmer Tragedy
Elias Bejjani/April 30/2021
Like every individual who adores and values human lives I was extremely shocked and deeply saddened to learn this morning about the dire tragedy that took place in Israel during the LagBOmer celebrations at  Mt. Meron. I offer my heartily felt condolences to all the families of the victims, and wish a full recovery to all those injured.بحزن شديد وأسى علمنا اليوم بالكارثة الإنسانية التي وقعت في إسرائيل اليوم. أتقدم بأحر التعازي لأهالي الضحايا واصلي من شفاء كل المصابين.

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/98399/elias-bejjani-heartily-felt-condolences-to-the-israeli-families-of-todays-victims-of-the-lagbomer-tragedy-%d8%a8%d8%ad%d8%b2%d9%86-%d8%b4%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%af-%d9%88%d8%a3%d8%b3%d9%89-%d8%b9%d9%84/

Background

Israel stampede: dozens die in crush at Lag BaOmer religious festival
Rosie Scammell and Tal Machluf/The National/April 30/2021
At least 150 injured as tens of thousands gathered for festival at Mount Meron. Israel on Friday faced one of its worst peacetime disasters after 45 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at a religious festival, with 150 people injured and families left searching for missing relatives. Mourners gathered on Friday evening at Jerusalem's largest cemetery, weeping as one by one refrigerated trucks arrived bringing the victims for burial. "It was a disaster," said Elhanan Mamo, one of the first paramedics on the scene at Mount Meron, in northern Israel, where thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews were celebrating the Lag BaOmer holiday. A senior paramedic with the Magen David Adom ambulance service, he described the "horrible sight" as he arrived at around 1am to see victims crushed to death under dozens of people.After police officers and soldiers arrived to clear the crowds, Mr Mamo said teams tried to resuscitate those unconscious and treat others who were seriously injured. “Within 10 to 15 minutes all the wounded were evacuated and then came the hard part of dozens lying dead,” he told The National. “Children, young, single, guys, not many adults. Lying lifeless. People who walked a few minutes ago, just collapsed into themselves,” Mr Mamo said. At least three boys were among those killed, the youngest aged nine, according to Medics used hundreds of ambulances, while some of the injured were airlifted to hospitals as reinforcements were drawn in from across the country. The mobile phone network crashed while families tried to contact their relatives on the mountain, police said, while authorities sought to evacuate the area.
A survivor recalled the moment he was heading towards the lighting of a bonfire, a central part of Lag BaOmer celebrations, and realised the area had become packed with pilgrims. “People were pushing each other,” Abraham told Channel 12 television, explaining that he was among those who slipped and fell on other worshippers. “People did not know where to start and where to finish and they tried to get people out from the bottom, instead of the top,” the pilgrim from Jerusalem said. “I managed to breathe and begged people to take me out,” said Abraham, who suffered minor injuries. “It was awful. There were screams, also of people you slowly didn’t hear any more.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the site hours later and announced a national day of mourning on Sunday. US President Joe Biden spoke to the Israeli leader to offer his "profound condolences"."The loss of life among worshipers practicing their faith is heartbreaking," he said in a statement, adding US officials were trying to verify reports that Americans were among the dead. The UAE's Ambassador to Israel, Mohamed Al Khaja, tweeted that he was "very saddened to hear about the tragedy" on Mount Meron. Israeli authorities had expected hundreds of thousands of Jews to attend the Lag BaOmer celebrations, with festivities including dancing and lighting bonfires on Mount Meron. The event was severely restricted last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but officials allowed it to go ahead this year and posted 5,000 officers for the occasion. Defence Minister Benny Gantz said the authorities would investigate “the failures, drawing the necessary conclusions and applying them going forward so that this type of tragedy never repeats itself”.With more than half the country's population vaccinated against coronavirus, last month Israel eased most of its restrictions and authorities allowed events to take place with some restrictions.

Health Ministry: 1,001 new Corona cases, 29 deaths
NNA/April 30/2021
The Ministry of Public Health announced, on Saturday, the registration of 1,001 new Corona infections, which raised the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 526,578.
It also indicated that 29 deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours.
 

Lebanese politicians blocking government formation to be banned from France
Aya Iskandarani/The National/April 30/2021

Foreign minister did not provide any names but said Paris may implement more punitive measures
France will ban from its territory those blocking the formation of a Lebanese government, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday. It was the first punitive move by Paris against politicians it blames for the long deadlock after months of warnings. “We have begun applying restrictive measures on a national level in terms of access to French territory for figures involved in the current political blockage or in corruption,” Mr Le Drian said on a visit to Malta. He did not identify which politicians were responsible for blocking the formation of a cabinet and would be banned from France. Mr Le Drian had previously warned that those preventing a government from being formed would face consequences. President Emmanuel Macron in March said France would “change its approach” to Lebanon.Mr Macron launched an initiative last September to save Lebanon from its economic crisis after the deadly Beirut port blast. Lebanese politicians failed to form a government and implement a reform agenda, sinking his recovery plan. Reforms are a prerequisite for Lebanon to secure much-needed debt relief and funds from international lenders after a severe crisis.
Mr Le Drian said more punitive measures may lie ahead for Lebanese politicians. “We reserve the right to adopt supplementary measures against those obstructing a way out of crisis and we will do so in co-ordination with our international partners,” he said. While Mr Le Drian has not named blacklisted politicians, prime minister-designate Saad Hariri has blamed allies of the Iran-backed Hezbollah for blocking his bid to form a government. Mr Hariri was appointed to form a new cabinet last October, after the last government resigned following the August port explosion that killed more than 200 people and ruined much of Beirut. He has accused President Michel Aoun and his son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, who leads the Hezbollah-allied Christian Free Patriotic Movement, of seeking a enough ministerial portfolios in the coming government to grant the party the power of veto. Mr Aoun and Mr Bassil deny the accusations.The US slapped sanctions on Mr Bassil for corruption last year, who was on an official visit to Moscow when Mr Le Drian made the announcement. It is unclear whether he is one of those to be blacklisted by France. A spokesman for the Lebanese presidency denied that Mr Aoun was blacklisted or that Mr Bassil was a target.“I doubt the head of the biggest parliamentary bloc will be impacted by this decision,” he said of Mr Bassil. The French embassy declined to comment on the issue.

Paris Restricts Entry for Lebanese Involved in Political Crisis, Corruption
Agence France Presse/April 30/2021
France has begun imposing entry restrictions on certain Lebanese figures as a sanction for their role in Lebanon's political crisis or corruption, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday. His comments were the first official confirmation from Paris that it has imposed sanctions against Lebanese officials over their failure to reform the country in the wake of the deadly August 2020 Beirut port explosion. "On a national basis, we have started to implement restrictions on access to French territory against personalities involved in the current political blockage or involved in corruption," he said in a statement following a visit to Malta. "We reserve the right to adopt additional measures against all those preventing an exit from the crisis, and we will do so in coordination with our international partners," added Le Drian, without naming the figures the measure targeted. He said discussions were already underway with France's European partners on what "instruments" could be used to increase pressure on Lebanese political figures who are "obstructing a way out of the crisis.""Those responsible for the blockage must understand that we will not stand still," he added. French President Emmanuel Macron called for radical reform in Lebanon after the deadly Beirut port blast and has expressed exasperation at the lack of change in the former French mandate territory. Lebanon's prime minister-designate Saad Hariri and President Michel Aoun have failed repeatedly to agree on a new cabinet after months of deadlock, as the country sinks deeper into economic crisis. A steep depreciation of the Lebanese pound along with an explosion of poverty and unemployment have eroded purchasing power and fuelled anger among the population. The outgoing government of premier Hassan Diab resigned in the wake of an August 4 explosion at Beirut's port that killed more than 200 people and sparked protests against the entrenched ruling class. Earlier this month, an open letter published in France's Le Monde daily signed by more than 100 Lebanese civil society figures urged Macron to freeze suspect assets held by Lebanese officials. The letter said that a "political-economic mafia is responsible for the misery, hunger and insecurity from which more and more Lebanese suffer."

France's Le Drian to head to Lebanon May 5-6 for crisis talks
Reuters/PARIS/BEIRUT/April 30/2021
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will travel to Lebanon next week to discuss the political crisis there with senior officials, two sources aware of the matter said on Friday. The trip comes after Paris said it had started putting in place measures to restrict entry to France for some Lebanese officials on the grounds that they were blocking efforts to find a solution to Lebanon’s political and economic crisis. The two sources said Le Drian would travel on May 5 and hold meetings on May 6. He has requested meetings with President Michel Aoun and Shi’ite Hezbollah ally and Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, according to a note sent by the embassy. Le Drian has also asked to meet Gebran Bassil, the leader of Lebanon’s biggest Christian political bloc and Aoun’s son-in-law, who is under U.S. sanctions for alleged corruption and his ties to Hezbollah. France has spearheaded international efforts to rescue Lebanon from its deepest crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, but after eight months has failed so far to persuade squabbling politicians to adopt a reform roadmap or form a new government to unlock international aid. France’s foreign ministry did not confirm or deny Le Drian’s planned trip. With the European Union, Paris has been working on creating a sanctions regime for Lebanon that could ultimately see asset freezes and travel bans. However, that is likely to take time. As part of efforts to raise pressure on key Lebanese actors, France intends to stop issuing visas to certain officials, diplomats have said. Diplomatic sources have said that Bassil could be one of those targeted, although he has no specific ties to France. (Reporting by John Irish in Paris and Maha el-Dahan in Beirut; Editing by Alison Williams and Catherine Evans)
 

Al-Rahi meets with National Liberal Party Chief, Ambassador of Hungary, Cedar Revolution Council delegation
NNA/April 30/2021
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, met today in Bkirki with "National Liberal Party" Chief, Camille Chamoun, accompanied by his father, former Party Head & former MP Dori Chamoun, who came on a supportive visit to the Patriarch's positions. On emerging, Chamoun affirmed his Party’s absolute support for the initiative of His Beatitude regarding the neutrality of Lebanon and the international conference aimed at saving Lebanon. He added: “We pledge with the rest of the sovereign parties to be on Bkirki’s side, and we call on all parties who believe in sovereignty, and the revolution groups, to stand by the Patriarch, and we will continue working to support these initiatives through expanded meetings with the largest number of supporters."In turn, former MP Dory Chamoun considered that his visit to the Patriarch is a "farewell visit" after he passed over the Party’s leadership to his son, vowing to remain present "to support the Lebanese youth who believe in the cause of Lebanon's independence.""We want safe borders, and we want the United Nations to remember that there is a republic called the Lebanese Republic that has been forgotten thanks to the actions of political officials. His Beatitude is familiar with the Lebanese dossier and is working hard to close ranks, and we support all his steps and initiatives," Chamoun underscored.
The Patriarch then received the Ambassador of Hungary, Géza Mihályi, with whom he discussed the prevailing conditions and latest developments on the local scene.
In the afternoon, al-Rahi met with a delegation representing the "Cedar Revolution National Council" who briefed him on the files the Council is working on to support the Patriarch's initiative with regards to Lebanon’s neutrality and international conference.
 

US announces resumption of Lebanon-Israel maritime negotiations
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/30 April ,2021
The United States announced Friday the resumption of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel over their disputed maritime borders, describing the talks as a “positive step towards a long-awaited resolution.”Beirut and Tel Aviv had been a decadeslong back and forth over their respective maritime borders before years of US diplomatic efforts led to the first negotiations between Lebanon and Israel last year. Despite officials in Lebanon dubbing the talks “indirect,” representatives from both countries have held several rounds of discussions in the same room at a UN building in south Lebanon. But the US suspended the talks last December when Lebanon reneged on its original demands and presented a maximalist stance calling for an extra 1,430 square kilometers (550 sq. miles). The entire disputed area had been over close to 860 sq. kilometers, where there are believed to be large swathes of natural gas reserves. Lebanon’s new stance was issued in a government decree and signed by ministers in the current caretaker government, but awaits the president's final signature. President Michel Aoun has not signed it, claiming that a cabinet meeting must be held to have it signed. However, diplomatic sources told Al Arabiya English that pressure from Washington led to Aoun holding off. It was the Free Patriotic Movement, which Aoun founded, that reportedly pushed through the maximalist stance in an effort to “garner popular support as the defender of Lebanon’s rights,” a Lebanese political source said. David Hale, the outgoing number three official at the State Department, visited Beirut two weeks ago. Al Arabiya English first reported that Hale’s trip was meant to revive the stalled talks. On Friday, the State Department said that it would mediate talks between Beirut and Tel Aviv next week. John Desrocher, recently the US ambassador to Algeria, will continue heading the US team. The talks are set to begin on May 4, the State Department said, and they are set to be open-ended, according to diplomatic sources. “The resumption of talks is a positive step towards a long-awaited resolution,” the State Department said. Multiple US administrations have dispatched envoys to try to broker a deal between the two neighboring countries, but ultimately the breakthrough came during the Trump administration. It had been unclear if the Biden administration would replace Desrocher and sources close to the US diplomat said he was eager to continue his efforts in mediating. “He has been waiting for the call,” one of Desrocher’s former colleagues said. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s presidency appears to have halted its efforts to push through the previously submitted maximalist stance. “The delegation will not be changed, and the talks will pick up where they left off,” a source from the presidential palace told Al Arabiya English. The president’s son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, recently called for a new team to head Lebanon’s delegation. The current delegation includes military officials, oil and gas experts and maritime affairs experts.
 

Tons of dead fish wash up on shore of polluted Lebanon lake near Litani river
Reuters, Qaraoun/30 April ,2021
Tons of dead fish have washed up on the banks of a lake on Lebanon’s Litani river, engulfing a nearby village in a pungent smell, in a disaster blamed on polluted waters. Volunteers collected rotting fish carcasses near the Qaraoun lake on Lebanon’s longest river, the Litani, where activists have warned for years of water pollution caused by sewage and waste. Piles of garbage drifted in the lake near the dead fish. Swarms of flies spread near the reservoir and thousands of fish were decomposing in already dirty waters. “This phenomenon appeared on the shore of the lake several days ago,” said Ahmad Askar, a local activist. “The fish started floating up, and in abnormal quantities...It’s unacceptable.” At least 40 tons have turned up dead in a few days, numbers which Askar and fishermen in Qaraoun described as unprecedented. They called on the Litani river authority to find the cause and go after anyone dumping wastewater into the lake. The river authority said this week that the fish were toxic and carried a virus, urging people to avoid fishing all along the Litani due to “an aggravated disaster that threatens public health”. The pollution prompted a ban since 2018 on fishing in the reservoir, which was created in 1959 with a large dam to collect water for hydropower and irrigation. Last month, volunteers removed clumps of sticky tar from some beaches along the Lebanese coast after an oil spill which environmentalists warned would harm marine life. Ecological disasters are the last thing Lebanon needs as it suffers through an alarming financial collapse and the aftermath of a huge explosion that devastated Beirut port last August..

Bassil Chooses 'Lebanon's Stability' over Becoming President
Naharnet/30 April ,2021
Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil has said that he would choose “Lebanon and its stability” over the presidential post, describing accusations that he wants to succeed his father-in-law in the country’s top post as a “myth.”
In an interview from Moscow with RT television, Bassil added that PM-designate Saad Hariri is demanded to form a new government. “We want Hariri to form” the new cabinet, “but if he can’t do so, he must shoulder his responsibility,” Bassil said, suggesting that Hariri should step down if he can’t complete the task of putting together a new government.“Had the National Pact and constitutional norms been applied by the PM-designate, we would have saved time and we would not have wasted six months waiting for certain events,” the FPM chief went on to say. Separately, Bassil said the FPM agrees with Hizbullah over “strategic issues in Lebanon and the region in terms of confronting Israel and terrorism.”“But we disagree with it over domestic issues, including the fight against corruption,” he clarified. “Hizbullah is not implicated in corruption, but for strategic reasons and the priority of preserving the resistance, it is not as active as we see it should be in this regard,” Bassil explained. The FPM chief also stressed that there can be no reform in Lebanon as long as “the majority of those clinging to power are with corruption.”“Since 2005, we have not managed to obtain the necessary majority to implement our reform program,” he lamented.

Ship prepares to ferry hazardous materials from Lebanon’s Port of Beirut to Germany
AFP/30 April ,2021
A ship prepared Friday to ferry dozens of containers of hazardous materials from Lebanon’s capital to Germany, managers of a cleanup project said, months after disaster struck on the dockside.German firm Combi Lift was tasked with removing dangerous substances from the port after the explosion of hundreds of tons of fertilizer there on August 4 last year killed more than 200 people and ravaged large parts of Beirut. The last of 59 containers was lifted onto the ship on Friday. Heiko Felderhoff, CEO of Combi Lift, said they would be disposed of in Germany. “The ship is here and so on the weekend we are leaving” for Germany, he said at a ceremony on the docks. Elias Assouad, the head of the Lebanese-German Business Council, said the project had cleared the port of “all toxic, cancerous, flammable and highly reactive chemicals that have been stored here for decades.”The German firm had been expected “to deal with only 49 containers of hazardous material,” he said. But they ended up “handling more than 75, of which 59 will be shipped.”He said 15 others would be “disposed of within safe and environmentally sound procedures in situ,” without providing more details. A chemical expert managing the operation told AFP after finishing the job in February that Beirut only avoided a second chemical inferno by chance. Michael Wentler said he had “never seen a situation like this before” in his life, describing festering chemical mixtures so corrosive they burned gaping holes right through massive shipping containers. Hydrochloric acid, a corrosive  and toxic substance, made up 60 percent of the chemicals Combi Lift came across, he said.

Lebanese prosecutor opens probe into central bank governor Riad Salameh and brother
Reuters, Beirut/30 April ,2021
Lebanon’s public prosecutor has launched an investigation into central bank governor Riad Salameh, a judicial source said, after a Swiss legal request alleged that more than $300 million had been embezzled from the bank through a company owned by his brother. The senior judicial source told Reuters the offices of Salameh’s younger brother Raja had been sealed off, with computers and files confiscated in the course of the investigation. The public prosecutor had no comment. Riad Salameh, who denies any wrongdoing, had no comment when asked by Reuters about the opening of the investigation, the sealing of his brother’s office and the confiscation of the files. “The governor declared that all his actions and the actions of the Central Bank of Lebanon are legal and that no funds at the detriment of the central bank exist,” the central bank told Reuters in a statement. “Not one dollar has ever been paid from central bank money or funds or any budget as commission,” the statement said.
The central bank declined to provide contact details for Raja Salameh, and Reuters was not immediately able to ask him for comment. The Swiss attorney general’s office said in January that it had requested legal assistance from Lebanon in investigating “aggravated money laundering” and possible embezzlement relating to the Lebanese central bank, the Banque du Liban. The Swiss request, seen by Reuters, alleges that Forry Associates, a company owned by Raja Salameh with a bank account in Switzerland that took commission on sales of Lebanese Eurobonds and Treasury bills, was paid $326 million by the central bank between 2002 and 2014 in transactions labelled as fees and commissions. Most of the payments to Forry were then transferred to an account in Raja Salameh’s name. More than $7 million were also transferred from Forry Associates between 2008 and 2012 to an account in Riad Salameh’s name, the document said. Reuters was unable to find any contact details for Forry Associates.
The Swiss attorney general’s office had no comment about the content of the legal request other than repeating its statement from January. It has not said whether Riad Salameh is a suspect. A Lebanese government official told Reuters in January that Swiss authorities were investigating money transfers by Riad Salameh and also looking into his brother and assistant. Salameh said any allegations about such transfers were “fabrications.”Salameh said in a statement to the public prosecutor in January that he had answered questions sent on behalf of the Swiss and “asserted to him that any transfers were not made from the Lebanese central bank’s accounts.” Lebanese prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat sent initial findings to Swiss authorities in February, state media said. No further details about the case have been officially announced by Swiss authorities since then. Lebanon’s crippled banking system is at the heart of a financial crisis that erupted in late 2019. Banks have since blocked most transfers abroad and cut access to deposits as dollars grew scarce. The meltdown has crashed the currency, prompted a sovereign default and doomed at least half the population to poverty. The Swiss investigation is one of several under way or being planned in Europe that target officials in Lebanon’s financial sector and its broader political class.

Letter To The United Nations On Lebanon's Maritime Dispute With Israel

Elie Aoun/April 30/2021

إيلي عون: رسالة إلى الأمم المتحدة تتعلق بنزاع لبنان وإسرائيل على الحدود البحرية بينهما

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/98395/98395/
On April 12, 2021, Lebanon's Prime Minister, the defence minister, and the public works minister signed a decree that would add around 1,400 square km (540 square miles) in a  potentially gas-rich area of the eastern Mediterranean claimed by Lebanon in its maritime dispute with Israel. The following day, Lebanon’s President claimed that the decree must be approved by the full cabinet (and not just the three mentioned individuals) “due to its importance and the consequences." Although there is an acknowledgment for the decree’s “importance and the consequences,” and presuming that the President’s claim is true that the decree must be signed by the full cabinet, neither the President nor the Prime Minister made any genuine effort to hold a full cabinet meeting on this issue.

The present Lebanese political class is absent in practice – and, therefore, Lebanon cannot make a claim on Lebanon’s behalf. If a viable Lebanese government did exist, it would have taken meaningful measures to defend Lebanese claims. In the absence of a truly representative government of the Lebanese people to make a proper presentation of Lebanon’s rightful claims, any failure by that political class cannot be attributed to the will of the Lebanese.  Furthermore, Lebanese governmental absence from submitting to the U.N. a response regarding Israel’s claims should not be taken as indicative of the correctness of the Israeli claims. The United Nations should not rule in favor of a party if there is no meaningful opportunity to be heard for the opposing party.
Our Legitimacy to Speak on Lebanon’s Behalf

The absence of a governmental defence in a matter of extreme importance is a confirmation that the country has been hijacked by those who are serving a non-Lebanese agenda – necessitating the need for individual Lebanese to speak the Lebanese voice. That voice must be heard by the United Nations if such an institution truly desires to attain justice regarding the Lebanese-Israeli maritime dispute or any other pertinent issue. Being Lebanese nationals, we have a great concern regarding what is taking place in our homeland – especially in terms of a breakdown in national values and the repeated intentional infliction of harm on social, economic, political, security, and environmental levels.

The politicians’ failure to adequately protect Lebanese maritime areas is one of many indications to the intentional abandonment of national ideals and resources in pursuit (by the Lebanese political class) of personal and foreign aspirations conflicting with the nation’s sovereignty.
This basic fact and others, provide a justification to address the United Nations directly since it is the party with influence to achieve a delineation of maritime boundary between Lebanon and Israel.

It is a justifiable right for any national to take whatever measures they deem appropriate for the defence of their nation, land, and people. Furthermore, it is evident that a situation (such as a potential loss of maritime areas to Israel due to Lebanese governmental mismanagement) may cause material and moral damage to our nation and its people.
The position that is being invoked herein aims at preventing unjustified confiscation of Lebanese resources (which are the property of all Lebanese), to prevent further harm from taking place, to compensate for any harm that has been inflicted, and to annul all the decisions and measures that abandon Lebanese maritime property to Israel (in the south of Lebanon) and to Syria (in the north of Lebanon).  The Lebanese nationals are the legal owners of the maritime properties and the defenders of Lebanese sovereignty. It is our right to protect that ownership, participate in any decision related to it, and ward off any harm that might be caused to it.

Principles of Resolving Boundary Disputes
Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon on the disputed areas led to no results due to the fact that Lebanon faces a dual occupation – the first is by Hizballah which is seeking to implement a foreign Iranian agenda against the will of most Lebanese; the second is by a corrupt political class (both Christian and Muslim) with self-serving objectives and without any consideration to the well-being of the Lebanese population. Therefore, a viable Lebanese government does not exit to represent Lebanese claims vis-a-vis Israel. Whenever there is a reliable leadership, resolving any dispute would be a simple procedure. To resolve disputed sovereignty over land, the relevant rules are based on human activity (who occupies the land and how it is administered).

To resolve issues of overlapping maritime claims between adjacent or opposite states, the relevant rules are those on the delimitation of maritime boundaries – such as Articles 14 and 15 of the “UN Convention on the Law of the Sea” and Article 6 of the “Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone.”As a general procedure, it is best to resolve the outstanding land sovereignty issue at first, followed by resolving the maritime boundaries at a second stage. By so doing one avoids the need for hypothetical arguments over the course of the maritime boundary.
Methods of Settling the Border Disputes with Israel

Since the process of resolving a border dispute is a straightforward one, and since the establishment of a complete and accurate boundary is not being implemented for obvious reasons, the possible outcomes may be one of the following options:
For the United Nations not to make any determination on the matter regardless of what documentation is submitted by Israel and to prohibit Israel from having any authority over the disputed areas – simply because Lebanon is not properly represented to make its case.

In the event that Israel decides to extract crude oil and/or natural gas, with or without the United Nations’ permission, from the disputed maritime area (or from any adjacent area to draw the commodities from the disputed area), then Lebanon shall be entitled to equal apportionment or half of the generated revenues. The disputed area can be deemed as a “joint area” ruled by a joint Lebanese-Israeli non-governmental board entrusted to adequately invest the funds into meaningful national projects in each of the respective countries. This scenario may be implemented until a proper Lebanese leadership is in place to take adequate measures in restoring what is rightfully Lebanon’s. The same concepts are applicable to the contested maritime areas (in northern Lebanon) with Syria.
Conclusion
The Lebanese people are entitled to whatever resources lie on the Lebanese side of the maritime lines – regardless of how these resources are extracted or by whom. Any unilateral action by Israel or Syria, any UN decision favoring Israel or Syria without proper Lebanese representation, and any agreement between Israel or Syria and the treacherous Lebanese politicians are all void or voidable.

NOTE: Anyone can use this letter in their own name, or copy any information herein and send it to the UN Security Council or to whomever they choose.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 30-May 01/2021

Israel stampede: dozens die in crush at Lag BaOmer religious festival
Rosie Scammell and Tal Machluf/The National/April 30/2021
At least 150 injured as tens of thousands gathered for festival at Mount Meron. Israel on Friday faced one of its worst peacetime disasters after 45 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at a religious festival, with 150 people injured and families left searching for missing relatives. Mourners gathered on Friday evening at Jerusalem's largest cemetery, weeping as one by one refrigerated trucks arrived bringing the victims for burial. "It was a disaster," said Elhanan Mamo, one of the first paramedics on the scene at Mount Meron, in northern Israel, where thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews were celebrating the Lag BaOmer holiday. A senior paramedic with the Magen David Adom ambulance service, he described the "horrible sight" as he arrived at around 1am to see victims crushed to death under dozens of people.After police officers and soldiers arrived to clear the crowds, Mr Mamo said teams tried to resuscitate those unconscious and treat others who were seriously injured. “Within 10 to 15 minutes all the wounded were evacuated and then came the hard part of dozens lying dead,” he told The National. “Children, young, single, guys, not many adults. Lying lifeless. People who walked a few minutes ago, just collapsed into themselves,” Mr Mamo said. At least three boys were among those killed, the youngest aged nine, according to Medics used hundreds of ambulances, while some of the injured were airlifted to hospitals as reinforcements were drawn in from across the country. The mobile phone network crashed while families tried to contact their relatives on the mountain, police said, while authorities sought to evacuate the area. A survivor recalled the moment he was heading towards the lighting of a bonfire, a central part of Lag BaOmer celebrations, and realised the area had become packed with pilgrims. “People were pushing each other,” Abraham told Channel 12 television, explaining that he was among those who slipped and fell on other worshippers. “People did not know where to start and where to finish and they tried to get people out from the bottom, instead of the top,” the pilgrim from Jerusalem said. “I managed to breathe and begged people to take me out,” said Abraham, who suffered minor injuries. “It was awful. There were screams, also of people you slowly didn’t hear any more.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the site hours later and announced a national day of mourning on Sunday. US President Joe Biden spoke to the Israeli leader to offer his "profound condolences"."The loss of life among worshipers practicing their faith is heartbreaking," he said in a statement, adding US officials were trying to verify reports that Americans were among the dead. The UAE's Ambassador to Israel, Mohamed Al Khaja, tweeted that he was "very saddened to hear about the tragedy" on Mount Meron. Israeli authorities had expected hundreds of thousands of Jews to attend the Lag BaOmer celebrations, with festivities including dancing and lighting bonfires on Mount Meron. The event was severely restricted last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but officials allowed it to go ahead this year and posted 5,000 officers for the occasion. Defence Minister Benny Gantz said the authorities would investigate “the failures, drawing the necessary conclusions and applying them going forward so that this type of tragedy never repeats itself”.With more than half the country's population vaccinated against coronavirus, last month Israel eased most of its restrictions and authorities allowed events to take place with some restrictions.

Canada expresses condolences to Israel following Lag B’Omer tragedy
April 30, 2021- Ottawa, Ontario- Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement:
"On behalf of all Canadians, I wish to express my deepest sympathies to the people of Israel and Jewish community in Canada after the tragedy at the Lag B’Omer festival, which resulted in countless injuries and over 40 deaths, including 2 Canadians.
"I extend my sincere condolences to the families who lost loved ones and wish those who were injured a quick recovery.
"Canadian citizens in Israel requiring emergency consular assistance should contact the Embassy of Canada to Israel in Tel Aviv at 972 3 636 3300. Canadians in Israel requiring emergency consular assistance may also contact Global Affairs Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre by calling 1 613 996 8885 (call collect where available) or by sending an email to sos@international.gc.ca."

US President Biden speaks to Israel’s PM after deadly stampede
Al Arabiya English/30 April ,2021
US President Joe Biden said he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday to offer condolences after nearly 50 people died in a stampede at a religious ceremony earlier in the day. A stampede at Mount Meron during an overnight celebration of Lag B’Omer led to hundreds of injuries and at least 45 deaths. “The United States stands with the people of Israel, and with Jewish communities the world over, in mourning the terrible tragedy at Mount Meron,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House. Biden said he had ordered US officials to offer assistance to the government and people of Israel, while also look to confirm reports of American citizens being killed or injured in the stampede. “The people of the United States and Israel are bound together by our families, our faiths, and our histories, and we will stand with our friends,” Biden said. Videos shared on social media showed thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews jumping, singing and dancing near the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.Jews consider the tomb one of the holiest religious sites in the world.
 

World powers want an Iran nuclear deal by mid-May to avoid monitoring tussle
Bloomberg/30 April ,2021
World powers are working to restore their nuclear agreement with Iran by the middle of May, before a key monitoring deal expires, with talks now in their third week bogged down over which sanctions the U.S. intends to lift.
Two European officials involved in mediating the process confirmed the target date, asking not be identified because of the sensitivity of the negotiations in Vienna. Though the U.S. and Iran have made headway, there’s still a long way to go before an understanding is reached, they said. The negotiations are at “an unclear place, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Friday. While the Iranians have been “serious about the talks, Sullivan said, “whether it will result in a positive outcome or not remains to be determined. The talks aim to choreograph a U.S. return to the landmark 2015 accord abandoned by then-President Donald Trump and the rollback of Iran’s nuclear program to limits set by that pact. That’s a complex task. Trump imposed penalties on the Iranian economy, including its critical oil sales, but also on government and military officials in what was seen as an attempt to make it harder for a future administration to dismantle the sanctions regime. Negotiations have become more urgent as the clock ticks toward May 22, a deadline agreed by Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency that’s central to efforts to ensure Iran isn’t hiding uranium enrichment work. The sides made a deal in February that permits IAEA cameras installed at key facilities to record activities. Inspectors will only gain access to the material if an accord is reached in the Austrian capital. Otherwise, Iran says it will erase the material. European nations are advocating for a return to the original agreement, without attempting to expand the dialog to include regional security issues. One of the officials said the aim was to wrap up a deal at least several days before May 22. That’s ambitious, according to a person close to U.S. State Department officials, who said an agreement by mid-June is more likely. Thorny issues include sanctions the U.S. wants to keep, addressing knowledge Iran has gained through its recent enrichment activities, and how to verify compliance, the person said. In an April 21 briefing, a State Department official said the U.S. aimed to move as fast as it could but not at the expense of striking an inferior deal. The key issue remained how both countries would return to full compliance with the 2015 accord, the official said. “It is still uncertain whether this will culminate in a deal in Vienna in the coming weeks, the National Security Council’s Sullivan said. In an interview with Bloomberg TV on Thursday, the head of the IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said he’s worried Iran will destroy the camera data if an agreement isn’t reached in time, adding “let’s hope it hasn’t happened. If the sides miss the monitoring deadline and talks “head nowhere, Grossi said he’d return to Tehran to try to broker another compromise. U.S. officials are touring allies in the Middle East this week, in part to ease their concerns over the talks with Iran, a longtime foe for many of the Gulf Arab states as well as Israel. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has also been visiting Arab countries, including Qatar, Iraq, Oman and Kuwait, amid efforts to improve relations with neighbors which deteriorated as Trump ratcheted up pressure and Tehran stepped up its nuclear program.

US-Iran nuclear deal talks are in an ‘unclear place,’ NSA Jake Sullivan says
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/30 April ,2021
Talks between the United States and Iran on a nuclear deal are in a “sort of unclear place,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Friday. US and Iranian diplomats are engaged in their third round of indirect talks in Vienna, with European officials and diplomats from Russia and China mediating between them. While conflicting reports have emerged over the progress being made, Sullivan said it was still uncertain if there would be any tangible results. President Joe Biden has prioritized rejoining the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal, which was signed under Barack Obama. Former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, citing its flawed and weak terms on Iran. “We’ve seen the willingness of all sides, including the Iranians, to talk seriously about sanctions relief and nuclear restrictions, and a pathway back into the JCPOA, but it is still uncertain as to whether this will culminate in a deal in Vienna in the coming weeks,” Sullivan said during a webinar with the Aspen Institute

Iran welcomes Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince statements, says mark ‘change of tone’
Tuqa Khalid, Al Arabiya English/30 April ,2021
Iran welcomes Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s recent statements, describing them as marking a “change of tone,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Thursday. “With constructive views and dialogue-based approach, Iran and Saudi Arabia, as two important countries in the region and the Islamic world, can enter a new chapter of interaction and cooperation to achieve peace, stability and regional development by overcoming differences,” Khatibzadeh said. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince had said in an interview on Tuesday: “At the end of the day, Iran is a neighboring country. All we ask for is to have a good and distinguished relationship with Iran.”He added: “We do not want the situation with Iran to be difficult. On the contrary, we want it to prosper and grow as we have Saudi interests in Iran, and they have Iranian interests in Saudi Arabia, which is to drive prosperity and growth in the region and the entire world.” The Crown Prince criticized Iran’s “negative behaviors”, listing its nuclear program, support for militias in regional countries and ballistic missile program. “We are working now with our partners in the region and the world to find solutions for these problems. We really hope we would overcome them and build a good and positive relationship with Iran that would benefit all parties,” he said. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday after he ended a regional tour to Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Iraq that Tehran was headed towards building strong bilateral ties in the region. Saudi Arabia and Iran had cut diplomatic ties in 2016.

Germany rejects Russian entry bans against eight EU citizens
Reuters/30 April ,2021
Germany said on Friday it rejected Russia’s decision to bar eight officials from European Union countries from entering the country in retaliation for sanctions imposed on Russian citizens by the EU. “Unlike the measures imposed by the EU in March against Russian officials for serious human rights violations, the measures taken by the Russian Federation are unfounded in substance,” a German Foreign Ministry spokesman said. “They contribute to further straining relations with Russia in an unnecessary way,” the spokesman added in a stateme

Pentagon to cancel Trump border wall projects using military funds
Reuters/01 May ,2021
The Pentagon on Friday said it was cancelling the construction of parts of former President Donald Trump's border wall with Mexico that were being built using military funds, with all the unobligated money being returned to military.
Trump declared a national emergency in 2019 in an effort to redirect funding to build a wall along the U.S. southern border. President Joe Biden issued a proclamation on Jan. 20, his first day in office, ordering a freeze on border wall projects and directing a review of the legality of its funding and contracting methods. "The Department of Defense is proceeding with canceling all border barrier construction projects paid for with funds originally intended for other military missions and functions such as schools for military children, overseas military construction projects in partner nations, and the National Guard and Reserve equipment account," Pentagon spokesman Jamal Brown said in a statement. Brown said the returned funds would be used for deferred military construction projects. It was not immediately clear how much would be returned to the military, but it was likely to be several billion dollars. Trump's diversion of funds from the Pentagon had been heavily criticized by lawmakers, who said it put national security at risk and circumvented congress. In 2019 alone, the military said more than 120 U.S. military construction projects would be adversely affected by Trump's move.nt.

UN fails to agree on joint Myanmar statement, diplomats blame China, Russia
AFP/30 April ,2021
The UN Security Council failed to agree Friday on a joint statement on the crisis in Myanmar after a closed-door meeting, with diplomats blaming Beijing -- the junta's main backer -- and Russia for raising objections and putting forward their own competing text. The session was convened by Vietnam to present the conclusions of a recent Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Indonesia. ASEAN is to appoint an envoy to help resolve the crisis sparked by the February 1 coup by the Myanmar military. During the meeting, the UN Special Envoy to Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, who is currently touring the region, gave a report on her long meeting with Myanmar junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing, held on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting. Diplomats said the envoy, who is currently based in Bangkok, once again had her request for a visit to Myanmar denied. During the meeting, Brunei, which currently holds the presidency of ASEAN, floated the idea of a joint visit to Myanmar by the UN envoy and her future ASEAN counterpart. A draft Security Council declaration, drawn up by Britain, failed to win full endorsement as it stood. A copy obtained by AFP showed that it planned to give "full support for the central role of ASEAN" and to encourage a visit to Myanmar by Schraner Burgener "as soon as possible." It said that members of the Security Council "once again strongly condemned violence against peaceful protestors" and "reiterated their call on the military to exercise utmost restraint."But diplomats said China and Russia objected to the British draft and proposed their own short competing text, which proved unacceptable to the majority of the Security Council. Discussions were still underway for a merger of the two draft statements on Friday, diplomats said. Nearly 760 civilians have been killed by police and soldiers in the past three months, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). The junta puts the death toll at 258 dead by April 15, calling the demonstrators "rioters" who engaged in "acts of terrorism".

Eight Republican 2024 presidential candidates to speak in Texas, but not Trump
Reuters/01 May ,2021
A Republican Party event in Texas next week will hear from eight potential candidates for the party's presidential nomination in 2024, without former President Donald Trump, a source involved in the planning said on Friday. The May 7 event at a hotel in Austin is being co-hosted by U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, to thank donors who helped fund a voter registration drive and get-out-the-vote efforts in the state. High-profile Republican politicians who are considering whether to seek the party's nomination in 2024 are expected to speak to the crowd of about 200 donors. They include former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and U.S. senators Marco Rubio, Tim Scott and Rick Scott, the source said. The event comes as Republicans wrestle with whether to try to move past Trump in the next election cycle or fall in line behind him. Trump told Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo on Thursday that he was "100%" considering another run after losing in 2020 to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump was not invited to Texas, the source said. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was invited but was unable to attend, the source said. Members of the Texas congressional delegation will interview each speaker at the event, which is being organized with the help of long-time Republican operative Karl Rove. For example, U.S. Representative Michael McCaul, a top Republican on the House of Representatives foreign relations committee, will interview Pompeo, and Cornyn will interview Pence. Many Republican insiders doubt Trump will follow through on his musings about running for president in 2024, leaving a void that other party leaders will seek to fill. Pence emerged from seclusion for the first time since he and Trump left office on Jan. 20 and gave a speech in Columbia, South Carolina, on Thursday, to the Palmetto Family Council, a Christian conservative group.He gave no indication that he was planning to run in 2024.

Palestinian leader delays first elections in 15 years, Hamas rejects delay as 'coup'
The Associated Press/30 April ,2021
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said early Friday that the main factions have agreed to delay the first elections planned in 15 years, citing a dispute with Israel over voting in east Jerusalem. The decision spares Abbas’ fractured Fatah party from what was widely expected to be another embarrassing defeat to the Islamist militant group Hamas, which slammed the move as a “coup.” It will be quietly welcomed by Israel and Western countries, which view Hamas as a terrorist group and are concerned about its growing strength. But it leaves a political leadership in place that has failed to advance Palestinian hopes for statehood and is seen as increasingly corrupt and authoritarian. Speaking at the start of the meeting, Abbas focused his remarks on east Jerusalem, where Israel has yet to say whether it would allow voting by mail as in past elections and has enforced a ban on Palestinian Authority activities, including campaign events. “We will take the proper decision to preserve all our rights in east Jerusalem, our eternal capital, including the right to hold parliamentary elections there,” Abbas said in a lengthy speech before the closed-door part of the gathering. He announced the decision shortly after midnight Thursday.
Postponing the vote over Jerusalem could be seen as a pretext, as only a small number of voters in the city would actually require Israel's permission and several candidates have suggested workarounds. Abbas said the Palestinian Authority has repeatedly sought assurances from Israel and called on the European Union to exert pressure, to no avail. He said it received a letter from Israel on Thursday saying it could not take a position on the elections because it does not yet have a government of its own following last month's elections.
The Islamist militant group Hamas, which stands to gain influence in the elections, condemned the decision, saying it “doesn’t agree with the national consensus and popular support and is a coup.”Prior to the announcement, Hamas had issued a statement saying the Palestinians should explore ways of “forcing the elections in Jerusalem without the permission of or coordination with the occupation.”The group also issued a veiled warning to Abbas without mentioning him by name, saying Hamas “will not be party to any postponement or cancellation and will not provide cover.”The responsibility for any such decision “will rest with those who take it in response to the veto of the occupation,” it said. Hamas was expected to perform well in the May 22 parliamentary elections because of widening divisions within Fatah, which has split into three rival lists.
Israel has not said whether it will allow voting in east Jerusalem but has expressed concern about Hamas' growing strength. Israel and Western countries view Hamas as a terrorist group and would likely boycott any Palestinian government that includes it. The day after President Joe Biden exhorted Americans to “prove that democracy still works" in an address to Congress, his State Department distanced itself from the Palestinian vote. “The exercise of democratic elections is a matter for the Palestinian people and for the Palestinian leadership to determine," spokesman Ned Price told reporters in Washington. “We believe in an inclusive political process."Israel captured east Jerusalem, along with the West Bank and Gaza, in the 1967 war, territories the Palestinians want for their future state. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and views the entire city as its capital, barring the Palestinian Authority from operating there. The Palestinians consider east Jerusalem their capital. According to interim peace agreements reached in the 1990s — which were rejected by Hamas — some 6,000 Palestinians in east Jerusalem submit their ballots through Israeli post offices. The other 150,000 can vote with or without Israel's permission. Fatah has said the elections cannot be held without Israel giving express permission for east Jerusalem residents to vote. Its opponents have called for creative solutions, such as setting up ballot boxes in schools or religious sites.
But Abbas appeared to rule that out on Thursday, joking that the Palestinians would not vote in “the Hungarian Embassy.”The dispute has taken on greater import since the start of the holy month of Ramadan, as Muslim protesters have clashed with Israeli police over restrictions on gatherings.
The elections, and a presidential vote planned for July 31, offered a rare opportunity for the Palestinians to empower a new leadership and potentially chart a different course in their stalled, decades-long struggle for independence. The 85-year-old Abbas and his inner circle of Fatah figures, now in their 60s and 70s, have dominated the Palestinian Authority for nearly two decades. They have failed to advance Palestinian hopes for statehood, heal a 13-year internal rift with Hamas, lift the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza or empower a new generation of leaders. The last elections, held in 2006, saw Hamas win a landslide victory after campaigning as a scrappy underdog untainted by corruption. That sparked an internal crisis culminating in Hamas' seizure of Gaza the following year, which confined Abbas' authority to parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas' popularity has fallen in the years since, as conditions in Gaza have steadily deteriorated. But it has remained unified and disciplined even as Fatah has split into three rival parliamentary lists. Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist and has fought three wars with it since seizing control of Gaza. It has also carried out scores of attacks over the past three decades that have killed hundreds of Israeli civilians.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 30-May 01/2021

Why Abbas Does Not Want Elections
Bassam Tawil/ Gatestone Institute/April 30/2021
The violence erupted for one single reason: hatred for Israel and Jews. It erupted because many Muslims do not want to see Jews in Jerusalem or any part of Israel.
Attacks on Israeli security forces and Jews in Jerusalem have been taking place for decades -- with or without a "reason".
The call to murder Jews ("Oh Jews, remember Khaybar; the army of [prophet] Mohammed is returning") is a reminder that today, for many, this war from the seventh century is not over.
Israel never said it would prevent PA elections from taking place in Jerusalem.... Israel said nothing.
The overwhelming majority of Jerusalem Arabs have not shown the slightest interest in, or enthusiasm for, the upcoming Palestinian elections.... It seems, in fact, that the United Nations and European Union officials were more interested in Abbas's planned elections than most of the Arab residents of Jerusalem.... Abbas evidently announced the elections only to appease his Western donors.
In the past he used to accuse his Hamas rivals; now he is casting around, trying to blame Israel for "obstructing" the elections.
Abbas's attempt to hold the Israeli government responsible for not holding Palestinian elections is simply the result of his and the PA leadership's ongoing, vicious incitement to violence against Israel and the demonization of Jews.
It is this type of deliberate and constant race-baiting that is driving young Arabs in Jerusalem to take to the streets to attack policemen and Jewish civilians, and to whip up Jew-hate among the Palestinians.
The recent violence in Jerusalem erupted for one single reason: hatred for Israel and Jews. The call to murder Jews ("Oh Jews, remember Khaybar; the army of [prophet] Mohammed is returning") is a reminder that today, for many, this war from the seventh century is not over.
Those who claim that the recent violence in Jerusalem erupted because the Israel Police did not allow Arab Muslims to hold nightly celebrations during the fasting month of Ramadan have no idea what they are talking about.
Those who say that the violence erupted because Israel did not allow the Arab residents of Jerusalem (who hold Israeli-issued ID cards in their capacity as residents, and are not citizens of Israel) to participate in the Palestinian Authority elections also have no idea what they are talking about. What they all seem to have no idea about is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The violence erupted for one single reason: hatred for Israel and Jews. It erupted because many Muslims do not want to see Jews in Jerusalem or any part of Israel. Attacks on Israeli security forces and Jews in Jerusalem have been taking place for decades -- with or without a "reason".
When a young Jewish man riding the light train in Jerusalem is slapped on the face for no reason, or when a Jewish man walking his dog is severely beaten by a Muslim mob, it is only because of his outward appearance and religion. Welcome to modern-day Palestinian Jew-hate.
All one has to do is listen to what the Palestinians themselves are saying to understand that they see the violence in the context of their decades-old "battle to liberate Jerusalem and Palestine from the Zionist enemy."
The Jerusalem Arabs who took to the streets to attack Israeli police officers and Jewish civilians are saying that violence is very much part of the Arab-Palestinian-Muslim fight against Israel.
The Arabs did not say that they are throwing rocks and petrol bombs at policemen because of Israeli security restrictions during Ramadan, or that they are beating, stabbing, slapping and lynching Jewish civilians on the streets of Jerusalem because Israel was not allowing the Arabs to participate in the PA elections.
The message coming from the Arab rioters was clear: Muslims refuse to accept any Jewish control over Israel, over the Old City of Jerusalem or even Jewish holy sites, including the Western Wall. The wall -- a retaining wall, and all that remains of the Jewish Second Temple, destroyed by Roman legions under the Emperor Titus in 70 CE -- is, for the Jewish people, their holiest, most religious site.
If the violence was about Israeli security restrictions and Palestinian elections, why were the Arab demonstrators at the Damascus Gate (the main pedestrian entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem) chanting long-time battle cries such as "Khaybar, Khaybar ya yahood, jaish Mohammed saya'ud!" ("Oh Jews, remember Khaybar; the army of [prophet] Mohammed is returning!")?
The chant refers to the battle of Khaybar in 628, when, after the death of Mohammad, the Jews, who had been banished to the oasis of Khaybar, about 160 kilometers north of Medina, were massacred or expelled.
The call to murder Jews is a reminder that today, for many, this war from the seventh century is not over.
If the "protests" were about the right to celebrate Ramadan, why did the Jerusalem Arabs continue to attack police officers and Jewish civilians -- and Hamas continued to fire rockets at Israel from Gaza -- after the restrictions were lifted?
The violence actually began long before the Israel Police placed barricades at the Old City's Damascus Gate to prevent Arab youths from gathering and harassing Jews who live in the area or were on their way to pray at the Western Wall. The barricades were placed there solely for security reasons, not to stop Muslims from celebrating Ramadan.
The violence also has nothing to do with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's announcement, in January 2021, that he intended to hold elections for the Palestinian Authority parliament and presidency. The violence also has nothing to do with the controversy surrounding the inclusion of Jerusalem Arabs in these elections.
First, Israel never said it would prevent PA elections from taking place in Jerusalem, even if it did not enthusiastically endorse the idea. Israel foresaw, as with the last PA elections in 2006, that winner would most likely be Hamas, a terrorist group dedicated to Israel's country destruction. Israel said nothing.
Second, the vast majority of Jerusalem Arabs did not even participate in previous PA parliamentary and presidential elections (in 1996, 2005 and 2006), although again Israel did not object to their participation. The Arabs stayed away from the PA elections because they did not want to be part of the Palestinian political system.
By boycotting the elections, the Arabs were signaling that they had no faith in the PA and its leaders, and that they were happier living under Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem than under the control of former PLO leader Yasser Arafat and his successor, PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
The overwhelming majority of Jerusalem Arabs have not shown the slightest interest in, or eagerness for, the upcoming Palestinian elections. They did not take to the streets to demand that Israel allow them to vote or run as candidates in the PA elections. They did not even sign petitions calling on Israel to allow them to participate in the elections. They never declared a general strike in the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem to be able to participate in the PA elections.
It seems, in fact, that the United Nations and European Union officials were more interested in Abbas's planned elections than most of the Arab residents of Jerusalem.
Abbas, according to many Palestinians, was never serious about holding the elections in the first place. Abbas announced the elections only because he had come under pressure from a number of European Union member states and other international parties that fund his government.
If Abbas was really serious about holding the elections, he would have worked to find a solution to including the Arabs of Jerusalem in them. Abbas in reality rejected a number of ideas presented to him by international parties, including the possibility that the Jerusalem Arabs would vote online or through voting centers located in PA-controlled areas that are located a few minutes' drive away, not far from their homes, and not under Israeli sovereignty.
Abbas evidently announced the elections only to appease his Western donors, specifically the Europeans. Since 2006, Abbas had many opportunities to hold elections; he did not do so because this was never a priority for him. He always managed to find an excuse for not holding elections. In the past he used to accuse his Hamas rivals; now he is casting around, trying to blame Israel for "obstructing" the elections.
On April 29, Abbas finally called off the elections, proving that he was never serious about holding the vote. As expected, Abbas used the Jerusalem dispute as an excuse to delay the elections indefinitely.
Abbas does not want elections: he knows that Hamas has an extremely strong chance of winning.
Moreover, his own Fatah faction is highly fragmented and was running in the parliamentary elections under three rival lists.
To be clear: Abbas's attempt to hold the Israeli government responsible for not holding Palestinian elections is simply the result of his and the PA leadership's ongoing, vicious incitement to violence against Israel and the demonization of Jews. Day after day, Abbas feeds his people poisonous lies, such as that Jews are "storming" the al-Aqsa Mosque and working to turn Jerusalem into a Jewish city. It is this type of deliberate and constant race-baiting that is driving young Arabs in Jerusalem to take to the streets to attack policemen and Jewish civilians, and to whip up Jew-hate among the Palestinians.
*Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East.
© 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.

A Palestinian State: What Would Ben Gurion Have Said?
Amir Taheri/ِAsharq Al Awsat/April 30/2021
Another missed opportunity?
This is the question that, observing the long overdue forthcoming Palestinian elections comes to mind. When the decision to hold the elections was first declared some of us hoped that it would provide an opportunity for Palestinians to attempt three changes in their political trajectory: to organize a change of generations at the top levels of political decision-making, to forge a minimum of understanding among long rival political groups on the basic rules of the game, and, more importantly, to transform their various versions of “the cause” into a state-building project rooted in reality.
Judging by the course that the lackluster election campaign has taken and the continued domination of today’s scene by men of yesterday, none of those three hopes seem anywhere near realisation. In its current form, Palestinian politics remains atrophied in a lost cause that in zombie style bars the route to positive energies.
Less than a year ago, in what was to be his last trip abroad, veteran “negotiator” Saeb Erekat told a small audience at the home of the Kuwaiti ambassador in London that Palestinians were getting ready to attempt a radical change of course in the hope of achieving a “just peace.”
In the debate that followed, we suggested that using any qualifier for peace could render it impossible to achieve. In a sense, all peace(s) are always unjust for one side and just for the other.
Erekat insisted that there could be no peace unless four conditions were met.
First, Israel should agree to return to the 1968 ceasefire lines. He ignored the fact that ceasefire lines exist in the context of a truce, not of peace and that, if achieving peace is the aim, there is no point in choosing them as a sine qua non in a negotiated deal.
In any case, why chose 1968 as a marker? Why not 1948 or 1048 or even 68 AD? Moreover, those ceasefire lines were drawn between Israel on one side and four Arab states on the other without involving Palestine beyond a vague symbolic notion. In any case those ceasefire lines, with Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon have undergone changes, some quote significant, since 1968 and trying to revive them would affect the larger architecture of stability in the region.
Erekat’s second “condition” concerned the “right of return” allowing Palestinians who wished to resettle in their ancestral land to do so. The “right of return” is recognized in international law and is routinely exercised by hundreds of peoples in several countries each year. However, this is an individual, not a collective, right and its exercise depends on the consent and laws of the states concerned. In other words neither Israel nor any other state could grant a collective right that would allow any and all seekers of “return” to do so when and how they wished. In other words, Palestinians should first recognize Israel as a legitimate state before they can work with it to allow seekers of return to achieve their goal with its consent.
The third “condition” concerned the status of Jerusalem as the capital of a putative Palestinian state. Here, too, the Palestinian position suited those for whom Palestine is a cause not a project for state building. A Persian proverb says: You don’t burn Caesarea for a handkerchief, meaning that a larger goal shouldn’t be sacrificed to a smaller consideration. Accommodating a “capital” for a putative Palestinian state in the greater Jerusalem areas has been regarded as a possibility since the 1990s.
As far as “capitals” are concerned, there are many atypical examples, not to say anomalies. The German Democratic Republic’s “capital” was supposed to be in Berlin, then divided between the Soviet Union on one side and US, Britain and France on the other. In reality, however, the Communist regime was located in Panko, a suburb of Berlin. Kinshasa and Brazzaville are, in fact, urban twins on two banks of the same river but capitals of two different states. The entire state of Vatican is located in Rome, the capital of another state, Italy.
It is, of course, possible to refute that argument by referring to Jerusalem’s “special place” in religious, not to say mythological, terms. Such a concern is understandable if one remains frozen with Palestine as a cause, not as a state-building project. Interestingly, some Zionist pioneers faced a similar state-or-cause dilemma. Many opposed David Ben Gurion's decision to accept the partition of what was left of the British mandate which left the Jews with a Swiss-cheese rump of territory that, worse still, did not include West Jerusalem not to mention many other locations where Jewish “holy places” are located. If the creation of Israel as a state was the supreme goal, all other considerations would have to be regarded as secondary.
Erekat’s fourth condition was “territorial contiguity” between the West Bank and Gaza. Provided that building a state is the aim, that too, is a minor problem that could be solved with an underground or over-ground passage through Israeli territory. After all, many states lack territorial contiguity, among them the US, Britain, France and Denmark. In 1947 the fact that East and East Pakistan were 1,000 miles apart, separated by a hostile Indian state, did not prevent India’s Muslims from accepting the deal offered to them by British imperialists.
When the British mandate ended in 1947 there was no Palestinian nation, in the universally accepted sense of the term at least in the Westphalian treaties, to claim a state of its own. In fact, all mandate and subsequent United Nations documents refer to “inhabitants” of mandate Palestine presented as Arabs, Jews, Druzes, Armenians, Bahais, Turks and numerous Christian denominations including Assyrians and Chaldeans. Today, however, a Palestinian nation is a reality shaped by eight decades of shared experience.
This newly shaped nation has its own culture, literature, music and world outlook which, though rooted in the deeper historic indemnities merging together, is distinct from its Arab and Israeli neighbors. The mass of Palestinians seem ready to make the transition from a cause into a state. However, their political establishment figures both in Fatah and Hamas remain prisoners of a strategy that belongs to the museum of lost causes.
Just or unjust reality today lacks the means for realizing the ideal that merchants of Palestine-as-a-cause offer.
Younger Palestinians, however, might wonder: What Ben Gurion would have said: accept a hard deal and get a state or cling to a cause and remain stateless?
This election is unlikely to answer that question.

Can There Be Peace in the Middle East?
Hussein Shobokshi/ِAsharq Al Awsat/April 30/2021
The Middle East has been known traditionally for being a region of various conflicts, disputes and wars. For this reason, its people don't think it unlikely to see worrying developments between regional rivals unfolding over time. However, very cautious optimism has begun to spread throughout the region. This sentiment stems from several factors and developments. Perhaps the first and most important of them is the AlUla Summit in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in which reconciliation was realized, as a positive shift was witnessed in the relationship between Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Arab Republic of Egypt with the State of Qatar, after a schism that had gone on for years, with diplomatic relations gradually being resumed. The summit was a pleasant surprise to observers and those who follow politics, as well as the peoples of the region, because introductions or leaks did not precede the great reconciliation.
Very shortly after that, the Turkish government's tone with the Arab Republic of Egypt began to change, and the former began sending various positive messages through Turkish officials' statements. That was followed by crucial steps, like the release of an official Turkish statement announcing the shutdown of media programs that attack Egypt, which had been broadcast from Turkish soil, and recognizing that the revolution of January 30 expressed the Egyptian people's desire for change and that Turkey hadn't understood this sufficiently at the time. Ankara then went on to express its absolute willingness to engage "fully" in security, political and diplomatic collaboration with Cairo.
Ankara continued to cozy up to Egypt in an astounding and perplexing manner, especially when compared to its preceding statements and stances on Egypt. One cannot describe the new Turkish position as anything but a total, 180-degree shift from that which had it previously adopted.
Turkey's sugar-quoted words and friendliness were not directed at Egypt alone, as other surprising statements were issued by Turkish officials to the effect that the country wants to improve ties with the Gulf states and that it is serious about this matter. Turkey continued to make warm and soft statements on Saudi Arabia in particular, with Turkey saying that it respects the Saudi judiciary, all of its verdicts and the verdict issue by Saudi courts regarding the Jamal Khashoggi case, subsequently adding that it seeks good commercial and political ties with Saudi Arabia.
Turkey's latest statements have been considered to have introduced a new era of major transformations in its stances, which shocked many profoundly. The cautious optimism in the region was strengthened on Wednesday, as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave an extremely significant televised interview in which he said he seeks a good and distinguished relationship with neighboring Iran and that he wishes it well. This statement follows the Saudi initiative to end the state of war in Yemen. This is an excellent opportunity to turn a positive and different page on the ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, thereby increasing the degree of cautious optimism in the region. With peace between some Arab countries and Israel possible, as we have already seen, we can only imagine the possible positive implications that would ensue if the attempts at the restoration of ties between Saudi Arabia and the Arab countries with Turkey and Iran are successful- assuming that the states' sovereignty is fully respected.
These can never stay the same... This is what politics has taught over time. There is an opportunity to re-evaluate the general situation in the region, look forward to a better tomorrow and build on shared interests, especially on the economic front, which could bring on benefits to all sides. Is the optimism overblown given the complexity of the reality on the ground? Answering this question now seems extremely difficult, as we are awaiting concrete steps that are no less significant and go beyond the positive statements made thus far.
Until this happens, the difficult question remains there, awaiting a conclusive answer: Could peace be achieved in the Middle East? We await the days that answer this question practically and clearly.