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

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http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews21/english.may30.21.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures for ever.
First Letter of Peter 01/22-25:”Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. For ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures for ever.’ That word is the good news that was announced to you.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 29- 30/2021
Your Lebanon Is Holy, Defend Its Sovereignty & Independence/Elias Bejjani/ٍMay 29/2021
The Inevitable Death should not be absent from our calculations and actions/Elias Bejjani/May 28/ 2021
Health Ministry: 244 new Corona cases, 7 deaths
Lebanon ramps up COVID-19 fight with ‘joyful’ vaccination marathon
Reports: Hariri to Meet Berri after His Return Sunday to Beirut
Health Ministry commends 'Corona Marathon' turnout, encourages more citizens to head to vaccination centers
President Aoun congratulates Assad for re-election
Judge Bitar follows up on Beirut port blast wil French investigators
Bassil congratulates Assad on election victory: I am confident that you will take the initiative to return the displaced to their homeland
Arslan contacts Ambassadors of Syria, Saudi Arabia
LF Attorneys at the disposal of those wishing to file a lawsuit to preserve their bank deposits
FPM: To unify stance on displaced Syrians' dossier, initiate cooperation with Syria to secure their return
No delay or postponement of election date," reassures El-Khalil
Army commander at Elysee, much more than just aids./Jean Feghali/SBI/May 29/2021
The two governmental formations Aoun presented to Raii.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 29- 30/2021
Iran Hails Assad Poll Win as 'Big Step' for Peace
Hamas parades drones and missiles, showing 'achievements'
Iran praises Hamas for missile barrages, commemorates key missile maker
Hamas holds military parade in Gaza showing off arsenal
Egypt, Jordan press Hamas to show consistency and refrain from disruptive stances
Misinformation thrives in Iraq’s virtual battlegrounds
UN urges Yemen factions to ‘make breakthrough’ toward peace
Canada/Statement to mark International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
Cairo wants ceasefire deal to include prisoner swap'
U.S. Targets Belarus with Sanctions amid Western Outcry over Plane
Neighborhood in South China under Lockdown after Fresh Virus Outbreak

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 29- 30/2021
Turkey's Collateral Damage: Its Jews/Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/May 29/2021
Israel's operation against Hamas was the world's first AI war/Anna Ahronhreim/Jerusalem Post/May 29/2021
Tehran’s militia thugs outgun the Iraqi state … again/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/May 29/2021
How regional powers can fill the US credibility gap/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/May 29/202
We need more than a new JCPOA to rein in Iran/Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News/May 29, 2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 29- 30/2021
Your Lebanon Is Holy, Defend Its Sovereignty & Independence
Elias Bejjani/ٍMay 29/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/77734/elias-bejjani/
History teaches us that almost none of the world’s greatest nations have ever been defeated by their rivals. All of them were first weakened and destroyed from within, before their enemies were able to bring them to their knees. Even medicine teaches us that when the body loses immunity it becomes vulnerable to disease. Perhaps the best examples of this can be seen in the fall of the Ottoman and Roman empires.
These historical and medical realities are a good example of what personifies the pathetic derailed stances of some of our people in both occupied Lebanon and in Diaspora. These people are destroying the Lebanese communities from within, through their shameless collaboration and subservience to the Iranian occupation.
“Everyone who sins is a slave of sin” (John 8-34), and every Lebanese who betrays his people to advocate for the Iranian occupation in any way and by any means is also a sinner too.
These mercenaries and Pharisees, are void of any kind of dignity or national honor. Unfortunately they come from all walks of life and from all religious backgrounds and regions.
They have sold themselves to the devil in a bid to increase their riches and solidify their power. They steal, cheat, embezzle, betray, and change their skin for personal interests, all at the expense of the Lebanese people and Lebanon.
They ignore Lebanon’s deeply rooted history, distinguishable identity, and they have no respect for the sacrifices of the many thousands of Lebanese patriots who offered themselves on the nation’s altar to enable us to be proud, prosperous and independent.
These antagonists are thirsty for power and blood; They sold their souls and honor for thirty pieces of silver. They have no respect for Lebanon’s 7000 years of civilization, culture and its glorious history. They are masters in defeatism, ignorance, cowardice and faithlessness.
Their wicked camouflage, sweet words and lies are well known to all those who are witnesses to the truth. They have missed the fact that Lebanon’s people have never, ever knelt and hung their heads before any tyrant, invader, occupier or conqueror.
All foreign invaders with their armies were forced to leave Lebanon in defeat, humiliation and a fractured dignity.
The only memory of these invaders are the primitive carvings on the “Nahr Al-Kaleb” rocks, near the city of Beirut. These carvings should foretell to the Iranian occupiers their fate in Lebanon and that they definitely are not going to be any better than those who like them deluded themselves and falsely believed that they can destroy Lebanon and subdue its people.
They have all left while Lebanon and its people still stand as proud and patriotic as they were 7000 years ago!
We remind the Pharisees and Trojans, who apparently suffer of an advanced selective amnesia that the people of Sidon in the year 350 BC, chose to burn themselves and their city after their prolonged heroic resistance failed to safeguard their city against the Persian invader Artechtahta. They preferred to die with dignity rather than live with humiliation.
The people of Tyre followed this same pattern in 332 BC. They resisted Alexander the Great’s mighty army for seven months refusing to surrender or kneel. Alexander, after capturing the city crucified many of the brave Tyrians, while enslaving others in a bid to revenge his huge loss and demeaning humiliation.
In the same context,The Maronite Patriarch Gabriel Hgola choose to be burned (1367 AD) in Tripoli northen Lebanese City in front of the Omari mosque in a bid to save his people from the Mamlouk’s humiliation and torture.
The same sacrifice was taken by the Maronite Patriarch Daniel Al-Amshiti in the same place in year 1282 for almost the same reasons and for the same cause.
In principle, a man is considered defeated when winning the whole universe, if he lacks the courage needed to witness the truth and defend God’s word. By the same token, the brave man who honors human values and dignity, remains victorious even when imprisoned and chained in shackles.
We remind those who are afraid to takes clear stances in life, change their skin to suit their opportunistic interests, and lack the courage to witness the truth, that by doing so, they are committing the worst mortal crime. Imam Ali says in this regard: “He who accepts acts of others is considered their partner. He who is involved in evil acts commits two sins, that of performing the act and that of its acceptance.”
We call on our derailed leaders and politicians in occupied Lebanon to strengthen your faith, repent for their cowardice behavior and be witness for the truth.
We call on them not to fall into the trap of individual interests, and not to be deceived by the golden garments and illustrious schemes of those who have been assigned to divide our nation and communities, and spread hatred and conflicts among its members.
These derailed and weak shepherds, “God has blinded their eyes and closed their minds, so that their eyes would not see, and their minds would not understand, and they would not turn to me, says God, for me to help them”. (John 12-39).
It is a proven fact that the coward is a blind man in both sight and discretion, whose conscience has turned numb.
Shame on every Lebanese who keeps a blind eye towards his people who imprisoned arbitrarily in the Syrian jails and shame on every Lebanese who does not support human rights and does not advocate for Lebanon’s liberation.
Shame on all these Lebanese who are scared to oppose the occupation of their country, so as not to be expelled from the heaven of opportunistic interests and privileges provided by the occupier, or in fear of his reprisal. They have chosen the track of sin rather than that of righteousness.
These Pharisees are destroying the country which is our holy temple. They should be dealt with in the same way Jesus did over 2000 years ago:
“It was almost time for the Passover festival, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. There in the temple he found men selling cattle, sheep and pigeons, and also the money changers sitting at their tables. So He made a whip from the cords and drove all the animals out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle; he overturned the tables of the money changers and scattered their coins; and he ordered the men who sold the pigeons: Take them out of here, stop making my Fathers House a marketplace”. John 03-13
We call on all those who have accepted slavery, are afraid to be witnesses for the truth, feel defeated inside themselves, have deviated from the righteous track, camouflaging, cheating and betraying Lebanon; We call on all of them to wake up and start thoroughly reviewing their dangerous acts! Forgiveness is always there and Lebanon’s open loving arms will embrace them once they repent.
“If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples, you know the truth, and the truth will set you free”. (John 8-13)

The Inevitable Death should not be absent from our calculations and actions
Elias Bejjani/May 28/ 2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/99125/elias-bejjani-the-inevitable-death-should-not-be-absent-from-our-calculations-and-actions/
It is wise and prudent for every person on this earth not to lose sight of the inevitable death reality fate under any circumstance. At the same time each and every person must realize that all earthy riches will remain in this mortal universe
Accordingly no human being, no matter how great or high is his social status, or magnified his wealth will be able to carry any of the perishable mortal riches (money, possessions, authority) to the other immortal world.
All that a person can carry the to the God’s heavenly court (Last Day Of Judgment) is only and only his/her acts either being righteous or wicked.
With the last breath of air a person inhales, which is Godly gift of life the soul departs from the mortal human body that instantly becomes motionless corpse, cold and loses all sign of life.
And just as The Lord God has created the human body from ashes to ashes it returns …dust to dust.
The ultimate and inevitable fate of the earthly human body is an easy prey to the worms-maggots that are within it.
As for the soul, it is the one who will stand before its Creator, Al Mighty God on the Day of Final Judgment, to face the court of heaven and the rulings of its Judge, the Lord.
Either this soul’s position could to the right of the Lord and accordingly joyfully is invited to enter into the kingdom of God and into his heavenly dwellings, or will be on the left and therefore shall be thrown into the fire of Hell, where fire is not extinguished, and worms do not rest, and the torment is eternal.
Hence, wisdom dictates and requires that every human being be fully aware of the inevitable destiny, which is death, no matter how great the social status is or the riches are magnified.
In conclusion, It is crucial that a person does not forget or turn a blind eye to the fact that death is an inevitable fate no matter what.
Therefore human beings are supposed to live their earthly life with mere humility, love, forgiveness, faith, hope, righteousness fear of God, and in accordance as much as possible with the Bible’s holy teachings.

Health Ministry: 244 new Corona cases, 7 deaths
NNA/May 29/2021
The Ministry of Public Health announced, on Saturday, the registration of 244 new Corona infections, thus raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 540,132.It also indicated that 7 deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours.

Lebanon ramps up COVID-19 fight with ‘joyful’ vaccination marathon
Najia Houssari/Arab News/May 29, 2021
BEIRUT: Lebanese health authorities on Saturday launched a COVID-19 vaccination “marathon” to speed up the country’s inoculation drive, with a day-long campaign offering the AstraZeneca shot at 30 different locations. Long lines of people were seen in front of the vaccination centers and more than 7,800 were jabbed within seven hours. ​Petra Khoury, who is the prime minister’s adviser for health affairs and heads the National Executive Vaccine Committee, called the turnout “joyful.”Khoury said the committee would come up with new ideas in the coming weeks to reach people who did not know how to register on the vaccination platform and those who were generally fearful of the vaccine. Around two dozen centers were offering jabs to people aged between 30 and 65 provided they were not suffering from any health issues or conditions that prevented them from receiving a shot. The initiative also offered vaccinations to everyone who was registered on the vaccination platform but had yet to receive an appointment and those who were not registered on it, including those without identification papers. Lebanon began vaccinating its population, including more than 1.5 million Palestinian and Syrian refugees, on Jan. 28 with the elderly and healthcare workers getting priority. The country’s access to the AstraZeneca vaccine coincided with reports of deaths caused by strokes as a result of receiving this jab. Many of those registered on the platform declined to take the vaccine while others, including the media and university professors, agreed to take it. Nabil Rizkallah, a member of the National Executive Vaccine Committee, said that 64 percent of those who received the vaccine on Saturday were Lebanese and 36 percent were foreigners. Rizkallah said: “The reason for the slowdown in vaccination and waiting in front of the centers was caused by confusion between registered and unregistered people, which led to long waits. But we will deal with the matter in the next marathon.”The Ministry of Health allocated 15,000 vaccinations for the day, and medical staff waited until 6 p.m. for those wishing to be vaccinated.
Health Minister Hamad Hassan got his jab live on air​ ​at a center in Baalbek to nudge people toward the AstraZeneca shot. “Lebanese society is educated and does not accept rumors, and the Ministry of Health is the right reference for information,” he said, adding that 100,000 people had received the AstraZeneca jab. He offered reassurances about the safety and efficiency of this vaccine and said he got it to encourage others and because he was “convinced” that it provided the desired immunity. He also said the Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik V and Sinopharm vaccines were effective and safe and that the ministry adhered to World Health Organization standards in the introduction of any vaccine. Hassan confirmed that the marathon would be repeated every week and called on people of all nationalities to receive this vaccine. Akkar in the north witnessed the lowest turnout, while centers in Mount Lebanon witnessed the highest. Dr. Abdul Rahman Bizri, who is the head of the national vaccination campaign at the ministry, expected more than 1 million Pfizer doses to arrive during June. This arrival would raise the immunization rate during the summer to 30 percent so that Lebanon could gradually move to the stage of social immunity, he said. According to ministry statistics, the total number of those who received the Pfizer vaccine as of Saturday was 559,789, while the number of those who received the AstraZeneca vaccine was 106,659. The private sector has provided the Sputnik vaccine to more than 64,000 workers, including the self-employed, while 6,532 people have received the Sinopharm jab.

Reports: Hariri to Meet Berri after His Return Sunday to Beirut
Naharnet/May 29, 2021
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri will return to Beirut Sunday to “put touches and contribute to the efforts aimed at resolving the two obstacles related to the two ministers who will be named for the interior and justice portfolios,” al-Liwaa newspaper said on Saturday. “Speaker Nabih Berri’s efforts to overcome the hurdles have made progress,” the daily added. Quoting sources informed on the cabinet formation process, al-Liwaa said there have been continuous contacts over the past hours to “reconcile viewpoints and mend the rift between Baabda and the Center House.”The sources also revealed that a “lengthy meeting” had been held in recent days between Berri’s aide MP Ali Hassan Khalil and Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassi.The sources also expected that a meeting will be held Tuesday between Berri and Hariri in order to “evaluate the ideas and proposals.”

Health Ministry commends 'Corona Marathon' turnout, encourages more citizens to head to vaccination centers
NNA/May 29, 2021
The Ministry of Public Health praised, in a statement today, the positive turnout of citizens and residents in Lebanon with regards to receiving the "AstraZeneca" vaccine as part of the marathon campaign taking place today, with the number of those who have received the vaccine thus far nearing 9,000. The Ministry stated that "the centers approved for vaccination with AstraZeneca shall continue to provide this service until six this evening in various Lebanese regions," and called on "those who have not yet received the vaccine and are over the age of thirty years not to hesitate by heading to the vaccination centers with their official identification documents," reminding that "the increase in the number of vaccinated persons will contribute to accelerating the return to normal life."

President Aoun congratulates Assad for re-election
NNA/May 29, 2021 
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun sent a congratulation cable to Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad, for his re-election as President of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Telegram Text:
“Dear President, Dr. Bashar Al-Assad,
Respected President of the Syrian Arab Republic,
I sincerely congratulate you on your re-election as the President of the brotherly Syrian Arab Republic. I hope that efforts will continue in the next stage to stabilize your country and restore cohesion among all its parties, so that the brotherly Syrian people will enjoy security and prosperity, and the process of the return of the displaced to their homeland will be consolidated in order to participate in the march of its advancement. I take this opportunity to assert the depth of the historical ties between our two countries, looking forward to developing our bilateral relations in all that serve the supreme interests of our peoples”. --- Presidency Press Office

Judge Bitar follows up on Beirut port blast wil French investigators
NNA/May 29, 2021 
Lead investigator in the Beirut port blast, Judge Tareq Bitar, had recently met with a French juridical delegation to follow up on the explosion case, our correspondent reported Friday. Bitar and the French delegation had also inspected the blast scene inside the facility. The foreign delegation comprises a prosecutor and two investigative judges. They are set to submit their final report later on.

Bassil congratulates Assad on election victory: I am confident that you will take the initiative to return the displaced to their homeland
NNA/May 29, 2021 
Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader, MP Gebran Bassil, congratulated in a telegram on Saturday, Syrian President Bashar Assad on his re-election victory in the May 26 presidential race. "Mr. President, I extend my sincere congratulations to you and the Syrian people on your re-election, which reflects the confidence and hope of your people in your ability to lead the process of reconstruction and stability and return Syria to its place and position in the Arab world in general, and the eastern Mediterranean in particular," Bassil said in the telegram. "The sacrifices made by the Syrian people will be a guarantee to prevent any suspicious project aimed at striking the social fabric of Syria by dispersing part of its people around the world," the MP added. In this regard, Bassil expressed his hope that Assad would take the initiative to facilitate the return of displaced Syrians to their lands, especially those who fled to Lebanon.
"May God grant success to your steps, and fulfill all the hopes of the Syrian people for security, stability and prosperity," Bassil concluded.

Arslan contacts Ambassadors of Syria, Saudi Arabia
NNA/May 29, 2021 
Democratic Party Leader, MP Talal Arslan, contacted this Saturday Ambassadors of Syria, Abdul Karim Ali, and Saudi Arabia, Walid Bukhari. Talks reportedly focused on the latest political developments at the regional and domestic levels. Arslan congratulated the Syrian ambassador on President Bashar al-Assad's victory in a fourth presidential term, deeming that Syria is resistant to all conspiracies, and that the unity of its people and its leadership determines its fate. MP Arslan stressed, during another contact with Al-Bukhari, the importance of adhering to the bonds of good and generous relations with the Saudi Kingdom.

LF Attorneys at the disposal of those wishing to file a lawsuit to preserve their bank deposits
NNA/May 29, 2021 
Lebanese Forces Party’s media department called in a statement today, on citizens to resort to legal and practical steps to preserve their money deposits through legal seizure of compulsory reserves at the Central Bank of Lebanon, pursuant to Party Chief Samir Geagea’s call in this framework, since political warnings alone will not deter this ruling authority from stealing people's savings to safeguard its power that has brought Lebanon to perdition. Accordingly, the LF Party placed itself at the disposal of all depositors who wish to file a case in this regards.It added that, starting Monday, all depositors who wish to file a lawsuit can contact the Lebanese Forces’ lawyers who will provide them with the necessary guidance, and can be reached between 3:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at the following numbers: 81/058530 - 81/064660 - 81/084645.

FPM: To unify stance on displaced Syrians' dossier, initiate cooperation with Syria to secure their return
NNA/May 29, 2021
The Free Patriotic Movement's political body called today in a statement following its periodic online meeting headed by its Chief, MP Gebran Bassil, on the Lebanese to "unify their position on the issue of the displaced Syrians and begin dialogue and cooperation with Syria to secure their safe and dignified return, especially with Syria's entering a new phase in its history with the presidential elections that established President al-Assad at the head of the state by the will of his people, which will serve to further stabilize the situation.""Lebanon should benefit from the climate of tranquility in the region, which would inevitably reflect positively by lifting the financial blockade on Lebanon and forming a regional and international will to prevent its collapse, if we, as Lebanese, are able to launch an integrated reform program for the advancement of our country and our economy," the statement added. The FPM political council continued to indicate that the Lebanese are still awaiting the Prime Minister-designate to form a government that respects constitutional standards and principles, and is capable, with its ministers and program, to implement the necessary reforms. Meanwhile, the council held the caretaker government "responsible for not carrying out its duties in wake of the financial and daily-living crisis, or for preventing a vacuum in institutions, including the Supreme Judicial Council, which would cause further disintegration in the state's structure and directly harm the interests of the Lebanese." The council also disclosed that it will soon present its project for rationalizing subsidy and securing a financing card for citizens by proposing the necessary law to the Parliament Council. On another note, the council hailed "the Palestinian steadfastness in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem," noting that it has "restored honor to the Palestinian cause, and ended the era of Israeli aggression with impunity, and established a new phase at the regional level, with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and the Palestinians' right to freedom, security and stability as its headline."

No delay or postponement of election date," reassures El-Khalil
NNA/May 29, 2021 
Member of the "Development and Liberation" Parliamentary Bloc, MP Anwar El-Khalil, affirmed that "the parliamentary elections will take place on time next year, without any delay or postponement."He stressed that "House Speaker Nabih Berri insists that the elections be held on time," adding that "the Speaker cannot accept any parliament mandate extension for any reason whatsoever.""Lebanon's position will grow weaker before the international community, and the parliament will lose its domestic and international legitimacy if this democratic election does not take place within its constitutional date," El-Khalil underlined, during a meeting held at his Hasbaya residence today to explain the election law proposed by his Bloc. "The elections will take place on time between the first of March and May, that is, during the 60 days prior to the end of the current parliament's term," the MP maintained. Meanwhile, El-Khalil called for "speeding up the formation of a rescue government with a mission to stop the country's downfall," and renewed his call to "remove the conditions set by some, because the financial and economic collapses are unprecedented and constitute a real challenge to the survival of Lebanon."

Army commander at Elysee, much more than just aids.
Jean Feghali/SBI/May 29/2021
About a month ago, and out of developments’ context, the Armed Forces Commander General Joseph Aoun surprised the political class. He addressed them by saying: “Honorable officials, where are you going?” “What do you intend to do?” “Do you want an army or not?” This was during a meeting of the Armed Forces Commander General Joseph Aoun in Yarze with the command staff and leaders of major units and independent regiments, and Military Council members. The army commander did not ask questions only, but rather presented facts and gave decisive answers. He shouted warning: “The situation is dangerous, very dangerous”.Usually, such meetings do not go out into the media, but it seems that the army commander deliberately made a decision to publish them through media in order to put officials in the face of facts, the most prominent of which is that the situation has become unbearable
In summer 2018, and from Major General Fouad Chehab Museum, who was a President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun issued a loud cry in the face of those whose behavior warned of encircling the military establishment with the aim of weakening it, He said: “we will not be complacent”
Today the big “collision” occurred, so where is the army chief? Where is the military establishment? It is clear that the West, and the United States in particular, have taken the decision to support the army at all levels: financial, military, and supply. Beirut was crowded with foreign military delegations to explore the needs of the army, and aid began to arrive, whether it was supplies or military, according to the needs determined by the military establishment.
This attention has reached its peak with France’s invitation to the Army Commander to visit it. The meetings were not limited to a meeting with the Chief of Staff and Minister of Defense. The surprise was that French President Emmanuel Macron received General Joseph Aoun, in a move that surprised senior Lebanese officials and politicians who saw in it more than simply France’s meeting of the Lebanese army needs. France has never been stingy in its military aid to the Lebanese Army, and many Lebanese army officers have followed and are still pursuing military courses in French military institutes.
It seems that France, and through this step, has made its decision to move away from the traditional political class in Lebanon and get closer to the revolution groups, civil society and the military establishment. The head of French diplomacy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, on his recent visit to Lebanon, deliberately avoided meeting the political class and his meetings were limited to the president of the republic, and the House of Representatives and a quick meeting with the designated Prime Minister in the Pine Palace , but the prominent and expanded meetings were with groups of the revolution, and this reinforces the impression that France has lost hope in the political class.Beyond France, and with reliable information, the army chief received an invitation to visit Washington, so will the French-American coordination towards Lebanon, begin with military aid to reach another place?

The two governmental formations Aoun presented to Raii.
SBI/May 29/2021
Press information revealed the two governmental formations presented by the President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, to the Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros El-Raii. Lebanon is going through a major governmental crisis, as it posed a threat to Lebanon’s de facto existence due to rapid deterioration in the governmental field, sources following up on the government formation process said earlier today that there has been continuous communication movements during the past hours to bring views closer and narrow the apartment of differences between Baabda and “Beit al-Wasat”, but they did not get into details of what was achieved, especially through the prolonged meeting that took place between Representative Ali Hassan Khalil and the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil.
The sources expected a bilateral meeting between Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri next Tuesday, after the latter’s return from abroad at the end of this week, during which he would consider the ideas and proposals that were deliberated after the discussion session of the presidential message and the results of the contacts that Berri personally carried out with the concerned parties to form the government, especially Hezbollah and MP Gebran Bassil, to break the stalemate in the formation process. In light these contacts results’ evaluation, the next step that the designated president will take towards the president of the republic and how to deal with the formation file, will be determined. sources described the secrecy of all parties on the content of the ongoing contacts, as an indicator of seriousness and interest in coming out with encouraging results vis a vis the forming the new government, but they considered that finallizing still requires agreement on the internal and judicial portfolios. This might be possible after Aoun and Hariri suggested than one name, and thus agreement on the two names nominated to take over these two ministries became easier than before, if intensions are clean. Raii, in turn, raised a series of constants in his previous speech, including sovereignty, freedom, state building, partnership and equality, announcing adherence to the constitution and parity, and considering the obstructing third, a proposition that strikes pact and coexistence.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 29- 30/2021
Iran Hails Assad Poll Win as 'Big Step' for Peace
Agence France Presse/May 29/2021
Key Syrian government ally Iran has congratulated President Bashar al-Assad on his landslide election victory, describing it as a "big step" towards restoring peace after a decade of civil war. Official results announced late Thursday gave Assad more than 95 percent of the vote in Wednesday's election held in government-held areas, extending his grip on power for a fourth term. "The Islamic Republic of Iran congratulates President Assad and the resilient Syrian people on their decisive victory in this election," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "The successful organization of the election and the massive turnout by the Syrian people mark a big step in establishing peace."Assad's other key ally Russia also congratulated him Friday, hailing his "decisive victory" as an "important step towards strengthening... internal stability."

Hamas parades drones and missiles, showing 'achievements'
The terrorist group governing the Gaza Strip has been showing off its arsenal of weaponry to show its strength against Israel
Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/May 29/2021
Hamas held a series of military parades in the Gaza Strip on Friday, displaying its arsenal of missiles and drones in an attempt to weave a story of victory over Israel. As part of its “victory” celebrations, Hamas commander Yahya Sinwar has also been walking around Gaza this past week to show he is not in danger. The rocket and drone display showed off a rocket known as S-40, reputed to be the one used in massive barrages on Ashkelon and Ashdod and is reputed to have a range of 40 km. Hamas also showed off the Q-20, a rocket that is a bit smaller and was reputedly used in an attack on Ohad that killed two agricultural workers during the recent conflict. While the S-40 is encased in tubes in sets of eight, the Q-20 comes in sets of 12. Although Hamas mounted them on a truck in the parade, they are also placed underground. New Iranian drones, which are modeled on kamikaze drones used in Yemen and by Iran, were also displayed. These are similar to the Qasef and Ababil drones. Yemen has borrowed this technology from Iran, which supports the Hamas weapons program. The Shehab drone is a new piece of Hamas technology developed in recent years. This parade of technology probably showcases most of the Islamist terrorist group’s engineering successes. Hamas excelled in being able to aim large numbers of rockets in a more precise manner during the recent war, using underground infrastructure.

Iran praises Hamas for missile barrages, commemorates key missile maker
Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/May 29/2021
Although Hejazi reportedly died of a heart condition, IRGC Quds Force head praises him as “martyr” who helped develop missile tech against Israel. Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members, led by Quds Force leader Esmail Ghaani, commemorated the Iranian precision-guided missile expert Mohammad Hossein-Zadeh Hejazi over the weekend while threatening Israel. Hejazi was born in 1956 and reportedly died of a heart condition in April. According to the Tasnim News Agency’s defense group, Ghaani said in a speech commemorating the 40th day of the martyrdom of Maj.-Gen. Hejazi: “He stood up and symbolized the services rendered by martyr Qasem Soleimani at such a time – the fierce resistance of the Palestinians against the Zionist regime.” This statement, first of all, refers to Hejazi as a martyr, like former IRGC Quds Force commander Soleimani, who was killed by the US in January 2020. Ghaani took over the Quds Force when Soleimani was killed. Ghaani has connected Hejazi’s death to the war against Israel launched by Hamas on May 10. “In the first three days of the Palestinian war with the Zionist regime, we fired missiles at the occupied territories as much as the entire 22-day war,” he said, comparing it to the 2008-2009 conflict between Israel and Hamas. His point was that “more than 3,000 missiles fired by the resistance into the occupied territories are produced in the same geography.” It ended up being more than 4,000 rockets and missiles. He claimed that Palestinian children can look to this war as an example of how they will retake all of Israel and that the land is no longer well controlled by the “Zionist regime.”He said that he advised all “Zionists go back and buy your own houses again before the houses you sold in Europe and America and elsewhere – and came to the land of Palestine – become more expensive than they are today.” This real estate messaging has also been made by Hezbollah in recent days. On May 25, Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah said “Israelis have two citizenships, and their bags are packed and ready. Security will make them remain or leave. So they started saying, ‘Let’s leave. There’s no army or leadership to protect us.’ What happened recently in the ‘48 lands [of Israel] was a big shock to Israelis.”This idea that Israel is temporary, that time stopped in 1948 and that Palestine will rise completely as a one-state solution is a message that Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas, via the Muslim Brotherhood, have sent to their allies in the West – who have shouted “from the river to the sea” to claim Israel will be destroyed. It is common among some on the extreme Left and the Islamist Right to make this claim. Iran and its allies have been pushing it as well. Hezbollah, Hamas and the IRGC in Iran increasingly coordinate messaging and operations. It is plausible that Iran and Hezbollah helped Hamas plan the May 10 war. Iran precisely spelled out Hamas’s plans prior to May 10. Ghaani also said that Hamas was able to continue to fire long-range missiles up until the day of the ceasefire on May 21 with Israel. “The Palestinian resistance acted in such a way that from the first day of the Zionist regime, they did not give up the war until they imposed these conditions on the Zionists.” He said that “resistance” is the answer and that Palestinians had made impressive gains. “The Zionist regime must think about the day when it will leave this land in humiliation, and our brothers in Palestine must plan and act wisely for that day from today.” He sees the recently fought “12-day war” as a turning point. The Quds Force head said that Hejazi “gave his life” for this mission, implying that Hejazi’s death may not have been natural

Hamas holds military parade in Gaza showing off arsenal
The Arab Weekly/May 29/2021
Thousands of Hamas fighters held a military parade Friday in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, a week after a ceasefire with Israel took effect in the devastated coastal enclave. Holding weapons, the masked members of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed branch of Hamas — the Islamist group that runs Gaza — paraded through the southern city. Riding pick-up trucks, the fighters showed off a military arsenal including rocket launchers and a drone as groups of people, including women and children, cheered them on. An Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that went into force last Friday has so far held, ending 11 days of devastating Israeli bombardment of Gaza and rocket fire into Israel from the coastal strip that started on May 10. Israeli strikes on Gaza killed 248 Palestinians, including 66 children, and have wounded more than 1,900 people, the Gaza health ministry says.
Rockets and other fire from Gaza claimed 12 lives in Israel, including one child and an Arab-Israeli teenager, an Israeli soldier, one Indian, and two Thai nationals, medics say. Some 357 people in Israel were wounded.
There is controversy about how many of those killed in Gaza were combatants, and how many were civilians. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s bombing campaign had killed “more than 200 terrorists” in Gaza, which Hamas has controlled since 2007. But both sides claimed victory after the ceasefire went into force. Hamas has held several post-ceasefire rallies across the devastated Gaza Strip, including one Thursday in Khan Yunis and also in the south of the Israeli-blockaded territory. In the meanwhile, Israeli forces on Friday shot and killed a Palestinian man during clashes in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. Zakaria Hamayel, 28, was struck by a bullet to the chest in the village of Beita, south of Nablus, during a protest against Israeli settlement expansion on Palestinian land, the ministry said. The Israeli army said it was investigating the incident. “We are aware of reports regarding a killed Palestinian. The cause of the injury is still unknown,” it said in a statement. It said a “violent riot” took place near the “Givat Eviatar outpost” and that “troops responded with riot dispersal means”. On Tuesday, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man during a raid in the Al-Amari refugee camp near Ramallah. Israeli forces have been carrying out arrests across the West Bank following violence that erupted around this month’s 11-day conflict between Israel and Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas. An Egypt-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect a week ago. More than 25 Palestinians have been killed in clashes since May 10 in the West Bank alone, where some 475,000 Israeli settlers live alongside around 2.8 million Palestinians. The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.

Egypt, Jordan press Hamas to show consistency and refrain from disruptive stances
The Arab Weekly/May 29/2021
CAIRO/ AMMAN – The visit to Egypt of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau offers an opportunity for rapprochement between the two sides and will enable Cairo, which has regained its regional role, to influence issues having to do with Hamas. But sources in Cairo said that Egyptian officials are no longer prepared to deal with an undisciplined Hamas whose leaders would agree on Egypt’s mediation one minute and the next go out and make contradictory statements, one praising Iran, another Turkey and a third Qatar and then come back to Egypt seeking fresh mediation to save them.
Sources also told The Arab Weekly that Jordan, in turn, might receive Haniyeh in Amman as the United States supports a joint Egyptian-Jordanian role to nudge Hamas to the negotiating table and bring it, within certain conditions, into the fold of the internationally-recognised Palestinian political system. Haniyeh had said Wednesday that during his next visit to Cairo, he would discuss several issues related to “firming up de-escalation, rebuilding Gaza, anchoring national unity and strengthening the steadfastness of the Palestinian people.” The sources stressed that Egypt, which has regained all its cards as a regional player, will demand Haniyeh dispel any ambiguity about the multiple faces of Hamas which makes his organisation seem a collection of disparate movements. These sources pointed out that Cairo was particularly disturbed by statements made by the Hamas leadership that risk impeding the implementation of the ceasefire agreement. It is said that Egyptian annoyance peaked after statements by Yahya Sinwar, head of the Hamas movement in Gaza, in which he announced that there are 10,000 Palestinian suicide fighters inside Israel waiting for a signal. Such statements, Egyptian observers say, may trigger a new escalation with Israel that could spin out of control and hinder Egyptian and international efforts to stabilise the ceasefire and pursue reconstruction, development of the Strip and resolution of humanitarian problems. Observers say that after the recent war and Cairo’s endorsement of the ceasefire, Hamas must involve Egypt in the decisions of war and peace and stop manoeuvring, especially since Egypt will be its gateway to obtaining Western recognition, including from the United States.
Informed sources in Cairo and Amman say that the US approach is to include Hamas in the political talks but enunciate conditions for agreeing to that incorporation into the political system, including into the Palestinian transitional government. The sources told The Arab Weekly that the administration of US President Joe Biden asked Egypt and Jordan to oversee the political momentum and launch the negotiation process with Hamas, but it stipulated that the movement must be informed of Washington’s conditions for integrating Hamas into the internationally-recognised Palestinian political system.
The first of these conditions is that there is no solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict outside the negotiating table. Accordingly, Hamas would have to clearly adopt the international legal bases which the Palestinians have adopted within the peace process, at the top of which is the two-state solution.
The Americans also want Hamas to recognise Israel’s right to exist. Such a condition is likely to trigger shocks within Hamas’ military and political wings, and lead to turbulence in its foreign relations, especially when it comes to Iran and Hezbollah.The same sources added that the United States requires from Hamas, in order to obtain international recognition and its acceptance as a legitimate player in Palestine, that “no weapon be wielded by any militia outside the framework of legitimacy and the Palestinian political system”.
This means that Washington will not accept a new state within the state on the borders of Israel similar to the situation of Hezbollah in Lebanon. An informed Jordanian source told The Arab Weekly that General Ahmed Hosni, director of Jordanian intelligence, has sent an invitation to Haniyeh to visit Amman after many years of estrangement. The Hamas leader accepted the invitation and will be accompanied during his visit to Amman by Khaled Meshaal, the movement’s foreign relations officer and leading figure Izzat al-Rishq.
The source, who preferred not to be named, stated that Haniyeh had been told not to request a meeting with Jordanian government officials or with Jordanian King Abdullah II. He added that Amman and Cairo have also encouraged Hamas not to insist that it coordinates the rebuilding of Gaza, because such a stance would inhibit regional and international enthusiasm for helping the Strip. The source revealed that there is a possibility the Qataris could be used as one of the channels of the reconstruction effort and that the rebuilding drive takes place via the United Nations, provided that all these efforts are assisted by the independent and civil committee of competencies formed a few days ago in Gaza. Israel’s Kan TV channel reported on Wednesday evening that Egypt has invited Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority to take part in talks in Cairo on consolidation of the current ceasefire and improving conditions in the Gaza Strip. An Egyptian delegation led by Major General Ahmed Abdel Khaleq, who is in charge of the Palestinian file in the General Intelligence Service, arrived in the Gaza Strip on Friday, the third visit of its kind since the end of the recent escalation in the Strip, with the aim of following up on efforts to stabilise the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. The first visit took place on May 21and the second on May 23. On both visits, the Egyptian delegation held meetings with Hamas, which runs the Strip and discussed together several issues, most notably the stabilisation of the ceasefire and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Misinformation thrives in Iraq’s virtual battlegrounds
Arab News/May 29, 2021
BAGHDAD: Conspiracy theories, fake reports and mudslinging — in Iraq, false news thrives and risks real-life consequences as authorities struggle to counteract its spread. Misinformation about political, social, security and economic issues abound online in the country, said an official from the Tech 4 Peace collective, an Iraqi organization that tracks “fake news.”“There are hundreds of pages circulating false information on Facebook and Twitter,” the official told AFP.
“Iraq has become a virtual battleground of fake news” both in local politics and between major international players vying for influence in the tinderbox country, the official said.“And it is a free for all.”The official pointed to an incident that happened in January as tense relations between Saudi Arabia and Iraq were easing with the opening of a border crossing between the neighbors. Radical groups loyal to Iran — regional rival of Saudi Arabia and heavyweight in Iraq — launched a campaign on social media accusing a Saudi national of carrying out a double suicide attack in Baghdad that killed 32 people.
His picture was published on Twitter and Facebook and widely shared, even though it was revealed that he had in fact blown himself up in a rare suicide attack in Saudi Arabia in 2015. The Daesh group eventually claimed the Baghdad bombing. In the restive country that has seen almost two decades of conflict and crisis, concerns over the impact of misinformation prompted the authorities to set up a “surveillance service” tasked with tracking information. Staff from the interior ministry spend hours in an office full of computer and television screens monitoring endless streams of news on television and online.
“When a piece of information seems suspect, they raise the alarm” and an investigation is carried out to confirm or debunk the news, said General Nebras Mohammad, who heads the misinformation department, which includes the surveillance service. About 25 million Iraqis use social media, according to DataReportal figures, but only 34,000 of them follow the surveillance service Facebook page, where debunked false news is posted. The Tech 4 Peace official said that Facebook is “the main vehicle for false news in Iraq,” and that there is a new trending fake story “almost daily.” Some of it is ultimately harmless, like recent widely shared posts claiming a young man from Mosul had married four girls in one day that was shown by Tech 4 Peace to be a promotion for a beauty salon. But some cases are more insidious, such as using a blaze at a Covid-19 hospital in Baghdad in late April that killed 82 people to garner likes and follows by posting fabricated reports of more fires at other health centers. Sometimes misinformation takes on a more political slant, stirring up still latent sectarian tensions in the country. “These are organized campaigns of thousands of pages, mainly via Twitter, with political objectives,” led by both pro-Iranian factions and their opponents, the Tech 4 Peace official said. “Millions of dollars are spent” on this, the official added. In late August 2020, a rumor spread online that a man from the Sunni-majority city of Tikrit had been arrested with a car loaded with explosives in the Shiite-majority south. Another version of events claimed the man was a member of the powerful Hashed Al-Shaabi state-sponsored paramilitary coalition made up of Iran-backed groups. Both stories were untrue but the heated sectarian rhetoric they sparked was very real. Authorities said that while the man was arrested for having a car full of explosives, he had no political motives or affiliations. Amid the expanding sea of misinformation, authorities have raised concerns over its impact in the lead up to general elections set for October, around which rumors are already swirling online. Mohammad said the anti-“fake news” team has stepped up grassroots campaigns that include distributing leaflets and raising awareness of the legal consequences of spreading false information. But the campaigns are in an uphill battle in a country where under dictator Saddam Hussein, the only source of news was state-run.
Many young plugged-in Iraqis, like 24-year-old student Abdullah, take it upon themselves to verify their sources of information. “I don’t trust news that I read at first glance, I first check the source, whether it’s from the government or elsewhere,” he told AFP at a Baghdad cafe.
Laws that criminalize the spread of false information have not been updated since 1969. A new draft cybercrimes law is under consideration by parliament, but it has already come under fire from rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, which said it “could be used to stifle free expression.”

UN urges Yemen factions to ‘make breakthrough’ toward peace
Arab News/May 29/2021
AL-MUKALLA: Martin Griffiths, UN special envoy to Yemen, on Friday urged warring factions in Yemen to seize the available opportunities and make concessions to reach an agreement to end the war. Griffiths’ appeal comes as his latest efforts to convince the Yemeni government and Iran-backed Houthis to accept his peace plan, known as the Joint Declaration, reached a deadlock. “My recent meetings, as well as the continued international and regional support, show that the parties could still seize this opportunity and make a breakthrough toward resolving the conflict,” Griffiths said in a statement. Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdul Salam on Thursday met Griffiths after refusing to meet him during his previous visit to the Omani capital.  The US envoy Tim Lenderking has previously criticized the Houthis for snubbing the UN Yemen envoy and refusing to comply with peace ideas and pressing ahead with their deadly offensive on Yemen’s central city of Marib. In his statement, Griffiths said that he met the Houthi negotiator and senior Omani officials in Muscat where he discussed the UN proposal for opening Sanaa airport, lifting restrictions on Hodeidah port and putting into place a nationwide cease-fire.
The Houthis demand operating unlimited and unchecked flights from and into Sanaa airport to destinations including Iran, Syria and Lebanon, lifting restrictions on Hodeidah seaports and halting Arab coalition airstrikes before they put into place the truce and stop their offensive on Marib.
In Riyadh, a senior Yemeni government official, who preferred anonymity, told Arab News that the government told Griffiths during his visit to Riyadh last week that the government insists on limited and checked flights from Sanaa airport and that airstrikes would stop after the Houthis first bring an end to their offensive on Marib. On Wednesday, official news agency SABA reported that Yemen’s Vice President Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmer and Prime Minister Maeen Abdul Malik met Griffiths in Riyadh and discussed with him the impact of the Houthis offensive on Marib and their military operations on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Griffiths “thanked” the Yemeni government for positively responding to peace ideas to end the war, SABA said. On the battlefields, fighting has largely subsided over the past 48 hours in the central province of Marib after the Houthis failed to advance on the ground amid strong resistance from army troops and allied tribesmen. Ten days ago, three military sources told Arab News that the Houthi offensive on Marib had weakened as the rebels suffered heavy casualties, defections and attritions. Thousands of combatants have been killed in the central province of Marib since February when the Houthis renewed a major offensive to seize control of the oil and gas-rich city of Marib, Yemen government’s last bastion in northern Yemen. Meanwhile, the Arab coalition intercepted a Houthi drone targeting the southern region of Saudi Arabia, state news agency SPA reported on Friday.
The coalition said that it continues to take precautions to protect civilians as the militia continues to target them, the report added. Saudi Arabia’s civil defense said on Wednesday that several missiles fired by the militia from inside Yemen landed in the Kingdom. Lt. Col. Mohannad bin Jasser Zailai, deputy media spokesman for the Civil Defense Directorate in Jazan region, said that authorities found five missiles near a main road of one of the border villages in Jazan. The spokesman said that no casualties were reported. The Houthis have struck Abha airport several times in recent years, killing one person, injuring dozens and on one occasion causing a passenger aircraft to catch fire.

Canada/Statement to mark International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
May 29, 2021 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs; the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence; and the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, issued the following statement:
“Today, we pay tribute to past and present United Nations peacekeepers who put themselves at risk in the service of peace around the world.
“We honour our Canadian military, police and civilian personnel deployed in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Mali, Cyprus and the Middle East, and the tens of thousands of peacekeepers from more than 120 UN Member States working to restore peace, bring stability and protect civilian populations around the world. Their professionalism, dedication and courage, including on the COVID-19 frontlines in the countries where they serve, are an inspiration to us all.
“We also pay particular tribute to women peacekeepers everywhere. We know that the meaningful participation of women in all aspects of peacekeeping is essential. When they do so, the probability of success of any mission increases. Canada will continue to work with our partners and allies to continue to increase the meaningful participation of women in UN peacekeeping through the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations and Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.
“This year’s International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers puts a special focus on the contributions of young people to lasting peace and security. We salute young peacekeepers, between the ages of 18 and 29, for the critical role they play in UN peace operations. Canada proudly supports the Youth, Peace and Security agenda.
“In 2021, the majority of peacekeeping missions operate in the midst of ongoing and complex armed conflicts. Thousands of peacekeepers – including 123 Canadians – have lost their lives in the more than 70 years since Canada helped to establish UN peacekeeping. Let us remember them on this day and always, and continue to work towards a more just and peaceful world.”

Cairo wants ceasefire deal to include prisoner swap'
Khaled Abu Toameh/Jerusalem Post/May 29/2021
Reports indicate the Egyptian intelligence chief will visit Gaza for ceasefire talks. The head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service (GIS), Abbas Kamel, is expected to visit the Gaza Strip in the coming days as part of Cairo’s ongoing efforts to maintain the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Egyptian sources said on Saturday. Palestinian sources said that Egypt was seeking a long-term ceasefire deal that would include the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and a prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas. Kamel is also scheduled to visit Ramallah for talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and senior PA officials concerning Egypt’s initiative to contribute to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the 11-day fighting between Israel and Hamas, the Egyptian sources told the New Arab news website. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi has pledged $500 million to help reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip. On Friday, Egyptian intelligence officials arrived in the Gaza Strip through the Erez border crossing with Israel for additional talks with leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian factions on ways of maintaining the ceasefire. It was the third visit of its kind to the Gaza Strip by Egyptian intelligence officials since the end of the fighting. The Egyptian security delegation was headed by General Ahmed Abdel Khaleq, holder of the Palestinian portfolio in the GIS. The sources claimed that the delegation relayed a message from Israel to Hamas “stop provoking Israeli officials.” The Egyptians have also invited leaders of the Palestinian factions to Cairo for talks related to the ceasefire and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian sources said that Egypt was working toward expanding the recent ceasefire so that it would include other issues such as a prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel and humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. According to the sources, Egypt has informed Hamas that Israel was insisting on linking efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip with a prisoner exchange agreement. The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that the Egyptians have notified Hamas of Israel’s intention to lift some of the restrictions that were lately imposed on the Gaza Strip. It claimed the Israeli measures would include the reopening of all the border crossings with the Gaza Strip, allowing the entry of fuel for the power plant and resuming the delivery of Qatari cash grants to the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave.

U.S. Targets Belarus with Sanctions amid Western Outcry over Plane
Agence France Presse/May 29, 2021
The United States has announced punitive measures against Belarus targeting the regime of strongman President Alexander Lukashenko, who met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin amid a global outcry over the forced diversion of a European plane. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called for "a credible international investigation into the events of May 23," which she called "a direct affront to international norms."Belarus scrambled a military jet to divert a Ryanair plane and arrested 26-year-old opposition journalist and activist Roman Protasevich who was onboard, triggering a global outcry. The White House announced it was working with the European Union on a list of targeted sanctions against key members of Lukashenko's regime. Meanwhile, economic sanctions against nine Belarusian state-owned enterprises, reimposed by Washington in April following a crackdown on pro-democracy protests, will come into effect on June 3.
Further U.S. moves on Belarus could target "those that support corruption, the abuse of human rights, and attacks on democracy," Psaki said. The White House also issued a "Do Not Travel" warning for Belarus to U.S. citizens, and warned American passenger planes to "exercise extreme caution" if considering flying over Belarusian airspace. The European Union has also urged EU-based carriers to avoid Belarusian airspace. However President Vladimir Putin celebrated Russia's close ties with Belarus on Friday as he hosted Lukashenko in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
With observers closely watching the talks to see how far the Kremlin would go to support the regime, the Russian leader said he was "very glad" to see Lukashenko and agreed with him the Western reaction was an "outburst of emotion".
'Rock the boat'
Lukashenko complained the West was seeking to stir unrest in Belarus. "An attempt is underway to rock the boat to reach the level of last August," he said, referring to anti-regime protests following a disputed election. "It's clear what these Western friends want from us." The Belarus strongman, who arrived with a briefcase, said he wanted to show Putin "some documents" related to the Ryanair incident and thanked him for his support in the latest standoff with the West. The talks lasted for more than five hours but their results were not announced. Over the past years Lukashenko has had a volatile relationship with Moscow, playing it off against the West and ruling out outright unification with Russia. But after the Ryanair plane incident his options appear to be limited. Putin and the Belarus leader have met regularly since August, when historic protests broke out against Lukashenko's nearly three-decade rule.
The 66-year-old waged a ruthless crackdown on his opponents and has leaned increasingly on the Russian president amid condemnation from the West. Several people died during the unrest in Belarus, thousands were detained, and hundreds reported torture in prison.
Sunday's plane diversion was a dramatic escalation, with EU leaders accusing Minsk of essentially hijacking a European flight to arrest Protasevich.
Technical reasons -
The overflight ban has led to several cancellations of air journeys between Russia and Europe, after Russian authorities rejected plans that would have skipped Belarusian airspace. Russia insists the cancellations are purely "technical," but they have raised concerns that Moscow could be systematically refusing to let European airlines land if they avoid Belarus. The Kremlin criticized the flight ban as politically motivated and dangerous, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova calling it "completely irresponsible". EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc was monitoring whether this was a broader policy from Russia, but Moscow insisted the disruptions were in no way political. Belarus authorities claimed to have received a bomb threat against the Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius carrying the dissident. Minsk said it demanded the flight land in the Belarus capital based on the message it said was sent from a ProtonMail address by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Protasevich, who helped organize the demonstrations against Lukashenko's rule last year, was arrested along with Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega, 23, after the plane landed in the city.
'Braver'
Borrell has said proposals are "on the table" to target key sectors of the Belarusian economy including its oil products and potash sectors. Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on Friday urged the EU to be "braver" and impose more sanctions against the Minsk regime. After meeting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague, Tikhanovskaya said measures being discussed by EU countries did not go far enough. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Friday warned Lukashenko that "it is time to change course." "No amount of repression, brutality or coercion will bring any legitimacy to your authoritarian regime," she said. The European Commission president also wrote to the opposition offering a three-billion-euro package to support "a democratic Belarus" if Lukashenko steps down.

Neighborhood in South China under Lockdown after Fresh Virus Outbreak
Agence France Presse/May 29, 2021
A neighborhood in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou has been locked down as officials rush to quell an uptick in cases in the area. The industrial hub north of Hong Kong home to nearly 15 million people has reported 20 new cases of the coronavirus in the past week. A notice by the Guangzhou municipal health bureau issued Saturday identified five streets in Liwan district in the city center as "high-risk areas" and ordered residents to stay indoors until door-to-door testing is completed. Markets, schools and entertainment venues in the area were shut. The city government has rushed to conduct mass testing and about 700,000 people had been tested by Wednesday. China has largely controlled the spread of the virus and has tightened quarantine rules after a surge in cases in neighboring countries. The mini-outbreak in Guangzhou is believed to be linked to a 75-year-old woman who tested positive for the virus variant first identified in India, local health officials said.The total number of confirmed infections in China to date stands at 91,061, with 4,636 deaths, according to the latest figures from the National Health Commission.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 29- 30/2021
Turkey's Collateral Damage: Its Jews
Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/May 29, 2021
The loss of 232 Muslim lives in Afghanistan did not make even a single column inch of news in the Turkish media.
Once again, it is wartime for Palestinian terrorists, a wake-up call for the usual Turkish hostility, and hard times for the few thousand Turkish Jews squashed in between the bitter truth and their fear of a potentially dangerous autocrat.
In this year's Middle East clashes, as in the past several years, Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Turkey globally championed the Palestinian cause. Erdoğan, referring to Jewish people, said on May 17: "It is in their disposition that they are only satisfied by sucking blood" -- a comment that triggered a duel of words between Ankara and Washington. Pictured: Erdoğan hosts Ismail Haniyeh (left) leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara on January 3, 2012. (Photo by Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images)
In a 2015 study, the Anti-Defamation League found that 35 million out of an adult population of 49 million Turks, or 71%, harbored antisemitic attitudes, compared to an average 49% in the entire Muslim world. Statistically speaking, a 22 percentage point difference from the average is a significant deviation. In Turkey's case, the deviation is also empirically visible.
In this year's Middle East clashes, as in the past several years, Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Turkey globally championed the Palestinian cause. A jogger could be fined for breach of lockdown rules but the police welcomed thousands of protesters in front of Israeli diplomatic missions in Istanbul and Ankara. A couple set their car on fire in front of the Israeli Consulate building in Istanbul "in the name of our Muslim brothers who are tortured in Gaza." This was said despite that it was actually Hamas -- a terrorist group that, since 2007, has held the Palestinians hostage as human shields, both to protect its weapons and to show dead babies to the television cameras -- that began firing 4,300 rockets into a country the size of New Jersey: Israel. The Israelis were not returning fire at the Palestinians, they were returning fire at the terrorist groups shooting at them: Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. "Why," as the magazine Spiked asked, "won't Israelis let themselves be killed?"
Erdoğan, referring to Jewish people, said on May 17: "It is in their disposition that they are only satisfied by sucking blood" -- a comment that triggered a duel of words between Ankara and Washington.
The US Department of State replied:
"The United States strongly condemns President Erdogan's recent anti-Semitic comments regarding the Jewish people and finds them reprehensible.
"We urge President Erdogan and other Turkish leaders to refrain from incendiary remarks, which could incite further violence."
In response, the Turkish Foreign Ministry resorted to its usual denial: "Anti-Semitism has never existed in Turkish society, which respects the co-existence of different religions and beliefs."
According to Reuters:
"Muslim countries must show a united and clear stance over Israel's conflict with the Islamist Hamas movement in Gaza, Turkey's vice president, Fuat Oktay, said on Thursday [May 13], criticising world powers for condemning violence without acting."
Meanwhile, Erdoğan, in a domestic propaganda mission, spoke with 20 world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pope Francis. Angry Turks did not question what "action" their government did take, other than condemning "violence" and profiting from the dispute at the ballot box.
"Action"? In 2020, two-way trade between Turkey and Israel reached $6.2 billion, a 3.4-fold rise from 2002. Also in 2020, Turkey's exports to Israel amounted to $4.7 billion, making Israel Turkey's ninth-biggest export market. Fortunately, Erdoğan, too, has been "condemning violence without acting," just the way he has criticized others for doing.
His social media trolls launched a campaign to deceive the average Turk into believing that Erdoğan was, in fact, "acting" (the average Turk is a seventh grade drop-out). A set of images featuring military vehicles was shared on social media with a claim that the Turkish army was about to save the Palestinians. The caption to one image, along with a poster in support of Palestine, reads: "Turkish Army on its way to Gaza #FreePalestinian #FreeGaza."
The Turkish hypocrisy on the "loss of Muslim lives" was also a bit breezy. As Faith Quintero, the author of Loaded Blessings, wrote:
"And in a week in which an Islamic terror attack killed 232 people, including 85 schoolgirls, in Afghanistan, the world was more focused on a land dispute case in Israel, that has been grossly mischaracterized by politicians and media."
The loss of 232 Muslim lives in Afghanistan did not make even a single column inch of news in the Turkish media.
Then there is the extremely sad case of Turkish Jews. Once again, their dwindling community, now at fewer than 15,000, has fallen hostage to Hamas's violence. After the 2014 fighting between Israel and Hamas terrorists, Faruk Köse, a columnist for the Turkish daily Yeni Akit, wrote that the "Gaza Fund Contribution Tax" should apply to Turkish Jews as well as foreign Jews doing business in Turkey and any Turkish nationals with commercial ties to the Jewish state. He even suggested that the tax should apply to any company or business that maintains a partnership with a Turkish Jew. The penalty for failing to pay the tax, Köse proposed, should be the revocation of the Jew's business license and the seizure of his property.
Then came other news, this time in Şalom. The main organization representing Turkish Jews, the Jewish Confederation of Turkey, had criticized the U.S. State Department for accusing Erdoğan of using antisemitic rhetoric. "On the contrary," the Confederation tweeted cautiously, "he [Erdoğan] has always been constructive, supportive and encouraging toward us."
The collateral damage in this latest round of fighting are Turkey's Jews. Afraid to speak up, they must show solidarity with Erdogan out of fear -- hostages in yet another campaign of violence.
Part of Erdoğan's anger had been directed at U.S. President Joe Biden. "Today we have witnessed Biden's approval of weapons [sales] to Israel," Erdoğan said. "You [Biden] are writing history with bloody hands." Erdoğan's remarks came as Biden's administration approved the potential sale of $735 million in precision-guided munitions to Israel.
Once again, it is wartime for Palestinian terrorists, a wake-up call for the usual Turkish hostility, and hard times for the few thousand Turkish Jews squashed in between the bitter truth and their fear of a potentially dangerous autocrat.
*Burak Bekdil, one of Turkey's leading journalists, was recently fired from the country's most noted newspaper after 29 years, for writing in Gatestone what is taking place in Turkey. He is a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
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Israel's operation against Hamas was the world's first AI war
Anna Ahronhreim/Jerusalem Post/May 29/2021
Having relied heavily on machine learning, the Israeli military is calling Operation Guardian of the Walls the first artificial-intelligence war. “For the first time, artificial intelligence was a key component and power multiplier in fighting the enemy,” an IDF Intelligence Corps senior officer said. “This is a first-of-its-kind campaign for the IDF. We implemented new methods of operation and used technological developments that were a force multiplier for the entire IDF.”In 11 days of fighting in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military carried out intensive strikes against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets. It targeted key infrastructure and personnel belonging to the two groups, the IDF said. While the military relied on what was already available on the civilian market and adapted it for military purposes – in the years prior to the fighting – the IDF established an advanced AI technological platform that centralized all data on terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip onto one system that enabled the analysis and extraction of the intelligence.
Soldiers in Unit 8200, an Intelligence Corps elite unit, pioneered algorithms and code that led to several new programs called “Alchemist,” “Gospel” and “Depth of Wisdom,” which were developed and used during the fighting.
Collecting data using signal intelligence (SIGINT), visual intelligence (VISINT), human intelligence (HUMINT), geographical intelligence (GEOINT) and more, the IDF has mountains of raw data that must be combed through to find the key pieces necessary to carry out a strike.
“Gospel” used AI to generate recommendations for troops in the research division of Military Intelligence, which used them to produce quality targets and then passed them on to the IAF to strike. “For the first time, a multidisciplinary center was created that produces hundreds of targets relevant to developments in the fighting, allowing the military to continue to fight as long as it needs to with more and more new targets,” the senior officer said. While the IDF had gathered thousands of targets in the densely populated coastal enclave over the past two years, hundreds were gathered in real time, including missile launchers that were aimed at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The military believes using AI helped shorten the length of the fighting, having been effective and quick in gathering targets using super-cognition. The IDF carried out hundreds of strikes against Hamas and PIJ, including rocket launchers, rocket manufacturing, production and storage sites, military intelligence offices, drones, commanders’ residences and Hamas’s naval commando unit. Israel has destroyed most of the naval commando unit’s infrastructure and weaponry, including several autonomous GPS-guided submarines that can carry 30 kg. of explosives.
IDF Unit 9900’s satellites that have gathered GEOINT over the years. They were able to automatically detect changes in terrain in real time so that during the operation, the military was able to detect launching positions and hit them after firing.
For example, Unit 9900 troops using satellite imagery were able to detect 14 rocket launchers that were located next to a school.
The IDF also killed more than 150 PIJ and Hamas operatives, many of them considered senior commanders or irreplaceable in their roles, especially those who led the research and development of the missile projects.
One strike, against senior Hamas operative Bassem Issa, was carried out with no civilian casualties despite being in a tunnel under a high-rise building surrounded by six schools and a medical clinic. Issa, a brigade commander for Gaza City, was the highest-ranking military figure in Hamas to be killed by Israel since Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
He was killed along with Hamas’s cyber and missile technology chief Jomaa Tahla, head of the development and projects department Jemal Zebda and 13 members of the faction’s weapons manufacturing unit.
Hamas’s underground “Metro” tunnel network was also heavily damaged over the course of several nights of airstrikes. Military sources said they were able to map the network, consisting of hundreds of kilometers under residential areas, to a degree where they knew almost everything about them.
The mapping of Hamas’s underground network was done by a massive intelligence-gathering process that was helped by the technological developments and use of Big Data to fuse all the intelligence. Once mapped, the IDF was able to have a full picture of the network both above and below ground with details, such as the depth of the tunnels, their thickness and the nature of the routes. With that, the military was able to construct an attack plan that was used during the operation.
While the IDF acknowledges that it has not destroyed the entire network, it says it has struck parts of the network that make it nearly impossible for Hamas to use again. And the ability of the IDF to crack Hamas’s network and completely map it removes one of the central dimensions of Hamas’s combat strategy.
“Years of work, out-of-the-box thinking and the fusion of all the power of the intelligence division together with elements in the field led to the breakthrough solution of the underground,” the senior officer said.
Using the data gathered and analyzed through AI, the IAF was able to use the appropriate munitions to hit a target, whether an apartment, a tunnel or a building.
The IDF also used a system dubbed “Alchemist,” which was developed by Unit 8200 and used AI and machine learning to alert troops in the field to possible attacks by Hamas or PIJ. The dynamic and updating system was used by every unit commander in the field who had the system on a user-friendly tablet.
The military said the attack that killed St.-Sgt. Omer Tabib is being investigated. Troops had been alerted to the possibility of anti-tank fire targeting their jeeps outside the community of Netiv Ha’asara. Tabib was the only soldier killed in the fighting. The military also relied heavily on intelligence to carry out precision strikes in an attempt to minimize civilian casualties. The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 243 Palestinians were killed during the fighting, including 66 children and teens, with 1,910 people wounded. The IDF said more than 100 operatives belonging to the terrorist groups were killed and that some of the civilian casualties were caused by Hamas rockets falling short or civilian homes collapsing after an airstrike on Hamas’s tunnel network. In an interview with Channel 12, the head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency in Gaza, Matthias Schmale, acknowledged that while the “viciousness and ferocity of the strikes was heavily felt,” he had “the impression that there is a huge sophistication in the way the Israeli military struck.”

Tehran’s militia thugs outgun the Iraqi state … again
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/May 29, 2021
The Iraqi state has once again proved its impotence in the face of Tehran-backed paramilitaries. The Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi militia confederation went on the rampage last week after a powerful militia leader, Qassim Muslih, was detained on charges of plotting assassinations and murdering protesters.
Militant leaders denounced the arrest as a “kidnapping” — as if Iraq’s security forces and police had no legal jurisdiction over the Hashd! Thousands of militia fighters flooded into the Green Zone, the heavily fortified heart of Baghdad’s governing system, wielding RPGs and other offensive weaponry. Regular security forces melted away, leaving militants free to menace ministries and embassies.
With Kalashnikov-wielding militias encircling his offices and family home, Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi was summoned like a naughty schoolboy to meet three of the Hashd’s most powerful leaders — Hadi Al-Amiri, Abu-Fadak Al-Mohammedawi and Falih Al-Fayyad — to explain why their colleague had been detained. We may never know what threats were made to the prime minister, but within hours Muslih was duly handed over to the Hashd’s Security Directorate. The only significant concession was that no photos of Muslih would be published, so that the prime minister’s abject humiliation would not be carried to its excruciating extremes. This is not the first such farce: Soon after Kadhimi began his job a year ago, amid sincere promises to get tough with the militants, a number of Hashd figures were arrested for firing missiles. But after another massive paramilitary show of force around the Green Zone, Kadhimi caved in and released these criminals into Hashd custody.
It’s as if the prime minister were trying to offer incontrovertible demonstrations of the Hashd’s impunity! This also sets a dangerous precedent for national unity: Hundreds of Sunnis were executed after 10-minute trials based on hearsay evidence of Daesh sympathies, but the Hashd is proving an even greater existential threat to Iraq’s existence than Daesh and its personnel are now apparently untouchable. Sources I spoke to worry about whether Muslih will later come out and flaunt his immunity; or whether he will be smuggled to Iran, like so many other death squad commanders with gallons of Iraqi blood on their hands.Likewise, over the past couple of years prime ministerial executive orders demanded that these militia factions cease their independent existence, merge into the regular armed forces, and close the hundreds of “economic offices” set up across the country through which militants extort citizens and businesses. Of course, these directives were ignored; instead,highway and border checkpoints have multiplied, earning these forces more than $6 billion a year. The constitution explicitly forbids paramilitary personnel from participating in parliamentary elections, yet somehow they’ve become the most powerful component of the parliament. With elections in just months, this is a body blow to the authority and sovereignty of the Iraqi state from which it will struggle to recover. Militias are inexorably growing stronger than the state, while also monopolizing key state posts from the inside, leaving Iraq’s administration like a rotten, hollowed-out tree. Ahead of these elections we can see militias rivaling one another through a variety of strategies; in some cases superficially distancing themselves from Iran and ludicrously portraying themselves as Iraqi nationalists, while elsewhere seeking to enforce their control so vigorously that citizens have only one viable choice to vote for. The Iraqi state has once again proved its impotence in the face of Tehran-backed paramilitaries.
Muslih was charged with involvement in the killing of activist Ihab Al-Wazni, head of the Karbala protest coordination commission, who was murdered in front of his home on May 9 by gunmen on motorbikes. About 80 activists have been killed in such targeted assassinations. Often these killings occurred in public places, in broad daylight, or in the presence of police. About 600 protesters were murdered during the past two years of demonstrations, with many killed by militia snipers and armed thugs. I first came across Qasim Muslih a few years ago while conducting research on these militia groups. Muslih had been a commander of one of the forces loyal to Ayatollah Sistani, but at the behest of Hashd hardliners such as Abu-Mahdi al-Muhandis he betrayed Sistani and established a breakaway force, the Tuffuf Brigade, which aligned itself with the nastiest pro-Iran elements. As the Hashd’s operations commander in Anbar, Muslih became one of the principal figures overseeing the Hashd’s fortifications on the Syria-Iraq border, which became a pivotal location for smuggling Iranian missiles and profiteering from the full spectrum of contraband goods. Indeed, sources close to Ayatollah Sistani asserted that they had “nothing to do” with Muslih and “would not interfere” with any legal measures taken against him. Muslih is a nobody — a hired thug. He was bought off and elevated to his powerful post purely as a ruse for sabotaging the Sistani militias. However, when Baghdad erupts and a constitutional crisis is triggered over his mere arrest, how much greater is the absolute impunity enjoyed by the real warlords, terrorists and mass-murderers such as Amiri, Mohammedawi and Qais Al-Khazali? Like death by a thousand cuts, on each successive occasion that Hashd militias subvert the Iraqi state, we come closer to this state ceasing to exist in any meaningful form; becoming like Syria, and perhaps Lebanon, a terrorist-dominated vacuum with Iran as the supreme protagonist. “Who killed me?” was the dominant slogan in recent demonstrations against the impunity enjoyed by militias and the security forces in murdering activists and protesters. These recent actions by Hashd militias were like a brazen admission of guilt: “Yes, we killed you, and we will keep on killing you. And there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it.”
*Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.

How regional powers can fill the US credibility gap
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/May 29, 2021
There was a tragic sense of déjà vu in witnessing another cycle of bloodshed between the Israelis and the Palestinians. It is not only the manner in which these outbreaks begin and are conducted, but equally how they come to a temporary halt, with a realistic expectation that another outbreak is just around the corner.Under these circumstances, it is hard to find any silver lining in the aftermath of a further round of hostilities that has resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives, with many more badly injured and societies traumatized. However, there is one cause for optimism; it is that, as in previous wars between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, it was a regional power, Egypt, with the support of other neighboring countries, that brokered the ceasefire. In light of the Abraham Accords, the normalization of Israel’s relations with Morocco, Sudan and some Gulf states, there should be a realization that instead of waiting for powers beyond the region to broker a further de-escalation on the way to a comprehensive peace agreement, there is an opportunity for such an initiative to emerge organically from within the Middle East, supported by others in the international community.
It took 11 days of fighting for a ceasefire to be agreed, avoiding a repeat of the seven-week war 2014, and in spite of the fact that on this occasion the linkage established between what happens in Gaza with events in Jerusalem and Jewish–Arab relations inside Israel meant that a prolonged and even more deadly conflict was very much on the cards. However, now that the sides have agreed to hold their fire, it is paramount that strong diplomatic efforts be made to prevent what looks like the inevitable next round of bloodshed.
From the very beginning of the clashes in Jerusalem this month that spread to Gaza and into Israel’s Jewish-Arab cities, it became apparent that the international community was in no hurry to stop the fighting, for reasons ranging from not seeing it as a high priority issue to not believing they could make a difference, while the rest at least tacitly hoped that the Israeli military machine’s pounding of Gaza, regardless of the price paid by innocent civilians, would crush Hamas’smilitary and political leadership.
However, Hamas scored some important points in the psychological battle with Israel by establishing a new and dangerous equation between the different segments of Palestinian society living between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean Sea, and by demonstrating the improved range and power of its rockets to devastating effect, and in the process distinguishing itself from the Palestinian Authority as being the ones ready to carry on the armed struggle against Israel.
From the very beginning of the clashes in Jerusalem this month that spread to Gaza and into Israel’s Jewish-Arab cities, it became apparent that the international community was in no hurry to stop the fighting.
This should be of concern not only to Israel but also to those in the region who perceive Iran-supported Hamas and Islamic Jihad as a danger to regional stability. To make the situation increasingly volatile, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that his country’s new policy on rockets despatched from Hamas-controlled Gaza means that it will respond with full force to every single rocket fired and no longer tolerate a steady drip of rockets with no response. If Israel adheres to this threat and the tensions in Jerusalem persist, as they appear to be doing, it will mean that both sides have committed themselves to a shaky ceasefire.
For now, a genuine peace process that could lead to an agreement based on a two-state solution that can unlock the impasse over borders, Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, and Jewish settlers is not within reach. Nevertheless, a de-escalation that could lay the foundations of such a process is by all accounts possible, and to achieve this regional powers can make a significant difference. For instance, a recent survey by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Researchin Ramallah reveals that the top priorities among Palestinians are “the unification of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, improving economic conditions, combating corruption, and the removal of the siege and blockade over the Gaza Strip.” It is possible for countries from within the region to use their influence over both sides to advance these priorities and initiate the rebooting of relations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, which will reduce the likelihood of further escalation and inject some hope of a long-term solution.
Despite the doom and gloom attaching to the prospect of any sort of improvement in Israeli–Palestinian relations, these findings of ordinary Palestinians’ priorities, and the fact that Israel also needs to rethink its strategy after being caught unawares by the Palestinian eruption inside Israel, in Gaza, in Jerusalem and to some extent the West Bank, have created an opportunity to move from a brokered ceasefire to addressing both sides’ broader, long-term concerns. In light of the half-hearted interest shown by powers outside the region, including the US, this could be best addressed by concerted regional efforts to keep up the momentum created by the Egypt-brokered ceasefire. Here also lies a rare opportunity for those in the Middle East who have already established diplomatic relations with Israel, and those who are delaying such a move until a peace agreement, to work together and step up a gear, to advance what the Saudi Foreign Ministry described in the aftermath of the present truce as a “concerted effort to find a just settlement of the Palestinian issue in a way that achieves the aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.” The benchmark for these negotiations should be previous UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002. Moreover, the commitment made by Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, in a telephone call with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, announcing the UAE’s readiness to facilitate peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians, could play a significant part in such a regional-led initiative.
With the leadership of these, and hopefully additional, countries, the paradigm that assumes it is only the US, with European support, that could broker such a peace, or at least manage the conflict while seeking Middle East powers to support them, could be reversed, probably producing better results. For regional powers, the conflict has an immediate impact on their interests. They do not suffer from the credibility deficit or political pressure faced by an initiative brokered by Washington and to some extent Europe, and could provide support and guarantees to both sides from closer to home.
*Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He is a regular contributor to the international written and electronic media. Twitter: @YMekelberg

We need more than a new JCPOA to rein in Iran
Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News/May 29, 2021
As the Vienna talks progress, the consensus view is that a new Iran nuclear deal is inevitable, even if the details remain debatable. It is clear that concerns shared by America’s partners in the Gulf are unlikely to materially influence the discussions.
The Biden administration has received repeated warnings about the perils and short-sightedness of simply returning to the terms of the original 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) without dealing decisively with Iran’s other destabilizing activities, such as its ballistic missile program and support for regional proxy militias.
Unfortunately, getting Iran to agree to any deal targeting its non-nuclear activities, let alone the rest of the P5+1 (China, France, Russia, the UK and the US, plus Germany), will be next to impossible, and trying to do so endangers the primary goal of ensuring nuclear non-proliferation in the wider Middle East. In a climate of intensifying geopolitical rivalry, it is exceedingly rare for the P5+1 to be united behind Iran and the US returning to compliance with the JCPOA, rejecting calls for a more comprehensive deal. It is therefore unsurprising to see the White House reach for this low-hanging fruit, even with Iran’s regional saber-rattling and refusal to cooperate with the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Washington’s impatient lunge for a deal has already sidelined the concerns and interests of its regional partners who bear the brunt of Iran’s destabilization agenda. It is similar to how the original JCPOA paved the way for Iran to stockpile fissile material to unprecedented levels, and service its long-term goal of acquiring and mass-producing offensive nuclear weapons.
If Tehran had no plans for non-military applications, saddling its strained national budget and sanctions-riddled economy with the expense of enrichment beyond the 3.75 percent limit would make little sense. Yet these programs have persisted even under maximum sanctions, resulting in Iran enriching fissile material up to 20 percent — far more than it needs for commercial purposes, and enhancing its expertise in nuclear enrichment with a new line of advanced centrifuges.
Simply returning to an inherently unstable JCPOA will not reverse or bury Iran’s advancements in enrichment, nor will it guarantee maximum compliance, especially in terms of transparency. Instead, a repeat of the post-JCPOA stockpiling of fissile material is likely, either in anticipation of the deal’s expiry in 2030 (unless it is extended), or its evolution into a covert arms control duel in which the US and its allies work to prevent Iran continuously seeking to reduce its nuclear breakout time. Experts estimate that Iran can acquire sufficient fissile material to develop at least one nuclear device in three months to a year from now.
Tehran's long-term post-JCPOA plans to obtain offensive nuclear capabilities remain intact while rejecting any attempts to rein in its regional destabilization plans.
In addition, Tehran has a notorious knack for exploiting loopholes in existing frameworks by, for instance, carrying out part of its enrichment programs on military bases, which are off-limits to IAEA investigators. Iran has repeatedly justified flouting the limits imposed by the JCPOA, arguing that Washington’s unilateral withdrawal and subsequent sanctions invalidated the agreement. Thus, negotiators will have to ensure the re-negotiated JCPOA will be prescient enough to curb abuses and enforce compliance to levels acceptable to both its signatories, as well as the rest of the region.
Ultimately, if a reworked JCPOA focused on curbs to Iran’s nuclear program is a foregone conclusion, then the only option left for America’s regional allies is to pressure Washington on a follow-up deal to address Iran’s non-nuclear threats Iran. The geopolitical and regional landscape has shifted since the JCPOA was signed, and Iran’s most troubling threats now are not just the pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
On the military side, ballistic missiles and drones have advanced in their range, sophistication and accuracy, enhancing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ conventional strike capabilities. Politically, its involvement in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen has granted Tehran unprecedented levels of local influence, and deeply entrenched proxies who are nearly impossible to dislodge. Furthermore, expanded ties to Russia and China have not only granted Iran an economic lifeline, but have also resulted in arms transfers that will boost its military capabilities and those of its regional proxies. Additionally, new alignments have reshaped the Middle East and North Africa’s dynamics and military balance. Where the original JCPOA green-lit Iran’s nuclear research and development, a renegotiated deal could persuade other Arab states to acquire similar capabilities as a deterrent to future aggression and to maintain the existing tenuous balance.
In other words, negotiating a follow-on agreement would stabilize the new JCPOA by placing stringent clauses to discourage reneging on the deal, while also limiting the range of Iran’s ballistic missiles and ratcheting up regional tensions via proxies. However, such limitations would have to go both ways, and with Washington eyeing an exit from the region to focus more on China in the Indo-Pacific, enforcing these additional terms will prove challenging. Another troubling development comes from Iran’s electoral body disqualifying reformists and moderates from participating in next month’s presidential election. This spells a troubling future in which hard-liners dominate the government, ensuring Tehran's long-term post-JCPOA plans to obtain offensive nuclear capabilities remain intact while rejecting any attempts to rein in its regional destabilization plans.
Regardless, there must still be concerted efforts to seek a more comprehensive follow-on agreement, which Tehran can be induced to participate in as a precursor to lifting the remaining non-nuclear sanctions even after a settlement is reached on a re-worked JCPOA. The primary objective of such a deal would be to assuage regional concerns, as well as gain US Congressional support for sanctions relief by addressing Iran’s rapidly advancing ballistic missile program, and regional destabilization activities. Without it, the US risks repeating the same mistakes of the past, endangering its partners in the region and its overall interest in a stable, secure, and non-nuclear Middle East.
• Hafed Al-Ghwell is a senior fellow with the Foreign Policy Institute at the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.