LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 08/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations
An hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God
John 16/01-04: "‘I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me. But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. ‘I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you."

Titles For The Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 07-08/18

Lebanese Central Bank Says Pound Stable, Urges Fiscal Reform/Reuters/Tuesday 07th August 2018
Lebanon’s garbage problem: No time to waste/Georgi Azar and Zeina Nasser/Annahar/August 07/18
Intelligence Source: Mossad Assassinated Syrian Chemical Weapons' Scientist/Jerusalem Post/August 07/18
Israel Minister Welcomes Syria Scientist Killing/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 07/18
Saudi Arabia’s bold move has nothing to do with Canada/Bessma Momani/The Globe And Mail/August 07/18
Germany: Mass Migration vs. Microaggression/Vijeta Uniyal/Gatestone Institute/August 07/18/
A Month of Multiculturalism in Spain: July 2018/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/August 07/18
Prisoners’ diplomacy between the Turks and the Americans/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/August 07/18
Saudi Arabia’s foreign files: Abdelnasser’s Yemen and Khamenei’s Yemen/Fares bin Hezam/Al Arabiya/August 07/18
Najran’s bravery in American land/Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/August 07/18

Titles For The Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on August 07-08/18

Lebanon: War of Words Back Between Amal, FPM
Aoun honors officials exams' laureates
Aoun calls for UNIFIL mandate renewal amid "Israeli aggression"
Aoun Meets Trenta, Affirms Need for UNIFIL Troops
Report: Presidential Palace Plans Aoun’s Upcoming Trips to Brussels, NY, Yerevan
Bassil Vows Campaign to 'Liberate Lebanon from Captivity'
Bassil following 'Strong Lebanon' meeting: For a productive government respecting fair representation
State Ministries ‘Confront’ Private Generator Owners
Berri, interlocutors tackle current situation
Hariri Urges Parties to 'Show Modesty' instead of Blaming Him for Govt. Delay
Hariri Denies Trip Sought French Mediation with Saudi over Govt. Formation
Italian Defense Minister inspects her country's UNIFIL contingent
Italian Officer Assumes Command of UNIFIL
Ibrahim Reportedly Meets Zakka in Iran
Jreissati, Abdel Malak discuss judicial referrals over electoral silence violation
Lebanese Central Bank Says Pound Stable, Urges Fiscal Reform
Hankache: Lebanon on the Verge of Collapse Despite Reassurances
Lebanon’s garbage problem: No time to waste

Titles For The Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 07-08/18

Intelligence Source: Mossad Assassinated Syrian Chemical Weapons' Scientist
Israel Minister Welcomes Syria Scientist Killing
Despite US sanctions, Tehran steps up quest for dialogue with Trump administration
Syrian Regime Forces Deploy in Suweida’s Desert
First Phase of US Sanctions Re-Imposed on Iran
Trump Says Sanctions Reinstated Against Iran for 'World Peace'
Saudi Shura Council Slams Canada's Blatant Meddling in Kingdom’s Judiciary
Iranians Blame Government, Not US Sanctions, for Poor Economy
Exclusive: Tehran Sends Hamza Bin Laden to Afghanistan
Israeli Strike Kills 2 Hamas Militants in Gaza
Saudi Arabia, Canada Row over Jailed Activists Ramps Up
Once-Eased US Economic Sanctions against Iran Back in Effect
U.N. Hails 'Credible' Iraq Vote Recount
Iconic Iron Bridge Reopens in Iraq's Fallujah
NATO Probing Reports Nine Afghan Police Killed in US Air Strike
Boko Haram Kills Seven Villagers in NE Nigeria
Egypt: Wadi Al-Natrun Drama Haunts Coptic Church

The Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on August 07-08/18

Lebanon: War of Words Back Between Amal, FPM
Beirut- Youssef Diab/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 7 August, 2018/A war of words between the Amal Movement and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) reemerged on Monday, only few days since Speaker Nabih Berri received at his residence FPM leader and caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil in a meeting that hoped to dissipate tension between the two parties and clam down a possible street confrontation between supporters of both camps. The Amal-FPM disrupted relationship is mainly due to a dispute over the way the state is managed. However, a new disagreement emerged between the two parties over the early launch of the presidential campaign, four years prior to its deadline after President Michel Aoun said: “The war against Bassil is because he is a front-runner for the next presidential battle.”Parliamentary sources told Asharq Al-Awsat they were surprised by Aoun’s statement and his decision to open the file of the presidential race four years prior to its deadline. “The President’s declaration further complicated the file of the cabinet formation and created additional obstacles,” the sources said. Other sources close to Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat that during his meeting with deputy speaker Elie Ferzli and minister Bassil, " the Speaker agreed with his hosts on national principles including to speed up the formation of a national unity government and to save the economy.” The sources added that Berri and Bassil agreed on the return of Syrian refugees through the arrangement reached between President Aoun, Berri and PM-designate at the Presidential Palace and not Bassil’s strategy. However, the sources confirmed the presence of disputes between the two sides over the electricity crisis and the file of fighting corruption. Also, FPM sources said that building a strategic relationship with the Amal Movement is almost “impossible.” Member of the Strong Lebanon parliamentary bloc MP Ziad Aswad told Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday there is a big dispute between his party and the Amal over the management of the state and the means of solving its problems. “Unfortunately, the state is divided and every leader decides to manage it according to his mood,” he said.

Aoun honors officials exams' laureates
Tue 07 Aug 2018/NNA - President Michel Aoun welcomed at Baabda palace on Tuesday, the laureates at the Lebanese official exams for 2018, accompanied with their parents, in presence of Caretaker State Minister for Presidential Affairs Pierre Raffoul, and Fadi Yaraq and Hilda Khoury from the Ministry of Education and Higher Learning. Congratulating the delegation, Aoun invited them to only rely on their competence and efforts to advance, and not on cronyism. "This is what we are working on presently, despite everything we hear about the necessity of cronyism," he said. A cocktail reception was next held in honor of the laureates.

Aoun calls for UNIFIL mandate renewal amid "Israeli aggression"
Georgi Azar/Annahar/August 07/18/BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun called Tuesday for the mandate renewal of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in the country amid "continuing Israeli threats and unstable regional landscape." Aoun's comments came during his meeting with Italian Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta at the Baabda Presidential Palace, during which he asked for an extension of UNIFIL’s mandate, without "decreasing the scope of its operations or budget.""These forces play an important role in maintaining security and stability on the southern border in cooperation with the Lebanese army," Aoun said. Trenta reportedly reaffirmed her support to Lebanon, assuring Aoun of her backing of the mandate renewal while providing further assistance to Lebanon's Armed Forces in line with the promises made at the Rome II donor conference earlier this year. The Italien Defense Minister also welcomed UNIFIL's transfer of command, as outgoing UNIFIL Commander Maj. Gen. Michael Beary handed over the reigns to Italian Maj. Gen. Stefano Del Col. Last week, the United Nations Security Council similarly called for the mandate renewal which will be up at the end of the month. “Members expressed hope that a new government of national unity will be formed swiftly and look forward to the upcoming mandate renewal of UNIFIL,” said Olof Skoog, the permanent representative of Sweden to the U.N. and president of the Security Council for the month of July. The 10,500-strong United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has been stationed along the southern border since 1978 when it was charged with confirming the withdrawal of Israeli forces from a demilitarized zone between the two countries.

Aoun Meets Trenta, Affirms Need for UNIFIL Troops
Naharnet/August 07/18/President Michel Aoun received on Tuesday at Baabda Palace, Italian Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta leading a delegation of diplomats in the presence of Ambassador of Italy Massimo Mariotti. Aoun stressed the importance of the UNIFIL role in southern Lebanon, saying “the Israeli threats and regional circumstances necessitate the renewal of the UNIFIL mandate under the same conditions.” For her part, Trenta affirmed Italy’s commitment to work within the international forces in the south, expressing her country’s “support of Lebanon's request for the extension of the UNIFIL without any modification of its functions.”In July, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the appointment of Major General Stefano Del Col of Italy as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Trenta had arrived in Beirut on Monday reportedly to follow up on the progress of the Rome II conference, the ceremony where authority will be transferred from current UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Michael Beary to Del Col.

Report: Presidential Palace Plans Aoun’s Upcoming Trips to Brussels, NY, Yerevan
Naharnet/August 07/18/The Presidential Palace prepares for three trips abroad that President Michel Aoun plans to make between September and October, al-Akhbar daily reported on Tuesday. Aoun is expected to travel to Brussels on September 11 and 12 at the invitation of the European Parliament where he will deliver a speech described as "important", said the daily. He will also meet with a number of EU officials to discuss “issues of importance for Lebanon and the European Union mainly the issue of the displaced,” it added.At the end of September, Aoun is expected to travel to New York leading a delegation to the work of the General Assembly of the United Nations where he will deliver a speech. Aoun’s third planned visit will come in October to Yerevan, where he will lead the delegation of Lebanon to the seventh Francophone Summit.

Bassil Vows Campaign to 'Liberate Lebanon from Captivity'
Naharnet/August 07/18/Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil warned Tuesday that the FPM could stage a campaign to “liberate Lebanon” from what he called “political captivity.”“It's unacceptable to blackmail the new presidential tenure with the need to form a government in order to form a crippled government and we have already made concessions regarding a lot of things,” Bassil said after the weekly meeting of the Strong Lebanon bloc. “If necessary, we will not hesitate to stage a political, diplomatic and popular campaign to liberate Lebanon from the political captivity that we are witnessing,” the FPM chief added. Stressing that the FPM “has not monopolized Christian representation,” Bassil underscored that “any other sect does not have the right to monopolize representation.”“We are awaiting the formation of a government based on fair representation and on the will of the people that they reflected in the parliamentary elections,” the FPM chief went on to say. And noting that the FPM is “paying the cost of the principle of partnership,” Bassil said the new government should be “productive and not selective.”Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri was tasked with forming a new government on May 24. His mission is being hampered by political wrangling over shares, especially over Christian and Druze representation.

Bassil following 'Strong Lebanon' meeting: For a productive government respecting fair representation
Tue 07 Aug 2018/NNA - Caretaker Foreign Minister, Gebran Bassil, on Tuesday maintained that President Michel Aoun's tenure must not be "blackmailed" for the only sake of forming a new Cabinet, calling for a productive government that respects the results of the legislative elections and fair representation of parties. "The tenure cannot be blackmailed just for the sake of forming any government. We have made a lot of concessions, and if need be, we will not hesitate to venture into a political, diplomatic and popular process to free Lebanon from political detention," Bassil said following the "Strong Lebanon" parliamentary bloc's meeting. "We will not accept any government; our demand is a productive government respecting fair representation," he added. "We will work to build the state; we are still awaiting a government formed upon one standard: the will of the Lebanese people which they expressed during the parliamentary polls," he stressed.

State Ministries ‘Confront’ Private Generator Owners
Naharnet/August 07/18/Lebanon’s ministries of interior, energy and economy stressed on Tuesday that efforts will be “coordinated” and electricity meters will be installed next year to prevent “fraud” by private generator owners. In a joint press conference on the recent crisis, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq said the main goal was to “protect the rights of consumers. Our mission as interior ministry is to back each step made by each of the ministries mainly the economy and energy.”Economy Minister Raed Khoury said the State is “decisive. We have decided to cooperate with all relevant ministries to implement decisions of the ministry of economy with regard to installing electricity meters to prevent fraud by generator owners.”Khoury stressed: “We are not running in a confrontation with anyone, our main goal is to implement the law.” “We are determined to implement decisions taken regarding the crisis. We are dealing with this issue from a legal angle to protect the Lebanese citizen,” Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil said. Private generator owners have threatened to cut their services after a government memo said electricity meters will be installed to follow on energy consumption each subscriber is using.

Berri, interlocutors tackle current situation
Tue 07 Aug 2018/NNA - House Speaker, Nabih Berri, welcomed on Tuesday at his Ain al-Tineh residence a delegation of "Muslim Scholars" Gathering, with whom he discussed the current situation. Speaking in the name of the delegation, Judge Sheikh Ahmed al-Amine said that they broached with the Speaker an array of local, regional and cultural matters. The delegation congratulated the Speaker on his election as head of the Parliament, and called for a swift government formation to address standing socio-economic predicaments.
Muslim Scholars also called for including the tripartite equation "army, people and resistance" in the new government's ministerial statement, since as the Sheikh said "such an equation has proven its effectiveness in protecting Lebanon from the Zionists' greed."The delegation also underlined the importance of facilitating the return of displaced Syrians to safe areas in their homeland through coordination between the Lebanese and Syrian governments. On the other hand, Speaker Berri met with a delegation of Beirut and Sahel Conference Follow-up Committee, led by Kamal Shatila, who stressed the need for the implementation of the Constitution. Shatila hoped that Berri would succeed in his efforts to reach a balanced government embodying national entente.

Hariri Urges Parties to 'Show Modesty' instead of Blaming Him for Govt. Delay
Naharnet/August 07/18/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on Tuesday called on the political parties to “show modesty” in their demands regarding the new government as he stressed that he is not behind the ongoing delay. “They are blaming me for the delay whereas each party is clinging to its stances and demands,” Hariri told reporters ahead of a meeting for the al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc. “Everyone must show modesty and sacrifice for the sake of the country,” Hariri added. Asked about President Michel Aoun's remarks that there is a “campaign” against Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil because he is “in the lead of the presidential race,” Hariri said: “President Aoun is the president today and it is premature to talk about the presidential race.” And denying that there is an attempt to “besiege the new presidential tenure,” the PM-designate pointed out that “world powers are pressing for a speedy government formation in order to begin the rescue program of the CEDRE conference.”As for the impact of the U.S. sanctions against Iran on the formation process, Hariri said: “We are in communication with Hizbullah and, like all parties, it wants the government to be formed.” Hariri was tasked with forming a new government on May 24. His mission is being hampered by political wrangling over shares, especially over Christian and Druze representation.

Hariri Denies Trip Sought French Mediation with Saudi over Govt. Formation
Naharnet/August 07/18/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s media office denied media reports claiming that his latest visit to France was to seek French President Emmanuel Macron’s mediation with SA on the formation of Lebanon’s government. “The recent visit by Hariri was purely a family visit and did not involve any contacts or meetings with officials abroad," his office said in a statement. "Hariri’s relationship with the Saudi leadership in general and with Crown Prince (Mohammed bin Salman) in particular is an excellent, direct and fraternal relationship that does not require mediation from anyone,” it added. Media reports on Tuesday claimed that in light of lingering stalemates hampering the formation of Lebanon’s government, Hariri has requested “French mediation efforts with Saudi Arabia” to facilitate the process. Quoting what they named as prominent political sources, the reports said that according to “accurate information, Hariri’s latest trip to France was to request mediation of Macron, once again, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to facilitate the formation of the government.”However they noted that “not long ago, Macron has mediated with the Saudis for the same purpose at Hariri’s request, but it wasn’t met with a response.”France has played a mediation role back in 2017 when Hariri announced in November he was stepping down in a televised address from Riyadh, sparking rumors he was being detained against his will. After French mediation, he rescinded his resignation the following month and was named premier for a third term this month after Lebanon's first parliamentary polls in nine years. Hariri was tasked with forming a government on May 24, but he faces a number of obstacles in light of wrangling between political parties over Cabinet quotas. Ongoing struggle between the Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement over Christian representation is one of the stalemates delaying the formation. Druze leader and Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat, insists on getting the whole 3-seat Druze Cabinet share, which is strongly denounced by Druze MP Talal Arslan who also demands a share in Cabinet.

Italian Defense Minister inspects her country's UNIFIL contingent
Tue 07 Aug 2018/NNA - Italy's Defense Minister, Elisabetta Trenta, on Tuesday inspected her country's contingent operating within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at the Contingent's headquarters in Shamaa, Tyre district.
Minister Trenta was accompanied by the new UNIFIL Commander Major General Stefano del Col, Italian Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Claudio Graziano, Italian Ambassador to Lebanon, Massimo Marotti, and an Italian senior military delegation. Trenta and her accompanying delegation were greeted by the commander of the western sector of the UNIFIL, General Paolo Fabri, and a number of Italian officers and peacekeepers. Trenta and the accompanying delegation listened to a detailed explanation of the nature of the situation, the progress of the mission assigned to the Italian peacekeepers in the South, and the projects and services provided by the Office of Civilian-Military Cooperation office to the area's locals. The visiting Minister praised the Italian forces' great efforts and sacrifices for the sake of peace in Lebanon and the world. She thanked them in the name of Italy and its government and people for their sacrifices to achieve security and stability in southern Lebanon, expressing her admiration for their activities at the service of peace.

Italian Officer Assumes Command of UNIFIL
Associated Press/Naharnet/August 07/18/An Italian army officer has assumed the command of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon. Maj.-Gen. Stefano Dal Col takes over from outgoing Irish army Maj.-Gen. Michael Beary as the new head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL. The force has more than 10,000 troops deployed in southern Lebanon. The transfer of authority took place on Tuesday at a ceremony at the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, in south Lebanon. Beary in his farewell speech urged both Lebanese and Israelis to be "courageous" and head toward a diplomatic dialogue for peace. Lebanon and Israel are technically at war and the Israelis fought a destructive monthlong war against Hizbullah in 2006. Disagreements remain over the border line.

Ibrahim Reportedly Meets Zakka in Iran
Naharnet/August 07/18/General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim has paid a special visit to Iran during which he met with Lebanese detainee Nizar Zakka in his prison, a media report said. “He checked up on his situation and the latter is in good health,” LBCI television reported Tuesday. Zakka, a Lebanese citizen and U.S. permanent resident, has been detained in Iran since 2015 over spying allegations.He was sentenced in 2016 to 10 years in prison and a $4.2 million fine. Amnesty International has said Zakka had only two court hearings before the ruling and received only limited legal assistance. The closed-door tribunal handles cases involving alleged attempts to overthrow the government. Zakka, who lived in Washington and held resident status in the U.S., was the leader of the Arab ICT Organization, or IJMA3, an industry consortium from 13 countries that advocates for information technology in the region. Zakka disappeared Sept. 18, 2015, during his fifth trip to Iran. He had been invited to attend a conference at which President Hassan Rouhani spoke of providing more economic opportunities for women and sustainable development. On Nov. 3, Iranian state television aired a report saying he was in custody and calling him a spy with "deep links" with U.S. intelligence services. It also showed what it described as a damning photo of Zakka and three other men in army-style uniforms, two with flags and two with rifles on their shoulders. But that turned out to be from a homecoming event at Zakka's prep school, the Riverside Military Academy in Georgia, according to the school's president. The Associated Press has reported that Zakka's IJMA3 organization had received at least $730,000 in contracts and grants since 2009 from both the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID. Zakka's supporters had written former U.S. secretary of state John Kerry stating that Zakka traveled to Iran "with the knowledge and approval of the U.S. State Department, and his trip was funded by grants" from it. Neither American nor Lebanese officials, who the U.S. says are responsible for providing consular assistance to Zakka, have publicly acknowledged Zakka's work with the U.S. government.

Jreissati, Abdel Malak discuss judicial referrals over electoral silence violation
Tue 07 Aug 2018 /NNA - Caretaker Minister of Justice, Salim Jreissati, on Tuesday met with Head of the Electoral Supervisory Committee, Judge Nadim Abdel Malak, over the judicial referrals against a number of media means for breaking the electoral silence during the May 6 legislative polls' day. Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Jreissati said the available solutions would not be revealed today before he discussed it with the concerned media."We found that there is a way which complies with the law on one hand, and with what we called social cohesion on the other," he explained. "We will announce the solution in the nearest time possible," he indicated.

Lebanese Central Bank Says Pound Stable, Urges Fiscal Reform
Reuters/Tuesday 07th August 2018
Lebanon's pound is stable and the central bank has the means to defend its stability, central bank governor Riad Salameh said on Monday, urging fiscal reforms to reinforce monetary stability. Salameh, in an interview with Reuters, said the central bank was not concerned about the pound - pegged at its current level since 1997 - despite "a lot of rumours". "We are looking at stability on the monetary side and that stability will be reinforced if the reforms are initiated in order to bring down the budget deficit," said Salameh, who has been in the job for 25 years. Lebanon has the third largest debt-to-GDP ratio in the world, touching more than 150 percent at the end of 2017, according to the International Monetary Fund. The IMF said in June Lebanon was in need of "an immediate and substantial fiscal adjustment" to improve debt sustainability. Following an election in May, donor states are hoping for a new government that will bring down the deficit. But while Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri has vowed to implement reforms, talks on forming a new unity government have hit an impasse. Politicians have warned Lebanon faces an economic crisis. Salameh said it was not true that Lebanon was heading for a financial crisis, adding that there were rumours which aimed "to create fear" and "decrease confidence in stability". "I don't know who is behind them."
"CRITICAL ROLE"
The central bank's foreign assets stand at more than $44 billion, up from $42 billion at the end of 2017. Bank deposits are expected to go up by between 4 percent and 5 percent this year, which Salameh called "acceptable for Lebanon". Remittances, a pillar of the economy, are stable. Non-performing loans were also at a stable 3.5 percent, he said. Salameh said last month he expected bank lending to fall by 1.6 percent in 2018 on last year. "If there is a slowdown, it is related to lower growth in the economy and not to liquidity," he said. The IMF has estimated economic growth of 1-1.5 percent in 2017 and 2018. In a June statement, the IMF Executive Board said the traditional drivers of growth in Lebanon - real estate and construction - were weak and a strong rebound unlikely soon. The central bank has forecast 2 percent growth this year. The IMF board commended the central bank for its "critical role in attracting deposit inflows and effectively managing the difficult situation". Asked about the interest rate outlook, Salameh said current rates were "proper" and still provided depositors with a return after an inflation rate of around 5 percent for the year was taken into account.Private sector banks were offering higher yields to increase their deposits in Lebanese pounds, he said. In May, the government completed a $5.5 billion debt swap with the central bank, issuing Eurobonds to the central bank in exchange for Lebanese pound T Bills. Asked if there were plans for a further swap, Salameh said: "No we don't have this intention because our balance of payments is behaving relatively well. We would have hoped for more surplus. We have a slight deficit, but not to the extent that warrants a new swap operation."

Hankache: Lebanon on the Verge of Collapse Despite Reassurances
Kataeb.org/Tuesday 07th August 2018/MP Elias Hankache on Tuesday stressed the need for a rescue government in which all political groups would be working together for the country's best interest, saying that Lebanon is going through the worst phase in its history.
"What drove Lebanon to this phase is the political system, consensual democracy and the absence of accountability," he said in an interview on Future TV. Hankache highlighted the importance of neutrality as the only solution to fortify the internal Lebanese arena, noting that the country is in need of a rescue plan with sincere objectives to save the country. "Before the elections, we warned that the prevailing atmosphere and the dominance of one group over the other will lead to a state of imbalance and a tug-of-war in the Parliament," he said. Hanckache stressed that the Kataeb Party is not striving for any ministerial or parliamentary seat, adding that it is committed to its legacy, integrity and work ethics to serve the people and their interests. “Lebanon is on the verge of collapse regardless of all the reassurances we’ve been hearing. The upcoming government will likely be a miniature replica of the Parliament; this means that there will be no accountability,” Hankache said.

Lebanon’s garbage problem: No time to waste
Georgi Azar and Zeina Nasser/Annahar/August 07/18
BEIRUT: The present waste crisis, which can be traced back to the start of the civil war, is a distinctly Lebanese fable at this point.
From unending trash pile-ups to random dumping, the country’s inability to properly deal with its waste output has continuously made international headlines.
“Disposing of the garbage at the height of the 2015 trash crisis should not have taken more than two months,” Rashed Sarkis, member of the ministerial committee tasked with monitoring the sustainable waste management plan, told Annahar. Faced with increasing garbage production, and mounting public pressure, authorities have resorted to a bevy of bandage solutions ever since protesters took to the streets under the smoldering sun in June 2015. The failure to implement a comprehensive framework for effective waste management has led to the creation of ad hoc, unprotected dumps across the coastline leaching into the sea, with the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute decrying high concentrations of chemical and bacterial contamination, including large levels of mercury, copper, lead, and cadmium. “Our crisis is due to mismanagement and political infighting, and not stemming from a technical standpoint,” Samar Khalil, an environmental management specialist and member of the waste management coalition, told Annahar. In 2006 she says, a $400 million plan was proposed to adopt sorting and composting facilities in all districts with landfills at the governorate level but was deemed too expensive by authorities who blamed the lack of funding. Yet four years later, in 2010, authorities first touted the implementation of waste to energy plants, i.e incinerators, costing a total of $1.2 billion for the whole project, Khalil explains.
For decades, Lebanon has been producing more waste than it could manage, with a 2015 study showing an estimated 1550 tons generated per day in Beirut and Mount Lebanon alone. Years before the waste crisis spilled into the streets in 2015, officials untenably relied on the Naameh landfill in southern Beirut which opened in 1997 with a seven-year time span and a two million ton quota.
18 years and four extensions later, and over 15 million tons of garbage, it was finally shut down resulting in trash pile-ups across middle-class to upper-class neighborhoods and suburbs, which culminated in duly yet short-lived protests demanding accountability. Despite the European Union’s efforts to upgrade solid waste management capacities nationwide by constructing six treatment plants for solid waste and eight sanitary landfills, as well as Germany’s $1.8 million for quality waste collection equipment for 25 municipalities, Lebanon still finds itself unable to deal with an ever-widening and increasingly dangerous supply of trash. Fast forward three years, and the proposed solution making rounds again is a giant incinerator in the capital Beirut, touted by officials as a win-win situation to deal with both the trash crisis and the lackluster energy deficit. “None of the areas in Lebanon will be safe from these incinerators, this is a massive killing process affecting everyone living here,” Dr. Najat Saliba, another member of the waste management coalition, told Annahar.
An incinerator model designed by Quality Control Inspector and activist Raja Noujaim. (HO)
Incineration is currently being prophesied as the ultimate solution to the country’s tug and pull with its own waste, despite harsh concerns from health and environmental authorities, and residents. Although high-temperature incineration of industrial and household waste to generate electricity is common in Scandinavia and Germany - yet becoming increasingly phased out across Europe - it simply isn’t the right fit for Lebanon for a number of reasons, experts say. The reality, says Khalil, is that Lebanon simply doesn’t meet the requisite requirements for burning its trash, be it due to its composition, or simply the necessary governance to do it safely in accordance with international norms. When taking into account the fact that not all trash can be burned, i.g metals, glass and other inert materials, and that 63 percent of Beirut’s waste is organic, resorting to incineration becomes all the more nonsensical.
“Organic waste is of low calorific value, it is not combustible and you can’t burn it to create energy,” Khalil says. To create energy by burning waste, the calorific value of waste should range between 8 to 9 Megajoules per Kilogram, whereas Lebanon’s waste contains less than 6 Megajoules given its excessive watery composition; it lowers the temperature in the furnace and significantly increases the levels of dangerous exhausts and air pollutants.
To sustain combustion, organic waste must be either dried, which entails excessive and unsustainable spending, or burned with valuable recyclables, including plastic and paper.
Failing to incinerate the proper materials will lead to the production of excess volumes of toxic fluid and ash which will be released into the atmosphere and inhaled by residents within a radius of four kilometers, namely in Ashrafieh, Bourj Hammoud, Hazmieh, and Baabda.
Further complicating things is the dysfunction at the municipality level, paving the way for residential waste to be lumped together with its hazardous industrial and medical counterparts, leading to the emission of both toxic “bottom and fly ash,” the latter which contains large amounts of heavy metals and dioxins with improper disposal causing serious environmental and human health hazards.
“Fly ash needs to be disposed of in specialized landfills which are currently nonexistent,” Khalil says, stressing that exporting it is unlikely given the framework set by the Basel convention. “It is not possible to export waste for final disposal,” she says. Bottom ash meanwhile, part of the non-combustible residue of combustion in a furnace or incinerator, must be properly treated before possibly being used for the production of asphalt or cement. Add to that the lack of governmental framework and independent authority capable of monitoring such a wide-scale project, and Lebanon is gearing up toward an-all out environmental disaster. “The legal framework is somewhat there, but the main problem lies in actually enforcing the law,” Khalil told Annahar. The environmental track record of the public sector in managing and maintaining similar services leaves much to be desired, from “power production to wastewater management.”“How can we trust this system,” she asks.
The controversial plan has also brought the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) into the fold, who has been criticized by environmentalists for backing the plan. According to Khalil, the UNDP first proposed the idea in 2010 and has been pushing for the adoption ever since, with Suleiman Jaber, a Beirut Municipality representative, explicitly calling the agency a “provider” of the waste management solution last week during an interview on local broadcasting channel OTV. But both publicly and privately, the UNDP has attempted to distance itself from the squabble, assertions that Khalil and other environmentalists have taken with a grain of salt. “We’ve held talks with UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Philippe Lazzarini and UNDP country director Celine Moyrouhad who maintained that they are not policymakers and are merely advising the government, but this is not true,” she says.
Meanwhile, Saliba decried the UNDP’s lack of effort in “taking a stand against the incinerators, while failing to convince the government of the need to establish the necessary infrastructure to manage the solid waste within a green environmental framework.” Last week, the plan to push ahead with the incinerator, expected to be built in Mdawwar near Bourj Hammoud, was momentarily delayed after members of Sabaa blocked the entrance to Beirut’s municipality. Officials were scheduled to move forward and sign the tender terms which stipulate the criteria Beirut must meet before incinerators can be established, ushering in bids from international companies that wish to undertake the project. Sabaa member and MP Paula Yacoubian led the charge against the incinerator, holding a press conference during which she highlighted the many dangers it poses on the health and wellbeing of residents.
“Our waste is not suitable for combustion, and it will lead to further air pollution and the release of toxic materials,” she said.
The independent political party also called for a public debate between members of the municipality and opponents of the plan to raise awareness on the issue, before a referendum or opinion poll is held to permit Beirut’s constituency to vote on the proposal. The solution, experts say, lies with citizens sorting at the source, with some form of administrative decentralization and an emphasis on the circular economy. Waste minimization, cooperation between the industrial sector to reduce waste, and a shift in the Lebanese psyche are of the utmost importance, experts say. Despite Lebanon’s waste problem being multi-faceted, progress can be made through active sorting to increase the quality of possible compost derived, and recycling in order to decrease the amount of unusable waste. Separating at the household level organic materials from recyclables will maximize the value-producing aspects of waste (recycling and composting) while also significantly decreasing the toxic side-effects of haphazard disposal, experts argue. The touted incinerator is expected to carry an initial $250,000 million price tag while taking in between 750 and 1200 tons per day, bringing the cost per ton to around $200.
“If Mr. Itani [Mayor of Beirut Jamal Itani] is ignorant of the dangers of establishing an incinerator, we, fortunately, are not,” Raja Njeim, a quality control inspector and activist, told Annahar.

The Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 07-08/18

Intelligence Source: Mossad Assassinated Syrian Chemical Weapons' Scientist

من الجيرازولم بوست/مصادر مخابراتية: الموساد اغتال عالم الأسلحة الكيماوي السوري اسبر عزيز
Jerusalem Post/August 07/18

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/66597/jerusalem-post-intelligence-source-mossad-assassinated-syrian-chemical-weapons-scientist-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b2%d9%88%d9%84%d9%85-%d8%a8%d9%88%d8%b3%d8%aa-%d9%85/

A Middle Eastern intelligence official told the "New York Times" that he believed the reason for the assassination was Asbar's involvement in Syria's missile program.
The Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency, was responsible for the assassination of Syrian scientist Dr. Aziz Asbar in a car bomb on Saturday, a senior Middle Eastern intelligence official told The New York Times.
The official confirmed this incident, along with three other assassinations on foreign soil in a report published in the Times on Monday. The Middle Eastern intelligence official added that he believed the reason for the assassination was Asbar's involvement in Syria's missile program, even before the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011. While Syria and Hezbollah quickly pointed fingers at the Jewish State, Israel, which does not respond to foreign media reports, had no comment on the assassination. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman downplayed the possibility of Israeli involvement, telling Channel 2 news that, “Every day in the Middle East there are hundreds of explosions and settling of scores.

Every time they try to place the blame on us. So we won’t take this too seriously.”"Assuming that he was indeed involved in terrorist activity, I welcome his departure from the world," said Intelligence Minister Israel Katz regarding the New York Times report, in an interview with Army radio Tuesday. However, according to the intelligence source, the Mossad had been tracking Asbar for a long time. Dr. Aziz Asbar, one of the directors of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC), was killed along with his personal driver as they left Asbar’s home. According to Hezbollah’s al-Manar news site, Asbar headed Department 4 at the center, which focuses on the development of all of Syria’s ballistic missile and rocket programs.

The department is also in charge of Institute 4000 which has several chemical-weapons programs.
Asbar was involved in the manufacturing of chemical weapons including Sarin gas, despite Syria agreeing to dismantle its chemical weapons stockpiles in 2013, according to Western officials, Israeli officials have raised concerns in the past about the transfer of advanced weaponry from Iran to Hezbollah. Israel reportedly struck the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center several times, most recently on July 22, when Arab media reported that Israeli jets hit the one of the center’s arms production sites. Israel is also believed to have struck the presumed base of the Syrian Arab Army’s secretive Unit 450, a branch of the Center which works on the Assad regime’s chemical weapons program. Western intelligence agencies and Syrian opposition figures alleged that Unit 450 had been dispersing chemical weapons stockpiles around the country, as well as to Hezbollah.

Israel Minister Welcomes Syria Scientist Killing
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 07/18

Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz on Tuesday welcomed the killing of a leading Syrian weapons scientist but declined to comment on reports his government was behind the fatal bombing. General Aziz Asbar, head of a Syrian government weapons research centre, was killed along with his driver when the bomb hit his car on Saturday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The pro-government Al-Watan newspaper confirmed the killing in the central province of Hama. Asbar headed the Maysaf research centre in Hama, which was hit by Israeli air strikes last month and in September last year, the Observatory said. The New York Times on Monday quoted "a senior official from a Middle Eastern intelligence agency" as saying that Israel was behind the assassination. "We don't of course comment on reports of this kind and I'm not going to comment now," Katz told Israeli army radio. "I can say that assuming the details of this man's activities are correct and he was engaged in developing chemical weapons and longer-range missiles capable of hitting Israel, I certainly welcome his demise."An Israeli air strike targeted the research centre on July 22, Syrian state media and the Observatory reported. An Israeli military spokesman declined to comment. A September 2017 strike caused damage to the centre, when fire broke out at a warehouse where missiles were being stored, the Observatory said. Israel has carried out numerous strikes inside Syria since 2017, according to the Observatory, targeting government forces and their allies from Iran and Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah. Early 2017 marked the low point for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his country's now seven-year-old civil war with his authority confined to just 17 percent of national territory. A succession of victories since then over both the Islamic State group and various rebel factions has extended government control to nearly two-thirds of the country.

Despite US sanctions, Tehran steps up quest for dialogue with Trump administration
DEBKAfile/August 07/18/A key sentence signaled Tehran’s quest for diplomacy in Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s bitter diatribe over re-imposed sanctions on Monday, Aug. 6: ”The US must first prove itself willing to solve problems through negotiations after its withdrawal from the JCPOA,” he said
Rouhani spoke in a televised address to the nation hours before the devastating US sanctions went to effect, calling them “psychological warfare against the Iranian nation to create divisions among the people.”That key sentence, say DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources, represented the burden of the reply secret Iranian agents have been carrying to Washington in past weeks. Even in the face of the economic chaos created by the looming sanctions, the Iranians have been seeking terms for direct or indirect talks with the US on a renegotiated nuclear deal. Our sources report that Washington has neither rejected these feelers nor given Tehran a clear go-ahead – as White House did before Trump’s summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un last month. The Americans may be waiting for the sanctions to take full effect before agreeing to sit down formally with the Iranians.

Syrian Regime Forces Deploy in Suweida’s Desert
Beirut, London, Damascus - Nazeer Rida, Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 7 August, 2018/Syrian regime forces deployed Monday deep in the Suweida desert after making advances in positions and hills previously controlled by ISIS terrorists. The large-scale military operation currently targets a small ISIS pocket in the eastern Suweida desert, from where the terrorist group carried out two weeks ago a series of attacks on several Druze villages that killed more than 250 people, mostly civilians. Last week, ISIS executed a 19-year-old boy from al-Shabaki village, who was among more than 30 children and women abducted during its attacks on the area. Negotiations between ISIS and the regime have so far failed to secure the release of the hostages in exchange of the safe passage of the group from the Yarmouk basin in the southwest to the Suweida desert. Fears emerged on Monday about the possibility that the terrorist group would execute other hostages in the coming days. State news agency SANA said regime forces were deployed on all frontlines leading to the desert region. Separately, the Syrian regime announced the creation of a coordination committee tasked with securing the return of refugees home. The cabinet "agreed to create a coordination body for the return of those displaced abroad to their cities and villages," SANA said. It explained the committee "will take the necessary measures to settle the status of all those who were displaced and secure their return as security and basic services return to different regions.”However, the announcement was marred by reports spread on social media networks, saying that Jamil al-Hassan, head of the regime Air Force Intelligence Directorate had threatened to eradicate Syrians who opposed the regime. Hassan, known as the “old assassin” for his bloody history, was previously sanctioned by the European Union on the grounds that he was "involved in violence against the civilian population" during the Syrian war.

First Phase of US Sanctions Re-Imposed on Iran
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 7 August, 2018/The first phase of re-imposed US sanctions took effect on Tuesday under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump. The sanctions financial transactions that involve US dollars, Iran's automotive sector, the purchase of commercial planes and metals including gold. A second round of sanctions targeting Iran's oil sector and central bank are to be reimposed on November 4. The stiff economic sanctions ratchet up pressure on Tehran despite statements of deep dismay from European allies, three months after Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 deal that limited Iran's nuclear activities. Trump declared the landmark 2015 agreement had been "horrible," leaving the Iranian government flush with cash to fuel conflict in the Middle East.As the sanctions loomed Monday, Trump said in a statement, "We urge all nations to take such steps to make clear that the Iranian regime faces a choice: either change its threatening, destabilizing behavior and reintegrate with the global economy, or continue down a path of economic isolation." He warned that those who will not wind down their economic ties to Iran "risk severe consequences."The Europeans did not like any of it. Despite Trump's claims, the accord "is working and delivering on its goal" of limiting Iran's nuclear program, said a statement by European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The ministers said the Iran deal is "crucial for the security of Europe, the region and the entire world," and the European Union issued a "blocking statute" Monday to protect European businesses from the impact of the sanctions.
A senior administration official, briefing reporters under ground rules requiring anonymity, said the United States is "not particularly concerned" by EU efforts to protect European firms from the sanctions. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that his country still can rely on China and Russia to keep its oil and banking sectors afloat. Speaking in a television interview, he also demanded compensation for decades of American "intervention" in Iran. Months of uncertainty surrounding the sanctions have already further hurt Iran's economy. The country's rial currency has tanked, and the downturn has sparked protests across the nation. US officials insisted the American government stands with the people of Iran and supports many of their complaints against their own government. National security adviser John Bolton said Iran's leadership is on "very shaky ground," but he insisted economic pressure from the Trump administration is not an attempt at "regime change."Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said sanctions are an important pillar in US policy toward Iran and will remain in place until the Iranian government radically changes course."They've got to behave like a normal country. That's the ask. It's pretty simple," said Pompeo, en route Sunday from a three-nation trip to Southeast Asia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a firm foe of the Iranian government, said the sanctions symbolize "the determination to block Iran's regional aggression as well as its continuous plans to arm itself with nuclear weapons." He called on the countries of Europe to join the US, saying, "The time has come to stop talking; the time has come to do."The US has long designated Iran as the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism, Pompeo noted Sunday, adding that Tehran cannot expect to be treated as an equal in the international community until it halts such activities. He said that "there's no evidence today of a change in their behavior," and in the meantime "we're going to enforce the sanctions."

Trump Says Sanctions Reinstated Against Iran for 'World Peace'
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 7 August, 2018/The first set of US sanctions against Iran that had been eased under the landmark nuclear accord went back into effect early Tuesday under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, targeting financial transactions that involve US dollars, Iran's automotive sector, the purchase of commercial planes and metals including gold. More US sanctions targeting Iran's oil sector and central bank are to be reimposed in early November. In an early-morning tweet, Trump said "The Iran sanctions have officially been cast. These are the most biting sanctions ever imposed, and in November they ratchet up to yet another level." "Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States. I am asking for WORLD PEACE, nothing less."The stiff economic sanctions ratchet up pressure on the Islamic Republic, three months after Trump pulled the US out of the international accord limiting Iran's nuclear activities. Trump declared the landmark 2015 agreement had been "horrible," leaving the Iranian government flush with cash to fuel conflict in the Middle East. Trump's contempt for the nuclear deal dates back to his time as presidential candidate and on May 8, he made good on a pledge to pull America out of the international agreement.The unilateral withdrawal came despite other parties to the agreement pleading with Trump not to abandon the pact aimed at blocking Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Iran accused the US of reneging on the nuclear agreement, signed by the Obama administration, and of causing recent Iranian economic unrest. As the sanctions loomed Monday, Trump said in a statement, "We urge all nations to take such steps to make clear that the Iranian regime faces a choice: either change its threatening, destabilizing behavior and reintegrate with the global economy, or continue down a path of economic isolation."Trump warned that those who don't wind down their economic ties to Iran "risk severe consequences." Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran still can rely on China and Russia to keep its oil and banking sectors afloat. Speaking in a television interview, he also demanded compensation for decades of American "intervention" in the Islamic Republic. Months of uncertainty surrounding the sanctions have already further hurt Iran's economy. The country's rial currency has tanked, and the downturn has sparked protests across the nation. US officials insisted the American government stands with the people of Iran and supports many of their complaints against their own government. National security adviser John Bolton said Iran's leadership is on "very shaky ground," but he insisted economic pressure from the Trump administration is not an attempt at "regime change."Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said sanctions are an important pillar in US policy toward Iran and will remain in place until the Iranian government radically changes course. "They've got to behave like a normal country. That's the ask. It's pretty simple," said Pompeo, en route Sunday from a three-nation trip to Southeast Asia. The US has long designated Iran as the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism, Pompeo noted Sunday, adding that it cannot expect to be treated as an equal in the international community until it halts such activities. He said that "there's no evidence today of a change in their behavior," and in the meantime "we're going to enforce the sanctions."

Saudi Shura Council Slams Canada's Blatant Meddling in Kingdom’s Judiciary
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 7 August, 2018/The General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars (CSC), or Shura Council, condemned on Monday Canada's meddling in the judiciary of Saudi Arabia, reported the Saudi Press Agency. It stressed that Saudi Arabia is a fully sovereign Kingdom that derives its system of rule from the holy Quran and Prophetic Sunnah. This is based on promoting justice, national unity and preventing all attempts to stir strife, it added. It also protects human rights in accordance with Islamic Sharia law and provides security for all citizens and residents on its territory. "The judiciary in the Kingdom is an independent authority and nothing, but Islamic law, has power over judges,” it said. “No one shall be allowed to challenge judicial verdicts demanding the release of an accused under investigation in accordance with the Public Prosecution,” it continued. In this regard, the Shura Council rejected Canada's stance which it described as “blatant interference to influence the criminal justice system”. It also added that the Kingdom has been taking and will continue to take all measures to ensure social peace, fight crime and achieve justice.It is keen on realizing these goals while completely respecting the rights and dignity of man, as stipulated by its laws and it will maintain its sovereignty and defend its territories and values, it vowed.

Iranians Blame Government, Not US Sanctions, for Poor Economy
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 7 August, 2018/As the first phase of re-imposed US sanctions took effect on Tuesday, many Iranians blamed their government, not Washington, for their country’s deteriorating economy. Despite days of protests and strikes across the country, there appeared to be less unrest on Tuesday -- although that said little about the depth of despair, particularly among poorer sections of society, reported Agence France Presse. "I feel like my life is being destroyed. The economic situation right now means that the working class must die," said Ali Paphi, a construction worker. "Sanctions are already badly affecting people's lives. I can't afford to buy food, pay the rent... No one cares about workers." Much of the damage was already done in the weeks preceding the return of sanctions, as US President Donald Trump's aggressive rhetoric spooked investors and triggered a run on the rial. That only added to deep-seated problems of corruption, a chaotic banking system and rampant unemployment after decades of mismanagement. "Prices have been increasing for three or four months and everything we need has become so expensive, even before sanctions returned," said Yasaman, a 31-year-old photographer in Tehran. Like many in the capital, he believes Iran's leaders will be forced to return to the negotiating table, as Trump hopes. "I hope it will happen one day. Most people believe the politicians will have to drink 'the poison cup' eventually," said Yasaman according to AFP. Most Iranians have tuned out the endless US hostility, with which they have lived for four decades, so their anger is mostly directed at their own leaders. "Prices are rising again, but the reason is government corruption, not US sanctions," said Ali, a 35-year-old decorator. Like many, he sees President Hassan Rouhani as powerless to improve things. "He can't solve the problems. It's been shown several times that he is not the decision-maker in this country. Our problem is our representatives and system," he added. Wealthier and educated Iranians have also lost hope, but they have an option to leave -- even if it weighs heavy on the heart. Sogand, a young Iranian-American, came to live in Iran for the first time five years ago and had enjoyed the thaw in international tensions that accompanied the nuclear deal. But in recent months, she grew worried about her status as a dual national -- several have been arrested on espionage charges in Iran -- and decided it was time to get out. "I feel ashamed for abandoning my colleagues during this economic crisis. I feel guilty for having the resources to leave so quickly in front of my friends," she said according to AFP. "(But) the economic destabilization and the unraveling of any and all financial prospects in this country was the nail on the coffin."

Exclusive: Tehran Sends Hamza Bin Laden to Afghanistan
London- Mohammed al-ShafeiAsharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 7 August, 2018/Sources close to the family of Osama bin Laden told Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday that Iran lately interfered to send bin Laden’s son, Hamza, who lived with his mother in Tehran, to Afghanistan and not to Saudi Arabia, where the rest of his sons are staying. “A number of bin Laden’s sons, their wives and their sons already returned from Tehran to Saudi Arabia,” the sources confirmed. Hamza is the son of Khairiah Sabar, one of bin Laden's three surviving wives. Omar, 37, the fourth son of the former Al Qaeda leader told Asharq Al-Awsat that five of his brothers and sisters from his mother Najwa al-Ghanem, the first wife of bin Laden, were staying in Tehran. Omar exerted efforts to secure that his brothers and sisters leave Tehran. Those who have returned home are: Mohammed, Bakr, Fatimah, Iman and Othman. “Contacts with high-ranking officials in Saudi Arabia facilitated their return home,” he said. Omar explained that history would have changed had Iran allowed his brother Hamza to leave the country and travel to Saudi Arabia or Qatar. “He wouldn’t be chased after,” he said. Separately, Omar confirmed that his brother is now married to the daughter of Abu Mohammed al-Masri, denying reports that emerged in the past few days saying that Hamza has recently married a daughter of the lead 9/11 plane hijacker. Some media outlets previously speculated she could be an Egyptian national in her late teens or early 20s, the daughter of Mohammed Atta, one of the leaders of the 9/11 attack and who personally rammed the northern tower of World Trade Center in New York City. “He married neither the daughter of Mohammed Atta nor Mohammed Islambouli (a US-designated terrorist),” he said. Masri is the second in command in Al Qaeda and is wanted by the US for his alleged role in the 1998 embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya. Masri lived in Iran before he was released with five of Al Qaeda leaders in exchange for an Iranian diplomat who had been kidnapped in Yemen. Bin Laden was shot by US Navy Seals during a raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan in 2011.

Israeli Strike Kills 2 Hamas Militants in Gaza
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 07/18/An Israeli strike on Tuesday killed two militants of the Gaza Strip's ruling Hamas movement after shots were fired at soldiers, Gazan and Israeli officials said. Hamas's military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed in a statement that the dead men were its fighters and named them as Ahmed Murjan and Abdel-Hafez al-Silawi. An Israeli military statement, apparently referring to the same incident, said that the army returned fire after shots were fired at its soldiers from a Hamas post in the northern Gaza Strip, next to the border with Israel. Palestinian sources said that the Israeli attack was in the north of the strip but they said it was a drone strike, while the Israeli statement said that it was tank fire. A video distributed by the Israeli army appeared to show a tank striking a military post in the Gaza Strip. The military said it was prepared "to target any aggression against Israel and holds Hamas responsible for everything happening in and from the Gaza Strip." It added that no Israeli troops were injured in the exchange. Since Palestinian protests and clashes along the Gaza border erupted at the end of March, at least 160 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire. One Israeli soldier has been shot dead by a Palestinian sniper. The protests call for Palestinians to be able to return to the land they or their families fled or were expelled from in the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel. Israel says any such return would mean the end of it as a Jewish state. Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas have fought three wars with Israel since 2008. The United Nations and Egypt are currently trying to secure a deal between Israel and Hamas for a lasting truce.

Saudi Arabia, Canada Row over Jailed Activists Ramps Up
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 07/18/Saudi Arabia and Canada on Monday showed no signs of backing down in an escalating row over human rights, after Riyadh abruptly cut ties over Ottawa's vigorous calls for the release of activists jailed in the kingdom.
The Saudi government expelled Canada's ambassador, giving him 24 hours to leave the country, and recalled its own envoy to Ottawa, while freezing all new trade over what it slammed as "interference" in its internal affairs. Ottawa did not give any ground over the shock expulsion of the envoy, Dennis Horak, with Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland saying Canada would continue to defend human rights around the world. The rupture, which underscores a newly aggressive foreign policy led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, comes after Canada denounced a new crackdown on women and human rights campaigners in the kingdom. "The kingdom announces that it is recalling its ambassador to Canada for consultation. We consider the Canadian ambassador to the kingdom persona non grata and order him to leave within the next 24 hours," the Saudi foreign ministry tweeted early Monday. The ministry also announced "the freezing of all new trade and investment transactions with Canada while retaining its right to take further action". Later Monday, the row appeared to escalate as Riyadh said it will relocate thousands of Saudi students studying in Canada to other countries, and state airline Saudia announced it was suspending flights to and from Toronto. A pro-government Saudi Twitter account provoked outrage when it posted -— and then deleted -— a 9/11-style digitally altered image showing a plane flying towards the Toronto skyline. The account later apologised and the image was reposted with the plane removed, but screenshots of the original tweet spread quickly. Saudi Arabia's media ministry said it was investigating the incident. Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Saudi Arabia "will deal with any interference decisively", dismissing Canada's position as "built on misleading information", in a statement carried by state media. Last week, Canada said it was "gravely concerned" over the new wave of arrests of rights campaigners, including award-winning gender rights activist Samar Badawi, and called on Riyadh to "immediately release them."Canada doubled down on Monday. "Canada will always stand up for human rights, in Canada and around the world, and women's rights are human rights," Freeland told an audience in Vancouver. - 'Unprecedented crackdown' -Samar was arrested along with fellow campaigner Nassima al-Sadah last week, the latest victims of what Human Rights Watch called an "unprecedented government crackdown on the women's rights movement". Samar's brother, blogger Raif Badawi, was arrested in 2012 and sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail for "insulting Islam" in a case that sparked an international outcry.
The latest arrests come weeks after more than a dozen women's rights campaigners were detained and accused of undermining national security and collaborating with enemies of the state. Some have since been released. Prince Mohammed, heir to the region's most powerful throne, has introduced a string of reforms such as lifting a decades-long ban on women drivers in a bid to overhaul the kingdom's austere image. But the 32-year-old has simultaneously pursued a combative foreign policy -- including leading a blockade of neighbouring Qatar and a bombing campaign against Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen -- while cracking down on dissent at home. The United Arab Emirates, a strong regional ally, supported the Saudi response to Canada, with a senior government official calling Ottawa's behavior "unacceptable."

- Defence contract in peril? -In April, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his "serious concern" over the continued jailing of Raif Badawi to Saudi King Salman. Badawi's wife Ensaf Haidar has been granted asylum by Canada, where she is raising their three children. "It is now time for other governments to join Canada in increasing the pressure on Saudi Arabia to release all prisoners of conscience immediately and unconditionally," said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East campaigns director. But Riyadh's singling out of Canada is aimed at strongly discouraging other critical Western governments from speaking out, observers say. "Canada is easier to cut ties with than the rest," Bessma Momani, a professor at Canada's University of Waterloo, told AFP.
"There isn't a strong bilateral trade relationship and poking the Trudeau government likely resonates with Saudi's hawkish regional allies. At jeopardy are the... thousands of Saudi students in Canada."Bilateral trade amounts to CAN $3-4 billion (US $2.3-3.1 billion) a year, according to Thomas Juneau, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa. But the damage could be more significant if a $15 billion deal agreed in 2014 for Canada to sell Riyadh light armoured vehicles is scrapped, as thousands of jobs in Canada could be lost, Juneau said. When asked about the contract, Freeland said the government "looks forward" to hearing from Riyadh about the future of the deal.

Once-Eased US Economic Sanctions against Iran Back in Effect
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 07/18/The first set of U.S. sanctions against Iran that had been eased under the landmark nuclear accord went back into effect early Tuesday under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, targeting financial transactions that involve U.S. dollars, Iran's automotive sector, the purchase of commercial planes and metals including gold. U.S sanctions targeting Iran's oil sector and central bank are to be reimposed in early November. The stiff economic sanctions ratchet up pressure on the Islamic Republic despite statements of deep dismay from European allies, three months after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the international accord limiting Iran's nuclear activities. Trump declared the landmark 2015 agreement had been "horrible," leaving the Iranian government flush with cash to fuel conflict in the Middle East. Iran accused the U.S. of reneging on the nuclear agreement, signed by the Obama administration, and of causing recent Iranian economic unrest. European allies said they "deeply regret" the U.S. action. As the sanctions loomed Monday, Trump said in a statement, "We urge all nations to take such steps to make clear that the Iranian regime faces a choice: either change its threatening, destabilizing behavior and reintegrate with the global economy, or continue down a path of economic isolation."Trump warned that those who don't wind down their economic ties to Iran "risk severe consequences."The Europeans didn't like any of it. Despite Trump's claims, the accord "is working and delivering on its goal" of limiting Iran's nuclear program, said a statement by European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The ministers said the Iran deal is "crucial for the security of Europe, the region and the entire world," and the European Union issued a "blocking statute" Monday to protect European businesses from the impact of the sanctions. A senior administration official, briefing reporters under ground rules requiring anonymity, said the United States is "not particularly concerned" by EU efforts to protect European firms from the sanctions. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran still can rely on China and Russia to keep its oil and banking sectors afloat. Speaking in a television interview, he also demanded compensation for decades of American "intervention" in the Islamic Republic. Months of uncertainty surrounding the sanctions have already further hurt Iran's economy. The country's rial currency has tanked, and the downturn has sparked protests across the nation. The "Trump Administration wants the world to believe it's concerned about the Iranian people," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a statement posted to Twitter. But, he said, the reimposed sanctions would endanger "ordinary Iranians.""US hypocrisy knows no bounds," he said. U.S. officials insisted the American government stands with the people of Iran and supports many of their complaints against their own government. National security adviser John Bolton said Iran's leadership is on "very shaky ground," but he insisted economic pressure from the Trump administration is not an attempt at "regime change."Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said sanctions are an important pillar in U.S. policy toward Iran and will remain in place until the Iranian government radically changes course. "They've got to behave like a normal country. That's the ask. It's pretty simple," said Pompeo, en route Sunday from a three-nation trip to Southeast Asia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a firm foe of the Iranian government, said the sanctions symbolize "the determination to block Iran's regional aggression as well as its continuous plans to arm itself with nuclear weapons." He called on the countries of Europe to join the U.S., saying, "The time has come to stop talking; the time has come to do." The U.S has long designated Iran as the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism, Pompeo noted Sunday, adding that the Islamic Republic cannot expect to be treated as an equal in the international community until it halts such activities. He said that "there's no evidence today of a change in their behavior," and in the meantime "we're going to enforce the sanctions."

U.N. Hails 'Credible' Iraq Vote Recount
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 07/18/The United Nations on Monday hailed Iraq's "credible" vote recount, which paves the way for a government to be formed nearly three months after polls. Iraq's May 12 parliamentary elections were marred by allegations of fraud, prompting the country's supreme court to order a partial manual recount. As an official announced the checks had concluded, the U.N. said it had observed the recount and found it to be "conducted in a manner that is credible, professional and transparent.""We are very pleased that it's been concluded and we look forward to the next steps in this process towards the formation of the new government," said a statement by Alice Walpole, a U.N. envoy to Iraq. Iraqi officials have not specified when the results will be announced, after which lawmakers will take their seats in parliament, elect a president and begin the process for forming a government. Judge Laith Hamza, spokesman for the electoral commission, said Monday the recount "in all polling stations in Iraq and abroad where complaints were registered has ended". The commission decided not to undertake such checks for Al-Russafa, one of the largest voting districts in eastern Baghdad, where a fire in June ripped through Iraq's biggest ballot warehouse. In the arson attack "882 ballot boxes entirely went up in smoke", Hamza said in a statement, despite authorities at the time suggesting the votes were saved. Three police officers and an electoral commission employee were arrested over the blaze. "The official results will be announced shortly," said Imad Jamil, responsible for the vote in Al-Russafa. The recount will not however change the balance of power in the new parliament. Each list should keep the same number of seats announced in May, but the lawmakers elected could be modified, according to experts. When results were initially announced in May, the anti-graft alliance of nationalist cleric Moqtada Sadr had won the largest number of seats. The election saw a record low turnout of 44.5 percent, with many Iraqis disillusioned by the political class. Iraq has seen a month of unrest since protests erupted in the south of the country and spread to Baghdad, with demonstrators rallying against a lack of public services and jobs.

Iconic Iron Bridge Reopens in Iraq's Fallujah
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 07/18/The iron bridge in Iraq's ex-flashpoint city Fallujah, from whose girders the bodies of four U.S. private security agents were hanged in 2004, has reopened after its destruction by jihadists. The U.N. Development Program announced the reopening of the "iconic landmark", which was inaugurated in 1932 by King Faisal, completing a project launched last October. The $1.3 million venture was coordinated with the Iraqi government and supported by the Netherlands, the United Nations said on Sunday. Work on the 270-meter (yard) bridge was stopped in February when explosives were discovered below its waterline and on the riverbank, the U.N. said, adding that specialized scuba divers disposed of the material. The single-lane bridge gained notoriety a year after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, in an attack on four members of the American security firm Blackwater on March 31, 2004. Insurgents beat up the Americans, burnt their bodies and hanged them from the girders of the bridge. The grisly killings triggered the first battle of Fallujah launched by the U.S. military. In June 2015, the Islamic State group hanged an Iraqi soldier from the bridge. The jihadist group at the end of that year blew up the bridge, which straddles the Euphrates river to link the two banks of the city, to keep out the Iraqi army. The city, 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of Baghdad, was fully retaken from extremists on June 26, 2016.

NATO Probing Reports Nine Afghan Police Killed in US Air Strike
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 07/18/NATO is investigating reports that at least nine Afghan police officers were killed in a US air strike during heavy fighting with the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan, its mission said Tuesday. Afghan officials have confirmed the deaths, with interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi saying nine police were killed and 14 wounded in the aerial bombardment in Azra district of Logar province. During the hours-long battle with insurgents overnight, police "called in air support but unfortunately foreign forces mistakenly bombed their positions", Rahimi said. The Taliban also suffered heavy losses, he added. Provincial council chief Hamidullah Hamid told AFP "foreign forces" had mistakenly bombed two police checkpoints and killed "about 15 police". Resolute Support, NATO's mission in Afghanistan, confirmed US forces had conducted an air strike "in defense of Afghan forces" in Azra district but did not mention casualties. "We are looking into the matter further," spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Martin O'Donnell told AFP. The US is the only international force known to be carrying out air strikes in Afghanistan. The Afghan air force also carries out some attacks. There are about 14,000 US ground troops in Afghanistan, making up the bulk of NATO's mission to support and train local forces. Some of the US forces are involved in counter-terrorism operations, particularly against the Islamic State jihadist group.

Boko Haram Kills Seven Villagers in NE Nigeria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 07/18/Boko Haram jihadists have killed seven villagers in a dawn raid in Nigeria's restive northeast, local militia and a resident said Tuesday. Gunmen in trucks and on motorcycles late Monday attacked Munduri, a village 13 kilometres (eight miles) north of Borno state capital Maiduguri, firing guns and rocket-propelled grenades, according to resident Abdullahi Bunu. "The attackers seized seven people and beheaded them before setting fire to the entire village," militia leader Umar Ari told AFP by telephone from Maiduguri. Those who were decapitated were the village chief and his wife, Bunu said. "We returned this morning and found the entire village burnt along with all our food supplies and livestock". Boko Haram has intensified its armed campaign in recent weeks, including against military targets in which dozens of troops are believed to have been either killed or missing. The rebels have split into two groups, and it was not immediately clear which was behind the latest attack. A faction loyal to Abubakar Shekau is notorious for indiscriminate killings of civilians while the Abu Mus'ab Al-Barnawi faction -- which is affiliated to the so-called Islamic State -- largely focuses on attacking the military. Five people were killed in a similar raid last week in Gasarwa village, near the garrison town of Monguno. The attacks contrast with repeated claims by the military and the government that Boko Haram has been defeated and that it is safe for people displaced by Islamist violence to return home. The jihadists' nine-year campaign to establish a hardline Islamic state has killed an estimate 20,000 people and displaced over 2.6 million from their homes.

Egypt: Wadi Al-Natrun Drama Haunts Coptic Church
Cairo - Walid Abul Rahman/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 7 August, 2018/The monasteries of Wadi al-Natrun in northern Egypt have been witnessing a series of dramatic events, the latest of which was an attempt by a monk to commit suicide on Monday, an incident that the church preferred to remain silent about.The suicide attempt came days after the killing of a bishop in mysterious circumstances and the defrocking of a monk. Church sources told local media that the young monk attempted suicide by slitting his wrists and throwing himself from the highest building in the monastery. “He was transferred to Natrun hospital in a serious condition,” the sources added, without giving details on the cause of the suicide or whether it was related to the investigations carried out by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Egypt into the murder of Bishop Epiphanius, the abbot of Saint Macarius Monastery, on July 29. His body was found with severe head injuries. Sources said the authorities have so far questioned more than 450 workers and monks in the monastery as part of the investigations into the murder. The attempted suicide came hours after the Coptic Church’s decision to dismiss another monk, Isaiah Macarius, based on an investigation by a church committee that found him guilty of committing acts deemed “incompatible with monastic conduct”. For its part, the Coptic Church preferred to remain silent about the incident and no statements were made regarding attempted suicide. The Church has recently instituted new controls in the monasteries, including asking the monks to voluntarily renounce behaviors and actions that were inappropriate for monastic life. It also said that all monks should comply with the new rules or face defrocking. The measures included suspending any social media activity and refraining from any statements to the press.

The Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 07-08/18
Saudi Arabia’s bold move has nothing to do with Canada
Bessma Momani/The Globe And Mail/August 07/18
*Bessma Momani is Professor at the University of Waterloo and Balsillie School of International Affairs. She’s a senior fellow at Centre for International Governance and Innovation and non-resident fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington.
When Saudi Arabia expelled Canada’s ambassador from Riyadh – on Twitter, no less – the shock and then indignation that set in among Canadians was palpable. Yes, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland tweeted a few days earlier her strong condemnation of jailing a Saudi activist with family ties to Canada, but this is less about Canadian foreign policy than it is about the Saudis.
So why now? Why did Saudi Arabia react as it did?
This is a new, bold Saudi Arabia trying to make its mark on global and regional affairs. Led by the young and very brash Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (or MBS), this latest move is yet another red line that is being used to rile up nationalists and assert Saudi dominance. Expelling a Canadian ambassador is in keeping with the moves of a crown prince who allegedly took the Lebanese prime minister hostage, rounded up 200 of the most influential and richest Saudis and detained them until they paid part of their fortune back to the Saudi national accounts, and created a diplomatic firestorm with tiny neighbouring Qatar for not toeing the Saudi line on regional affairs. And this in under a year.
The Saudi Crown Prince wants to signal to the world that interference in Saudi domestic affairs and criticism of the country will come with economic consequences. After all, Saudi Arabia will never pose a military or strategic threat to Canada and much of the West, but it does have billions of dollars in investment projects that Canadian and international companies want a piece of, particularly in the construction of new cities designed to serve as global economic hubs.
There has been plenty of international – and specifically Western – criticism of Saudi Arabia over the arrest of women’s rights activists in May, a month before the country granted women the right to drive, and the disastrous humanitarian calamity of its war in Yemen, among other things. Canada is an easier target for Riyadh than, say, Britain. Severing economic and diplomatic ties with Canada is less complicated and will result in less Saudi domestic blowback than, for instance, signalling to Saudis that shopping in London’s high-end boutiques is an affront to national honour.
Canadian-Saudi bilateral trade is pretty negligible in the larger scheme of things. Canada sells the Saudis plenty of military hardware; the Saudis are, after all, the largest arms purchaser in the world. The Saudis sell Canada some petrochemical and fuel products, and while Canada may not quickly find another buyer for arms and weapons, there’s certainly no Canadian dependency on Saudi oil products. Similarly, the Saudis will gladly find new producers of arms to supply its awful and protracted war on Yemen.
But the Saudis have reportedly stated that the generous scholarship programs that pay for Saudi students to study in Canada will be cancelled and shifted to other countries. The loss of tens of thousands of Saudi students in Canada is not only an economic cost for Canadian universities and towns, but, more importantly, it represents a major upheaval in the students’ lives, just a few weeks before a new term starts.
The timing of the Saudi announcement is also meant to deflect public and regional criticism from another of the Crown Prince’s foreign policy blunders: Jerusalem and the so-called Kushner peace plan. A few weeks ago, the Saudis signalled that they might support Donald Trump’s son in-law Jared Kushner’s so-called Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, which included recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Reportedly, Mr. Kushner and the Crown Prince have an amicable relationship, and the Saudis were using their economic and political muscle in the region to push the proposal through with reluctant Arab governments, particularly that of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas. While the Crown Prince has had a long leash from his father, King Salman, the regional and public heat was apparently too much for the older monarch, and in an unexpected move, the King overturned his son’s foreign policy proposal and reaffirmed the long-standing Saudi position on the matter.
For a leader who is used to the nationalist support of his young and energized followers, it was time for MBS to get the Saudi people riled up again. Enter Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland – a woman, no less. Ms. Freeland’s tweet was easy fodder for the macho Saudi Twittersphere. The resulting poke to the eye of the feminist Trudeau government is a perceived win in the Saudi foreign policy community and a helpful distraction from a few weeks of domestic embarrassment for the Crown Prince over his father’s rebuke.

Germany: Mass Migration vs. Microaggression
Vijeta Uniyal/Gatestone Institute/August 07/18/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12806/germany-migration-microaggressions
Instead of listening to genuine concerns felt by ordinary citizens, the German political establishment rushed to criminalize dissent. Earlier this year, Merkel's government enforced an "anti-hate speech social media law."
Immigrants who tried to challenge the microaggression narrative on social media faced abuse and were told to shut up.
While the German political establishment and the activist media are busy detecting microaggressions in their society, the massive number of newcomers may well be macro-transforming the heart of Europe, irreversibly.
With Chancellor Angela Merkel's open door migration policy continuing to fuel a surging crime wave and swelling the ranks of jihadists in Germany, a large number of people took to social media -- not to denounce the open borders policy or radical Islam -- but to protest what are perceived as racist "microaggressions" faced by immigrants and refugees in the country.
Under the hashtag #MeTwo, countless Germans of immigrant descent, refugees and activists shared stories of the "everyday racism" in Germany.
"My Croatia neighbors in Germany treat us as "arabic" Students from Arabia ( we are Tunisians and there is no place called Arabia ). And when i meet her in the building she never smiled and never replied to my greetings as if i did something to her," tweeted a Tunisian girl.
Another had some advice:
Hey, white fellow Germans. If you are sensitive to #metwo, it doesn't mean that People of Color lie or "accuse" us of racism.
Our entire society is racist. Yeah, me too. Because that's how we were raised. This is not an accusation, it is reality. Change it.
The movement's founder, Ali Can, told Deutsche Welle, "We need a new definition of being German."The campaign has been supported by country's state-owned media outlets and politicians. "Are you tweeting about #metwo? We'd like to feature your experiences on our TV show," the public broadcaster Deutsche Welle asked on Twitter. In an article, Deutsche Welle described #MeToo as "a tool to share the tales of everyday racism and prejudice they face in a country unused to its status as an immigration destination."
"Anyone who thinks racism is no longer a problem in Germany should browse through the #MeTwo tweets," tweeted Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. "It's powerful and painful how many people are speaking out. Let's speak out with them against racism whenever and wherever it occurs."
The Twitter campaign started shortly after German soccer player Mesut Özil announced his decision to resign from the national team after facing public criticism for his well-publicized meeting with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It took place ahead of the last month's Turkish election, and was followed by his dismal World Cup performance in Russia.
Özil, born to a Turkish family in Germany, said he was quitting the national team due to the racist attitudes prevalent at the Germany's soccer federation (DFB) and the wider fan base. "I will no longer be playing for Germany at international level whilst I have this feeling of racism and disrespect," he said in a written statement. Germany's state-owned and corporate media -- often seemingly keen on indulging in collective self-flagellation -- fell for the "racism narrative".
"#MeTwo is hoping to be for immigrants and their descendants what #MeToo has been for women," wrote the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle. "German society's discomfort in discussing race leaves little room for people of color to give voice to their experiences with racism and leaves routine bigotry and latent prejudice to become socially acceptable."
"A young activist launched the hashtag #MeTwo in the wake of the Özil row to launch a long-overdue discussion on racism in Germany," the German business newspaper Handelsblatt reported.
The #MeTwo movement is about "people, whose voices go unheard, get a chance to speak and turn abstract terms into very tangible, touching testimonies," commented Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany's largest broadsheet newspaper.
Ali Can, the 25-year-old Turkish-German activist who started the campaign, justified the movement by citing a magazine cover that depicted a camera-toting German tourist juxtaposed with a native tribesman carrying a bow and arrow. The magazine "uses racist-colonial clichés for its cover and reinforces an image of primitive dark-skinned people. This reason is enough to raise voices," said Can.
The campaign is about "PoC" ("people of color") telling "their stories of racism happening to them in their lives in Germany," explained another German activist supporting the #MeTwo hashtag. A journalist of Pakistani descent born in Germany, Rachel Baig, wrote a long list of the racist discrimination she faced. It included: "Being asked if I am allowed to vote/ have a German passport during elections"" and "Being told by colleagues at work that my German is pretty good for a foreigner," despite her being born there.
Hasnain Kazim, another German-Pakistani journalist and winner of the CNN Journalist Award, complained about one time when a German bus driver closed the door on him.
Those looking for tangible proof of racism within German society by following this hashtag, however, might be in for a disappointment. Most social media postings range from perceived injustices faced by immigrants living in the country to portraying ordinary Germans as racist and bigoted. The outrage currently being shown by the Germany's politicians and mainstream media over instances of "microaggressions" and perceived maltreatment of foreigners in Germany seems misplaced.
Since Chancellor Angela Merkel opened Germany's borders to mass migration in the spring of 2015, the country has been hit by a wave of violent crimes and terror attacks carried out mainly by immigrants.
Since the onset of the migrant crisis, Germany's official police crime statistics have registered consistent rise in murder, rape and other violent crimes carried out by criminals with migrant background. Instead of listening to genuine concerns felt by ordinary citizens, the German political establishment rushed to criminalize dissent. Earlier this year, Merkel's government enforced an "anti-hate speech social media law," or the NetzDG law, making Germany the first European country to introduce such a law.
Since Chancellor Angela Merkel (pictured) opened Germany's borders to mass migration in the spring of 2015, the country has been hit by a wave of violent crimes and terror attacks carried out mainly by immigrants. Instead of listening to concerns felt by ordinary citizens, the German political establishment rushed to criminalize dissent.
In February, when a group of German feminists organized a march in Berlin to raise awareness about the epidemic of violent crimes being committed by migrant men against women, their peaceful march was blocked by protesters, including by lawmakers belonging to the Die Linke and Green parties.
Marian Wendt, a member of parliament from Chancellor Merkel's CDU party, instead of expressing solidarity with these women, accused the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party of "provocation and self-affirmation in the presumptive self-victimhood" for having supported the women's march.
Immigrants who tried to challenge the microaggression narrative on social media faced abuse and were told to shut up. A Syrian refugee girl who tried to challenge the trend was attacked for supposedly "Invalidating the real life experiences of others..."
She had written, "As a Syrian in Germany I'm yet to encounter one racist German person," and later tweeted:
"Germany gave me the opportunity to live, to do what i want, to be treated as equal and to explore life without the oppressive patriarchal discriminatory society i was born into looming over me. and for that I'm grateful. #MyGermanDream"
One Twitter user suggested that she had evaded racism because she could pass for a white.
Many in Germany are concerned that the influx of migrants might upend the demography of Europe and ultimately transfigure the West.
According to recent German intelligence reports, in past five years the number of Salafists in the country has doubled, crossing the 10,000-mark for the first time. While the German political establishment and the activist media are busy detecting microaggressions in their society, the massive number of newcomers may well be macro-transforming the heart of Europe, irreversibly.
*Vijeta Uniyal, a journalist and news analyst, is based in Germany.
© 2018 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

A Month of Multiculturalism in Spain: July 2018
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/August 07/18
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12807/multiculturalism-spain-july
The United Nations reported that June 2018 was a record month for illegal migration to Spain. In all, 17,781 illegal migrants arrived in Spain during the first six months of 2018, almost double the 9,581 migrants who arrived in Spain during the same period in 2017.
The Islamic Commission of Spain, a Muslim umbrella group, threatened to file a lawsuit against the regional government in Valencia if it fails to offer Islam courses in public schools.
"It is not possible that there are residency permits for everyone, nor is a welfare state sustainable that absorbs the millions of Africans who want to come to Europe. We have to say it, even if it is politically incorrect. Let's be honest and responsible with this question." — Pablo Casado, leader of the center-right Popular Party.
July 1. The United Nations reported that June 2018 was a record month for illegal migration to Spain. At least 7,142 illegal migrants arrived in Spain during the month, more than twice the number of arrivals in Italy (3,101) and three times as many as in Greece (2,157). By way of comparison, 2,682 illegal migrants arrived in Spain in June 2017. In all, 17,781 illegal migrants arrived in Spain during the first six months of 2018, almost double the 9,581 migrants who arrived in Spain during the same period in 2017.
July 2. The European Commission provided Spain with €25.6 million ($30 million) in aid to improve the reception capacity of migrants in the country. The money will be used to provide food and shelter for people arriving through the so-called Western Mediterranean route. With this transfer, the EU has provided Spain with €692 million ($800 million) since 2014 to help manage migration flows.
July 3. Maritime Rescue (Salvamento Marítimo), a Spanish government search and rescue agency, reported that during the first six months of 2018, it had rescued a total of 13,394 mostly African migrants in the Strait of Gibraltar and the westernmost part of the Mediterranean, known as the Alborán Sea.
July 3. The University of the Basque Country announced that, beginning this fall, "refugees" and "stateless persons" will be allowed to study at the university for free.
July 4. A ship named Open Arms, carrying 60 migrants rescued off the coast of Libya, arrived in Barcelona after being turned away by Italy and Malta. Mayor Ada Colau said the arrival of the ship fulfilled her dream of making Barcelona a "refugee city." With celebratory music in the background, and a large banner reading "Barcelona, Safe Harbor," Colau lashed out at the "policy of death and the cruelty of European states" which refuse to accept migrants:
"Welcome, we were waiting for you. It is very exciting to be able to finally say welcome and welcome home."
July 6. An ombudsman appointed by the regional government in Catalonia to rule on disputes over dress codes at public swimming pools recommended that to avoid discrimination, both topless bathing as well as burkinis should be allowed. The ombudsman said that "all municipalities with municipal swimming pools should review their regulations from a gender perspective and respect the freedom of expression of females." This solution, he said, would highlight the "iconic value of female claims to both topless and burkini."
July 6-10. In a five-day period, Maritime Rescue picked up 975 mostly African migrants (344; 150; 231; 116; 134) in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alborán Sea. The migrants were transferred to reception centers in southern Spain.
July 10. Police in Algeciras reported that a Moroccan migrant, rescued from the Strait of Gibraltar, turned out to be on Spain's most-wanted list. Identified only as Sbahi, he is accused of murdering an elderly man in Ceuta during a robbery in 2016.
July 11. The Spanish Supreme Court ordered the government to honor a pledge to take in 19,449 refugees from other EU countries. In 2015, Spain pledged to receive 13,086 migrants from Greece and 6,363 from Italy, as part of a European Council scheme to redistribute migrants across the EU. Up to now, Spain has taken in fewer than 2,500 migrants, or just under 13% of its committed allotment.
July 11. Education Minister Isabel Celaá announced that religion courses in Spanish public schools would no longer count for academic credit. She did not say if the measure applies only to courses on Roman Catholicism or to Islam as well. She also said that pupils would be required to attend mandatory courses on "civic and ethical values" that emphasize human rights, civic rights, tolerance and non-discrimination. Critics said the measure was an attempt by the state to usurp parental authority over the moral education of their children.
July 12. Municipal officials in the Andalusian town of Lucena unanimously approved a project to build a Muslim cemetery. The project, which will cost local taxpayers €120,000 ($140,000), will begin in September. The Islamic Community of Lucena said that the decision "satisfies our longstanding demands" and "complies with our constitutional rights." Muslim leader Hamid Abqari added: "Now Lucena will be the city of three cultures, because it will have a Muslim, a Jewish and a Christian cemetery."
July 12-13. In a two-day period, Maritime Rescue picked up 463 (212; 251) mostly African migrants in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alborán Sea. The migrants were transferred to reception centers in southern Spain.
July 14. Spanish police closed the Farhana border crossing in Melilla after a Moroccan man with a knife attacked a Spanish border guard who had denied him access to Spanish territory. A representative for the Federal Union of Police (UFP) of Melilla, Antonio García, said that aggressions of this type are "a constant" at the border crossings.
July 14. Maritime Rescue and the Spanish Civil Guard picked up 340 migrants in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alborán Sea. The migrants were transferred to mainland Spain.
July 15. Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau spent more than €6,000 ($7,000) of taxpayer money to celebrate Ramadan this year, according to the online publication OK Diario. By contrast, she has studiously avoided using the term Christmas, referring to it instead as "winter solstice." Colau also sent members of her government to the inauguration of an Islamic prayer center in the Sants district, but refused to attend the traditional Roman Catholic mass marking La Mercè, the largest annual festival in Barcelona.
July 15. A Sigma Dos poll published by the newspaper El Mundo found that 40% of Spaniards believe that mass migration is "a serious problem" for the country. Another 37% said mass migration is "a problem but not a serious one." The poll also found that 66% of Spaniards said they were opposed to Italy's hardline approach to mass migration.
July 16. The Federation of Associations of Parents of Students of the province of Castellón (FAMPA Castellón) said they had received complaints from parents opposed to a government plan to teach Islam in public schools:
"They indicate that they feel cheated by the public school and do not understand how a progressive agency such as the Ministry of Education can favor the teaching of Islamic religion, a religion that denigrates women and relegates women to second status."
Another group, Confederación Gonzalo Anaya, also said it was opposed to Islam courses, but for reasons of secularism:
"If we are in a non-confessional state and the majority of the regional and state governments are committed to a totally secular school system, we do not understand how it is possible to continue promoting the teaching of religions in the education system. Would this not amount to supporting indoctrination in the public sphere?"
July 17. Illegal migrants will be granted full access to public healthcare from the moment they set foot in Spain, according to a government plan leaked to the newspaper El País, which noted: "The cost of extending universal healthcare to undocumented migrants is unclear."
July 17. Maritime Rescue picked up 328 migrants in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alborán Sea. The migrants were transferred to mainland Spain.
July 18. The City of Valencia said it was exploring the possibility of providing legal cover for illegal migrants who sell counterfeit goods on public streets. The initiative was proposed by Neus Fábregas, a far-left city councilor who ironically is leading the city's efforts to boycott Israel. The plan involves getting illegal migrants off public streets by allowing them to sell their goods at city markets.
July 18. A new law entered into effect that requires Spanish public schools to offer Arabic courses as well as classes in Moroccan culture and history.
July 20. In an interview with the newspaper La Rioja, terrorism expert Fernando Reinares estimated that the number of Islamists in Spain exceeds 5,000. Most of those are Muslims who were born or raised in Spain:
"We are no longer talking about a jihadism associated with foreigners and coming from abroad, but with a jihadism closely related to individuals who were born or raised in Spain. In the whole of Western Europe, also in Spain, jihadism is a phenomenon associated with the so-called second generation, individuals born or raised in Europe, but who are descendants of immigrants from majority Muslim countries.
"The composition of jihadism in Spain tells us that it is a phenomenon that is projected from abroad, but largely comes from within — the poor adaptation in our societies of the descendants of immigrants, a bad adaptation that has much more to do with the cultural issues than with socioeconomic ones: they are not people who are in situation of marginalization or of social exclusion. These situations of detachment are not so much the result of deficient local, regional or national policies in social, health or educational matters, but the result of inherent dynamics of the Muslim congregations themselves, especially where the presence of the Salafist, fundamentalist currents is notable."
July 20. Maritime Rescue picked up 450 migrants aboard 20 rafts in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alborán Sea. The migrants were transferred to reception centers in southern Spain.
July 21. The Islamic Commission of Spain, a Muslim umbrella group, threatened to file a lawsuit against the regional government in Valencia if it fails to offer Islam courses in public schools:
"We will go to the courts to get the Valencian government to apply the law. We do not understand this controversy, we only intend that the law be applied according to the agreement in force since 1996."
The Islamic Commission reached a deal with Valencian authorities in 2017 to begin offering Islamic courses at five schools selected as part of a pilot project. The project, however, has run into opposition from parents.
July 21-25. In a five-day period, Maritime Rescue picked up 2,147 (329; 465; 470; 484; 399) mostly African migrants in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alborán Sea. It later emerged that 25 of the migrants were from Bangladesh, an indication that migrants from Asia are now using the Western Mediterranean route to reach Europe.
July 26. More than 600 sub-Saharan Africans, some using aerosols as flame-throwers, breached the six-meter (20-foot) border fence between Morocco and Spain at Ceuta. Police said the assault, which began at 6:30am, and in which migrants sprayed border guards with excrement and urine, was the most violent incursion of the border in many years. Once in Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa, migrants are in EU territory. EU human rights laws ensure that most migrants will not be deported back to their countries of origin.
July 26. The newspaper Heraldo de Aragón reported that municipal officials in Zaragoza approved the wearing of burkinis (which cover the entire body) in municipal swimming pools, but banned the wearing of t-shirts and other clothing that covers the body. The move set off a heated debate about multiculturalism and the application of double standards.
July 26-27. In two days, Maritime Rescue picked up 1,302 (414; 774+114) mostly African migrants aboard 79 rafts in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alborán Sea. The migrants were transferred to reception centers in southern Spain.
July 27. The newspaper El Mundo reported that 50,000 sub-Saharan Africans now in Morocco are waiting to cross over into Spain. The report said that migrants are reaching the country after paying traffickers across the Sahel and then breaching Morocco's southern border.
July 27. The Spanish government formally approved a plan to provide universal healthcare to all illegal migrants from the moment they arrive in the country.
July 28-29. In a two-day period, Maritime Rescue picked up 581 (334; 247) mostly African migrants aboard 39 rafts in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alborán Sea. Dozens more disembarked on a nudist beach in Tarifa, while another 50 migrants arrived on the shores of Cartagena.
July 29. The new leader of the center-right Popular Party, Pablo Casado, warned that mass migration to Spain is unsustainable:
"It is not possible that there are residency permits for everyone, nor is a welfare state sustainable that absorbs the millions of Africans who want to come to Europe. We have to say it, even if it is politically incorrect. Let's be honest and responsible with this question."
The Spanish left was apoplectic over Casado's remarks. A spokesman for the ruling Socialist Party, Oscar Puente, accused Casado of "xenophobia" and said he would "regret" embracing the speech of the "extreme right." Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau accused Casado of "racism" and "fascism."
July 30. The newspaper El País reported that the Spanish government paid thousands of euros to repatriate family members of jihadis who travelled to Syria and Iraq to join the Islamic State. In some cases, the money was used to pay human traffickers to drive the families from the conflict zones to the Turkish border, and for their subsequent flights to Spain. At least 14 families, mostly of Moroccan origin, traveled to the Middle East to join the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. A police official said:
"We are taking many families out of hell. They do not have resources, money, or contacts, some do not even know how to write, but their relatives here ask us for help and we are providing it for reasons of humanity."
July 31. Police revealed that the Islamist cell which carried out the attacks in Barcelona on August 17, 2017 had originally planned to attack the Sagrada Familia cathedral, one of the leading tourist attractions in the city, and the Camp Nou football stadium during a match with a team from Madrid. Police said that if the attack, scheduled for August 20, had been carried out, it would have been the deadliest in modern European history. The plan was derailed after explosives to be used in the attack accidentally detonated in a safe house on August 16, prompting the cell to downsize its plan.
On July 31, Spanish police revealed that the Islamist cell which carried out the attacks in Barcelona on August 17, 2017 had originally planned to attack the Sagrada Familia cathedral (pictured), one of the leading tourist attractions in the city, and the Camp Nou football stadium.
July 31. Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said that Europe needs mass migration to compensate for its low birth rates: "The demographic evolution in Europe shows that unless we want to become a continent of old people, we need new sap, and it does not seem that this new sap will come from our ability to procreate."
*Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
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Prisoners’ diplomacy between the Turks and the Americans
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/August 07/18
There are around 18 Americans in Turkey’s prisons and meanwhile a prominent Turkish banker who is accused by Washington of laundering Iranian money is in prison in the US.
Last month, President Donald Trump and his vice president warned via Twitter that the US will impose economic sanctions on Turkey unless it releases the American pastor detained in Turkey. Despite the disputes, Trump mediated with Israel to release a Turkish woman who was accused of delivering money to the Hamas Movement.
The Israeli press did not like this and accused Netanyahu of submitting to Trump’s demand when he spoke with him over the phone on July 14 as on July 16, the Turkish woman was released and allowed to travel for nothing in return. The more interesting chapter in this prisoners’ crisis is Washington’s dismissal of charges and release of 11 of Erdogan’s bodyguards who were accused of beating up protestors during his visit to Washington on May 12.There is still Turkey’s most wanted man Sheikh Fethullah Gulen whom the Turkish government wants Washington to extradite and who currently lives in Pennsylvania. Gulen who is accused of planning the coup attempt is the leader of an Islamic group that resembles the Muslim Brotherhood and that was an ally of the ruling party until their conflict in the recent phase.
Complicated relationship
Diplomacy is in a crisis, and the temporary prisoners’ crisis is not separate from deeper and more strategic disputes such as Turkey’s purchase of advanced F-35 jets as the White House has in response to the Turks’ flirtation with the Russians to buy the S-400 missile system put a difficult condition on the deal it is still in a dispute over the solution in Syria. I have not seen a relationship get more complicated than the American-Turkish relationship, although it is supposed to be easy considering the NATO bond which they share. The temporary disputes can be easily resolved especially since Erdogan became a ruler with wider jurisdictions following the constitutional amendments and which no Turkish leader enjoyed since the era of the military rule.
Ankara’s position, in rejecting to release the American pastor, benefits the American presidency in its electoral campaign which promised its voters from among the hardcore evangelicals that it will not be silent if Turkey does not release him. When the Turkish authorities made limited concessions and released the pastor from prison and put him under house arrest, the American president and his vice president, whom we barely hear his voice in disputes of international relations, responded to the move via Twitter and they both warned Turkey of major economic sanctions if it does not release him.
The Turkish crisis may develop and become part of the parliamentary electoral campaign for the elections which will be held in November, i.e. the next three months will witness more American sanctions against the Turkish economy which greatly relies on its trade with the West. The diplomatic relations further complicated after the Americans punished two Turkish ministers by sanctioning them and freezing their accounts in the US. The Turks may compromise to release the prominent Turkish banker in Washington in exchange of the evangelical pastor who has now been released from prison and placed under house arrest in Izmir. Imprisoned banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla, who was the vice president of Turkey’s state-controlled Halkbank is serving a three years prison sentence in the US over charges of laundering Iranian funds. What’s a bigger problem for Turkey is Washington’s intention to levy the bank a huge fine worth billions as this will distort the bank’s reputation and threaten its activities. This is the result of the troubled relation between Ankara and Washington. The Turks lost their two important friends in the American government, Michael Flynn, the national security advisor, and who resigned amid a scandal linked to receiving money from Turkey, and Tillerson, the US Secretary of State who is close to Qatar, which is Turkey’s ally, and who also quit.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign files: Abdelnasser’s Yemen and Khamenei’s Yemen
Fares bin Hezam/Al Arabiya/August 07/18
The Saudi-Yemeni conflict was not interrupted for long during the nine decades of the Saudi kingdom’s age. During this long period of time of more than one generation that witnessed consecutive wars, battles and political crises, the latter were always resolved via treaties, agreements and even customs, and Yemen always concluded with positive results. Beginning with the 1934 Taif Treaty, two years after the kingdom was unified, the Yemeni citizen was granted the citizens’ privileges, in terms of permanent residency, freedom of movement, work and ownership and did not lose this important merit until after their country supported the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. During the 60 years of neighborliness, no problem obstructed the kingdom from supporting Yemen and resisting any political or military intervention that harms the country’s stability and journey.
During these decades, Saudi Arabia stabilized as an entity of a kingdom since 1932 while Yemen lived a tense political situation as a result of coups, assassinations and clear political and military interferences which manifested in different facets during different phases in Yemen, and which in fact had Saudi Arabia as their main target. An example is a coup which Gamal Abdelnasser supported in 1962 against the monarchy to replace a present legitimate regime with a military republican regime. This was part of the “Nasserist project” to export the revolution to Saudi Arabia.
Khamenei today seeks to repeat what Abdelnasser did yesterday. Riyadh saw it was the first target and Yemen’s ruler – Imam – resorted to Saudi Arabia to launch the battle to restore his rule and based these efforts on the Taif Treaty as the kingdom’s founder pledged him support and protection.
Abdelnasser sent an army of 70,000 soldiers to Yemen but his ugly defeat in 1967 against Israel and his army’s defeats in many battles in Yemen and on Saudi Arabia’s borders pushed him to withdraw and reconcile with Saudi Arabia at the Khartoum Summit. It was positive results for Yemen as the Joint Coordination Council was established and the largest campaign of developmental projects in the country’s history was launched.
Peace and war
The Yemenis, however, lived on a slogan that targets Saudi Arabia during the years of peace and war, and which is that Riyadh has ambitions in Sanaa. They attribute this belief to an alleged Saudi scheme to weaken Yemen from within. Facts, however, state the opposite of this bleak perception as the extreme weakness of Yemen’s institutions and Yemen’s economic, educational and developmental system were a heavy burden on Saudi Arabia, and was never in any case a strategic project for Saudi Arabia.
The kingdom has spent tens of billions of dollars to support infrastructure in Yemen and spent as much to secure borders as a result of military and security chaos. Yemen’s weakness is why its territories became a passage to smuggle drugs, weapons, terrorists and infiltrators from Africa. These are the facts of the burden and which the two countries have endured for the past decades. Saudi Arabia was never safe from any activity that shakes Yemen’s stability and imposes crises by different men with different orientations. Saudi Arabia put all its weight behind distancing Yemen from all dangerous slips to protect its land, preserve its components and create all possible balances inside it and outside it. Today, we are in the midst of a war that’s heading towards its fourth year, and it must end with restoring legitimacy one day. We must consider the previous wars and crises, the methods used to resolve their results and the anticipated relations with a further torn Yemen. The future with Yemen will be fruitful if bridges are built with elites in all sectors instead of just with traditional categories represented in tribal leaders or leaders of worn-out parties. These made personal gains and did not benefit their country and did not benefit their ally Saudi Arabia in its constant endeavor to be a safety valve instead of a drainage factor.

Najran’s bravery in American land
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/August 07/18
Those who lived between two languages or moved between two cultures know well the difficulty of translating definitions. What you view as a duty may be surprising to others and what you think is a vice may be something normal to others or perhaps even desirable.
I remember Eugene’s cold weather and I can still recall its people’s kindness to this day. Eugene is a tranquil city northwest of the US. I remember its rains and the cold winter nights, and how its kind people were amazed to meet an Arab who had come from the faraway Najd and how they complained of rain and waited for the sun as if they are enjoying the news of the rise in stock prices so those who sold stocks make quick profit. It was a casual chat on Sunday evening with a man in his 50s and whom features I remember well till now. He was surprised by the concept of off-roading at the time, i.e. when youths in the Gulf and specifically in Saudi Arabia ride their vehicles on high sand dunes. He thought this was reckless and crazy, and he was upset that this act was linked to bravery. I agreed with him and I tried to explain to him the idea of bravery in Arab culture. I was consciously – or perhaps unconsciously – trying to unblemish courage from the thoughtless act of heading towards absurd danger. I remember the conversation well because he’d stop me after each sentence and try to give an example so he understands better.
It’s as if he was using the example of the Arab poetry verse: “Opinion comes before the bravery of the braves”.
I was and I still do want to complete this conversation. It’s very painful to remember a conversation you haven’t finished, and what’s more painful is to miss dialogue with a stranger for almost two decades. He mixed up between the absence of fear and bravery, and all I wanted to tell my strange pal in the faraway land was that these are two very different things: the absence of fear is like constant fear, both are very dangerous. You see this absence of fear in mobs, madmen and extremely dangerous people, like those in prisons across the world serving sentences longer than it’s been since our conversation.
Running after bravery
Ancient Arabs spent half their lives running after bravery, dear sir. This is why we got exhausted while finding a definition that can help make the image clearer. I asked him to excuse me for using the dictionary as I needed it to define the words: cowardice, recklessness, thoughtlessness, fear and integrity in order to compare between them and negate and confirm the dominion of bravery when it’s in its context.
There is a painful loss in every act of bravery and if it’s not for this obvious loss, the brave will not be differentiated from the reckless; the former is certain of real loss while the latter does not know the taste of loss to understand the pleasure of the former feeling. Focus my friend: Caution has nothing to do with fear just like there’s no link between recklessness and courage. The bravery that comes at 3:00 a.m., or a spontaneous bravery of the moment against the river and waves, or bravery of the free soul who does not think twice when he sees or hears an appeal for help is true bravery, my friend.
In the “undauntedness” of the brave – at the time I did not find an accurate translation of this word from Arabic – there is certainty and trust in those who will come after them. People have an amazing capability in distinguishing bravery from other descriptions, and in some cultures, the individual’s courage confirms his family’s stance towards the world.
The size of loss – which is the certain condition to define bravery – is proportional to immorality, my dear old friend. I write this sentence today while I know well that my condolences will be delivered and that some solace is sharing of real pride as our current students in the US will not have to engage in a discussion like the one I engaged in about defining bravery when tackling off-roading two decades ago.
American television channels will this year associate bravery with the names of two Saudi students who drowned in a river to save two children, Theeb and Jaser, may God have mercy on their souls. The Canadian Language Learning College (CCLC) named one of their halls after their tribe, Yami. Theeb and Jaser saved plenty of students studying abroad from engaging in a dialogue like the one I engaged in. The bravery that comes at 3:00 a.m., or a spontaneous bravery of the moment against the river and waves, or bravery of the free soul who does not think twice when he sees or hears an appeal for help is true bravery, my friend. The voice of those in fear or a mother in distress reaches everyone, knows no language barriers and distinguishes the definitions of bravery, boldness, recklessness and actions which bring pride to an entire people.
They were where they were destined to be, Duham al-Yami who is Jasser’s father and Theeb’s uncle said. He added: “They were the best of our children. It was two months or so before they were scheduled to return. They were about to graduate and at the age of marriage but "Allah's plans are always predominant.”I will never find in any dictionaries a way to fully and accurately deliver the meaning of what Jasser’s father said “Allah's pans are always predominant” to my readers who do not know Arabic and who never read about the Arabs’ appreciation of true bravery which happens and suddenly ends and which impact echoes in faraway continents while fathers and mothers bear their loss with beautiful patience. At that moment in the river, the two martyrs were swimming against the current to define humanity which distinction they will earn from the hand of King Salman.The two men sacrificed the pleasure of staying on the shore because bravery was in swimming against the current. Their souls were prayed on by the tears of the heart from all religions and by all those who witnessed or heard about the incident at the Chicopee River in the US state of Massachusetts.
The name “Yami” in that cold hall in Canada will remain an answer to anyone who asks about the definitions of bravery and humanity of the Saudis in general and a source of pride to the people of Najran and Theeb’s and Jaser’s families in particular. It’s another scene to be added to the examples of a word that’s difficult to define – like bravery at 3:00 a.m. – in a conversation between a Saudi studying abroad and an American asker. There are actions which result in immortal joy, and this is one of them.