English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For 07 August/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Matthew 12/22-32: “Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Can this be the Son of David?’But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.’He knew what they were thinking and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered.Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.!’

Titels For English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 06-07/2022
Al-Rahi presides over Mass in Bcharre marking 'Feast of the Transfiguration': No matter the difficulties, we cling to Jesus Chirst, the Risen One,...
Lebanon awaits fallout of Israel’s Gaza attack
First Ukraine grain shipment's arrival in Lebanon 'postponed'
Lebanese Foreign Ministry strongly condemns Israeli strikes on Gaza
Lebanon-bound ship brings hope, not solution to food crisis
Hezbollah voices support for Palestinian people as Israel attacks Gaza
Nasrallah warns Israel against making Gaza-like 'miscalculation' in Lebanon
Rifi: If the judiciary is unable to reach the truth about the port issue, we must seek an international investigation
Al-Khaouli deems banks' strike decision 'a clear challenge to judiciary'
Education and Culture - Murad discusses with principals of public & secondary schools in central Bekaa preparations for upcoming scholastic year
Abdallah calls for a calm dialogue with the direct stakeholders
"No solution to electricity problem except through adoption of a law on decentralization of production," tweets Daher
Lebanese Movement demands punishment for those responsible for the August 4 crime
Two years after the Beirut Port Blast impunity reigns supreme/Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/August 02/2022
UN Forces in Lebanon Losing Ground in a Fast-Deteriorating Security Situation/Assaf Orion/The Washington Institute/August 06/2022

Titles For LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 06-07/2022
Air strikes, rocket attacks push Israel, Gaza into second day of fighting
Israel, Palestinian militants trade fire in major Gaza escalation
Gaza's sole power plant shuts over lack of fuel
Iran Guards say Israel facing ‘heavy price’ for attacks in Gaza
Saudi Arabia opens airspace to more flights serving Israel
Taiwan accuses China of simulating invasion as US relations nosedive
Iran minister urges ‘realistic’ US response to revive nuclear deal
Russian forces begin assault on two eastern Ukraine cities
Fresh clashes in Libya as tensions raise fears of renewed conflict
Putin ,Erdogan agree to boost cooperation

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 06-07/2022
In Tunisia, the dice is still rolling/Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News/August 06/ 2022
Kingdom’s Mideast alliances hold the key to security/Mohammed Abu Dalhoum/Arab News/August 06/2022
Why great power focus is increasingly on Africa/Andrew Hammond/Arab News/August 06/2022
Thanks to the EU, Iran's Mullahs Will Continue Taking Even More Hostages/Majid Rafizadeh/ Gatestone Institute./August 06/2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 06-07/2022
Al-Rahi presides over Mass in Bcharre marking 'Feast of the Transfiguration': No matter the difficulties, we cling to Jesus Chirst, the Risen One,...
NNA/August 06/2022
 Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, presided over the festive Mass on the occasion of the Transfiguration Day, held this morning in the "Cedars of God" Forest in Bcharre, in the presence of a number of political, religious, mayoral figures and members of the "Friends of the Cedar Forest Committee", alongside and a crowd of believers. In his homily, the Patriarch said: "We are all called to the resurrection, through our pain and the many difficulties we are going through these days, for we are the children of the resurrection and not of death."He deemed that the Resurrection of Chirst "is an affirmation for each of us that we are a community of hope," and that "no matter the difficulties, we adhere to the Risen Jesus, the Master of History, who knows how to bring us out of the state of death to the beauty and hope of the resurrection."
"Today we ask the Lord Jesus, on the day of His transfiguration, to strengthen our faith, and we ask Him to grant us the grace to overcome all the difficulties of life with the power of hope, and to continue our way, to find with Him alone the answer to all the questions and challenges of life, and to know how to read in the light of the Word all the signs of the times," al-Rahi asserted. He concluded by expressing his well-wishes on this glorious occasion, and raising prayers in glory to Christ "our Savior, our Light, our Life, our Way, the Truth and the Life."

Lebanon awaits fallout of Israel’s Gaza attack
Najia Houssari/Arab News/06/2022
BEIRUT: Lebanon has strongly condemned Friday’s attack on Gaza by Israel. In a statement on Saturday, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the international community “to rapidly intervene to promptly stop these attacks, and call on Israel to abide by UN resolutions in order to preserve the safety of the Palestinian civilians who are badly suffering under Israel’s unjust blockade.” The developments in Gaza were being closely followed by Palestinian refugees in Lebanese camps. People in Lebanon are anxiously waiting to see what direction Israel’s military actions will take and whether they will be affected. Reacting to the attacks on Gaza, Esmail Qaani, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Quds Force, said: “Hezbollah plans to deal Israel a fatal blow and eradicate it completely at the appropriate time. “Israel’s security is decreasing,” he continued. “We will not stop fighting … and we will continue to stand firm.”
Hesham Debsi, director of the Tatwir Center for Studies in Lebanon, told Arab News that Qaani’s statement “falls under the category of reaction rather than action.”“Every time Gaza is under attack from Israel, the Revolutionary Guards Corps launches its favorite slogan, stating that it will deal Israel a fatal blow at the appropriate time. We are still waiting for that moment. It is lame rhetoric made at the expense of Palestinian blood. No one believes it anymore. In fact, it serves the Israeli enemy.”Hezbollah praised “the solidarity of the Palestinian resistance factions” and emphasized the need to maintain a unified stance, which constitutes the main factor in triumphing over the enemy.”The group added that it “expressly supports the steps taken by the leadership of the Islamic Jihad Movement in response to the enemy and its persistent crimes.”Sheikh Naim Kassem, deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah, said on Saturday: “We should know that Israel is criminal and hostile. Killing people — including a child — and injuring dozens in a residential neighborhood is a criminal act that shouldn’t go unpunished. Israel should be responsible for this punishment.”
Debsi said the main problem is that “a Palestinian party is putting Palestine at the service of Iran, in order to receive the blessings of its leadership. They are leaving the Palestinians to a miserable fate.”
He added that Israel’s escalation of violence came during discussions over the Iranian nuclear deal. “This moment allows everyone to react,” he said. “Israel considers that the American stance is not strong enough. Iran considers this the appropriate moment to get the US to take the Revolutionary Guards Corps off the sanctions list, making it legal in Iran and the Arab region.”
Debsi believes that Israel’s escalation is not targeting Hezbollah, but the Americans and the Iranians. “It is a filthy move from the Israeli side amid the Israeli elections, just like the killing of Ayman Al-Zawahri in Afghanistan by the (US President Joe) Biden administration serves internal American purposes,” he said.
Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, vice president of Lebanon’s Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, said: “The enemy is playing with fire. It will destroy itself. The determination of the resistance and its people will not stop, no matter how great the sacrifices are.”In a statement, the Shiite clergy called on the UN and the international community to “curb Israeli aggression,” and asked Arab and Muslim leaders “to take firm stances and measures against the aggression in support of the resistance and resilience of the Palestinian people.”Ali Abou Chahine, leader of the Islamic Jihad movement in Lebanon, said: “The Israeli aggression is a declaration of war against the entire Palestinian people. Our people are involved in confronting this battle wherever they are.“The response of the resistance will not recognize any red lines,” he continued. “The enemy started the attacks first and the resistance has the right to respond.”

First Ukraine grain shipment's arrival in Lebanon 'postponed'
Agence France Presse/August 06/2022
The first shipment of Ukrainian grain since Russia's invasion will no longer arrive in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli on Sunday as planned, Ukraine's embassy in Beirut said. "Tomorrow's arrival of (the) Razoni ship is postponed," the embassy told AFP in a message on Saturday. Updates regarding an arrival ceremony "will be sent later when we get information about (the) exact day and time of the arrival of the ship," it added. Asked why the arrival was postponed, an embassy spokesperson said: "I don't have any other information at the moment."An official following the shipment said the vessel might not even dock in Lebanon if the cargo's owner manages to sell it elsewhere. "The ship will only go to Lebanon... if a trader buys the cargo," the official told AFP, requesting anonymity. The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni set sail from the Ukrainian port of Odessa last Monday carrying 26,000 tons of corn, and stopped in Turkey the next day. It was cleared for passage through the Bosphorus Strait by a team that included Russian and Ukrainian inspectors on Wednesday, and a Ukraine embassy spokesperson had later said it was expected to dock in Lebanon's port of Tripoli at 10 am (0700 GMT) on Sunday. The delivery is the first under a U.N.-backed deal, brokered with the help of Turkey last month, which aims to ease a global food crisis. Lebanon, which is struggling with one of the world's worst financial crises, is facing a particularly acute bread shortage. Kyiv said another three ships loaded with grain set sail from Ukraine on Friday, heading for Turkey and markets in Ireland and Britain. A further 13 are waiting to depart.

Lebanese Foreign Ministry strongly condemns Israeli strikes on Gaza
Naharnet/August 06/2022
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry on Saturday issued a statement saying that "Lebanon strongly condemns the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip." "It calls on the international community to swiftly intervene to immediately halt this attack and ask Israel to abide by U.N. resolutions, in order to protect Palestinian civilians who are suffering from the unjust Israeli siege," the Ministry added.

Lebanon-bound ship brings hope, not solution to food crisis
Associated Press/August 06/2022
A ship bringing corn to Lebanon's northern port of Tripoli normally would not cause a stir. But it's getting attention because of where it came from: Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa. The Razoni, loaded with more than 26,000 tons of corn for chicken feed, is emerging from the edges of a Russian war that has threatened food supplies in countries like Lebanon, which has the world's highest rate of food inflation -- a staggering 122% -- and depends on the Black Sea region for nearly all of its wheat. The fighting has trapped 20 million tons of grains inside Ukraine, and the Razoni's departure Monday marked a first major step toward extracting those food supplies and getting them to farms and bakeries to feed millions of impoverished people who are going hungry in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia.
"Actually seeing the shipment move is a big deal," said Jonathan Haines, senior analyst at data and analytics firm Gro Intelligence. "This 26,000 tons in the scale of the 20 million tons that are locked up is nothing, absolutely nothing ... but if we start seeing this, every shipment that goes is going to increase confidence."The small scale means the initial shipments leaving the world's breadbasket will not draw down food prices or ease a global food crisis anytime soon. Plus, most of the trapped grain is for animal feed, not for people to eat, experts say. That will extend the war's ripple effects for the world's most vulnerable people thousands of miles away in countries like Somalia and Afghanistan, where hunger could soon turn to famine and where inflation has pushed the cost of food and energy out of reach for many. To farmers in Lebanon, the shipment expected this weekend is a sign that grains might become more available again, even if at a higher price, said Ibrahim Tarchichi, head of the Bekaa Farmers Association. But he said it won't make a dent in his country, where years of endemic corruption and political divides have upended life. Since 2019, the economy has contracted by at least 58%, with the currency depreciating so severely that nearly three-quarters of the population now lives in poverty. "I think the crisis will continue as long as operating costs continue to soar and purchasing power falls," Tarchichi said. The strife was on sharp display this week when a section of Beirut's massive port grain silos collapsed in a huge cloud of dust, two years after an explosion killed more than 200 people and wounded thousands more.
While symbolic, the shipments have done little to ease market concerns. Drought and high fertilizer costs have kept grain prices more than 50% higher than early 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic. And while Ukraine is a top supplier of wheat, barley, corn and sunflower oil to developing countries, it represents just 10% of the international wheat trade.
There's also little to suggest that the world's poorest who rely on Ukrainian wheat distributed through U.N. agencies like the World Food Program will be able to access them anytime soon. Before the war, half of the grain the WFP purchased for distribution came from Ukraine. The Razoni's safe passage was guaranteed by a four-month-long deal that the U.N. and Turkey brokered with Ukraine and Russia two weeks ago. The grain corridor through the Black Sea is 111 nautical miles long and 3 nautical miles wide, with waters strewn with drifting explosive mines, slowing the work.
Three more ships departed Friday, heading to Turkey, Ireland and the United Kingdom. All the ships that have departed so far had been stuck there since the war began nearly six months ago. Under the deal, some -- not all -- of the food exported will go to countries experiencing food insecurity. That means it could take weeks for people in Africa to see grain from the new shipments and even longer to see the effects on high food prices, said Shaun Ferris, a Kenya-based adviser on agriculture and markets for Catholic Relief Services, a partner in World Food Program distributions.
In East Africa, thousands of people have died as Somalia and neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya face the worst drought in four decades. Survivors have described burying their children as they fled to camps where little assistance could be found.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Somalia and other African countries turned to non-traditional grain partners like India, Turkey and Brazil, but at higher prices. Prices of critical foods could start to go down in two or three months as markets for imported food adjust and local harvests progress, Ferris said. Who is first in line for the grain from Ukraine could be affected by humanitarian needs but also comes down to existing business arrangements and commercial interests, including who is willing to pay the most, Ferris said.
"Ukraine is not a charity," he said. "It will be looking to get the best deals on the market" to maintain its own fragile economy. The WFP said this week that it's planning to buy, load and ship 30,000 tons of wheat out of Ukraine on a U.N.-chartered vessel. It did not say where the vessel would go or when that voyage might happen. In Lebanon, where humanitarian aid group Mercy Corps says the price of wheat flour has risen by more than 200% since the start of Russia's war, people stood in long, often tense lines outside bakeries for subsidized bread in recent days.
The government green-lit a $150 million World Bank loan to import wheat, a temporary solution of six to nine months before it could be forced to lift subsidies on bread altogether. While the situation is hard for millions of Lebanese, the country's roughly 1 million Syrian refugees who fled a civil war across the border face stigmatization and discrimination trying to buy bread. A Syrian living in northern Lebanon said it often takes him three to four visits to bakeries before he finds someone willing to sell him bread, with priority given to Lebanese. He described lines of 100 people waiting and only a handful being allowed in every half-hour to buy a small bundle of loaves. "We get all sorts of rude comments because we're Syrian, which we usually just ignore, but sometimes it gets too much and we decide to go home empty-handed," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Hezbollah voices support for Palestinian people as Israel attacks Gaza
Naharnet/August 06/2022
Hezbollah on Friday offered warm condolences to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group after Israeli strikes on Gaza killed senior commander Taysir al-Jabari and 14 other people, in what Israel has described as a major military campaign against the group.
Lauding “the solidarity of all Palestinian resistance factions,” Hezbollah said in a statement that it “will always stand firmly by the aggrieved Palestinian people and their brave resistance.”It also said that it “openly supports all the steps taken by the leadership of the Islamic Jihad movement in responding against the aggression and its insolent crimes.”

Nasrallah warns Israel against making Gaza-like 'miscalculation' in Lebanon
Naharnet/August 06/2022
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday warned Israel against making a “miscalculation” towards Lebanon similar to the one he said it has made towards Gaza, where it has launched a major military operation against the Islamic Jihad group. “We in Hezbollah are following up on what’s happening hour by hour and we’re in constant contact with our dear brothers in the leadership of the Islamic Jihad movement. We’re also in contact with our brothers in the leadership of the Hamas movement and the rest of the Palestinian factions,” Nasrallah said in a Ashoura sermon. “We believe that the resistance will have the upper hand in this battle,” he added, noting that “it is clear that the enemy always goes to wrong calculations.” “We’ve heard intimidation statements by the enemy against the resistance in Palestine and the resistance in Lebanon. It is bombing in Gaza and addressing Lebanon at the same time, but it is making wrong calculations,” Nasrallah went on to say. He warned that “the enemy is making wrong calculations when it is addressing Lebanon.”“It is making wrong calculations if it thinks that it can intimidate or scare us. Do no make a miscalculation towards Lebanon. Anything that you do and anything that you say cannot at all affect our will, morale and decision,” Hezbollah’s leader stressed. He added: “We trust our God, we trust ourselves and we trust our strength. We also trust your weakness, frailness and cowardliness.”“I advise the enemy that is sending these messages to stop sending them, because in Lebanon it should not expect at all that the resistance will stand idly by in the face of a certain aggression or a certain infringement on our rights,” Nasrallah went on to say. Nasrallah also ridiculed a recent statement by Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who threatened to obliterate Beirut’s southern suburbs should Hezbollah attack the Karish gas platform “If he were the agriculture minister, we would have said that he has a mattock, but he is the finance minister,” Nasrallah said sarcastically. “He threatened to wipe out the southern suburbs. You can say what you want and I will not respond to this threat. Days are between us and you know that today the resistance is stronger than ever,” Nasrallah added.

Rifi: If the judiciary is unable to reach the truth about the port issue, we must seek an international investigation
NNA./August 06/2022
Deputy Ashraf Rifi considered, in an interview with "Voice of Lebanon" Radio Channel, that "Judge Sawan was under no suspicion, but the people in power dismissed him and appointed Judge Bitar in his place, and when they did not like the performance of the independent Judge Bitar, the authority decided to try to pressure and dismiss him." "We lived the same experience in 2005 when Martyr Rafic Hariri was assassinated, when Hezbollah accused us of the assassinations and exerted pressure on the judiciary,” Rifi indicated, adding that “it later became clear through the international judiciary that those who carried out the assassination were members of the party.”"In the event that the Lebanese judiciary is unable to reach the truth about the port blast, an international investigation should be sought," he underscored. Rifi believed that "Hezbollah's capacity has diminished since 2016, as it had 74 deputies, and today it barely owns half of the parliament's members, and its regional role has weakened."

Al-Khaouli deems banks' strike decision 'a clear challenge to judiciary'
NNA./August 06/2022
Head of the General Federation of Lebanon's Labor Unions, Maroun Al-Khaouli, considered in a statement today that the Lebanese Association of Banks's strike decision "constitutes a rebellion against all judicial decisions and the continuation of the approach of evading and violating the law, and controlling depositors' money and harming the interests of the Lebanese."He said: "The Association of Banks, with its announced strike on Monday, confirms that it has become a banking militia that imposes its authority on the country and that it is above the laws in force, and is kidnapping depositors’ money and holding the entire Lebanese economy hostage to it," adding that "the repercussions and losses estimated in millions will be added to the list of its financial crimes against the Lebanese.”Al-Khaouli stressed that the Banks Association's "revolutionary statement against the judiciary" is a "reflection of the policy of impunity", which neither the judiciary nor the supervisory bodies in the Central Bank of Lebanon were able to curb with provisions that deter its domination and restore to depositors their rights and money, despite the clear stipulations of the monetary and credit law.
He, therefore, held the Banque du Liban Governor and the Central Council "responsible for not using their extensive authority in the monetary and credit law, to control the pace of the banks' operation and compel them to respect the laws in force."

Education and Culture - Murad discusses with principals of public & secondary schools in central Bekaa preparations for upcoming scholastic year
NNA./August 06/2022
Head of the Parliamentary Education and Culture Committee, MP Hassan Murad, met on Saturday with the principals of public and secondary schools in the central Bekaa region, as part of a series of meetings he is conducting with school administrators to dicscuss the upcoming scholastic year. Talks centered on the problems facing schools and ways to launch the next academic year, ensuring the right of students to learn and the right of schools to be able to carry out their responsibilities. In this context, Murad stressed the importance of securing the necessities for proper functioning of schools, pledging to follow up on the issues that were raised, while praising "the role of the Minister of Higher Education and his interest in this cause as a national priority."

Abdallah calls for a calm dialogue with the direct stakeholders
NNA./August 06/2022
MP Bilal Abdallah said today on Twitter: “Before any official gets enthusiastic and registers high-ceilinged positions vis-a-vis the people’s objection to injustice and the poor distribution of electricity from water plants, one ought to study the dossier in its details and see the extent of discrimination and unfairness among regions...I advise against arguing and call for adopting calm dialogue with those directly concerned."

"No solution to electricity problem except through adoption of a law on decentralization of production," tweets Daher
NNA./August 06/2022
Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Economy, Trade, Industry and Planning, MP Michel Daher, said on Twitter: "There is no solution to the electricity problem in Lebanon except by passing a law on the decentralization of production that I have been highlighting for years...through the establishment of a joint partnership company in each district in which the private sector contributes, and fuel, gas and solar energy are used instead of diesel. At that time the consumer will pay half the value of his current bill...Enough of temporary remedies!"

Lebanese Movement demands punishment for those responsible for the August 4 crime
NNA./August 06/2022
 In an issued statement today, "Lebanese Movement" Party Head, Lawyer Nabil Mchantaf, regretted that "two years have passed since the massacre at the port of Beirut without the truth being revealed, despite the presence of satellites that depict everything that happens onground, in addition to the ship's identity and the explosive ammonium source." He said: "The souls of the victims, the wounded and the disabled are in the hands of the state and the international community in order to help uncover the truth, punish the criminals and those responsible for such a historical tragedy, and compensate all those affected to heal the wounds." While strongly denouncing the Beirut Port massacre, Mchantaf "called on the international community, the United Nations and all international humanitarian organizations on behalf of the people to help uncover the truth, punish the criminals and perpetrators of this crime, and compensate all those affected and victims immediately without further delay."

Two years after the Beirut Port Blast impunity reigns supreme
Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/August 02/2022
Two years after the apocalyptic Beirut Port explosion, which destroyed half of the Lebanese capital, the deep scars and trauma of the people and its physical destruction of the buildings still lingers. For the city’s inhabitants, especially those who have lost their loved ones, the destroyed grain silos at the port are a continuous reminder of the failure of the Lebanese establishment. It went out of its way to prevent the judiciary from conducting an effective and transparent investigation to finally reveal who was responsible for this calamity. Rather than pursuing justice, the Lebanese state insists on leveling the grain silos. For the past few weeks, they have been smoldering from the fermentation of the grains not correctly handled after the blast. While the silos have no economic significance, many victims’ families and the broader public believe this structure should stay as a symbol of fighting impunity and pursuing justice. Since the onset of the investigation, the Lebanese political class protected by Hezbollah and its Iranian weapons has refused to cooperate with the judiciary. Many former and current officials and ministers have refused subpoenas to appear before the inquiry judge. Tarek Bitar, the second judge to take over the investigation, reached a dead end after Hezbollah led a full-out attack against him, accusing him of bias and going as far as to threaten his life. Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of Hezbollah, openly accused Bitar of politicizing the investigation, branding the whole investigation as one which is masterminding by the enemies of Hezbollah, mainly Israel and Saudi Arabia. Nasrallah’s verbal assault translated into a violent demonstration that turned into a fire fight in the vicinity of the Palace of Justice. Supporters of Hezbollah tried to storm the nearby Christian neighborhood of Ain El Remmaneh, only to be confronted by the Lebanese army and local people. It resulted in the death of seven and the literal suspension of the investigation into the port blast. The political establishment’s insolence went further as the minister of finance, a crony of the Shia Amal Movement, refused to sign the decree, which puts judiciary appointments to allow the resumption of the port investigation to stall.
The sequence of events has underscored the refusal of the Lebanese political elite to take any responsibility for the governance and economic collapse of the country. It has failed to allow justice to be served on any level. The failure to reach conclusive results on the port investigations and the hundreds of political crimes committed over the last two decades, including that of Hezbollah critic Lokman Slim, do not rest in the absence of resources of the Lebanese judiciary. It rests on a conscious decision not to allow for accountability to become the norm. As it stands, the various Lebanese and regional investigative reports have concluded that it was not a simple case of criminal negligence but that the cargo ship which unloaded the tons of ammonium nitrate had a direct connection with the Assad regime. It left Hezbollah to be its custodian in the port of Beirut.
Two years since the tragedy, the families of the victims of the port explosion have been left alone to demand justice. Rather than going onto the streets to demand justice, the Lebanese are busy fighting each other for bread in front of the bakeries or pleading with their immigrant relatives to wire them money. This act speaks volumes of the culture of impunity that rules over Lebanon and its people. It is both tragic and educational for generations to come.
The Lebanese, through their dangerous negligence and lack of accountability towards justice and fighting impunity, have allowed the Lebanese political elite to turn into a fire-breathing monster that, like the mythical Greek chimera, has many heads and feasts on the innocent.
Lebanon will never fully recover from its ongoing collapse as long as justice is not a pillar of the state. While people might care about feeding their families, an economic recovery hinges on their ability to slay the many illusions within and rise and demand a normal country, whatever that might mean.

UN Forces in Lebanon Losing Ground in a Fast-Deteriorating Security Situation
Assaf Orion/The Washington Institute/August 06/2022
Despite the troubling trends and escalatory incidents described in the latest UN report, the Security Council seems intent on maintaining a failed policy instead of taking urgent action to curb the growing threat of war.
Last month, the UN issued assessments of Lebanon that seem starkly detached from reality, at least in terms of fully appreciating the dangers threatening to erupt along the country’s southern border. When the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) briefed the Security Council on July 21, these dangers were barely mentioned. In addition, the secretary-general submitted his most recent report on implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to monitor the cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel after their last war. Yet despite itemizing many of the troubling new developments unfolding on the ground, his report offers recommendations that are as irrelevant to the broader security situation as UNSCOL’s.
In UNSCOL’s summary briefing, “the border situation between Lebanon and Israel” is treated as an afterthought, mentioned at the end of a long list of domestic issues. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has spent the past month escalating its rhetoric and provocations. After the organization launched unarmed drones toward Israeli offshore natural gas facilities on June 29 and July 2, its leader Hassan Nasrallah warned, “If the objective is to prevent Lebanon from extracting oil and gas, no one will be able to extract gas and oil, no matter the consequences,” noting that potential future targets included “all fields, wells, and platforms across Palestine.” He then declared that “threatening with war and going to war would be more honorable than what the enemy wants for us.” On July 31, Hezbollah released a video threatening Israel’s gas vessels with antiship missiles. Such loose talk is alarming and may indicate that Nasrallah’s lessons from the miscalculated 2006 war have been replaced by reckless overconfidence.
This danger is reinforced by the steady heightening of tensions along the border and inside the southern zone monitored by the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). As often reported by Israeli media, Hezbollah has stationed thousands of infantry troops from its elite Radwan unit along the Blue Line in blatant violation of Resolution 1701. The secretary-general’s report, which covers the period February 19-June 20, notes that Israel continues to build T-wall obstacles along this demarcation line—indeed, Jerusalem has invested around $900 million in such infrastructure, reflecting its grave assessment of the threat nearly four years after destroying Radwan’s cross-border attack tunnels into Israel.
The report goes on to describe Hezbollah’s expanding military infrastructure: “Since 30 April, UNIFIL has observed the installation of containers and prefabricated infrastructure at 11 locations...with a vantage point of the Blue Line, in the vicinity of Yarun, Hula, Ayta al-Sha‘b, Blida and Rumaysh...In several cases, UNIFIL peacekeepers were warned against entering the areas...Local authorities have confirmed that some of the containers are on private land and that some belong to Green Without Borders,” referring to the environmentalist facade used as cover for many Hezbollah operational observation posts.
The current report is also the first to note that the group has conducted shooting exercises at firing ranges throughout the south: “On 2 March, a UNIFIL helicopter patrol observed a firing range near Zibqin, with individuals in combat attire carrying assault weapons. UNIFIL subsequently identified three similar firing ranges from the air in remote locations near Al Qantarah, Dayr Amis and Frun.” Further shooting exercises at these locations were spotted on May 12, June 2, and June 6, and the actual number of live-fire drills is almost certainly much higher given the limited quantity and coverage of UNIFIL’s air patrols. In other words, Hezbollah is frequently violating Resolution 1701 in full battle dress, in broad daylight, and in significant numbers all across UNIFIL’s area of responsibility, indicating a newfound indifference to being detected by UN air surveillance even as the group continues blocking ground access to those sites.
Of course, Hezbollah has a previous track record of operating its forces in the south and using Green Without Borders sites to threaten local Lebanese residents, attack Israel, and impede UNIFIL’s access to the Blue Line. Yet its current wave of new positions in operationally commanding locations and undisguised training activities indicate a wider military buildup that goes far beyond the secretary-general’s expressions of “concern.”
In response to these flagrant violations, the report notes that “UNIFIL has yet to gain full access” to several of the locations in question—no surprise given that the force’s past requests to access tunnel and launch sites used as far back as 2018-19 remain outstanding. Hezbollah’s campaign of hindering and terrorizing UNIFIL, injuring its personnel, damaging vehicles, and stealing gear has only intensified since February, with no less than twenty-three reported incidents. Yet despite the secretary-general calling the situation “unacceptable” and pointing out “an increasing lack of access to areas that are qualified as private property,” his first proposed remedy is for “Lebanese authorities to raise awareness among local communities of the mission’s mandate, including its freedom of movement”—as if security and access problems that have steadily worsened for sixteen years are a matter of public awareness rather than intentional Hezbollah strategy.
To be sure, he goes on to note that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the government in Beirut have an “obligation” to investigate harassment of UNIFIL and hold attackers accountable, but other portions of his report illustrate how empty this formulation is given the lack of progress in criminal proceedings related to past incidents. Although making note of languishing cases from August 2018, December 2021, and January 2022 is important in terms of highlighting how Lebanon has abandoned its duties as host country, such reminders cannot be the UN’s only tool for addressing the problem.
At the moment, the Security Council seems likely to renew UNIFIL’s mandate later this month without any change to its size, budget, conduct, or even reporting. Internal assessments like the secretary-general’s report continue to emphasize inputs (i.e., troop numbers, patrol frequency, checkpoints) while downplaying the significance of outputs—namely, an accelerating deterioration in local security metrics and a measurable increase in Hezbollah’s illegal military buildup in the south. Member states will probably perpetuate the current approach with platitudes such as “Lebanon’s crisis is too severe” and “changing things now will send the wrong message.” In doing so, they will be disregarding several hard truths: that the UN’s main mechanism for preventing another war (i.e., making the LAF and UNIFIL the only armed forces in the south) has failed to the point of crisis; that the parties’ basic interest in avoiding war may no longer outweigh the growing risk of miscalculation, particularly by Hezbollah; and that Lebanon’s current economic meltdown pales in comparison to the assured devastation of another war. The UN must not let Lebanon’s political and economic crises take precedence over doing what it can to avoid a catastrophic war, and fixing UNIFIL’s mission is still the main option at its disposal.
*Brig. Gen. Assaf Orion (Res.) is the Rueven International Fellow at The Washington Institute and former head of the Strategic Division in the IDF General Staff’s Planning Directorate.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 06-07/2022
Air strikes, rocket attacks push Israel, Gaza into second day of fighting
AP/August 06, 2022
GAZA/JERUSALEM: Israeli airstrikes flattened homes in Gaza on Saturday and rocket barrages into southern Israel persisted, raising fears of an escalation in a conflict that has killed at least 15 people in the coastal strip. The fighting began with Israel’s killing of a senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group in a wave of strikes Friday that Israel said were meant to prevent an imminent attack. A 5-year-old girl and two women are among those killed in the strikes. So far, Hamas, the larger militant group that rules Gaza, appeared to stay on the sidelines of the conflict, keeping its intensity somewhat contained. Israel and Hamas fought a war barely a year ago, one of four major conflicts and several smaller battles over the last 15 years that wreaked a staggering cost to the impoverished territory’s 2 million Palestinian residents. Whether Hamas continues to stay out of the fight likely depends in part on how much punishment Israel inflicts in Gaza as rocket fire steadily continues. On Saturday afternoon, Israeli warplanes stepped up strikes with hits on four residential buildings in Gaza City, all locations apparently linked to Islamic Jihad militants. The destruction was the heaviest yet in the current exchange within the densely packed city, but there were no reports of casualties. In each case, the Israeli military warned residents ahead of the strikes. Another strike Saturday hit a car, killing a 75-year-old woman and wounding six other people.In one of the strikes, after the warnings, fighter jets dropped two bombs on the house of an Islamic Jihad member. The blast flattened the two-story structure, leaving a large rubble-filled crater, and badly damaged surrounding homes. Women and children rushed out of the area. “Warned us? They warned us with rockets and we fled without taking anything,” said Huda Shamalakh, who lived next door. She said 15 people lived in the targeted home.
The lone power plant in Gaza ground to a halt at noon Saturday for lack of fuel as Israel has kept its crossing points into Gaza closed since Tuesday. With the new disruption, Gazans can get only 4 hours of electricity a day, increasing their reliance on private generators and deepening the territory’s chronic power crisis amid peak summer heat. Throughout the day, Gaza militants regularly launched rounds of rockets into southern Israel, but there were no reports of casualties. Most barrages were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system, hit in empty areas or fell short into Gaza. Rocket shrapnel damaged the roof of a home in the city of Sderot, but the family was in a shelter. On Friday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a televised speech that “Israel isn’t interested in a broader conflict in Gaza but will not shy away from one either.”“This government has a zero-tolerance policy for any attempted attacks — of any kind — from Gaza toward Israeli territory,” he said. “Israel will not sit idly by when there are those who are trying to harm its civilians.”The violence poses an early test for Lapid, who assumed the role of caretaker prime minister ahead of elections in November, when he hopes to keep the position.
Lapid, a centrist former TV host and author, has experience in diplomacy having served as foreign minister in the outgoing government, but has thin security credentials. A conflict with Gaza could burnish his standing and give him a boost as he faces off against former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a security hawk who led the country during three of its four wars with Hamas.Hamas also faces a dilemma in deciding whether to join a new battle barely a year after the last war caused widespread devastation. There has been almost no reconstruction since then, and the isolated coastal territory is mired in poverty, with unemployment hovering around 50 percent. Israel and Egypt have maintained a tight blockade over the territory since the Hamas takeover in 2007.
Egypt on Saturday intensified efforts to prevent escalation, communicating with Israel, the Palestinians and the United States to keep Hamas from joining the fighting, an Egyptian intelligence official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
The Palestinian Health Ministry put the toll at 15 killed and said more than 80 were wounded. The ministry did not differentiate between civilians and militants. The Israeli military said early estimates were that around 15 fighters were killed. The latest round of Israel-Gaza violence was rooted in the arrest earlier this week of a senior Islamic Jihad leader in the West Bank, part of a monthlong Israeli military operation in the territory. A teen Islamic Jihad member was also killed in a gunbattle. Israel then closed roads around Gaza and sent reinforcements to the border, warning of retaliation. On Friday, it killed Islamic Jihad’s commander for northern Gaza, Taiseer Al-Jabari, in a strike on a Gaza City apartment building. An Israeli military spokesman said the strikes were in response to an “imminent threat” from two militant squads armed with anti-tank missiles. Other Israeli strikes overnight largely hit on the outskirts of Gaza City or in rural areas, targeting what Israel said were rocket launchers, rocket building sites and Islamic Jihad camps. Overnight, Israeli media showed the skies above southern and central Israel lighting up with rockets and interceptors from Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system. The UN special envoy to the region, Tor Wennesland, said: “The launching of rockets must cease immediately, and I call on all sides to avoid further escalation.” Defense Minister Benny Gantz approved an order to call up 25,000 reserve soldiers if needed while the military announced a “special situation” on the home front, with schools closed and limits placed on activities in communities within 80 kilometers (50 miles) of the border. Hamas seized power in Gaza from rival Palestinian forces in 2007, two years after Israel withdrew from the coastal strip. Its most recent war with Israel was in May 2021. Tensions soared again earlier this year following a wave of attacks inside Israel, near-daily military operations in the West Bank and tensions at a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site.Iran-backed Islamic Jihad is smaller than Hamas but largely shares its ideology. Both groups oppose Israel’s existence and have carried out scores of deadly attacks over the years, including the firing of rockets into Israel.

Israel, Palestinian militants trade fire in major Gaza escalation
Agence France Presse/August 06/2022
Israel hit Gaza with air strikes on Saturday and a Palestinian militant group retaliated with a barrage of rocket fire, in the territory's worst escalation of violence since a war last year. Israel has said it was forced to launch a "pre-emptive" operation against Islamic Jihad, insisting the group was planning an imminent attack following days of tensions along the Gaza border. Health authorities in Gaza, a Palestinian enclave controlled by the Islamist group Hamas, said 11 people have been killed by Israel's bombardment, including a five-year-old girl, with more than 80 others injured. Israel's army estimated that its operation has killed 15 militants. Early on Saturday Israel broadened its operation against Islamic Jihad, a group that is aligned with Hamas but often acts independently. The Israeli army announced the arrest of 19 people it said were members of the group in the occupied West Bank, alongside the arrest of one other person.
Israel and Islamic Jihad have both confirmed the killing of Taysir al-Jabari, a key leader of the militants, in a Friday strike on a building in the west of Gaza city. Islamic Jihad said that initial Israeli bombardment amounted to a "declaration of war", before it unleashed a barrage of rockets towards Israel.
The rocket fire and Israeli strikes were continuing on Saturday, risking a repeat of an 11-day conflict in May 2021 that devastated Gaza and forced countless Israelis to rush to bomb shelters. Daily life in the enclave has come to a standstill, with streets largely deserted and most shops closed. Some power lines have been disrupted by the Israeli air strikes, an AFP reporter said.
- Escalation, mediation -
"Israel isn't interested in a wider conflict in Gaza, but will not shy away from one either," Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a nationally televised address on Friday.  Air raid sirens sounded across southern Israel on Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. The Israeli military said the vast majority of 160 rockets fired from Gaza had either fallen within the Palestinian territory, or been intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system. Officials in border areas urged people to stay close to shelters, which have also been opened in the coastal city of Tel Aviv. Egypt, a historic broker between Israel and armed groups in Gaza, was seeking to mediate and may host an Islamic Jihad delegation later Saturday, Egyptian officials told AFP in Gaza. But sources within Islamic Jihad denied a ceasefire was on the cards, with one saying: "there is no talk whatsoever of Egyptian mediation and for the movement the focus is on the battlefield."The Arab League "condemned in the strongest possible terms the ferocious Israeli aggression against Gaza," while Jordan's foreign ministry "stressed the importance of halting the Israeli aggression". Hamas has fought four wars with Israel since seizing control of Gaza in 2007, including the conflict last May. Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad are considered terrorist organizations by much of the West. A flare up with Islamic Jihad came in 2019, following Israel's killing of Baha Abu al-Ata, Jabari's predecessor. Hamas did not join the fray in that episode. Hamas's moves now could prove crucial, with the group facing pressure from some to restore calm in order to improve economic conditions in Gaza.
Five-year-old girl -
Fire balls and plumes of smoke have billowed out of targets hit in Gaza. On Friday, the health ministry reported "a five-year-old girl, targeted by the Israeli occupation" was among those killed. The girl, Alaa Kaddum, had a pink bow in her hair and a wound on her forehead, as her body was carried by her father at her funeral. Hundreds of mourners gathered in Gaza City on Friday for the funerals of Jabari and others killed in the air strikes. Israeli military spokesman Richard Hecht said "we are assuming about 15 killed in action" in Gaza, referring to Palestinian combatants.
Israeli tanks were lined up along the border, after the military said Thursday it was reinforcing its troops. The strikes come four days after Israel closed its two border crossings with Gaza and restricted the movement of Israeli civilians living near the frontier, citing security concerns. The measures followed the arrest in the occupied West Bank of two senior members of Islamic Jihad, including Bassem al-Saadi, who Israel accuses of orchestrating recent attacks. Israel has conducted a near relentless wave of often deadly raids inside the West Bank since mid-March in response to lethal attacks on Israeli citizens.

Gaza's sole power plant shuts over lack of fuel
The Arab Weekly/August 06/2022
Gaza's sole power plant shut down on Saturday after running out of fuel, an electricity company spokesman said, five days after Israel closed its goods crossing with the Palestinian enclave. "The power plant in Gaza has stopped (working) due to the fuel shortage," said Mohammed Thabet, spokesman for the electricity company. The power station has gone without fuel deliveries through Israel since the country shut its goods and people crossings with Gaza on Tuesday. The electricity supply is expected to plummet to just four hours a day, Thabet said. Diesel for the power plant is usually trucked in from Egypt or Israel, which has maintained a blockade of the enclave since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. Israel's closure of its crossings with Gaza came as the military braced for reprisals following the arrest of two senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad members in the occupied West Bank. The group did not retaliate until Israel launched pre-emptive air strikes on the enclave Friday, prompting militants to fire rockets towards Israel. In a statement earlier on Saturday, Gaza's electricity company said the shutdown "will affect all public utilities and crucial installations and exacerbate the humanitarian situation".The company called on "all parties to urgently intervene and allow the entrance of fuel deliveries for the power plant to work." Gaza's 2.3 million residents experience regular power shortages and last week received only an average of 10 hours of electricity per day, according to data from the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA.

Iran Guards say Israel facing ‘heavy price’ for attacks in Gaza
Reuters/August 06, 2022
DUBAI: The commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that Israel would pay a high price for its latest attacks on the Palestinians in Gaza, Iranian state TV reported. “The Israelis will pay yet another heavy price for their recent crime,” it quoted Major General Hossein Salami as saying in reference to Israeli air strikes on Gaza, as he met with Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Al-Nakhala who is currently in Iran. On Saturday, Israeli aircraft struck in Gaza and Palestinians fired rockets at Israel after an Israeli operation against the Islamic Jihad militant group ended more than a year of relative calm along the border.

Saudi Arabia opens airspace to more flights serving Israel
The Arab Weekly/August 06/2022
Cathay Pacific and Air Seychelles have overflown Saudi Arabia for Israel flights for the first time, aviation data showed on Thursday, after Riyadh announced last month it would open its airspace to all airlines, paving the way for more overflights to and from Israel. Opening Saudi airspace to flights to and from Israel was a focus of US President Joe Biden’s tour of the countries, which do not have formal ties, last month. Riyadh agreed in principle. Israel said implementation could take weeks or more. Air Seychelles said it “became the first airline to receive permission from the Saudi Arabian authorities to overfly their territory,” with Wednesday evening’s Tel Aviv to Mahe flight. The new route “means a reduction in fuel burn between 500kg-1000kg per flight (and that) the aircraft can now carry an additional 20 passengers per flight,” it said in a statement. “The Saudi air traffic controllers were extremely helpful and allowed us to navigate with optimal conditions for passenger comfort,” the airline quoted the flight’s captain as saying. On Thursday, a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Tel Aviv used Saudi airspace, according to aviation website flightradar24. There was no immediate comment from Cathay. Saudi Arabia has allowed airlines, including Israeli carriers, to overfly its territory on flights to and from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain after the two Gulf states established ties with Israel as part of a US diplomatic drive in 2020. Prior to Biden’s visit, the only carrier allowed to use Saudi airspace for Tel Aviv services that did not originate or end in the UAE or Bahrain was Air India, based on a exemption that Riyadh granted New Delhi. A formal opening of Saudi skies to Israel would allow Israeli carriers to cut time and costs on routes to Asia that have had to avoid Saudi Arabia’s airspace. Biden has said the opening of Saudi airspace to all airlines flying to and from Israel could help build momentum towards Israel’s further integration with the region, including Saudi Arabia. Flag carrier El Al Israel Airlines said it hopes for implementation of unfettered Saudi overflight rights “soon”.An El Al flight from Tel Aviv to Bangkok on Wednesday flew over the Red Sea, avoiding Saudi Arabia, flightradar24 showed. Israeli Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli indicated talks with Riyadh on implementation still required mediation. “There are no diplomatic relations yet between Israel and Saudi Arabia, regrettably. Therefore this matter is not being addressed through direct contacts between the civilian authorities,” Michaeli told Tel Aviv radio station 103 FM. “But we are working on this at full tilt.”

Taiwan accuses China of simulating invasion as US relations nosedive
Agence France Presse/August 06/2022
Taiwan accused the Chinese army of simulating an attack on its main island Saturday, as Beijing doubled down on its retaliation for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei after announcing a suspension of cooperation with Washington on key issues.
Relations between the two superpowers have nosedived in the wake of Pelosi's trip to China's self-ruled neighbor -- which it claims as its territory -- prompting calls from the U.N. for an urgent de-escalation of tensions. And Friday saw the environment become the latest victim of the geopolitical jousting, as Beijing said it would withdraw from a series of talks and cooperation agreements with Washington -- most notably on climate change and defense cooperation. The world's two largest polluters had pledged to work together to accelerate climate action this decade and vowed to meet regularly to tackle the crisis -- a deal that now looks shaky. Beijing on Saturday continued some of its largest-ever military drills around Taiwan -- exercises aimed at practicing a blockade and ultimate invasion of the island, analysts say. Taipei said it observed several units of Chinese planes and ships operating in the Taiwan Strait, believing them to be simulating an attack on the self-ruled democracy's main island. Its forces detected "multiple batches of Communist planes and ships conducting activities around the Taiwan Strait, some of which crossed the median line", its defense ministry said in a statement. The median line refers to a demarcation line that runs down the Taiwan Strait which Beijing does not recognize. In a bid to show just how close China's forces have been getting to Taiwan's shores, Beijing's military overnight released a video of an air force pilot filming the island's coastline and mountains from his cockpit.
And the Eastern Command of the Chinese army shared a photo it said was taken of a warship patrolling in seas near Taiwan, the island's shoreline clearly visible in the background. Beijing also said they would hold a live-fire drill in a southern part of the Yellow Sea -- located between China and the Korean peninsula -- from Saturday until August 15. China's state broadcaster, CCTV, has reported that Chinese missiles have flown directly over Taiwan during the exercises -- a major escalation if confirmed.
But Taipei has remained defiant, insisting it will not be cowed by its "evil neighbor."
Peace 'vital' -
The scale and intensity of China's drills have triggered outrage in the United States and other democracies, with the White House summoning China's ambassador to Washington to rebuke him over Beijing's actions. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meeting with his Philippine counterpart in Manila on Saturday, said Washington was "determined to act responsibly" to avoid a crisis. "Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is vital not only for Taiwan but for the Philippines and many other countries," Blinken told reporters after he met with Enrique Manalo. A day earlier, Blinken and the foreign ministers of Japan and Australia issued a joint statement calling on China to halt the exercises after meeting on the sidelines of an Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Cambodia. And Beijing's decision to withdraw from hard-won cooperation on climate change has now sparked wider fears about the future of the planet. It's "impossible to address the climate emergency if the world's number one and number two economies and number one and number two emitters are not taking action", Alden Meyer, a senior associate at E3G, a climate-focused think tank, told AFP. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington the decision was "fundamentally irresponsible".UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the two superpowers must continue to work together -- for the world's sake. "For the secretary-general, there is no way to solve the most pressing problems of all the world without an effective dialogue and cooperation between the two countries," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
- 'The new normal' -
But with tensions over Taiwan having risen to their highest level in nearly 30 years with an elevated risk of military conflict, experts told AFP the latest downturn in relations between the two superpowers could be deep and long-lasting. "The relationship is in a very bad place right now," said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund. The suspension Friday of bilateral military and maritime dialogue while China continues its military exercises was "particularly worrisome", she said. "We don't know what else they will do," she said. "We just don't know if this is just a temporary thing." John Culver, a former CIA Asia analyst, said in a discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies that Beijing's main purpose with its military exercises was to change that status quo. "I think that this is the new normal," Culver said. "The Chinese want to show... that a line has been crossed by the speaker's visit."

Iran minister urges ‘realistic’ US response to revive nuclear deal
Reuters/August 06, 2022
TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign minister called on Saturday for a “realistic response” from the US to Iranian proposals at indirect talks in Vienna aimed at reviving Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, state media reported. The comments came as talks continued for a third day on Saturday with few expecting a breakthrough compromise while Tehran’s disputed uranium enrichment program surges forward. “Hossein Amirabdollahian ... stressed the need for a realistic US response to Iran’s constructive proposals on various issues to make the deal work,” state media reported, without providing details on the proposals.
Little remains of the 2015 pact between Iran and the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, which lifted sanctions against Tehran in exchange for curbs on Iranian enrichment activity the West fears could yield atomic bombs — which says its nuclear program is for power generation and other peaceful purposes — breached the agreement in several ways including rebuilding stocks of enriched uranium.
BACKGROUND
In June, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors passed a resolution criticizing Iran for failing to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites. Iranian media suggested a sticking point in the talks to revive the pact may be over Iran’s refusal to address alleged unexplained uranium traces as demanded by the UN nuclear watchdog, with Tehran insisting that the nuclear deal had cleared its nuclear program of alleged possible military dimensions. In June, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors passed a resolution criticizing Iran for failing to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites. But a senior Iranian presidential aide said Tehran demanded the issue be closed before it would agree to resume compliance with the pact. “In all of (President Ebrahim) Raisi’s telephone calls with the presidents of France, Russia and China, his firm position has been that a final agreement could be reached only when safeguards claims were resolved and closed,” state media on Saturday quoted the deputy head of Raisi’s office as saying. The European parties to the deal on Friday urged Iran “not to make unrealistic demands outside the scope of the JCPoA (nuclear deal), including on IAEA safeguards.”
“The text is on the table. There will be no re-opening of negotiations. Iran must now decide to conclude the deal while this is still possible,” a European statement said. Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington restarted in Vienna on Thursday with a meeting between the Islamic Republic’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani and European Union coordinator Enrique Mora. Reuters, citing one Iranian and one European official, reported in June that Tehran had dropped a major stumbling block — its demand for the removal of its Revolutionary Guards from a US sanctions list. A senior Iranian official suggested that the issue might not be a sticking point anymore, telling Reuters on Thursday: “We have our own suggestions that will be discussed in the Vienna talks, such as lifting sanctions on the Guards gradually.”

Russian forces begin assault on two eastern Ukraine cities
AP/August 06, 2022
KYIV, Ukraine: Russian forces began an assault Saturday on two key cities in the eastern Donetsk region and kept up rocket and shelling attacks on other Ukrainian cities, including one close to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Ukraine’s military and local officials said. Both cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka have been considered key targets of Russia’s ongoing offensive across Ukraine’s east, with analysts saying Moscow needs to take Bakhmut if it is to advance on the regional hubs of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. “In the Donetsk direction, the enemy is conducting an offensive operation, concentrating its main efforts on the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions. It uses ground attack and army aviation,” the Ukrainian General Staff said on Facebook. The last Russian strike on Sloviansk was July 30, but Ukrainian forces are fortifying their positions around the city in expectation of new fighting. “I think it won’t be calm for long. Eventually, there will be an assault,” Col. Yurii Bereza, head of the volunteer national guard regiment, told The Associated Press. Russian shelling killed five civilians and injured 14 others in the Donetsk region in the last day, Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote Saturday on Telegram, saying two people were killed in Poprosny, and one each in Avdiivka, Soledar and Pervomaiskiy. The governor of the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region said three civilians were injured after Russian rockets fell on a residential neighborhood in Nikopol, a city across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station. The nuclear plant has been under Russian control since Moscow’s troops seized it early in the war. “After midnight, the Russian army struck the Nikopol area with (Soviet-era) Grad rockets, and the Kryvyi Rih area from barrel artillery,” Valentyn Reznichenko wrote on Telegram. Another Russian missile attack overnight damaged unspecified infrastructure in the regional capital of Zaporizhzhia. On Thursday, Russia fired 60 rockets at Nikopol, damaging 50 residential buildings in the city of 107,000 and leaving residents without electricity. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned this week that the situation was becoming more perilous day by day at the Zaporizhzhia plant. “Every principle of nuclear safety has been violated” at the plant, he said. “What is at stake is extremely serious.” He expressed concern about the way the plant is being operated and the danger posed by the fighting going on around it. Experts at the US-based Institute for the Study of War said Russia is shelling the area intentionally, “putting Ukraine in a difficult position.” The Ukrainian company operating the nuclear power station said Saturday that Russian troops are using the plant’s basement to hide from Ukrainian shelling and have barred its Ukrainian staff from going there. “Ukrainian personnel do not yet have access to these premises, so in the event of new shelling, people have no shelter and are in danger,” Enerhoatom, a Ukrainian state enterprise, said on its Telegram channel.Enerhoatom said Friday that Russian rockets had damaged the plant’s facilities, including a nitrogen-oxygen unit and a high-voltage power line. Local Russian-appointed officials acknowledged the damage, but blamed it on the Ukrainians.

Fresh clashes in Libya as tensions raise fears of renewed conflict
The Arab Weekly/August 06/2022
Clashes between armed groups erupted overnight in Tripoli, according to local media reports, the latest violence to hit the Libyan capital. Witnesses heard gunfire and explosions around 1:00 am Saturday (23:00 GMT) in the city.The fighting, with light and heavy weapons, occurred in the El Jebs district in the city’s south, media reports said. Tensions have been rising for months in Libya as two prime ministers vie for power, raising fears of renewed conflict two years after a landmark truce ended a ruinous attempt by eastern military chief Khalifa Haftar to seize Tripoli by force. Saturday’s clashes were between armed groups loyal to Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, head of the unity government based in Tripoli, and others following his rival Fathi Bashagha, named in February as prime minister by a parliament based in Libya’s east after he made a pact with Haftar. The fighting ended when another group called the 444 Brigade intervened to mediate, according to Libyan media. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Bashagha has failed in his attempts to oust Dbeibah, who has repeatedly asserted he will only hand over power to an elected government. Tensions between armed groups loyal to the rival leaders have increased in recent months in Tripoli. On July 22, fighting in the heart of the city left 16 dead and about 50 wounded. Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity was appointed as part of a United Nations-backed peace process to end more than a decade of violence in the North African country. The transitional government had a mandate to lead the country to elections last December, but they never took place due to divisions over the rules and the presence of controversial candidates. Libya has been gripped by insecurity since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime ruler Muammar Gadhafi in 2011, leaving a power vacuum armed groups have been wrangling for years to fill.

Putin ,Erdogan agree to boost cooperation
The Arab Weekly/August 06/2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan agreed on Friday to boost cooperation in the transport, agriculture, finance and construction industries, they said in a joint statement after a four-hour meeting. Turkey mediated a deal signed by Ukraine, Russia and the United Nations in Istanbul last month under which grain exports from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports resumed after months of being blocked. In the statement, Putin and Erdogan stressed the need for “the full implementation of the Istanbul agreement, including the unimpeded export of Russia’s grain, fertiliser and raw materials for their production.”The two leaders also agreed to switch part of the payments for Russian gas to roubles, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters after the talks. The two also “reaffirmed their determination to act in coordination and solidarity in the fight against all terrorist organisations” in Syria. Ankara has carried out multiple operations in northern Syria since 2016, seizing hundreds of kilometres of land and targeting the Kurdish YPG militia, despite opposition from Moscow.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 06-07/2022
In Tunisia, the dice is still rolling
Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News/August 06/ 2022
Last week, President Kais Saied’s campaign to reverse Tunisia’s transition culminated in the passing of a constitutional referendum empowering his office to alter the North African country’s future trajectory. The controversial move has committed the country — once a bright spot for democracy that actually “works” in the Arab world — to a full descent into autocracy, at least according to some analysts and observers.
At present, however, it is a little premature to resort to alarmism concerning Tunisia’s fate in the wake of Saied’s takeover and awkward maneuvering to single-handedly steer the country away from a host of problems, such as skyrocketing youth joblessness, economic hardship and political stagnation.
For most Tunisians, there was simply too large a gap between what are now fantastical aspirations for a fully functioning democracy and responsive, competent governance. The government’s longevity and legitimacy were also partly derived from delivering unprecedented socioeconomic dividends, aside from ticking all the right boxes regarding transitional justice, accountability and fighting corruption. But even without the rise of an aspiring authoritarian such as Saied, something or someone else eventually would have emerged to overthrow an exasperating status quo — an unintended consequence of trying to implement a system of checks and balances in order to equalize power among the judiciary, the legislature and the executive.
The new constitution now centralizes power in what experts are calling a “hyper-presidency,” weakening the legislative branch and subordinating the judiciary to a mere administrative function of the executive branch, thus making the upholding of the law subject to the whims of a former law professor turned would-be strongman.
No matter how strong a leader is, he or she cannot single-handedly inject new life into an economy hamstrung by debt and unemployment.
Overall, the document reads like a strange mix of contradictions, rather than a coherent blueprint for a much-needed course correction to allow the political system to tackle the country’s well-publicized challenges. Saied has neither proffered a set of cogent solutions nor explained how his newly enshrined takeover will deliver on the country’s indebtedness, inflation, deteriorating public services and, more importantly, securing an estimated $4 billion International Monetary Fund loan without resorting to punishing austerity measures.
Most of the clarity in the June 2022 constitution is preserved only for enumerating the president’s powers with regards to the legislature, particularly where Saied granted himself a decisive role in picking not only the prime minister but also individual ministers. The president has set up a system whereby he can easily claim responsibility for critical successes, while pinning failures on soon-to-be-ousted Cabinet members or heads of government. Thus, the actual task of governing, or at least managing Tunisia’s intensifying woes, will fall on a select few individuals who will be torn between their allegiance to Saied and stepping up to meet the urgent crises in their portfolios.
Numerous other concerning scenarios are worth considering, but for now, aside from open-ended speculation on Tunisia’s future, the only credible assessment of what lies ahead must come from Tunisians themselves. However, if recent polling or surveys are anything to go by, overall attitudes toward the passing of the referendum are vague, since most are yet to come to terms with the gravity and extent of Saied’s maneuverings.
For many, what hopes there were in the beginning have been undermined by political gridlock, economic stagnation and successive ineffectual governments, prompting the public’s serious consideration of radical solutions offered by populist fixers, such as Saied before his ascendancy. As a result, moves to dissolve government, suspend parliament and put the judiciary on notice were met with instant approval, with almost four out of five Tunisians registering their support for the president taking a hatchet to the old order.
Despite months of raucous outcries by activists, civil society organizations and many others concerned about democratic backsliding and the potential loss of cherished civil liberties, the public remained mostly supportive of Saied’s one-man campaign — or were too apathetic to register dissent. Even now, some still believe the country is immune to history and the myriad intrepid schemes that have dashed democratic experiments elsewhere.
Thus, if one were to ask where the dice falls on the important question of Tunisia’s future, the simple answer is: It is complicated.
Most Tunisians still prefer a “strong,” decisive leader alongside an effective government, regardless of whatever form it takes, underscoring that the need for credible solutions to the country’s political and socioeconomic ills is central to their tacit acceptance of this new order. Unfortunately, no matter how strong a leader is, he or she cannot single-handedly inject new life into an economy hamstrung by debt, unemployment, depreciating wages and various external pressures. If Tunisians made a bet on Saied with such hopes, they have only themselves to blame should their hardships prevail — and they will.
Alternatively, the lack of a viable opposition figure, coalition or plan that can convincingly cater to the public’s demands, as well as counter Saied’s early maneuvering, has left many Tunisians with little choice but to surrender to apathy or resort to a self-defeating ploy by boycotting the referendum. Currently, the opposition remains highly factionalized, a situation that could worsen as some members seek to carve out their own spheres in the Saied era, while others remain reluctant to fully embrace a democracy that, in their view, led to disproportionate gains among Islamist parties.
After all, the 2014 constitution envisioned a mostly secular, liberal Tunisian society that sounded palatable on paper, but morphed into something else entirely in practice, when even at their weakest, the Islamist bloc still retained a parliamentary majority. So it is unsurprising to see the secularist/liberal opposition forgoing condemnations of Saied’s takeover and calls for mass mobilization in favor of muted statements that serve only to burnish their relevance and fail to acknowledge the dark clouds gathering over the country.
Will a fully functioning democracy in Tunisia become a dream deferred or obliterated? The dice is still rolling.
• Hafed Al-Ghwell is a non-resident senior fellow with the Foreign Policy Institute at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He is also a senior adviser at the international economic consultancy Maxwell Stamp and the geopolitical risk advisory firm Oxford Analytica, a member of the Strategic Advisory Solutions International Group in Washington, and a former adviser to the board of the World Bank Group. Twitter: @HafedAlGhwell

Kingdom’s Mideast alliances hold the key to security
Mohammed Abu Dalhoum/Arab News/August 06/2022
Two recent events have truly cemented Saudi Arabia’s position as a regional political power, perhaps more than anything before. First, US President Joe Biden’s visit, with its goals of reasserting America’s influence in the Middle East and finding a solution to the rising price of fuel, found a different Middle East from what he might have expected.
Second, just as Biden held meetings and visits in preparation for the Jeddah summit — that brought together the GCC, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan — Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had his own meetings. The crown prince had a widely celebrated tour of Cairo, Ankara and Amman, coupled with proxy talks with some of the summit’s other attendees.
The outcome was a prepared front and clear agenda that placed the priorities of the Middle East at the forefront. While the West might have long viewed Saudi Arabia’s importance as being based on its religious significance and economic power, thanks to its oil production, the picture is now very different. The region arguably has a sole major geopolitical power that can, and should, replace Western influence.
However, from an international relations perspective, the past few weeks also signified historic zigzags in the Middle East’s power dynamics. Tehran’s announcement immediately after the Jeddah summit that it had reached nuclear bomb development capabilities rather interrupted the momentum and complicated the power dynamics in the region.
The significant insecurity in the Tehran camp during Biden’s visit, the crown prince’s tour and the Jeddah summit might have been offset by the nuclear milestone announcement, which also marked the end of any prospective nuclear deal, at least in the shape long expected by the international community.
Now, from a regional security perspective, everyone must be very worried about Iran’s announcement. As the inputs change, the response and overall orientation ought to be changed too. All regional actors now have roles to play in stabilizing the situation. Thus, if ever there was a time to contain Iran, it is now.
The actors primarily include Saudi Arabia, the US, Jordan and Iraq. While the inclusion of Israel could, at least on paper, support the situation given Tel Aviv’s nuclear capabilities and regional insecurity, particularly toward Iran, it must be avoided. This is because the last thing the region needs at the moment is a nuclear standoff.
If we were to examine the roles to be played by each of these actors individually, a holistic approach could be formulated.
In Saudi Arabia, the Middle East arguably has a sole major geopolitical power that can, and should, replace Western influence.
For Saudi Arabia, it should continue to enhance its political power through two main approaches. It should first further its regional rapprochement and solidify its relations with Middle Eastern actors, particularly Jordan and Iraq. Secondly, it should learn from both the US and China how to enhance its regional politico-economic stance, as well as its soft power.
This includes striking more business deals regionally and exploring direct investment and even the direct implementation of infrastructure development projects that offer a steady return on investment. The ultimate goal can be to become the most important foreign investor in key strategic countries in the region.
Jordan, meanwhile, needs to explicitly illustrate its political support for Saudi Arabia and emphasize the importance of its multifaceted ties with the Kingdom. It should also liaise and advocate with Europe and with the US across its two major fronts, the presidency and the Congress.
It is also important to consider that Jordan itself has a stake in this and must be feeling worried, especially since any potential Iranian confrontation with either Saudi Arabia or Israel would place it in a geopolitically insecure position.
Iraq has a major role to play since it has open communication channels with Iran. Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has proven his ability to balance relations with both Riyadh and Tehran and thus can bring the two states closer to resuming talks. He can also clarify Iran’s intentions to ensure that we are not relying on outdated conceptions that continue to view Iran as the isolated revolutionary state of the 1980s.
Finally, the US should reorganize its cards, revitalize its approach toward Iran and do much more than just sanction it, as sanctions have proven massively inadequate. It must also act quickly and smartly ahead of a possible change in the presidency following the 2024 election. And it must consult with the region’s actors before taking any action. The bottom line is that if the West wants to support the Middle East, it needs only do so through its partners and it should refrain from its own miscalculated interventions. In fact, a recent report by the Tony Blair Institute revealed that the West holds many misconceptions in relation to modernization in the Middle East. The region is now in a much better place in terms of understanding its dynamics, while the key regional actors have what it takes to stabilize the situation.
*Mohammed Abu Dalhoum is the president of MENAACTION and a senior research analyst at NAMA Strategic Intelligence Solutions.

Why great power focus is increasingly on Africa
Andrew Hammond/Arab News/August 06/2022
Much attention this coming week will be focused on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Africa, where he will unveil Washington’s new regional strategy. However, the US is far from the only major power seeking to raise its profile on the continent, whose fortunes, along with those of its 1.2 billion population, are on an upward trajectory. Take the example of Europe, where the war in Ukraine is putting new economic importance around its engagement with Africa. This is especially so in the area of energy, given the urgent need to diversify away from Russian fossil fuels.
The International Energy Agency estimates Africa could replace as much as one-fifth of Russian gas exports to Europe by 2030. European-based energy firms are reportedly considering projects worth at least $100 billion on the continent, including in South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia and Tanzania. Namibia alone could provide around half-a-million barrels per day in new oil production, following promising exploratory drills in recent months. This energy diplomacy underlines how much the Ukraine conflict has turbocharged the priority that the EU had already begun to place on Africa. This was showcased last year with the launch of the “Global Gateway” project, widely seen as a counterpart to China’s mammoth Belt and Road Initiative.
The EU-Africa summit last February mobilized up to €300 billion ($305 billion) for public and private infrastructure around the world by 2027. Half of this is intended for Africa — focused on renewable energy, reducing the risk of natural disasters, digital connectivity, transport, vaccine production and education — with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proclaiming the EU-27 to be the continent’s “most reliable” global partner. From the new EU initiatives in the region to Brexit and the great power game underway between Washington, Moscow and Beijing, interest in the African continent is likely to grow. What the EU wants, in the words of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, is an “equal partnership” based around “a new, integrated strategy for and with Africa.” Brussels wants to encourage Africa as a champion of the EU’s rules-based, multilateral approach to world order, seeing the EU as a counterweight on the continent to other prominent world powers, such as China, with the “power politics” they are perceived to offer. While the European pivot is being spearheaded by Brussels, individual nations are also doubling down on their engagement with the continent, with French President Emmanuel Macron visiting recently and last year hosting the first France-Africa summit of his presidency.
Outside the EU, the UK is another European power with renewed focus on Africa. For the UK, the continent has assumed new importance as London seeks to consolidate ties with key non-EU nations following Brexit.
Meanwhile, other great nations are stepping up their serenading of the continent, too. Only last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov went to the region after growing criticism there of Moscow preventing Ukraine from exporting its agricultural produce via the Black Sea.
Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin are keen to revive the Soviet Union’s former influence on the continent. To this end, Putin hosted the first-ever Africa-Russia summit in Sochi in 2019, with a second planned for 2023, to try to entrench Moscow’s foothold there.
Russia’s increasingly close ally China is also showing great interest, aiming to better connect its Belt and Road Initiative with the continent’s development. Beijing’s top leadership — the president, premier and foreign minister — have reportedly made around 80 visits to over 40 different African countries during the past decade. Beijing is also a frequent host of China-Africa summits.
In this context, US President Joe Biden’s team is seeking to ramp up American engagement with Africa. The new US strategy, which Blinken is kicking off, seeks deeper partnership with the continent aimed at substantially increasing two-way trade and investment focused on sectors such as energy and climate, health and digital technology. The administration is framing the initiative as a way to promote shared US-Africa prosperity. Yet it is also designed, in part, to counter China in the region, with former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton publicly acknowledging that China and Russia “interfered with US military operations and posed a significant threat to US national security interests” on the continent. This shows that while the upsurge of attention to Africa by Western powers and China largely reflects economic calculations, broader political considerations are also in play. From the new EU initiatives in the region to Brexit and the great power game underway between Washington, Moscow and Beijing, interest in the continent is likely to grow.
*Andrew Hammond is an Associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.

Thanks to the EU, Iran's Mullahs Will Continue Taking Even More Hostages
Majid Rafizadeh/ Gatestone Institute./August 06/2022
Recently the Belgian government proposed and ratified legislation that appears to pave the way to transfer terrorists who have been convicted abroad back to Iran.
Does Belgium not understand that returning convicted terrorists to Iran will further embolden and empower the mullahs to carry out more terrorist acts on the European soil while they maintain complete impunity? The new concession will also encourage Iran's regime to take even more European citizens as hostages and demand still more concessions from the EU.
"It has been a crime to kill prisoners for centuries. The difference is that if it amounts to a particular crime of genocide, there is an international convention that binds countries to take action and punish that genocide... There is no doubt that there is a case for prosecuting [Iranian President Ebrahim] Raisi and others. There has been a crime committed that engages international responsibility. Something must be done about it as has been done against the perpetrators of the Srebrenica massacre." — Geoffrey Robertson, human rights barrister and first president of the UN's Special Court for Sierra Leone, YouTube, August 27, 2021.
"The Iranian authorities are using Ahmadreza Djalali's life as a pawn in a cruel political game, escalating their threats to execute him in retaliation for their demands going unmet. The authorities are attempting to pervert the course of justice in Sweden and Belgium, and should be investigated for the crime of hostage taking." — Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, May 19, 2022.
Even though the current Iranian government is a party to the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages, Tehran has long taken foreign hostages as pawns to extract economic concessions and achieve geopolitical and financial gains. The Obama administration, for instance, shipped $400 million in an unmarked plane to Iran for the release of four Iranian-American prisoners.
Appeasing terrorists, as we all know, only incentivizes them. It only breeds more terrorism and hostage-taking; it is an endless, deliciously profitable jobs and extortion program. The EU's policy, which ensures that Iran's ruling mullahs enjoy impunity, is a blow to the victims of the Iranian regime's terrorism and will simply endanger the security and safety of European citizens.
Even though the current Iranian government is a party to the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages, Tehran has long taken foreign hostages as pawns to extract economic concessions and achieve geopolitical and financial gains. Iran's regime appears as if it is attempting to secure the release from Swedish prison of Hamid Nouri, who was found guilty by a Stockholm court of crimes against humanity, including being a key figure in the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran, in which at least 30,000 dissidents were executed. Pictured: People protest against the crimes of Iran's regime outside the Stockholm District Court, during the trial against Hamid Noury, on November 23, 2021.
The Iranian regime has lately been taking more European hostages -- the direct result of the EU's appeasement policies to the ruling mullahs of Iran.
The Iranian authorities announced on July 30 that they had arrested another Swedish citizen. The Tehran regime normally detains European citizens on vague security-related charges such as having "suspicious behavior and contacts". Iran's hardline state-controlled newspaper, Kayhan, has also urged the government to take more European hostages.
The rise in hostage-taking of European citizens by Iran's regime should not come as a surprise. Recently the Belgian government proposed and ratified legislation that appears to pave the way to transfer terrorists who have been convicted abroad back to Iran. The so-called treaty between the Belgian government and the Iranian regime is most likely designed to secure the release of Iranian diplomat-terrorist Assadollah Assadi. He was arrested in 2018 for plotting to bomb a huge rally outside Paris that had been organized by the Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Last year, Assadi was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Belgian court for masterminding the terror plot. Had it been successful, it could well have been the worst terrorist incident in Europe's modern history.
Does Belgium not understand that returning convicted terrorists to Iran will further embolden and empower the mullahs to carry out more terrorist acts on the European soil while they maintain complete impunity? The new concession will also encourage Iran's regime to take even more European citizens as hostages and demand still more concessions from the EU.
Now the regime of Iran, emboldened, appears as if it is attempting to secure the release of another convicted individual, Hamid Nouri.
Nouri was the first former Iranian official tried outside Iran on crimes against humanity. He had been a former interrogator and torturer at Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran. Nouri, was accused of facilitating and even personally carrying out executions at Gohardasht. He was also allegedly involved in the massacre of political prisoners in Iran in 1988, during which at least 30,000 dissidents were executed and secretly buried in mass graves.
The massacre committed by the Iranian regime was a ruthless, bloody and inconceivable butchery of political prisoners. It was indeed a horrible crime against humanity and could, according to the opinion of experts on international human rights law, possibly be termed a genocide. As Geoffrey Robertson, a human rights barrister and first president of the UN's Special Court for Sierra Leone, pointed out:
"It has been a crime to kill prisoners for centuries. The difference is that if it amounts to a particular crime of genocide, there is an international convention that binds countries to take action and punish that genocide... There is no doubt that there is a case for prosecuting [Iranian President Ebrahim] Raisi and others. There has been a crime committed that engages international responsibility. Something must be done about it as has been done against the perpetrators of the Srebrenica massacre."
In May, the Islamic Republic also stated that it would execute another Swedish citizen, Ahmadreza Djalali. As Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, accurately stated:
"The Iranian authorities are using Ahmadreza Djalali's life as a pawn in a cruel political game, escalating their threats to execute him in retaliation for their demands going unmet. The authorities are attempting to pervert the course of justice in Sweden and Belgium, and should be investigated for the crime of hostage taking."
Even though the current Iranian government is a party to the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages, Tehran has long taken foreign hostages as pawns to extract economic concessions and achieve geopolitical and financial gains. The Obama administration, for instance, shipped $400 million in an unmarked plane to Iran for the release of four Iranian-American prisoners.
Appeasing terrorists, as we all know, only incentivizes them. It only breeds more terrorism and hostage-taking; it is an endless, deliciously profitable jobs and extortion program. The EU's policy, which ensures that Iran's ruling mullahs enjoy impunity, is a blow to the victims of the Iranian regime's terrorism and will simply endanger the security and safety of European citizens.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
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