English LCCC Newsbulletin For Le

English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For December 19/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2021/english.december19.22.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus said: Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.
Saint John 08/01-11/:'Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’]]

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 18-19/2022/
Patriarch Al-Rahi regretted what the lands of the town of Rmeish are being subjected to by Hezbollah members, and called on the authorities to carry out their duties, for an international conference, and for a transparent Lebanese and international investigation into the UNIFIL incident, and stated that Resolution 1701 is applied selectively and is restricted to the decision of the de facto forces while the state bites its wound
Rahi: We deplore and condemn the assassination of the Irish soldier, and it is time for the state to put its hand on every illegal weapon
Al-Rahi lashes out at Hezbollah over UNIFIL, Rmeish
Bishop Aoud: : How long will we accept to be ruled by losers?
UN and Lebanon Hold Memorial for Killed Irish Peacekeeper
Washington Condemns in ‘Strongest Terms’ Attack on UNIFIL in Lebanon
Lebanon 'Tackles' Presidential Vacuum...with Army Generals
Darian announces names of winning Muftis in Dar Al-Fatwa elections in Tripoli
Nasrallah, Abdul Karim Ali meet

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 18-19/2022/
Iranian government arrests acclaimed actress in relation to protests
Iran Urged to Free Top Actor Who Backed Protests
Brussels Urges Belgians to Quit Iran over Arrest Risk
Iran Central Bank Governor Blames Protests for Currency’s Fall
A Russian tank unit deliberately attacked another Russian position in Ukraine, report says, illustrating vicious rivalries within Putin's army
Russian shelling targets heart of city of Kherson
Ukraine Latest: Kyiv Warns Again of Potential Russian Escalation
Zelenskiy says Ukraine preparing for all defence scenarios
Russia's military needed up to 72 hours to approve a strike — making soldiers hit Ukrainian targets too late: report
US officials tried to stop Ukraine from killing high-ranking Russian general who was on a risky visit to the front lines, report says
ISIS Gunmen Kill Nine Iraqi Police Officers in Kirkuk
Egypt, Jordan Agree to Deepen Cooperation in Various Fields
UN Envoy: Signs of Libya’s Partition Grow, Election Needed
Syria Fuel Crisis Slows Down Life in Damascus

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 18-19/2022/
Who Controls their Strategic Compass? Turkiye, Iran, or the Arab Gulf States?/Raghida Dergham/The National/December 18, 2022
Great Britain: Multiculturalism and Islam Turn It Upside-Down/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/December 18, 2022
Dangerous Words that Say a Lot/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 18 December, 2022

on December 17-18/2022/
Patriarch Al-Rahi regretted what the lands of the town of Rmeish are being subjected to by Hezbollah members, and called on the authorities to carry out their duties, for an international conference, and for a transparent Lebanese and international investigation into the UNIFIL incident, and stated that Resolution 1701 is applied selectively and is restricted to the decision of the de facto forces while the state bites its wound
Rahi: We deplore and condemn the assassination of the Irish soldier, and it is time for the state to put its hand on every illegal weapon
NNA/LCCC/December 18/2022
Maronite Patriarch Beshara Boutros Rahi indicated, in his homily from Bkerke, that “we were waiting for a delegation from the town of Rmeish, who were complaining about encroachments on their lands through dredging and construction operations carried out by influential parties from the region.”The Patriarch regretted what the town’s lands are being subjected to by members of the de facto forces affiliated with one of the parties, calling on “the security services to do their duty to reassure our people, withdraw foreign elements from the town, and put an end to all practices that harm coexistence.”On the Al-Aqabiya incident, Rahi denounced and condemned the assassination of the Irish soldier, calling on the state to “put its hand on every unlawful and illegal weapon.”He pointed out that everything that is happening on the borders confirms the need to return to active, positive neutrality and an international conference on Lebanon.The prelate considered that “the Irish soldier was martyred with a bullet of hatred, and this incident, which distorts the face of Lebanon, calls for an international investigation.”

Al-Rahi lashes out at Hezbollah over UNIFIL, Rmeish
Naharnet/December 18/2022
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday hit out at Hezbollah without naming it over two recent issues. Voicing deep grief over “the assassination of the Irish soldier three days ago,” al-Rahi said that this UNIFIL peacekeeper “who came to Lebanon to protect the peace of the South has been martyred by a hatred bullet that assassinated him.”“It’s about time, and it has long been overdue, that the state put its hand on every unruly and illegitimate weapon,” al-Rahi added, in his Sunday Mass sermon. The Lebanese state “should implement Resolution 1701 in text and spirit, because so far its implementation has been selective, arbitrary and confined to the decision of the de facto forces,” al-Rahi went on to say, in an apparent swipe at Hezbollah and its arsenal of weapons. Also criticizing Hezbollah without naming it, the patriarch said the residents of the southern border town of Rmeish have been decrying “violations against their land and bulldozing and construction activities by influential parties in the area.”Describing those carrying out the activities as “de facto elements belonging to one of the parties in the area,” al-Rahi called on security agencies to “carry out their duties in protecting the properties of our sons and reassuring them.”Security agencies must “remove violations immediately, withdraw the elements who are alien to the town and put an end to all the practices and breaches that harm coexistence,” the patriarch urged.

Bishop Aoud: : How long will we accept to be ruled by losers?
LCCC/NNA: The Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elias Audi, in his today's sermon during the anniversary praying mass for the repose Of Gebran Tueni's martyrdom spirit, that said, "evil tried to stifle Gibran's voice, but the voice of truth is stronger than death.” He asked during a mass in St. George’s Cathedral - Nejmeh Square: “How long will we accept that the failed negotiators rule us by force? Was the blood of the martyrs wasted in vain, and our state is retreating day after day?” Meanwhile he pointed out that “the obstruction of the election of the President of the Republic continues due to the politicians’ tricks that have become exposed, and their sins have brought us to where we are.” He concluded, stressing that "the deputies must be held accountable for their sterile and humiliating practices towards their elected officials, and we need officials headed by a president who carries a clear reform plan.."..

UN and Lebanon Hold Memorial for Killed Irish Peacekeeper
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 18 December, 2022
The Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers held a memorial at the Beirut airport on Sunday for an Irish soldier killed by a mob that opened fire last week at two vehicles belonging to the UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. The attack that killed 24-year-old Pvt. Seán Rooney of Newtowncunningham took place near the southern town of Al-Aqbiya on Wednesday night, as he and seven other Irish peacekeepers from United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were on their way to the Beirut airport. A person familiar with the investigation said local residents were angered and became aggressive when two UNIFIL armored vehicles took a detour through Al-Aqbiya, which the residents said is not part of the area under UNIFIL’s mandate. The Iran-backed Hezbollah party, which has bases and traditional strongholds in southern Lebanon, has not commented on the attack. One of the unidentified attackers shot Rooney in the head, a security official said. Three other Irish peacekeepers in another UNIFIL vehicle were injured when their car crashed into the aluminum shutters of a building and rolled over as it tried to flee the scene. At the airport memorial, UN peacekeepers stood by Rooney's coffin after it arrived from a hospital the southern city of Sidon. His body was then transferred to a military carrier to be taken back to Ireland. "We shall always keep in mind our fallen comrades in arms, as they represent an example of an unwavering commitment to UNIFIL and this country," the UNIFIL chief, Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro, said at the memorial. Representatives of Lebanese caretaker Defense Minister Maurice Slim and army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun also attended. The Lebanese authorities have not yet commented on the ongoing investigation, though the security official added that seven bullets were retrieved from the vehicle. The Irish military declined to comment on the incident to the AP. Confrontations between residents in southern Lebanon and UNIFIL troops are not uncommon. In January, unknown perpetrators attacked Irish peacekeepers in the southern town of Bint Jbeil, vandalizing their vehicles and stealing items. The residents accused them of taking photographs of residential homes, though the UN mission denied this. UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after a 1978 invasion. The UN expanded its mission following the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, allowing peacekeepers to deploy along the Lebanon-Israel border to help the Lebanese military extend its authority into the country’s south for the first time in decades. That resolution also called for a full cessation of Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities, which has not happened.

Washington Condemns in ‘Strongest Terms’ Attack on UNIFIL in Lebanon
Washington - Elie Youssef/Sunday, 18 December, 2022
The United States condemned in the strongest terms the violent attack on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers on Wednesday that left one Irish service member dead and three wounded. It called upon the Lebanese government to urgently investigate the attack, hold those responsible accountable, and prevent such incidents from reoccurring. The Department of State said in a statement that violence against peacekeepers is “unconscionable,” puts Lebanese civilians at risk, and jeopardizes stability in southern Lebanon. Washington sent its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the peacekeeper who died and hoped for the speedy recovery of those woundedd. The attack was considered “multidimensional” message, given the UNIFIL’s recently extended mandate, the internal crisis in Iran due to the ongoing popular protests that threaten its regime and the presidential elections in Lebanon that are associated with the economic and living crises.. The attack was considered a “bloody message” to the UN forces, in objection to changing the rules of its cooperation with the Lebanese army in September. .The UNIFIL’s patrols no longer need to coordinate with the army or accompany its elements, which concerned the Lebanese Hezbollah, which insists on this continued cooperation so that the UNIFIL does not become an “occupation force,” as stated by its leaders. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Tony Badran, a senior researcher at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington, said this insistence proves the depth of the “dependency-based” relation between the army and Hezbollah. He affirmed that Biden administration considers the commander of the Lebanese army, Joseph Aoun, the best presidential candidate, and so does France, which is in truce with Tehran. Iran gained new interests and investments following the signing of the demarcation agreement and Total’s taking over the leadership of a gas exploration consortium. According to Badran, Hezbollah and Joseph Aoun are not enemies and share a long-term relationship of cooperation, sponsored by the US through the aid policy it adopts.

Lebanon 'Tackles' Presidential Vacuum...with Army Generals
Beirut - Thaer Abbas/Asharq Al-Awsat/December 18/2022
As Lebanon’s political blocs have failed to elect a new president for the country, all attention turns, as usual, to the military institution, which enjoys the people’s trust as the most cohesive authority within the Lebanese state.
In addition to MP Michel Moawad, two candidates share the electoral stage; but no party has endorsed their candidacy. Those are former MP Sleiman Franjieh, and Army Commander General Joseph Aoun. The latter’s chances are rising with the faltering elections, especially since he also enjoys international confidence that was expressed on more than one occasion.
The Army tends to disregard talks about the candidacy of its commander and refrains from making public statements about it.
A security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the commander’s directives were firm in this regard.
“His main concern today is to spare the institution the catastrophic repercussions of the crises that afflict the country; he is not envisaging political work,” the source remarked.
Asharq Al-Awsat presents an extensive investigation, based on the experience of four Army generals - Fouad Chehab, Emile Lahoud, Michel Sleiman, and Michel Aoun - who assumed the Lebanese presidency.
All of the four generals were elected as a result of consensus and the inability of politicians to propose solutions to the crises that afflict the country. Paradoxically, the tenure of each of them witnessed a change in the international and regional balance of power that further scattered the country’s torn papers.
Fouad Chehab: The era of institutions... and intelligence services
General Fouad Chehab played two pivotal roles in the two biggest crises that afflicted Lebanon. The first was the resignation of President Bechara El-Khoury in 1952 under the pressure of massive demonstrations against his internal policies, and apparently, his endeavor to renew his mandate after amending the constitution.
The second crisis was represented in the events of the so-called 1958 revolution at the end of the term of President Camille Chamoun, who sided with the policies of the West in contrast to the policies of Egyptian President Abdel Nasser, who was overwhelmingly popular among Muslims in Lebanon.
In the first crisis, Chehab was appointed head of a transitional government for three days, which oversaw the transfer of power between the resignation of Khoury and the election of Chamoun. In the second, the army stood neutral between the two parties to the conflict and prevented supporters of the opposition and the government alike from occupying strategic sites such as airports, radio stations, and government buildings.
Although Fouad Chehab rejected the temptation to run for the presidency in 1952, he accepted that in 1958.
His tenure was known as “the era of institutions,” but was also marked by the strong involvement of the Army Intelligence - known at the time as the Second Bureau - in political life, as well as in administrations and civil societies. Renowned Author Emile Khoury described Chehab’s rule as the “era of stability and reforms.”
Emile Lahoud... A failed reproduction of Chehab’s Experience
With the end of President Elias Hrawi’s term in 1995, Army Commander General Emile Lahoud was the preferred candidate for Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, who at that time had the last say in the appointment of senior positions in the country.
However, external pressure and wishes made Assad postpone this election, and accept the extension of Hrawi’s term for an additional three years, after which Lahoud would be elected as president in 1998 after amending the constitution for this purpose.
Lahoud’s tenure saw a decline in the power of the Syrian regime in Lebanon. Moreover, Assad’s support for amending the constitution to extend Lahoud’s term for an additional three years resulted in the latter’s international isolation, especially since it occurred before the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the great upheaval that followed.
Former Minister Karim Pakradouni, who was a supporter of Lahoud’s election, says: “There is a rule in Lebanon: every time politicians fail to agree on a candidate’s name, they resort to the army. This is what happened in 1958 when differences prevailed between political and sectarian forces… This also happened when they elected General Emile Lahoud as president…”
Pakradouni continued: “In this context, President Lahoud summed up the policies of his era with ‘liberation, alliance with Syria, and reform’. Lahoud succeeded in achieving liberation, as the land was liberated from the Israelis in 2000, and he was able to ally with Syria, but he did not succeed in the issue of reform, knowing that much was expected of him in reforms…”
The Era of Michel Sleiman… The Golden Trio turns into Intense Rivalry
President Michel Sleiman assumed the presidency following a compromise between the parties to the conflict at the end of Lahoud’s term, and after a presidential vacuum that lasted for nearly six months. Sleiman was a consensual president produced by agreements in Doha in the aftermath of a military operation carried out by Hezbollah against its political opponents in Beirut and the Mountains in May 2008.
Alike his military predecessors, he faced changes in the international equation, with the outbreak of the Arab Spring uprisings and their arrival in Syria with the direct involvement of Hezbollah.
The “honeymoon” with the party did not last long, and talk of the “Army, People and Resistance,” which was adopted in the ministerial statement during his tenure, turned into intense rivalry with Sleiman, to the extent that his supporters described this slogan as the “wooden trio”, ridiculing Hezbollah’s description of it as the “golden trio.”
Former Minister Nazim al-Khoury, who was close to Sleiman, considers him “a national figure who succeeded in playing the role of arbitrator between the political parties. His election came as a realistic solution to a crisis that almost brought the country back to civil war.”
Khoury noted that Sleiman’s main accomplishments included his success in managing the national dialogue and achieving consensus on the famous Baabda Declaration, which was considered a complement to the Taif Document and the Doha Agreement, and later became an official document approved by the United Nations and the League of Arab States.
Sleiman wanted the declaration to be a pre-emptive Lebanese agreement that would fortify it internally. Unfortunately, Iran entered the war line in Syria, which made Hezbollah retract its support for the Baabda Declaration and directly engage in the Syrian conflict.
Michel Aoun… The Era of Crises.
Michel Sleiman’s term ended in a new presidential vacuum. The March 14 team had the necessary parliamentary majority to elect the president (about 70 deputies). However, the opposite team disrupted parliament sessions and prevented voting for two years and five months, after which a settlement was reached to elect General Michel Aoun, provided that MP Saad Hariri assumes the premiership.
This experiment has drastically failed. Lebanon suffered a relapse in the middle of the mandate, with a new international and regional change, accompanied this time by a financial and economic collapse, the greatest in the country’s history.
Aoun could not rule. Hezbollah, which closed Parliament to secure the election of its ally, “did not help him succeed,” says a senior official in the pro-Aoun movement.
MP Alain Aoun, the former president’s nephew and a member of his parliamentary bloc, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “President Aoun’s experience was not up to his ambitions or the aspirations of his supporters because of the financial collapse that occurred during his tenure…”
“This setback, despite its magnitude, cannot abolish the positive accomplishments during the era of President Aoun, in terms of the return of security and political stability in the first half of his tenure, thanks to the understandings that existed at the time, and the electoral reform that saw the adoption of the proportional system for the first time in the history of Lebanon, and finally and most importantly, the agreement on the maritime border demarcation with Israel,” the deputy said.

Darian announces names of winning Muftis in Dar Al-Fatwa elections in Tripoli
NNA/December 18/2022
The elections for the local muftis were held in the regions of Tripoli, Akkar, Zahle, Rashaya, Baalbek-Hermel, and Hasbaya Marjeyoun on Sunday, based on the decision of the Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian, according to a statement issued by the media office of Dar Al-Fatwa today. The statement included names of the newly elected muftis: Sheikh Muhammad Tariq, the imam of the Mufti of Tripoli, with 66.40 percent, Sheikh Zaid Muhammad Bakkar Zakaria, Mufti of Akkar, with 45.56 percent, Sheikh Ali Al-Ghazawi, Mufti of Zahle, with 56.60 percent, Sheikh Wafiq Hijazi, the Mufti of Rashaya, with a percentage of 85.70 percent, Sheikh Ayman Al-Rifai, Mufti of Baalbek-Hermel, by 65 percent, Sheikh Hassan Daly, Mufti of Hasbaya, Marjeyoun, by 80.95 percent. Derian congratulated the muftis who won the elections, wishing them success in their religious and national journey and serving the Muslims and the Lebanese, asking God Almighty to grant them success in their noble Islamic missions. "This electoral entitlement is an Islamic and patriotic duty that was achieved after long years of absence of such elections," the Mufti said. He added: "What happened today in terms of the elections for the muftis is a clear message to all the political forces in Lebanon to hasten to elect a president of the republic who brings together the Lebanese and adheres to the constitution and the national charter, especially the document of national reconciliation known as the Taef Accord, which brought Lebanon out of the tunnel of conflicts to the vastness of the homeland." "We call on our brothers and sons, on the occasion of the national and religious holidays that overlook Lebanon, to adhere to national unity and transcend self-interests, so that Lebanon will return to all its children as a free and independent Arab sovereign member, an oasis of dialogue, diversity and a national culture aimed at building a state of institutions and law," Mufti Derian concluded.

Nasrallah, Abdul Karim Ali meet
NNA/December 18/2022
The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, received the Syrian ambassador in Beirut, Ali Abdul Karim Ali, in a farewell meeting, during which he thanked the ambassador "for his efforts in contributing to improving and arranging relations between the two countries despite the external and internal pressures." He praised his "permanent and active presence alongside all the Lebanese resistance fighters and patriots in these difficult years and the complex circumstances that the Lebanese have lived through, as well as his serious care for all the Syrians in Lebanon."
Nasrallah hoped for success for both countries, and for the Lebanese and Syrian peoples to reach the best fraternal and distinguished relations at all levels..

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 18-19/2022/
Iranian government arrests acclaimed actress in relation to protests
Justin Klawans/The Week/December 18, 2022
One of Iran's most well-known and acclaimed actresses was arrested on Saturday by the nation's ruling regime after criticizing the country's use of the death penalty against protesters. Taraneh Alidoosti, renowned throughout the Middle East for her starring role in the 2016 Oscar-winning film The Salesman, was detained by security forces in the Iranian capital of Tehran, according to the state-run media outlet Fars News Agency. Alidoosti had previously posted on social media lambasting the Iranian government for executing Mohsen Shekari, who was convicted of "waging war against God" for allegedly assaulting security forces during the ongoing protests that have swept the nation. While her Instagram account has since been deleted, The Guardian reported that Alidoosti had made a post on the platform following Shekari's execution, in which she wrote, "His name was Mohsen Shekari. Every international organization who is watching this bloodshed and not taking action, is a disgrace to humanity. Your silence means supporting tyranny and tyrants." Alidoosti had also previously posted a picture of herself without a hijab, voicing her opinion on one of the most hotly contested issues surrounding the Iranian protests. The Iranian government has claimed that Alidoosti was arrested for spreading false information about Shekari's execution. "Some celebrities make claims without evidence and publish provocations and have been thus arrested," Far News Agency said in its official report. It is unclear where she is being held, and reports have emerged out of Iran of sham trials being conducted without due process.

Iran Urged to Free Top Actor Who Backed Protests
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 17 December, 2022
Celebrities and rights groups called on Iran on Sunday to free actor Taraneh Alidoosti, one of the most prominent figures yet arrested in its three-month crackdown on protests. Alidoosti, 38, was arrested on Saturday, official media said, after making a string of social media posts supporting the protest movement -- including removing her headscarf and condemning the execution of protesters. The unrest was sparked by the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, whom the morality police accused of violating the country's strict dress code for women. Iran blames the United States and other "enemies" for trying to destabilize the country by fueling the demonstrations. Several prominent figures -- including other actors and footballers -- have been detained in connection with the protests. Alidoosti has considerable international renown, performing in award-winning films by director Asghar Farhadi, including the Oscar-winning 2016 film "The Salesman". Somayeh Mirshamsi, assistant director on "The Salesman", said Alidoosti had called her father to say she was being held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, run by the intelligence ministry. Alidoosti asked her father for the delivery of medicines, and her family are "worried" and her health, Mirshamsi wrote on Twitter.
'Power of women's voices'
Prominent Iranian cinema figures gathered outside Evin prison, Iranian daily Shargh reported, including co-stars from "Leila's Brothers", a film which Alidoosti went to Cannes Film Festival earlier this year to promote. The group included actor Payman Maadi and director Saeed Roustayi, as well as her father Hamid, who played football for Iran in the 1970s. Her arrest also generated anger on social media, with exiled actor Golshifteh Farahani calling her "the brave actress of Iran" and demanding her release. On November 9, Alidoosti posted an image of herself without a headscarf, holding a paper with the main slogan of the protests: "Woman, life, freedom". In a show of support after her arrest, former French football star turned actor Eric Cantona reposted that image on Instagram with the hashtag "#freedom". In Canada, Cameron Bailey, head of the Toronto International Film Festival, called Alidoosti "one of Iran's most talented and acclaimed actors". "I hope she's free to keep representing the strength of Iranian cinema soon", Bailey wrote. The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said women including Alidoosti "are being arrested and jailed in Iran for refusing to wear forced hijabs". "The power of women's voices terrify the Islamic republic's ruler", it added.
'Any price'
During the street protests, banners of supreme leader Ali Khamenei have been set alight, women have openly walked down streets without headscarves, and demonstrators have at times sought to challenge the security forces. Authorities in Tehran on Sunday also questioned 26-year-old singer Amir Maghare of the hugely popular Macan Band pop group. The judiciary's Mizan Online news website said Maghare had "left the prosecutor's office after providing explanations, receiving a warning and making a commitment". Daily sports newspaper Khabar Varzeshi reported Sunday that Ashkan Dejagah, 36, a former Iran national football player who also has German citizenship, has been barred from leaving the country "after being seen in protests... in Germany". Alidoosti's most recent social media post was on December 8, the same day Mohsen Shekari, 23, became the first person executed by authorities over the protests. "Your silence means the support of the oppression and the oppressor", she wrote on Instagram. Images have also circulated on social media of Alidoosti shopping in Tehran without a headscarf. She had vowed not to leave Iran and said she was prepared to "pay any price to stand up for my rights."
Mizan Online said the actor was arrested "by order of the judicial authority" as she "did not provide documentation for some of her claims" about the protests. Her Instagram account with more than eight million followers was no longer accessible on Sunday. The Oslo-based monitor Iran Human Rights said Saturday that Iran's security forces had killed at least 469 people in the protests while at least 14,000 people have been arrested, according to the UN.

Brussels Urges Belgians to Quit Iran over Arrest Risk
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 18 December, 2022
Belgium's government called Sunday for Belgians in Iran to leave the country, mired in a violent crackdown on nationwide protests, because of the risk of arbitrary arrest and imprisonment. "All Belgian visitors, including (dual) nationals, are at high risk of arrest, arbitrary detention and unfair trial. This risk also applies to people who are simply visiting Iran for tourism," the government said in a statement. "In the event of arrest or detention, respect for fundamental rights and the safety of individuals are not guaranteed," the statement added. "In this context, the capacity of the Belgian embassy in Tehran to provide consular protection to nationals arrested or detained in Iran is very limited."Explaining the new advice, the ministry said: "Recently, a Belgian national and several other Westerners were arbitrarily arrested and are currently imprisoned in Iran." Belgian nationals in Iran were advised to limit their movements and to "avoid any type of gathering". There were 200 Belgian nationals registered this summer with the country's consular service in Iran. The ministry statement comes after Brussels officials said Wednesday that Iran had imposed a 28-year jail term on a Belgian aid worker, stirring an already bitter debate over a stalled prisoner exchange treaty. Olivier Vandecasteele was arrested in February and is reportedly being held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, in conditions that Belgian justice minister Vincent Van Quickenborne has described as "inhumane".
Prisoner exchange dispute
Belgium insists he is innocent, effectively held as a hostage in Tehran's efforts to force Belgium to release an Iranian agent convicted of terrorism. News of Vandecasteele's sentence has revived debate in Belgium over a prisoner exchange treaty with Iran. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo's government has described this in the past as the only option for a transfer. The treaty was signed with Iran earlier this year and, while not tailored explicitly for Vandecasteele, Brussels confirmed that he would have been eligible for exchange. But last week, Belgium's constitutional court suspended the implementation of the treaty pending a final ruling on its legality within the next three months. Opponents of the Iranian government have challenged the deal, which they argue was "tailor-made" to permit the release of Assadollah Assadi, an Iranian diplomat sentenced last year to 20 years in prison. An Antwerp court convicted Assadi of supplying explosives to a couple from Belgium who were to travel to Paris to target a meeting of Iran's exiled opposition. In Spain on Sunday, relatives and friends of Spanish football fan Santiago Sanchez, arrested in Iran on his way to the World Cup, demanded his release during a rally outside Tehran's embassy in Madrid.

Iran Central Bank Governor Blames Protests for Currency’s Fall
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 18 December, 2022
Iran's central bank governor on Saturday partly blamed recent anti-government unrest for the fall of the Iranian currency to record lows, while authorities detained a prominent actress who had voiced support for protesters. The unrest also saw groups of oil workers holding protests on Saturday to demand higher wages, according to reports on social media. The wider unrest currently gripping Iran was triggered by the Sept. 16 death in detention of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested for wearing "inappropriate attire" under Iran's strict Islamic dress code for women. Authorities on Saturday detained Taraneh Alidoosti, star of "The Salesman" which won an Academy Award for best foreign language film in 2016, after she voiced support for the protests and posted a photo of herself without a head scarf with a sign reading "Woman, life, freedom" - a main slogan of demonstrators, AFP reported. "Alidoosti, who did not provide documents backing up some of her claims, was arrested hours ago by an order of the judicial authority," the official news agency IRNA quoted a judiciary statement as saying. The statement said several celebrities had been summoned over "unsubstantiated comments about recent events, and publishing provocative material in support of earlier street riots", and that some were detained. It did not elaborate. In 2020, Alidoosti received a five-month suspended sentence after she criticized on Twitter the morality police, which enforces hijab or Islamic dress code. Alidoosti was the latest of dozens of artists, journalists and lawyers detained over the past three months for speaking out against a violent security crackdown on the protesters, some of whom have been released on bail. Separately, Central Bank governor Ali Salehabadi acknowledged that "the events of the past two months" had contributed, along with US sanctions, to a record fall of the Iranian currency, but suggested dollars could be injected into the market to shore up the troubled rial. "To make adjustments in the (foreign exchange) market, we in the Central Bank will act both as a market-maker and as a hard currency policymaker," Salehabadi told state TV. "Whichever hard currency is more in demand, we will offer that in the market." Iran's troubled currency fell to a new low against the US dollar on Saturday as Iranians desperate to find safe havens for their savings have been trying to buy dollars, other hard currencies or gold. The dollar sold for as much as 395,600 rials on the unofficial market, up from 386,800 on Friday, according to foreign exchange site Bonbast.com. The economic daily Donya-e-Eqtesad’s website gave the dollar rate as 382,300, up 1.2% from Friday. The rial has lost nearly 20% of its value since the nationwide protests erupted three months ago. In May 2018, the currency was trading at about 65,000 per US dollar just before the United States withdrew from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers and reimposed sanctions on the country.

A Russian tank unit deliberately attacked another Russian position in Ukraine, report says, illustrating vicious rivalries within Putin's army
Alia Shoaib/Business Insider/December 18, 2022
A Russian tank unit attacked another Russian position in Ukraine following an argument, the NYT said.
The incident demonstrates the vicious in-fighting that has plagued Vladimir Putin's military.
There has been open sparring among the leaders of different splinters of Russian forces.
A Russian tank commander deliberately attacked another Russian position in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine this summer following a battlefield argument, a major new report said. The incident, part of a sweeping investigation by The New York Times, is one of the clearest examples of the vicious in-fighting that has plagued President Vladimir Putin's military throughout the war. A Russian drone operator who said he witnessed the episode told the paper that a Russian tank commander drove his T-90 tank toward a group of Russian national guard troops, fired at their checkpoint and blew it up. "Those types of things happen there," the soldier said, adding that he has since fled Russia. The national guard, or Rosgvardia, is not part of the Russian armed forces, and reports to Putin directly. That rift was one of several at play in the Russian war effort. Other power centers include the mercenary Wagner group, led by Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, and the forces led by Ramzan Kadyrov, the warlord who leads Russia's semi-autonomous region of Chechnya. The Russian military appears to have limited coordination with any of them, officials said, according to the paper. "There was no unified command, there was no single headquarters, there was no single concept and there was no unified planning of actions and command," retired Russian General Leonid Ivashov told the paper. "It was destined to be a defeat." The friction between these factions has spilled out into the open at times, including when Kadyrov and other Putin allies criticized the Russian military's retreat from a city in Ukraine in October. Kadyrov said at the time that the "incompetent" general that should be "sent to the front to wash his shame off with blood," per The New York Times. Prigozhin echoed the sentiment, the paper said, commenting about Russian military generals: "Send all these pieces of garbage barefoot with machine guns straight to the front."

Russian shelling targets heart of city of Kherson
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)/December 18, 2022
Russian military forces on Sunday shelled the center of Kherson, the major city that Russian soldiers retreated from last month in one of Moscow's biggest battlefield setbacks in Ukraine. Three people were wounded in the attacks, said presidential deputy chief of staff Kyrylo Tymoshenko.
The southern city and its surrounding region have come under frequent attack since the Russian pullback. Regional governor Yaroslav Yanushevych said Sunday that Russia had carried out 54 attacks with rocket, mortar and tank fire over the previous day, killing three people and wounding six. Meanwhile, in Russia, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said Sunday that one person was killed and eight wounded in Ukrainian shelling of the region, which lies along Ukraine's northern border. In the latest phase of the war that Russia began nearly 10 months ago, Moscow’s forces have been heavily targeting infrastructure serving civilians, such as water and electricity supply lines, compounding Ukrainians’ suffering as winter sets in. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used the final of the soccer World Cup to decry war. “This World Cup proved time and again that different countries and different nationalities can decide who is the strongest in fair play but not in the playing with fire — on the green playing field, not on the red battlefield,” Zelenskyy said in an English video statement released hours before the final in Qatar between Argentina and France.

Ukraine Latest: Kyiv Warns Again of Potential Russian Escalation
Bloomberg News/December 18, 2022
A top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that Russia could sharply escalate the war in a winter offensive driven by mass infantry, and that Western allies needed to be prepared. Ukraine continues to repair key infrastructure after Friday’s Russian missile strikes, the ninth major barrage since early October. The heat is mostly back on for residents of Kyiv, where temperatures will be well below freezing for the next two days. Russia has launched over 4,000 missiles at Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion, Zelenskiy said on Saturday. As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nears the 10-month mark, President Vladimir Putin met with military commanders to determine next steps, the Kremlin said on Saturday. In a short video, he asked for “proposals” on how the war should proceed. Russia released video it said showed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visiting “forward positions” in Ukraine.
Russian forces are looking for tactical improvements to their positions around Lyman and are focusing in areas near Bakhmut and Avdiivka, Ukraine’s General Staff said in its latest update. Over the past day, Russia launched five rockets at Ukraine and made at least 42 strikes from multiple launch rocket systems. The entire country remains at risk of airstrikes. Russian forces shelled the center of Kherson, injuring three, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of presidential staff, said on Telegram. Air defense systems were triggered in Russia’s Belgorod region, with at least four people were injured on the ground, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram. One person was killed and another injured in the surrounding region.
Ukraine is bracing for a major Russian escalation over the winter to tamp down political backlash at home, Zelenskiy adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told the New York Times. The comments, made to the newspaper in emailed responses to questions, were the warning that the Kremlin plans to ramp up the war, potentially with a new mass mobilization. Ukraine’s army commander-in-chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi told The Economist last week there was “no doubt” Russia will make another run at capturing Kyiv as soon as January with fresh troops now in training. Russia’s military appears to be laying plans for mass infantry attacks reminiscent of those done by the Soviet Union during World War II, Podolyak said. Rheinmetall will build a new production line for ammunition to ease supply bottlenecks for Germany’s armed forces in the latest sign that Russia’s war against Ukraine is reshaping Europe’s security landscape.
The German company plans to invest more than €10 million ($10.6 million) to add the new capacity at its existing site in Unterluess, Lower Saxony. It will provide ammunition also for the 30 “Gepard” anti-aircraft guns which Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government sent to Ukraine earlier this year.
Ukraine criticized FIFA, saying the football governing body had declined to show a video message from Voldymyr Zelenskiy calling for world peace before Sunday’s World Cup final in Qatar. Ukraine’s president recorded a video in English that he hoped would be shown before the game. “FIFA blocked the initiative and will not allow” the video to be shown, CNN reported, citing a statement from the office. FIFA hasn’t commented.
Presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter that the sports body “shows lack of understanding of the disaster” Russia is dragging the world into, while Ukraine’s foreign ministry urged FIFA to not be afraid. The Ukrainian railway company Ukrzaliznytsya set up a Christmas tree in the hall of a central railway station in Kyiv with lights powered by a electricity generated by a bicycle, its CEO said on Twitter. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu flew over deployment area of Russian troops in Ukraine and inspected forward positions, the ministry said on its website. Shoigu is shown in a 43-second video traveling by helicopter; it’s unclear when trip took place and exactly what locations he visited. The travel was announced two days after President Vladimir Putin met with military commanders, including Shoigu, to strategize on the way forward for what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine, which is approaching the 10-month mark. Shoigu met with field commanders at a “command and control post,” and “interacted with Russian servicemen,” according to the ministry.
Ukrainians chose the band Tvorchi to represent the nation at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. The UK will host the event on behalf of Ukraine, which won the broadcasting rights after its Kalush Orchestra won this year’s competition. Tvorchi, an electro-pop duo from Ternopil in western Ukraine, was selected from ten contenders after a nationwide broadcast on TV, radio and the internet from a Kyiv underground station that’s being used as a bomb shelter. The sing-off came a day after Kremlin troops bombarded the capital with 40 missiles, of which 37 were shot down by air defense.
Kyiv has restored operations at utilities providing heat throughout the city following the latest missile strikes by Russia on Friday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote in Telegram post. Municipal workers will be addressing any localized issues at buildings without heat throughout the day, he said. Temperatures in Ukraine’s capital will be well below freezing Sunday and Monday before a slight thaw. Kremlin troops fired some 40 missiles at Ukraine’s capital on Friday as part of the ninth major barrage against key infrastructure since early October. Some 37 missiles were shot down by air defense.
The Kremlin likely publicized Vladimir Putin’s meeting with military commanders to portray him as a competent wartime leader and rehabilitate the image of Russia’s defense ministry as well, the Institute for the Study of War said in a report.
The US-based analysts said the Kremlin wanted to present Putin as “being thoroughly engaged with the planning and execution of the war” following recent criticism from the pro-war community. “One prominent milblogger even questioned whether ‘Putin finally showed public interest in the special military operation’ at their suggestion to do so,” ISW said.
Publicizing the attendance at Friday’s meeting of top military brass, including Army General Sergei Surovikin, who commands Russia’s forces in Ukraine, was done to depict the defense ministry “as an organized, unified, and effective war-fighting institution,” they added. Two “front-line creative brigades” announced by Russia’s defense ministry to entertain troops and boost morale are unlikely to alleviate soldiers’ concerns about high casualty rates, poor leadership, and lack of equipment and ammunition, the UK defense ministry said. Russian media reported that the entertainment teams will include “opera singers, actors and circus performers,” the ministry said in a Twitter thread. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Saturday in his nightly address that teams have been working nonstop to repair damage to power and water supply networks damaged Friday in Russia’s latest missile attack. Electricity has been restored to almost 6 million Ukrainians in the past day, Zelenskiy said.
The most difficult situations are in areas including the capital, Kyiv, and surrounding region, as well as Lviv, Vinnytsia, Zakarpattia, Odesa, and Chernihiv, among other regions, he added. As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches the 10-month mark, President Vladimir Putin spent Friday at the nation’s war-coordination command post, according to a Kremlin statement on Saturday. Putin listened to reports, held a general meeting and conducted one-on-one talks with military commanders, the Kremlin said, without giving more detail. “I would like to hear your proposals on our immediate and medium-term actions,” Putin said in a short video released on Saturday. The meetings, which also included Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, came days before Putin’s planned trip to Belarus for talks with President Alexander Lukashenko, the Russian leader’s first visit to Minsk since 2019. Ukraine’s capital is preparing for the holidays despite the hardships of Russia’s invasion, and has put up a Christmas tree on the central Sophiyska Square, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Facebook. “This year, the country’s main Christmas tree is artificial, 12 meters high, and decorated with energy-saving garlands connected to a generator,” he said. “We will also arrange points for recharging gadgets next to the generator.” Germany opened its first state-chartered LNG vessel as it races to replace Russian gas cut off as part of what Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Vladimir Putin’s “blackmail” of Europe. “Germany and the EU will become a great deal more secure and independent,” Scholz said in a speech in Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea coast. Putin, in pursuing the invasion of Ukraine, calculated that he could pressure Germany and the rest of Europe by making energy a political weapon but “was wrong,” Scholz said.

Zelenskiy says Ukraine preparing for all defence scenarios
Reuters/December 18, 2022
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that protecting Ukraine's borders was a "constant priority" and that his country was ready for all possible scenarios with Russia and its ally Belarus. "Protecting our border, both with Russia and Belarus - is our constant priority," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "We are preparing for all possible defence scenarios."Zelenskiy made his remarks on the eve of a visit to Belarus by Russian President Vladimir Putin's amid discussion of a possible new offensive by Moscow and suggestions it could originate in Belarus. In his address, Zelenskiy issued a new appeal to Western nations to provide Ukraine with effective air defences. He also said his forces were holding the town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, where some of the fiercest fighting has been seen.

Russia's military needed up to 72 hours to approve a strike — making soldiers hit Ukrainian targets too late: report
John L. Dorman/Business Insider/December 18, 2022
Russia faltered in its air missions after invading Ukraine, stunted by the military's rigidity. Russia's military generally needed up to 72 hours for approval to attack new targets, per The NYT. Despite Russia having more military equipment than Ukraine, Ukrainian forces were more agile. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Moscow felt confident in its scores of military fighter jets and planes to help complete their mission as the country sought to overwhelm Ukrainian forces. But while Russia had significantly more fighter jets than Ukraine, Russian soldiers found themselves hamstrung by their own military's rigidity when seeking to attack new targets, according to a New York Times investigation published Saturday detailing the country's failures throughout the conflict. The effectiveness of the Ukrainian air defense system gave the country a critical advantage early on, allowing them to blunt any perceived advantages that Russia may have brought to the table purely from the scope of their weaponry. Per The Times, Ukraine's fighter jets "were outnumbered 15 to one in some early air battles" and Russia boasted "thousands of cruise and ballistic missiles" that American and Ukrainian intelligence officials thought would overwhelm the smaller military force. But Ukraine came up with a plan, moving some of their defenses — including Buk and S-300 missile launchers and their control center — to different locations before the Russia began the conflict, according to senior Ukrainian officials who spoke with the Times. Instead of attacking the new targets, Russia largely bombarded the old locations no longer being used by Ukraine. Per US officials who spoke with The Times, up to "60 percent of Russian cruise missiles missed their intended targets."Russia was also slow to launch blitzes on new targets, according to the report. The country's "rigid and centralized" military generally required 48 to 72 hours to amend its intelligence and obtain approval to attack new targets, giving Ukrainian forces up to three days to move to different locations, per The Times. This rigidity also hurt Russian forces, as their pilots struggled to cripple Ukraine's defenses and flew without backup from additional fighter jets. A Ukrainian pilot, Oleksii, who spoke with The Times, said the Russian pilots "flew straight without any cover." "Maybe the Russian Army didn't read the Soviet books," Oleksii told the newspaper. "They had bombs, they had rockets, but they didn't cover their attack aircraft."The slow decision-making of the Russian military effectively shredded their plans to seize the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and several other cities early in the conflict.

US officials tried to stop Ukraine from killing high-ranking Russian general who was on a risky visit to the front lines, report says
Kenneth Niemeyer/Insider/December 18, 2022
Senior American officials told The Times that America told Ukraine not to attack Gerasimov. "We were like, 'Hey, that's too much,'" a senior American official told The Times. The US tried to prevent Ukraine from killing a high-ranking Russian military official at the onset of Russia's war in Ukraine, according to an investigation published Saturday by The New York Times. In April, Russian Gen. Valery Gerasimov made plans to travel to Russia's frontlines, according to The Times. American officials found out about Gerasimov's plans but decided to keep the information from Ukraine. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022, US officials began to realize they had "vastly overestimated" the strength of the Russian military, The New York Times reported. Russian troops have been poorly equipped, according to The Times; one soldier complained of having a helmet that is from the 1940s, another asked someone how to switch his gun to fully automatic just before running into battle, and some were told they would "never see combat" when they were drafted into the Russian military, the report says. "Nobody is going to stay alive," Aleksandr Khodakovsky, a pro-Russian military commander told The New York Times. "One way or another, one weapon or another is going to kill you." As months passed and poorly trained Russian soldiers continued to lose battles and territory to Ukrainian forces, Russia started moving its high-ranking generals to the front lines, according to The Times. According to The Times, many Russian generals made the "deadly mistake" of positioning themselves near antennae and communications centers, making them easier to find, and Ukrainian forces began killing them. When Gerasimov decided to travel to the front lines in April, US officials withheld the information from Ukraine because it would "sharply escalate" the conflict. Still, Ukrainian officials got wind of Gerasimov's plans and planned to attack him, but "senior American officials" asked them to call off the assault, according to The Times. "We told them not to do it," a senior American official told The Times. "We were like, 'Hey, that's too much.'"Ukraine decided to continue with the attack because the message from the US arrived too late, The Times reported. The attack killed "dozens of Russians" in the attack. Gerasimov however, escaped the strike. Following the attack, Russian generals began visiting the frontlines of the invasion less, The Times reported.

ISIS Gunmen Kill Nine Iraqi Police Officers in Kirkuk
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 18 December, 2022
ISIS fighters said Sunday they had carried out an attack in northern Iraq killing nine police officers, setting off a roadside bomb before machine-gunning survivors. The attack in the Kirkuk area -- which police said left nine federal officers dead -- is one of the deadliest in Iraq in recent months.
ISIS extremists attacked "a police patrol... detonated an explosive device then attacked them with machine guns and hand grenades," the group said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. A federal police officer, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the bomb blast hit a vehicle transporting members of Iraq's federal police near the village of Shalal al-Matar. It was then followed by "a direct attack with small arms", the officer added. "An assailant has been killed, and we are looking for the others," the officer said. ISIS seized large swathes of Iraqi and Syrian territory in 2014, declaring a so-called "caliphate" where they ruled with brutality before their defeat in late 2017 by Iraqi forces backed by a US-led military coalition. ISIS lost its last Syrian bastion, near the Iraqi border, in 2019. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned the violence as a "cowardly terrorist attack".
Security forces should show "vigilance, carefully inspect the roads and not provide any opportunity for terrorist elements", he said.
Sleeper cells
The US-led anti-ISIS coalition continued a combat role in Iraq until December last year, but roughly 2,500 American soldiers remain in the country to assist in the fight against the extremists. ISIS cells, however, remain active in several areas of Iraq. On Wednesday, three Iraqi soldiers were killed and three others wounded when a bomb exploded as their patrol vehicle passed through farmland in Tarmiya, a rural municipality about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the capital Baghdad that is a known hotspot for ISIS sleeper cells. Last month a machine gun attack on a remote northern Iraqi military post killed four soldiers near Kirkuk, a military source said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Iraqi security forces continue to carry out counter-terrorism operations against the group, and the deaths of ISIS fighters in airstrikes and raids are regularly announced. Despite the setbacks, which has left ISIS a shadow of its former self, the group has "maintained its ability to launch attacks at a steady pace", a January report by the United Nations read. The UN estimates the extremist organization maintains between 6,000 and 10,000 fighters inside Iraq and Syria, exploiting the porous border between the two countries and concentrating mainly in rural areas.

Egypt, Jordan Agree to Deepen Cooperation in Various Fields
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 18 December, 2022
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi held a telephone conversation on Saturday with Jordan’s King Abdullah II. According to presidential spokesman Bassam Rady, they agreed to deepen cooperation in different fields and coordinate on regional and international issues. They also exchanged views and insights on regional and international issues of common interest. Sisi underscored the importance of exerting further efforts to expand and strengthen areas of bilateral cooperation to maximize the common interests of the two countries and their peoples. King Abdullah, for his part, commended the fraternal bilateral ties and the ongoing coordination with Sisi and said he looked forward to further for further cooperation. In early December, the two leaders voiced support to the Palestinians in a joint press statement following their meeting in Cairo. Their meeting focused on the latest developments in the region, notably in the Palestinian territories. The leaders agreed on the need to boost their countries’ efforts to provide full support to the Palestinian people and to revive the peace process to reach a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

UN Envoy: Signs of Libya’s Partition Grow, Election Needed
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 18 December, 2022
The UN special envoy for Libya warned Friday that signs of partition are already evident in Libya and urged influential nations to pressure the country's rival leaders to urgently finalize the constitutional basis for elections. The first anniversary of the vote’s postponement is coming up later in December, said Abdoulaye Bathily, who stressed that if there is no resolution, an alternative way should be found to hold elections. Bathily told the UN Security Council that the continuing disagreement between the two rivals — specifically, the speaker of Libya’s east-based parliament, Aguila Saleh, and Khaled al-Mashri, the president of the High Council of State based in the country’s west, in the capital of Tripoli — on a limited number of provisions in the constitution “can no longer serve as a justification to hold an entire country hostage.” If the two institutions can’t reach agreement swiftly, Bathily said, “an alternative mechanism” , can and should be used “to alleviate the sufferings caused by outdated and open-ended interim political arrangements.” He did not elaborate on what that mechanism could be, The Associated Press reported. Bathily also said the Security Council needs “to think creatively about ways to ensure that free, fair, transparent and simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections are organized and held under a single, unified and neutral administration, and that those who wish to run as candidates resign from their current functions to create a level playing field.”Signs of Libya’s partition, Bathily said, are ample — including two parallel governments in the east and west, separate security operations, a divided central bank, and growing discontent throughout the country “over the unequal allocation of the huge revenues of oil and gas of the country.”The protracted political crisis “also carries a serious risk of further dividing the country and its institutions,” he added. Bathily told the council that Saleh and al-Mashri had earlier agreed to meet under UN auspices in the city of Zintan on Dec. 4 to try and find a way out of the crisis but regrettably, the meeting was postponed “due to unforeseen logistical reasons as well as emerging political obstacles.”He said the UN is working to identify a new date and location for the meeting.

Syria Fuel Crisis Slows Down Life in Damascus
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 18 December, 2022
Syrian student Ziad al-Ezz can no longer get to university as severe fuel shortages cripple the capital Damascus, pushing residents to seek alternatives for heating and shuttering businesses. With the country's economy battered by more than a decade of war, authorities have announced four fuel price hikes since the start of the year as well as rationing of petrol and fuel oil supplies, AFP said. "Our struggle for fuel starts at home and doesn't end" in the classroom, said Ezz, 20, who studies literature at the University of Damascus. "At home it's extremely cold without heating, and on the street it's not easy to find transport."In a city where winter can be bitterly cold, the price of heating fuel has gone through the roof, so his mother has told him to make do with piling on layers of covers for warmth. Syria blames the fuel shortages on Western sanctions that severely restrict imports, and the country's major oil fields lie in areas outside government control. Ezz works part-time doing food deliveries by bicycle, but the trip to university is too far to pedal, while rare public buses are packed and taxis are too expensive, he said. Universities have dropped classes to three days a week due to the fuel crisis. "People are only thinking about how to stay warm over winter," said Ezz."How can I even think of university and studying in this situation?"
- No more traffic jams -
Daily life has gotten tougher in recent weeks in Damascus, where severe electricity rationing means residents receive just two hours of daily state power. Some people have opted for burning pistachio shells or the remains of pressed olives to keep warm. Peak-hour traffic jams in the capital are now almost non-existent, with many motorists leaving their cars at home except in case of emergency. Taxi drivers used to be able to buy fuel at subsidized rates once a week, but now that has dropped to once a month, pushing many to the black market for fuel supplies and ramping up taxi fares. Black market fuel used to cost around $1 per liter but prices doubled this winter, in a country where civil servants earn on average $21 a month. "The (subsidized) fuel allowance only lasts me two working days," said taxi driver Bassam Zahrawi. Prime Minister Hussein Arnous told reporters on Thursday that the government was forced to hike official fuel prices to prevent key services including transport, hospitals and bakeries from grinding to a halt. Zahrawi said he no longer cruises the streets of Damascus, but waits for people to phone him for fares. "Before, we used to look for clients, but now they're seeking us out," the 39-year-old said.
'Toughest crisis' -
Syria's civil war has killed nearly half a million people since it began in 2011, fragmenting the country and ravaging its economy and infrastructure. Ninety percent of the population now live below the poverty line and 12.4 million people are food insecure, according to the United Nations. The government has recently introduced further austerity measures, including temporarily reducing public servants' working days this month and announcing extra holiday closures between Christmas and New Year. Some call centers of the country's main telecommunications companies were temporarily out of service earlier in December after running out of generator fuel. Bassam Qalaaji, head of the bakers' association, told a local radio station last week that half of the capital's private bakeries had stopped work due to the shortages. Abu Mohammed, 25, said he had resorted to firewood to keep his Damascus bakery going.
"The crisis has been going on for months, but I never expected that one day I would not be able to find a single liter of fuel oil," he said. He said he'd also reduced the size of his traditional pizza-style bread -- usually served with olive oil and thyme or cheese -- instead of raising prices. The nose-diving local currency hit a new record low this month of more than 6,000 Syrian pounds against the dollar on the black market, compared to 47 in 2011. "It's the longest and toughest crisis we have ever faced... and we have lived through a lot of others," Abu Mohammed said.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 18-19/2022/
Who Controls their Strategic Compass? Turkiye, Iran, or the Arab Gulf States?
Raghida Dergham/The National/December 18, 2022
Who has found their strategic direction, who has lost it, and who is still chasing the compass, hoping it settles on the direction they so desire? This is not an open question for all world affairs, as much as it is for the main blocs in the Middle East and the Gulf, and their relations with world powerhouses like the United States, China, and Russia.
The GCC states, Saudi Araba, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain have adeptly found their strategic direction, and are realigning regionally and internationally, steadily and confidently.
But the Islamic Republic of Iran has lost its strategic direction. It lost its bearing following the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Riyadh and the final communiques of China’s three summits with Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states, and the Arab states. The Iranian regime is also suffering the repercussions of its involvement in the Ukraine war alongside Russia in opposition to Europe; and of the anti-regime protests at home against which it has resorted to repression, executions, and the killing of young women.
For its part, Turkey is climbing up NATO’s strategic ropes, sponsoring initiatives like the grain export deal with Russia and Ukraine, engaging with Russia on Syria, and launching projects with Russia to become a natural gas export and trade hub.
The GCC, led by the capable Secretary General Nayef al-Hajraf, is working to implement the vision of its six member states with pragmatism, efficiency, and a strong sense for strategic opportunities. These opportunities are arising thanks to shrewd decisions made by the Gulf states, pursued through road maps that don’t prejudice strong, traditional security relations with the West led by the United States, yet that don’t shy away from exploring new economic and strategic horizons with the East, especially China (See last week’s column).
The final communiques of China’s three summits in Riyadh brought a shock to the Islamic Republic of Iran, with China taking stances Tehran had never expected, leading some to accuse the regime of “ideological blindness” that prevented the rulers from having a realistic reading of China.
From China’s position on the Iranian nuclear program and Iran’s regional activities to the three Emirati islands occupied by Iran, China dealt a painful blow to the regime in Tehran. Indeed, Tehran had wagered that the comprehensive strategic pact with Beijing would be its economic, security, military, and political saving grace against US sanctions, and a sharp instrument to be used in its regional plans and standoff with the United States and Europe.
Xi Jinping’s summits in Riyadh poured cold water over Iran’s strategy of pivoting East, which had assumed China would stand by Iran in all circumstances, from the nuclear issue to Iran’s regional activities, and in politics, the economy, and security affairs. Some in Tehran believe the outcome of the summits is a message of marginalizing Iran. Some fear Iran’s economic bets on China could collapse, believing what happened to be a dangerous deviation from the 25-year comprehensive strategic pact signed by the two sides.
China has blindsided Iran in the Gulf, effectively stepping back from their strategic alliance, bearing in mind that the GCC states got everything they had wanted from China. Tehran has lost its strategic direction with China, and now fears the fallout from what it believes is China ‘reneging’ on their strategic pact.
Russia has also contributed to Iran’s strategic confusion. Indeed, Tehran has been dragged into a war it had not anticipated in Ukraine pitting it against NATO. Iran’s involvement on the battlefield in Ukraine will cost it Europe – in the sense of losing its longstanding bet on European support in the negotiations seeking to revive the nuclear deal and lifting the sanctions on Iran.
Europe today is imposing sanctions on Iran because of its involvement in the war and its supplies of advanced drones to Russia which the latter is using to inflict suffering on Ukraine’s civilians. Europe is furious with Iran and vice versa. In other words, Iran’s European compass has been put completely out of whack. However, Iran now sees it has no option but to double down on its alliance with Russia in Ukraine as in Syria.
Indeed, military arms deals between Russia and Iran are worth billions of dollars. Iran’s drones are a weapon of choice for Russia, which is intent on continuing to buy them from Iran. Russia and Iran have multiple deals and huge shared interests, from the Caspian Sea to Armenia. Then there is the crucial nuclear issue: If the crisis between Iran and Russia, and the United States and the West escalates further, it is not farfetched that Moscow could offer Tehran assistance to continue its nuclear program and even develop the nuclear bomb.
In the region, Russia remains a key conduit for Iran, while Turkey remains a threat to them both, especially in Syria. There is also Israel, which causes Iran a lot of worry and Russia no small measure of trouble. The Syrian arena could see a dangerous escalation between Iran and Israel therefore, not just between Turkey and Iran. But if Tehran decides to embark on an adventure – and not just a bluff – and launch pre-emptive strikes on Israel, the United States and Europe will not stand idly by. There is a new equation after the war in Ukraine and Iran’s room for manoeuvre has narrowed greatly with the Europeans, although Tehran may not yet be convinced this is the case.
Accordingly, the Iranian landscape appears as follows: China has circumvented Iran in the Gulf, its new policies may lead to reining in Iran’s activities in Yemen. Russia has implicated Iran in Europe, and this could invite joint US-European pressures to rein in Iran in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, directly and by supporting Israel’s activities, especially in Syria. At home, Iran’s regime has encircled itself through repression and exposed its moral bankruptcy in front of the world. It is clear now that this is no fleeting crisis, but an existential one to the regime.
Turkey has this week sought a calmer tone in Syria. It had threatened earlier to establish a buffer zone inside Syrian territory on the pretext of protecting its national interests and countering terrorism. Ankara went too far in its threats, then it relented thanks to a Russian backstop, for reasons related to the war in Ukraine, natural gas, and elections.
The Turkish president appears very confident. The war in Ukraine has given him a high profile in the NATO alliance, gaining leverage over the United States, the Europeans, and Russia itself. During the TRT World Forum in Istanbul last week, a Turkish feeling of triumph over the grain deal was clear, and Erdogan appeared confident Turkey can play a distinguished role in the region and the world, from grains to gas to mediation to resolve various conflicts, not to mention Turkey’s strategic value.
The Turkish president proposed to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin establishing a trilateral mechanism in Syria to expedite a diplomatic process, one that would begin with a meting between the three countries’ security services, followed by a meeting of their ministers of defence, then their foreign ministers, culminating with a presidential summit. According to Erdogan, Putin responded positively, bearing in mind it was the Russian president who has persuaded Erdogan to pause his march on Syria and talk to Bashar al-Assad directly.
Putin wants to see an end to the turbulent situation in Syria. Like Erdogan, he needs a diplomatic achievement in Syria that would allow him to save face. Neither man trusts the United States and its agenda in Syria, yet neither man trusts the other fully and only puts their animosity to one side just enough to achieve their goals.
Russia had proposed establishing a natural gas hub in Turkey eyeing exports to foreign markets. Turkey is working to become an international natural gas trading hub, seeing itself as a natural choice given its infrastructure and the seven international liquefied gas pipelines it is home to. This is a crucial relationship for both Turkey and Russia, and it must have no doubt shaped the Turkish equation in Syria and its Russian dimensions. Regarding Iran and its projects in Syria, Turkey does not trust Iran, given the strategic divergence between them.
What is important to Ankara today is to fix its strategic compass, bearing in mind that its leadership has a difficult history with all players – from the United States to Europe, Russia, Iran, the Arab states, and Israel. Turkey today is a key player in the Ukraine crisis and has benefited from it at the levels of its diplomacy and energy agenda. But one of the big challenges facing the Turkish leadership is domestic, where the margin of freedoms is narrowing and where Turkey is becoming a one-party state. This is not in Turkey’s interests, despite its march towards normalising relations and seeking reconciliation with its neighbours. Turkey then is trying to adapt, while seeking to stabilize its strategic compass. Iran is stumbling, losing its strategic direction while clinging stubbornly to a failed ideology. The Arab Gulf states are drawing a road map pursuant to a strategic compass guiding their vision and direction.

Great Britain: Multiculturalism and Islam Turn It Upside-Down
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/December 18, 2022
This year, Leicester's famous multiculturalism, so praised by the establishment, exploded. Knife attacks, stone- and bottle-throwing, cars torched, religious symbols under siege, dozens wounded, including policemen.... Then the hunt for Hindus began in Britain's streets.
"Leicester to be first city where white people are minority," announced The Independent in 2007. Some understood that it would not end well.
What happened? Leicester became Islamized fast. In 2001, the Muslim population was 11%. By 2017, it made up 20%. Among children, Islam is dominant.
For the first time since the 7th century AD, England is no longer majority Christian.
A British bishop, the brave Michael Nazir-Ali, was attacked for denouncing the existence of "no-go areas" in the UK.
No one knows what Britain will be like in 30 years. We might, however, be concerned about a scenario in which large parts of the UK and Europe could resemble Pakistan.
This year, Leicester's famous multiculturalism, so praised by the establishment, exploded. Knife attacks, stone- and bottle-throwing, cars torched, religious symbols under siege, dozens wounded, including policemen.... Then the hunt for Hindus began in Britain's streets. No one knows what Britain will be like in 30 years. We might, however, be concerned about a scenario in which large parts of the UK and Europe could resemble Pakistan. Pictured: The Masjid Umar mosque in Leicester, England. (Image source: NotFromUtrecht/Wikimedia Commons)
"Leicester has become the poster city for multicultural Britain, a place where the stunning number and size of the minorities – the 55 mosques, 18 Hindu temples, nine Sikh gurudwaras, two synagogues, two Buddhist centres and one Jain centre – are seen not as a recipe for conflict or a millstone around the city's neck, but a badge of honour," was how, in 2013, the British liberal newspaper The Independent celebrated the transformation of Britain's tenth-largest city.
There are places in Europe that visited the future sooner than others: Malmö in Sweden, Trappes and Roubaix in France, Cologne in Germany, Molenbeek in Belgium, Leicester in England...
This year, Leicester's famous multiculturalism, so praised by the establishment, exploded. Knife attacks, stone- and bottle-throwing, cars torched, religious symbols under siege, dozens wounded, including policemen. The burst of violence began after a cricket match between India and Pakistan on August 28. According to the media, some members of the Indian community in Leicester celebrated with the call "Pakistan Murdabad" ("Death to Pakistan"). A Sikh was attacked in the street. Social media networks spread the false news that the victim was a Muslim. The house of a Hindu family celebrating the Ganesh Chaturthi holiday was attacked and social media went wild with the false news of a "premeditated attack against a Muslim." According to another false posting, a Muslim girl was allegedly harassed by three Hindus. Then the hunt for Hindus began in Britain's streets.
Just a year ago, Leicester was celebrated by the Institute of Historical Research in London as the most multicultural city in the UK.
"Here, everyone is a minority," headlined The Guardian in 2010, rejoicing that "Leicester will soon become the first British city with a non-white majority". Christianity had been replaced by Islam:
"Here, a Deobandi mosque, built in 2000, faces the Edwardian church of St Philip's, started in 1909. The church's congregation is about 30, mixed white, Indian and African; the mosque across the road holds 500 people. And on Fridays 'it's full: prostration room only, with another hundred outside on the pavement,' says the rector of St Philip's, Alan Race."
"Leicester to be first city where white people are minority," announced The Independent in 2007. Some understood that it would not end well. "Plural cities, opportunities or time bomb?" the Commission for Racial Equality headlined a conference seminar about Leicester.
What happened? Leicester became Islamized fast. In 2001, the Muslim population was 11%. By 2017, it made up 20%. Among children, Islam is dominant.
Data from the Office for National Statistics recently revealed that, in a major change since 1991, when ethnic minorities made up just over a quarter of the city, 59.1% of Leicester's population comes from ethnic minorities. Minorities also make up more than half the population in Luton (54.8%) and Birmingham (51.4%), the second-largest city in the UK, where, 20 years ago, 70% of the population was native English. Leicester, Luton and Birmingham are among 14 large areas of England where people who identify as "white" now make up the minority, The Independent noted. The highest proportion are found in the London boroughs of Newham (69.2%), Brent (65.4%) and Redbridge (65.2%). Outside London, the highest proportion of non-whites is in Slough (64.0%), followed by Leicester (59.1%), Luton (54.8%) and Birmingham (51.4%).
The most popular name among those born in England in 2022 is Mohammed.
Fewer than half the people in England and Wales are now Christian, the recent census revealed, with atheism and Islam gaining ground. For the first time since the 7th century AD, England is no longer majority-Christian. That was 1,300 years ago, when the islands were converted from paganism to Christianity. In 2011, in the previous census, Christians numbered 59% of the population. Now, they number 46%.
Islam has quickly advanced on the religious scene. In the census of 2011, there were 2.7 million Muslims (4.9% of the population). In the 2021 census, there were 3.9 million Muslims (6.5%): an increase of 44% in just 10 years.
Nearly 10 years ago, the Daily Mail newspaper published an article about a church and a mosque a few meters from each other in the heart of London. At St George's Church on Cannon Street Road there were no more than 12 people to celebrate mass. When the church was built in the 19th century it was designed to accommodate 1,230 worshippers. The numbers were similar in St Mary's Church in Cable Street, which opened in October 1849. Built to seat 1,000 people, there were no more than 20 worshippers there. While the two churches were empty, the mosque in Brune Street Estate had a different problem:
"The mosque itself is little more than a small room rented in a community centre, and it can hold only 100.
"However, on Fridays, those numbers swell to three to four times the room's capacity, so the worshippers spill out onto the street, where they take up around the same amount of space as the size of the near-empty St Mary's down the road."
Christianity is becoming a religion of the past; Islam appears that of the future. In 2015, the Spectator featured on its cover "The Last Christian", in which an elderly lady was the only worshipper in a cathedral. The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, warned that Christianity "is a generation away from extinction".
The UK, over which the late Queen Elizabeth reigned for decades, has gone with her.
We now face the aging and self-destruction of the Christian populations of Enlightenment and their religious and cultural traditions; the exponential growth of Islam; the elites celebrating multiculturalism rather than working for the integration of minorities, and overturned demographics. What could possibly go wrong?
Why shouldn't the Victoria and Albert Museum and other British museums remove portraits of the Islamic prophet Mohammed so as not to offend Muslims? Why shouldn't cinemas ban the viewing of films that "offend Islam"? Why shouldn't cities approve public calls to prayer over the outdoor loudspeakers of minarets? Why, in areas where Islam is dominant, such as the London borough of Tower Hamlets, shouldn't patrols be formed to enforce Sharia law on alcohol-drinkers and homosexuals? In Luton, there are schools where 95% of the students are Muslims. Why shouldn't sharia courts be allowed to decide family issues? The former president of the UK Supreme Court, Lord Phillips, has said that English law must "incorporate" elements of sharia. Why shouldn't Muslims protest against "Islamophobic professors"? Why shouldn't Sky News black out the Charlie Hebdo cartoons about the prophet of Islam?
A British bishop, the brave Michael Nazir-Ali, was attacked for denouncing the existence of "no-go areas" in the UK.
An American writer for the Wall Street Journal, Andy Ngo, recounted a visit to Luton, population 225,000 and approximately 32% Muslim:
"At the Central Mosque, I met a friendly group of Punjabi-speaking young men. 'You've come to see Luton?' one struggled to ask me in English. The young men asked me to follow them through the town center.
"Within minutes, we walked by three other mosques, which were vibrant and filled with young men coming and going. We passed a church, which was closed and decrepit, with a window that had been vandalized with eggs.... All the businesses had a religious flair: The eateries were halal, the fitness center was sex-segregated, and the boutiques displayed 'modest' outfits on mannequins. Pakistani flags flew high and proud. I never saw a Union Jack.
"The men finally led me to a discreet building that housed a small Islamic center. They spoke privately to its imam. I was led upstairs to see him. The imam asked me if I was prepared to convert."
Here is the situation today in major British cities and boroughs. The total population is listed on the left, the Islamic percentage, in parentheses:
Birmingham, population 1,149,000: (29.9%)
Leeds, 792,000: (7.8%)
Sheffield: 584,000: (10.3%)
Bradford: 536,000 (30.5%)
Manchester: 553,000 (22.3%)
Bristol: 467,000 (6.7%)
Cardiff: 357,000 (9.3%)
Leicester: 357,000 (23.5%)
Nottingham: 331,000 (12.2%)
Newcastle: 315,000 (10.3%)
Blackburn with Darwen: 148,000 (35%)
Fenland: 101,000 (12.2 %)
Luton: 218,000 (32.9%)
Slough: 164,000 (29.4% )
Watford: 96,000 (13%)
Pendle: 91,000 (26%)
Oldham: 237,000 (24.3%)
Rochdale: 211,000 (18.8%)
Kirklees: 438,000 (19%)
Barking and Dagenham: 211,000 (24.4%)
Brent: 331,000 (21.4%)
Newham: 352,000 (34.8%)
Redbridge: 303,000 (31.3%)
Tower Hamlets: 319,000 (39.9%)
Westminster: 261,000 (20%)
And now let us imagine these cities in 10, 20, 30 years. The Muslim total population in Britain is estimated to be 13 million by 2050. According to Ed Husain, one of the leading Muslim intellectuals in the United Kingdom:
"With almost five million Muslims, there are thousands of new buildings with domes and minarets and in the decades ahead, mosques are predicted to mushroom across the whole land."
Nothing to worry about. Half of the mosques in the UK are affiliated with the Deobandi movement, adhering to the same Hanafi school of law that created the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Soon, half of Birmingham's population will also be Muslim. "There were 301,000 Muslims in Birmingham in 2018, making up 27% of the local population," wrote the Birmingham Mail in 2019. "The number of Muslims has risen by 21% from 249,000 in 2011." The same newspaper noted that Muslim children in the city now outnumber Christian ones.
"In the working-class district of Small Heath, in the eastern part of the city, 95 per cent of the population is Muslim," Le Figaro reported in 2017 about Birmingham.
"Some shops have different closing times corresponding to those of the daily prayers... The bookstores are religious. Travel agencies guarantee 'Muslim friendly' holidays with destinations where customers - especially female customers - are offered access to facilities with non-mixed spaces and swimming pools where women can swim and 'preserve modesty'".
No one knows what Britain will be like in 30 years. We might, however, be concerned about a scenario in which large parts of the UK and Europe could resemble Pakistan. Brexit or not, that would be the end of Britain as we know it.
*Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and author.
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Dangerous Words that Say a Lot
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 18 December, 2022
After winning the Israeli premiership for the third time, Benjamin Netanyahu promised to “do everything necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.” He also said in an interview with Al Arabiya English with colleague Mohammad Alyehya that he would do so even without Washington’s knowledge.
Netanyahu said, and here is the danger that explains several things, that the measures that have been taken against Iran “so far, and I’m not saying which ones we did, we did without the US. We didn’t do it with US approval because the US probably would disapprove.”
He continued: “And if we told them what it is, every operation, what we were about to take, you know, they would say “we oppose it,” in which case would be a direct conflict.”
He noted that in case Washington was informed, “…it might leak. And if it leaks in The Washington Post, in The New York Times, then the Iranians would have forewarning, and our action would be nullified in advance.”This is an astonishing statement; but let us link his answers together to make the picture clear.
In the same interview, Netanyahu said: “The traditional (US) alliance with Saudi Arabia and other countries, has to be reaffirmed. There should not be periodic swings, or even wild swings in this relationship, because I think that the alliance...is the anchor of stability in our region.”“I will speak to President Biden about this,” he remarked.Well, if Netanyahu says publicly that Israel, the main ally of the United States, does not inform Washington of the operations aimed at disrupting the Iranian nuclear project for fear that they will be leaked to the media and that information will reach Tehran, then how can our countries trust the American moves towards Iran?
During the period of former President Barack Obama, our region, which is directly affected with everything that Iran does, was surprised by secret understandings between the US administration and the mullahs of Tehran about a nuclear agreement and a change in the map of our region. Who forgets that Obama at that time called on Saudi Arabia to share influence in the region with Iran?!
Accordingly, how can the traditional alliances between the countries of the region and the United States be reaffirmed if “some” in Washington are leaking Israeli operations against the Iranian nuclear project to the media?
How can alliances be reaffirmed if “some” US officials contradict each other while communicating with countries concerned with the Iranian nuclear file? How can the alliance be consolidated to be the “anchor of stability in our region” in this way?
No sane person can believe that the void left by the US withdrawal from the region can be filled with an “actual” force. This is not a political entreaty as some naive people try to promote, based on prejudiced goals.
For example, a 2020 report by the European Parliament says that without Washington’s help, Europeans will struggle to defend themselves, lacking intelligence, reconnaissance aircraft, medium-range missile defenses, as well as submarines and amphibious ships.
Therefore, Netanyahu’s dangerous and important statements tell us that a Saudi-American strategic dialogue is necessary. I have already written here that such dialogue must begin in Riyadh. It should be a Gulf-American-Arab dialogue, that is, between the countries of moderation.
It is not about a confrontational interchange and loud statements by Washington, but real diplomacy to assess risks and interests, and to renew mutual commitments, with the right of our countries to diversify their relations and sources.