English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For December 20/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2021/english.december20.21.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
First Letter to the Corinthians 01/18-25: “The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 19-20/2021
President Aoun's welcoming speech before UN Secretary
UN Secretary-General’s remarks to the media after me
President Aoun meets with UN Secretary-General at the beginning of his visit to Lebanon
U.N. Chief Arrives in Lebanon for Several-Day Visit
U.S. Says Doesn't Want Lebanon to Become a 'Failed State'
Health Ministry: 1,479 new Corona cases, 12 deaths
Nabih Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon Is Headed to Worse Situation if We Don't Immediately Address Crises
Berri Urges Action to Avoid 'Heading to the Worse'
U.S. Donates 613,340 Covid Vaccines to Lebanon
MP Says FPM Won't Engage in Any Bargain
To the kind attention of M. António Guterre/Jean-Marie Kassab
The Phoenicians, Then, Now And Forever
Lebanon's Interior Minister Confirms Order to Deport Group Hostile to Bahrain
The Palestinian refugee camp explosion shows that Hamas is in the pocket of Iran/Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 19-20/2021
US Report Confirms Israel's Targeting of Damascus Int'l Airport Runway
Iranian Ransomware Programs Take Cybersecurity Experts by Surprise
Iraq Fortifies 80% of Its Border with Syria
Two Rockets Hit Baghdad’s Fortified Green Zone
Escalating Disputes Between Muslim Brotherhood Abroad Impede Reconciliation Attempts
Islamic World Unites to Aid Desperately Poor Afghanistan
Swiss Extradite Kremlin-linked Russian Businessman to United States
Turks Hunt for Vanishing Drugs in Currency Crisis
Mass Anti-coup Protests in Sudan Mark Uprising Anniversary
Britain's Johnson Left Reeling after Brexit Minister Quits

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 19-20/2021
China's US Enablers/Peter Schweizer/Gatestone Institute./December 19/2021
Israel's Palestinian Team Should Learn from Its Iran Team/Alex Nachumson/The Jerusalem Post/December 19/ 2021
Biden Should Not Run Again — and He Should Say He Won’t/Bret Stephens/The New York Times/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
Support growing for an Israeli strike on Iran/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/December 19/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 19-20/2021
President Aoun's welcoming speech before UN Secretary
NNA/December 19/2021
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, delivered the following address during the joint press conference with the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, at Baabda Palace this evening:
“Welcome Secretary-General to Lebanon, on your first visit, while you are at the helm of the international organization, after you took over from 2005 to 2015 the responsibility of the UNHCR. Lebanon and the United Nations have a deep partnership that goes back to the establishment of the organization, as Lebanon was one of the fifty countries that participated in the founding of the United Nations in 1945 in San Francisco, and among those who contributed to the drafting of the Bill of Human Rights in 1948. Through out the many crises that have struck Lebanon since 1948 and the Palestinian refuge to Lebanon until this day, through the Lebanese internal war, and the many Israeli wars, up to the repercussions of the massive Syrian displacement, the explosion of the Port of Beirut, the financial and economic crisis, and the repercussions of the current unprecedented crises; The United Nations was a supportive factor of stability, especially through the UNIFIL forces in the south, and a partner in development through its agencies operating in Lebanon. I discussed with His Excellency the successive crises that Lebanon suffers and the ways to overcome them, especially those related to the economic and living conditions that have deteriorated in recent months. I assured His Excellency the Secretary-General that we are working to overcome them even gradually, by developing an economic recovery plan to present it to the International Monetary Fund and to negotiate with multiple reforms in the economic, financial and administrative fields, reviewing a number of state departments, controlling spending, combating corruption, and achieving forensic auditing in the accounts of Banque du Liban. The objectives are to expose officials to the losses that have befallen the country over the past years. The goal remains to adopt sustainable governance that corrects the imbalance that has plagued state institutions. I assured His Excellency that Lebanon will witness next spring parliamentary elections and will provide every tool to be transparent and fair, reflecting the true will of the Lebanese in choosing their representatives and welcome any role that the United Nations can play in following up on these elections, in coordination with the competent Lebanese authorities. We also discussed the Syrian displacement, and stressed the need to find a new approach to the case of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, which is an ongoing and escalating crisis for more than 10 years, and the huge burdens on Lebanon, especially in light of the current circumstances, and the need for the international community to assume its responsibilities and encourage the safe return of the displaced to their villages and homeland.
With regard to the situation with Israel, I reiterated to His Excellency Lebanon's commitment to the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 in all its aspects, maintaining stability on the southern border, and permanent cooperation between the Lebanese army and UNIFIL forces. I pointed out the continued Israeli violations of land, sea and air, especially the use of Lebanese airspace for repeated air attacks on Syria. I stressed Lebanon's adherence to its sovereignty over its entire territory, and the full rights to invest its natural resources, especially in the oil and gas fields, and its constant readiness to follow up on indirect negotiations to demarcate the southern maritime borders. Finally, I renew my gratitude to the international organization and all its bodies working in Lebanon for all the efforts made, and I especially thank His Excellency the Secretary-General for his permanent solidarity with Lebanon, which was manifested the aids and the holding of special conferences in support of the Lebanese people." --- [Presidency Information Office]

UN Secretary-General’s remarks to the media after me
NNA/December 19/2021
In his press conference at Baabda Palace following his meeting with President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the media with the following:
“Good afternoon, I am happy to be back in Lebanon. I have just had a productive meeting with President Aoun, where I thanked him for his hospitality. I also expressed the gratitude of the United Nations and the international community for Lebanon’s generosity in hosting so many refugees from the Syrian conflict. I told the President that I have come with one simple message: the United Nations stands in solidarity with the people of Lebanon. During my visit, I will meet a wide range of political, religious and civil society leaders, including women and youth. My objective is to discuss how we can best support the Lebanese people to overcome the current economic and financial crisis and promote peace, stability and sustainable development.  I urge the country’s politicians to work together to resolve this crisis. And I call on the international community to strengthen its support to Lebanon. The Lebanese people expect their political leaders to restore the economy, provide a functioning government and state institutions, end corruption and safeguard human rights. Seeing the suffering of the people of Lebanon, Lebanese political leaders do not have the right to be divided and paralyze the country.  The President of the Lebanese Republic must be the symbol of that necessary unity. Next year’s elections will be key…Lebanon’s people must be fully engaged in choosing how the country moves forward.  Women and young people must have every opportunity to play their full part as Lebanon strives to overcome its many challenges and lays the foundations for a better future. The United Nations will support Lebanon on every step of this journey. As part of our commitment to Lebanon’s stability, I will visit UNIFIL in southern Lebanon. Commitment to the full implementation of Resolution 1701 and maintaining the cessation of hostilities across the Blue Line and decreasing tensions between the parties is crucial. I take this opportunity to salute the thousands of women and men peacekeepers who are far from their families and countries serving peace in Lebanon. I would also like to stress that continued international support to the Lebanese army and other state security institutions is essential for the stability of Lebanon. I encourage all Member States to continue and increase their support.
Thank you.” --- [UN Office in Beirut]

President Aoun meets with UN Secretary-General at the beginning of his visit to Lebanon
NNA/December 19/2021
Aoun: Efforts are underway to overcome the successive crises in Lebanon through developing an economic recovery with multiple reforms
Aoun: Lebanon welcomes any role of the United Nations in following up on the upcoming parliamentary elections and for a new approach to the displaced Syrians and to encourage their safe return
Aoun: Lebanon is committed to its sovereignty over its entire territory, its full rights to invest its wealth, and its constant readiness to follow up on indirect negotiations to demarcate the southern maritime borders
Guterres: The United Nations stands in solidarity with the Lebanese people; International community must keep pace with the generosity of the Lebanese towards the Syrian refugees
Guterrres: The Lebanese people expect political leaders to rebuild the economy; Leaders do not have the right to divide and paralyze the country; President of the Republic must be the symbol of unity
Guterres: Next year's elections will be key and the  people must be strongly involved in choosing how the country will progress, and the United Nations will support Lebanon in that direction
NNA – President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, asserted that effort is underway to overcome the successive crises that Lebanon suffers by developing an economic recovery plan to be presented to the International Monetary Fund in parallel with various reforms in the economic, financial and administrative fields, and a review of a number of state administrations and spending control.  Stop wasting state money, combat corruption, and achieve the forensic auditing of of the Banque du Liban, in revealing those responsible for the losses incurred in the country over the past years.
President Aoun also indicated that the goal remains to adopt sustainable governance that corrects the imbalance in state institutions.
In addition, the President stressed that Lebanon will witness next spring parliamentary elections that will be provided with all needed to be transparent and fair, welcoming any role that the United Nations can play in overseeing these elections in coordination with the concerned Lebanese authorities.
President Aoun called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, to find a new approach to case the displaced Syrians in Lebanon and to encourage their safe return to their villages and homeland.  
President Aoun also indicated that “Lebanon is committed to its full sovereignty, investing its Natural resources, especially in the oil and gas fields, and always readiness to follow up on the indirect negotiations to demarcate the southern maritime borders”.
The President’s words came during a joint speech addressed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, to journalists, after talks that took place this afternoon at Baabda Palace.
For his part, Mr. Gutierres affirmed that he carries one simple message, which is that the United Nations stands in solidarity with the Lebanese people, calling on the international community to strengthen its support for Lebanon.
Guterres said: "The political leaders in Lebanon, when witnessing the suffering of the Lebanese people, do not have the right to divide and paralyze the country. “The President of the Republic must be the symbol of this necessary unity. Elections next year will be the key, and the Lebanese people must strongly engage in the process of choosing how the country will progress. Women and youth must have all opportunities to play their full role”.
Guterres also revealed that the United Nations will support Lebanon in every step of this process,” noting "there will be a continuous international support for the Lebanese army and other security institutions”.
Arrival and Conversations
The Secretary-General of the United Nations had arrived at Baabda Palace, where the United Nations flag was raised on the mast alongside the Lebanese flag. A company of the Republican Guard Brigade held ceremonies, where Guterres entered the middle of two rows of spears, before President Aoun received him in the Ambassadors' Salon. Then, a bilateral meeting was held, followed by an expanded meeting that included President Aoun and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, with the two official delegations.
On the Lebanese side, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Ambassador Abdullah Bouhabib, the President of the National Commission for Lebanese Women, Mrs. Claudine Aoun, the advisor of President Aoun, former Minister Salim Jreissati, the Director-General of the Presidency of the Republic, Dr. Antoine Choucair, the Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations, Ambassador Amal Mudallali, and the advisors, Brigadier General  Boulos Matar, Rafic Chelala, and Osama Khashab, attended.
The delegation accompanying Mr. Gutierrez, attending the joint meeting, included: Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peacekeeping Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Ms. Joanna Frontka, the Force Commander of UNIFIL in  South Lebanon, General Stefano Del Col, Director and Coordinator of the Secretary-General's visit, Miguel Graca, and Ms. Saskia Raming.
During the expanded meeting, President Aoun focused on the old true partnership between Lebanon and the UN, thanking the solidarity with Lebanon.
The President also stressed the importance of the support of the international community, and thanked Guterres for appointing the Lebanese Ambassador, Caroline Ziadeh, to the new post of Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.
For her part, the President of the National Commission for Lebanese Women, Mrs. Claudine Aoun, said: "We support your vision, through the "common agenda", and are committed to supporting you by implementing your own vision with regard to women, youth and growth”.
Mrs. Aoun also thanked the Secretary-General for the technical assistance provided by various United Nations agencies in order to put into effect the resolution 1325 of the UN Security Council, which is related to women, peace and security.  Aoun also indicated that the Lebanese government approved an action plan in October of 2019, in this regard. 30% of the activities noted in it have been accomplished, despite the difficulties that Lebanon has gone through, 60% are in progress, and 10% are specifically related to the role of women in consolidating the bonds of peace.
Referring to the efforts made to move forward in implementing what the plan noted, especially in terms of supporting the role of women and their mediation in peace initiatives and conflict resolution, starting from the local level to the national reality.
Mrs. Aoun concluded by noting that the biggest challenge remains in urging political leaders to adopt measures that would allow for the effective participation of women in political and economic decision-making positions, as well as in peace negotiations and reconstruction.
Gutierres responded, expressing his appreciation for Lebanon's commitment to women's rights, praising the effort made for women's participation in parliamentary elections. Guterres also supported the idea of ​​a quota for women in parliamentary representation.
For his part, Mr. Lacroix presented a report on the security situation in the south, and the work of the international forces in cooperation with the Lebanese army through the existing partnership between them, addressing the difficulties facing the work of "UNIFIL" and the need for cooperation to overcome them.
President Aoun:
Speech by President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun
Press conference UN Secretary-General António Guterres
 Sunday 19/12/2021
“Welcome Secretary-General to Lebanon, on your first visit, while you are at the helm of the international organization, after you took over from 2005 to 2015 the responsibility of the UNHCR.
Lebanon and the United Nations have a deep partnership that goes back to the establishment of the organization, as Lebanon was one of the fifty countries that participated in the founding of the United Nations in 1945 in San Francisco, and among those who contributed to the drafting of the Bill of Human Rights in 1948.
Through out the many crises that have struck Lebanon since 1948 and the Palestinian refuge to Lebanon until this day, through the Lebanese internal war, and the many Israeli wars, up to the repercussions of the massive Syrian displacement, the explosion of the Port of Beirut, the financial and economic crisis, and the repercussions of the current unprecedented crises;  The United Nations was a supportive factor of stability, especially through the UNIFIL forces in the south, and a partner in development through its agencies operating in Lebanon.
I discussed with His Excellency the successive crises that Lebanon suffers and the ways to overcome them, especially those related to the economic and living conditions that have deteriorated in recent months.  I assured His Excellency the Secretary-General that we are working to overcome them even gradually, by developing an economic recovery plan to present it to the International Monetary Fund and to negotiate with multiple reforms in the economic, financial and administrative fields, reviewing a number of state departments, controlling spending, combating corruption, and achieving forensic auditing in the accounts of Banque du Liban. The objectives are to expose officials to the losses that have befallen the country over the past years.  The goal remains to adopt sustainable governance that corrects the imbalance that has plagued state institutions.  
I assured His Excellency that Lebanon will witness next spring parliamentary elections and will provide every tool to be transparent and fair, reflecting the true will of the Lebanese in choosing their representatives and welcome any role that the United Nations can play in following up on these elections, in coordination with the competent Lebanese authorities.
We also discussed the Syrian displacement, and stressed the need to find a new approach to the case of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, which is an ongoing and escalating crisis for more than 10 years, and the huge burdens on Lebanon, especially in light of the current circumstances, and the need for the international community to assume its responsibilities and encourage the safe  return of the displaced to their villages and homeland.
With regard to the situation with Israel, I reiterated to His Excellency Lebanon's commitment to the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 in all its aspects, maintaining stability on the southern border, and permanent cooperation between the Lebanese army and UNIFIL forces.
I pointed out the continued Israeli violations of land, sea and air, especially the use of Lebanese airspace for repeated air attacks on Syria.  
I stressed Lebanon's adherence to  its sovereignty over its entire territory, and the full rights to invest its natural resources, especially in the oil and gas fields, and its constant readiness to follow up on indirect negotiations to demarcate the southern maritime borders.
Finally, I renew my gratitude to the international organization and all its bodies working in Lebanon for all the efforts made, and I especially thank His Excellency the Secretary-General for his permanent solidarity with Lebanon, which was manifested the aids and the holding of special conferences in support of the Lebanese people."
Mr. Guterres:
REMARKS TO MEDIA AFTER MEETING WITH
H.E. MR. MICHEL AOUN, PRESIDENT OF LEBANON
19 December 2021
"Good afternoon, I am happy to be back in Lebanon.
I have just had a productive meeting with President Aoun, where I thanked him for his hospitality.  I also expressed the gratitude of the United Nations and the international community for Lebanon’s generosity in hosting so many refugees from the Syrian conflict.
I was previously the High Commissioner for Refugees for ten years, and through my experience throughout these years, I have found few countries and peoples that have been so generous towards refugees, as Lebanon has been towards Syrian refugees.  It has had huge repercussions on the Lebanese economy as well as on the Lebanese society, and because of the conflict in Syria, the security situation in Lebanon has also been affected.  And I believe that the international community did not sufficiently support Lebanon, as it did towards other countries that opened their borders, doors and hearts to refugees, while unfortunately some of the most capable countries closed their own borders.  Hence, the example of Lebanon is an example that calls for responsibility on the part of those in charge of international security in order to fully support Lebanon in order to face the burdens it is facing in the current navigation.
I told the President that I have come with one simple message: the United Nations stands in solidarity with the people of Lebanon.
During my visit, I will meet a wide range of political, religious and civil society leaders, including women and youth.
My objective is to discuss how we can best support the Lebanese people to overcome the current economic and financial crisis and promote peace, stability and sustainable development. I urge the country’s politicians to work together to resolve this crisis. And I call on the international community to strengthen its support to Lebanon.  The Lebanese people expect their political leaders to restore the economy, provide a functioning government and state institutions, end corruption and safeguard human rights.
Seeing the suffering of the people of Lebanon, Lebanese political leaders do not have the right to be divided and paralyze the country. The President of the Lebanese Republic must be the symbol of that necessary unity.  
Next year’s elections will be key. Lebanon’s people must be fully engaged in choosing how the country moves forward. Women and young people must have every opportunity to play their full part as Lebanon strives to overcome its many challenges and lays the foundations for a better future.
The United Nations will support Lebanon on every step of this journey.
As part of our commitment to Lebanon’s stability, I will visit UNIFIL in southern Lebanon. Commitment to the full implementation of Resolution 1701 and maintaining the cessation of hostilities across the Blue Line and decreasing tensions between the parties is crucial. I take this opportunity to salute the thousands of women and men peacekeepers who are far from their families and countries serving peace in Lebanon.  I would also like to stress that continued international support to the Lebanese army and other state security institutions is essential for the stability of Lebanon.  Lebanon is facing a very difficult stage, and I urge the Lebanese leaders to deserve their people, and I urge the international community to keep pace with the generosity of the Lebanese people. I encourage all Member States to continue and increase their support.
Thank you."
Book of Honor:
Message from the Secretary-General in the Presidential Book of Honour
As I embark on my first trip to Lebanon in my capacity as Secretary-General, I cannot but recall impressions from my previous visits to this beautiful land with its vibrant socio-cultural fabric, rich in diversity, the most enterprising population and their proverbial hospitality. That hospitality was on generous display this evening at the palace, and I thank His Excellency President Michel Aoun for extending this warm welcome to me and my colleagues from the United Nations.
I had the opportunity to share perspectives with the President on Lebanon’s current predicament, and the way forward towards a prosperous future.
As I set out to meet a cross-section of the population over the next two days, my special concerns remain with the most vulnerable groups, but also those sections of the population whose aspirations will define the future of this country – the ambitious young women and men of Lebanon whose talent and industry continue to defy all adversities. I have assured the President that the United Nations will always stand by Lebanon in its journey towards a more stable, peaceful and prosperous future.
Special Dinner:
Finally, the President hosted a special dinner for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, during a review of the points discussed in the official talks was done. ----- [Presidency Informaiton Office]

U.N. Chief Arrives in Lebanon for Several-Day Visit
Naharnet/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived Sunday in Beirut on an official visit that will last until Wednesday. He was welcomed at the airport by Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, the permanent Lebanese envoy to the U.N. Amal Mudallali and the U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka. “At this challenging time for Lebanon, this will be a visit of solidarity during which the Secretary-General will reaffirm the support of the entire U.N. family – from our political teams and peacekeepers to our humanitarian aid workers and development professionals – for the country and its people,” the U.N. said in a statement. The Secretary-General will meet with President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Miqati, as well as a number of religious leaders and civil society representatives. He will also pay tribute to the victims of the Beirut Port blast and will also undertake field visits to interact with people impacted by the numerous crises the country has been facing. Finally, the Secretary-General will travel to southern Lebanon to visit the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and tour parts of the Blue Line.

U.S. Says Doesn't Want Lebanon to Become a 'Failed State'
Naharnet/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
The White House has said that Washington does not want Lebanon to become a “failed state,” while noting that it has used “a combination of carrots and sticks” in its approach towards the country. “One thing we want to try to make sure is that we don’t have any more failed states in the Middle East region. Failed states open vacuums, and those vacuums are not filled by moderates, they’re filled by extremist actors on all sides and become kind of proxy fights by regional powers,” a senior administration official told journalists in a year-end discussion on the Middle East. ”Lebanon had all the signs of a potential failing -- a potential failed state,” the official noted, adding that Washington has worked “quite hard” and “quite quietly” through its ambassador in Beirut and along with France and others in order to address the Lebanese situation. The official also said that Washington imposed sanctions on “particularly corrupt individuals of Lebanon’s political system” to make clear that “the only people that can save Lebanon are the Lebanese and particularly the Lebanese political leaders who have to make hard choices to save their country.” “So, a combination of carrots and sticks.”
The official added that Washington is in “close touch” with Prime Minister Najib Miqati. And citing the visits to Lebanon by U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and U.S. Senior Advisor on Energy at the State Department Amos Hochstein, the official noted that Washington has facilitated a “very important” Egypt-Lebanon gas deal that would contribute to “maintaining stability and trying to get Lebanon out of the crisis that it’s in.”The agreement, which has backing from the World Bank, is “getting underway,” the official added. ”An awful lot of work is going on behind the scenes on Lebanon as we move forward,” the official went on to say.

Health Ministry: 1,479 new Corona cases, 12 deaths
NNA/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
In its daily report on the COVID-19 developments, the Ministry of Public Health announced the registration of 1,479 new Coronavirus infections on Sunday, which raised the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 700,943. The report also indicated that 12 deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours.

Nabih Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon Is Headed to Worse Situation if We Don't Immediately Address Crises
Beirut - Thaer Abbas/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
Lebanon's parliament Speaker Nabih Berri warned the country would be headed to a worse situation if accumulating crises are not addressed.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said this week is "decisive" in determining the course of events. He said attention would be focused on the constitutional council's decision over the appeal filed by the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) over the parliamentary electoral law. Officials and parties have been warning against the potential postponement of the elections that are set for March 2022. The Lebanese Forces (LF) has warned that it may take to the streets if the polls are delayed. Berri noted the "major international interest" in Lebanon holding the elections. "This is normal and it should also be normal and necessary for us to insist that they are held," he added. He predicted that the constitutional council will announce its decision on Monday or Tuesday at most. This in turn, will set in motion a new dynamic in the country regardless of whether the FPM appeal is accepted or not, he continued. Moreover, Berri said that new efforts are underway to find solutions to problems, but the government crisis is still stalling. He called for exerting serious efforts to resolve crises endured by the Lebanese people, "otherwise we will be confronted with a worse situation." On Saturday, LF MP George Okais called on people to be ready to "head to the streets" should the elections be postponed or cancelled. The elections are a "pivotal" junction and "necessary condition" to introduce change to the ruling authority in Lebanon, he added. Any change takes place through elections, he remarked. It is necessary to provide guarantees that the elections will be held, he went on to say. The corrupt authority should be prevented from usurping the voice of the Lebanese people, urged the MP. Okais warned against attempts to postpone the parliamentary and presidential elections, which are also set for 2022. The LF opposes the extension of President Michel Aoun's term, he stressed. Mustaqbal MP Mohammed al-Hajjar warned that some sides are working on obstructing the parliamentary elections. The movement insists that they be held on time, he stated. "If they are not held, for whatever reason, then we will resign from parliament," he revealed.
The international community is using all its means to ensure that the polls are held because it wants to change the political class, he added. Some sides claim that they want the elections be staged, but they are in fact working against them, he noted.
The FPM had on Saturday hoped that the constitutional council would approve its appeal. The movement said it had appealed "flagrant legal and constitutional flaws" in the electoral law. It hoped the council would accept its appeal over an article that had deprived expatriates of their right to elect six lawmakers who would represent them at parliament. The FPM stressed that it rejects any concession over these rights and that it deems any obstruction of state institutions as a form of blackmail. Furthermore, the movement had appealed the parliament's recommendation to hold the polls in March instead of May, as has been the case for years. It also objected against allowing expatriates to vote for the entire 128-member legislature, instead of six seats allotted to them. It explained that such a move goes against a law that had dedicated the six seats to the expatriates. The seats represent all sects and form a new electoral district that is added to the ones designated to citizens residing in Lebanon.

Berri Urges Action to Avoid 'Heading to the Worse'
Naharnet/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has warned that failing to take swift action to address Lebanon’s accumulating crises would mean that the country will head to a “worse” situation. “The next week will be decisive in clarifying the course of things,” Berri told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks published Sunday. He noted that the coming week carries important junctures that are likely to stir the stagnant water, expecting the Constitutional Council’s ruling on the Free Patriotic Movement’s appeal against the electoral law’s amendments to be issued on Monday or, at the latest, Tuesday. “This would create new dynamics, regardless of the ruling’s nature,” the daily said. Noting that “there are serious efforts to find exits,” Berri pointed out that the governmental crisis is still deadlocked. He instead called for “working seriously to address the situations that the Lebanese are going through, or else we will definitely head to the worse.”

U.S. Donates 613,340 Covid Vaccines to Lebanon
Naharnet/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
Through the COVAX program, the United States on Sunday delivered a donation of 336,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine to Lebanon to support the continued fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As a single dose vaccine, this J&J donation can fully inoculate 336,000 Lebanese against Covid-19, the U.S. embassy said in a statement. "The J&J donation is the first of two donations from the United States; a second donation of 277,340 doses of the Moderna vaccine will arrive later this week, bringing the total U.S. contribution to 613,340 vaccine doses. The J&J and Moderna vaccine doses will support the Government of Lebanon’s National Vaccination Strategy against the COVID-19 pandemic, saving lives, and ensuring Lebanon’s path to economic recovery and long-term stability in its health system," the statement added. The deliveries of vaccines to Lebanon are part of the U.S. government’s commitment to donate 1.1 billion Covid-19 vaccines to countries most in need. "Worldwide, the United States has already delivered more than 200 million COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility, with more on the way," the statement said. "The U.S. government donations were made possible thanks to close coordination between the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, namely Minister Firass Abiad, UNICEF, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)," the statement added. Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in Lebanon, the U.S. government has allocated over $55 million dollars to Covid-related assistance in order to mitigate the spread of this virus in Lebanon, focusing in particular on vulnerable Lebanese. "This COVID-related assistance is part of more than $372 million in humanitarian assistance to Lebanon in Fiscal Year 2021, bringing total U.S. humanitarian assistance to Lebanon $2.9 billion since 2012," the statement said.

MP Says FPM Won't Engage in Any Bargain
Naharnet/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
MP Alain Aoun of the Free Patriotic Movement-led Strong Lebanon bloc has stressed that the FPM will not engage in “any deals or bargains,” such as attending a parliamentary session for referring the accused ministers in the port case to the Higher Council for Trial of Ministers and Presidents in return for the resumption of Cabinet sessions. “As for the condition that the (Shiite) duo is placing to return to Cabinet, its key is in the hands of the judiciary or the constitution, and we’re not an obstacle in the way of any of them,” Aoun said in an interview with the al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper published Sunday.
“Let the Higher Judicial Council shoulder its responsibility by settling the debate over jurisdiction as to the trial of presidents and ministers, and let everyone respect its decision,” the lawmaker added. Asked about reports suggesting that parliament’s term might be extended in a bargain involving the extension of President Michel Aoun’s term, the MP emphasized that “extension deals are only present in the imaginations of some people.”

To the kind attention of M. António Guterres
Jean-Marie Kassab/Beirut December 19, 2021
Secretary General of the United Nations.
Dear sir,
My name is Jean-Marie Kassab. I head a civil society group that goes under the name of Task Force Lebanon.
Let me first of all welcome you sir in my country Lebanon. Lebanon is even tinier than your native Portugal, yet with a grand history such as yours. Both our countries, even if at different epochs, roved the seas, created cities and spread civilization: The Phoenician alphabet is one of the oldest in the world.
As you know well, Lebanon is currently agonizing and may not survive this ordeal unless international help is provided. This agony is due to a combination of foreign occupation, execrable management of government and unprecedented corruption that plundered the country’s riches.
Let there be no doubt sir: Unless the international community deals with the Iranian occupation, the country will irremediably collapse. Let there be no doubt sir, and beyond the reports you have in hand: Lebanon is under Iranian occupation, and the Hezbollah is only one more brigade of the IRGC. Let there be no doubt sir, unless the international community acts to free Lebanon, there will be no Lebanon anymore.
The people of Lebanon are no match to this powerful evil occupation who like an octopus has presence in every part of the government, alongside its military pernicious occupation of the country with only one mission on their mind: to undermine the Lebanese State until it crumbles and forcedly becomes a fully-fledged Iranian province.
My meeting with you sir, if you wish to allow me this privilege, would be to expose these facts and dreadful reality and implore you to do whatever if possible to rock the international community in order to extend help to liberate a fellow country, a founding member of the United Nation, from occupation. Moreover, I will be expecting your guidance in order to know, as civil society, how to address the UN in this regard.
Faithfully yours,
Task Force Lebanon.

The Phoenicians, Then, Now And Forever
National Geographic, August 1974, Vol. 146, No 2.
Asa people, the Phoenicians have never disappeared, never been totally submerged. They added other contributions to civilisation...Phoenician - today we call them Lebanese - merchant traders have flourished through most of the centuries since then, and flourish still in such far-distant
cities as Paris, London, New York, Toronto, Sao Paulo, Singapore, and Sydney.. Dr. Charles Malik, a distinguished Lebanese diplomat who helped write the United Nations Charter, and served as president of the General Assembly. summarised it best:" The Phoenicians have always been consummate diplomats. They were forced by history to develop finesse and patience and persuasion -and the ability above all of making a deal mutually advantageous to both sides- qualities that are the essence of dipiomacy. "Look down here," gesturing to the sunlit rim of the sea that curved from Beirut in the south to Byblos in the north, "this may be the most significant stretch of coast, the most historic road, in the world! ""Consider what has happened right here: The greatest enmpires of the past, the Egyptians, the Mesopotamians, the Romans, all sent their armies marching along that road. Trade has flowed in and out of St. Georges Bay since the dawn of history. "Those old empires, the civilisations founded on force, all fell and disappeared. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Rome, Byzantium, are gone. But the Phoenicians, who stood betwcen them, are still here, trading beside the same road, sending their ships abroad over the same sea. They have retained theiridentity."They have survived." xeerpts of an article from:" The Phoenicians, Sea Lords of Antiquity."
National Geographic, August 1974, Vol. 146, No 2.
And They Will Always Do

Lebanon's Interior Minister Confirms Order to Deport Group Hostile to Bahrain
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
Lebanon's Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi confirmed that he has taken the necessary legal procedures to deport the members of a group that is hostile to Bahrain. The group had earlier this month held a press conference in Beirut that Manama had condemned. Last Sunday, Bahrain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its "deep regret" over and denunciation of Beirut’s hosting of a press conference for "hostile persons designated as supporters and sponsors of terrorism, with the purpose of disseminating and promoting abusive and malicious allegations against the kingdom."Mawlawi told Al Arabiya television that he had ordered the concerned security agencies to carry out the necessary investigations and provide his ministry with the names of the people who are affiliated with the Wefaq group in Lebanon. "We decided that the General Security directorate should deport those people in line with out firm convictions and our commitment to the Arab stance and major relations that bind us with the Gulf countries," he added. Asked about Hezbollah's objection to the deportation, he replied: "The objection of a certain political side does not prevent us from implementing the law or taking the legal measures that are in line with our convictions and Lebanon's interest."

The Palestinian refugee camp explosion shows that Hamas is in the pocket of  Iran
Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/19 December ,2021
The tranquil night of the Burj el-Shemali refugee camp in the suburbs of the ancient city of Tyre in the south of Lebanon was shattered when a loud explosion rocked the compound recently, unleashing a gale of frenzy across the country.
The explosion was the result of a fire that broke out near a local mosque which later spread to reach an arms depot belonging to Hamas. It contained an assortment of weapons and ammunition.
Hamas was quick to cordon off the blast site and prevent the Lebanese security agencies and other Palestinian factions in the camp from investigating the reasons behind the explosion. It merely brushed aside the incident, claiming that an electric fire reached a storage facility of oxygen canisters being stored for the needs of people with COVID-19.
The mysterious explosion injured tens of people and killed Hamza Chahine, a senior member of the group. It’s believed he was responsible for the recruitment for the local intelligence branch of Hamas.
The following day the funeral of Chahine turned into a bloodbath as a firefight broke out between Hamas and Fateh ending in the death of three members of the terrorist organization.
These incidents raise the point that disarming weapons found in Palestinian refugee camps is essential. It’s an issue which the public long believed to have already been resolved.
Naturally this thorny matter, plays a part in Lebanon’s crises, reaffirming the nation’s inability to claim sovereignty over all of its territories. This includes the existing Palestinian refugee camps which are nothing more than an extension of the real elephant in the room; Hezbollah and Iranian hegemony.
The 192,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are not armed and do not pose any existential threat to the country’s national security. But, some of the terrorist’s armed factions in the camps are part of the Iranian axis. Tehran is the real menace, both to the Lebanese and to their fellow Palestinians.
Hamas’s brand of political Islam coupled with its orbiting of the radical Iranian revolution has made it part of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ tools in the region both inside Palestine itself and in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and Syria.
The blast which happened in the South of Lebanon is an indicator of how the Israeli Iranian standoff has gone beyond simply targeting Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq. Israel’s ongoing campaign to limit Tehran’s threat to its security now includes Hamas which poses another battle front if not properly contained.
Hamas’s preposterous explanation of the blast is the standard textbook response of Iran’s militias around the region. The false narratives are used to justify their inability to retaliate against Israeli military strikes and reveals how Hamas is not investing in liberating Palestine. Rather, it shows that the terrorists are fully committed to Iran’s expansionist project, regardless if it serves Palestine or not.
On his last visit to Lebanon in 2017, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was clear when he said that the Palestinian did not need weapons in Lebanon, and that the Palestinian camps fell under the jurisdiction of the Lebanese state.
Abbas’s statements indicate the serious schism between the mainstream Palestinian faction Fateh, and the more radical assortment of Islamic groups Hamas leads home and abroad.
Consequently, the Burj el-Shemali blast and the events that followed are merely a manifestation of the destructive factionalism within the Palestinian political scene. Hamas supported by Hezbollah and Iran have worked hard to sideline Fateh, which no longer commands the respect or the ability to control any of the camps. For Hezbollah the Palestinian camps provide venues to weaponize and advance its own interests when needed. It also puts more pressure on both the Lebanese state and the international community to make more concessions in the ongoing nuclear talks in Vienna.
Hamas’s weapons should be dealt with as an extension of Hezbollah and Iran’s occupation of Lebanon, and several other countries in the region, including Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
The explosion in the Burj el-Shemali refugee camp is unfortunately merely a reminder that Lebanon’s current political and economic crisis can only be tackled by confronting Iran and its band of brothers.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 19-20/2021
US Report Confirms Israel's Targeting of Damascus Int'l Airport Runway
Moscow, Damascus, London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 19 December, 2021 -
An American report has shown that the latest round of Israeli airstrikes on Syria damaged a landing runway at Damascus International Airport. This confirmed a Russian statement that the attack targeted the airport, not the al-Quneitra region as Damascus had announced. Satellite images from Capella Space shared on Twitter by Aurora Intel clearly show that the runway at the airport was cratered in three spots spaced perfectly about 600 meters. The War Zone website said: “Currently, the southern part of Damascus International Airport is closed to airline traffic as it undergoes refurbishment. “Exactly why this particular runway was targeted is unclear, therefore, especially as the other runway remains active and is reportedly used to host flights bringing material to support Iranian military activities in the country”. According to Rear Adm. Vadim Kulit, deputy head of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties in Syria, “On December 16, from 1:51 to 1:59, four Israeli Air Force F-16 tactical fighters from the airspace over the Golan Heights struck with eight cruise missiles at targets near the Damascus International Airport.” The Syrian state news agency SANA meanwhile cited an unnamed military source as saying, “the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression,” adding that the Israeli missiles were fired from airspace over the Golan Heights.SANA repeated the claim that Syrian air defenses shot down most of the cruise missiles. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights sources have confirmed that Israeli missiles hit Lebanese Hezbollah and Iran-backed militias positions and warehouses in the vicinity of Deir Ali area in the southern Damascus countryside, at the Daraa-Damascus countryside-Al-Suweida triangle, destroying the target sites. However, no casualties have been reported until now. The Israel attacks also hit an air defense post, south of Al-Shahba area in Al-Sweida, killing at least one regime soldier and wounding others, and causing material damage in the area. Moreover, Observatory sources have denied all reports that the attack targeted the vicinity of Damascus International Airport.

Iranian Ransomware Programs Take Cybersecurity Experts by Surprise
Ransomware encrypts files on a victim’s computer. The perpetrator then demands ransom payments in exchange for decrypting the files and sometimes also threatens to leak the victim’s data. (Reuters)
Washington - Elie Youssef/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
Iranian hackers have recently launched cyberattacks against vital institutions and facilities in the United States, raising the concern of law enforcement authorities in the country.
These attacks are added to various others launched by several parties against the US. With much attention this year on Russian ransomware attacks against the US, the Iranian threat may come as a surprise, said a report by the Foreign Policy magazine, adding that Iranian ransomware groups were quietly emerging as a global force to be reckoned with elsewhere in the world. On November, the US, Britain and Australia issued a joint warning that Iranian actors have conducted ransomware attacks against US targets and gained access to a wide range of critical infrastructure networks, including the children’s hospital, that would enable more attacks, the report read. Experts in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Australian Cyber Security Center (ACSC) and the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) found out that an ongoing malicious cyber activity by an advanced persistent threat (APT) group is associated with the government of Iran. Ransomware encrypts files on a victim’s computer. The perpetrator then demands ransom payments in exchange for decrypting the files and sometimes also threatens to leak the victim’s data.
“The Iranian government-sponsored APT actors are actively targeting a broad range of victims across multiple US critical infrastructure sectors,” the experts warned. While Iranian ransomware may be relatively unfamiliar to Americans, it has been a part of everyday life in Israel for more than a year, the US magazine noted. “Iranian actors have targeted almost every sector of Israel’s economy and society.”The report pointed out that Iran’s successful use of ransomware against Israel has likely emboldened it to expand its focus to the United States.
In September 2020, an Israeli cybersecurity firm first detected Iranian ransomware activity against unspecified “prominent Israeli organizations.” Another hacking group, Black Shadow, believed to be linked to Iran, was accused of carrying out a major cyberattack in October targeting an Internet service provider in Israel. The report warned that Iran’s ransomware campaign appears to be on the brink of global expansion. In 2019, a report prepared by researchers at the US giant Microsoft Corporation said that Iranian hackers are working to infiltrate systems, companies and governments around the world, causing damages amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. Some believe these attacks may be part of Iran’s attempts not only to influence cybersecurity and its open conflict with its “rivals” but also to obtain foreign cash, especially the US dollar, to break the blockade imposed on it.

Iraq Fortifies 80% of Its Border with Syria
Baghdad-Fadhel al-Nashmi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
Major General Yahya Rasool, the spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, announced on Saturday that 80% of the plan to fortify the border with Syria has been completed. The plan aims to prevent the infiltration of terrorist groups and smugglers across the 600-kilometer long border between the two countries, he explained. There is a little work left by the security agencies in fortifying the borders with Syria, Rasool told the official news agency. “Earth mounds, fortifications, fences, towers and thermal surveillance cameras have been installed so far across the borderline,” he said.
Government spokesman Culture Minister Hassan Nadhim said on Wednesday that the cabinet decided to allocate funds to complete fortifications on the Iraqi-Syrian border. In late 2017, Iraq announced the military defeat of ISIS after fighting battles that lasted about three years. Since then, it has been seeking to secure its western border with Syria, given the presence of most terrorist groups on the borderline between the two countries. This border represented one of the largest gates for terrorist groups to enter Iraq after overthrowing Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003. ISIS, which controlled about one third of Iraq’s territories in 2014, was able to open the borders and move freely between the two countries before Iraqi forces defeated them militarily. Some ISIS militants still infiltrate the long borders, which extend from Anbar Governorate in the west, passing through Nineveh Governorate and the Kurdistan Region in the north. This prompts Iraqi forces to launch large-scale military operations on the borders every now and then to ensure security and pursue extremist groups that take refuge in some difficult to reach valleys and terrains.

Two Rockets Hit Baghdad’s Fortified Green Zone
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
Two Katyusha rockets hit Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, Iraq's state news agency reported early on Sunday citing security forces. One rocket was destroyed in the air by the C-RAM defense system and the other landed near the zone's festivals arena damaging two cars, the report added. Security forces started an investigation to detect the launch site, the agency reported. A US military official told Reuters that the C-RAM system brought down one of the rounds and none of them landed on the US embassy. The official said there were no American casualties. The Green Zone hosts foreign embassies, including the US embassy, and government buildings and is regularly the target of rockets fired by groups that US and Iraqi officials say are backed by Iran. US officials have said Iranian-backed militia could increase attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria in coming weeks, in part to mark the anniversary of the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The two were killed by a US drone strike in Iraq on Jan. 2, 2020.

Escalating Disputes Between Muslim Brotherhood Abroad Impede Reconciliation Attempts
Cairo - Walid Abdul Rahman/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
The disputes between the Muslim Brotherhood’s Istanbul and London branches witnessed a “significant escalation”, after the organization’s “General Shura Council” formed a committee to assume leadership functions, and removed Ibrahim Munir from his position. Over the past weeks, the Muslim Brotherhood saw a recurring struggle to resolve the “battle of managing the organization” abroad, between the branches in Istanbul and London. The Istanbul Front, led by Mahmoud Hussein, the former secretary general of the organization, announced the dismissal of Munir, who leads the London Front, as the Brotherhood’s acting guide. In a statement on Friday, the Istanbul Front said that its “General Shura Council” decided to form a temporary committee from among its members, to carry out the tasks of the “General Guide” for a period of six months. The new committee members would be announced at a time specified by the council. According to the statement, “the committee started its work, and announced the designation of Mustafa Tolba as its official representative.”Commenting on the developments, Amr Abdel Moneim, a researcher in fundamentalist affairs in Egypt, noted that the latest announcement by the Shura Council confirmed “the failure of all attempts to heal the rift within the organization.”In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Abdel Moneim said: “The organization is now witnessing a state of uncertainty, lack of clarity of vision, confusion, data war, and internal rift.”Disputes between the Istanbul and London fronts deepened after Munir announced the dissolution of the Administrative Office for Organization Affairs in Turkey, and the dismissal of Mahmoud Hussein and others. The crisis further escalated with Hussein’s announcement of Munir’s dismissal from his post. The Shura Council’s decisions were preceded by a conference held in Turkey, which saw an agreement to form a committee to support the new acting leader.

Islamic World Unites to Aid Desperately Poor Afghanistan
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
The economic collapse of Afghanistan, already teetering dangerously on the edge, would have a “horrendous” impact on the region and the world, successive speakers warned Sunday at the start of a one-day summit of foreign ministers from dozens of Islamic countries.
The hastily called meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Islamabad brought together dozens of foreign ministers with the special representatives on Afghanistan of major powers, including China, the US and Russia. The gathering also included the UN undersecretary general on humanitarian affairs s well as the president of the Islamic Development Bank Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, who offered several concrete financing proposals. He said the IDB can manage trusts that could be used to move money into Afghanistan, jumpstart businesses and help salvage the deeply troubled economy. The dire warnings called for the US and other nations to ease sanctions, including the release upward of $10 billion in frozen funds following the Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15.
Speakers also called for a quick opening of the country's banking system and collectively, with the United Nations and international banking institutions, assistance to Afghanistan. Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan directed his remarks to the US, urging Washington to drop preconditions to releasing desperately needed funds and restarting Afghanistan's banking systems. Khan seemed to offer Taliban a pass on the limits on education for girls, urging the world to understand “cultural sensitivities” and saying human rights and women's rights meant different things in different countries. Still other speakers, including the OIC chairman Hissein Brahim Taha, emphasized the need for the protection of human rights, particularly those of women and girls. The new Taliban rulers' acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was in attendance in the grand hall of the Pakistani Parliament, where dozens of foreign ministers from many of the 57-nation OIC had gathered. “This gathering is about the Afghan people,” said Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who warned that without immediate aid, Afghanistan was certain to collapse. He said it would have “horrendous consequences,” not just in Afghan lives lost to starvation and disease, but would most certainly result in a mass exodus of Afghans. Chaos would spread, he predicted, and allow terrorism and the drug trade to flourish. Martin Griffiths, the UN undersecretary for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, warned that Afghanistan will not survive on donations alone. He urged donor countries to show flexibility, allowing their money to pay salaries of public sector workers and support “basic services such as health, education, electricity, livelihoods, to allow the people of Afghanistan some chance to get through this winter and some encouragement to remain home with their families." Beyond that, Griffiths said, “we need constructive engagement with the de facto authorities to clarify what we expect from each other.” Afghanistan’s teetering economy, he added, requires decisive and compassionate action, or "I fear that this fall will pull down the entire population."
Griffiths said families simply do not have the cash for everyday purchases like food and fuel as prices soar. The cost of fuel is up by around 40%, and most families spend 80% of their money just to buy food. He rattled off a number of stark statistics.
“Universal poverty may reach 97% of the population of Afghanistan. That could be the next grim milestone,” he warned. “Within a year, 30% of Afghanistan’s GDP (gross domestic product) could be lost altogether, while male unemployment may double to 29%.”
Next year the UN would be asking for $4.5 billion in aid for Afghanistan - it's single largest humanitarian aid request, he said. In what appeared to be a message to the Taliban delegation, Qureshi and subsequent speakers, including Taha, emphasized the protection of human rights, particularly those of women and girls. In an interview with The Associated Press last week, Muttaqi said that Afghanistan’s new rulers were committed to the education of girls and women in the workforce. Yet four months into Taliban rule, girls are not allowed to attend high school in most provinces and though women have returned to their jobs in much of the health care sector, many female civil servants have been barred from coming to work. Meanwhile, Qureshi said he wanted to see the summit end with concrete solutions to help Afghanistan and its people. He called for the summit to pledge and channel aid to Afghanistan; increase investment bilaterally or through the OIC in education, health, technical and vocational skills; and to establish a group of experts from the OIC, the United Nations, the Islamic Development Bank and others to help Afghanistan “access legitimate banking services and ease the serious liquidity challenges of the Afghan people.”
He also called for participants to focus on food security, invest in capacity building inside Afghanistan to fight terrorism and the burgeoning drug trafficking. “Finally, engage with Afghan authorities to help meet the expectations of the international community, in particular regarding political and social inclusivity, respect for human rights, especially the rights of women and girls and combating terrorism,” he said,

Swiss Extradite Kremlin-linked Russian Businessman to United States
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
Kremlin-linked Russian businessman Vladislav Klyushin was extradited from Switzerland to the United States on Saturday, the Swiss justice ministry said, a move Russia said was part of an ongoing hunt for Russians by Washington. US police officers accompanied him from Zurich on a flight to the United States, where he faces insider trading charges, the ministry said in a statement. Klyushin was arrested in Switzerland in March, following a request from US authorities, which officially asked for his extradition in April. Russia said it was deeply disappointed with the Swiss decision and Klyushin's hasty extradition, reported Reuters. "We are forced to state that we are dealing with another episode in Washington's ongoing hunt for Russian citizens in third countries," the TASS news agency cited Vladimir Khokhlov, a spokesperson for the Russian embassy in Switzerland, as saying on Sunday. Klyushin is accused of insider trading worth tens of millions of dollars with several accomplices, the Swiss ministry said. The businessman owns M13, a Russian company that offers media monitoring as well as cyber-security services. Its website says its services are used by the Russian presidential administration and government. Klyushin's appeal against the extradition was dismissed by the Swiss federal court on Dec. 10.

Turks Hunt for Vanishing Drugs in Currency Crisis
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
Fatih Yuksel is one of thousands of Turks rushing from one pharmacy to another in search of imported drugs that are disappearing as quickly as the lira is losing value. "Sometimes I have periods where I don't have the drugs I need and my illness gets worse. I suffer pains," said the 35-year-old, who has been taking pills to relieve a rare autoimmune disorder known as Behcet's syndrome, for the past nine years. "It can be hard but I have to work," said the shop attendant. Turks have been rattled by a currency collapse that accelerated when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month launched a self-declared "economic war of independence" that defies conventional market theory. The veteran Turkish leader is trying to fight spiraling inflation by bringing down borrowing costs -- the exact opposite of what countries usually do in similar situations. The results have been frightening for people such as Yuksel. The Turkish currency has lost more than 40 percent of its value since the start of November alone. A lira could buy 13 US cents in January. It was worth less than half that this month. The crisis has wiped out the value of people's savings and made basic goods prohibitively expensive, plunging swathes of the population below the official poverty line. It has also made a whole gamut of imported drugs for a range of illnesses -- from diabetes to cancer, heart disease to flu -- nearly impossible to find across Turkey's 27,000 pharmacies.
'Pitiless'
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has deflected the blame, accusing drugs manufacturers of "trying to sell expensive drugs to Turkey". "News that 'medicines cannot be found in Turkey' is not based on reality," said Koca. Vedat Bulut, the Turkish Medical Association's secretary general, said it was "pitiless" to accuse companies of trying to sell expensive drugs when the lira had lost so much value. Medical professionals said a long-term solution involved developing Turkey's health industry to wean it off its dependence on imports. But today, pharmacists describe receiving heart-rending notes from patients on messaging apps with photographs, pleading to know where they can find their medication. The Turkish Pharmacists' Association said in November that 645 drugs were affected but as the situation grew worse, pharmacist Berna Yucel Mintas told AFP around 1,000 medicines were difficult to find. "The situation deteriorated because of the lira," said Taner Ercanli, head of Ankara Chamber of Pharmacists. "Imagine it like a fire, and gasoline was poured over it."
Set exchange rate
Part of the problem stems from the way Turkey procures medications.
The health ministry sets the standard price for drugs every February based on an exchange rate agreed by the government. It set an exchange rate of 4.57 lira to the euro for this year. But it now takes nearly 20 liras to buy a euro on the market. That meant drug manufacturers had "unfortunately" decided against selling medicines to Turkey, Ercanli said, because they made more money in other markets. Pharmacists want the government to reassess drug prices against the euro at least three times a year. But there are wider problems. Global supply chain bottlenecks caused by the coronavirus pandemic have resulted in jumps in the price of most raw materials, which make domestically produced medicine more expensive. Turkish drug suppliers are also angry with the government over delayed payments, which are doubly painful as these are settled in liras according to the exchange rate agreed at the time.
Employers' associations warn some companies will be forced to close.
'Wretched' situation
Children's syrups have been especially hard to find, as grandfather Emin Durmus discovered while trying to treat his five-year-old grandson's cough. "They don't have that medicine so I go back and get a new prescription. Then I come to this pharmacy and that drug is also not available," said Durmus, 62. Erkan Ozturk, who manages a private medical center in Ankara, described similar issues finding drugs to address fever, nausea and stomach aches. "There are major sourcing issues for drugs used to lower children's temperatures," the center's chief doctor said. "We're starting to not be able to find medicines needed to treat diabetes, hypertension, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease," pharmacist Gokberk Bulmus said. "This is going towards becoming a drugs shortage. Whatever is left in our hands, this is all of our stock because we can't replace it."

Mass Anti-coup Protests in Sudan Mark Uprising Anniversary
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
Sudanese took to the streets in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere across the country for mass protests Sunday against an October military takeover and a subsequent deal that reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok but sidelined the movement.The demonstrations mark the third anniversary of the uprising that eventually forced the military removal of President Omar al-Bashir and his government in April 2019. Sudan then followed a fragile path toward democracy and ruled by a joint military-civilian government. The October 25 coup has rattled the transition and led to relentless street protests.
Video footage circulated online purported to show protesters marching in the streets of Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman on Sunday. Protesters were seen waving the Sudanese flag and white ones with printed images of those killed in the uprising and ensuing protests.
Ahead of the demonstrations, Sudan’s authorities tightened security across the capital, barricading government and military buildings to prevent protesters from reaching the military’s headquarters and the presidential palace. They also blocked major roads and bridges linking Khartoum and Omdurman across the Nile River. There were also protests in other cities including in Atbara, the birthplace of the uprising against al-Bashir.
The protests were called by the pro-democracy movement that led the uprising against al-Bashir and stuck a power-sharing deal with the generals in the months that followed his ouster. Relations between the generals and the civilians in the transitional government were shaky and capped by the military’s Oct. 25 takeover that removed Hamdok’s government. Hamdok was reinstated last month amid international pressure in a deal that calls for an independent technocratic Cabinet under military oversight led by him. The agreement included the release of government officials and politicians detained since the coup.
Talks are underway to agree on what Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the ruling Sovereign Council, described as a “new political charter” focused on establishing a broader consensus among all political forces and movements.
Addressing Sudanese late Saturday ahead of the protests, Hamdok said he stuck the Nov. 21 deal with the military mainly to prevent bloodshed. He warned that the country could slide further into chaos amid uphill economic and security challenges. “Today, we are facing a retreat in the path of our revolution that threatens the country’s security and integrity,” Hamdok said, adding that the agreement was meant to preserve achievements his government made in the past two years, and to "protect our nation from sliding to a new international isolation.”
“The deal, in my view, is the most effective and inexpensive means to return to the course of civic and democratic transition,” he said. Hamdok urged political parties and movements to agree on a “national charter” to complete the democratic transition and achieve peace with rebel groups.
The pro-democracy movement has meanwhile insisted that power be handed over to a civilian government to lead the transition. Their relentless protests follow the slogan: “No negotiations, no compromise, no power-sharing” with the military. The list of demands also includes restructuring the military and other security agencies under civilian oversight and disbanding militias. One is the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force that grew out of janjaweed militias and is accused of atrocities during the Darfur conflict and most recently against pro-democracy protesters. The continued protests since the coup have increased pressure on the military and Hamdok, who has yet to announce his Cabinet. Security forces used violence, including firing live ammunition at protesters, in the past round of demonstrations, according to activists. At least 45 people were killed and hundreds wounded in protests triggered by the coup, according to a tally by a Sudanese medical group.

Britain's Johnson Left Reeling after Brexit Minister Quits
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was left reeling on Sunday after his Brexit minister resigned, ending a difficult week during which his Conservative party suffered a humiliating defeat in a local by-election and his own MPs rebelled over new coronavirus curbs. David Frost, a trusted ally of the prime minister and former Brexit negotiator, sent his resignation letter late Saturday following reports that he was to leave his cabinet post in January. "It is disappointing that this plan has become public this evening and in the circumstances I think it is right for me to write to step down with immediate effect," he said in the letter, published by Johnson's Downing Street office. Frost told Johnson he had "concerns about the current direction of travel" regarding coronavirus regulations and tax rises. Johnson responded that he was "very sorry" to receive the resignation, "given everything you have achieved and contributed to this government". The Mail on Sunday had that Frost handed in his resignation a week ago, but had been persuaded to stay on until the New Year. Johnson is already reeling from a rebellion by 100 of his MPs in a parliamentary vote over coronavirus measures and the stunning loss of a 23,000-majority seat in a by-election. That was partly blamed on a slew of reports that his staff and aides had held parties last Christmas despite virus restrictions in place at the time.
- 'Running out of time' -
The by-election loss for Johnson's Conservatives intensified speculation of a leadership challenge. Frost recently came second in a poll of most popular ministers held by ConservativeHome, an influential blog read by the grassroot Tories who could end up deciding Johnson's replacement. Health Secretary Sajid Javid told Sky News on Sunday that Frost was "an outstanding public servant", adding that "I do understand his reasons, he's a principled man, you know, principled people do resign from the government."The deputy leader of the main opposition Labor party Angela Rayner said the resignation demonstrated "a government in total chaos. "@BorisJohnson isn't up to the job. We deserve better than this buffoonery," she tweeted. Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen warned Johnson was "running out of time and out of friends to deliver on the promises and discipline of a true Conservative government. "Lord Frost has made it clear, 100 Conservative backbenchers have made it clear, but most importantly so did the people of North Shropshire," he wrote on Twitter. And Arlene Foster, who stepped down as Northern Ireland's first minister because of post-Brexit trading arrangements in the UK territory, said it had huge implications. "The resignation of Lord Frost from the Cabinet is a big moment for the Government but enormous for those of us who believed he would deliver for NI," she wrote on Twitter.
- 'Turning point' -
Frost told Johnson in his resignation letter: "I hope we will move as fast as possible to where we need to get to: a lightly regulated, low-tax, entrepreneurial economy. "We also need to learn to live with Covid and I know that is your instinct too," he said, in apparent reference to the new measures introduced by the government last week. "I hope we can get back on track soon and not be tempted by the kind of coercive measures we have seen elsewhere," he added. The series of crises engulfing Johnson have seen him garner increasingly negative coverage in Britain's right-wing press that is usually favorable to his leadership and his party. The Daily Telegraph, the newspaper where Johnson used to work as a correspondent and columnist, called Frost's resignation "courageous" and a "turning point in the history of this administration" in an editorial reacting to his departure. Frost had been locked in talks for weeks over the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, which governs trade between the British mainland of England, Scotland and Wales, as well as Northern Ireland, and with the European Union. He was especially focused on revamping the agreement's governance, objecting that the EU's highest court in Luxembourg has power over its implementation. He seemed to be at odds with Johnson's administration over the issue earlier in the week, when a government spokesman appeared to suggest there could be some softening on its position on the EU's role as arbiter.
Frost, 56, was appointed as Johnson's so-called EU "sherpa" shortly after the British leader took office in July 2019, and became chief trade negotiator after helping to finalize last year's divorce deal.

The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 19-20/2021
China's US Enablers
Peter Schweizer/Gatestone Institute./December 19/2021
For Ray Dalio, moral relativism is great for business.
Bridgewater's business is investment funds. Having more of those in China means more money for Bridgewater. It is really that simple. But in China business deals are not done with fellow capitalists who are dedicated to economic liberty and the free flow of capital to its most rational uses.
Dalio is willfully ignorant defense of Chinese communism... it is the calculated hypocrisy of the rope-selling capitalist.
Major American businesses are more worried about the prospect for growing or even losing their Chinese business revenues than about standing up against tyranny abroad, the silencing of Americans at home, and the outspoken intention of the Chinese Communist Party to supplant the United States -- and the freedom that comes with it -- as the world's preeminent nation.
Apple also bowed to the Chinese government's demand to give it full access to the data of its customers in China, even banning apps that would allow ordinary Chinese citizens to bypass their government's sophisticated surveillance.
This is in contrast to Apple's refusal in 2016 of an FBI request to break into the encryption of its iPhone after a domestic terrorist mass shooting incident in San Bernardino, California. Tim Cook told Apple employees at the time that his refusal was based on civil liberties concerns, which apparently did not stop him from agreeing to the Chinese Communist Party's demands.
"Of course, Apple and Nike publicly claim to decry slave labor. But to be clear, the behavior we are seeing from US corporations is not about a company surviving: It's about discontent with just hundreds of millions of dollars, desiring instead billions of dollars." — Jake Tapper, CNN, December 5, 2021.
One of the sadder realities of modern business is seeing how China has managed to co-opt and make hostages of American capitalists dazzled by the riches of the Chinese market. Ray Dalio (pictured) of Bridgewater Associates is just the latest financial titan to play the "Who am I to judge how another country runs itself?" card.
One of the sadder realities of modern business is seeing how China has managed to co-opt and make hostages of American capitalists dazzled by the riches of the Chinese market. Ray Dalio of Bridgewater Associates is just the latest financial titan to play the "Who am I to judge how another country runs itself?" card.
For Dalio, moral relativism is great for business.
Bridgewater's business is investment funds. Having more of those in China means more money for Bridgewater. It is really that simple. In China, however, business deals are not done with fellow capitalists who are dedicated to economic liberty and the free flow of capital to its most rational uses. They are conducted with western-educated, government-tied, military-tied, intelligence-tied Chinese kingpins and princelings who understand their ultimate loyalty is to the Chinese Communist Party.
After the Wall Street Journal reported that Dalio had raised $1.25 billion to create Bridgewater's third investment fund in China, Dalio was asked by a CNBC host the frequently asked questions about doing business in China, given its many human rights abuses. Dalio demurred, claiming "I can't be an expert in these types of things." When asked in the same interview about the Chinese regime "disappearing" tennis star Peng Shuai from the public view for a month, Dalio stuttered out the explanation that the Chinese regime is really "like a strict parent." He even tossed in the moral relativist's favorite argument:
"And then I look at the United States and I say, well, what's going on in the United States and should I not invest in the United States because other things, err, human rights issues or other things?"
For a man once described by former FBI director James Comey as "one smart bastard," Dalio's willfully ignorant defense of Chinese communism looks pathetic. It is actually even worse than that -- it is the calculated hypocrisy of the rope-selling capitalist.
Dalio is actually deeply knowledgeable about how things work in China. He has called Wang Qishan, the second most powerful man in the Chinese Communist Party, a "personal hero." In his 2017 book, Principles, Dalio confessed, "Every time I speak with Wang, I feel like I get closer to cracking the unifying code that unlocks the laws of the universe."
Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan might not have quite Dalio's level of reverence for someone known throughout China as "Xi's enforcer," but Dimon came to understand the importance of the "Who am I to judge?" principle of business etiquette in China. While in Hong Kong recently, Dimon casually joked that "the Communist Party is celebrating its 100th year. So is JPMorgan [referring to the firm's Chinese business]. And I'll make a bet we last longer."
That will not do. And sure enough, Dimon quickly walked back the comment. "I regret and should not have made that comment. I was trying to emphasize the strength and longevity of our company," he said. A corporate spokesperson said the bank was committed to China and that Dimon had made clear during the discussion in Boston that "China and its people are very smart and very thoughtful... Dimon acknowledges that he should never speak lightly or disrespectfully about another country or its leadership," the spokesperson added.
It is tempting to write off such obviously insincere apologies as simply a necessary part of business etiquette -- the flattery necessary to make a buck in a hostile environment. That is what most Americans assume when they read stories about basketball star Lebron James upbraiding another NBA team's general manager for supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. James, who earns millions in licensing fees for jerseys and other items bearing his name and likeness in China, said that Houston Rockets' GM Daryl Morey was "either misinformed or not really educated on the situation" regarding Chinese repression of dissent in the territory.
But this masks a darker implication: that major American businesses are more worried about the prospect for growing or even losing their Chinese business revenues than about standing up against tyranny abroad, the silencing of Americans at home, and the outspoken intention of the Chinese Communist Party to supplant the United States -- and the freedom that comes with it -- as the world's preeminent nation. There is a dangerous parallel between the thought-policing that has been mainstreamed on American college campuses and the self-censorship of American business.
Apple's Tim Cook pioneered the company's entrance into China as Apple's operations chief, which helped make Apple the most valuable company in the world. Apple now assembles nearly all of its products and earns a fifth of its revenue in the China region. Apple also bowed to the Chinese government's demand to give it full access to the data of its customers in China, even banning apps that would allow ordinary Chinese citizens to bypass their government's sophisticated surveillance. This is in contrast to Apple's refusal in 2016 of an FBI request to break into the encryption of its iPhone after a domestic terrorist mass shooting incident in San Bernardino, California. Tim Cook told Apple employees at the time that his refusal was based on civil liberties concerns, which apparently did not stop him from agreeing to the Chinese Communist Party's demands.
In 2015, President Xi stopped off in Silicon Valley before meeting with President Barack Obama, meeting the heads of Amazon, Airbnb, Facebook, and Microsoft. According to Matt Sheehan's book, The Transpacific Experiment: How China and California Collaborate and Compete for Our Future, after Xi entered the gathering a thunderstruck Cook asked, "Did you feel the room shake?
Viewed simply as the over-enthusiastic gushing of a businessman with dollar-signs for eyes, Cook's swooning, Dimon's kowtowing, or Dalio's feigned ignorance of Chinese repression as "strict parenting" are cringeworthy enough. But with China flexing its muscles on the world stage more every day, one must wonder, is there any line they won't cross?
It was all too much for Jake Tapper of CNN, who did not mince words in criticizing them all: "The millionaires and billionaires of Hollywood and the NBA and the IOC and Wall Street are all so eager for Chinese cash, they're pretending none of this is happening," he recently said.
"Of course, Apple and Nike publicly claim to decry slave labor. But to be clear, the behavior we are seeing from US corporations is not about a company surviving: It's about discontent with just hundreds of millions of dollars, desiring instead billions of dollars."
Tapper concluded, "There is no amount of money that can buy enough soap to wash that blood off their hands."
*Peter Schweizer, President of the Governmental Accountability Institute, is a Gatestone Institute Distinguished Senior Fellow and author of the best-selling books Profiles in Corruption, Secret Empires and Clinton Cash, among others.
© 2021 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Israel's Palestinian Team Should Learn from Its Iran Team
Alex Nachumson/The Jerusalem Post/December 19/ 2021
Originally published under the title "Israel's Strategy against Iran Should Be Holistic Approach."
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has called on the United States to halt ongoing negotiations in Vienna over Iran's nuclear weapons program. Over the past few weeks, there has been a steely determination expressed by Israeli officials – political, diplomatic and security – toward Iran and its nuclear program.
For those of us who strongly believe in the Zionist ethos of placing the safety and security of the Jewish people firmly in our own hands and not relying on others, this is a welcome development.
While there is certainly a discussion about what the ayatollahs would do should Iran succeed in gaining nuclear weapons capability, what is not in doubt is that it would change the rules of the region. Having a nuclear weapons umbrella would certainly embolden Tehran's proxies in the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. It could also lead to a nuclear arms race in a region not known for stability and rational military doctrine.
This means that beyond the potential threat of some finger hovering over a button in Tehran at the behest of a regime that has shown a high level of capacity to sacrifice its own people, the State of Israel is right to be extremely worried about the Islamic Republic's race toward a nuclear weapons capability.
The Begin Doctrine was formally enunciated by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin following Israel's June 1981 attack on Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor: "On no account shall we permit an enemy to develop weapons of mass destruction against the people of Israel."
Our leaders are right to oppose the talks in Vienna, and to say those talks will not bind Israel's operational capacity. They are right to have strategic military operational plans ready for any and every occasion, should they believe Iran is close to the point of no return. They are right to follow the Begin Doctrine, which posits that no country or entity that threatens Israel's existence should have the capacity to do so. However, all of this stands in stark contrast to our behavior toward other threats. Take Hamas for example.
Our now seemingly regular wars with the Gaza-based terrorist entity are punctuated with a great concern about the reaction of the international community. Our operational clocks are guided by those reactions to the point where it is clear who controls the stop and start. Our leaders far too frequently run with indecent haste to Cairo after the first rocket to try and receive favorable terms for a ceasefire, before we have seriously hurt the enemy's capacity to continually threaten our population centers.
We take maximum care to clarify and explain, even awkwardly, and justify every shot and operation undertaken in the aim of targeting a terrorist and openly genocidal organization.
Israel should be using the Iran playbook toward all of its enemies, big and small.
We should instead be using the Iran playbook toward all of our enemies, big and small.
Israel is at war and targeted for annihilation by many entities on almost every border. Many of them are interconnected, whether it is the military hardware or the cooperation among the Jewish State's enemies. Our war, whether shadow or not, against Iran is part of the same war against Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations. Our enemies learn from each other, and weakness on one front emboldens our enemies on another. Israel's retreat from Lebanon in 2000 led to the Second Intifada. The disengagement from Gaza in 2005 led to the Second Lebanon War.
Israel's enemies learn from each other. Weakness on one front emboldens those on another.
According to The Jerusalem Post's Herb Keinon, there was a direct line between the original Lebanon withdrawal and the Second Intifada. In an article written last year, Keinon quotes several people, including US diplomat and negotiator Dennis Ross, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, and Mohammed Dahlan, who said that the retreat in 2000 led to the bloody Second Intifada. Former Palestinian security chief Dahlan said "the minute the Palestinians saw Israeli soldiers running away and allowing the Lebanese to liberate themselves, they ask, 'Why don't we do it their way?'"
The disengagement from Gaza in 2005 had a direct negative impact on Israel's deterrence, and was picked up by the Jewish state's enemies. Following the disengagement, Hezbollah leader Nasrallah told the Palestinians, "Don't forget that this is only the beginning. I want to remind you that when the Zionist army left Lebanon, it was the first victory in a chain of victories." Each one of our enemy's victories emboldens the next. Iran, at least in part, increases belligerent behavior toward Israel because it perceives it as weak. The State of Israel must in turn perceive every enemy as one unit, and operate against it using the same principles. Victory must be sought in every conflict, battle or war. We must not completely disregard the international community, but we should be delivering a simple message: that Israel will operate forcefully against all of its enemies until they give up their war aims. Losing, retreating or being forced into a ceasefire in any theater of war emboldens and increases the attacks in another.
Israel's senior officials are taking the correct action against Iran, even while taking the opposite approach against other threats. It is time to consider a holistic approach, because we should no longer separate our strategies. Israel should start defeating its enemies wherever and whenever they raise their hand against it. As Nasrallah makes clear, one victory for Israel's enemies will lead to another until they have achieved their aim of the destruction of the Jewish state. We should act accordingly and start defeating our enemies wherever and whenever they raise their hand against us.
This return to a victory approach will lead in turn to greater deterrence, sending a clear message to the international community, which will make it far easier to act against our greatest threat: an Iranian nuclear weapons capability.
*Alex Nachumson is a writer for the Israel Victory Project and CEO of Mivtachi Israel, an organization of former senior IDF officers.

Biden Should Not Run Again — and He Should Say He Won’t
Bret Stephens/The New York Times/Sunday, 19 December, 2021
Is it a good idea for Joe Biden to run for re-election in 2024? And, if he runs again and wins, would it be good for the United States to have a president who is 86 — the age Biden would be at the end of a second term?
I put these questions bluntly because they need to be discussed candidly, not just whispered constantly.
In the 1980s, it was fair game for reputable reporters to ask whether Ronald Reagan was too old for the presidency, at a time when he was several years younger than Biden is today. Donald Trump’s apparent difficulty holding a glass and his constricted vocabulary repeatedly prompted unflattering speculation about his health, mental and otherwise. And Joe Biden’s memory lapses were a source of mirth among his Democratic primary rivals, at least until he won the nomination.
Yet it’s now considered horrible manners to raise concerns about Biden’s age and health. As if doing so can only play into Trump’s hands. As if the president’s well-being is nobody’s business but his own. As if it doesn’t much matter whether he has the fortitude for the world’s most important job, so long as his aides can adroitly fill the gaps. As if accusations of ageism and a giant shushing sound from media elites can keep the issue off the public mind.
It won’t do. From some of his public appearances, Biden seems … uneven. Often cogent, but sometimes alarmingly incoherent. What’s the reason? I have no idea. Do his appearances (including the good ones) inspire strong confidence that the president can go the distance in his current term, to say nothing of the next? No.
And many people seem to know it. On Sunday, my colleagues Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns reported on the Democratic Party’s not-so-quiet murmurs about what to do if Biden decides not to run. Aspirants for the nomination appear in the story like sharks circling a raft, swimming slow.
This is not healthy. Not for the president himself, not for the office he holds, not for the Democratic Party, not for the country.
In 2019, the Biden campaign — cognizant of the candidate’s age — sold him to primary voters as a “transition figure,” the guy whose main purpose was to dethrone Trump and then smooth the way for a fresher Democratic face. Biden never made that promise explicit, but the expectation feels betrayed.
Things might be different if the Biden presidency were off to a great start. It’s not. Blame Joe Manchin or Mitch McConnell or the antivaxxers, but Biden’s poll numbers have been deeply underwater since August. The man who once gave his party hope now weighs on his party’s fortunes like a pair of cement shoes.
Things might also be different if it looked like the administration would soon turn the corner. That’s the administration’s hope for the mammoth Build Back Better legislation. But last month’s passage of the infrastructure bill didn’t really move the political needle for Biden, and that bill was genuinely popular. Now B.B.B. looms as another costly progressive distraction in a time of surging prices, spiking homicides, resurgent disease, urban decay, a border crisis, a supply-chain crisis and the threat of Iran crossing the nuclear threshold and of Russia crossing the Ukrainian border.
Oh, and Kamala Harris. Her supporters might decry the fact, but to an ever-growing number of Americans, the heir apparent seems lighter than air. Her poll numbers at this point in her term are the worst of those of any vice president in recent history, including Mike Pence’s. If she winds up as her party’s default nominee if Biden pulls out late, Democrats will have every reason to panic.
So what’s the president to do? He should announce, much sooner than later, that he will not run for a second term.
The argument against this is that it would instantly turn him into a lame-duck president, and that’s undoubtedly true.
But, news flash: Right now he’s worse than a lame duck, because potential Democratic successors are prevented from making calls, finding their lanes and appealing for attention. That goes especially for people in the administration who should be powerful contenders: Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and infrastructure czar Mitch Landrieu.
And what would that mean for the rest of the Biden presidency? Far from weakening him, it would instantly allow him to be statesmanlike. And it would be liberating. It would put an end to the endless media speculation. It would inject enthusiasm and interest into a listless Democratic Party. It would let him devote himself wholly to addressing the country’s immediate problems without worrying about re-election.
And it needn’t diminish his presidency. George H.W. Bush accomplished more in four years than his successor accomplished in eight. Greatness is often easier to achieve when good policies aren’t encumbered by clever politics. Biden should think on it — and act soon.

د. ماجد رافيزادا: ازدياد الدعم لإسرائيل بهدف تمكين قيامها بضرب إيران
Support growing for an Israeli strike on Iran
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/December 19/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/104934/dr-majid-rafizadeh-support-growing-for-an-israeli-strike-on-iran-%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%af-%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%81%d9%8a%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%a7-%d8%a7%d8%b2%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84/
Israeli leaders are again threatening to target the Iranian regime’s nuclear installations as they did in 2013 without making good on the warning. However, the geopolitical and sociopolitical situations are different this time, and Israel’s ultimatum must be taken seriously.
Two years before the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was reached in 2015, the Israeli government said that it would strike Iran’s nuclear facility. At the time, Benjamin Netanyahu, then prime minister, warned: “Our clocks are ticking at a different pace. We’re closer than the US. We’re more vulnerable. And therefore, we’ll have to address this question of how to stop Iran, perhaps before the US does. If sanctions don’t work, they have to know that you’ll be prepared to take military action — that’s the only thing that will get their attention.”
But Israel did not attack. Some scholars, politicians and policy analysts may argue that since Israel failed to follow up its threats against Iran’s nuclear installations in the past, its current statements are merely rhetoric. However, several factors suggest Israel may, indeed, strike this time.
First, in order to take military action, Israel needs public support. Before the nuclear deal was reached in 2015, most Israelis opposed the government striking Iran’s nuclear sites alone. But according to a recent report by Israel Democracy Institute, a majority of Jewish Israelis, 58 percent, would now support an attack.
What is more intriguing is that most would support a strike even without the approval of Israel’s staunch ally the US. In a 2018 poll, only 10 percent of Israelis agreed with a “military assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities without coordinating with the US,” while almost 50 percent were in favor of a “military assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities in coordination with the US” if Iran renewed its nuclear activities.
In addition, an overwhelming majority believe that the Iranian regime represents an existential threat to a “large” or “very large” extent.
Second, public opinion in Iran has also shifted. Before 2015, there was a fear that an external Israeli attack on Iran would rally the Iranian people behind their government in the bid for nuclear enrichment. At the time Hassan Rouhani, the then president, enjoyed some popularity in Iran as he portrayed himself as a moderate seeking to improve the economy, promote human rights and normalize relationships with the West.
Public opinion in Iran has significantly shifted against the theocratic establishment, as seen in the latest protests.
There was also concern that an Israeli attack would also give the hard-liners a reason to quickly reach the nuclear threshold, and the Islamic Republic would likely decline to cooperate with the international community as well as pull out of the non-proliferation treaty. As a result, at the time, the unintended repercussions and negative consequences of an Israeli attack outweighed the benefits that the strikes might bring in delaying Iran’s nuclear program.
However, public opinion in Iran has significantly shifted against the theocratic establishment, as seen in the latest protests. Chants such as “Reformists, hard-liners, the game is now over” have become popular. In addition, Tehran is already violating all the restrictions and advancing its nuclear program at a rapid pace.
Third, Israel probably chose not follow up with its threats between 2013-2015 because some politicians were cautiously willing to give the Washington administration a chance to try diplomacy in the hope that the Iranian regime would halt its nuclear program and alter its destructive behavior in the region. Furthermore, former US President Barack Obama promised that he was “confident” the deal would “meet the national security needs of the US and our allies.”
But now Israel is less likely to trust any nuclear deal reached with the Islamic Republic because it has already seen its disastrous consequences. After the agreement was sealed in 2015, not only Israel but also other regional powers came to witness its negative impact first-hand. As sanctions against Iran were lifted, it quickly became clear that the treaty gave the Iranian regime global legitimacy.
This newfound legitimacy and the lifting of sanctions generated billions of dollars in revenue for Iran’s military institution, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as for its proxy militia and terror groups. Tehran used this money to expand its influence throughout the region, including in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. Its expansionist campaign has proved to be immensely successful.
Israel, as well as Gulf Arab states, recognized that the threat Tehran poses was never adequately thwarted by the JCPOA. The region saw increased Houthi rocket launches at civilian targets in Saudi Arabia, the deployment of thousands of Hezbollah foot soldiers in Syria, and the near-constant bombardment of southern Israel by Iranian-funded Hamas rockets.
In summary, due to the latest geopolitical developments, as well as the shift in public opinion regarding the Iranian regime, Israel this time may well carry out its threats to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American Council. He serves on the boards of the Harvard International Review, the Harvard International Relations Council and the US-Middle East Chamber for Commerce and Business. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh