English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For December 24/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2021/english.december24.22.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 12/48-50/:"The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me."

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 23-24/2022/
Video-Text: Christmas Is A Holy Event For Openness Prayers, Contemplation, & Forgiveness/Elias Bejjani/December 25/2022
Lebanon Pursues Suspect in Killing of Irish Peacekeeper
Macron Urges Lebanon to ‘Get Rid’ of Leaders Blocking Reforms
Lebanon identifies suspects in Blue Helmet's killing
Italian foreign minister meets with Berri, Mikati
Jumblat decries 'presidential blackmail' in chief of staff file
Bassil meets Jumblat after delay caused by 'Abu Faour's Maarab visit'
Timeline: Lebanon in economic, political dire straits
Lebanon's financial pains eased by remittances over holidays
Rahi welcomes US Ambassador in Bkerki
Berri meets Italian Foreign Minister in Ain Al-Tineh
Mikati tackles developments with Italian Foreign Minister, Interior Minister
Army Commander broaches developments with Russian Ambassador, Italian Army Commander
Identity is complex for Lebanon's Christian Palestinian camp
Only Radical Change Can Save Lebanon?/Hanna Saleh/Asharq Al-AwsatDecember, 23/2022

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 23-24/2022/
Three dead, four injured after shooting at Kurdish center in Paris
Germany Formally Suspends Guarantees for Business with Iran
Film Stars Call for Release of Jailed Iranian Actor Alidoosti
Iran Says Arrested Four Mossad-linked Cells
Zelenskiy says U.S. Patriot system will be crucial part of Ukraine's defenses
Russian politician files legal challenge over Putin's reference to Ukraine "war"
Russia forced to slash oil output by half a million barrels a day as sanctions hit Kremlin
Ukraine president back in Kyiv, Russia keeps up attacks
Ukrainians who fled war set to mark first Christmas in Canada, far from loved ones
The peculiar Russian missile 'cemetery' in eastern Ukraine
Russia considering emergency rescue mission for space station astronauts after leak detected
No, Zelensky Isn’t Fighting a ‘War on Christianity’
Iraq Tells Visiting Italy PM It Seeks Closer Economic Ties
Israeli police kill assailant after alleged car-ramming

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 23-24/2022/
Turkey Crushes Human Rights at Home, Complains About 'Discrimination' in Europe/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/December 23, 2022
Ukraine: A Recipe for Appeasement/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-AwsatDecember, 23/2022
Accelerating Mediterranean Integration Through Energy/Ferid Belhaj/Asharq Al-AwsatDecember, 23/2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 23-24/2022/
Video-Text: Christmas Is A Holy Event For Openness Prayers, Contemplation, & Forgiveness
Elias Bejjani/December 25/2022
ذكرى الميلاد هي فرصة مقدسة للصلاة والتأمل والإنفتاح على الغير والمسامحة
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 02/11)
Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 02/14)
The holy birth of Jesus Christ bears numerous blessed vital values and principles including love, giving, redemption, modesty and forgiveness.
Christmas is a role model of love because God, our Father Himself is love.
Accordingly and in a bid to cleanse us from our original sin He came down from heaven, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. (John15/12)
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John15/13)
Christmas is way of giving …God gave us Himself because He is a caring, generous, forgiving and loving and father.
Christmas embodies all principles of genuine redemption. Jesus Christ redeemed us and for our sake He joyfully was crucified, and tolerated all kinds of torture, humiliation and pain
Christmas is a dignified image of modesty ..Jesus Christ accepted to be born into a manger and to live his life on earth in an extremely simple and humble manner.
Let us continuously remind our selves that when our day comes that could be at any moment, we shall not be able to take any thing that is earthly with us for the Day of judgment except our work and acts, be righteous or evil.
Christmas is a holy act of forgiveness ….God, and because He is a loving and forgiving has Sent His Son Jesus Christ redeem to free us from the bondage of the original sin that Adam and Eve committed.
Christmas requires that we all genuinely pray and pray for those who are hurt, lonely, deserted by their beloved ones, feel betrayed, are enduring pain silently pain, suffer anguish, deprived from happiness, warmth and joy .
Christmas is ought to teach us that it is the duty of every believer to practice his/her faith not only verbally and via routine rituals, but and most importantly through actual deeds of righteousness….
Christmas’ spirit is not only rituals of decorations, festivities, gifts and joyful celebrations…But deeds in all ways and means by helping those who need help in all field and domains.
Christmas’s spirit is a calls to honour and actually abide by all Bible teachings and values.
In this realm we have a Biblical obligation to open our hearts and with love extend our hand to all those who are in need, and we are able to help him remembering always that Almighty God showered on us all sorts of graces and capabilities so we can share them with others.
Christmas is a time to hold to the Ten Commandments, foremost of which is “Honour your father and your mother”.
Christmas is a good time for us to attentively hear and positively respond to our conscience, which is the voice of God within us.
Christmas should revive in our minds and hearts the importance of fighting all kinds temptations so we do not become slaves to earthly wealth, or power of authority.
Christmas for us as patriotic and faithful Lebanese is a time to pray for the safe and dignified return of our Southern people who were forced to take refuge in Israel since the year 2000.
Christmas for each and every loving and caring Lebanese is a holy opportunity for calling loudly on all the Lebanese politicians and clergymen, as well as on the UN for the release of the thousands of Lebanese citizens who are arbitrarily and unjustly imprisoned in Syrian prisons.
Most importantly Christmas is a time for praying and working for the liberation of our dear homeland Lebanon, from the Iranian occupation.
No one should never ever lose sight for a moment or keep a blind eye on the sacrifices of our heroic righteous martyrs who willing sacrificed themselves for our homeland, identity, existence, and dignity. Our prayers goes for them on this Holy Day and for peace in each and every country, especially in the chaotic and troubled Middle East. May God Bless you all and shower upon you, your families, friends, and beloved ones all graces of joy, health, love, forgiveness, meekness and hope.

Lebanon Pursues Suspect in Killing of Irish Peacekeeper
Beirut - Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Lebanese military intelligence held on Thursday a number of people for their testimony and narrow down suspects in the attack on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) last week that left an Irish peacekeeper dead. Pvt. Seán Rooney, 23, was killed and three others wounded when their unidentified attackers opened fire on their convoy as it passed near the outhern town of Al-Aqbiya. The area is a stronghold of the Hezbollah party. Pvt. Shane Kearney, 22, was left in serious but stable condition and has since been flown back to his home country for further medical treatment. Security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the probe has not yet determined whether the detainees are directly complicit in the attack. The probe is still in its early stages, they added. Authorities have obtained footage from surveillance cameras that were in the area, they revealed. Investigators have identified suspects, a judicial official told AFP on Thursday. "The investigation has been able to identify suspects but so far none has been arrested and the security services are still looking for them," said the judicial official who could not be further identified. The UN patrol "was the target of gunfire from at least two people" when it arrived in Al-Aqbiya, according to the same source. Citing preliminary findings, the source said the incident "was premeditated and the patrol was surveilled and followed by a car carrying armed men". UNIFIL acts as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel, neighbors which remain technically at war. The force operates near the southern border. Wafiq Safa, Hezbollah's security chief, has said the killing was "unintentional". Witnesses said villagers in the Al-Aqbiya area blocked Rooney's vehicle after it took a road along the Mediterranean coast not normally used by UNIFIL. Al-Aqbiya is just outside UNIFIL's area of operations, the force said. A Lebanese judicial source earlier told AFP that the driver was killed by a bullet to the head, one of seven that penetrated the vehicle. The three passengers were injured when the vehicle hit a pylon and overturned. According to the judicial official, the patrol was "harassed and intercepted at two locations before reaching the scene of the incident". The official said, without elaboration, that there had been "difficulties linked to the investigation" but interviews with civilian witnesses led to the suspects' identification. UNIFIL was set up in 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces after they invaded Lebanon in reprisal for a Palestinian attack. Israel withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000 but fought a devastating 2006 war with Hezbollah. UNIFIL was then beefed up to oversee a subsequent ceasefire and now counts more than 10,000 soldiers and naval personnel. Last week, the mission urged Beirut to ensure a swift investigation into the first death of a UNIFIL member during a violent incident for nearly eight years.

Macron Urges Lebanon to ‘Get Rid’ of Leaders Blocking Reforms
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 23 December, 2022
French President Emmanuel Macron called on Lebanon Friday to "get rid" of its political leadership who have for months blocked reforms vital to save its stricken economy. "The problem with Lebanon is that we must solve people's problems and get rid of those who cannot do it," Macron said, referring to the country's entrenched political class -- widely blamed for the country's financial collapse since late 2019. "Lebanon must change its leadership," he said in an interview with three media outlets including Lebanon's Annahar newspaper. Macron has taken the lead in international efforts to bail out the Lebanese economy after a collapse in the value of the Lebanese pound plunged most of the population into poverty. International lenders have demanded that Lebanon adopt a program of painful economic reforms in return for releasing billions of dollars in bailout loans. But deadlock between opposing alliances of the confessional political parties that have dominated Lebanon since the 1975 to 1990 war have left the country with only a caretaker government since an inconclusive May election and a vacant presidency since last month. "The question is: this caste that lives off Lebanon, does it have the courage to change?" Macron asked, adding that he was dismayed to see the mass emigration of young Lebanese who had taken to the streets at the start of the crisis in late 2019 to demand political and economic reform. "My answer is to try to help bring a political alternative to life... and to be intractable with political forces. "I care about Lebanese men and women, not those living off their backs," he said. Macron said the priority now was to have "honest" people as president and as prime minster capable of moving swiftly to restructure Lebanon's failed financial system. Parliament has convened 10 times over the past two months in a bid to elect a replacement for Michel Aoun, whose mandate as president expired at the end of October. But it is split between supporters of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and its opponents, neither of whom have a clear majority. Macron would not be drawn on whether he supported army chief Joseph Aoun as a consensus choice for president. "I don't want to discuss names. If there isn't a plan and a strategy behind the name, they won't succeed," he said. Macron, who was speaking on his flight home from a regional summit on Iraq in Jordan, said he would work to organize a conference with a "similar format" for Lebanon in the coming weeks. He said he was "convinced" that problems in the Middle East can only be resolved "if we find a framework for discussion that includes Iran, given its influence in the region".

Lebanon identifies suspects in Blue Helmet's killing
Agence France Presse/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Lebanese investigators have identified suspects in the fatal shooting of an Irish United Nations peacekeeper whose vehicle came under fire earlier this month, a judicial official told AFP on Thursday. Private Sean Rooney, 23, was killed and three others injured on December 14 when their UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) vehicle was attacked near the village of Al-Aqbiya in Lebanon's south. The area is a stronghold of Hezbollah. One of the injured was medevaced home to Ireland on Wednesday for further treatment. "The investigation has been able to identify suspects but so far none has been arrested and the security services are still looking for them," said the judicial official who could not be further identified. The U.N. patrol "was the target of gunfire from at least two people" when it arrived in Al-Aqbiyeh, according to the same source. Citing preliminary findings, the source said the incident "was premeditated and the patrol was surveilled and followed by a car carrying armed men". UNIFIL acts as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel, neighbors which remain technically at war. The force operates near the southern border. Wafic Safa, Hezbollah's security chief, has said the killing was "unintentional". Witnesses said villagers in the Al-Aqbiyeh area blocked Rooney's vehicle after it took a road along the Mediterranean coast not normally used by UNIFIL.Al-Aqbiyeh is just outside UNIFIL's area of operations, the force said. A Lebanese judicial source earlier told AFP that the driver was killed by a bullet to the head, one of seven that penetrated the vehicle. The three passengers were injured when the vehicle hit a pylon and overturned. According to the judicial official, the patrol was "harassed and intercepted at two locations before reaching the scene of the incident". The official said, without elaboration, that there had been "difficulties linked to the investigation" but interviews with civilian witnesses led to the suspects' identification. UNIFIL was set up in 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces after they invaded Lebanon in reprisal for a Palestinian attack. Israel withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000 but fought a devastating 2006 war with Hezbollah and its allies. UNIFIL was then beefed up to oversee a subsequent ceasefire and now counts more than 10,000 soldiers and naval personnel. On Friday, the mission urged Beirut to ensure a swift investigation into the first death of a UNIFIL member during a violent incident for nearly eight years.

Italian foreign minister meets with Berri, Mikati
Naharnet/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani on Friday met in Beirut with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. In his talks with Mikati, Tajani demonstrated the relations between Lebanon and Italy on the various levels, the situation in Lebanon, and the ongoing failure to elect a new president, state-run National News Agency said. Mikati for his part lauded “the firm ties that link Lebanon to Italy and the active Italian presence for supporting Lebanon on all levels.” He also praised “the initiatives that Italy is making to help the army and the humanitarian aid it is offering to Lebanon every year,” as well as “Italy’s active role within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).”

Jumblat decries 'presidential blackmail' in chief of staff file
Naharnet/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has decried what he described as “political blackmail” and “presidential blackmail” in the current controversy related to the army’s Military Council. “The Defense Minister is making an excuse that extending the term of the incumbent Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Amin al-Orm would not be legal, although the term of former Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Walid Salman had been extended,” Jumblat said in an interview with Annahar newspaper. Caretaker Defense Minister Maurice Slim had recently rejected a request submitted by Army chief General Joseph Aoun for the extension of the terms of al-Orm and Military Council Inspector General Maj. Gen. Milad Ishak, who will reach the age of retirement on December 24 and 25. “Army Commander General Joseph Aoun was a little late in his proposal,” Jumblat told Annahar, adding that “what is happening in this file and in other files is political blackmail on the one side and presidential blackmail on the other.” Asked about the situation in the country amid the political bickering and obstructionism, the PSP leader said: “The country is sinking and some political forces are not electing a president, while others are questioning the legitimacy of holding cabinet session.”“What is happening is absurd,” Jumblat lamented.

Bassil meets Jumblat after delay caused by 'Abu Faour's Maarab visit'
Naharnet/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil met Friday evening with Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat, following political clashes and a lengthy break in ties between the two parties. “The Jumblat-Bassil meeting was not held at noon over a lunch banquet after the FPM expressed dismay over (MP Wael) Abu Faour’s visit to Maarab and his statement from there,” MTV reported. “The meeting between Jumblat and Bassil took place at the house of his (Jumblat’s) daughter Dalia, and several mediators worked on securing this meeting, espcially MP Farid al-Bustani,” the TV network added. Speaking to MTV, FPM sources said that Bassil meets with a lot of figures without media coverage. “Some meetings become known and some remain unknown, and this is all part of a drive that he is leading in order to elect a president based on a salvation program that was established in the (FPM’s) presidential priorities paper,” the sources added. Al-Jadeed TV had reported that the meeting comes following an initiative from Bassil, who “had previously expressed his desire to discuss the presidential file with Jumblat through several mediators.” It added that Bassil is working on blocking the election of Suleiman Franjieh as president through a host of meetings that he intends to make, while Jumblat for his part is decrying that the term of Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Amin al-Orm has not been extended. “Accordingly, his meeting with Bassil might be a gateway for the signature of Defense Minister Maurice Slim on the extension decree,” al-Jadeed added.

Timeline: Lebanon in economic, political dire straits
Agence France Presse/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Lebanon for more than three years has been mired in a deep financial, economic and social crisis, aggravated by a political deadlock. Here is a recap since turmoil broke out in October 2019.
- Protests erupt -
Mass protests follow a government announcement on October 17, 2019 of a planned tax on voice calls made over messaging services such as WhatsApp. In a graft-plagued country with poor public services, many see the tax as the last straw, with demonstrators demanding "the fall of the regime". The government of prime minister Saad Hariri scraps the tax the same day. But protests continue over the ensuing weeks, culminating in demonstrations calling for the overhaul of a ruling class in place for decades and accused of systemic corruption. Hariri's government resigns in late October.
- First default -
Lebanon, with a $92 billion debt burden equivalent to nearly 170 percent of its gross domestic product, announces in March 2020 that it will default on a payment for the first time in its history.
In April, after three nights of violent clashes, then-prime minister Hassan Diab says Lebanon will seek International Monetary Fund help after the government approves an economic rescue plan.
But talks with the IMF quickly collapse.
- Catastrophic blast -
A massive explosion on August 4, 2020 at Beirut port devastates entire neighborhoods of the capital, kills more than 200 people and injures at least 6,500. Revelations that the pile of volatile ammonium nitrate that caused one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded had been left unsecured in a warehouse for six years, further enraging the Lebanese public.
- Political impasse -
Diab's government resigns in the wake of the blast, a little more than seven months after taking office. Diplomat Mustapha Adib is named new premier but bows out after less than a month, and Hariri, who already served as prime minister three times, is named in October.
- One of worst crises -
Amid runaway inflation, authorities announce in February 2021 that bread prices will rise further. In June, the World Bank says Lebanon's economic collapse is likely to rank among the world's worst financial crises since the mid-19th century.
- New government -
After nine months of political negotiations, Hariri steps aside on July 15 saying he is unable to form a government. Billionaire Najib Mikati, Lebanon's richest man and already twice prime minister, forms a new government on September 10 after a 13-month vacuum.
- Bloody clashes -
But the new government is shaken by demands from the powerful Hezbollah movement for the judge investigating the Beirut blast to be removed on grounds of political bias. Tensions come to a boil on October 14 when a shootout kills seven people following a rally by Hezbollah and its ally Amal demanding Tarek Bitar's dismissal.
- Accord with IMF -
On January 24, 2022 the IMF launches talks with Lebanese officials.
Mikati's government meets for the first time after months of negotiations between rival factions. On February 11 the IMF calls for fiscal reforms to ensure Lebanon can manage its debt load as well as measures to establish a "credible" currency system. On April 7, the lender says it has reached a staff-level agreement to provide Lebanon with $3 billion in aid over four years. Hezbollah and its allies lose their parliamentary majority in May 15 legislative elections. Mikati is appointed on June 23 to form a new government. He has not yet succeeded.
- Leaderless -
Political deadlock deepens on October 31 when Aoun's mandate expires without a successor in place. The divided parliament has met 10 times in a bid to appoint a new president but each attempt has failed. In an interview published on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron calls on Lebanon to "get rid" of its entrenched political leadership who have blocked reforms vital to saving the bankrupt economy.

Lebanon's financial pains eased by remittances over holidays
Associated Press/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Youssef Safouri wandered through a noisy jam-packed Beirut Christmas market, where the hundreds of families who flocked to stands selling gifts by Lebanese designers belied a severe economic crisis that has sapped the savings of millions.
Safouri is among thousands of Lebanese who left the country when its economy started to tumble in late 2019. They have now become a lifeline for families back home who receive remittances from abroad and cash brought in suitcases during holiday visits. Three-quarters of the population is now plunged into poverty.From his new home in Canada, Safouri, an accountant, sends part of his monthly salary back to his family to help cover skyrocketing monthly expenses, from private generator and water bills to surging food prices. "Everyone is having a hard time getting their money out of the bank and trying to cover their basic expense at home," he said. "I was forced to leave the country and my family to make money abroad and send it back."Lebanon will receive roughly $6.8 billion in remittances this year, up from almost $6.4 billion in 2021, as they continue to be a core component of the country's shrinking and battered economy. The World Bank estimates they are worth almost 38% of the country's gross domestic product. Apart from the remittances sent from abroad, many of the diaspora return during the holiday season, bringing with them much-needed cash dollars. Caretaker Tourism Minister Walid Nassar said last month that the crisis-hit country is expecting some 700,000 people to come into the country during the holiday season, most of them of Lebanese descent. He estimated they will bring some $1.5 billion between December and mid-January. Beirut international airport is expected to receive 6.1 million tourists this year, about 400,000 more than in 2021, with daily arrivals doubling during the holiday season. Since Lebanon's financial meltdown over three years ago, banks have essentially locked out depositors from their own savings as they suffered losses worth tens of billions of dollars. The country's mismanaged economy for decades has been mired in corruption and wasteful spending. Before its fragile economy collapsed, Lebanon had a sizable middle class that was able to spend money to celebrate Christmas and other holidays with family.
The crisis has forced a drastic lifestyle change for most of the country, unable to afford skyrocketing costs for Christmas gifts and celebrations. Farah Jurdi, a mother of two, says her husband's job in Saudi Arabia over the past decade has been crucial for her to avoid having to compromise on her children's quality of life. With the economic crisis, it has become even more critical, as he helps his parents and his siblings with their expenses as well. "I always worry that he would have to come back to Lebanon one day, because life will not be the same," she said.Remittances have become necessary not only for celebrating the holidays but for many families in Lebanon they cover the most basic household expenses, said Mohamad Faour, assistant professor of Finance at the American University of Beirut. "Prices are steadily reverting back to pre-crisis levels, but salary increases are nowhere near these levels," he said. "Someone earning a salary of 5 million Lebanese pounds (about $113) cannot afford a generator bill unless some relative sends them U.S. dollars."At the Christmas market, which was filled with hundreds of families strolling past the maze of decorated stands and enjoying live music, most refused to talk about the remittances they receive from relatives abroad and the lifestyle changes they've had to endure. But the planner behind the event admitted they have had to go the extra mile to make their Christmas market more affordable this year. They have included more affordable pop-up gift shops and cut entry fees for children. "People who live in Lebanon need a breath of fresh air or a change of scenery," organizer Cynthia Wardi said.

Rahi welcomes US Ambassador in Bkerki
NNA/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Maronite Patriarch, Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, on Friday welcomed at his Bkerki residence US Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea.

Berri meets Italian Foreign Minister in Ain Al-Tineh
NNA/Friday, 23 December, 2022
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Friday met at his Ain al-Tineh residence with Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, who visited him in the company of Italian Ambassador to Lebanon, Nicoletta Bombardieri, and an accompanying delegation. The meeting reportedly discussed bilateral relations between Lebanon and Italy, as well as the country’s general situation and political developments, with special focus on the need to swiftly elect a new Lebanese President. For his part, Speaker Berri praised Italy’s support for Lebanon through its UNIFIL peacekeepers in south Lebanon, noting the historical relations between Lebanon and Italy, especially economically. Berri also briefed the Italian delegation on the Lebanese parliament’s approval of a number of legislations within the framework of its negotiations with the IMF, which will lead Lebanon towards a greater partnership with the economies of friendly countries, particularly Italy.

Mikati tackles developments with Italian Foreign Minister, Interior Minister
NNA/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Friday welcomed at the Grand Serail Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, who visited him in the company of Italian Ambassador to Lebanon, Nicoletta Bombardieri, and an accompanying delegation.The meeting reportedly focused on bilateral relations between Lebanon and Italy on all levels, the situation in Lebanon, as well as the obstacles that have been preventing the election of a new Lebanese president. For his part, Mikati praised the strong existing relations between Lebanon and Italy, the active Italian presence in support of Lebanon at all levels, the initiatives undertaken by Italy to assist the Lebanese army, in addition to the humanitarian aid it provides annually to Lebanon. Mikati also stressed Italy's active role within the framework of the international forces operating in South Lebanon. The Premiere separately had an audience with Caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Judge Bassam al-Mawlawi, who visited him in the company of two Sidon MPs, Osama Saad and Abd al-Rahman al-Bizri, Former MP Bahia Hariri, as well as Sidon Mayor, Mohammad al-Saudi. In the wake of the meeting, which capitalized on Sidon’s alarming environmental conditions, Bizri said the city currently suffered from a trash collection crisis due to a problem with the contractor, adding that the meeting with Mikati stressed the need to find an expedited solution to this problem.

Army Commander broaches developments with Russian Ambassador, Italian Army Commander

NNA/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Lebanese Army Commander, Major General Joseph Aoun, on Friday welcomed at his Yarzeh office Russian Ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Rudakov, with whom he discussed the country’s general situation. Aoun also received Italian Army Commander, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, with whom he discussed the means to bolster cooperation between the armies of both countries.

Identity is complex for Lebanon's Christian Palestinian camp
Associated Press/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Tucked away in the hills north of Beirut below a Maronite monastery, Lebanon's only remaining Christian-majority Palestinian camp gives few outward clues to its identity. Unlike the country's other Palestinian refugee camps, there are no flags or political slogans on display in Dbayeh camp.
Behind closed doors, it's a different story. At a recent community Christmas dinner for elderly residents, attendees wearing Santa hats danced the dabke to popular Palestinian songs like "Raise the Keffiyeh," twirling the traditional Palestinian scarves, or using napkins to simulate them. A speaker who toasted his hope of celebrating next year's Christmas in Jerusalem in a "free Palestine" prompted ululations.
The residents of the camp, founded in 1956 on land belonging to the monastery that overlooks it, have good reason to keep a low profile. During Lebanon's 15-year civil war, the area was a stronghold of Lebanese Christian militias that battled the Palestine Liberation Organization. The other two Palestinian camps in Christian areas — Jisr al-Basha and Tel al-Zaatar — were razed during the war by the militias, their inhabitants killed or scattered.
Dbayeh was invaded in 1973 by the Lebanese army and in 1976 by the Lebanese Phalangist militia. Many residents fled. Those who stayed found themselves on the opposite side of battle lines from fellow Palestinians, most of them Muslims.
In the decades after the war ended in 1990, Dbayeh was largely forgotten by the rest of Lebanon's Palestinians.
"Because of the separation of territories…between Muslim quarters and the Christian quarters (in Lebanon), the minority that stayed in the (Dbayeh) camp was isolated completely from the other communities," said Anis Mohsen, managing editor of the Institute for Palestine Studies' quarterly Arabic journal.
Dbayeh's story is an extreme example of the wider fragmentation of Palestinian communities.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced from their homes during the 1948 Mideast war over Israel's creation. Today, several million Palestinian refugees and their descendants are scattered across Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, as well as the West Bank and Gaza, lands Israel captured in 1967.
Palestinians are separated by geographical and political barriers, but religious differences between Christians and Muslims are not generally a source of division.
"We are one people," said Antoine Helou, a member of the Higher Presidential Committee of Churches' Affairs in Palestine and a former resident of Jisr al-Basha. "The misfortunes we have as Palestinians are bigger than thinking about this one is Muslim, this one is Christian."
But the sectarian divisions in Lebanese society made their mark on the Palestinian community.
Eighty-four-year-old retired teacher Youssef Nahme of Dbayeh, originally from the now-destroyed village of al-Bassa in today's Israel, recalled that as a young man in Lebanon, he had friends from Muslim-majority camps.
But, he said, "after the Civil War, these connections were disturbed. Not because they don't like to visit us or we don't like to visit them, but because (of) Lebanese society."
Eid Haddad, 58, fled Dbayeh with his family after his brother was killed by Phalangist fighters and after the 1976 invasion of the camp. He said it was difficult to fit in anywhere.
"In the Christian area we were rejected because we are Palestinians, and in...the Muslim area, we were rejected because we are Christians," he said.
Some of the Dbayeh residents who fled, like Nahme and his wife, returned after the fighting ended. Others, like Haddad, never came back. Today he lives in Denmark.
"I wish I could go back, but every time I think about it, all (the memories) come back," he said.
Today, the camp is home to a population of about 2,000, a mix of Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrian refugees. Wissam Kassis, head of a civil committee that serves as a governing body of sorts, said of about 530 families living in the camp, some 230 are Palestinian.
Palestinian residents said they maintain good relations with their Lebanese neighbors. Many have intermarried and some have been granted Lebanese citizenship. But some Lebanese continue to blame the Palestinians for the country's civil war. Palestinians in Lebanon are barred from owning property and from working in many professions. "People say, 'Go back to Palestine.' I say, 'Send us back,'" said Therese Semaan, who lives in the two-room house her family built, and then rebuilt in 1990, after it was bombed during fighting between rival Christian Lebanese factions.
Still, Semaan said, "We're living better than the other camps."
The camp receives limited services from the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which was set up decades ago to assist Palestinian refugees. The agency runs a clinic and cleans the streets but does not operate a school in the camp. An UNRWA school in the nearby Beirut suburb of Bourj Hammoud was closed in 2013 due to low enrollment — a sore point among locals.
Until recently, the relationship with Palestinian officials was even more limited. It was only in 2016 that Dbayeh formed its own committee to serve as a go-between with the U.N. agency and the Palestinian embassy and political factions.
The factions themselves do not have an active presence in Dbayeh, Kassis said, and camp residents keep their political activities low-key. "For example, if there is bombing (by Israeli forces) in Gaza, maximum we do a prayer vigil," he said. "We don't go out and protest in an aggressive way."
Many Muslim Palestinians in Lebanon are either unaware of the camp or view its residents with suspicion, believing them to be aligned with the right-wing Christian Lebanese parties that took control of the area during the war. Kassis acknowledged that in some cases that is true, but said it is a small minority.
"There are people who love Palestine very much and there are people who don't, but it's a small percentage" of people who have aligned themselves with the other side, he said. "We are fighting to create more of a feeling of belonging."
In one new initiative, youth athletes from Dbayeh play basketball and soccer alongside those from other Palestinian camps. The games have led to renewed ties, Kassis said.
Eighteen-year-old Rita al-Moussa, one of the players, speaks with a Lebanese accent, studied in Lebanese schools and has Lebanese friends. Growing up, she felt little connection to her Palestinian roots, but now she plays soccer with a group of young women from Beirut's Shatila and Mar Elias camps.
As a result, she said, "we have become closer to the other Palestinian camps."

Only Radical Change Can Save Lebanon?
Hanna Saleh/Asharq Al-AwsatDecember, 23/2022
Many rolled their eyes as they heard Prime Minister Najib Mikati claim that anyone shown to have been involved in the killing of Irish UNIFIL peacekeeper Sean Rooney would be punished! No one in Lebanon was surprised to see him angrily ask what has happened to the investigation days after the crime against the UNIFIL forces in South Lebanon was perpetrated. No one has been arrested since the horrific crime that Hezbollah claims the “people of the area” had committed, as it always does when the UNIFIL is attacked in an area under the control of the statelet! This is despite the fact that leaks affirm that the UNIFIL vehicle was chased and had 27 bullets fired at it, leaving no room for doubt that this was a deliberate attack planned in advance by professionals!
Mikati’s irritation aside, citizens remember the promises that the investigation into the August 4 port blast that destroyed a third of the capital and led to mass extermination would conclude in five days. 28 months on from the crime, the people of Lebanon have seen nothing but the obstruction of the investigation and efforts to impede justice. This comes after the tyrannical authorities manage to arbitrarily end the investigation and prevent the judicial investigator from uncovering the truth about a blast of nuclear proportions.
Subsequent crimes that could well be linked to the port blast and the political activities of some victims were not seriously investigated either. No one has been accused no motives have been established. Nothing has come of the investigations into the assassinations of Lokman Slim, the photographer Joe Bejjani, and retired customs colonel Mounir Abou Rjeily. Meanwhile, the case file of Antoine Dagher, the former Head of the Group Ethics & Fraud Risk Management Department at Byblos Bank, found that “the surveillance cameras in the building and its surroundings were down.” All of this attests to the fact that the rule of law is weak when the militants of the statelet are accused of being behind the crime!
For decades, no one has been found guilty of a single of the many crimes that have shaken Lebanon. No one has been held accountable for the financial and political crimes that have drained the country’s resources either, while the authorities began putting their hands on people’s bank deposits in 2011. People are killed daily, and no one has been held responsible. There are no suspects. Thus, no one has been detained despite the fact that, in the blink of an eye, the vast majority of the Lebanese people went from living comfortably to being destitute.
In the early nineties, the General Amnesty Law was issued, closing the door to accountability for the crimes of the civil war, and many of the perpetrators went from killing and abducting people based on their identity to rulers of the country. They barricaded themselves behind legal immunities, special courts, and the amnesty law… After deliberately destroying the economy, the parliamentarians responsible for these crimes obstructed investigations into the looting and passed legislation to provide amnesty for it.
The hardships of the Lebanese are the result of an imbalance that began with the nullification of the constitution, the reinforcement of the sectarian-quota-based spoil-sharing regime, and the passing of legislation that legalized corruption- these are the claims of former prime minister Fouad Saniora. This process was facilitated by the Syrian regime’s representative in Lebanon, who controlled Lebanon’s decision-making and government, dazzling the Lebanese with slogans like “one nation in two countries.” This imbalance created a subjugated political class that suspended democracy, curtailed freedoms, and made partisan and syndical organizing impossible. Nothing changed after the earthquake of the “independence uprising” that led to the expulsion of the Syrian regime army.
The parties to the spoil-sharing regime then moved to conclude the sectarian “quadripartite agreement”, which brought together the “rival” March 8 and March 14 forces. The uprising was betrayed, killing a genuine opportunity for correcting the national imbalance of power! This imbalance was subsequently deepened with “national unity” governments that united the parties of the sectarian-based-quota spoil-sharing regime. These authoritarians considered the government their personal property, which they could use as they liked.
The politicians consistently prioritized their interests and their hold on power, allowing the borders to be violated, robbing the people and pillaging the country’s resources, and putting their hands on its public beaches. They used amoral, opportunistic technocrats to do their bidding. With the deal to bring Aoun to the presidency, they covered Hezbollah’s hijacking of the state with its arms, monopolizing decision-making, and perpetuating misgovernance. Instead of going down the path of success and development, they brought the country into the axis of resistance…
For this reason, even before the October revolution, but especially after it, there has been no vision for how to protect the people from the crushing collapse. Even the current caretaker government, Hezbollah’s government, has prioritized erasing billion of dollars in depositors’ money and imposing taxes that eat up income and line the pockets of those who became wealthy through the spoil-sharing regime. All of this is at the heart of the so-called “recovery” program.
October opened the door to change. The dispute is now between the sectarian mafioso alliance led by Hezbollah and the majority of the people, who have confidence in the revolution that arrived to clean up corruption and push for sovereignty and judicial accountability. The fact that parties to the regime left the Eden of power three years ago changes nothing! They are responsible as well. They had been gambling with deposits since 2011 to cover the state deficits and their looting, as well as the prosperity of the statelet’s parallel economy. By 2018 alone, the banking cartel had racked up 25 billion dollars in profits. They accumulated wealth as the country made losses. After the revolution, they smuggled tens of billions abroad, robbing depositors of their life savings. Those who want to agree to a “solution” with those responsible for the state of the country (and did it deliberately) are misguided.
The governments that were formed after October 17 considered the problems facing the country a detail. They covered up their crimes, announcing that the country’s gas wealth would solve the problem one day and claiming that the world would save us from the collapse another day. Meanwhile, the people were stranded outside of hospital doors! The corpses of those feeling on “death boats” were not recovered, leaving them to be eaten by the fish in the sea! This corruption is protected by the statelet’s arms, and it has left the people to fend for themselves after having been fooled by claims that the “Lira is fine!”
Change must encompass the relevant stakeholders if it is to be comprehensive. The balance of power must be changed, and the “historical bloc” must crystalize. We will not see another moment like that of October 17, and only the emergence of political parties that represent October and push for accountability and justice, protecting the freedom to disagree and retrieving the hijacked state, can reinstate citizens’ confidence in the state. The ultimate prerequisite for ending tyranny is the emergence of organized political movements that embrace the values crystallized by the revolution, reaffirming that the Lebanese people are employees working for the mafioso alliance protected by Hezbollah’s arms! Only then will targeting the UNIFIL become difficult and will the truth emerge. Until then, justice will continue to be obscured, and accountability will remain impossible... If this does not happen, as Rafik Koury has said, “the race to become president of the republic will finish off of the republic!”

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 23-24/2022/
Three dead, four injured after shooting at Kurdish center in Paris
Agencies/December 23, 2022
PARIS: A 69-year-old gunman opened fire at a Kurdish cultural center and a hairdressing salon in Paris on Friday, killing three people and injuring three others, witnesses and prosecutors said. The shots shortly before midday (1100 GMT) caused panic in rue d’Enghien in the trendy 10th district of the French capital, a bustling area of shops and restaurants that is home to a large Kurdish population. The shooting shook the Kurdish community in Paris and sparked skirmishes between angry Kurds and police. It also rattled merchants in the bustling neighborhood in central Paris on the eve of Christmas weekend and put officers on alert for more violence. Witnesses told AFP that the gunman, a white Frenchman with a history of racist violence, initially targeted the Kurdish cultural center before entering a hairdressing salon where he was arrested. Of the three wounded people, one was being given intensive care in hospital and two were treated for serious injuries, officials said. The Kurdish community center, called Center Ahmet Kaya, is used by a charity that organizes concerts and exhibitions, and helps the Kurdish diaspora in the Paris region. Within hours of the attack, Kurdish protesters clashed with police, who used teargas in an attempt to disperse them as they tried to break through a police cordon deployed to protect Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin who had arrived at the scene. Darmanin said the suspect was clearly targeting foreigners and had acted alone and was not affiliated with any extreme-right or other radical movements. Demonstrators threw objects at police while voicing fury over an attack they saw as deliberate and which they said French security services had done too little to prevent. Several cars parked in the area as well as police vehicles had their windows smashed as protesters threw bricks. A gathering outside the cultural center was ongoing on Friday evening after order was restored.
The alleged shooter, named as William M. in the French media, is a gun enthusiast with a history of weapons offenses who had been released on bail earlier this month. The retired train driver was convicted for armed violence in 2016 by a court in the multicultural Seine-Saint-Denis suburb of Paris, but appealed. A year later he was convicted for illegally possessing a firearm. Last year, he was charged with racist violence after allegedly stabbing migrants and slashing their tents with a sword in a park in eastern Paris. “He is crazy, he’s an idiot,” his father was quoted as saying by the M6 television channel. He had been held in provisional detention in that case until Dec. 12, when he was released under judicial supervision, ordered to get psychiatric care and banned from carrying weapons. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter that “the Kurds in France have been the target of an odious attack in the heart of Paris.”German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sent his condolences, saying “a terrible act has shaken Paris and France today.”US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his “deepest sympathies” for the victims, writing on Twitter that his thoughts were with the Kurdish community and people of France on this “sad day.”French authorities are likely to face questions in the coming days over why the gunman had been recently released on bail given his criminal record and previous weapons offenses. He suffered facial injuries on Friday and had been taken to hospital for treatment. Darmanin told reporters at the scene that while the attacker “was clearly targeting foreigners,” it was “not certain” that the man was aiming to kill “Kurds in particular.” “We yet don’t know his exact motives,” he said, while adding that he was not a known member of a far-right political group. The Kurdish Democratic Council of France (CDK-F), an umbrella group for Kurds in France which uses the cultural center as its headquarters, said in a statement it considered the shooting to be a “terror attack.”Abdulkarim Omar, the representative of the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in northeast Syria to Europe, also condemned the attack as a “cowardly terrorist act.” Some members of the Kurdish center could be seen weeping and hugging each other for comfort after the shooting which revived traumatic memories of the murders of three Kurdish activities in January 2013. “It’s starting again. You aren’t protecting us. We’re being killed!” one person could be heard shouting at police at the scene. The 2013 murders were widely believed to be the work of a Turkish intelligence agent, but the Turkish man arrested and charged with the killings died in 2016 shortly before his trial.
Often described as the world’s largest people without a state, the Kurds are a Muslim ethnic group spread across Syria, Turkiye, Iraq and Iran. The CDK-F said the attack occurred “following multiples threats from Turkiye, an ally of Daesh.”
There is no indication of Turkish involvement in Friday’s violence. Ankara launches regular military operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) — a designated terrorist group by the European Union and the United States — and Kurdish groups it accuses of being allies in Syria and Iraq. The PKK has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, at first seeking a Kurdish homeland and latterly in pursuit of greater political autonomy for Kurds. (With AFP and Reuters)

Germany Formally Suspends Guarantees for Business with Iran
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 23 December, 2022
The German government said Friday it is formally suspending export credit and investment guarantees for business in Iran in the wake of authorities' crackdown on protests. The Economy Ministry said it also has suspended other “economic formats,” including a dialogue on energy issues, in view of “the very serious situation in Iran.” Export credit guarantees protect German companies from losses when exports aren’t paid for. Investment guarantees are granted to protect direct investments by German companies from political risk in the countries where they are made. The ministry said that use of those instruments for projects in Iran was suspended for decades until there was a “short phase of opening” from 2016 as a result of Iran's agreement with world powers, including Germany, on its nuclear program. It said that guarantees were granted or extended for a few projects in that period, but there have been no new ones since 2019. The German government has now decided to “suspend completely” the guarantees, it added, and exemptions can only be granted if there are solid humanitarian reasons. German-Iranian trade totaled 1.76 billion euros (nearly $1.9 billion) in 2021 and 1.49 billion euros in the first nine months of this year, the ministry said. Nationwide protests erupted in September after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, detained by the morality police for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women. They have since transformed into calls for the overthrow of Iran’s ruling clerics. Authorities have sought to stamp out the demonstrations and ramp up pressure on critics.  Since the protests started, the United States and European Union imposed additional sanctions on Iran for its brutal treatment of demonstrators and its decision to send hundreds of drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine. Germany pushed for a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council last month that voted to condemn the crackdown and create an independent fact-finding mission.

Film Stars Call for Release of Jailed Iranian Actor Alidoosti

Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Hundreds of high-profile figures from the global cinema industry called Wednesday for Iran to release actor Taraneh Alidoosti, who was jailed over her support for the country's three-month-old protest movement. Actors Emma Thompson, Penelope Cruz, Kate Winslet and Ian McKellen and directors Ken Loach and Mike Leigh were among a host of luminaries to sign an open letter demanding the star of "The Salesman" be freed. "We demand the immediate release" of Alidoosti, "who was arrested on 17 December 2022 and has been taken into custody at Evin prison, Iran, where many other political prisoners also remain," the letter says. Alidoosti, 38, was arrested last Saturday, official media said, after issuing a string of social media posts supporting the protest movement, including removing her headscarf and condemning the execution of protesters. The actor is one of the most prominent figures arrested in a crackdown by Iran's hard-line regime that has seen the detention of lawyers, cultural figures, journalists and campaigners. "The Iranian authorities have strategically chosen to arrest Taraneh before Christmas to ensure her international peers would be distracted," the letter continues. "But we are not distracted. We are outraged. Taraneh Alidoosti, like all citizens of Iran, has a right to freedom of expression, freedom of association, and freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention. "We hereby stand in solidarity with her and demand her immediate release and safe return to her family." Iran has been shaken by protests since the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini in custody after her arrest by the morality police for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress rules for women. At least 14,000 people have been arrested since the nationwide unrest began, the United Nations said last month. The United States on Tuesday condemned Alidoosti's arrest as "part of the regime's effort to sow fear and suppress these peaceful protests." The open letter came after "The Salesman" director Asghar Farhadi took to Instagram to demand Alidoosti's freedom. Alidoosti appeared in two of Farhadi's earliest films before he won international renown, "Beautiful City" (2004) and "Fireworks Wednesday" (2006). She then appeared in the 2009 film "About Elly," which earned Farhadi the Silver Bear for best director at the Berlin film festival, before reuniting for "The Salesman" in 2016. "The Salesman" won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2017.

Iran Says Arrested Four Mossad-linked Cells
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Iran said intelligence ministry forces arrested four cells tied to Israel’s Mossad spy agency on Thursday. The intelligence ministry said in a statement that “relentless efforts” led to the arrest of all operatives, IRNA reported. The statement said Israel took advantage of the riots in Iran over the past weeks and wanted to use the four cells to carry out "hybrid terrorist operations". It added that the groups were arrested before they could carry out their assaults. The report did not reveal more details.

Zelenskiy says U.S. Patriot system will be crucial part of Ukraine's defenses
Dec 21 (Reuters)/December 21, 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday said a U.S. promise to provide the Patriot surface-to-air missile defense system was an important step in creating an effective air shield. "This is the only way that we can deprive the terrorist state of its main instrument of terror - the possibility to hit our cities, our energy," Zelenskiy told a White House news conference, standing next to U.S. President Joe Biden. The Patriot system is "a defensive system, it's not escalatory, it's defensive" Biden told reporters. "We'd love not to have them used, just stop the attacks."Zelenskiy and other senior Ukrainian officials have long pleaded with allies to provide more anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems to help counter Russian missile strikes against power generating plants and other critical infrastructure.Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken had earlier said the United States would provide $1.85 billion in additional military assistance for Ukraine, including a transfer of the Patriot Air Defense System. The Patriot is considered to be one of the most advanced U.S. air defense systems and offers protection against aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles. It typically includes launchers along with radar and other support vehicles. The United States has sent about $50 billion in assistance to the Kyiv government as it defends itself against an invasion by Russia that began 10 months ago.

Russian politician files legal challenge over Putin's reference to Ukraine "war"
Mark Trevelyan/LONDON (Reuters)/Fri, December 23, 2022
A St Petersburg politician has asked prosecutors to investigate Russian President Vladimir Putin for using the word "war" to describe the conflict in Ukraine, accusing the Kremlin chief of breaking his own law. Putin has for months described his invasion as a "special military operation". He signed laws in March that prescribe steep fines and jail terms for discrediting or spreading "deliberately false information" about the armed forces, putting people at risk of prosecution if they call the war by its name. But he departed from his usual language on Thursday when he told reporters: "Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict, but, on the contrary, to end this war." Nikita Yuferev, an opposition councillor in the city where Putin was born, said he knew his legal challenge would go nowhere, but he had filed it to expose the "mendacity" of the system. "It's important for me to do this to draw attention to the contradiction and the injustice of these laws that he (Putin) adopts and signs but which he himself doesn't observe," he told Reuters. "I think the more we talk about this, the more people will doubt his honesty, his infallibility, and the less support he will have." In his challenge, filed in an open letter, Yuferev asked the prosecutor general and interior minister to "hold (Putin) responsible under the law for spreading fake news about the actions of the Russian army". Yuferev, who asked Reuters not to disclose his location, said Putin critics who publicly called the war a war have suffered harsh punishments. Opposition politician Ilya Yashin was jailed for 8-1/2 years this month for spreading "false information" about the army. In July another local councillor, Alexei Gorinov, was sentenced to seven years for criticising the invasion. Yuferev said he had previously drawn authorities' attention to the use of the word "war" by other prominent figures including Sergei Kiriyenko, deputy head of the presidential administration, and leading lawmaker Sergei Mironov. He said police told him they examined the complaint against Kiriyenko and found he had done nothing wrong, and refused to look into the Mironov case. After publishing the open letter about Putin, Yuferev said he had received hundreds of hate messages. But he said he believed the majority of Russians understood what was really happening in Ukraine. "War, in Russian society, is a frightening word. Everyone is brought up by grandparents who lived through World War Two, everyone remembers the saying 'Anything but war'," he said.

Russia forced to slash oil output by half a million barrels a day as sanctions hit Kremlin
Rachel Millard/The Telegraph/December 23, 2022
Russia is preparing to cut its oil output by tens of millions of barrels per month in response to a Western price cap that threatens the Kremlin’s revenues. Alexander Novak, deputy prime minister, said oil output could be reduced by 5pc-7pc per day in response to price caps imposed by the West. Mr Novak told state television the cuts could reach 500,000-700,000 barrels per day, which is a fraction of global supply but would nonetheless add pressure on a tight oil market. The move threatens to drive oil prices higher, adding to cost of living pressures across the West. As well as punishing its enemies, higher oil prices would allow Moscow to demand more money from buyers such as China and India who are snapping up Russian oil. Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, is expected to issue a decree early next week responding to the Western policy, which uses financial muscle to impose a maximum price of $60 [£50] per barrel on Russian oil exports. The cap has been designed to lower the money the Kremlin can make from oil, which helps fund its war against Ukraine. However, it does not prevent Russian oil from flowing, given its importance to the market. Russia accounts for about 10pc of global production. Russian oil was trading at a heavily discounted price even before the price cap, with Urals oil blend averaging $57.49 per barrel between November 15 and December 14, below the price cap and $20-$30 cheaper than Brent Crude. Nathan Piper, head of oil and gas at Investec, said: “What they’re trying to do is to manipulate the market, perhaps to push the price up, so that even if there is a price gap they are able to achieve a higher oil price themselves. “It’s a 100m-barrel-per-day market, but the amount of spare capacity is only 2-3 million barrels a day. So threatening to cut half a million barrels is not nothing; they’re trying to influence what is already quite a tight market.”India and China have ramped up their purchases of Russian oil this year as Western buyers have turned their backs on the market. India bought on average just under one million barrels per day from Russia between September and November, according to Alan Gelder, oil market expert at Wood Mackenzie. Purchases before the war were negligible. Mr Gelder said the cuts signalled by Russia were lower than what markets had feared, while traders were focused on what would happen to Chinese demand as Covid rules are relaxed, helping the economy to re-open but driving a surge in infections. Brent crude rose 1.7pc by 11am UK time on Friday, to $82.38 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate rose to $78.98 a barrel, up nearly 2pc. It means oil prices are now at similar levels to the start of the year, having hit highs of almost $128 per barrel in March.

Ukraine president back in Kyiv, Russia keeps up attacks
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) /December 23, 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sounded another defiant note on his return to his nation’s capital Friday following his wartime visit to the United States, saying his forces are “working toward victory” even as Russia warned that there would be no end to the war until it achieved its military aims.
Zelenskyy posted on his Telegram account that he’s in his Kyiv office following his U.S. trip that secured a new $1.8 billion military aid package, and pledged that “we’ll overcome everything.“ The Ukrainian president also thanked the Netherlands for pledging up to 2.5 billion euros ($2.65 billion) for 2023, to help pay for military equipment and rebuild critical infrastructure. Zelenksyy’s return comes amid relentless Russian artillery, rocket and mortar fire as well as airstrikes on the eastern and southern fronts and elsewhere in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the war would end at the negotiating table once the “special military operation“ achieves “the goals that the Russian Federation has set,” adding that “a significant headway has been made on demilitarization of Ukraine.” The Kremlin spokesman said no reported Ukrainian peace plan can succeed without taking into account “the realities of today that can’t be ignored” — a reference to Moscow’s demand that Ukraine recognize Russia’s sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed in 2014, as well as other territorial gains. At least five civilians were killed and 18 others were wounded in Russian attacks on eight regions in Ukraine's south and east in the past 24 hours, according to the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office. In a regular Telegram update, Kyrylo Tymoshenko said Russian missiles destroyed a boarding school in the the eastern city of Kramatorsk, home of the Ukrainian army's local headquarters.
The Ukrainian military said Russian forces fired multiple rocket launchers “more than 70 times” across Ukrainian territory overnight, while fierce battles raged around the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Bakhmut and Lyman in the neighboring Luhansk region as well as the front line between the Luhansk and Kharkiv regions bore the brunt of the Russian strikes, but didn't specify to what degree.
As many as 61 Russian rocket, artillery and mortar fire attacks were launched in the Kherson region over the past 24 hours. Kherson regional Gov. Yaroslav Yanushevych posted on Telegram that Russian forces attacked from dug-in positions on the right bank of the Dnieper river, hitting educational institutions, apartment blocks and private homes. In the eastern Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, Ukraine's military said Russia launched six missile strikes and as many air attacks on civilian targets while Ukrainian forces repelled Russian ground attacks on or near 19 settlements in the north and east. Russian shelling overnight also struck a district hospital in the northeastern city of Volchansk, Kharkiv region, wounding five people, according to local Gov. Oleh Syniehubov. Syniehubov posted on Telegram that the four men and one woman were all in “moderate condition." Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military said several blasts tore through factory buildings housing Russian troops in the occupied city of Tokmak in the southern Zaporizhzhia region late on Thursday, sparking a fire. The Center for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine didn't immediately report on casualties or who was behind the blasts. Earlier Friday, the Ukrainian mayor of the southern city of Melitopol said that a car used by Russian occupation forces exploded, although it's unclear if anyone was hurt. The reports came a day after a car bomb killed the Russia-appointed head of the village of Lyubymivka in the neighboring Kherson region, according to Russian and Ukrainian news reports. Ukrainian guerrillas have for months operated behind Russian lines in Ukraine’s occupied south and east, targeting Kremlin-installed officials, institutions and key infrastructure, such as roads and bridges. Kremlin spokesman Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin would on Friday visit a weapons factory in Tula, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) south of Moscow, and chair a meeting on the country’s arms industry there.

Ukrainians who fled war set to mark first Christmas in Canada, far from loved ones
The Canadian Press/December 23, 2022
Anastasiia Tertyshna remembers sitting around the dinner table at her parents' house in eastern Ukraine on Christmas Eve last year, cracking jokes with her husband and siblings as they ate a traditional pudding typically prepared for the holidays. It'll be a far different scene this year as Tertyshna marks the season in Canada, far from her husband, parents and other family after fleeing the war in Ukraine. "I don't know when I will be able to see them," she says in an interview. "I wish my relatives were with me here at least. But it's impossible." Tertyshna, who arrived in Mississauga, Ont., about two months ago, is among the tens of thousands of Ukrainian newcomers marking their first Christmas in Canada while worrying about the loved ones they had to leave behind. Tertyshna says her Christmas plan this year is to call her husband in Kyiv and join virtually in a family gathering he plans to be at. "I will see them all on video," she says. "I will probably cry."In Ukraine, many mark the festive season from Jan. 6 to Jan 19, based on Orthodox calendar, with Orthodox Christmas falling on Jan. 7. Tertyshna says while it will be hard to celebrate the holidays away from her loved ones, she hopes to participate in festivities in Canada on Christmas Day as well as on Orthodox Christmas. On Dec. 25, she and her friends plan to visit downtown Toronto to experience Canadian Christmas traditions. On Orthodox Christmas Eve, she plans to have dinner with the family she lives with, and on the morning on Jan. 7, she hopes to visit a church in Toronto.
Some Ukrainian newcomers are planning to celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 rather than Jan. 7 this year as a form of protest against the Russian Orthodox church, which supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Korzhenovska Yuliia, who arrived in Canada from Ukraine in August, says her family started discussing changing when they mark Christmas after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014. They celebrated Christmas on Dec. 25 for the first time last year. "Now I'm 100 per cent sure that it was a good decision for us," she says, noting that her family's goal was to distance themselves from Russian culture. She and her roommate will do the same this year. "For me, Christmas on January 7th, it is reminding me more about Russian tradition," she says. "I want to keep it far from Russia, from Russian tradition."Yuliia says it makes her "very sad" knowing her family won't be around her during this holiday season, but she hopes to be able to reunite with them for next year's holidays. "It is really, really hard," she says. Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 have been prohibited from leaving the country since Russia invaded. As a result, many newcomers who arrived in Canada are women and children, separated from male members of their family. Olya Bolshov, a mother of two children who now lives in Toronto, says it'll be hard to celebrate Christmas while her husband remains in Ukraine but she's putting on a brave face to show her kids that "Russian invaders" haven't been able to steal their joy.
"We're not really much in a celebration mood because there is a war going on in Ukraine, and all of our thoughts and prayers obviously are over there," she says through her husband, who was on the phone and translated her words.
Bolshov recalled that recently her eight-year-old daughter asked whether it was safe for Saint Nicholas — the Ukrainian version of Santa — to travel to Ukraine and distribute gifts for children there. "She was worried that whether or not Saint Nicholas would visit Ukraine, since Russians are bombing and there's lots of rockets flying," she says. St. Demetrius Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Toronto is hoping to help Ukrainian newcomers mark the season by hosting them for a dinner service on Orthodox Christmas Eve. Darcia Moskaluk-Rutkay, the church's vice president, says the plan is to serve Sviat Vechir, 12 meatless dishes Orthodox Ukrainians prepare for dinner on Christmas Eve, "so they know that they aren’t forgotten."Moskaluk-Rutkay says many newcomer families may not be able to afford preparing the dishes or know where they can procure the spices and other ingredients needed, so the church is stepping in to serve the meal. Born in Canada to Ukrainian parents, Moskaluk-Rutkay says her family has preserved their traditions for decades and she wants to help others to do the same. "We as old Ukrainian Canadians and immigrants brought this to Canada and we have maintained it," says Moshaluk-Rutkay, who is also the president of the Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada. "The occupiers are trying to annihilate our traditions, and it's so important to keep up our tradition so that it continues and so that the occupiers do not win in that respect."
*This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2022.
*Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press

The peculiar Russian missile 'cemetery' in eastern Ukraine
KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) /December 23, 2022
The eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has a peculiar “cemetery,” one that recalls some of the worst damage done since the Russian invasion: the debris of rockets used against this town and its people. The graveyard has more than a thousand missiles, or parts of them. Local authorities hope they can help provide information for any prosecution case against Russians authorities and soldiers. And one day, maybe, they will become part of a museum of the atrocities in the country. The blueish cylinders are lined up in rows according to their size, making an impressive if shocking sight from the air. Dmytro Chubenko, spokesman for the Kharkiv region’s Prosecutor Office, said that the rockets have been collected since the first attacks, and after some time officials decided to organize them by type. “These are pieces of evidence that an international criminal court would use,” he said during a visit to the place. He mentioned that some specialists have already come to the city to analyze the material. The missiles, he added, were used against some important residential areas, like North Saltivka and Oleksiivka. He said that the authorities estimate that at least 1,700 people have been killed by shelling, including 44 children, in Kharkiv and its surroundings. In summer, the buildings in areas like Saltivka were severely damaged, some blackened and others crumbling. There were practically no activities, with shops closed and apartments destroyed. The winter has not improved anything. “We have lost everything, and it is not clear at all what we can expect in the future,” said Anna, a North Saltivka resident who left months ago and who didn't give her last name for security reasons. Ihor Deshpetko, 44, still lives in Kharkiv, despite what he has to suffer. "There is no heating in my house, (and) unfortunately there won't be until the end of the winter,” he said, adding that he now tends to call the area he lives the “black neighborhood.” Back in the missiles “cemetery,” Chubenko, from the prosecutors' office, said that they will keep the rockets as long as needed so any expert or prosecutor can take the information they need to use as evidence against Russians.
And after that? “I don’t know what will happen next," he said. “Maybe we will make a museum.”

Russia considering emergency rescue mission for space station astronauts after leak detected

Vishwam Sankaran/The Independent/December 23, 2022
Russia may send a rescue vessel to the International Space Station after an “unexplained leak” was detected earlier this month spewing particles into space from the orbiting laboratory’s Russian Soyuz crew capsule. The “massive” external leak of snowflake-like particles was detected on 14 December from the rear section of the Soyuz MS-22 capsule docked to the space station. Sergei Krikalev, who leads human spaceflight programs at the Russian space agency Roscosmos, told reporters at a press briefing on Thursday that the damage due to the leak was being assessed. The leak led to the temperature within the crew section of the capsule rising to 30°C, the Associated Press reported on Monday. Then the crew used ventilators in the Russian section to blow cold air into the capsule to reduce temperature, Roscosmos said. “The increase in temperature on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft is admissible and isn’t critical for the functioning of the equipment or health of the crew in case they need to be in the spacecraft,” the agency noted. Nasa said in a statement that the two agencies are closely monitoring Soyuz spacecraft temperatures that currently “remain within acceptable limits.”Mr Krikalev said if the analysis found that the capsule is unfit for crewed flight then a scheduled launch of another Soyuz capsule in March would be moved up to February. The leak was first noted when pressure sensors in the spacecraft’s cooling loop showed low readings just when Russian cosmonauts were preparing to conduct a spacewalk.
Russian Mission Control then aborted the spacewalk after agency specialists on the ground saw a torrent of fluid and particles streaming from the Soyuz capsule on a live video feed from the ISS. Nasa noted that none of the current members of the ISS crew - three US Nasa astronauts, three Russian cosmonauts, and a Japanese astronaut - was in any danger. A Roscosmos official said the leak was likely caused by a micrometeorite striking one of the space station’s radiators. A closer inspection of the capsule’s surface using a camera on a Canadian-built robotic arm helped spot the leak’s location, Nasa noted.

No, Zelensky Isn’t Fighting a ‘War on Christianity’
Matt Lewis/The Daily Beast/December 23, 2022
It was Christmastime in 1941, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill came to America hoping to rally Americans to defeat Nazi Germany. His visit came on the heels of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, but Churchill’s charm offensive had stretched over a year at that point—with rhetoric that intentionally sought to lump together all of “the English-speaking world.”His efforts to cement this special relationship went beyond highlighting our shared language. Churchill declared in 1940 that, “Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization.” The next year, he and President Franklin Roosevelt secretly met on a battleship off the coast of Newfoundland. The meeting included a church service where Churchill—not a religious man, himself—arranged for the last hymn to be “Onward Christian Soldiers.”Fast forward to this week. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky also visited America at Christmastime. Like Churchill, his visit included a rousing speech to the U.S. Congress. But Zelensky, who is Jewish, is not well-equipped to sing “Onward Christian Soldiers.” Indeed, when it comes to using Christianity to rally Americans to their cause, Zelensky’s detractors seem to be leading the charge. “If you were a Republican office holder, and Zelensky came to Washington, maybe you would, for a moment, ask him about his current and ongoing war against Christianity in Ukraine,” said my former boss, Tucker Carlson, on his Fox News show on Wednesday night. Tucker continued: “You will not hear a word on television tonight about the fact that Zelensky has banned an entire ancient Christian denomination in Ukraine, and then seized churches, and then thrown priests in jail,” he said. “According to Mitch McConnell—who apparently hasn’t left his office since the mid-’80s—anti-Christian despotism is what most Republicans want above all.” He was referring to Ukraine’s decision in early December to effectively shut down the Moscow-linked Russian Orthodox Church in the country. The reason? As Christianity Today reported, Ukrainian authorities say they have “uncovered large amounts of cash, ‘dubious’ Russian citizens, and leaflets calling on people to join the Russian army…Other material cited as evidence included prayer texts of ROC patriarch Kirill and a video of hymn singing that celebrated Russia’s ‘awakening.’”It’s easy to understand why Zelensky wants to prevent a fifth column spy network from operating in Ukraine. However, his actions provide fodder to prove he is at war with Christianity.
The charge that Zelensky is at war with Christianity is potentially a potent wedge issue on the right, particularly as Republicans, many of whom are Christian (and many of whom are increasingly skeptical of foreign entanglements) take control of the U.S. House of Representatives next month. Most Republicans still support aiding Ukraine, but support is declining. If this narrative takes hold, it is sure to negatively impact our role as an ally. Russia knows this. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, wasted no time in casting Zelensky as an enemy of Christendom, saying, “The current Ukrainian authorities have openly become enemies of Christ and the Orthodox faith.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov went so far as to accuse Ukraine of “waging a war on the Russian Orthodox Church.”But is it true? It seems to me that if Zelensky is actually waging a war on Christianity, then it is an ill-advised war against his own constituents. According to the Pew Research Center, 78 percent of Ukrainians identify as Orthodox (a higher percentage than exists in Russia). Meanwhile, only “14 percent of the public called themselves faithful to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate…” That leaves a lot of Christians with whom Zelensky isn’t at war with.Tucker Carlson Bizarrely Accuses Ukraine’s Zelensky of Dressing Like a ‘Strip Club’ Manager. As The Wall Street Journal notes, a rival Orthodox Church of Ukraine “was recognized in 2019 by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople as fully independent from Russia, a major diplomatic achievement for Kyiv and a blow to Russian soft power.”Besides, Zelensky doesn’t talk like a man who is at war with Christians. “[W]e will celebrate Christmas,” Zelensky declared during his speech to Congress on Wednesday night. “Maybe candlelit. Not because it’s more romantic, no, but because… there will be no electricity… We’ll celebrate Christmas. Celebrate Christmas and, even if there is no electricity, the light of our faith in ourselves will not be put out.”The bottom line is this: It’s impossible for anyone to know exactly what is happening in Ukraine. But I’m inclined to trust Zelensky over Putin. You’d probably have to believe in Santa Claus to believe otherwise.

Iraq Tells Visiting Italy PM It Seeks Closer Economic Ties
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Iraq's prime minister appealed to visiting Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni on Friday for closer economic ties with his oil-rich country suffering from power cuts and decaying infrastructure. Meloni, who leads the eurozone's third-largest economy, is on her first bilateral trip outside Europe. She is on a pre-Christmas visit to Italian troops posted in Iraq in support of an anti-extremist mission.  "We expressed our disposition to develop economic cooperation in all fields, especially agriculture, water and health," Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said at a joint press conference.
He invited to Iraq "companies specialized in infrastructure but also in the exploitation of gas." A government priority is to eliminate the highly polluting practice of gas flaring, a precursor to oil extraction, which contributes to global warming. The United Nations says Iraq is one of five countries most exposed to some impacts of climate change. Italian oil firm Eni has been involved in exploration and production in Iraq for more than a decade. Part of its program "includes the use of associated gas for electricity generation," the firm says on its website. Captured and treated flared gas could help address Iraq's chronic power shortages. The country is rich in oil but beset by infrastructure in disrepair, endemic corruption and widespread unemployment nearly two decades after a US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein. Nearly one-third of the population lives in poverty, the UN says. Sudani said Iraq "is prepared to supply Italy with what it needs in terms of oil and gas." With output of more than 3.3 million barrels per day, Iraq is the second largest crude producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy party swept to power in September elections, forming a coalition government with the anti-immigration League and Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing Forza Italia.  She is the first woman to become Italian prime minister and heads Italy's most far-right government since World War II. Italy is a NATO member with up to 650 personnel deployed to Iraq and Kuwait, according to the defense ministry website. Under operation Prima Parthica, those personnel help staff multinational commands in Kuwait, Baghdad and Erbil. They also train the armed forces and police, and provide administrative support.

Israeli police kill assailant after alleged car-ramming
Associated Press/Friday, 23 December, 2022
Israeli police shot dead an assailant who allegedly rammed them with his car after trying to shoot an officer in central Israel on Friday, authorities and medics said, an attack that left three policemen wounded. The incident took place in the Arab Israeli town of Kfar Qassem, an unusual site for what police suspected was a militant attack. The Arab community in Israel is struggling with surging violent crime that residents blame on decades of government neglect. Police said that the suspect first called officers to his house over an alleged violent incident. When police arrived at the scene, they said they were greeted with a barrage of stones and alcohol bottles hurled from the house. A man then rushed out of the apartment with a gun drawn, according to security footage from the scene. A police spokesman said the man tried to shoot but the gun didn't fire. Moments later, security footage shows the man speeding in reverse down the street toward where officers were stationed. The suspect's car crashed into another, lightly wounding three officers. Police opened fire, killing the suspect, according to Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service. Authorities did not identify the assailant.Soldiers and police said they searched the scene and found an automatic weapon, along with a knife and tear gas belonging to the suspect. It remains unclear whether other suspects were involved in the attack. Palestinians have been accused in dozens of stabbing, shooting and car-ramming attacks targeting Israeli civilians and security personnel in recent years. It is rare for such attacks to be committed by Palestinian citizens of Israel, however. The attack comes amid heightened violence in the occupied West Bank and days before Israel is set to swear in the most right-wing government in its history.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 23-24/2022/
Turkey Crushes Human Rights at Home, Complains About 'Discrimination' in Europe
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/December 23, 2022
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19175/turkey-crushes-human-rights
Torture and abuse of citizens in Turkey is systematic and commonplace.
Kurds in Turkey are not only exposed to racism and discrimination; they are murdered simply for being Kurdish.
At the same time, those who call for an investigation on Turkey's alleged use of chemical weapons against members of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) in Iraqi Kurdistan — journalists, lawyers, medical doctors, and members of parliament — have been detained by police and criminally investigated. On November 4, lawyer Aryen Turan was detained and released on condition of judicial control, with a ban on leaving the country, after she called for an investigation about Turkey's alleged use of chemical weapons.
For Turkish government officials to accuse Europe of racism, discrimination or Islamophobia, while Turkish authorities victimize hundreds of thousands of their own citizens, is beyond hypocritical. It is not in Europe that Turks, Kurds and other Muslims are exposed to torture, rights abuses and other illegal acts. It is the government of Turkey that is violating and abusing their own citizens for either thinking differently or belonging to an ethnic or religious group of which the government is not fond.
Torture and abuse of citizens in Turkey is systematic and commonplace. Kurds in Turkey are not only exposed to racism and discrimination; they are murdered simply for being Kurdish. Pictured: Riot police in Istanbul on October 26 clash with citizens who are protesting the arrest of Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, President of the Union of Doctors of Turkey, for her statements about the country's alleged use of chemical weapons against Kurdish PKK rebels. (Photo by Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images)
While the government of Turkey continues to crush the basic human rights and freedoms of its citizens, its officials are making statements completely detached from facts. On October 17, for instance, the head of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Çağatay Kılıç said that "racism and discrimination against religious identities in Europe have reached a peak."
"A human being is an entity with thoughts, feelings, beliefs and social networks," he added. "If a person is not allowed to live with these characteristics, this person's fundamental rights and freedoms are taken away from them."
It is actually Turkey that is silencing and even the destroying "thoughts, feelings, beliefs and social networks'" of those who disagree with the government, or who belong to a religion or ethnic group not considered sufficiently "Turkish." Torture and abuse of citizens is also systematic and commonplace. Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, the head of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT), was arrested for her statements about the country's alleged use of chemical weapons. The foundation issues daily reports about the human rights violations in the country, such as torture and ill-treatment. The reports are based on media disclosures as well as testimonies of individuals who seek help from the organization after being exposed to torture, mistreatment, or other human rights violations.
One community that is often targeted by the government is the Alevis, a historically oppressed religious minority. Turkey's Alevi population is estimated to be in the tens of millions. Although Alevism is an authentic faith with its own traditions and philosophy, the Turkish government counts them as Muslim, in order to forcibly assimilate them and erase the Alevi culture.
Since the founding of Turkey in 1923, the Alevi faith and its places of worship, "cem houses," have been officially unrecognized, which makes the Alevi community a victim of discrimination and aggression. On July 30, for instance, two Alevi places of worship and an Alevi foundation were physically attacked in Ankara. Alevis top the list of victims of hate crimes in the 2021 report of "Hate Crimes in Turkey Based on Religion, Belief or Unbelief" by the Freedom of Belief Initiative of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. The report cites a number of incidents of hate crimes, such as:
An Alevi family living in Istanbul said that their neighbors attacked and beat them, shouting hateful slogans such as "May Allah burn those who are disturbed by the sound of the adhan [Islamic call to prayer]".
A Muslim teacher in Ankara insulted Alevis, including his own Alevi students and their parents, because of their religious identity.
An Alevi sought help from the police after experiencing insults by an imam in the city of Amasya.
An Alevi family living in Izmir said that they were exposed to insults, verbal abuse, and threats from their neighbors.
A middle school teacher in the city of Hatay was subjected to systematic pressure, harassment, and coercion at the hands of the school principal for being an Alevi.
The harassment against Alevis has reached such levels Federation of Alevi Unions in Germany is suing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in court, announcing that they were filing suit against him in Ankara for "discriminating against and humiliating" them.
The case concerns a speech Erdogan made in the city of Siirt on December 5, 2021, where he said:
"A new religion is almost being put forward as Alevism without Ali, especially in Germany. And they [Germany] give them serious financial support. There was 30 million Euros of annual financial support for them two years ago."
On October 19, the court in Ankara ruled that the case be dismissed.
Discrimination against Alevis also occurs in prisons. Ergin Doğru, former provincial co-chairman of the Dersim branch of the pro-Kurdish DBP party and co-founder of the Dersim newspaper, has been incarcerated since 2016 for allegedly "making propaganda for a terrorist organization." He has repeatedly requested for the past two years to meet with an Alevi faith leader, also called a Dede or Pir, but his requests were rejected by the prison authorities.
Kurds in Turkey are not only exposed to racism and discrimination; they are murdered simply for being Kurdish. On June 17, 2021, Deniz Poyraz, a 38-year-old member of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), was killed in the party's provincial office in the city of Izmir. The office was under police surveillance. The murderer, who was arrested by police, was identified as Onur Gencer. He is a supporter of Turkey's fascist "Grey Wolf" movement. His trial is still in process.
Garibe Gezer, a female Kurdish political prisoner who was imprisoned in solitary confinement in Turkey, was killed in December 2021 after months of rape and torture. Turkish prosecutors recently dismissed the case about Gezer's torture and death because of a claimed "lack of evidence". But the Jin News Agency accessed footage showing the torture Gezer was subjected to.
At the same time, those who call for an investigation on Turkey's alleged use of chemical weapons against members of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) in Iraqi Kurdistan — journalists, lawyers, medical doctors, and members of parliament — have been detained by police and criminally investigated. On November 4, lawyer Aryen Turan was detained and released on condition of judicial control, with a ban on leaving the country, after she called for an investigation about Turkey's alleged use of chemical weapons.
On November 6, Kurds and other activists in Istanbul attempted to protest against the Turkish army's alleged use of chemical weapons. Police attacked the crowd, detaining 121 people.
On November 7, prosecutors prepared a summary of proceedings against a member of parliament from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Sezgin Tanrıkulu, after his statements concerning Turkey's alleged use of chemical weapons. The MP had said he would file a parliamentary question about the allegations that Turkey had used chemical weapons against the PKK.
Erdogan's government is also violently targeting the actual and supposed supporters of Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Muslim preacher who fled to the US in 1999, and who the government claims was behind a 2016 coup attempt. For alleged connections with the Gülen movement, tens of thousands of people have been dismissed from their jobs, imprisoned, and tortured in prison or while in police custody.
The number of those seeking help from the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey has reached a 30-year peak. According to the "2021 Treatment and Rehabilitation Centers Report" published by the HRFT, 984 people went to the foundation because they or one of their relatives were tortured or ill-treated. Of them, 616 said that they were tortured in 2021, and 211 stated that they were tortured between 2016 and 2020. According to the report, they were tortured either during police detention, in the streets, during public demonstrations, or in police headquarters.
For Turkish government officials to accuse Europe of racism, discrimination or Islamophobia, while Turkish authorities victimize hundreds of thousands of their own citizens, is beyond hypocritical. It is not in Europe that Turks, Kurds and other Muslims are exposed to torture, rights abuses and other illegal acts. It is the government of Turkey that is violating and abusing their own citizens for either thinking differently or belonging to an ethnic or religious group of which the government is not fond.
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.
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Ukraine: A Recipe for Appeasement
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-AwsatDecember, 23/2022
Russian military lore is full of references to the cold months ahead in that part of Europe as "General Winter". So, it is no surprise that Vladimir Putin, disappointed in the performance of his generals, is looking at "General Winter" to help him snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as it had helped Kutuzov against Napoleon.Putin’s reading of history, however, is slanted in favor of his illusions. In the Napoleonic war "General Winter" was on the side of the defender not the aggressor. With "General Winter" unlikely to work for Putin, Tsar Vladimir, may have to look at another grand old man, this time a diplomat, to help him out of the hole he has dug for Russia. While reports indicate that Russia is mobilizing massive forces for a new attempt at dismantling Ukraine as a nation-state, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, labeled "the grand master of diplomacy" by his adulators, is talking of peace with Vladimir Putin.
In an article published in a US magazine last week, Kissinger writes:
"The time is approaching to build on the strategic changes which have already been accomplished and to integrate them into a new structure towards achieving peace through negotiation… A peace process should link Ukraine to NATO, however expressed. The alternative of neutrality is no longer meaningful."
The paragraph just quoted shows that Kissinger is reluctant to or afraid of saying what he really demands, which is appeasing Russia. He says "the time is approaching" but doesn’t say at what speed or, if it is approaching, why not wait until it has arrived. He talks of "strategic changes that have already been accomplished", but doesn’t say which changes and accomplished by whom. Does he see the annexation of Crimea and the presence of Russian forces in some 20 percent of Ukrainian territory as an accomplishment?
The grand old man of American diplomacy claims that the mumbo-jumbo he has just spewed would somehow create "a new structure towards achieving peace through negotiation." In the next sentence, however, he reduces "peace" to a "peace process" like the one he launched in the Middle East almost 50 years ago and which is supposed to be still going on fast to nowhere.
Kissinger then demonstrates his inability to think, or at least to clearly state his thoughts by adding: "A peace process should link Ukraine to NATO, however expressed. The alternative of neutrality is no longer meaningful." If anyone understands what the good doctor means, please let me know. Last May Kissinger proposed a ceasefire under which Russia would withdraw to the front lines before the February invasion, but Crimea would be the subject of "negotiation." He described the war as a "territorial conflict", unknowingly or deliberately misunderstanding its nature.
This war isn’t about territory.
Russia has more "territory" than any other nation on the planet. Some claim that annexing Crimea was necessary to maintain Russia’s naval presence in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. But that claim too could be dismissed as an excuse for aggression.
Ukraine had granted a 40-year lease to the Russian Navy to continue its presence in Crimea protected by 20,000 Russian troops. To offer further assurances to Putin, Ukraine had also agreed that the lease accord could be renewable at the end of its current term.
Kissinger may be making another error of analysis by identifying Russia with Putin. In his new autobiography, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once a close Putin pal and a leading oligarch, even suggests that, when it comes to international relations, Russia should not be regarded as a single entity. He suggests that in the vast stretch of land between Europe and the Pacific Ocean, sandwiching Siberia between them, three Russias exist side by side. The first consists of Saint-Petersburg, Moscow and a few large cities where living standards, socio-political culture and common aspirations, are close to median European standards.
In that Russia, Putin’s rule is tolerated, partly because it has offered economic growth and prosperity, at least until now. However, that Russia does not share Putin’s expansionist strategy and is uneasy about the war in Ukraine. A majority of the estimated 80,000 Russians who have left the country since Putin declared a partial mobilization came from that Russia.
The next Russia consists of what he calls "sultanates" patches of territory ruled over by governors appointed by Putin and answerable only to him. In many of those "sultanates" ethnic Russians form a minority of the population. Some "sultanates" like Chechnya support Putin’s war but others, like Tatarstan or Dagestan, try to stay out of the adventure started by Putin. The third Russia consists of numerous towns, cities and villages, spread across the vast land like an archipelago inspiring and sustaining a sense of "away from it all" isolation. Putin’s Russia is an empire and, like all empires, lives in fear of losing territory with a constant urge to acquire new territory to preserve the old ones. Russia, as the USSR, ended up losing vast chunks of land when the empire collapsed in 1991. Putin’s invasion and annexation of South Ossetia, occupation of Abkhazia and creation of a Trojan horse in eastern Moldova were signs of that fear and that urge. Other signs include stationing Russian troops in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan.
Empires do not stop until they are stopped. They resemble the wolf of the steppes which, in a short story by Chekhov, pursues a man driving a troika pulled by dogs amid a snowstorm. The man tries to ward off the wolf by throwing food at it until he himself runs out of food. He ends up throwing the dogs at the insatiable wolf that remains in hot pursuit. At the end, only the man himself is left as food for his determined pursuer. With his policy of détente, Kissinger arguably helped prolong the life of the Soviet Empire by treating it as an equal partner, playing a leading role in the Helsinki Accords, and providing it with access to global capital markets among other favors bestowed.
If he skims through the Kremlin media, Kissinger would see that Putin won’t be satisfied with just a chunk of Ukraine, as he has said many times, and has already set the theme for "protecting our kith-and-kin" in Moldova and Estonia, with less direct musings about a pan-Slav empire that could include Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro. If implemented, Dr. K’s "peace plan" could become a prelude to endless war, cold, lukewarm and hot, in Europe, and the most disastrous attempt at appeasement since the Chamberlain-Daladier duo went to Munich.

Accelerating Mediterranean Integration Through Energy
Ferid Belhaj/Asharq Al-AwsatDecember, 23/2022
As Mediterranean countries look to chart a path forward in the wake of the multiple crises that have upended economies, accelerating regional integration becomes more critical than ever. Increased trade flows, two-way investments, and mobility across the Northern, Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries would be major drivers of a sustainable recovery. And while there are multiple entry points for pursuing this agenda, few are more important at this juncture than energy. Currently, trade within the Mediterranean region is valued as under $1 trillion annually, which is barely a third of the trade between the Mediterranean and the rest of the world. This stands in contrast to other prospering regions, where countries’ biggest trading partners are often their regional neighbors.
With this limited envelope, currently about a third of regional trade is in energy.
Tapping the potential for further economic integration between the Southern shore of the Mediterranean and the Europe block could be a game changer when it comes to energy. Such a transition would help Europe wean itself away from heavy dependence on Russian supplies, while helping advance climate goals. It would also help increase opportunities and prosperity for the people of the Middle East & North Africa (MENA), with wider knock-on effects for stability in the region.
Fossil fuels are still the main source of energy for Europe. Petroleum products represent roughly one-third of the total, followed by natural gas at approximately 24%, and coal and other solid fossil fuels at 10%. The war in Ukraine has been a shock to European and global energy markets, forcing a dramatic reappraisal of European energy security. In the short term, expanding oil and gas exports from the southern and eastern Mediterranean can help Europe realign its energy provisioning away from Russia, especially as gas supplies are being cut. Algeria is already Europe’s third-largest supplier of natural gas, and there is potential for more, either piped or by LNG, from the southern and Eastern Mediterranean.
In the medium and longer term, Europe’s transition to renewable energy could be increasingly bound to a vigorous development of clean energy production in MENA. The EU has established ambitious climate and energy policy targets: reducing greenhouse emissions by 2030 by more than half vis-à-vis 1990 levels and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. This growing demand for clean energy represents an important spur to the development of the untapped potential for renewable sources in MENA, like solar and wind energy as well as hydrogen, where the sun-drenched southern side of the Mediterranean has a competitive advantage. Indeed, Low-carbon hydrogen is now seen as an important component of EU decarbonization plans. As suggested above, it complements the established EU’s external energy policy, and by virtue of its proximity, the Eastern Mediterranean region can position itself as a credible supplier of low-carbon hydrogen for Europe. Energy cooperation in this region has focused on natural gas development in recent years but synergies could be possible if this cooperation extended to hydrogen development – both for exports and domestic decarbonization.
Many countries have recognized this multi-source potential and are acting on it. In 2021, Greece, Israel, and Cyprus started formal cooperation around the construction of the EuroAsia “Interconnectors,” undersea cables meant to bring renewable electricity from Israel as early as 2025.
Egypt and Greece are exploring a similar project, and Italy is working out similar plans with both Tunisia and Algeria. The ELMED project interconnecting Tunisia and Italy is at an advanced preparation stage. In the Western Mediterranean, Morocco and Spain are already trading energy (gas and electricity). The recent signing during COP27 of the Sustainable Electricity Trade (SET) MoU by Morocco, Spain, Portugal, France and Germany to promote cross-border trade corporate green energy further highlights the acceleration of the Mediterranean integration in the energy sector. The move towards renewables in MENA is accelerating. Morocco, for instance, aims to have 80% of its total electricity generation capacity from renewables by 2050. This trend, boosted by European investment deals for clean energy production in the region has the potential to not only increase GDP in the MENA countries involved, but also provide much-needed jobs. The current challenge of furnishing Europe with adequate—and increasingly, clean—energy supplies creates a unique opportunity to draw the countries of the MENA region into a nexus of trade, growth, and peace, while at the same time pushing forward the transition to renewable energy. It is a win-win opportunity that we must not let slip away.