English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For January 18/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him
Saint Luke 05/01-11/:”Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 17-18/2022
Corona - MoPH: 6109 new coronavirus infections, 14 deaths
Faltering Beirut port blast probe faces risk of new obstruction
Protest by families of Beirut blast victims brings Palace of Justice to standstill
Families of Port Victims Rally outside Justice Palace to Support Bitar
President Aoun addresses stifling political and social situation with MP Traboulsi
Judge Abboud meets delegation of port blast victims' families
Berri Says Decision to Return to Cabinet ‘Local’, Stance on Bitar Hasn’t Changed
U.S. Denies Brokering 'Lebanese-Israeli Gas Deal'
Mawlawi Stresses Damage to Greek Plane Didn't Happen in Beirut
Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry deplores attack against UAE
U.N.: Lebanon Humanitarian Fund Allocates $6M to Support Vulnerable Populations
Miqati Denies Inciting Port Victims Families againt Bitar

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 17-18/2022
3 Dead in UAE Suspected Drone Attack, Huthis Announce Campaign
Houthis claim deadly Abu Dhabi fuel truck blast, airport fire
UAE: 'Attack will not go unpunished,' 3 killed in Abu Dhabi drone attack
UAE foreign minister says Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi ‘will not go unpunished’
After wrestler's execution, Iran sentences boxing champion to death
Niece of Iran's supreme leader imprisoned in Tehran - report/It is unclear what the niece of Iran's supreme leader is being charged with.
Quds Force commander visits Iraq as pro-Iran parties risk being sidelined
Israel could sign deal to buy three submarines from Germany - reports
Iranian Diplomats Arrive in Saudi Arabia for Fist Time Since 2016
Palestinian shot dead by Israeli troops in occupied West Bank
Trailblazing Arab Lawmaker Shakes Up Israeli Politics
Algeria bets on Arab summit to shore up regional standing, credibility at home
Turkey's Kavala trial resumes as European Council deadline looms
UN official: Libya elections could be rescheduled for June

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 17-18/2022
Egypt: Weak Walls and Friendly Façades/Raymond Ibrahim/Coptic Solidarity/January 17/2022
Party well and truly over for Britain’s worst prime minister/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/January 17, 2022
Syrian officers’ German convictions offer hope for victims/Dr. Abdel Aziz/Arab News/January 17, 2022
Iran’s relentless crackdown on Sunni scholars/Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/January 17, 2022
Biden’s unilateral approach bad news for America’s allies/Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/January 17, 2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 17-18/2022
Corona - MoPH: 6109 new coronavirus infections, 14 deaths
NNA/17 January ,2022
Lebanon has recorded 6109 new coronavirus cases and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours, as reported by the Ministry of Public Health on Monday.

Faltering Beirut port blast probe faces risk of new obstruction
Reuters/17 January ,2022
An investigation into the devastating 2020 explosion at Beirut port, which has struggled to make progress amid resistance from top politicians, may face a further obstruction to its work that could leave the probe in limbo by preventing any indictments. Judge Tarek Bitar's investigation into the massive blast, which killed more than 215 people and deepened Lebanon's economic crisis, has been suspended repeatedly by lawsuits brought by senior politicians who he has sought to question. Hezbollah, a powerful group with an armed militia, has led the campaign to remove Bitar, accusing him of bias after he pursued some of its political allies. In the latest twist, a lawsuit brought by former minister Youssef Finianos, one of the senior figures Bitar wants to interrogate, has been left in limbo by the retirement last week of Judge Roukoz Rizk, who was hearing it, judicial sources say. “While this lawsuit is not decided, the investigating judge cannot issue the indictment,” a judicial source said. There can be no ruling in the case, which the source said accuses Bitar of “a grave error” in conducting the probe, until a replacement is found for Rizk, who reached mandatory retirement age. Politicians typically pick judges in Lebanon, which Nizar Saghieh of watchdog Legal Agenda said could allow them to leave the position open and the case pending. Such a move could stymie the probe. Bitar's opponents accuse him of bias and of overstepping his powers. His supporters see his efforts as a bold attempt to hold senior officials to account in a country where impunity has been entrenched since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. The investigation is currently frozen due to a separate lawsuit. Families of blast victims protested outside the Beirut headquarters of the judiciary on Monday to demanding the probe move more quickly and for the swift replacement of Rizk. “We want to reach justice, we don't want to wait for years,” said Kayan Tlais, who lost his brother in the blast. Hezbollah and its allies had been boycotting cabinet meetings for three months, saying they wanted Bitar removed. On Saturday, a few days after Rizk retired, the group and its allies said they were ending the boycott. Heiko Wimmen of Crisis Group said described lawsuits that have been hindering progress as “legal theatre” and said obstructing the probe would further damage public trust in the nation's institutions. “It's very clear that Judge Bitar will not be allowed to summon anybody, let alone indict anybody,” he said. “Whoever doesn't want this investigation to go anywhere has succeeded in that.”

Protest by families of Beirut blast victims brings Palace of Justice to standstill
Najia Hossari/Arab News/January 17, 2022
Relatives express anger over ‘obstruction and evasion of justice’ and say they support investigating Judge Tarek Bitar ‘more than ever’
BEIRUT: Relatives of the victims of the explosion that destroyed Beirut’s Port in August 2020 staged a fresh protest in the city on Monday, amid growing anger and frustration over what they see as “procrastination” that is hampering the official investigation into the blast.
They blocked roads and entrances at the Palace of Justice to express their “anger and deep sense of the injustice inflicted on them by all those who submit requests to reject the work of judicial investigator Judge Tarek Bitar.”
Their demonstration caused work in the courtrooms to grind to a halt. The families accuse authorities of “negligence, ignoring and covering up the crime and the catastrophe of the biggest explosion in modern history that afflicted Lebanon and Beirut.”They said that they will call for an international investigation “if stagnation and threats continue, and the case is diluted.”Bitar, 48, has been unable to complete his investigation into the explosion and the part that the actions of politicians and officials might have played in the events that led up to it. The individuals under investigation include a former prime minister, four ministers and a number of deputies, senior security officials and port officials. The work of the judge has been suspended for more than two months. He took over the case in February last year after his predecessor, Judge Fadi Sawan, who was removed from the investigation by the Court of Cassation following complaints by two ministers accused of negligence that resulted in the deaths of innocent people. Since taking over the case, Bitar has been subjected to a smear campaign, intense political pressure and threats inside the Palace of Justice from a Hezbollah official. Suspects in the case, including ministers and representatives, who enjoy parliamentary immunity, have filed dozens of lawsuits calling for Bitar to be removed from the case. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah accused Bitar of “politicizing the investigation and exercising discretion.” The party’s supporters staged protests in October demanding the judge be replaced. Supporters of the Amal Movement joined the demonstrations, which escalated into violent clashes and led to deaths.
During the protests at the Palace of Justice on Monday, families of the victims of the port explosion called on officials to make the necessary judicial appointments to ensure requirements are met for the number of members of the general assembly of the Court of Cassation. The court recently lost its quorum when one of its judges retired, which has hampered efforts to resume the investigation. A delegation representing the protesters reached the office of Judge Suhail Abboud, the president of the Supreme Judicial Council. Members of the delegation said that when asked about restoring the quorum, Abboud told them “any legal measures that can be taken to protect the investigation will be studied.”The protesters carried banners denouncing the “corrupt political authority and state officials who dilute the investigation file, manipulate the law and want to remove Judge Bitar, who is entrusted by all the Lebanese to reveal the facts and punish the criminal perpetrators, from whichever side.”
Another banner read: “No one is immune when 220 are martyred, 6,500 wounded, half of the capital Beirut is destroyed and hundreds of thousands of citizens are displaced.”In a statement, the protesters said: “Enough of wasting time, sometimes by resorting to political immunity and sometimes by accusing Judge Bitar of discretion or politicization in an attempt to remove him and end the investigation. “Today, we affirm that we are behind the judicial investigator more than ever before and we hold the accused criminals responsible for doing nothing but obstruction and evasion of justice.” The relatives expressed anger over the failure of authorities to act on a warrant, issued by Bitar, for the arrest of MP Ali Hassan Khalil, a former finance minister who is political assistant to the head of the Amal Movement, Nabih Berri. They questioned “how this minister was able to hold a press conference a week ago without anyone touching him.” A judicial source told Arab News that Judge Bitar will remain unable to resume his investigation until appointments are made to the Court of Cassation so that it can make a decision to do so, and ruled out the possibility of these appointments taking place before the presidential election in May.

Families of Port Victims Rally outside Justice Palace to Support Bitar
Associated Press/January 17/2022
Dozens of Lebanese, including families of Beirut port explosion victims, rallied Monday outside the Justice Palace in support of Judge Tarek Bitar after he was forced to suspend his work as a lead investigator into the Beirut port blast. Protesters held portraits of their loved ones who died in the explosion. They also held posters of politicians accusing them of protecting the corrupted and of neglect, as they "knew" about the dangerous ammonium nitrate stored at the port but did nothing. Protesters chanted slogans as they burned tires and garbage containers to block the road outside the Justice Palace.
Bitar has been forced to suspend his probe repeatedly over lawsuits filed by officials he had called in for questioning on suspicion of negligence. The lawsuits against Bitar will inevitably delay the presentation of his findings which were previously expected by the year's end. Rights groups and relatives of blast victims say "flagrant political interference, immunity for high-level political officials, and lack of respect for fair trial" have rendered the Beirut blast probe incapable of delivering justice.

President Aoun addresses stifling political and social situation with MP Traboulsi
NNA/January 17/2022
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met MP, Edgard Traboulsi, today at the Presidential Palace. General political affairs and the stifling social conditions were tackled, in addition to the regional developments which have affected the internal situation. MP Traboulsi welcomed the Cabinet re-convening, which will lead to allowing regular work to resume. -- Presidency Press Office

Judge Abboud meets delegation of port blast victims' families
NNA/January 17/2022
Head of the Higher Judicial Council, Judge Souheil Abboud, is currently meeting with a delegation of the families of the Beirut port blast victims, our correspondent reported on Monday.

Berri Says Decision to Return to Cabinet ‘Local’, Stance on Bitar Hasn’t Changed
Naharnet/January 17/2022
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the Shiite Duo has decided to return to Cabinet “after Amal and Hizbullah were blamed for the deterioration of the situation in the country.”Berri told an-Nahar newspaper, in remarks published Monday, that “many” have accused the Shiite Duo of contributing to the worsening of the situation, and that they were “held responsible” for the Lebanese currency collapse. The Lebanese pound had hit a low record of 33,000 for 1 USD to rise again to 24,000 after the Shiite Duo’s statement and a circular by the central bank that allowed banks to unlimitedly buy dollar banknotes in exchange of LBP. Berri said the decision to return to Cabinet was taken “locally” by the Duo, hinting that there were no international pressures behind their move. Passing the 2022 state budget is a prerequisite for launching the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and media had reported a possible international pressure. The Shiite Duo had boycotted Cabinet since October to pressure the government into dismissing lead investigator into Beirut port blast, Judge Tarek Bitar. "Our stand against the investigator into Beirut port blast, Judge Tarek Bitar, hasn’t changed,” Berri said.

U.S. Denies Brokering 'Lebanese-Israeli Gas Deal'
Naharnet/January 17/2022
"Media reports that the United States has brokered an energy deal between Israel and Lebanon are false," the U.S. State Department tweeted. Israeli Channel 12 news had said that the U.S. had brokered an agreement for Israel to indirectly supply natural gas to Lebanon through Jordan and Syria. The report said the agreement was approved by the United States in coordination with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Lebanese Ministry of Energy affirmed, for its part, that the natural gas is Egyptian, denying the media reports as well. The natural gas from Egypt will be used to generate electrical power to the Lebanese who are currently living with only few hours of state electricity a day and are obliged to pay increasing hefty bills to private generator operators, which also depend on diesel fuel. Internet services were disrupted in Lebanon on Sunday because of diesel shortages which pushed head of state-run telecom provider OGERO, Imad Kreidieh, to threaten of resigning. “If I cannot provide internet, it will be better to leave my post,” he said.

Mawlawi Stresses Damage to Greek Plane Didn't Happen in Beirut
Naharnet/January 17/2022
Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi on Monday stressed that the hole that was discovered in a plane belonging to Greece’s Aegean Airlines did not happen in Beirut. “There was a hole under the cockpit. It turned out that it has nothing to do with any terrorist act and is not the result of a bullet. It was caused by a collision with a moving metallic object and it affected the plane prior to its arrival in Beirut,” Mawlawi said at a press conference. “I have two foreign reports that confirm that the hole did not result from a bullet and one of them says that the hole was made during the preparation of the plane and this has become certain. The issue is not related to Beirut airport nor to a security or terrorist act,” the minister added. Aegean Airlines said Saturday it had suspended its flights to and from Lebanon's capital pending an investigation into the causes of damage to the fuselage of one of its aircraft discovered after it landed in Beirut. The damage to the external fuselage of one of its aircraft was identified by ground staff after landing on Monday in Beirut international airport, the airline said. It didn't identify the extent or type of damage and said the suspension of flights was announced the following day after informing authorities in both countries. Reports on social media, which were picked up by Lebanese media, suggested the aircraft may have been hit by flying bullets. Lebanese officials, including the minister of Public Works and Transport, vehemently denied gunfire was the cause of the damage. Beirut airport is in a busy residential area where celebratory gunfire is not uncommon. The Greek airline said restarting flights will be announced in the coming weeks.

Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry deplores attack against UAE
NNA/January 17/2022
Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants on Monday strongly condemned "the attack against the UAE’s Abu Dhabi, which targeted civilian and vital facilities.”In a statement issued in the wake of the ill- fated incident, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry voiced “full solidarity with the brotherly UAE’s people and government in the face of any attack that targets its sovereignty, security, and stability."

U.N.: Lebanon Humanitarian Fund Allocates $6M to Support Vulnerable Populations
Naharnet/January 17/2022
As part of the Emergency Response Plan (ERP), fourteen NGO projects funded under the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF) will start this month providing Child Protection (CP), Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and Education assistance for those most vulnerable populations affected by the ongoing multi-faceted crisis in Lebanon, the U.N. said in a statement. This is the fourth allocation of funding from the LHF in 2021 and has assigned $6 million. The activities are implemented by six national and seven international NGOs and target all vulnerable populations with a focus on outreach to currently unsupported groups among Lebanese, Syrian refugees, Palestine refugees, and migrants. 61 percent of the indicative targeted population will be Lebanese, 32 percent Syrian, 4 percent Migrant, and 3 percent Palestine refugees. “The LHF fulfills a critical role in focusing on those who are most in need of urgent assistance, targeting its support for the most vulnerable. In this allocation, the support will be for children out of education or at risk of dropout, children with disabilities and child survivors of GBV, as well as survivors of GBV and individuals at high risk of exploitation and abuse including those people with disabilities and special needs,” said Najat Rochdi, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon and Custodian of the Fund. As a component of the transparency and accountability of funding provided through the LHF, the Fund maintains a commitment of zero tolerance for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). The end goal is that all LHF partners have in place robust systems in their respective organizations to prevent both the incidence of SEA and when prevention fails, that their systems can effectively respond to the victims. “This funding from LHF comes at a critical time as the dire situation in Lebanon continues to deteriorate and the Emergency Response Plan (ERP) has only received $36.2 million (9.5%) of the total request of $383 million leaving considerable unmet lifesaving activities,” noted Rochdi, adding that “we count on generous donor support to address such vital unmet needs while we will all advocate for a swift and effective implementation of the reform agenda as the only way to end the humanitarian needs and to start a sustainable recovery.”

Miqati Denies Inciting Port Victims Families againt Bitar
Naharnet/January 17/2022 
Prime Minister Najib Miqati denied Monday the presence of a bargain with the families of the port victims, in return for Cabinet meetings' resumption. Miqati's media office negated in a statement that the Prime Minister had coordinated with the families of the victims to file new lawsuits against lead investigator into the case Judge Tarek Bitar. "A newspaper reported today that Miqati had secretly asked some parties to coordinate with the families to file lawsuits against Bitar accusing him of selectivity," the statement said, stressing Miqati's stance on not interfering in the judiciary work. Meanwhile, families of the Beirut port blast victims have blocked the road outside the Justice Palace in Beirut with burning tires. Bitar has been forced to suspend his probe repeatedly over lawsuits filed by officials he had called in for questioning on suspicion of negligence. The lawsuits against Bitar will inevitably delay the presentation of his findings which were previously expected by the year's end. Rights groups and relatives of blast victims say "flagrant political interference, immunity for high-level political officials, and lack of respect for fair trial" have rendered the Beirut blast probe incapable of delivering justice.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 17-18/2022
3 Dead in UAE Suspected Drone Attack, Huthis Announce Campaign
Agence France Presse/January 17/2022
Three people were killed in a suspected drone attack that set off a blast and a fire in Abu Dhabi on Monday, officials said, as Yemen's rebels announced military operations in the United Arab Emirates.
Two Indians and a Pakistani died as three petrol tanks exploded near the storage facility of oil giant ADNOC, while a fire ignited in a construction area at Abu Dhabi airport. Police said "small flying objects" were found at both places, suggesting the sort of deliberate attack that is unheard of in the wealthy UAE, a renowned safe haven in the volatile Middle East. "Preliminary investigations indicate the detection of small flying objects, possibly belonging to drones, that fell in the two areas and may have caused the explosion and fire," police said in a statement, adding that the incidents were under investigation. Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels did not claim the attacks. But the Huthis' military spokesman announced a "military operation" in the UAE, a partner in Yemen's pro-government coalition, in what would be a major escalation in the seven-year war. Yahya Saree tweeted that the rebels' armed forces had said they would "announce an important military operation in the UAE in the coming hours". Drone attacks are a hallmark of the Huthis' assaults on Saudi Arabia, the UAE ally which is leading the coalition fighting for Yemen's government in a grinding civil war. The rebels have previously threatened to target Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the gleaming crown jewels of the UAE which last year opened its first nuclear power plant. The Huthis' latest statement comes two weeks after they seized a UAE-flagged ship, the Rwabee, off the Yemen coast, and released footage purporting to show military equipment on board. The UAE said the Rwabee, whose 11 crew are now hostages, was a "civilian cargo vessel" and called the hijacking a "dangerous escalation" in the busy Red Sea shipping route.The rebels later rejected a UN Security Council demand for the ship's immediate release, saying it was "not carrying... toys for children but weapons for extremists". Yemen's conflict has been a catastrophe for millions of its citizens who have fled their homes, with many on the brink of famine, in what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The UAE joined the coalition against the Huthis before announcing a change of tack in 2019. The pro-government Giants Brigade, backed by the Saudis and UAE, recently delivered a significant blow to the rebels by retaking three districts in Shabwa governorate. The clashes were part of a surge in violence in the shattered country, where the war is being fought on several fronts.

Houthis claim deadly Abu Dhabi fuel truck blast, airport fire
The Arab Weekly/January 17/2022
A drone attack claimed by Iran-backed Houthi rebels may have sparked an explosion that struck fuel trucks in Abu Dhabi in which three people are reported killed and six injured and another fire at an extension of Abu Dhabi International Airport on Monday, according to state news agency WAM. While Abu Dhabi police did not immediately offer any suspects for the possible assault, Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for an attack targeting the United Arab Emirates, without elaborating. The Iranian-backed Houthis have claimed several attacks in the past which were not confirmed by Emirati officials. The attacks come while Yemen's years-long war rages on and as an Emirati-flagged vessel was recently seized by the Houthis. That occurred after Abu Dhabi has largely withdrawn its own forces from the conflict tearing apart the Arab world's poorest nation. Abu Dhabi police said preliminary investigations indicated the detection of small flying objects, possibly drones, which fell in the two areas and may have caused the explosion and fire. They said there was no significant damage from the incidents, without offering further details. Police described the airport fire as minor and said it was at an extension of the international airport which is still under construction. Police said the other blast struck three petroleum road transport tankers near a storage facility for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in the Musaffah area. The neighbourhood, 22 kilometres from the centre of Abu Dhabi city, also has an oil pipeline network and 36 storage tanks, from which transport trucks carry fuel nationwide. On Monday, Houthi military spokesman Yahia Sarei said the group launched an attack deep in the UAE. He did not provide further details, saying a statement would be released soon.
The location of the ADNOC storage facility where the road tankers caught fire is approximately 1,800 kilometres northeast of Saada, the Houthis’ stronghold in Yemen. The UAE was a key member of the Saudi-led coalition that fought the Iranian-backed Houthis after the group overran the capital of Yemen and ousted the internationally-recognised government from power in 2015. But the UAE has since decreased the number of troops it has on the ground. It continues, however, to cooperate closely with the United States in counter-terrorism operations in Yemen. The Houthis have come under pressure in recent weeks and are suffering heavy losses as Yemeni forces have pushed back the rebel group in key southern and central provinces of the country. Yemen’s government-aligned forces, aided by the Giants Brigades and with help from airstrikes by the Arab coalition, reclaimed the entire southern province of Shabwa from the Houthis earlier this month and made advances in nearby Marib province. The incident comes as South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in visits the UAE. During the president’s meeting with Emirati Prime Minister and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Sunday, the two countries reportedly reached a preliminary deal valued at some $3.5 billion for the supply of mid-range South Korean surface-to-air missiles to the UAE. However, according to a Korean presidential official, a planned summit between Moon and Abu Dhabi’s crown prince was cancelled due to an “unforeseen and urgent matter of state”.The Houthis have used bomb-laden drones to launch crude and imprecise attacks aimed at Saudi Arabia and the UAE over the course of the war. The group has also launched missiles at Saudi airports, oil facilities and pipelines, as well as used booby-trapped boats for attacks in key shipping routes.

UAE: 'Attack will not go unpunished,' 3 killed in Abu Dhabi drone attack
Abu Dhabi targeted by drones, three fuel tankers and a storage facility damaged • Saudi-led coalition blocks drone attack in Saudi Arabia
Jerusalem Post/Reuters/January 17/2022
Three people were killed and six were injured in a drone attack on the United Arab Emirates that occurred Monday morning and that Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement claimed responsibility for.
Shortly after the attack in the UAE, the Saudi-led coalition claimed that it had managed to down eight drones launched in the direction of Saudi Arabia.
Three fuel tankers exploded in Abu Dhabi's Musaffah industrial area near storage facilities of oil firm ADNOC and a fire broke out at a storage facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Flights were temporarily suspended.
Drones were spotted in the area prior to the explosion. "Initial investigations found parts of a small plane that could possibly be a drone at both sites that could have caused the explosion and the fire," the police said in a statement on state news agency WAM.
Of those killed in the drone attack, one was Pakistani and two were Indian. They were killed in the explosion of the tanker trucks. Meanwhile, those injured are lightly to moderately injured, according to local media, citing Abu Dhabi police.Bahrain and Saudi Arabia condemned the attack, calling it a "cowardly, terrorist" attack, while Iran's Tasnim News Agency described it as an "important operation, according to Reuters."Police are currently investigating the two incidents. The military spokesperson for the Houthi movement said that the group had launched a military attack on the UAE.
"In response to the escalation of the US-Saudi-Emirati aggression, we carried out, with the help of God Almighty, a qualitative and successful military operation," read the Houthi statement. "'Operation Hurricane Yemen' targeted Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports, the Musaffah oil refinery in Abu Dhabi and a number of important and sensitive Emirati sites and facilities. The successful operation was carried out with five ballistic and winged missiles and a large number of drones. Operation Hurricane Yemen has successfully achieved its goals."Few such attacks in the UAE have been claimed by the Houthis in the past, and they have been – for the most part – denied by Emirati officials. The attack occurred amid tensions between the Houthis and a military coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and backed by the UAE. The UAE has great influence on the Yemeni forces it armed and trained prior to scaling down its military presence in the region in 2019. The Houthis have repeatedly launched cross-border missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and have in the past threatened to attack the UAE. The Gulf country is planning to ask the United States to re-designate the Houthi movement as a terrorist organization following the Monday attack, as well as the capture of an Emirati ship off the coast of Yemen several weeks ago, Bloomberg cited an unnamed source with knowledge of the matter as saying. The US removed the organization from its list last year amid efforts by President Joe Biden's administration to pressure Saudi Arabia to end the war in Yemen. The source added that the UAE wants to apply additional pressure via the United Nations Security Council. The country said it "reserves the right to respond to these terrorist attacks and criminal escalation," adding that the attack "will not go unpunished," according to Al Jazeera.
*Reuters contributed to this repor

UAE foreign minister says Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi ‘will not go unpunished’
Tuqa Khalid, Al Arabiya English/17 January ,2022
The UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed condemned Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis’ attack on Abu Dhabi civilian targets which killed three people and wounded six others and vowed that it “will not go unpunished.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said: “The UAE reserves the right to respond to those terrorist attacks and sinister criminal escalation,” describing those attacks as a “heinous crime” committed by the Houthi militia in violation of international and humanitarian laws. The ministry added: “This terrorist militia continues its crimes unchecked in an effort to spread terrorism and chaos in the region to achieve its illegal aims and objectives.” The UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi was rocked on Monday with a fire that broke out and resulted in the explosion of three petroleum tankers, killing three people and wounding six others, police said. There was also a “minor” fire that broke out in the area of the new construction site of Abu Dhabi International Airport, which was quickly contained. “Preliminary investigations indicated that small flying objects were detected, possibly drones, that fell in the two areas, which may have caused the explosion and fire,” police said, adding that investigations were still underway. Abu Dhabi police said preliminary data indicated that two drones were suspected to be the cause of the two fires, and that investigations were ongoing. Yemen’s Houthi militia claimed responsibility for the attack saying it conducted an operation “deep in the UAE”.

After wrestler's execution, Iran sentences boxing champion to death
The Arab Weekly/January 17/2022
Iran has sentenced to death a local boxing champion over his role in 2019 protests, activists said, fearing that another athlete risks execution after a wrestler was put to death. The death sentence issued against Mohammad Javad Vafaei-Sani comes just over a year after the execution of wrestling champion Navid Afkari in September 2020, which prompted an international outcry and calls for Iran to be barred from sporting events. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) NGO said that Vafaei-Sani, 26, was sentenced to death after being convicted of arson and destruction of government buildings.
He had been detained in February 2020 and one of the charges against him was taking part in protests in November 2019 sparked by a sudden fuel price rise, it said. His lawyer Babak Paknia confirmed the verdict on Twitter and announced plans to appeal to the supreme court. IHR described Vafaei-Sani as a "champion" boxer in the eastern city of Mashhad where he was currently being held. Social media users urged the authorities to spare his life, with the hashtag #SaveMohammadJavad trending on Twitter. The exiled National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the political wing of the People's Mujahedin (MEK) opposition group, both outlawed in Iran, said in a statement that the charges against him included supporting the MEK. It described him as a junior boxing champion. Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old wrestler who had won national competitions, was hanged in September 2020 in the southern city of Shiraz after being convicted of committing murder during protests that rocked the city two years before. He had complained of being tortured into confessing, with methods that included beating and having alcohol squirted up his nose. His brothers Habib and Vahid meanwhile remain in jail in solitary confinement, according to activists. The United for Navid group of his supporters has called on USA Wrestling to cancel a planned invitation next month for Iranian wrestlers to take part in a friendly match. Iran executes more people annually than any nation other than China and activists have voiced concern that the numbers hanged appeared to have increased again in 2021 after a recent downward trend.

Niece of Iran's supreme leader imprisoned in Tehran - report/It is unclear what the niece of Iran's supreme leader is being charged with.
Jerusalem Post/Reuters/January 17/2022
Farideh Moradkhani, the niece of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was arrested in Tehran on Thursday and transferred to Evin Prison, where many political prisoners are held, according to reports published over the weekend.
Moradkhani's brother, Mahmoud, who lives in France, confirmed the arrest to Iran International. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA), there is no information available as of yet concerning the reasons for the arrest or any charges brought against Moradkhani.
Iranian intelligence agents arrested Moradkhani on her way home and confiscated belongings from her residence, according to HRANA. Political prisoners in Evin Prison are often brutally tortured by Iran. In August, a hacker group called "Adalat Ali" published security camera footage they claim shows the inside of the prison, including footage of prisoners being abused. According to Radio Farda, Moradkhani is known for her activism against the death penalty and for civil freedoms in Iran. According to the Telegraph, one probable cause for the arrest of Khamenei's niece is a statement of support she made in October for the Pahlavi family who ruled over Iran until they were ousted by the Islamic Revolution in 1979. “We wanted to offer you a birthday present but thought the best present would be our hearts to welcome you back to our country. Since your departure the flowers of our nation have weathered, and our young generation have lived in despair,” said Moradkhani during an online event with former queen Farah Diba, the widow of the last Shah, according to the Telegraph. Moradkhani is the daughter of Badri Khamenei and Sheikh Ali Tehrani, opponents of both the Shah and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Revolution. Badri and her children fled Iran to Iraq in 1985, with Badri telling reporters at the time that she and her husband had "struggled against the shah’s regime. All Iranian women who had struggled against the shah regime are now against Khomeini. . . . I am disappointed with political struggle, so I have decided to abandon political activity," according to the Los Angeles Times. In a 1985 interview with the Sunday Times of London, Badri stated that "Khomeini is spreading the word of God by force. They execute thousands in the name of Islam, but this is against our religion."
Tehrani and Badri later returned to Iran and Tehrani was imprisoned for ten years.

Quds Force commander visits Iraq as pro-Iran parties risk being sidelined
The Arab Weekly/January 17/2022
Esmail Qaani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), arrived Sunday in Najaf, 180 kilometres to the south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Qaani held a series of meetings with different Iraqi political forces to converge views on the next cabinet lineup. "These meetings aim to unify the Shia house after the recent row between the Coordination Framework and the Sadrist movement," the source said. Qaani is also expected to meet the leader of the Sadrist movement, powerful populist Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, according to the same source. Iraq might for the first time in years get a government that excludes Iran-backed parties if Sadr, who dominated the recent election, keeps his word, say Iraqi politicians, government officials and independent analysts. However, they add that moves by Sadr to sideline rivals long backed by Tehran risks the ire of their heavily-armed militias which make up some of the most powerful and most anti-American military forces in Iraq. The surest sign of Sadr’s new parliamentary power and his willingness to ignore groups loyal to Iran came on January 9 when his Sadrist Movement, together with a Sunni parliament alliance and Western-leaning Kurds, re-elected with a solid majority, a parliamentary speaker opposed by the Iran-aligned camp. Parliament must in the coming weeks choose the country’s president, who will call on the largest parliamentary alliance to form a government, a process that will be dominated by the Sadrist Movement with whomever it chooses to work. “We are on track to form a national majority government,” Sadr said in a statement earlier last week, using a term that officials say is a euphemism for a government made up of Sadrists, Sunnis and Kurds but no Iran-backed parties. Sadr’s MPs, buoyed by their easy victory in parliament last week, echoed their leader’s confidence. Iraqi politicians and analysts say the rise of Sadr and political decline of the Iranian camp, long hostile to the United States, suits Washington and its allies in the region, despite Sadr’s unpredictability. But excluding the Iran camp from the government risks a violent backlash. There have been in recent days attacks on political parties allied with Sadr causing two injuries and material damage to building in Baghdad. They have also challenged the election of the parliament speaker in the Federal Supreme Court. Qaani’s series of meetings with Iraqi political forces come within this context and as Iran struggles to maintain its political influence, experts say. According to Iranian media, Qaani visited the grave of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a commander in the pro-Iranian Popular Mobilisation Forces, as well as other graves in the city of Najaf. The Quds Force commander also paid a visit to the Mausoleum of Imam Ali. Muhandis was killed in 2020 in the US drone strike which targeted then IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad. The Qaani's visit comes after a string of rocket and drone attacks targeting US advisers in Iraq and Syria in early January. At least some of the attacks were blamed on pro-Iran militias.

Israel could sign deal to buy three submarines from Germany - reports
Jerusalem Post/Reuters/January 17/2022
They are the subject of the "Submarine Affair", or Case 3000, about which the government might open a state commission of inquiry.
A deal to buy three submarines from Germany that is the subject of a possible state commission of inquiry could be signed in the coming week.
According to a report by Walla News, the ministerial committee that oversees defense procurement met on Sunday to discuss the deal for three Dolphin-class submarines that had initially been approved by Berlin in 2017. The committee discussed the agreement as well as the budget regarding their purchase, the report said. The cost of the submarines is estimated to be €1.5 billion, a third of the cost being funded by the German government. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman, Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid were on the committee. On Friday, the offices of Lapid and Gantz announced that the government would vote on Sunday for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the so-called “submarine affair,” or Case 3000.But it was delayed, according to reports in Haaretz, due to the government’s ongoing negotiations to sign the agreement with Germany for the sale. The submarine affair is an ongoing scandal involving the multibillion-dollar submarine deal with Germany’s ThyssenKrupp AG conglomerate over several years in which the political class has made accusations against former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials, including former navy officers. According to reports, the committee’s work will also focus on the procurement of the three new submarines and Netanyahu’s demand for the purchase of a fourth . Israel currently has three Dolphin-class submarines and two Dolphin 2-class submarines. They are said to remain operational for approximately 30 years, making them obsolete in 10 years. While most details about Israel’s submarine fleet are under heavy guard and rarely publicized, the Israel-bound subs in question are said to have 16 multipurpose torpedo tubes that can fire torpedoes and even swimmer-delivery systems. According to foreign reports, these submarines provide Israel with nuclear second-strike capabilities, carrying long-range cruise missiles with nuclear warheads. The subs, which would not reach Israel’s coast for another decade, are expected to replace the older submarines. The Israel Navy announced in 2018 that the new submarines would be called “Dakar” in honor of the submarine that mysteriously disappeared as it sailed from the United Kingdom to Israel in 1968 with 69 crew members onboard. The last location of the INS Dakar, which was on a four-week journey under the command of Maj. Yaakov Ra’anan, was on January 24, 1968, at 6 a.m. around 30 miles southeast of the island of Crete. Israeli ships and aircraft were deployed to search for the vessel along with the help of British, US, Greek, Turkish and Lebanese vessels. Israel was forced to call off the search 10 days later, on February 4. The sub was not found until 1999, at a depth of 3,000 meters (approximately 1.9 miles) between Cyprus and Crete.

Iranian Diplomats Arrive in Saudi Arabia for Fist Time Since 2016
Associated Press/January 17/2022
Three Iranian diplomats have arrived in Saudi Arabia to represent Tehran in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, state TV reported Monday. The report said the diplomats arrived several days ago, marking the first time that Saudi Arabia is receiving diplomats from Iran since 2016. That's when Saudi Arabia severed relations with the Islamic Republic after Iranian hardliners attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. The development reflects the potential for improving ties and a possible exchange of diplomats between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Jeddah is the permanent venue of the 57-member organization.
Saeed Khatibzadeh, the spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, told reporters that Iran is focusing for now on reopening its offices in OIC with three diplomats. Iran has long said it's ready to reopen its embassy in Riyadh. In recent months, neighboring Iraq has hosted talks between the two Arab nations aimed at normalizing ties. The regional rivals have taken sides with opposite parties across the Middle East, including in war-stricken Yemen and Syria. Saudi Arabia is also concerned about Iran's nuclear and ballistic missiles programs. Iran says the nuclear program has peaceful purposes and its missile program is merely defensive.

Palestinian shot dead by Israeli troops in occupied West Bank
Reuters/January 17/2022
HEBRON: A Palestinian tried to stab an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank on Monday and was shot dead by him, the army said. In a separate incident, the Palestinian Health Ministry said an elderly Palestinian died of injuries received nearly two weeks ago when he was hit by a vehicle in Israeli police service. Violence has simmered in the West Bank, among territories Palestinians seek for a state, since US-backed peace talks with Israel stalled in 2014. Video circulated on social media, and apparently taken by a motorist, showed a man lying on the road at the Gush Etzion junction in the West Bank, knife in hand, as three soldiers approached with rifles trained on him. A military spokesman said a man had emerged from a car and tried to stab a soldier, who shot him dead, and that the vehicle had fled the scene. Another Israeli military official identified the dead man as a Palestinian from an outlying village. In the nearby city of Hebron, the Health Ministry announced the death of 75-year-old Suleiman Al-Hathalin, a veteran protester against Israel’s West Bank settlements. He had been standing in front of a tow truck that had been sent to his village of Um El-Kheir to confiscate unlicensed cars on Jan 5, a relative, Hazem Al-Hathalin, said. He said that Suleiman Al-Hathalin was struck deliberately by the truck, which “ran him over with its front and back wheels” before driving away. Israeli police spokespersons did not immediately comment. In a statement quoted by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper on Jan. 14, police said Palestinians had thrown stones at the truck and police forces that had accompanied it, making it impossible for them to stop and help a man who had climbed on the vehicle and fallen. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said on Facebook that he “died defending his village.”Villagers said vehicles which police had sought to tow away were bought from Israelis at low cost after they failed to pass annual roadworthiness inspections in Israel.

Trailblazing Arab Lawmaker Shakes Up Israeli Politics
Associated Press/January 17/2022
Mansour Abbas broke a longstanding taboo when he led his Arab party into Israel's governing coalition last year. The bold move appears to be paying dividends.Abbas, a once obscure politician, is the linchpin of the shaky union, securing hefty budgets and favorable policies for his constituents and even winning an audience with the king of Jordan. "We are equal partners the whole way, part of the coalition, for the first time in the state of Israel," Abbas recently told the Israeli news site Ynet. "We are compromising to solve the Arab society's problems." Abbas' pragmatic approach has secured funding for housing, electricity and crime-fighting in Israel's traditionally neglected Arab sector. He also has not been afraid to confront his partners to get what he needs. But he also is being forced to perform a delicate balancing act between the desires of his Arab voters and his Jewish coalition partners. His every move is being watched by his constituents, whose stake in the country's democracy could falter if he fails to bring long-term changes. "The fact that Arabs are sitting around the table in government is no small matter," said Nasreen Haddad Haj-Yahya, director of the Arab Society in Israel program at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank. "The question is will this political power translate to actions that citizens feel in their day-to-day lives?" Abbas made history last June when his small Islamist party became the first Arab faction to join an Israeli coalition. Through Israel's 73-year history, Arab parties have remained in the opposition, slamming the government and wanting no part in policies against their Palestinian brethren in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Their Jewish counterparts have often viewed them as potential security threats and enemies from within.
Palestinian citizens of Israel make up a fifth of Israel's 9.4 million people. While many are integrated into Israeli society, the community is generally poorer and less educated than Jews and has long faced discrimination and questions about its loyalty. Arab voter turnout has typically been lower than Jews and reached a nadir in elections last year.The coalition, made up of 61 lawmakers out of Israel's 120-seat Knesset, now relies on Abbas' four party members to pass legislation, approve a budget and keep the government afloat.
Abbas, 47, heads the Ra'am party, a moderate conservative Islamist party with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Ra'am's constituents are predominantly Bedouin Arabs, who are among the country's poorest citizens.
A dentist by education, Abbas has led Ra'am in the Knesset since 2019, taking on membership in various parliamentary committees but hardly registering in mainstream Israeli politics. As Israel descended into a protracted political logjam, with four elections in the span of two years, Abbas emerged as the antidote to the chaos. Ahead of elections in March 2021, Abbas broke Ra'am off from a union of Arab parties and hinted the faction would sit in a coalition under the right terms, no matter who was leading it.
Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held unprecedented talks with Abbas on joining forces, reportedly promising him a list of policies that would deal with rampant crime and housing issues in the Arab community. But Netanyahu's ultra-nationalist allies opposed cooperation with Abbas and the talks collapsed. When legislator Yair Lapid was then asked to form a government, he picked up where Netanyahu left off and Ra'am became a key member of the current coalition. Made up of eight parties that run the gamut from nationalist factions to dovish parties that support Palestinian statehood, the unwieldy coalition headed by former West Bank settler leader Naftali Bennett promised to put divisive issues aside. It has focused instead on subjects that wouldn't rattle the coalition's stability, including the pandemic and the economy.
The Palestinian issue, traditionally of central importance to Arab parties, has been largely ignored.
Abbas has insisted he is not ignoring long-standing Palestinian aspirations for statehood in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Family ties bind the Palestinian citizens of Israel and those living in the occupied lands.
Abbas told a podcast after the coalition was formed, "Ra'am wants to focus on the pressing issues in Arab society." His office declined interview requests.
Ra'am has pushed ahead with its priorities from inside the coalition. It secured an unprecedented multibillion-dollar budget for the Arab community, aiming to improve living conditions and minimize record-breaking crime rates. At Ra'am's behest, the government has moved to authorize some unrecognized Bedouin villages in the southern Negev desert and connect thousands of illegally built homes to electricity.
"Governments of Israel over time neglected the Negev and didn't deal with the root problems," said Faiz Abu Sahiban, the mayor of the Bedouin city of Rahat and an Abbas supporter. "It's the first time the state of Israel is hearing from the Bedouin." The diverse opinions have inevitably clashed. Last week, Abbas threatened to withhold his party's votes in the parliament in protest against tree planting on land claimed by Bedouin in the Negev, a crisis that led to the forestry project being suspended. Ra'am has also pushed back on efforts by nationalist coalition elements to extend a law that prevents Palestinians who marry Israeli citizens from obtaining residency rights.
Abbas is repeatedly labeled a terrorist sympathizer by opposition ultra-nationalist lawmakers. A social conservative, he also opposes pro-LGBT legislation in a coalition with an openly gay minister.
He has also faced criticism from Palestinian citizens of Israel. Recently, he caused an uproar in the Arab public when he recognized Israel as a Jewish state at a business conference. Right-wing Israeli leaders have repeatedly called on Palestinians to recognize Israel's Jewish character, and the predominantly Jewish audience erupted in applause to the remarks. But Arab critics, including the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank, accused Abbas of forsaking the Palestinian cause. "They (Ra'am) bear responsibility for everything this government decides, including budgets for West Bank settlements," veteran Arab lawmaker Ahmad Tibi said last month. Still, Abbas' entry into the coalition followed years of Arab public opinion in favor of greater Arab participation in decision-making. His failures and achievements could help determine future Arab political engagement. "If the Arab public sees that what Mansour Abbas did is effective and brought a change, I have no doubt that voter turnout will increase dramatically," said Mohammad Magadli, a political analyst with the Arabic language Nas Radio and Israeli Channel 12 TV. "It would mean that Israel would become a real democracy."

Algeria bets on Arab summit to shore up regional standing, credibility at home
The Arab Weekly/January 17/2022
Algeria has intensified its diplomatic contacts in the Arab world, seeking to persuade the region’s leaders to attend the Arab League summit, scheduled for March, in the hope this will shore up the North African country’s diplomatic standing in the region and credibility at home, experts say.
Analysts say Algeria wants to reach an early agreement with its fellow Arab states on the summit’s agenda so as to overcome the differences that could hinder joint Arab action. This is the more so in light of the worsening crisis between Algeria and Morocco and the Arab Gulf states’ backed Rabat’s approach to solving the Western Sahara crisis. Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra is currently shuttling between Arab capitals, to persuade the region’s leaders to attend the League gathering. Lamamra has visited a number of capitals, including Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Cairo to present Algeria’s views on ways of overcoming inter-Arab differences and reaching agreement on key issues, such as the Palestinian question and the return of Syria to the League.
Analysts say Algeria is seeking to ensure the success of the meeting, in the face of its rising tensions with Rabat and its attempts at home to silence criticism of its perceived failure to adequately manage its regional and international interests, especially after Gulf states announced their support for the Moroccan approach to solving the Western Sahara problem. Algeria seems to be relying a great deal on the Egypt’s diplomatic help to ensure the success of the upcoming summit and particularly make sure there is a high turnout of Arab League members. A less than satisfactory attendance, as winessed during the last Arab summit, hosted by Mauritania, would damage the country’s diplomatic reputation and embarrass its leadership, analysts say.
A number of contentious issues continues to stand in the way of a smooth pre-summit preparations. If reactions in Arab capitals give the impression there is generally no objection to Syria’s return to the Arab League, there is no consensus yet on other issues, such as the Arab-Israeli normalisation process and the bilateral dispute between Algeria and Rabat. While Algeria would like to position itself as the leader of the anti-normalisation camp, the number of Arab countries willing to establish normal relations with the Jewish state seems to be expanding. Recent reports talk of ongoing Israeli-Libyan contacts in preparation for an announcement of normalisation between the two countries. On Sunday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met his Algerian counterpart Lamamra in Cairo, according to a Facebook post by the Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs. This stated that “Minister Shoukry is currently receiving Minister Lamamra to discuss ways to enhance prospects of bilateral cooperation within the framework of relations between the two brotherly countries, as well as examine Arab and regional issues of common interest.” Lamamra also had talks with the UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi. State-run WAM reported “The two sides discussed the situation in the region and a number of issues of common concern in addition to regional and international developments” as well as the global repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic. Algeria is trying to overcome the recent deterioration in its relations with the Arab Gulf states after the GCC’s position on the Western Sahara conflict. It is intensifying diplomatic attempts to persuade Arab Gulf leaders to attend the Algiers’ summit and to revive the Arab initiative aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, its efforts are at variance with its previous rejection of all Arab mediation, especially from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, in its row with Morocco. According to diplomatic sources, Algeria is said to have told Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, during his recent visit to Algeria, that it has made the return of normal relations with Morocco conditional on the termination of agreements concluded between Rabat and Tel Aviv. The same sources say it is likely Algeria sent messages to Israel, the content of which has not been disclosed, through Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas when he last visited Algeria and likewise through Egypt, when the army chief of staff, General Said Shangriha, was in Cairo during the past few weeks. Algeria has embarked on a Palestinian reconciliation drive by meeting separately with the various Palestinian factions, attempting to mediate between them. A delegation from the Palestinian Fatah movement arrived in Algeria, on Saturday, at the invitation of the Algerian presidency. A Palestinian diplomatic source said that “the delegation of the Fatah movement is headed by the member of the Executive Committee and the Central Committee of the PLO, Azzam al-Ahmad.”The source pointed out that the delegation will begin talks with Algerian officials to discuss ways to ensure the success of the national dialogue and complete the process of Palestinian reconciliation. Hamas also announced that the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, “received from the Algerian ambassador in Qatar an invitation from the Algerian state to dispatch a delegation representing the movement’s leadership to Algeria.”

Turkey's Kavala trial resumes as European Council deadline looms
The Arab Weekly/January 17/2022
The trial of prominent Turkish civil rights figures Osman Kavala resumed Monday, the 1539th day of his pre-trial detention, without his participation. The hearing is taking place as a January 19 Council of Europe deadline that could trigger infringement procedures looms. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2019 that Kavala’s rights had been violated and ordered his release. But Turkey has repeatedly refused to do so, most recently in a hearing in late December. Philanthropist Kavala, who is in Silivri prison on the outskirts of Istanbul, said in October he would no longer attend the court via videoconference because he no longer had faith that he will receive a free trial. Kavala, 64, is accused of financing nationwide anti-government protests in 2013 and helping orchestrate a coup attempt three years later. He denies the charges, which carry a life sentence without parole. He was acquitted in February 2020 of charges in connection with the 2013 Gezi Park protests. As supporters awaited his release, Kavala was re-arrested on new charges. The acquittal was later overturned and linked to charges relating to the 2016 coup attempt. That trial is now part of a merged case involving 51 other defendants, including fans of the Besiktas soccer club who were acquitted six years ago of charges related to the Gezi protests before that decision was also overturned. Taksim Solidarity, a group defending the small Gezi Park in central Istanbul, said ahead of the hearing the peaceful 2013 protests based on constitutional rights and demanding democracy, could not be tarnished through the judiciary. Recently, Kavala's case also caused a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and ten Western countries, including the United States, France and Germany, after they called for his release. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan openly disdains Kavala, accusing him of being the “Turkish leg” of billionaire US philanthropist George Soros, whom Erdogan alleges has been behind insurrections in many countries. He threatened to kick out Western envoys in October for meddling in Turkey's internal affairs. The European Court of Human Rights’ 2019 decision said Kavala's imprisonment aimed to silence him and other human rights defenders and was not supported by evidence of an offence. The Council of Europe, a 47-member bloc that upholds human rights, notified Turkey in December that it intended to refer the case to the court to determine whether Turkey refused to abide by final judgments, which are binding. It called on Turkey to release Kavala immediately and conclude the criminal procedures without delay. It asked Turkey to submit its views by January 19.

UN official: Libya elections could be rescheduled for June
Reuters/January 17/2022
CAIRO: A senior US official said she is pushing for Libya to hold elections by June after the county missed a December deadline to elect its first president since the 2011 ouster and killing of longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Stephanie Williams, the UN’s special adviser on Libya, said that it is still “very reasonable and possible” for the country’s 2.8 million voters to cast their ballots by June in line with the UN-brokered 2020 roadmap. Libya failed to hold its first-ever presidential elections on Dec. 24 as scheduled, a major blow to international efforts to end a decade-long chaos in the oil-rich Mediterranean nation. Williams, who led UN efforts to end the latest bout of violence in Libya in 2020, said elections are needed in the country to give credence to the country’s institutions. “All the institutions are suffering a crisis of legitimacy,” she said. “I don’t see any other exit for Libya other than a peaceful political process.” The country plunged into turmoil after the NATO-backed 2011 uprising and split into rival governments — one in the east, backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar, and another UN-supported administration in the capital of Tripoli, in the west. Each side is supported by a variety of militias and foreign powers. Mediated by the UN, an October 2020 ceasefire led to the formation of a transitional government and scheduled elections for Dec. 24. But the vote faced steep challenges that eventually forced its postponement.
Williams urged lawmakers, who are convening Monday in the eastern city of Tobruk, to agree on a “clear, time-bound process with a clear horizon and to not create an open-ended process.” “They have to shoulder a great responsibility right now to respect the will of the Libyans who registered to vote,” she said.
“Libyans want an end to this long period of transition that the country has experienced since the events of 2011.” The missed election deadline came after bitter disputes over the laws governing the electoral process. Outbreaks of fighting among armed factions and the presence of thousands of foreign fighters and troops in the North African country also fed mistrust between the rival groups. Controversial figures declaring runs for the presidency have further polarized the political scene in recent months. Among them are Hifter, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and Seif Al-Islam Qaddafi, the ousted dictator’s son and one-time heir apparent. Opponents of Hifter and Gadhafi have said they will never accept an election victory by them. The country’s election commission didn’t name a final list of candidates for the presidential and parliamentary elections. Imad Al-Sayeh, head the commission, told the parliament Monday that militias threatened to stop the electoral process if a final list was announced. Al-Sayeh said the commission needs between six and eight months to prepare for elections, given the uphill challenges that led to the postponement of Dec. 24 vote. Williams said lawmakers and leaders in Tripoli should work out the disputes over the elections rules. She did not see the departure of foreign mercenaries as a “prerequisite for the elections,” saying that holding the cease-fire is the priority. “There have been mercenaries in Libya since 1970s,” she said, adding later, “I don’t believe that that is a card that is necessary to play at this time.”Williams also said all factions should accept the results no matter who wins. “The way to solve this is (allowing) the Libyan voters go to the ballot box and make their own choice,” she said. “Results need to be respected.”The vote’s delay also threatens to open a power vacuum. Lawmakers have argued that the mandate of Dbeibah’s government ended on Dec. 24. Aguila Saleh, the influential speaker of parliament, said Monday that the transitional government “should be restructured.”The UN adviser called on the parliament to focus on delivering the vote rather than appointing a new transitional administration. “What Libyans have clearly said is that they want to go to the ballot box and choose their government, a democratically government representing the entire Libya,” she said.

The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 17-18/2022
Egypt: Weak Walls and Friendly Façades
Raymond Ibrahim/Coptic Solidarity/January 17/2022
While “January 6” has, since 2021, been deemed a significant date for America—in the context of the Capitol riot, which is of far more significance to some than others—that date has long been important for millions of Orthodox Christians around the world, as it is the date of “Christmas Eve” (per the older Julian calendar), which is celebrated in church.
During this last January 6, 2022, two things happened that well capture the place of Christianity (Coptic Orthodoxy) in Egypt, one of the first nations to embrace and champion the faith (until the seventh century Islamic conquest, when it went on to become a minority and persecuted faith).
First, during the Nativity Mass conducted by Coptic Pope Tawadros II inside one of Egypt’s largest cathedrals in Cairo this last January 6, President al-Sisi arrived to congratulate the Christians of his nation and speak of Egyptian “solidarity,” irrespective of religion.
Al-Sisi is famous for engaging in this sort of gesture and rhetoric, which the Copts tend to appreciate. After all, the last time an Egyptian president behaved in the same manner—entering and congratulating the Christians on Christmas Eve inside their cathedral—was 1954 (President Muhammad Naguib). Moreover, every year Islamic preachers in Egypt call on Muslims not to acknowledge the “infidel” holiday of Christmas (as this woman did this year).
Even so, while al-Sisi’s gesture was largely appreciated, some Copts found it somewhat misplaced and distasteful. Their position is well captured by the views of Coptic researcher Dioscorus Boles:
Last night, I watched, like millions of Copts from across the world, the Liturgy of Holy Nativity that was broadcast from the Cathedral of the Holy Nativity of Christ … which was officiated by Pope Tawadros II. And how embarrassing it was!
The church was full with Egypt’s political and military personnel, occupying the front seats, and in the back Muslims, men and woman, who were supporters of Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, Egypt’s President, all raising his pictures and banners hailing the secular ruler. Chaos reigned, with all chatting to each other, speaking on their mobiles, laughing and waiving at the cameras. Then the prayers got stopped by the appearance of President al-Sisi; Pope Tawadros II going out to receive him, and then the President and the Pope, followed by the bishops of the Church, go in, and everything was interrupted by al-Sisi delivering a speech in which he congratulated the Copts and emphasised the unity of Egypt’s two religions. Security forces filled the space and camera men roamed here and there each keen about registering the still photographs of every move of the President and his men. Then Pope Tawadros II read from script mentioning and thanking all who congratulated or visited him on the occasion from Egypt regime’s political and military echelon.
It was more like a political festival than a solemn religious one, celebrating the birth of the incarnated Son of God for the salvation of mankind from its sins.
In a word: the service lost its dignity, and was not more about Christ but about al-Sisi …
To be sure, many Copts feel the same way, while others insist that such concessions are a necessary evil, that the Copts, beginning with their pope, have little choice but to play the role of grateful and accommodating dhimmi, lest they risk offending their Muslim overlords, particularly one seen as sympathetic.
Be that as it may. The dichotomy I personally found interesting was much more subtle and unremarked upon and has to do with something else that occurred on Orthodox Christmas Eve, January 6, 2022. Even as the pope and president were publicly exchanging vows of good will, the walls of an ancient Coptic monastery, founded in 442 AD, came crumbling down—and continued crumbling into Orthodox Christmas Day itself, January 7 (video here)—due to governmental negligence concerning those Egyptian antiquities that just so happen to be distinctly Christian. The monastery’s abbot had repeatedly submitted requests to repair their dilapidated and ancient walls, but the Antiquities Department has yet to issue a permit. Even after the collapses of January 6-7, a “committee” did make a perfunctory appearance and submitted a report to Antiquities—though still no permit has been forthcoming.
One can, of course, mention any number of other, more urgent problems that the Copts suffer—from the continued dearth of and strong restrictions on building churches, to the abduction and forced conversion of Coptic girls, not to mention the continued exclusion of Copts from all high profile state posts—but the quiet collapse of the walls of an ancient Christian monastery is in many ways more emblematic of the slow and silent suffocation that lurks behind the walls of religious discrimination—or rather façade of religious solidarity.

Party well and truly over for Britain’s worst prime minister
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/January 17, 2022
Boris Johnson has always had a fundamentally problematic relationship with the truth. Lies, cheating and obfuscation ooze from him like water, so it was always predictable that he would ultimately face being brought down by a lie that was too flagrant even for him to get away with.
The “Partygate” saga has been British politics at its most unedifying, with Boris at each juncture blurting out whatever untruths he thought he could get away with about why he and his staff were holding boozy parties — including one notorious alcohol-soaked event on the eve of Queen Elizabeth’s lonely funeral for her husband — while other people’s elderly relatives were forced to die alone because of COVID-19 regulations. This labyrinthine web of deceit and dissembling included the prime minister’s excruciating appearance in the House of Commons last week to offer an apology that wasn’t an apology for his attendance at a party that he hadn’t realized was a party – at his own home!
Johnson’s skeleton-littered path to Downing Street took shape after he stabbed Prime Minister David Cameron in the back by spearheading the 2016 Brexit campaign, which must go down in history as the largest barrage of lies ever fired at the British public: Brexit would be quick, painless and glorious, and would usher in an era of prosperity, sovereignty and hope for the UK. If only!
In 2019, Johnson elbowed his predecessor Theresa May out with his pledge to “Get Brexit done,” acting in tandem with Machiavellian political knife-fighter Dominic Cummings — who, since his dismissal in 2020, has reserved his sharpest knives for Boris) Their “vision” turned out to be the most brutal of all possible Brexits, with consequences that have been ruinous for British farmers, fishermen, food producers and domestic industry. British dairy and meat products took a 30-40 percent hit in early 2021, with a new swath of regulations and bureaucracy to be introduced at the beginning of 2022 likely to be even more devastating for businesses exporting to the EU, previously the destination for over 60 percent of British food exports. Disingenuous dealing by Boris’s officials over Northern Ireland has exacerbated sectarian tensions that ultimately threaten to tear the UK apart.
For all his sloganeering about “global Britain,” foreign policy under Johnson came straight from the Trump playbook: Steadfast non-engagement with international challenges, in tandem with ever-harsher measures to shut out millions of refugees, resulting from the international community’s abandonment of its conflict resolution role and failure to police international law in the face of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Johnson lied that folding the Department for International Development into the Foreign Office would not affect Britain’s aid commitments — and promptly slashed development aid by upwards of 60 percent to some of the poorest states in the world, leaving countless numbers to starve. During his own 2016-18 tenure as foreign secretary, Johnson proved wholly disinterested in foreign affairs, while plotting his next promotion.
By calculatedly disassociating Britain’s foreign policy and human rights architecture from that of the EU, British diplomacy has become a bad joke. Instead of taking united stands on principled issues as part of a community of nations, Britain is left to grandstand alone — which often means that UK positions on human rights play second fiddle to craven efforts to seek trade deals. Even when Britain gets it right, it becomes highly vulnerable to pressure, such as a recent statement from Britain’s Ambassador to Tripoli that Libyan politicians tripped over themselves to condemn in the strongest terms as neo-imperialist interference. The unmistakeable impression is that Boris’s “Global Britain” scarcely knows or cares what goes on beyond its shores.
At home, with little in the way of domestic vision, Boris sought to rouse his reactionary grassroots with full-on cultural warfare, a repulsive reversal of his predecessors’ efforts to make the Conservatives more diverse, moderate and forward-looking. This “war on woke” culminated in a bizarre campaign in support of the statue of a wealthy 17th-century slave trader, felled by anti-racism protesters in an echo of campaigns against symbols of a racist past in Trump’s America.
Britain has had many hapless and disgraced prime ministers, but none before Johnson has so spectacularly failed to respect the gravity of the office, or be so unsuited to the rigors and intellectual challenges it presents. Psychologically, Johnson proved wholly unprepared for the COVID pandemic; he failed to appreciate the scale of the threat and continually delayed the imposition of measures until infection rates were far advanced, resulting in Britain’s exceptionally high death rate. “Let the bodies pile up,” he declared at one point when facing pressure to take renewed action.
Britain has had many hapless and disgraced prime ministers, but none before Johnson has so spectacularly failed to respect the gravity of the office.
This shame-proof prime minister has survived numerous political scandals. However, with public support cratering, recent events augur the beginning of the end for his premiership. Conservative MPs had backed him as the most promising vote-winner in their party, mistaking his bumbling, clownish demeanor for charisma. But in a party known for ruthless shifts in loyalties, a critical mass of politicians are turning away from Boris’s increasingly toxic brand.
On international issues, Britain has traditionally sailed alongside the US, but the chronic dysfunction in American politics further renders it problematic for the UK to correct its course on the sea of world affairs. Even after Britain does rid itself of Boris, few easy solutions present themselves. There is scant political appetite for reopening the deep, festering wound of Brexit, although compromises with the EU may gradually be sought to repair some of the economic damage.
After five years of doggedly pursuing the Brexit cul-de-sac, Boris’s plague-stricken, friendless, and economically battered Britain is an introverted and isolated place, with a long distance to travel before rediscovering any conceivable form of global role.
*Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.

Syrian officers’ German convictions offer hope for victims
Dr. Abdel Aziz/Arab News/January 17, 2022
The conviction in Germany last week of a senior Syrian military officer on crimes against humanity charges is likely to become a landmark case in the use of “universal jurisdiction” to prosecute perpetrators of serious international crimes.
The court in Koblenz found Col. Anwar Raslan, a former Syrian intelligence officer, guilty of 27 counts of murder, rape and sexual assault and sentenced him to life in prison. Although the crimes were committed in Syria, the German court tried him under the doctrine of universal jurisdiction, which allows the prosecution of crimes even if they happened elsewhere. Raslan is the highest-ranking Syrian officer to be convicted of crimes against humanity. Last February, the same court sentenced a former low-ranking Syrian intelligence officer to four and a half years in prison for aiding and abetting a crime against humanity. He and Raslan worked in the same detention center and were arrested in 2019 after arriving in Germany posing as refugees.
The UN has lauded Germany’s prosecution of these crimes as casting a “much-needed, renewed spotlight on the kinds of sickening torture, cruel and truly inhuman treatment — including abject sexual violence — that countless Syrians were subjected to in detention facilities.” It urged other states to do the same by invoking universal jurisdiction. German prosecutors charged Raslan with responsibility for the torture of at least 4,000 people in a detention facility in Douma during 2011 and 2012, accusing him of supervising interrogations that employed beatings, electric shocks, rape and sexual abuse, among other crimes aimed at coercing confessions from detainees. More than 80 witnesses testified during the trial.
The court concurred and sentenced Raslan to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 15 years. His lawyer plans to appeal the verdict. Judge Anne Kerber commended the witnesses’ bravery in coming forward despite credible fears of retribution.
German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann called on other countries to follow what he called the “pioneering work” of his country’s legal system, adding that “crimes against humanity must not remain unpunished. No matter where they are committed, no matter by whom.”
Under international law, crimes such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity are not subject to any statute of limitation and this rule has become a norm of customary international law. This rule was codified in the Convention on the Non-applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1968 and entered into force in November 1970.
This means that, no matter how much time has lapsed, judicial proceedings can still be initiated against the perpetrators of such crimes. The rule aims to prevent the most serious crimes, and those most difficult to prosecute, from going unpunished. It stems from the fact that those crimes are usually difficult to prosecute immediately after they were committed, making it necessary to wait for a change in the situation — an end to the conflict or a change in regime — for prosecution to become possible.
Although this rule is useful in denying perpetrators any time limit for the prosecution of their crimes, it also means that a long time can pass before justice is served, if ever. This has led to an increasing number of countries, including Germany, invoking universal jurisdiction to prosecute crimes that took place elsewhere. This doctrine is based on the principle that crimes against humanity harm the international order itself, which individual states must protect. It is invoked when “traditional” bases of criminal jurisdiction are not available, such as when the defendant is not a national of the prosecuting state, the crime was not committed in the state’s territory or against its nationals, or the state’s own national interests are not directly affected.
National courts can exercise universal jurisdiction when the state has adopted legislation authorizing prosecution. Sometimes, this national legislation is mandated by international agreements, such as the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which requires state parties to adopt the laws necessary to prosecute or extradite any person accused of torture who is within the state party’s territorial jurisdiction, even when the crime was not committed there.
However, not all states have accepted or exercised universal jurisdiction; actual state practices vary according to political and legal considerations. But invoking universal jurisdiction has grown in practice in recent years, bolstered by the decisions of highly regarded international tribunals. In 2012, the International Court of Justice confirmed that there is an “obligation” on states to either prosecute perpetrators of heinous crimes or extradite them to another country with jurisdiction for their prosecution. That landmark case involved an official accused of torture, war crimes and crimes against humanity against thousands of victims. It is hoped these successful prosecutions will act as a deterrent against the perpetration of crimes against humanity.
The trial in Sweden of Iranian Hamid Nouri, which started last year, is another case of the application of both universal jurisdiction and the non-applicability of statutory limitation to serious international crimes. Nouri is a former prosecutor accused of taking part in the 1988 executions of thousands of political prisoners in Iran. The Nouri trial is believed to be the first time someone has been charged in relation to those crimes. Current Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has also been implicated in the executions.
Raslan’s conviction could bolster the prosecution’s case in the Nouri trial. The conviction and sentencing of the two former Syrian officers in Germany and similar cases elsewhere are likely to have implications in law and practice regarding the rights of victims of serious international crimes. In Syria alone, at least 60,000 people have been killed as a result of torture or mistreatment in detention centers, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
It is hoped that these successful prosecutions in Germany will also act as a deterrent against the perpetration of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, rape, torture and other serious international crimes.
*Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the GCC Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs & Negotiation, and a columnist for Arab News. The views expressed in this piece are personal and do not necessarily represent GCC views. Twitter: @abuhamad1

Iran’s relentless crackdown on Sunni scholars
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/January 17, 2022
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei believes that his religious guardianship is all-encompassing, covering Shiites and Sunnis, clerics and the masses. Therefore, he sees Sunni scholars as being under his guardianship. This means that Iranian media outlets often use generalized titles that express universal legal and political jurisdiction when describing Khamenei’s authority, such as “the leader,” “leader of Muslims” and “the ruler of all Muslims,” connoting total guardianship and absolute power. This pays no heed as to whether this supposed absolute guardianship is accepted by the masses, while there is no acknowledgement of any dissent against it.
This insistence on absolute religious authority has impacted the Iranian regime’s treatment of the country’s religious and ethnic minorities, with the regime incessantly interfering in their affairs and exercising unwelcome guardianship over their rites and rituals.
This was seen recently in the supreme leader’s dismissal of the prominent Iranian Sunni scholar Mowlavi Hossein Gorgij, the Friday prayer leader in the city of Azadshahr, Golestan Province. Khamenei had decided, without consultation, to dismiss Gorgij and appoint another Sunni cleric, Mowlavi Mashouf, in his place, although the latter refused to take over in protest at the former’s dismissal.
As a result of his refusal, Mashouf was arrested by officers of the regime’s infamous Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence division. The decision to dismiss Gorgij and appoint Mashouf was taken without consulting either cleric or any other Sunni dignitaries or scholars and sparked massive protests in the Sunni-majority Iranian provinces.
This incident shone a light on the dilemma facing Sunni scholars in Iran. This is not the first time that the regime has cracked down on a particular cleric or group of Sunni scholars. The regime has taken measures to restrict the movements of Sunni scholars inside Iran without permission from the relevant authorities. Commenting on the decision, Gorgij said: “Iran alleges that there’s freedom at home. But the well-known Sunni scholars cannot travel to all the Sunni provinces (when they need to).”
A number of points underline the gravity and importance of this approach toward Sunni scholars. Firstly, these restrictions clearly demonstrate the state of terror that the Iranian regime is constructing. Second, the regime’s use of these measures underlines its fragility and its fear of Sunni scholars, particularly their influence on Iranian public opinion — Sunni and Shiite alike — and demonstrates the leadership’s deep-seated concern over the possibility of sectarian or political rebellions against the political system in those regions of Iran where Sunni influence is dominant. These strategic Sunni-majority regions are mostly concentrated in the peripheral provinces in border areas, such as Kurdistan, Sistan and Balochistan, and Ahwaz, which all border Sunni-majority countries.
The ruling elites in Iran are well aware of the central influence of religion on the Iranian people generally. Hence, they are keen to ensure that the country’s Sunni scholars have no role in shaping and influencing the collective Iranian psyche. More importantly, the regime actively opposes any real unity between Shiites and Sunnis and foments hostility among the Islamic sects.
The leadership in Tehran does not wish to see the ideologically indoctrinated incubators of its doctrine reaching out to understand or listen to “the Sunni other” inside Iran, let alone uniting with Iranians of all sects in opposition to the regime itself. Therefore, the regime relies on maintaining a constant climate of sectarian hostility. Making each group mistrustful and resentful of the other is one of the central pillars of the Iranian regime’s policymaking.
The irony is that the regime is keen to promote fraternal slogans encouraging tolerance and “togetherness” with other Islamic sects overseas, while inflicting repression at home. In foreign policy, Tehran likes to promote itself as a unifying force striving to bring Shiites and Sunnis closer together — a PR strategy it uses to whitewash its actual, wholly sectarian, agenda.
At the same time, the regime uses this “togetherness” as a pretext for wielding influence, interfering in the affairs of neighboring states and changing the geographic map and demographic composition of Sunni states. At home, meanwhile, this mask is quickly dropped, with the regime having no qualms about denying Iran’s Sunnis their political and religious rights and imposing restrictions on their scholars.
The Iranian constitution shows the depths of the regime’s sectarianism. Article 12 sets sectarianism in stone with the announcement that Shiite Islam is the official faith of the country. And, according to Article 115, the position of president may only be held by a Twelver Shiite. Sunnis, affiliates of other Shiite sects or any other sect in Iran are thus effectively banned from all senior and influential positions in Iran — not only the presidency. Ever since the constitution was drafted following the 1979 revolution, Sunni scholars and jurists have regularly demanded substantial amendments be made. Sunni leader Molavi Abdul Hamid recently sent a letter to Khamenei calling on him to end the discrimination against Iran’s Sunnis.
The regime actively opposes any real unity between Shiites and Sunnis and foments hostility among the Islamic sects.
Another angle to consider is the regime’s intimidation of Sunni scholars and jurists through its infamous Special Court for Clerics. This court summons Sunni scholars with the specific objective of intimidating them and restricting their movements. For example, it recently arrested a Sunni mufti in Iranian Kurdistan, Sheikh Hassan Amini, over his criticisms of the regime and his condemnation of its discrimination against Sunnis in terms of their lack of representation in government positions.
In a nutshell, the regime has no genuine interest in Sunni-Shiite coexistence, unity and “togetherness” in Iran. Instead, it is far more concerned with maintaining its own narrow sectarian interests and perpetuating its hard-line ideology. It is likely, therefore, that it will continue with its divide and rule approach, threatening the majority with the minority, threatening the minority with the majority, and prioritizing ideologically divisive and sectarian rhetoric for fear that any unity among the people or cooperation among clerics transcending ethno-sectarian affiliations and cutting across confessional boundaries would expose and undermine its ruling ideology and further weaken its legitimacy.
*Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is President of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah). Twitter: @mohalsulami

Biden’s unilateral approach bad news for America’s allies
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/January 17, 2022
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian last week made a subtle criticism of the US. He said there is no European security without Europeans, alluding to the bilateral US negotiations with Russia over the fate of Ukraine, which not only did not include Europeans but also did not have any Ukrainian representation, even though it is the subject of contention. One of Joe Biden’s key criticisms of Donald Trump’s foreign policy was that the former president acted in a unilateral manner, but isn’t Biden now behaving exactly the same as his predecessor?
When Biden was elected, Europe breathed a sigh of relief. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted, “Welcome back America.” She was welcoming Washington’s likely return to the way it used to deal with its allies: On an institutional and multilateral basis. Hidalgo was also welcoming the return of American engagement with Europe after a period of confrontation during the Trump administration. There was so much hope that Biden would undo the damage Trump’s policies caused to the transatlantic alliance. However, America’s European partners are getting increasingly frustrated, as they are now realizing that Biden is as unilateral in his approach to foreign policy as his predecessor, and this selfishness in international affairs is overshadowing the common good of the transatlantic alliance.
This unilateralism is a byproduct of short-sightedness and opportunism. Ultimately, the US has so much to lose by not involving its allies. America’s strength does not primarily stem from its formidable military machine, but from its ability to garner support across the globe. And its alliance with Europe has been the cornerstone of US power projection worldwide. In fact, since the Second World War, transatlantic relations have been at the heart of international politics. This does not seem to be the case anymore. The epicenter is moving to Eurasia, with a likely Russian-Chinese alliance. However, if this is the case, it is really bad news for the West and for the people who aspire to freedom and democracy. The main culprit behind the likelihood of this shift in power is definitely the US and not Europe.
While Trump campaigned on an “America first” platform, Biden said “America is back.” But America today is neither the first nor is it back. It is slowly losing its place on the world stage, driven by an obsessive isolationism that resulted in this unilateral approach. When you simply don’t care what is happening in the world and don’t want to lead, why would you care what your allies think? Actually, when you are not planning to be involved, why do you need allies in the first place?
The most flagrant symptom was last summer’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, which happened without any coordination with any of its allies. “The Americans just left,” one source told me. Washington left its allies to scramble to deal with the repercussions of its hasty decision. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who fell short of directly criticizing the US, said that the withdrawal was an “extremely bitter development. Bitter, dramatic and terrifying.”
While the narrative of the Biden administration stresses democracy, human rights, institutional relations and multilateralism, the reality is totally different. The reality is different simply because the US no longer has a leading interest in world affairs and primacy on the world stage is no longer a goal on its own. The Biden administration is more focused on domestic issues. However, the US should remember that its robust economy and a large part of the prosperity the average American enjoys can be partly attributed to the country’s position on the world stage. For example, the oil concessions US companies benefited from in the Arab Gulf were awarded to “Uncle Sam” for a reason. In addition to the economic element, these countries’ alliances with the US played an important role.
The ideology of isolationism started with Barack Obama, who was catering to a popular mood after Americans grew tired of George W. Bush’s wars. It continued with Trump’s America first approach. However, it is now being taken to new heights by the Biden administration — and this isolationism is driving unilateralism.
US selfishness in international affairs is overshadowing the common good of the transatlantic alliance.
The underlying logic is “we do the minimum to secure our interests and the world needs to take care of itself.” Prior to entering any negotiations with the Russians on Ukraine, Biden made it clear that the military option was not a realistic one for the US. With Ukraine feeling threatened, the US said it would not be sending soldiers to defend its ally. When you have this attitude, how can your allies trust you? More importantly, when negotiating with the Russians, the US has not involved its ally that is under threat or its European partners. This unilateralism shakes the trust of allies and sends a sign of weakness to foes.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin seems very confident. He is facing the American threat of sanctions with his own threat of cutting relations with the US. Where is the respect America can impose on its foes? Today, as the US is also negotiating with Iran in Vienna, the Iranians are refusing to talk directly to Washington. How humiliating is that? You are negotiating with a party who refuses to talk to you.
For the US to regain its prestige on the world stage, it should start by showing a firm commitment to its allies and decisiveness when facing its foes. It should also demonstrate to its allies that its political narrative is not void and that it can be translated into action when needed. Unless the US does that, we will witness the waning of America as a world power, the decline of the West and a serious blow to liberal democracies around the world. If Washington does not want to reach this point, it should start reversing its unilateral approach and begin liaising with its allies on foreign policy matters.
*Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II.