English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For 01 July/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Make My joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves
Letter to the Philippians 02/01-11:”If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Titels For English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 01/2022
Qatar provides $60m in support for Lebanese Army
Will Aoun OK Mikati's line-up as leaked draft excludes Fayyad?
Mikati reportedly proposes 'recovery fund' for returning deposits
US embassy denies warships arrived to protect Karish
UN issues statement in support of LGBTIQ+ in Lebanon
Qassem says govt. formation essential, urges compromises
Kanaan says MPs have asked Finance Ministry for study on unifying exchange rate
Geagea says he's natural presidency candidate, doesn't mind Gen. Aoun's election
Beirut airport booming despite some departments on strike

Titles For Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 01/2022
Odds of reviving Iran nuclear deal worse after Doha talks: US official
EU worries may not cross ‘finishing line’ to revive Iran nuclear deal
Iran says nuclear deal still possible despite Qatar talks setback
Senior UK politicians warn new Iran nuclear deal would ‘destabilize Middle East’
UAE sends tons of food aid to Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria
Russian forces leave Snake Island, keep up eastern assault
Russia and China slam NATO after alliance raises alarm
Climate concerns grow as US helps Europe replace Russian gas
Putin: Russia will respond if NATO sets up infrastructure in Finland, Sweden
Israel parliament dissolves itself, sets November 1 election
Yair Lapid's unlikely rise from TV star to Israeli prime minister
Three Israelis, 64 Palestinians wounded in West Bank clashes
Egypt government sponsoring 'campaign against journalism'
Young Arab artists dream of freedom in unique talent show
Joint Egyptian-Bahraini statement stresses depth of relationship and need for coordination

Titles For LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 01/2022
NATO is united on Ukraine. Good, but plenty could still go wrong.David Ignatius/The Washington Post/June 30/2022
EU Signs Deal with Egypt and Israel to Boost Gas Exports to Europe/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/June 30/2022
It’s Time for NATO to Help the Baltics/James Brooke and Ivana Stradner/The Dispatch/June 30/2022
Henry Kissinger: ‘No peace in the Middle East with nuclear weapons in Iran'/Ben Bloch/The JC Chronical/June 30/2022
Johnson’s UK shuns healing in favor of law-breaking/Mohamed Chebaro/Arab News/June 30/2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 01/2022
Qatar provides $60m in support for Lebanese Army
Arab News/June 30, 2022
BEIRUT: Qatar announced on Thursday it was providing $60 million in support to the Lebanese Army in implementation of the GCC state’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s directives. As reported by Qatar News Agency, the announcement came as Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani was visiting Lebanon to attend the Arab Foreign Ministers Consultative Meeting. The announcement comes within the framework of Qatar’s firm commitment to support Lebanon, stand by the brotherly Lebanese people, and its firm belief in the importance and necessity of joint Arab action, QNA reported. Qatar announced last July that it would support the Lebanese army with 70 tons of foodstuff every month for a year.

Will Aoun OK Mikati's line-up as leaked draft excludes Fayyad?
Naharnet/June 30/2022
President Michel Aoun hasn't expressed any objection to the draft Cabinet line-up submitted by PM-designate Najib Mikati, Baabda sources said, denying "hasty prejudgments" on Aoun's position. The sources told al-Joumhouriah newspaper, in remarks published Friday, that Aoun did not reject the draft but rather promised to study it. "There is no doubt that Aoun will have some remarks and that he might request some amendments,” the sources said. Al-Akhbar newspaper, for its part, reported Thursday that Aoun was not comfortable with Mikati's step and that the Free Patriotic Movement was furious that Mikati has renewed the terms of most current caretaker ministers with the exception of caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayad. In a leaked document of the draft line-up handwritten by Mikati, most caretaker ministers were listed to be ministers in the new government except for Fayad, caretaker Finance Minister Youssef Khalil, caretaker Minister for the Displaced Issam Sharafeddine and caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam. Khalil was replaced by ex-MP Yassin Jaber, Orthodox MP Sajii Atiyya replaced Sharafeddine, the economy minister was replaced by current caretaker Industry Minister Georges Boujikian who was in turn replaced by MP Walid Assaf, while Fayad was replaced by Walid Senno, a Sunni. Media reports said, that the line-up has the support of Speaker Nabih Berri who approved the appointment of Jaber instead of Khalil. It also has the approval of Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat, the Tashnag party and new parliamentary blocs like the Akkar bloc. The report added that Hezbollah will most likely approve it as well and that the reshuffle between the sects was convenient to all parties, except to the FPM.

Mikati reportedly proposes 'recovery fund' for returning deposits
Naharnet/June 30/2022
Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati on Thursday made new suggestions related to the financial recovery plan, which some MPs have considered to be a “new plan,” al-Jadeed TV reported. In a meeting with the finance parliamentary committee, Mikati proposed the creation of “a recovery fund for returning a part of the bank deposits” to depositors, the TV network added. “These suggestions do not violate the preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund, and the MPs asked him to draft these suggestions and refer them to parliament,” al-Jadeed said. MPs also quoted Mikati as saying that “every day that passes without approving the plan and signing the deal with the IMF costs us a daily loss estimated at $25 million.”

US embassy denies warships arrived to protect Karish
Naharnet/June 30/2022
The circulated reports about the arrival of U.S. warships to protect the Karish offshore gas field are baseless, a U.S. Embassy source told al-Jadeed TV on Thursday. Al-Akhbar newspaper had earlier reported, quoting “UNIFIL sources,” that U.S. warships had arrived off the Karish field and started measures aimed at protecting the Energean Power gas vessel. The newspaper also reported that “British reconnaissance aircraft and others belonging to NATO have surveyed the entire maritime area adjacent to the Lebanese border.”

UN issues statement in support of LGBTIQ+ in Lebanon
Naharnet/June 30/2022
The United Nations has issued a statement expressing its concern about "the rising hate speech, discrimination, and violence towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer (LGBTIQ+) individuals and organizations in Lebanon.""As enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and under the United Nations’ global commitment to leave no one behind, we encourage the Government of Lebanon to respect its national and international human rights obligations, including the rights of all people to freedom of assembly, association, and expression - regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics," the statement said. It added that "while Lebanon has taken some steps towards addressing discrimination against LGBTIQ+ persons in recent years, including during the most recent Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights in 2021[1], recent events suggest a rollback on human rights, particularly for certain marginalized groups.""We urge the Lebanese authorities to fulfill their obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Lebanon is a signatory, and prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression," the U.N. went on to say. The statement concluded that the U.N. "will continue to advocate for equality, inclusion, and full human rights guarantees for all segments of the population, including the realization for all of the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association."

Qassem says govt. formation essential, urges compromises
Naharnet/June 30/2022
Hezbollah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem on Thursday stressed that the formation of a new government is “something essential and fundamental,” urging the parties to offer compromises. “The government’s formation is considered something essential and fundamental, because without a government nothing can change in this situation and things might deteriorate further,” Qassem said. Accusing the “opposition” of seeking to block any “achievement” during the current period, Hezbollah number two said “this totally concurs with the U.S. stance and opinion,” which is also “seeking to block any achievement during this period, pending the end of the current presidential term.”“Hezbollah wants the government to be formed and it advises that we make as much compromises as possible, because any government formed would be better than no government, and because some of the achievements that it might make in this period might be a prelude to exiting the crisis,” Qassem went on to say.

Kanaan says MPs have asked Finance Ministry for study on unifying exchange rate
Naharnet/June 30/2022
The Finance and Budget Committee, headed by MP Ibrahim Kanaan, convened Thursday to discuss the 2022 state budget law and the recovery plan, in the presence of Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati. Cabinet in its last session last month, prior to becoming a caretaker Cabinet and ahead of the beginning of the term of the new parliament, had approved the economic recovery plan amid the objection of some ministers. "The rights of the depositors must be secured through a fair distribution of losses within the recovery plan," Kanaan said after the meeting, adding that the committee has asked the Finance Ministry to prepare a study to unify the exchange rates before approving the state budget that includes varied exchange rates. "We are working on essential amendments, including establishing a recovery fund and working on deposits,” Kanaan went on to say, as he explained that the recovery plan will be amended to take into consideration the rights of the depositors.

Geagea says he's natural presidency candidate, doesn't mind Gen. Aoun's election
Naharnet/June 30/2022
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea has considered himself a natural candidate for the presidency as he described himself as "the most representative of his sect." Yet, Geagea said, in a TV interview, that he will not waste time on securing votes and that the biggest concern is to unify the opposition on one candidate to succeed President Michel Aoun. "I would accept a moderate candidate who carries our project," Geagea added, as he praised Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun, saying that he carries the required values. "We do not mind electing him as President," Geagea said.
Geagea warned that President Aoun must be prevented from forming a government that resembles him before the end of his term. He added that there is no understanding between the LF and Speaker Nabih Berri nor Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, while the LF party is close to the Kataeb party and to the Progressive Socialist Party. "I trust PSP leader Walid Jumblat," Geagea said.

Beirut airport booming despite some departments on strike
Najia Houssari/June 30/2022
BEIRUT: Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport is perhaps the only active official facility in Lebanon these days. Caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamiyeh said Thursday: “Ninety-three flights arrived at Beirut airport on Wednesday, carrying 15,444 passengers coming to spend summer vacation here. “The number of planes arriving in Beirut will increase in the coming days,” Hamiyeh expected. Lebanon is counting on summertime travel to pump hard currency into the economic cycle amid accumulated political and economic crises and their impact on the living situation of the Lebanese people.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is also PM-designated, warned Thursday during the Parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee meeting: “Every delay in coming up with solutions to crises costs Lebanon $25 million a day.”A source at the Middle East Airlines told Arab News: “As a result of the economic crisis, COVID-19 precautionary measures, and the decline in the financial capabilities of the Lebanese, only a few thousand pilgrims will be traveling to perform Hajj this year. Their numbers reached over 25,000 in previous years.”
On Wednesday, an MEA flight carrying the first batch of Lebanese pilgrims landed at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. MEA is the only authorized airline in Lebanon to transport pilgrims to and from Saudi Arabia.
The economic collapse and the national currency’s depreciation made the pilgrimage more difficult for those wishing to go to Makkah.
Former MP Mohammed Al-Hajjar complained about “the inability of the Lebanese to travel to perform Hajj because the vaccine against meningitis, which Saudi Arabia requires from pilgrims for their safety, is not available in the Ministry of Health for lack of funding, or in pharmacies.”Abdelrahman Al-Taweel, who is in charge of the Foutowa campaign for Hajj and Umrah, said: “The number of pilgrims this year did not reach 2,700, which is the quota allocated to Lebanon. The main reason is the high cost of the trip, which amounts to $6,000 per pilgrim. Everything is more expensive nowadays, [including] airline tickets, the price of which has risen globally as a result of the high cost of fuel, as well as tents and other supplies, and other additional fees.”Al-Taweel noted: “The unavailability of the meningitis vaccine, which the Ministry of Health is supposed to provide to people, prompted the pilgrims to buy it at their own expense. It costs $60, which is equivalent to 1,800,000 LBP, according to the black-market exchange rate.”Lebanon is trying to convey the image that it is doing well — despite the crises plaguing it — to visitors, including the Arab foreign ministers whom officials encouraged Thursday to hold their consultative meeting in Beirut ahead of the Arab Summit. However, public-sector employees went on strike and will only resume work once their demands — including increased salaries, transportation allowances and health and educational benefits — are met.
In the absence of solutions, it seems that the general strike will continue, paralyzing the entire country. MP Ghassan Hasbani, member of the Strong Republic bloc, warned after the Finance and Budget Committee meeting: “The government is yet to present a final financial…reform plan in order to interpret laws. The government must refer this plan to parliament as quickly as possible with a legislative roadmap and laws ready for implementation to speed up recovery and approve a budget that reflects the required reforms.”
It remains unknown whether the composition of the new government that Mikati handed over to President Michel Aoun on Wednesday morning will get the latter’s approval.
Less than 24 hours after the non-binding parliamentary consultations, Mikati drafted a government formation consisting of the current government, with some amendments, particularly to the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Economy.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 01/2022
Odds of reviving Iran nuclear deal worse after Doha talks: US official
Reuters/30 June ,2022
The chances of reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are worse after indirect US-Iranian talks in Doha that ended without progress, a senior US official told Reuters on Thursday. “The prospects for a deal after Doha are worse than they were before Doha and they will be getting worse by the day,” said the official on condition of anonymity. “You could describe Doha at best as treading water, at worst as moving backwards. But at this point treading water is for all practical purposes moving backwards.”The official would not go into the details of the Doha talks, in which European Union officials shuttled between the two sides trying to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement under which Iran had limited its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions. “Their vague demands, reopening of settled issues, and requests clearly unrelated to the JCPOA all suggests to us... that the real discussion that has to take place is (not) between Iran and the US to resolve remaining differences,” he said.“It is between Iran and Iran to resolve the fundamental question about whether they are interested in a mutual return to the JCPOA.”

EU worries may not cross ‘finishing line’ to revive Iran nuclear deal
Reuters/June 30/2022
UNITED NATIONS: The European Union said on Thursday it was worried it may not be possible to strike an agreement to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal after indirect talks between the United States and Iran ended this week with no progress. “I am concerned that we might not make it over the finishing line. My message is: Seize this opportunity to conclude the deal, based on the text that is on the table. The time to overcome the last outstanding issues, conclude the deal, and fully restore the (agreement) is now,” European Union Ambassador to the United Nations Olof Skoog told the UN Security Council. The Security Council met to discuss the latest report by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the implementation of a 2015 council resolution that enshrines the nuclear deal, under which Iran limited its nuclear program to make it harder to develop an atomic weapon in return for sanctions relief. “Iran has yet to demonstrate any real urgency to conclude a deal, end the current nuclear crisis and achieve important sanctions lifting,” Richard Mills, Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations, told the meeting. Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington aimed at breaking an impasse over how to salvage the nuclear pact ended in Qatar without the progress “the EU team as coordinator had hoped for,” EU envoy Enrique Mora tweeted on Wednesday.

Iran says nuclear deal still possible despite Qatar talks setback
AFP/June 30, 2022
TEHRAN: Iran insisted Thursday that a revived nuclear agreement with major powers remains achievable despite a negative US assessment of two-way talks in Qatar intended to reboot the stalled negotiations. The US State Department said the EU-brokered proximity talks in the Qatari capital Doha had concluded late Wednesday with “no progress made.” But Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said he believed the talks had been “positive” and a deal could still be reached. “We are determined to continue negotiating until a realistic agreement is reached,” he said after a phone call with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who hosted the indirect talks. “Our assessment of the recent round of talks in Doha is positive,” he said. “I insist on the fact that we are making serious efforts to reach a good, solid and lasting agreement,” said Amir-Abdollahian.
“An accord is achievable if the United States is realistic.”The two days of talks, in which EU mediators shuttled between Iranian and US delegations, were intended to reboot wider negotiations between Iran and major powers in Vienna which have been stalled since March. The talks aim to bring the United States back into a 2015 deal jettisoned by the Donald Trump administration in 2018 by lifting the sweeping economic sanctions he imposed in exchange for Iran’s return to full compliance with the limits set on its nuclear activities. Washington has “made clear our readiness to quickly conclude and implement a deal on mutual return to full compliance,” the US State Department spokesperson said after the talks wrapped up in Qatar. “Yet in Doha, as before, Iran raised issues wholly unrelated to the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal) and apparently is not ready to make a fundamental decision on whether it wants to revive the deal or bury it.”Differences between Tehran and Washington have notably included Iran’s demand that its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps be removed from a US terror list. The talks in Doha came just two weeks before US President Joe Biden makes his first official visit to the region, with trips to Iran foes Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Senior UK politicians warn new Iran nuclear deal would ‘destabilize Middle East’
Arab News/June 30, 2022
LONDON: Three former British cabinet ministers are set to warn that a renegotiated Iran nuclear deal would destabilize the Middle East, in a warning shot to government support for the agreement. Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox, former Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick, and former Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb are all backing a motion to be debated in Parliament that lists a string of proposed changes to the draft they say will impede Tehran’s drive towards nuclear weapons. The changes include introduction of a stricter monitoring regime of Iranian nuclear activity and taking a tougher approach to policing Iran’s “destabilizing” activities. The motion to be debated today states: “This House expresses grave concern at the imminent prospect of a nuclear armed Iran; calls on the Government in its ongoing negotiations in respect of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement to seek to extend the sunset clauses, enact a stricter monitoring regime, retain terrorist proscriptions, and expand its scope to include Iran’s other destabilising activities in the region.” The Tory MPs and supporters from opposition parties Labour and the Liberal Democrats are understood to be concerned by the current reworked agreement, which remains subject to negotiations, and is looking to replace the 2015 deal that the US withdrew from under former President Donald Trump. That original Iran nuclear deal, termed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed with the UK, the US, China, France, Germany, Russia and the EU, and saw Tehran agree to curb its nuclear development in return for the lifting of economic sanctions. Speaking to The Telegraph, Jenrick said: “The JCPOA was an inadequate response to Iran’s nuclear programme back in 2015. Why would we return to the deal when it has singularly failed to curtail Iran’s uranium enrichment? “At this critical juncture, the West urgently needs to change tack in its strategy. Weakly tolerating Iran’s aggression and flagrant breaches out of fear of talks collapsing has led us down a dangerous path. It is time for a more robust approach, reimposing snapback sanctions on Iran and tightening the economic screw until Iran is willing to countenance serious proposals.”He added: “The UK should follow in the footsteps of the US and proscribe the Iranian revolutionary guards corps a terrorist organisation.”

UAE sends tons of food aid to Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria
Arab News/June 30, 2022
DUBAI: The UAE has dispatched a plane carrying 52 metric tons of food supplies to support Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria, Emirates news agency (WAM) reported on Thursday. The aid comes as part of efforts “to alleviate the humanitarian impact faced by Ukrainian refugees” in nearby countries, the statement read.There are currently over 90,000 Ukraine refugees in Bulgaria. Earlier this month, the UAE sent a plane carrying 27 tons of food and medical supplies to Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Since the outset of the war in Ukraine, the country has dispatched six planes to Poland and Moldova, carrying 156 tons of food and medical aid and ambulances, as part of a $5m donation.

Russian forces leave Snake Island, keep up eastern assault
Associated Press/June 30/2022
Russia on Thursday pulled back its forces from a strategically placed Black Sea island where they have faced relentless Ukrainian attacks, but kept up its push to encircle the last bulwark of Ukraine's resistance in the eastern province of Luhansk. Russia's Defense Ministry said it withdrew its forces from the Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island off Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa in what it described as a "goodwill gesture." Ukraine's military said the Russians fled the island in two speedboats following a barrage of Ukrainian artillery and missile strikes.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov insisted that the withdrawal was intended to demonstrate that "the Russian Federation wasn't hampering the United Nations' efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor for taking agricultural products from the territory of Ukraine." Ukraine and the West have accused Russian of blockading Ukrainian ports to prevent exports of grain, contributing to the global food crisis. Russia has denied the accusations and charged that Ukraine needs to remove sea mines from the Black Sea to allow safe navigation.
Turkey has sought to broker a deal on unblocking grain exports from Ukraine, but the talks have dragged on without any sign of quick progress, with Kyiv voicing concern that Russia could use the deal to launch an attack on Odesa.
Russia took control of the island that sits along a busy shipping lane in the opening days of the war in apparent hope to use it as a staging ground for an attack on Odesa. The island came to epitomize the Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion, when Ukrainian troops there received a demand from a Russian warship to surrender or face bombardment. "Russian warship," the answer came back, "go (expletive) yourself."The Ukrainian defenders of the island were captured by the Russians but later freed as part of a prisoner exchange. After the island was taken, the Ukrainian military relentlessly bombarded a small Russian garrison and air defense assets stationed there.
— In the east of Ukraine on Thursday, Moscow kept up its push to take control of the entire Donbas region. It is focused on the city of Lysychansk, the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the Luhansk province. Russian troops and their separatist allies control 95% of Luhansk and about half of Donetsk, the two provinces that make up the mostly Russian-speaking Donbas.The Ukrainian General Staff said that the Russian troops were shelling Lysychansk and clashing with Ukrainian defenders around an oil refinery on the edge of the city. Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said Russian reconnaissance units tried to enter Lysychansk Wednesday, but were repelled by Ukrainian forces. He said the Russians were trying to block a highway used to deliver supplies and fully encircle the city. "The Russians have thrown practically all their forces to seize the city," Haidai said.
— Speaking on a visit to Turkmenistan early Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his goals in Ukraine haven't changed since the start of the war. He said they were "the liberation of the Donbas, the protection of these people and the creation of conditions that would guarantee the security of Russia itself." He made no mention of his original stated goals to "demilitarize" and "de-Nazify" Ukraine.
He denied Russia had adjusted its strategy after failing to take Kyiv in the early stage of the conflict. "As you can see, the troops are moving and reaching the marks that were set for them for a certain stage of this combat work. Everything is going according to plan," Putin said at a news conference in Turkmenistan. — Funerals were to be held Thursday for some of the 18 people confirmed killed by Monday's Russian missile strike on a busy shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk. Crews continued to search through the rubble in search of another 20 people who remain missing. Ukrainian State Emergency Services press officer Svitlana Rybalko told The Associated Press that along with the 18 bodies, investigators found fragments of eight more bodies. It was not immediately clear whether that meant there were more victims. A number of survivors suffered severed limbs.
— After the attack on the mall, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of becoming a "terrorist" state. On Wednesday, he reproached NATO for not embracing or equipping his embattled country more fully. He asked for more modern artillery systems and other weapons and warned the NATO leaders they either had to provide Ukraine with the help it needed to defeat Russia or "face a delayed war between Russia and yourself."On Thursday, Sweden announced plans to send more military support to Ukraine, including anti-tank weapons, support weapons and demining equipment that it says Kyiv had requested. "It is important that the support to Ukraine from the democratic countries in Europe is continuous and long-term," Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist said, according to the Swedish news agency TT. Hultqvist didn't say when and how the equipment would be delivered . Sweden was invited at a NATO summit this week to join the Western military alliance.
— Russia, shunned by the West, has been intent on bolstering ties elsewhere. On Thursday, Iranian state media said that Iran has proposed expanding financial exchanges with Russia as well as cooperating in the energy field within a framework independent of the Western financial exchange system, while both countries are under heavy sanctions. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Putin met on the sidelines of a summit of the Caspian Sea Littoral States in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, state-run IRNA news agency reported Thursday. Putin was quoted as saying that the volume of trade and overall economic relations between the two countries has increased in recent months and that this path should continue.
— The death toll from Wednesday's Russian missile strike on an apartment building in the southern city of Mykolaiv has risen to six, according to Gov. Vitaliy Kim. Another six people were wounded. Mykolaiv is a major port and seizing it — as well as Odesa farther west — would be key to Russia's objective of cutting off Ukraine from its Black Sea coast.

Russia and China slam NATO after alliance raises alarm
Associated Press/June 30/2022
NATO faced rebukes from Moscow and Beijing on Thursday after it declared Russia a "direct threat" and said China posed "serious challenges " to global stability. During a summit in Madrid, the Western military alliance described a world plunged into a dangerous phase of big-power competition and facing myriad threats, from cyberattacks to climate change. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said as the summit wrapped up Thursday that member nations agreed on a "fundamental shift in our deterrence and defense" and sent Moscow a clear message that the alliance had a firm line drawn on its eastern frontier. "We live in a more dangerous world and we live in a more unpredictable world, and we live in a world where we have a hot war going on in Europe," Stoltenberg said. "At the same time, we also know that this can get worse if this becomes a full scale war between Russia and NATO."
Stoltenberg continued: "We want to remove any room for miscalculation, misunderstanding in Moscow, about our readiness to protect every inch of NATO territory. That's NATO's core responsibility."Over their three days of talks in Spain, NATO leaders formally invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, after overcoming opposition from Turkey. If the Nordic nations' accession is approved by the 30 member nations, it will give NATO a new 800-mile (1,300 kilometer) border with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned he would respond in kind if the Nordic pair allowed NATO troops and military infrastructure onto their territory. He said Russia would have to "create the same threats for the territory from which threats against us are created."Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said Putin's threats were "nothing new.""Of course, we have to expect some kind of surprises from Putin, but I doubt that he is attacking Sweden or Finland directly," Kallas said as she arrived at the summit's conference center venue. "We will see cyberattacks definitely. We will see hybrid attacks, information war is going on. But not the conventional war." China accused the alliance of "maliciously attacking and smearing" the country. Its mission to the European Union said NATO "claims that other countries pose challenges, but it is NATO that is creating problems around the world." NATO leaders turned their gaze south for a final summit session Thursday focused on Africa's Sahel region and the Middle East, where political instability — aggravated by climate change and food insecurity sparked by the war in Ukraine — is driving large numbers of migrants toward Europe.
"It is in our interest to continue working with our close partners in the south to fight shared challenges together," Stoltenberg said. But it was Russia that dominated the summit. Stoltenberg said Moscow's invasion of Ukraine had brought "the biggest overhaul of our collective defense since the end of the Cold War."The invasion shattered Europe's peace, and in response NATO has poured troops and weapons into Eastern Europe on a scale unseen in decades. Member nations have given Ukraine billions in military and civilian aid to strengthen its resistance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who addressed the summit by video link, asked for more. He urged NATO to send modern artillery systems and other weapons and warned the leaders they either had to provide Kyiv with the help it needed or "face a delayed war between Russia and yourself."
"The question is, who's next? Moldova? Or the Baltics? Or Poland? The answer is: all of them," he said. At the summit, NATO leaders agreed to dramatically scale up military force along the alliance's eastern flank, where countries from Romania to the Baltic states worry about Russia's future plans.
They announced plans to increase almost eightfold the size of the alliance's rapid reaction force, from 40,000 to 300,000 troops, by next year. The troops will be based in their home nations but dedicated to specific countries in the east, where the alliance plans to build up stocks of equipment and ammunition.
U.S. President Joe Biden, whose country provides the bulk of NATO's firepower, announced a hefty boost in America's military presence in Europe, including a permanent U.S. base in Poland, two more Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, and two more F35 squadrons in the U.K.
The expansion will keep 100,000 troops in Europe for the foreseeable future, up from 80,000 before the war in Ukraine began. Biden said Putin had believed NATO members would splinter after he invaded Ukraine, but the Russian leader got the opposite response. "You're gonna get the NATO-ization of Europe," Biden said. "And that's exactly what he didn't want, but exactly what needs to be done to guarantee security for Europe."Still, strains among NATO allies have emerged as the cost of energy and other essential goods has skyrocketed, partly because of the war and tough Western sanctions on Russia. There also are tensions over how the war will end and what, if any, concessions Ukraine should make. Money remains a sensitive issue — just nine of NATO's 30 members currently meet the organization's target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense. Britain, one of the nine, announced a further 1 billion pounds ($1.21 billion) in military support to Ukraine on Thursday, At what Stoltenberg called a "transformative" summit, the leaders published NATO's new Strategic Concept, its once-a-decade set of priorities and goals. The last such document, in 2010, called Russia a "strategic partner." Now, NATO is accusing Russia of using "coercion, subversion, aggression and annexation" to extend its reach. The 2010 document made no mention of China, but the new one addressed Bejing's growing economic and military reach. "China is not our adversary, but we must be clear-eyed about the serious challenges it represents," Stoltenberg said on Wednesday. NATO said that China "strives to subvert the rules-based international order, including in the space, cyber and maritime domains" and warned of its close ties with Moscow. The alliance said, however, that it remained "open to constructive engagement" with Beijing. China shot back that NATO was a source of instability and vowed to defend its interests. "Since NATO positions China as a 'systemic challenge,' we have to pay close attention and respond in a coordinated way. When it comes to acts that undermine China's interests, we will make firm and strong responses," its statement said.

Climate concerns grow as US helps Europe replace Russian gas
Associated Press/June 30/2022
Amos Hochstein, President Joe Biden's point man for global energy problems, says he knows that transitioning away from the climate-wrecking pollution of fossil fuels is the only way to go. He advocates urgently for renewable energy, for energy-smart thermostats and heat pumps.
But when it comes to tackling the pressing energy challenges presented by Russia's war on Ukraine, Hochstein also can sound like nothing as much as the West's oilfield roustabout, taking a giant pipe wrench to the world's near-crisis-level energy shortfalls.
Appearing before a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee this month on U.S. help in Europe's Russian-fueled energy problems, Hochstein spoke enthusiastically of prospects for a new floating natural gas terminal in Albania, new gas connections elsewhere in the Balkans, bumping up the flow of gas from Central Asia and getting gas out of Spain to the rest of Europe. "We have to face the reality that today Europe's system is dependent on gas," Hochstein told the AP after the hearing. It was a relatively rare public account from an envoy whose work normally is behind the scenes. "And I need to make sure that people in the winter have heating, and they have electricity."Increasingly, however, some climate advocates are expressing concern at what they see as an emphasis from the Biden administration on new, U.S.-heavy natural gas and infrastructure projects as part of an all-out effort by Europe and the U.S. to wrest Europe away from its reliance on Russian oil and gas.
Climate groups charge that new spending on building pipelines, terminals, port facilities and storage threatens to lock in increased reliance on fossil fuel for decades to come, while doing little to solve Europe's most immediate energy crisis. Criticism increased Tuesday, after Biden and other leaders in the Group of Seven softened their 2021 climate pledges to move away from public financing of new fossil fuel infrastructure, citing Russia's war. "Public support for gas infrastructure is not the climate presidency Joe Biden promised," Kate DeAngelis, international finance program manager of Friends of the Earth, said in a statement in response.But as U.S. companies have nearly tripled America's exports of liquified natural gas to Europe in the months since Russia invaded Ukraine, Hochstein cites his immediate challenge: getting Europeans through the end of the year without freezing in their homes.
The European Union received roughly 40% of its natural gas from Russia before the war. Western-led sanctions and Russian cutoffs, as well as Europe's major switch to non-Russian suppliers, are depriving Europe of Russian natural gas. Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike welcomed Hochstein's efforts to decouple Europe from Russian pipelines, and asked for more. Climate change and clean energy are "important challenges," Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, chair of the Europe and Regional Security Cooperation panel where Hochstein appeared, told the AP. "But I think our No. 1 priority here needs to be to defeat Putin and help Ukraine."
The Biden administration has struggled to ease two problems simultaneously: a global energy crunch and a rapidly heating Earth. The shortfalls in oil and gas supplies are creating problems for European and Asian allies that if left unaddressed could threaten the united economic front against Russian President Vladimir Putin. At home, the energy shortfall is contributing to high gasoline prices, inflation and discontent that threatens Democrats in November's midterm elections and Biden's reelection down the road. But at the same time, scientists, climate advocates and the Biden administration itself say global governments are counting down the time in the last few years left to stave off the more devastating scenarios of climate change. The rate at which the world now burns through oil, natural gas and coal gives humans a 50-50 chance of blasting through the hoped-for maximum average temperatures targeted in the Paris climate accord within five years, the World Meteorological Organization said last month. Some climate advocates fear the current energy shortfalls have Biden and other world leaders reverting to an oil and gas drill-and-build outlook they'd sworn off in the name of climate change, despite Biden's climate efforts elsewhere.
Many were dismayed by the joint declaration this week from Biden and other leaders in the G-7 club of wealthy democracies that it was once again OK for governments to invest in gas infrastructure as a "temporary response."
A dangerous move, and an unnecessary one, climate advocates said of the G-7's climate step back. "New funding for fossil fuel exploration and production infrastructure is delusional," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted after the G-7 statement. "Fossil fuels are not the answer. Renewable energy is."Climate advocates are wary of what they see as Hochstein's support of some infrastructure projects in Europe for liquified natural gas.
Friends of the Earth points to his oil and gas industry ties. Those include his serving as a senior vice president for Houston-based LNG exporter Tellurian and as an advisory board member for Ukraine's state-owned Naftogaz, before resigning in 2020 to protest corruption he outlined in a newspaper column. In Hochstein's government position, Biden has entrusted him with top policy missions, including working with oil giant Saudi Arabia at a time of frosty relations. Hochstein described the U.S.-backed LNG buildout in Europe as essential to blocking Russia from wielding power over Europe's energy and economy. "Unfortunately, we don't have the clean infrastructure to replace natural gas in the short- or medium-term," Hochstein told the AP. "So that is a tough and difficult balance to have. But that is what we're committed to. "And I agree with all those who say this only strengthens the absolute need to accelerate the energy transition" from oil and gas, he added. Energy experts with environmental groups say there are cleaner ways to break from Russian gas.Moving faster to curb gas flaring and venting by the energy industry, and plug natural gas leaks — both things the Biden administration already has pledged to work on — could get fast results without damaging the climate further, said Mark Brownstein, a senior vice president for energy at the Environmental Defense Fund. Brownstein pointed to an International Energy Agency finding that the fossil fuel industry leaked or otherwise wasted more natural gas last year than all the gas used across Europe's power sector. Natural gas is mostly methane. Methane from agriculture and fossil fuels alone drives about a quarter of all climate damage. David Kieve, president of the Environmental Defense Fund's advocacy arm, said the days have "come and gone" from when natural gas could be considered a "bridge fuel." He was director of public engagement at the White House's Council on Environmental Quality in Biden's first year. "I think there's an understanding that we need to go even much much faster."

Putin: Russia will respond if NATO sets up infrastructure in Finland, Sweden
Reuters/June 30/2022
MOSCOW, June 29 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would respond in kind if NATO deployed troops and infrastructure in Finland and Sweden after they join the U.S.-led military alliance."With Sweden and Finland, we don't have the problems that we have with Ukraine. They want to join NATO, go ahead," Putin told Russian state television after talks with regional leaders in the central Asian ex-Soviet state of Turkmenistan. "But they must understand there was no threat before, while now, if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in kind and create the same threats for the territories from which threats towards us are created."He said it was inevitable that Moscow's relations with Helsinki and Stockholm would sour over their NATO membership. "Everything was fine between us, but now there might be some tensions, there certainly will," he said. "It's inevitable if there is a threat to us." Putin made his comment a day after NATO member Turkey lifted its veto over the bid by Finland and Sweden to join the alliance after the three nations agreed to protect each other's security. read more
The move means Helsinki and Stockholm can proceed with their application to join NATO, marking the biggest shift in European security in decades.Putin added that the objectives of what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine remained unchanged, that its goal was to "liberate" eastern Ukraine's Donbas region and create conditions to ensure Russia's security. He said Russian troops had advanced in Ukraine and that the military intervention was going as planned. There was no need, he said, to set a deadline for an end to the campaign.

Israel parliament dissolves itself, sets November 1 election
Agence France Presse/June 30/2022
Israeli lawmakers dissolved parliament on Thursday, forcing the country's fifth election in less than four years, with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid set to take over as caretaker prime minister at midnight. The final dissolution bill, which passed with 92 votes in favor none against, ends the year-long premiership of Naftali Bennett, who led an eight-party coalition that was backed by an Arab party, a first in Israeli history. Following the vote, Lapid and Bennett immediately swapped seats in the parliament -- the Knesset -- and Lapid was embraced by members of his centrist Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party. Bennett said late Wednesday that he will not stand in the upcoming election set for November 1, which will see veteran right-wing opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu attempt to reclaim power. Netanyahu has promised that his alliance of right-wingers, ultra-nationalists and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties will win the upcoming vote, but opinion polls show he may also struggle to rally a parliamentary majority. Bennett will host Lapid for a handover ceremony later Thursday, the prime minister's office said. The outgoing premier will also hand the leadership of his religious nationalist Yamina party to his long-time political ally, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked.
- 'Dark forces' -
Netanyahu's main challenger will likely be long-time foe Lapid, a former celebrity news anchor who has surprised many since being dismissed as a lightweight when he entered politics a decade ago. Bennett's motley alliance formed with Lapid in June 2021 offered a reprieve from an unprecedented era of political gridlock, ending Netanyahu's record 12 consecutive years in power and passing Israel's first state budget since 2018. As pair announced plans to end their coalition last week, Lapid sought to cast Netanyahu's potential return to office as a national threat. "What we need to do today is go back to the concept of Israeli unity. Not to let dark forces tear us apart from within," Lapid said. Bennett led a coalition of right-wingers, centrists, doves and Islamists from the Raam faction, which made history by becoming the first Arab party to support an Israeli government since the Jewish state's creation. But the alliance, united by its desire to oust Netanyahu and break a damaging cycle of inconclusive elections, was imperiled from the outset by its ideological divides.
- Farewell address -
Bennett said the final straw was a failure to renew a measure that ensures the roughly 475,000 Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank live under Israeli law. Some Arab lawmakers in the coalition refused to back a bill they said marked a de facto endorsement of a 55-year occupation that has forced West Bank Palestinians to live under Israeli rule. For Bennett, a staunch supporter of settlements, allowing the so-called West Bank law to expire was intolerable. Dissolving parliament before its June 30 expiration temporarily renews the measure. In the weeks before his coalition unraveled, Bennett sought to highlight its successes, including what he characterized as proof that ideological rivals can govern together. "No one should give up their positions, but it is certainly possible and necessary to put aside, for a while, ideological debates and take care of the economy, security and future of the citizens of Israel," he said in his farewell address Wednesday, which did not rule out a eventual return to politics. Bennett will stay on as alternate prime minister responsible for Iran policy, as world powers take steps to revive stalled talks on Tehran's nuclear program. Israel opposes a restoration of the 2015 agreement that gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for limits on its nuclear program. Lapid will retain his foreign minister title while serving as Israel's 14th premier. He will find himself under an early microscope, with US President Joe Biden due in Jerusalem in two weeks.

Yair Lapid's unlikely rise from TV star to Israeli prime minister
Agence France Presse/June 30/2022
Some in Israel dismissed Yair Lapid as just another media star when the former news anchor, ad pitchman and soap actor launched his bid for political power a decade ago. But the 58-year-old, who is set to become the Jewish state's next prime minister at midnight, has a history of surpassing expectation during a political career which, even by Israeli standards, has been turbulent. Almost a decade ago, with his newly formed centrist Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party, he was not immediately taken seriously as a heavyweight or challenger in the lead-up to an election in January 2013.
But Lapid's hometown of Tel Aviv had been rattled by protests against the surging cost of living. He and his party focused their campaign on Israel's struggling middle class, asking why so few were prospering from economic growth. It worked. Yesh Atid, led by the ex-news journalist who regularly featured on lists of Israel's most desirable men, shocked pundits by finishing second to the right-wing incumbent, Benjamin Netanyahu. Lapid was motivated by public service, not personal brand enhancement, said Dov Lipman, who was elected to parliament on Yesh Atid's 2013 slate. "He didn't need any of this. His finances were set and he had fame," Lipman, who has since left politics and the party, told AFP. "He got involved in this because he really felt that things need to change in Israel."
- Challenges -
Lapid's father, a Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor, had also left the media to join politics. Lapid's mother is a writer. Following the 2013 polls, Lapid joined a Netanyahu-led coalition, had a rocky term as finance minister, joined the opposition in 2015 and became a key player seeking to oust Netanyahu. That protracted effort ultimately succeeded in June 2021, when Lapid crafted an unlikely coalition of hawks, centrists, left-wingers and Arab Islamists, which ended Netanyahu's 13-year tenure. He clinched the deal by offering the prime minister's job to Naftali Bennett, whose nationalist Yamina party had fared far worse in the polls than Yesh Atid. Lapid became foreign minister. When Bennett announced last week that this coalition was no longer tenable, triggering Israel's fifth election in less than four years, he said he would honour his power-sharing deal with Lapid, who will serve as prime minister and foreign minister of a caretaker government. As they did when he launched his political career, rising prices have again emerged as a challenge before he assumes the premiership."We need to tackle the cost of living," he said, days before he was to become Israel's 14th prime minister. In December, an authoritative global ranking named Tel Aviv as the world's most expensive city. Lapid then listed the geopolitical challenges that may dominate his time, including Iran and the Lebanese Shiite militant movement Hezbollah.
- 'Inspirational' -
On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Lapid's positions have been described as broadly centrist, with some right-leaning tendencies. Unlike Bennett, he favours direct talks with the Palestinians on a two-state solution, but has voiced doubt about the Palestinian desire to make peace and, at times, defended settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. The parliamentary election set for November 1 will be the seventh time for Lapid and Netanyahu to face off at the ballot box. Following a March 2020 election, Lapid's former political partner, Defence Minister Benny Gantz, struck a coalition deal with Netanyahu in an attempt to end Israel's unprecedented, and still ongoing, era of political deadlock. In perhaps another demonstration in recent years of his political acumen, Lapid cut ties with Gantz, warning that Netanyahu would break up the coalition before honouring a power-sharing deal. Speaking to AFP in 2020, Lapid said: "I told (Gantz), 'I've worked with Netanyahu. Why don't you listen to the voice of experience... He is not going to change'."For Lipman, Lapid's commitment to family, specifically the care for his autistic daughter, speaks to the new prime minister's character. Lipman recalled that, when Lapid was finance minister, he regularly set time aside in his weekly schedule for meeting his daughter, whose condition prevents her from communicating with him."I believe that he is very inspirational as a leader, which shows a level of care and compassion that gets to the core of who he is," Lipman said, describing Lapid as someone uninterested in the trappings of power.As finance minister, Lapid refused the car and driver offered by the state, Lipman recalled.

Three Israelis, 64 Palestinians wounded in West Bank clashes
Associated Press/June 30/2022
Palestinian gunmen opened fire at Jewish worshipers on Thursday at a flashpoint holy site in the occupied West Bank, wounding an Israeli military officer and two civilians, the Israeli army said. The Palestinian official news agency Wafa said a Palestinian teenager was wounded by live fire and 16 others by rubber bullets in clashes with Israeli forces at the site near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, a frequent point of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Some Jews believe the biblical Joseph is buried at the site, while Palestinians say it's the tomb of a Sheikh. Jewish worshipers escorted by the Israeli military often visit the shrine to pray. The Israeli military said Palestinian gunmen opened fired on hundreds of Jewish worshipers who came to the site overnight on Thursday. The commanding officer of the unit suffered slight injuries, and two civilians were wounded, the army said. Last month, a Palestinian teen was killed and at least 15 Palestinians were wounded in clashes with the military near the shrine, according to Wafa. In April, Palestinians set fire to the shrine before they were dispersed by Palestinian security forces, an incident that drew condemnation from Israeli leaders. Thursday's clash was the latest in a wave of violence that has persisted for months following a string of deadly attacks inside Israel, Israeli arrest raids across the West Bank, and the killing of a Palestinian-American Al Jazeera reporter. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians seek the territory as the heartland of a future state. Almost 500,000 Israeli settlers live in over 130 settlements dotting the West Bank alongside nearly 3 million Palestinians living under Israeli military rule.

Egypt government sponsoring 'campaign against journalism'
Associated Press/June 30/2022
Pro-government television presenters and state newspapers in Egypt are at the forefront of a "campaign against journalism", Reporters Without Borders (RSF) charged Thursday. The media watchdog, in a report entitled "The Puppets of President" Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, said Egyptian journalists were operating in an "unsustainable working environment", faced with "campaigns of hatred, denigration and defamation".The state has been "sponsoring these attacks, with the complicity of star presenters and mass media", in a country where popular nightly talk show hosts shape public opinion, RSF's Sabrina Bennoui said in a statement. According to RSF, Egyptian security services have become "the number two player in the media landscape", through a holding company which has acquired "around 17 percent" of media outlets. Its outlets carry out what RSF called "coordinated" media campaigns in which "star presenters slander journalists on television channels" before Egypt's 103-million-strong population. Egypt is regularly condemned for its human rights record, with rights groups saying there are currently 60,000 political prisoners in custody, many under charges of "spreading fake news". According to RSF, some prominent journalists have themselves played a key role in the crackdown, putting aside "their ethics" to become "fervent defenders of the government". When not charged with membership of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, dissident journalists are accused of being "foreign agents" or "inciting debauchery", vague charges that often result in lengthy detentions, RSF said. Egypt, where at least 20 journalists are behind bars, currently ranks 168th out of 180 countries in RSF's press freedom index.

Young Arab artists dream of freedom in unique talent show
Agencies/June 30/2022
Young musicians, dancers, actors and comedians from across the Arab world took to the stage in Tunisia to express their visions of freedom, more than a decade after the Arab Spring uprisings. The show, performed under the stars at a seaside theatre in the resort of Hammamet and broadcast across the region, featured winners of an online video competition to complete the phrase: "I will only be free when..."It was the latest in a string of talent and debate programs organized by media action group Munathara ("debate"), which aims "to spark much-needed conversations about rights, freedoms and social change in the Arab world", according to founder Belabbas Benkredda. "Public debates even about fundamental rights can be very polarizing, especially on social media," the 43-year-old Algerian-German said. Munathara was born in 2012, the year after the Arab Spring revolts, kicked off by the ouster of Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, which had sparked high hopes for democracy in a region with an overwhelmingly young population. But ironically, as Munathara marked its 10th anniversary with the show in Hammamet on Saturday, it was overshadowed by President Kais Saied consolidating a power-grab that has sparked fears for Tunisia's democratic gains. Other countries in the region have seen the rise of even more repressive systems than before, while others have witnessed devastating civil wars.
'Freedoms under attack'
Munathara was founded at "a time of great hope and aspiration -- but the optimism has given way to cynicism, including among youth", Benkredda said. "The Arab world's Gen Z came of age politically amid increasing despair and social division."Syrian refugee and stand-up comedian Mohamed al-Kurdi, one of the performers in Saturday's show, said that today, "young people's freedom is restricted, and not just in the Arab world"."All over the world freedoms are under attack," the 23-year-old added, sitting at the edge of a stage bathed in spotlights during a break from rehearsals. Kurdi, whose TikTok account "MidoKrdi" has over 2.3 million followers, said that rather than dealing with politics, he wanted to discuss "the limits we impose on ourselves: fear of failure, fear of success. These things rein in our freedom."For Saturday's event, he teamed up with fellow comedian and actress Dana Ali Makki, 22, in a comedy act about an overbearing husband and his wife. Makki, from the southern Lebanese region of Nabatiyeh, said she believed young Arabs had slightly more freedom than a few years ago. "People can be a bit different from their parents and from the society and culture they grew up in," she said. "There's more subversion against customs, traditions, religion and society."Asked how she defined her own freedom, she said: "I'm free when I'm able to say whatever I want, loudly, without being afraid of anyone. Free of all the restrictions society imposes, especially on women."
'Learn to resist!' -
The show, the fourth of its kind, also served as a showcase for up-and-coming talent, such as Ahmed al-Qrinawi from Gaza, a Palestinian enclave under Israeli blockade for the past 15 years. He was a twice-published poet when he started teaching himself the oud -- a kind of lute widely played in the Middle East -- at the age of 22. He would sit under a shelter he built on the family's roof in Gaza City, to avoid the disapproving ears of his conservative family. To learn music theory, he used copies of music books borrowed from friends at a music school he couldn't afford to attend. Last weekend, three years later, he appeared on stage playing an unusual seven-stringed oud, home-made with the help of a carpenter friend. He said he had only heard about the competition shortly after the deadline, and composed, recorded and submitted his song in just an hour. Fortunately, judges accepted the entry, and he went on to become one of the winners and perform with a professional band. "I will only be free when I have a normal country, where death doesn't keep an eye on me," runs the first line of his song. "In Gaza there's no freedom," Qrinawi said. "Freedom's not just about food and drink. You can get a bird and put it in a cage and bring it food, but it's still in captivity." For Lebanese actress and comedian Makki, who has a tattoo on her forearm reading "resist", the show was a chance to deliver another message. "You can't stay in your house with your hands tied or stay silent," she said. "Learn to say no to oppression and repression."

Joint Egyptian-Bahraini statement stresses depth of relationship and need for coordination
Mohammed Abu Zaid/Arab News/June 30/2022
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa conclude Manama talks
Both countries affirmed the “unity of a common position and destiny toward all regional and international issues and developments of common interest”
CAIRO: In a joint statement at the conclusion of talks between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Egypt and Bahrain stressed the depth of the two countries’ relations, and the need for coordination and cooperation to confront the challenges of the region, maintain its security and achieve stability. The joint statement was issued after bilateral talks at Sakhir Palace in Manama. Both countries affirmed the “unity of a common position and destiny toward all regional and international issues and developments of common interest,” and an “increase in the pace of economic cooperation for broader horizons that would support the common interests of the two brotherly countries.”The two sides agreed to “coordinate joint efforts to combat terrorism and its organizations and prevent its financing, and to spare the region the dangers of destabilising activities.”
They also stressed “support for Arab efforts to urge Iran to abide by international principles of non-interference in the affairs of Arab countries, to preserve the principles of good-neighborliness, and to spare the region all destabilising activities, including supporting armed militias and threatening maritime navigation and international trade lines.”Both countries highlighted “supporting international efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, ensuring the peacefulness of Iran’s nuclear program, strengthening the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency, maintaining the non-proliferation regime, and the importance of supporting efforts to establish a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.” With regard to the Renaissance Dam crisis, Bahrain’s ruler expressed “the Kingdom of Bahrain’s full support for Egyptian water security as an integral part of Arab water security,” and urged Ethiopia to abandon its unilateral policy in connection with international rivers, and to abide by the international laws related to filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. He also stressed “the necessity of negotiating in good faith with Egypt and Sudan to reach a binding legal agreement in this regard, in implementation of the presidential statement issued by the Security Council in September 2021, in a way that averts the damage caused by this project to the downstream countries and enhances cooperation between the peoples of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.”The Bahraini side expressed its full solidarity with the Arab Republic of Egypt in all the measures it takes to protect its national security. On the Yemeni issue, the two sides affirmed their support for international efforts to find a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni crisis, in accordance with the approved international references, and the Saudi initiative to end the Yemeni crisis. They also expressed their full support for the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council to perform its constitutional responsibilities “to achieve security, stability and development in Yemen.” They also affirmed their support for the UN armistice agreement in Yemen and welcomed the announcement of its extension. The Bahraini side appreciated Egypt’s response to the request of the legitimate Yemeni government and the United Nations to operate direct flights between Cairo and Sanaa in support of that armistice and alleviating the humanitarian suffering of the Yemeni people. The two sides welcomed the upcoming summit to be hosted by Saudi Arabia between the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Jordan and Egypt, and the Prime Minister of Iraq with US President Joe Biden.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 01/2022
Opinion NATO is united on Ukraine. Good, but plenty could still go wrong.
David Ignatius/The Washington Post/June 30/2022
Brussels — NATO solidarity was on display at a summit meeting this week in Madrid. One after another, officials pledged to stay the course and combat Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
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But as this war bleeds into summer and civilians continue to perish in horrific rocket attacks, NATO needs to ask how its strategy might fail. We can imagine some of the ways in which a hypothetical “Red Team” analysis might reveal how Ukraine’s allies could squander their current advantages and lose this conflict. When you look at the scorecard so far, Putin appears to be failing in his war aims. Russian troops are bogged down in a bloody battle of attrition. Ukraine, rather than bowing to Moscow’s hegemony, is joining Europe with candidate status to the European Union. A revitalized NATO is bolstering its eastern and northern flanks, with Sweden and Finland joining the alliance. And Russia is on the way to losing its energy markets in Europe and its access to Western technology.
The West is “sending an unmistakable message” to Putin, President Biden asserted in Madrid on Wednesday. The Pentagon plans to send an Army corps headquarters to Poland; more U.S. troops to the Baltic states and Romania; two more Navy destroyers to Spain; and two more squadrons of F-35 fighters to Britain. “We’re stepping up,” Biden said in announcing the expanded U.S. commitment.
The biggest challenge is the battlefield itself. U.S. and British intelligence analysts are forecasting a slow, static campaign in the Donbas region, with the Ukrainians able to contain Russian breakouts with newly arriving multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), additional artillery ammunition and more ground-to-air missiles.But what if the weapons pipeline is slow or inadequate? The Pentagon has been limiting its deliveries of the MLRS — wanting a “proof of concept” — and has provided only a fraction of what the Ukrainians say they need. Deliveries of some other weapons have been slow, too, sources say — with far fewer on the battlefield than the Ukrainians want.
An example is the small but lethal Switchblade drone, which can attack Russian tanks, ships or command centers. The drone comes in two models, with flight time ranges of 15 to 40 minutes. Back in March, the Biden administration announced plans to send Ukraine the first of what would be 400 of the smaller drones, according to a source familiar with the weapons system. But the source said the Pentagon sent just 10 of the larger models. The Ukrainians have requested several thousand more of each version, but there has been no U.S. response, according to this source. The drones are made by AeroVironment.
Russia is losing on the electronic battlefield Political fatigue is another problem for the United States and its NATO allies. The war in Ukraine is relatively popular now, but complaints will surely grow as U.S. gasoline prices remain high, natural gas supplies dwindle in Europe during a cold winter and voters ask why money isn’t being spent on domestic needs.
At a conference here this week linked to the NATO summit, sponsored by the German Marshall Fund (of which I’m a trustee), I heard calls for victory in Ukraine from attendees from Germany, Poland, Latvia, Romania, Greece, Spain, Britain and the United States. They all argued that the fight is worth the sacrifices. But many also worried that it lacked sufficient political support at home. The leaders of the Group of Seven discussed two of the trickiest problems at their summit in Elmau, Germany, this week — lowering energy prices and easing food shortages caused by the Russian blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, from which it exports grain. The G-7 leaders have ideas, but few specific plans. These problems can’t wait; the costs could become unbearable for the West.
One way to lose wars is through unwise provocations. Lithuania’s recent decision to block transit to the neighboring Russian enclave of Kaliningrad was meant to enforce E.U. sanctions, but was it sensible? Several European and U.S. officials told me they were dubious, since the move could provoke a Russian counterattack and then a Lithuanian invocation of NATO’s Article 5 mutual-defense pact.
NATO is right to avoid direct attacks on Russia that might lead to catastrophic nuclear escalation. But that doesn’t mean Ukraine shouldn’t fight back against missiles fired from inside Russia. If Putin uses his territory as a sanctuary for launching rockets in an unprovoked, illegal war, the protection of his border dissolves.If Ukraine can stop Russia on the battlefield, it will have to decide eventually what kind of settlement it wants — since an unconditional surrender by a nuclear-armed Russia is unlikely. But that diplomatic moment is probably a long way off.
This is Ukraine’s war to fight. But NATO needs to plan its strategy as if the alliance’s own credibility and survival were at stake.

EU Signs Deal with Egypt and Israel to Boost Gas Exports to Europe
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/June 30/2022
Over time the agreement could spur new investment in gas exploration and infrastructure in Cyprus, Egypt, Greece and Israel and potentially transform the Eastern Mediterranean into an energy powerhouse.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the agreement as "a big step forward in the energy supply to Europe" and "the first step leading to a Mediterranean-wide agreement."
"The war in Ukraine has really changed the equation in a way, including for the EU where they're willing to overlook, at least in the short term, the desire to go green as soon as possible." — Dov Lieber, The Wall Street Journal, June 16, 2022.
The European Union has signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel and Egypt that paves the way for potentially significant quantities of Israeli natural gas to be shipped to Europe. Pictured: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (back) looks on as EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson (L), Egyptian Minister of Petroleum Tarek el-Molla (C), and Israeli Minister of Energy Karine Elharrar (R) sign a trilateral natural gas deal in Cairo on June 15, 2022.
The European Union has signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel and Egypt that paves the way for potentially significant quantities of Israeli natural gas to be shipped to Europe.
The trilateral agreement, signed on June 15 in Cairo at a meeting of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF), an intergovernmental organization, calls for Israeli gas to be sent to liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Egypt. From there, the gas in liquid form will be transported across the Mediterranean Sea on LNG vessels to markets in Europe.
Initially, the volumes of Israeli gas sent to Europe will be relatively low due to a combination of factors, including infrastructure limitations, the high costs of producing and shipping LNG, and the politics of climate change and clean energy. Over time, however, the agreement could spur new investment in gas exploration and infrastructure in Cyprus, Egypt, Greece and Israel and potentially transform the Eastern Mediterranean into an energy powerhouse.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the agreement as "a big step forward in the energy supply to Europe" and "the first step leading to a Mediterranean-wide agreement."
Non-Russian Energy
The EU has been scrambling to reduce its dependence on gas from Russia since February 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. In 2021, Russia supplied the EU with around 155 billion cubic meters (bcm), or 45% of the bloc's total gas imports, according to the International Energy Agency.
On March 8, the European Commission, the EU's administrative arm, unveiled an ambitious proposal to reduce imports of Russian gas by two-thirds before the end of 2022, and to make the EU independent from Russian fossil fuels by 2030. It called for increasing LNG imports from non-Russian sources by 50 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2022.
Since then, non-Russian gas producers — including Algeria, Angola, Congo, Nigeria, Qatar, and the United States — have agreed to supply the EU with gas to reduce the bloc's dependence on Russia.
The amount of natural gas that Israel can deliver immediately is relatively small: over the short term, it could supply Europe with around 10 bcm per year (approximately 2.5% of the EU's total gas consumption of 350 bcm per year).
Based on the new agreement with Egypt and Israel, the European Union expects to import 7 bcm of LNG from Egypt in 2022, 2 bcm more than originally planned, according to an EU spokesman quoted by the Financial Times. The EU could import up to 10 bcm of LNG from Egypt in 2023.
Most of the LNG exported to Europe by Egypt originates in Israel, which has increased gas production but does not have large-scale export facilities of its own. Israel delivers 5 bcm of gas annually to Egypt by means of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Pipeline (EMG), which runs from Ashkelon in southern Israel to Arish in the northern Sinai Peninsula. The pipeline has a maximum capacity of 7 bcm per year.
In February 2022, Israel began shipping an additional 2.5-3 bcm to Egypt by means of the Jordanian section of the Arab Gas Pipeline (AGP), which runs from Aqaba to Arish.
Israel and Egypt are discussing the construction of additional pipelines that would more than double Israel gas exports to Egypt. The two countries recently agreed to build a second undersea pipeline that would transport 10 bcm of gas annually from Israel's offshore Leviathan field directly to LNG facilities in northern Egypt.
Israel is also considering building a new onshore pipeline that would connect the Israeli and Egyptian natural gas grids. The pipeline would allow Israel to increase supplies to Egypt by an additional 3-5 bcm per year.
The existing and future pipelines could result in Israel and Egypt shipping approximately 30 bcm of LNG annually to the EU in coming years. This would amount to 8.5% of the EU's total gas consumption and roughly 20% of the amount previously supplied by Russia.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Jonathan Miller, the special envoy for energy at Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said:
"Israel is willing to do as much as possible in supporting the European energy challenges. The big question is how does this gas get to Europe, and this remains one of the challenges. In the short term, these are not big figures because we have to rely on existing infrastructure, but I think it's an important time for Europe, Israel, Egypt and partners to look to mid-term and long-term solutions on how we get to the European market."
LNG Alternatives
Most energy analysts agree that LNG imports are only a temporary solution for Europe's gas needs. Over the long term, undersea pipelines between Israel and Europe could offer a less expensive and more stable source of gas compared to LNG. Two gas pipeline alternatives are currently under discussion.
One option is the construction of a $1.5 billion, 500-kilometer (300-mile) pipeline between Israel's largest offshore natural gas field, Leviathan, and Turkey, from where Israeli gas would be forwarded to southern Europe through existing pipeline infrastructure. This option, involving up to 15 bcm annually, would leave Israel strategically dependent on Turkey, whose president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been hostile to the Jewish state.
The Turkish government has always insisted that Israeli gas can only be sold to Europe through Turkey. In 2016, Turkish and Israeli officials tried to sign a deal to deliver gas, but Erdoğan's demand that Israel lift its blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip made it impossible to reach an agreement. Israeli President Isaac Herzog recently visited Ankara for talks with Erdoğan to repair bilateral relations that have long been strained due, among other issues, to the Turkish leader's anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and support for Palestinian terrorism.
The second option involves the 2,000-kilometer (1,242-mile) Eastern Mediterranean (EastMed) pipeline, a $6 billion project aimed at shipping up to 20 bcm of gas annually natural gas from Israeli and Cypriot waters to Greece and Italy.
The EastMed pipeline has been in the planning stages for more than a decade. The Israel-Greece-Cyprus project — joined by Bulgaria, Hungary, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia — has long been seen as a way to diversify natural gas supplies to Europe.
In January 2020, the leaders of Israel, Greece and Cyprus — with strong support from the Trump administration — signed the EastMed intergovernmental agreement, which aimed at reaching a final investment decision by 2022 and completing the pipeline by 2025. The EastMed project could eventually supply up to 10% of Europe's natural gas needs.
In November 2021, the European Commission included the EastMed pipeline in its list of so-called Projects of Common Interest (PCI), priority cross-border energy projects aimed at integrating the EU's energy infrastructure.
In January 2022, just before Russia invaded Ukraine, the Biden administration abruptly announced that it no longer supported EastMed because the pipeline was antithetical to its "climate goals." Some analysts said that Biden's decision effectively killed the project because without American political support, such a costly project would be difficult to finance.
The war in Ukraine may lead to the revival of the EastMed project, regardless of opposition from the White House. Former Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, a key proponent of EastMed, recently called on the Israeli government to "urgently promote" the building of the pipeline as quickly as possible.
On May 23, at a conference — "Energy and the Eastern Mediterranean in 2022" — organized by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Steinitz said that EastMed is economically and technically feasible and "makes sense." Speaking at the same conference, Italian energy executive Fabrizio Mattana said that EastMed was the most secure option compared to other gas export solutions. He estimated that EastMed would take up to four years to complete after an investment decision is reached.
Boosting Production
Whether investments in new infrastructure projects such as pipelines are made depend on several factors, including the amount of gas available for export, and future demand from the European Union.
Israel's proven natural gas reserves are estimated to be 600 bcm, according to BP's Statistical Review of World Energy. Israel expects to find another 2.2 trillion cubic meters in its offshore fields, Steinitz told a World Energy Congress in Istanbul.
Over the next few years, Israel is on track to double gas production to about 40 bcm from 20 bcm currently as it expands existing projects and brings new fields online, according to industry officials interviewed by the Reuters news agency.
On May 8, the exploration company Energean reported that it had discovered 8 bcm in the Athena well off the coast of Israel, and that the area around the well could contain up to 58 bcm of gas.
The European Union, as part of the memorandum of understanding, has pledged to encourage European energy companies to participate in projects to explore for new gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In an interview with the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency, Elai Rettig, professor of political studies at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, said that Europe's demand for energy could potentially become a windfall for the Eastern Mediterranean:
"Europe needs as many alternative sources as possible. The more export deals that are made, the more infrastructure will be built, the bigger the chances are that new energy companies will come to look for more gas in the Eastern Mediterranean."
Speaking to the Financial Times, Martijn Murphy, principal analyst for North Africa at Wood Mackenzie, the oil and gas consultancy, said that the deal could help foster further development of Israeli gas fields:
"It will help Israel in terms of attracting international oil companies into the country who can be confident that there's going to be a market to sell the gas on."
Israel's Energy Minister Karine Elharrar said the agreement with the EU could cement Israel's role on the global energy stage:
"This is a tremendous moment in which little Israel is becoming a significant player in the global energy market. The memorandum of understanding will allow Israel to export Israeli natural gas to Europe for the first time, and it is even more impressive when one looks at the string of significant agreements we have signed in the past year, positioning Israel and the Israeli energy and water economy as a key player in the world."
Israel correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, Dov Lieber, said that the EU deal would be beneficial to Israel and Egypt:
"This isn't going to make up for the loss of Russian gas, not even close, but it's part of the EU's diversification efforts. They will get at least some of their gas from the Eastern Mediterranean rather than relying on one partner. But for Israel and Egypt, it's actually a major significance for both countries.
"This is the first time Israel is exporting gas to Europe, obviously a major customer. Up until not too long ago, Israel itself was an importer of natural gas, and all the natural gas discoveries basically happened in the last decade or so. It's basically turned around its whole energy image of an importer to now an exporter on the world stage exporting to clients like the EU.
"Egypt also has benefited from all these discoveries of natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean. But because it has such a large population, it needs to reserve a lot of its own gas for its local market, but it has these liquification facilities that Israel doesn't have that allows it to be the exporter of the gas to Europe. So it will help Egypt become basically this regional hub for gas."
The EU agreement states that natural gas will play a key role in the energy economy of EU countries only until 2030, at which point its consumption is to gradually decrease until 2050, when the bloc hopes to reach its zero-emissions target.
The Wall Street Journal's Dov Lieber concluded that the EU's urgent need to find enough supplies to replace Russian gas is outweighing longer-term goals to slash emissions:
"Exploration for natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean only began producing results up to about two decades ago, and slowly the major discoveries have started to come through. But at the same time, these discoveries of natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean really happened at a time when the world was looking to transition away from fossil fuels, transition away from natural gas and towards more greener options, to decarbonize.
"The war in Ukraine has really changed the equation in a way, including for the EU, where they're willing to overlook, at least in the short term, the desire to go green as soon as possible. They're willing to build out the continued exploration, for example, and to build out infrastructure a little more in order to keep the gas flowing for now, but they haven't really invested too much in this industry because it looked like energy was going in a very different direction."
*Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
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It’s Time for NATO to Help the Baltics
James Brooke and Ivana Stradner/The Dispatch/June 30/2022
Russian hackers have launched cyberattacks against Lithuania for its enforcement of EU sanctions against Kaliningrad.
A new flashpoint between NATO and Russia’s new expansionism flared up after Lithuania banned the transit of sanctioned goods from Russia to Kaliningrad, its exclave on the Baltic Sea, as part of the EU’s sanctions regime that took effect on June 17. Russia called Lithuania’s actions “hostile” and threatened “serious” consequences.
Undeterred, Lithuania this weekend blocked an EU motion that would have nullified the restrictions. Vilnius said that the EU must not succumb to Russian pressure and compromise on its sanctions package.
NATO leaders meeting in Madrid this week should back up Lithuania’s move to put Russia on the defensive. As a larger strategy, NATO should follow Lithuania’s lead of pressuring Moscow and calling out Moscow’s empty threats.
The Kremlin has already responded to Lithuania’s restrictions with information warfare and cyber subterfuge. On Monday, a Russian-speaking hacking group known as Killnet claimed responsibility for part of what Lithuania’s Defense Ministry calls an “intense, ongoing” cyberattack against government and private websites.
This cyberattack tracks with Russia’s Ministry of Defense Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s warning that Russia’s response would be “not diplomatic, but practical.” Kremlin spokeswoman Dmitry Peskov was similarly critical of the transit restrictions, calling them “illegal.”
But the restrictions are in strict accordance with EU law. Lithuania blocked only the transit of EU-sanctioned goods, like “metals, coal, construction materials, and high-technology products to the Russian sea port.” Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement Monday saying that “the transit of passengers and non-sanctioned goods to and from the Kaliningrad region through Lithuania continues uninterrupted.”
The Kremlin threats come as Putin is increasingly open about his expansionism. On June 9, in a new justification for Russia’s war on Ukraine, Putin drew an analogy with Peter the Great’s 21-year war with Sweden. He said: “Clearly, it fell to our lot to return and reinforce [ex-Russian lands] as well.” One week later, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Reform, Putin asked the world: “What is the Soviet Union? It is historical Russia.”
Thirty years ago, the Soviet Union disintegrated into Russia and 14 separate countries. Today, in Moscow, Kremlin-friendly media commentators increasingly call these 14 nations, including Ukraine, “quasi-states.” Spoiling for a fight, Putin looks around the map for a quarrel – or a conquest. By keeping Russia on a war footing, Putin justifies his dictatorship, keeping Russia governable with emergency decrees.
Particularly vulnerable is oil-rich Kazakhstan, a nation four times the size of Texas with a large ethnic Russian population along its virtually undefended northern border with Russia. With no NATO ties, Kazakhstan could lose land without provoking a world reaction stronger than a few words of lamentation at the United Nations.
Konstantin Zatulin, a Russia Duma member specializing in ties with the nations of Moscow’s former land empire, warns: Ukraine today, Kazakhstan tomorrow. He told Govorit Moskva radio last week: “[The Kazakhs] know only too well that a number of regions, settlements with a predominantly Russian population, had little to do with what is called Kazakhstan. We are everywhere. In relation to Ukraine, we say: If we have friendship, cooperation and partnership, then no territorial issues are raised. And if not, then everything is possible.
The best response to such inflammatory rhetoric and aggressive moves by the Kremlin is to increase NATO’s forward operating presence in the three Baltic states. NATO’s meeting this week is the perfect opportunity to do that.
Estonia’s Prime Minister last week revealed that a Russian invasion could wipe out Estonia in a weekend. Then, NATO’s response would focus on winning the country back, rather than preventing its conquest. The Baltics ask for a division of NATO troops, between 20,000 and 25,000 soldiers, to be allocated between Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. This week, NATO leaders should grant their request, and should consider forward deploying heavy weapons like artillery and additional aircraft so that they can be quickly manned in the event of a Russian invasion.
There is a precedent: For almost 70 years on the Korean Peninsula, U.S. Army bases between Seoul and the Demilitarized Zone have served a “human tripwire” role, forcing North Korean to think twice before invading from the North.
Recently, Western leaders have worried about escalating conflict with Russia. In reality, Russia should worry about escalating conflict with NATO. The deployment of additional troops and heavy weapons is sure to draw the Kremlin’s wrath in its public statements. But, in reality there is little the Kremlin can do to respond. Europe is weaning itself off Russian oil and natural gas. Moscow’s military is bogged down in eastern Ukraine. Western leaders must rediscover their courage and protect their treaty allies from Moscow’s new expansionism.
*James Brooke is a visiting fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies with a focus on Ukraine. Ivana Stradner is an adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow them on Twitter @JimBrookeUKR and @ivanastradner. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, non-partisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

هنري كيسنجر: لا سلام في الشرق الأوسط مع سلاح نووي إيراني
Henry Kissinger: ‘No peace in the Middle East with nuclear weapons in Iran'
Ben Bloch/The JC Chronical/June 30/2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/109741/henry-kissinger-no-peace-in-the-middle-east-with-nuclear-weapons-in-iran-%d9%87%d9%86%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%83%d9%8a%d8%b3%d9%86%d8%ac%d8%b1-%d9%84%d8%a7-%d8%b3%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%85-%d9%81%d9%8a/
The former U.S. Secretary of State said that deterrence won’t work because Israel would strike first
Former US Secretary of StateHenry Kissinger has said that the only way to have peace in the Middle East is for Iran to have no nuclear weapons at all.
In an interview with the Spectator, the 99-year-old Jewish American strongly criticised the 2015 Iran Deal, negotiated by President Barack Obama’s administration, calling it “inadequate”, adding that it would be “dangerous” to return to it.
He also discussed the danger of autonomous weapons that are being developed around the world, saying that there needs to be discussions between nations to prevent “disaster”. Speaking with historian and journalist Andrew Roberts for the Spectator, Mr Kissinger covered a wide range of topics, notably the ongoing negotiations between the United States (U.S.) and Iran on returning to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018, effectively collapsing the deal. Mr Kissinger said that he was “extremely doubtful” about the agreement when it was signed: “I thought Iran’s promises would be very difficult to verify, and that the talks really created a pattern in which the nuclear build-up might have been slowed down a little but made more inevitable.”
He feared that this 'inevitability' of Iran building up nuclear weapons might make the situation more “explosive” due to the potential reactions from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and particularly Israel.
He said: “Now, the trouble with the existing nuclear talks is that it is very dangerous to go back to an agreement that was inadequate to begin with – to modify it in a direction that makes it apparently more tolerable to the adversary.
“So, all the concerns I had with the original agreement, I’m going to have now. I haven’t seen the terms yet, but there is really no alternative to the elimination of an Iranian nuclear force.
“There is no way you can have peace in the Middle East with nuclear weapons in Iran, because before that happens, there is a high danger of pre-emption by Israel, because Israel cannot wait for deterrents. It can afford only one blow on itself. That is the inherent problem of the crisis.”
The Israeli government was strongly opposed to the JCPOA throughout the negotiation process and when it was signed, with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying: “Iran will get a jackpot, a cash bonanza of hundreds of billions of dollars, which will enable it to continue to pursue its aggression and terror in the region and in the world. This is a bad mistake of historic proportions."Yesterday, the latest round of indirect negotiations between the U.S. and Iran on returning to the deal ended without any breakthroughs, with the U.S. State Department claiming that Iran “raised issues wholly unrelated to the JCPOA and apparently is not ready to make a fundamental decision on whether it wants to revive the deal or bury it.”In the interview, Mr Kissinger also voiced fears about the development of autonomous weapons around the world, saying: “The combination of their destructiveness, and the autonomy of these weapons that have a capacity to choose their own target and a capacity to determine their own danger, imposes a necessity to limit their scope.”
He added: “But this is not taking place at this moment: there are no discussions between the hi-tech countries.
“The only question is, will it happen after some disaster or before it?”
https://www.thejc.com/news/world/henry-kissinger-no-peace-in-the-middle-east-with-nuclear-weapons-in-iran-71ktfu8hvdW2jRKHv3WvGt

Johnson’s UK shuns healing in favor of law-breaking
Mohamed Chebaro/Arab News/June 30/2022
Brexit again risks tearing the UK apart, as well as furthering the divide between Britain and its European neighbors.
The decision by the UK parliament this week to pass the second reading of a bill that sets out the government’s plan to override parts of the trade treaty signed with the EU two years ago represents a major escalation in the continuing dispute over trade rules for Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland protocol bill’s progress in parliament has sparked outrage in Brussels and Dublin, as it threatens to set aside parts of the agreement negotiated by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2019. He had presented the deal to voters as being “oven-ready” during campaigning for that year’s general election, earning him a large majority. The bill, if it becomes law, will lift customs checks on goods being sent from mainland Britain to be sold in Northern Ireland, end the harmonization of the province’s VAT with the rest of the EU single market, and remove the European Court of Justice from any arbitration role in future disputes.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with an EU country, the Republic of Ireland. When Britain left the EU and its borderless free trade zone, the two sides agreed to keep the Irish land border free of customs posts and other checks, as an open border is a key pillar of the peace process that ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland.
The problems of the Northern Ireland protocol are multifaceted. For the Protestant unionists of the province, the protocol’s trade checks have risked a dilution of their bond with the mainland. Those from the Catholic community do not want a physical customs border to return as they dream of one day reuniting the island. The Conservative government in London does not mind all of the above and has shown itself to be ready to renege on its international obligations as long as it helps its popularity among an increasingly skeptical voter base. And what could be better than a quarrel and possibly a trade war with the EU, which presents an opportunity for the government to increase its following among British euroskeptics.
However, scrapping the protocol or parts of it can only increase the isolation of the UK. All parties will lose out as a result of the showdown between the UK and the EU. And it will only further embolden those betting on a larger European schism against the backdrop of what seems likely to be a protracted Russia-Ukraine war and a deepening economic crisis as a result of the war and COVID-19 too. But such a crisis is made worse for the UK due to Brexit.
No one can deny that the legislation put forward unilaterally by the London government is a breach of international law and would affect the UK’s standing in the wider world as a promoter and defender of the rule of law and mutually agreed treaties.
Speaking to the House of Commons ahead of Monday’s vote, which the government won with 295 votes in favor to 221 against, former Prime Minister Theresa May said: “This bill is not, in my view, legal in international law, it will not achieve its aims and it will diminish the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world, and I cannot support it.”
Though her comments mark the highest-profile assault on Johnson from within his party ranks on this issue, he is unlikely to take notice, as he has constantly shown disregard to all his critics. He has promised not only to seek a second term in office but even a third one, despite him being embroiled in many cases of law-breaking during COVID-19 lockdowns, allegedly misleading parliament, his government’s poor handling of the cost of living crisis, and the failure to deliver on many of his post-Brexit prosperity promises.
The UK government under Johnson is adamant Brexit has not exacerbated the UK’s economic underperformance, even though research and studies have been pointing to it as “largely to blame” for billions of lost pounds of trade and tax revenues in recent years, regardless of the impact of the pandemic or the war in Ukraine. The Centre for European Reform said this month that, by the end of last year, the UK’s economy was 5.2 percent — or £31 billion ($37 billion) — smaller than it would have been without Brexit and COVID-19. “We cannot blame Brexit for all of the 5.2 percent shortfall… but it’s apparent that Brexit is largely to blame,” said the author of the study John Springford.
The Centre for European Reform study said it was “hard to avoid the conclusion that Brexit has severely curtailed GDP, investment and goods trade.” Politicians and business entities have also been pointing out how difficult it is to ignore the central role of Brexit in the overall poor performance of the British economy. The government has shown itself to be ready to renege on its international obligations as long as it helps its popularity among an increasingly skeptical voter base.
In commemorating six years since the fated referendum to exit the EU in June 2016, many Leavers and Remainers have been trying to validate their choices. Leavers continue to criticize the EU project as one that aims to form a federalized, united Europe with powers to regulate trade, industry and social areas of life at the expense of individual nation states. They felt that the uncontrolled immigration from EU countries, with new arrivals having the same rights as UK citizens to public health, education and social benefits, was the final straw that necessitated the vote to leave. Remainers have been pointing to the fact that “Taking Back Control” has plagued the country with all types of shortages, including labor, and has reduced the competitiveness of the country and its ability to attract investment.
Such divides have only increased under Johnson’s leadership, with new elements of discord added to the narrative and with no end in sight that might realign the national agenda to heal and help rebuild the parts of the economy and society damaged due to Brexit. Instead, this government is further pushing down the image of Britain as a law-breaking nation.
*Mohamed Chebaro is a British-Lebanese journalist, media consultant and trainer with more than 25 years’ experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy.