English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For 18 July/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2021/english.july18.22.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10/08-12/:"Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, "The kingdom of God has come near to you." But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, "Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.  "I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town".

Titels For English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 17-18/2022
Today is the Feast of Saint Charbel Makhlouf/Eblan Farris/Face Book/July 17/2022
Jeddah Summit voices support for Lebanon's 'sovereignty, security and stability'
Al-Rahi urges US to finalize sea border talks with Israel
Al-Rahi presides over Saint Marina’s Mass in presence of Al Makari, praises Information Minister's keenness on media's role in...
Al-Rahi calls on various parties to position themselves nationally, create a positive atmosphere to secure new government...
Lebanon’s Geagea Voices Support for Army Commander’s Presidential Nomination
Corona - Health Ministry: 2,397 new Corona cases, 2 deaths
Lebanon reaps victory over India in Asian Basketball Cup
FPM welcomes Lebanon's support mentioned in the Jed
Al-Ahdab: Saudi Arabia has imposed a new policy in dealing with friendly countries away from dependency
"Lebanon's absence from Arab-American Summit makes us realize how far we have become from Arab climate," tweets Matar
Al-Saad underlines cabinet's need to send a complete rescue plan to parliament
Armed Forces Retirees to hold sit-in, demonstration facing BDL premises in Baalbek on Monday
Lebanon needs a hero to save it from Hezbollah/Dalia Al-Aqidi/Arab News/July 17/2022

Titles For Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 17-18/2022
Jeddah Summit: Joint Vision for Stable, Prosperous Middle East
Saudi Arabia Calls on Iran to Cooperate with Regional Countries, US Says Won’t Leave Void to Be Filled by Others
What Do You Know About ‘Peacekeeping’ in Tiran?
Syrian Regime Amnesty Decree Released only 547 Detainees
Israel's Army Commander to Visit Morocco Next Week
Sudan Forces Fire Tear Gas at Protests as Death Toll from Tribal Clashes Rises
Khamenei Adviser Says Tehran ‘Capable of Building Nuclear Bomb’
Iran accuses US of provoking Middle East 'crises'
Iran Arrests Several after Protests at Drying Lake
EU mulls sanctions as Russia accused of shelling Ukraine from nuclear plant

Titles For LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 17-18/2022
The Structural Flaw in Biden’s Mideast Tour/Raghida Dergham/The National/July 17/2022
Death for “Blasphemers” in Pakistan/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/July 17/2022
What Does Biden Have to Understand?/Salman Al-Dossary/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
Saudi Success and American Return/Tariq Al-Homayed/ Asharq Al-Awsat /Sunday, 17 July/ 2022 -
Forget the trivia, here’s what really mattered in Jeddah/Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/July 17/ 2022
Pressure on Iran regime will ultimately break its back/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/July 17/2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 17-18/2022
Today is the Feast of Saint Charbel Makhlouf
Eblan Farris/Face Book/July 17/2022
Today is the Feast of Saint Charbel Makhlouf - the 3rd Sunday in July - St. Charbel is A Lebanese Maronite Catholic Saint. A Saint who has done many miracles for many people. This is a post from Jan. 2013 on a Miracle he did in answering my prayers:
Eblan Farris - Awesome Miracle of the Day (January 19, 2013): A couple days ago I was at Texas Roadhouse and was told by a friend of a desperate situation that he was alerted to - his wife was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, and was asked by him if I would go to Church and light a candle and ask for help. I left Texas Roadhouse a little after 10pm and went directly to my Church - Holy Name of Jesus http://www.hnj.org  and I asked for Intervention by Saint Charbel https://bit.ly/3zcRBkE - who is a Lebanese Maronite Catholic Saint known for curing those inflicted with sickness, especially life-threatening ones.I was told last night - Did you hear what happened? The Doctor called and said to come in for treatment, when they went in for treatment they were asked to do another MRI. This time after reading the MRI the Doctors said she does not have any signs of the life-threatening tumor they saw last week - it had completely disappeared.
Believe in the power of prayer.

Jeddah Summit voices support for Lebanon's 'sovereignty, security and stability'
Naharnet/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
The leaders of the U.S., the six Arab Gulf states, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq have expressed their support for Lebanon's "sovereignty, security, and stability, as well as all the reforms necessary to achieve its economic recovery."
In a joint statement issued after a summit in Jeddah, the leaders noted the recently-conducted parliamentary elections in Lebanon, saying they were "enabled by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and Internal Security Forces (ISF)."With a view to upcoming presidential elections, they called on all Lebanese parties to "respect the constitution and carry out the process in a timely manner."The leaders also praised "the efforts made by friends and partners of Lebanon that have renewed and strengthened the confidence and cooperation between Lebanon and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and that have supported the LAF and ISF in their efforts to maintain security in the country." The leaders took particular note of "Kuwait's initiatives aimed at building joint action between Lebanon and the GCC countries," and commended Qatar's recent announcement of direct support for LAF salaries. The United States also confirmed its intention to "develop a similar program for the LAF and ISF." The leaders also welcomed Iraq's support to the people and government of Lebanon in the fields of energy and humanitarian relief. Moreover, the leaders welcomed "all friends of Lebanon to join this effort to ensure the safety and stability of Lebanon." Finally, the leaders of the ten countries emphasized "the importance of the control of the government of Lebanon over all Lebanese territory, including with reference to fulfilling the provisions of the relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and the Taif Accord, and for it to exercise full sovereignty, so there will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon or authority other than that of the government of Lebanon."

Al-Rahi urges US to finalize sea border talks with Israel
Naharnet/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday noted that Lebanon “cannot wait for a long time to extract gas and oil while Israel is already doing so.” “We call on the United States of America, the mediator country, to finalize the issue with Israel, seeing as Lebanon has offered the utmost limit possible in order to secure the success of the negotiations,” al-Rahi said in his Sunday Mass sermon. Separately, the patriarch said he strongly rejects any delay in the election of a new president. “We are working, with all the relations that we have, to secure this election. And from our position, which rises above internal and external axes, we call on the various parties to align themselves patriotically and to create a positive atmosphere to secure the formation of a government and the election of a president,” al-Rahi urged. Referring to his recent call for the election of a president who would not represent a provocation to any party, the patriarch said the new president must “abide by the Lebanese cause, national principles and Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence.”He must also “consolidate the principle of neutrality,” al-Rahi added.

Al-Rahi presides over Saint Marina’s Mass in presence of Al Makari, praises Information Minister's keenness on media's role in...
NNA/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, presided today over the festive Mass in celebration of Saint Marina's Day in her church in the sacred Annoubine Valley, in the presence of Caretaker Information Minister Ziad Al Makari and a number of prominent firgures from the region. In his homily, the Patriarch commended the efforts exerted by Minister Al Makari, saying: "I salute him because he is keen on the truth and the role of the media in telling the truth, especially since we suffer today from some media outlets that prefer to transmit false news and distort the civilized and cultural image of Lebanon, showing only the destructive facets," al-Rahi said.He hoped that the Information Minister will succeed in rectifying matters, noting that the Church considers the media as a prophetic message to the world in helping people realize the truth. "This is also our message, we and the sisterhoods and nuns, in helping our people know the truth, evangelical values and the teachings of the Church," he added. Al-Rahi prayed to Saint Marina "to grant us the virtue of patience and endurance," recalling that the celebrated Saint accepted injustice in defense of the truth, which is absolute and immutable. "Let us learn from her to be patient towards hatred,” he said.

Al-Rahi calls on various parties to position themselves nationally, create a positive atmosphere to secure new government...
NNA/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, presided this morning over Sunday Mass at the summer patriarchal edifice in Diman.
In his religious sermon, the Patriarch urged all thoose involved in political affairs to rememebr that "they are also entrusted with the mission of serving the common good, through which the good of all and the good of every citizen is preserved."Touching on the growing daily-living crises in the country, al-Rahi considered that they do not spare any Lebanese family of any financial status. "This is clearly visible: in the crises of flour, bread, electricity, water and food, school fees, medicine and hospital supplies, the return of the Corona epidemic, and confusion in the treatment of public sector employees’ wages amid discretionary increases that contradict the concept of equality between citizens and employees," he said. The Patriarch also referred to the "ambiguities over the negotiations to demarcate the maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel," stressing that "Lebanon cannot wait for long to extract gas and oil, while Israel is doing so," and hoping that "the United States of America, the mediating country, will resolve the issue with Israel, since Lebanon has provided the maximum for the success of the negotiations." "Amidst this reality, the Lebanese people are waiting for rescue solutions, only to find that problems are further escalating and their poverty increasing," al-Rahi regretted. He considered that distrust in the political community has doubled and Lebanon's credibility in seeking aid from friends is weakened due to the absence of clear and solid rescue solutions. He thus called on the political forces, "in light of the political, parliamentary and security facts, to move away from the atmosphere of challenge that complicates Lebanon's relations and distances the Lebanese constituencies, at a time when Lebanon is going through the most serious existential challenge in its modern history." Al-Rahi urged the various parties in the country to position themselves nationally and to create a positive atmosphere that allows for the new government formation and the election of a president of the republic. He concluded by saying: "As the Church celebrates today the feast of Saint Charbel, we ask God Almighty to render each and every one of us, and every official and bearer of authority an example of Saint Charbel in decision-making and commitment without retreat...We also pray to the Lord as the Church celebrates today the feast of Saint Marina, to help us follow her example of patience in the face of injustice until the truth appears, and until justice is exercised."

Lebanon’s Geagea Voices Support for Army Commander’s Presidential Nomination
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
Head of the Lebanese Forces party Samir Geagea voiced his support on Saturday for Army Commander General Joseph Aoun’s possible presidential nomination if “it turns out that his chances are high.”He said that discussions in this regard have begun among opposition parties, noting that there are more than 30 different parties which makes the communication process time-consuming. “He has run the military institution in a good way and has improved it and acted as a real statesman at its head,” he said in comments about the army chief Aoun. “Despite pressures from the most senior officials, he did not accept to prevent the army from performing its missions -- mainly preserving the border and domestic security,” Geagea added. “I don’t know what General Aoun’s chances to reach the palace are, and I hope they will be good chances, because as he succeeded in his minor role, he can also succeed in this major role,” the Lebanese Forces leader added. “If it turns out that his chances are high, we will certainly support him,” he went on to say. Geagea, who considered the presidential elections “pivotal,” told the Al-Markaziya news agency that only people who can save Lebanon should be elected. The LF head stressed that the upcoming president must be a reformist, and sovereign and should believe in the republic and the constitution. He affirmed that many figures in Lebanon enjoy these qualities. As for his own nomination, Geagea said his party and its parliamentary bloc are still studying this possibility. In remarks about Hezbollah’s launching of drones towards Karish gas field in the Mediterranean earlier this month, Geagea said the group’s Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, escalated activities because US President Joe Biden was visiting the region. "Iran wanted, through Nasrallah, to inform Biden that it is capable of deteriorating the situation through its regional arms," Geagea stated. He also said Hezbollah wanted to emphasize it is still a “resistance” and its weapons still have a function. Geagea further stressed that Nasrallah wanted to pre-empt the expected positive breakthrough in the US-sponsored maritime border demarcation negotiations with Israel and attribute it to his group.

Corona - Health Ministry: 2,397 new Corona cases, 2 deaths
NNA/July 17/2022
In its daily report on the COVID-19 developments, the Ministry of Public Health announced on Sunday the registration of 2,397 new Coronavirus infections, which raised the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 1,140,794. Two deaths were also recorded during the past 24 hours, the report indicated.

Lebanon reaps victory over India in Asian Basketball Cup
NNA/July 17/2022
Lebanon's basketball team achieved the full mark at the conclusion of the first round of the 2022 Asian Cup, to be hosted by Indonesia between July 12 & 24, by defeating India 104-63 this morning in Group D. The Lebanese national team had earlier achieved an unprecedented victory over its New Zealand counterpart on Friday, thus qualifying directly for the quarter-finals.

FPM welcomes Lebanon's support mentioned in the Jed
NNA/July 17/2022
In an issued statement on Sunday, the Free Patriotic Movement's media and communications department indicated that FPM welcomes the support for Lebanon mentioned in the Jeddah Summit statement and the aid promised by Arab countries. However, the Movement noted that Lebanon's benefit from any support will not be achieved unless the necessary reforms are implemented, adding that overcoming the current collapse lies in the presence of a political will to implement a complete reform program in money and the economy. "FPM commends the support mentioned in the summit statement for Lebanon's sovereignty, security and stability, which coincides with the position of the Movement that adheres to Lebanon's full right to extract its gas and oil wealth and its demand that the displaced Syrians return to their country safe and dignified, so that a significant burden would be lifted off the state's national economy," the statement emphaszied. The Movement also affirmed its keenness to establish the best relations with the Arab countries in the spirit of openness, cooperation and mutual respect, and to neutralize Lebanon from conflicts and disputes in which it has no business. It also hoped that this summit will be a good beginning for a comprehensive dialogue in the region, leading to the achievement of the nuclear agreement, to an actual rapprochement between Iran and the Gulf states, to returning Syria to the Arab League and the Arab incubator, and relying on dialogue as the only way for resolving differences away from violence, wars and sanctions that only bring about destruction and devastation.

Al-Ahdab: Saudi Arabia has imposed a new policy in dealing with friendly countries away from dependency
NNA/July 17/2022
Former MP Misbah al-Ahdab said on Twitter: "With the wisdom, courage and skill of its young leaders, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was able to impose a new policy in dealing with friendly countries away from dependency. This was evident at the Jeddah Summit, where the Kingdom managed to transfer its relationship with the United States into a new stage of equality, based on balance and preserving the interests of countries and the dignity of peoples, in the hope that this will serve as a model for Arab countries in their relations and alliances with friendly states."

"Lebanon's absence from Arab-American Summit makes us realize how far we have become from Arab climate," tweets Matar
NNA/July 17/2022
MP Ihab Matar said today via Twitter: "An American-Arab summit takes place in the absence of Lebanon, except in the final statement by referring to what it should do to return to a state with full conditions...This makes us realize how far we have become from the Arab climate, as a result of malicious policies and power-control."

Al-Saad underlines cabinet's need to send a complete rescue plan to parliament
NNA/July 17/2022
Member of the Democratic Gathering, MP Raji Al-Saad, said in a statement today that "the solution to the financial crisis stems from radical reforms in the electricity sector, border control and inflation, and through securing the return of the flow of foreign currency from abroad to the inside by moving the country's economy." He also called on the government to "send its integrated plan for financial and economic rescue with all the required reforms, along with the long overdue 2022 budget, and the 2023 budget that the Parliament was supposed to start studying as of last May."“The required reforms, whether in terms of laws or necessary procedures, must come within an integrated vision that the government sets in its budgets reflecting its financial and reform policies, so it sends them complete and undivided to the Parliament Council, on the basis of which we, as elected representatives, can exercise control and accountability over the government and its performance, in addition to legislation," the MP underscored. "We refuse the talk about fixing the exchange rate of the Lebanese pound in the absence of applied standards and an integrated financial plan, and we refuse to discuss separate laws that do not come within an integrated plan and comprehensive budgets that lay the foundations for reforms and the required comprehensive rescue vision in the short, medium and long term," Al-Saad reiterated.

Armed Forces Retirees to hold sit-in, demonstration facing BDL premises in Baalbek on Monday
NNA/July 17/2022
The armed forces retirees announced, in a statement on Sunday, their decision to hold a sit-in and demonstration as of seven in the morning on Monday, July 18, outside the Banque du Liban building in Baalbek, to be followed by similar movements in all regions. This comes to demand an immediate cessation of the judges’ salaries adjustment according to the exchange rate of LBP 8000/USD so that all public sector employees can be included, especially military personnel in service and retirement, in addition to providing medical coverage to all security apparatuses, restoring money deposits especially the end-of-service compensation of all retired military personnel, among several other demands.

Lebanon needs a hero to save it from Hezbollah
Dalia Al-Aqidi/Arab News/July 17/2022
The leader of the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, last week issued new warnings to the US and its most prominent ally in the Middle East, threatening Israel with an upcoming war that might bring woe to the state of Lebanon and its people.
In a televised speech, he said that the July 2 attempted drone attack on the disputed Karish gas field off Israel’s Mediterranean coast was just the beginning. “Write this equation down; we will reach Karish and everything beyond Karish and everything beyond that… If you want to prevent Lebanon from exercising its right to save itself by extracting oil and gas, no one will be able to extract oil and gas,” Nasrallah said. He stressed that military action would be the only Lebanese option to obtain its right to oil and gas resources. “The capacities of the resistance today are unprecedented; the fighting spirit is higher than ever. We have various capacities on land, sea and air, and all these options are open,” he said. The militia leader’s threats increased the divisions in Lebanon and will most likely soon fuel conflict on the country’s streets, given the fact that his words do not meet with the people’s consensus. While Nasrallah sends his drones and threats, the negotiations between Lebanon and Israel to determine their maritime borders continue with American mediation.
As usual, Nasrallah did not miss a chance to point an accusing finger at the US, which he always describes as the “Great Satan,” to increase the brainwashing of his militia members and to please his benefactors in Tehran. Nasrallah criticized US President Joe Biden’s visit to the Middle East and his actions on Yemen and Ukraine.
He also accused the US of committing aggression against Yemen and using regional countries as a tool, stressing that Biden could easily end the war and lift the siege. However, just one day after his fiery speech, the US State Department issued a statement in which it reiterated America’s commitment to facilitating the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations, emphasizing that the only way to achieve progress toward a resolution is through diplomacy. “The administration welcomes the consultative and open spirit of the parties to reach a final decision, which has the potential to yield greater stability, security and prosperity for both Lebanon and Israel, as well as for the region, and believes a resolution is possible,” the statement read.
Peace, security and hope will not prevail until the country has rid itself of Nasrallah and his terrorist party.
Nasrallah waging war against Israel takes us back to 2006, when Hezbollah, with Iran’s support, kidnapped two Israeli soldiers, forcing Tel Aviv to respond with military action, the price of which was paid by the Lebanese people. His selfishness, idiocy and loyalty to a foreign power led to the deaths of more than 1,200 people, the destruction of Lebanese infrastructure, including buildings, bridges and roads, and the disruption of power stations. However, the pro-Iran militia leader should be reminded that 2022 is completely different to 2006. The Israeli military is well equipped with fighter jets, guided missiles, drones, submarines and military cruisers that have the ability to wipe out a small country like Lebanon. How long will this country — rich in history, science, culture and art — remain hostage to someone whose hands have been stained with the blood of his own people? How long will the Lebanese government keep silent about the scourge of Nasrallah?
The blood of the victims of the Beirut port explosion has not yet dried and the pain of the wounds has not yet dissipated. Is there not a single brave Lebanese figure willing to hold Hezbollah and its leader accountable for their murders, terrorism and hostility toward foreign countries?
And, above all, for how long do the international community and human rights organizations intend to turn their eyes away from what is happening in this beautiful country? Peace, security and hope will not prevail until Lebanon has rid itself of Nasrallah and his terrorist party. Only at that time will Lebanon’s life-loving people chant in one voice, filled with optimism and ambition, the famous song of the late, great musician Wadih El-Safi, “Lebanon, Piece of Heaven.”
• Dalia Al-Aqidi is a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy.
Twitter: @DaliaAlAqidi

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 16-17/2022
Jeddah Summit: Joint Vision for Stable, Prosperous Middle East
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
The leaders taking part in the Jeddah Security and Development Summit stressed on Saturday their joint vision for a peaceful and prosperous Middle East.They stressed the need to take all necessary measures to preserve the security and stability of the Middle East, develop means of cooperation and integration between its countries, jointly confront challenges and commit to principles of good neighborliness, mutual respect, sovereignty of others and regional security. The leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GGC) countries, US President Joe Biden, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi attended the landmark summit at the invitation of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz. In a joint statement, they said: “The leaders noted the previous US-GCC Summits held on May 14, 2015 in Camp David, and on April 21, 2016 and May 21, 2017 in Riyadh. The leaders reaffirmed the strategic importance of the historic ties between their countries, and their shared commitment to build upon the achievements of previous summits to strengthen cooperation, coordination, and consultation in all fields.”
“The leaders stressed their commitment to joint cooperation to bolster global economic recovery efforts, address the economic repercussions caused by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, ensure the resiliency of supply chains and the security of food and energy supplies, develop clean energy sources and technologies, and assist countries in need by helping address their humanitarian and relief needs,” it added.
“In this context, the United States welcomed the decision by the Arab Coordination Group (ACG), which includes ten Arab and national specialized financial developmental institutions, to provide a minimum of $10 billion USD in response to food security challenges regionally and internationally, in line with the objectives of the US-led Roadmap for Global Food Security — Call to Action.”The leaders also welcomed the United States’ announcement of $1 billion in new acute humanitarian and near to long term food security assistance for the Middle East and North Africa region.
“The leaders recognized ongoing efforts of OPEC+ towards stabilizing the global oil market in the interests of consumers, producers, and supporting economic growth. They welcomed the recent announcement by OPEC+ members to increase supply over the course of July and August, and commended Saudi Arabia’s leading role in achieving consensus between the members of OPEC+.”“Biden welcomed the announcement that some GCC partners plan to invest a total of $3 billion in projects that align with US Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) goals to invest in critical infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries, including through investing in projects that advance climate and energy security and digital connectivity, and that strengthen and diversity global supply chains,” read the statement. “Biden expressed appreciation for the GCC countries’ pledge to provide $100 million for the East Jerusalem Hospital Network, which provides life-saving healthcare to Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.”
“The leaders underlined their joint commitment to preserve regional security and stability, support diplomacy with the aim of regional de-escalation, deepen their region-wide defense, security, and intelligence cooperation, and ensure the freedom and security of waterways.”
“The leaders of the GCC member states welcomed President Biden’s affirmation of the United States’ commitment to its strategic partnership with GCC member states, and that it stands ready to work jointly with its partners in the GCC to deter and confront all external threats to their security, as well as against threats to vital waterways, especially the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab Al-Mandab,” said the statement. "The leaders affirmed their support for ensuring that the Arab Gulf region is free from all weapons of mass destruction, underscoring the centrality of diplomatic efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, and for confronting terrorism and all activities that threatens security and stability.”
“The leaders commended the ongoing cooperation between the GCC member states and the United States to promote the security and stability of the region and its waterways. They affirmed their commitment to cooperate and coordinate between their countries to enhance their defense and joint deterrence capabilities against the increasing threat posed by the proliferation of unmanned aerial systems and cruise missiles, as well as against the arming of terrorist militias and armed groups, including in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions.”
“The leaders discussed various ways to enhance their joint cooperation aimed at strengthening deterrence and the defense capabilities of GCC member states, as well as enhanced integration and interoperability in their air and missile defenses and maritime security capabilities, and early warning systems and information sharing.”“The leaders welcomed the establishment of Combined Task Force 153 and Task Force 59, which will enhance joint defense coordination between the GCC member states and the US Central Command to better monitor maritime threats and improve naval defenses by utilizing the latest technologies and systems.”The leaders stressed their keenness to continue to hold the US-GCC Summit annually.

Saudi Arabia Calls on Iran to Cooperate with Regional Countries, US Says Won’t Leave Void to Be Filled by Others
Jeddah - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, chaired on Saturday the Jeddah Security and Development Summit on behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
The summit was attended by leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, as well as US President Joe Biden, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. In his address, Crown Prince Mohammed said the “future of the region that we want to build demands the adoption of a vision that prioritizes achieving security, stability and prosperity.”It is based on mutual respect, he added, calling on Iran to cooperate with the countries of the region so that it can be a part of this vision. For his part, Biden had declared that the US won’t leave the region and leave behind a void that would be filled by China, Russia or Iran. Welcoming the guests, Crown Prince Mohammed said the summit was being held a time the region and world are facing “major fateful challenges”. Confronting them demands boosting joint cooperation according to the United Nations Charter that is based on respecting the sovereignty, independence and values of countries, refraining from meddling in their internal affairs, he added. “We hope our summit will pave the way for a new era of cooperation to deepen the strategic partnership between our nations and the US to serve our mutual interests and bolster security and development in this vital region,” he continued. “The significant challenges that the world has recently faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the geopolitical situation call for more concerted international efforts to recover the global economy and achieve food and health security,” he stressed. Moreover, he noted “the environmental challenges that the world is currently facing, especially climate change, and the international community's determination to maintain the Earth's temperature per the levels set by the Paris Agreement.”
Climate change requires “dealing with it realistically and responsibly to achieve sustainable development, by adopting a ‘balanced approach’ through a gradual and responsible transition towards more sustainable energy sources that take into account the circumstances and priorities of each country.”
“The adoption of unrealistic policies to reduce emissions by excluding major sources of energy without taking into account the resulting impact of these policies on the social and economic pillars of sustainable development and global supply chains will lead in the coming years to unprecedented inflation, rise in energy prices, increase unemployment and exacerbate serious social and security problems, including an increase in poverty and famine and crime rates, extremism and terrorism,” warned Crown Prince Mohammed.
“We reiterate that the growth of the global economy is closely linked to benefiting from all available energy sources in the world, including hydrocarbons while controlling their emissions through clean technologies, which enhances the possibility of the world reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 or before while maintaining the security of energy supplies.”
“Therefore, the Kingdom has adopted a balanced approach to achieving net-zero emissions by following the circular carbon economy approach in line with its development plans and enabling its economic diversification without affecting growth and supply chains, while developing technologies with global participation to address emissions through the ‘Saudi Green” and “Middle East Green’ initiatives to support these efforts locally and regionally.”“We also stress the importance of continuing to inject and encourage investments in fossil energy and its clean technologies over the next two decades to meet the growing global demand, with the importance of assuring investors that the policies adopted do not pose a threat to their investments to avoid their reluctance to invest and to ensure that no shortage of energy supply would affect the international economy.”
“The Kingdom will do its part in this regard, as it announced an increase in its production capacity to 13 million barrels per day, after which the Kingdom will not have any additional capacity to increase production,” declared Crown Prince Mohammed.
“The future of the region we seek requires adopting a vision that prioritizes the achievement of security, stability, and prosperity, based on mutual respect among the countries of the region, strengthening common cultural and social bonds, and confronting security and political challenges, toward achieving comprehensive economic development,” he urged. “We call on Iran, as a neighboring country, with which we share religious and cultural ties, to cooperate with the countries of the region to be part of this vision, by adhering to the principles of international legitimacy, non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and fulfilling its obligations in this regard,” he demanded.
“As an extension of the Kingdom's vision to achieve security and stability in the region, the Kingdom has supported all efforts to reach a Yemeni-Yemeni political solution, per the three references. The Kingdom has also made efforts to consolidate the current truce, and we will continue to provide humanitarian aid to the brotherly Yemeni people.”
“We stress that the prosperity of the region requires expediting finding a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, per the initiatives and resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.”
“We are pleased with the recent improvement in Iraq's security and stability, which will be reflected in its brotherly people's prosperity, and its positive interaction with its Arab and regional surroundings,” he remarked.
“We commend the signing of the two electricity interconnection agreements between the Kingdom and Iraq, as well as with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, as this will contribute to providing Iraq's need for electricity. We also underline the ongoing electricity interconnection projects between the Kingdom, Egypt, and Jordan,” said Crown Prince Mohammed.
“Achieving security, stability, and prosperity in the region requires finding realistic political solutions to other crises, especially in Syria and Libya, to ensure an end to the suffering of their two brotherly peoples,” he stated.
“We are optimistic that this summit will lead to laying out a comprehensive framework for a new phase in which we give hope to the young men and women of the region for a bright future in which they will be able to realize their hopes and deliver to the rest of the world our noble message and values, of which we are proud and will never abandon. We hope the world respects them as we respect other values in a way that enhances our partnerships and serves our region and the world,” he said.
The Kingdom's official delegation at the summit included Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Energy; Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd, Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet; Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports; Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, Minister of Interior; Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Minister of the National Guard; Princess Rima bint Bandar bin Sultan, the Kingdom’s Ambassador to the United States; Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Minister of State, Cabinet Member and National Security Adviser, Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban.
Biden: We won’t leave
Biden said his country will remain “an active, engaged partner in the Middle East.”
Reiterating remarks he made in Israel days earlier, he stressed: “We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia, or Iran. And we’ll seek to build on this moment with active, principled American leadership.”
“The United States is clear-eyed about the challenges in the Middle East and about where we have the greatest capacity to help drive positive outcomes,” he added.
“Our objectives are focused, realistic, and achievable so that we can target our resources, rebuild trust, and deliver real results. We will operate in the context of the Middle East as it is today: a region more united than it has been in years.”
“The GCC is a prime example of that. Former rivals have reestablished diplomatic and economic ties. New memberships are being forged. And increasingly, the world is seeing the Middle East through the lens of opening and opportunity.”
“As the world grows more competitive and the challenges we face more complex, it is only becoming clearer to me that — how closely interwoven America’s interests are with the successes of the Middle East.”
Biden said the United States’ “new framework for the Middle East” has five key principles.
“First, the United States will support and strengthen partnerships with countries that subscribe to the rules-based international order. And we will make sure that these — those countries can defend themselves against foreign threats,” he stated.
“The United States and each of the countries around this table are an essential part of that order because we reject the use of brute force to change borders.”
“On food security, we are collectively committing billions of dollars to alleviate the crisis here in the region, with more than $1 billion coming from the United States.”
“On energy security, we agree on the need to ensure adequate supplies to meet global needs. Energy producers have already increased production, and I look forward to seeing what’s coming in the — in the coming months.”
“And on the climate crisis, we’re collectively investing hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy initiatives, increasing our climate ambition, and working together to diversify supply chains and invest in critical infrastructure. And we’re looking forward to Egypt and the UAE hosting the next two major UN climate conferences.”
“Second, the United States will not allow — will not allow foreign or regional powers to jeopardize the freedom of navigation through the Middle East’s waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab. Nor will we tolerate efforts by any country to dominate another in the region through military buildups, incursions, and/or threats,” Biden stressed.
“The free flow of commerce and resources through the Middle East is the lifeblood of a global economy. That’s as true today as it has been — as it has been for decades. And when nations adhere to international rules, it works. So, my administration has made it a priority to protect those vital waterways,” he continued.
“We’ve established a new naval task force to work in partnership with many of your navies to help secure the Red Sea. That includes the first naval task force to use multi-manned [un-manned] surface vessels and artificial intelligence technology to enhance marine — maritime awareness. We’re also integrating air defenses and early warning systems to ensure that we can defeat airborne threats,” added Biden.
“Third, the United States will not just aim to deter threats of regional — to regional stability; we will work to reduce tensions, de-escalate, and end conflicts wherever possible. This approach is already reaping dividends. As was mentioned: In Yemen, working closely with Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, and the UN, we forged a truce that is now in its 15th week,” he noted.
“We’ve welcomed the leadership of Iraqi Prime Minister Kadhimi to bring countries from the region together for talks in Baghdad.”
“Thanks to the months of quiet, persistent diplomacy, we helped finalize an agreement to remove international peacekeepers from Tiran Island in the Red Sea, and transform an area that once sparked wars into a future hub of peaceful tourism and economic development,” he remarked.
“And as we continue to work closely with many of you to counter the threats posed by — posed to the region by Iran, we’re also pursuing diplomacy to return constraints on Iran’s nuclear program. But no matter what, the United States is committed to ensuring that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon,” vowed Biden.
“Fourth, the United States will build political, economic, and security connections between the United States — between the US partners wherever possible, while respecting each country’s sovereignty and independent choices. Integration, interconnection — these are the underlying themes of our meeting today," he said.
“Fifth, the United States will always promote human rights and the values enshrined in the UN Charter. Foundational freedoms are foundational to who we are as Americans. It’s in our DNA. But it’s also because we know that the future will be won by the countries that unleash the full potential of their populations, where women can exercise equal rights and contribute to building stronger economies, resilient societies, and more modern and capable militaries.”
“The United States is invested in building a positive future in the region, in partnership with all of you, and the United States is not going anywhere,” declared Biden.
Sisi: This is an extraordinary moment
Egypt’s Sisi said the Jeddah summit was being held during an “extraordinary moment in the history of the world and Arab region.”
It has clear political significance in underlining “our determination to develop the partnership between Arab countries and the US, whether on the bilateral or the broader regional levels,” he added. He noted that the Arab world is facing major political, development and security challenges, as well as terrorism, that are undermining the stability of the people and the rights of future generations. “It is no longer acceptable for people from our Arab nation to be a refugee or displaced from war and disasters or to be hopeless of a better future,” he added. Sisi said: “It is time to bring together our efforts to put an end to all chronic conflicts and long civil wars that have exhausted the people of the region and wrongly used its resources and wealth and allowed some forces to meddle in the internal affairs of Arab countries,” he remarked.
Such meddling has squandered the capabilities and fate of generations and sparked pre-modern state conflicts, such as sectarian, tribal and ethnic hostilities, he lamented. This in turn has led to the collapse of the foundations of the modern national state and allowed the emergence of terrorism and spread of extremism, he noted. The adoption of peace “was Egypt’s strategic choice because it believes in the power of reason, not force,” he went on to say. Sisi proposed an approach that would be based on a fair, comprehensive and permanent settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict according to the two-state solution. He added that societies must be built on democratic foundations, equality, respect for human rights and shunning of sectarian and extremist ideologies. He called for prioritizing national interests above all else.
He stressed the importance of Arab national security which he described as “indivisible” Sisi reiterated his commitment to “combating terrorism and extremism in all their forms to defeat all of its organizations and armed militias, which are spread in many parts of the Arab world with the backing of foreign parties to serve their destructive agendas.”There can be no room in the Arab world for militias, mercenaries and armed gangs, he added.Moreover, he called for bolstering international cooperation to raise the capabilities of regional countries to help them confront major global crises.
King Abdullah: Good neighborliness
Jordan’s King Abdullah stressed that the Jeddah summit aims to “underscore the historic partnership between the GCC countries and deepen cooperation in various fields.”It underscores the importance of developing the means of cooperation and integration between them to achieve sustainable development in the region and jointly confront climate change, he added. He expressed support to reaching a permanent solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the two-state solution, relevant international resolutions and Arab Peace Initiative. He condemned the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen for their attacks on civilians and vital energy facilities.King Abdullah underlined the need to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the region and called on Iran to return to its nuclear commitments and respect good neighborliness.
Kadhimi: Political challenges
Iraqi PM Kadhimi said the Jeddah summit was taking place amid major regional and international and great hopes that cooperation and mending bridges would prioritize dialogue that would secure a dignified life for the peoples of the region. He said Iraq, “with the cooperation of its brothers, neighbors and friends, played central role in fighting terrorism and defeating ISIS, but we have more ways to go to uproot terror.”He stated that his country was keen on boosting dialogue in the Middle East, remarking that “economic cooperation and security coordination between regional countries directly serves the interests of our people.”He spoke of “significant steps” taken to consolidate ties between Iraq and the GCC.Kadhimi also called for reaching a just, comprehensive and permanent settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that meets the aspirations of the people.
Bahrain: Peaceful coexistence
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said that intervening in the internal affairs of countries remains among the most serious challenges. He said such interference “undermines principles and rights enshrined in international law.”
“The time has come to unify efforts to end such interference, out of respect for the sovereignty of states, their religious and cultural values, and their civilized approach to respecting others, promoting tolerance and peaceful coexistence, in addition to continuing joint efforts to make the Middle East a region free of weapons of mass destruction, and to combat terrorism and extremist ideology and its banned organizations.”King Hamad called for cooperation, solidarity and effective joint action to maintain regional security and stability. He also stressed “the importance of supporting efforts aimed at stabilizing global energy prices, including increasing investments to expand exploration and refining, and introducing new technologies that contribute to supporting global economic growth and addressing price inflation.”
UAE President: Expanding interests
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed his country’s keenness on bolstering cooperation between the countries of the region and coordinating with partners to serve regional and international peace and stability and confront common challenges. He added that ties between countries must be balanced and based on expanding interests to achieve national development, peace and stability in the world. He noted that the world and region are confronted with immense challenges, which demand that “we unite international efforts to mee the aspirations of our people for progress and prosperity.” “We, in the UAE, believe that peace, dialogue and coexistence are the ways to fortify the future of the coming generations,” stressed Sheikh Mohamed. He remarked that history has shown that there can be no end to conflicts and tensions without wisdom, committing to international law and adopting diplomacy and political solutions that ensure the rights of all parties.
Emir of Qatar: Respecting countries
Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani underlined his country’s firm stance in avoiding the Gulf and Middle East the threat of nuclear arms.
He said countries have the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful means in line with international regulations. He stressed the need to resolve regional conflicts through dialogue based on respecting the sovereignty of nations and non-interference in their internal affairs, and boosting joint interests.
Moreover, Shiekh Tamim noted that the “dangers lurking around the Middle East, amid international tensions, demand that a just and permanent solution be reached to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.” The conflict will remain the main source of tensions and instability if Israel does not cease its violations of international law, he warned. Shiekh Tamim said that adhering to international and the UN Charter will spare people and humanity as a whole more tragedies.

What Do You Know About ‘Peacekeeping’ in Tiran?
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
US President Joe Biden’s Saturday announcement on reaching an agreement with Saudi officials regarding peacekeeping forces, which include US troops, exiting strategically located islands in the Red Sea has once again shed light on the presence of international forces in this vital and strategic region.
It also stirred questions about what the agreement means and what local and regional repercussions it could produce. In order to understand the reasons behind international forces existing on the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, it is necessary to return to the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty under US auspices in 1979, which was followed by consultations and attempts to establish an “international multinational force” on the Red Sea islands. According to the official website of the Multinational Forces and Observers, it was because of the inability to obtain the UN Security Council’s approval to deploy a UN peacekeeping force in Sinai that the parties to the treaty negotiated a protocol in 1981 for establishing a multinational force as an alternative. Egypt agreed to cede sovereignty of Tiran and the neighboring island of Sanafir to Saudi Arabia back in 2017. Yahya Kadwani, member of the defense and national security committee of the Egyptian parliament, believes that Biden’s announcement of the agreement on the exit of his country’s forces and the international forces from the islands of Tiran and Sanafir comes in the context of a Egyptian-Saudi pact to demarcate the maritime borders and return the two islands to Saudi sovereignty.
“There is no longer a need for the continued presence of international forces on these two islands,” Kadwani told Asharq Al-Awsat. “The agreement serves the announced plans to develop the two islands as investment destinations,” he added, referring to how the two islands will benefit from the Saudi mega project, NEOM.

Syrian Regime Amnesty Decree Released only 547 Detainees
London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
The Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the release of 547 detainees from Syrian prisons during the period between early May till mid-June. It stressed in a report on Saturday that there are some 132,000 people still detained or held in regime prison.The report confirmed that between May 1 and June 13, amongst those released were 61 women and 16 people who were children at the time they were arrested. A presidential decree called in May for “granting a general amnesty for terrorist crimes committed by Syrians” before April 30, 2022, “except for those leading to the death of a person.”According to the report, among those released, at least 158 had seen their security situation adjusted before being arrested and had been granted a settlement pledge that they would not be aggressed by security branches. Also, 28 people were arrested after returning to Syria, having been refugees and residents outside the country. These included four women, the report said. The network called on the international community to pressure the Assad regime to release the people who are still detained or held in regime prisons, including 87,000 people who are among the forcibly disappeared. It also demanded that the regime cancels its exceptional courts and nullify all its verdicts that violate many of the basic rights of the Syrian citizens. They ruled out the implementation of any of these demands without a political transition that ends the tyranny and brutality of the security services.

Israel's Army Commander to Visit Morocco Next Week
Ramallah, Rabat - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 July, 2022 15
Israeli army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi will visit Morocco next week, in the first trip by an Israeli military commander to the north African nation, said Israeli media. On Friday, the army said Kohavi would make a three-day visit to an Arab nation, but it didn’t specify the destination for "security reasons". The announcement was made following a security meeting with US President Joe Biden who visited to Israel’s advanced missile-defense systems at its main international airport on Friday. Israel showed off a multilayered system and the new "Light Shield." An Israeli source said Kohavi will seek to develop military cooperation with Morocco. Rabat has played a key role in the Israeli decision to give Palestinians around-the-clock access to the Allenby Bridge border crossing with Jordan. Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli had been working with Moroccan officials, alongside US and Palestinian teams, for the past several months to find a solution to keep the crossing open around the clock. Michaeli publicly thanked Biden, as well as King Mohammad VI and Morocco "for their continued commitment and efforts to promote peace and prosperity in the Middle East." The Hebrew-language Channel 7 said this step was pushed further in the wake of Biden's visit, and it is expected to be implemented once the logistical conditions are met, including the recruitment of the required workforce. It is part of a series of steps promoted by Michaeli to bolster regional ties and cooperation, shifting Israel into a major power in transporting passengers, workers and goods, as well as boosting its economy. The two countries agreed in December 2020 to resume diplomatic ties and relaunch direct flights - part of a deal brokered by the administration of former US President Donald Trump that also included Washington’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. In the same year, Israel normalized ties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain as part of the Abraham Accords. Earlier this year, Kohavi traveled to Bahrain on a first official trip. Also during that visit, Kohavi reportedly met with his Qatari counterpart. Kohavi’s term as chief of staff will end in January 2023. Five Israeli ministers have visited Morocco recently, namely Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Minister of Science and Technology Orit Farkash-Hacohen, Minister of Economy and Industry Orna Barbivay, and Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked.

Sudan Forces Fire Tear Gas at Protests as Death Toll from Tribal Clashes Rises
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
Police fired tear gas in Sudan's capital Khartoum Sunday against hundreds of anti-coup protesters who also called attention to increasingly deadly tribal clashes in the country's south. The capital has been the scene of near-weekly protests since army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan launched a power grab in October last year that derailed a transition to civilian rule. The coup saw key donors pull the plug on funding, exacerbating a long-running economic crisis and feeding into inter-communal unrest in remote parts of the country. Blue Nile state, bordering Ethiopia, is the latest crucible of tribal clashes -- and on Sunday, authorities there raised the death toll to 60, from 33 the previous day, in fighting that began nearly a week ago. "Al-Damazin is bleeding," one Khartoum protester's placard read on Sunday, referring to the provincial capital of Blue Nile. In the city of Wad Madani, some 200 kilometers south of Khartoum, protesters diverted their demonstration to the local hospital to "donate blood to our brothers wounded in tribal clashes in Blue Nile," protest organizer Ammar Mohamed told AFP. The clashes in Blue Nile state, between the Berti and Hawsa tribes, first erupted last Monday. The violence came after the Berti tribe rejected a Hawsa request to create a "civil authority to supervise access to land", a prominent Hawsa member had told AFP on condition of anonymity. But a senior member of the Bertis had said the tribe was responding to a "violation" of its lands by the Hawsas. The revised death toll of 60 was provided by Blue Nile health minister Jamal Nasser, who also told AFP that 163 people have been wounded. "Violence is never a solution," UNICEF tweeted Sunday, in a country where the UN estimates half the population will be pushed into extreme hunger by September.
Post-coup security vacuum
Pro-democracy demonstrators accuse Sudan's military leadership and ex-rebel leaders who signed a 2020 peace deal of exacerbating ethnic tensions in Blue Nile for personal gain. Security forces had erected road blocks on bridges crossing the Nile linking Khartoum to its suburbs, AFP reporters said, to deter protesters who vowed to take to the streets in large numbers to protest against Burhan. Sudan's latest coup sparked regular protests and an ongoing crackdown by security forces that has killed at least 114, according to pro-democracy medics. Nine were killed on June 30, the medics said, when tens of thousands gathered against the military. Early this month, Burhan vowed in a surprise move to make way for a civilian government. But the country's main civilian umbrella group rejected his move as a "ruse" and protesters have continued to press the army chief to resign. The rallies on Sunday follow a period of relative calm in Khartoum in recent days. Experts say last year's coup created a security vacuum that has fostered a resurgence in tribal violence, in a country where deadly clashes regularly erupt over land, livestock, access to water and grazing. Guerrillas in Blue Nile battled former president Omar al-Bashir during Sudan's 1983-2005 civil war, picking up weapons again in 2011. Prompted by enormous protests against his rule, the army ousted Bashir in 2019. The following year, a civilian-military power-sharing government reached a peace deal with key rebel groups, including from Blue Nile as well as the war-ravaged western Darfur region. Both areas remain underdeveloped and awash with weapons and there has also been an increase in violence in Darfur in recent months.

Khamenei Adviser Says Tehran ‘Capable of Building Nuclear Bomb’
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
Iran is technically capable of making a nuclear bomb but has not decided whether to build one, a senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei told Qatar's al Jazeera TV on Sunday. Kamal Kharrazi's comments were a rare suggestion that Iran might have an interest in nuclear weapons, which it has long denied seeking. "In a few days we were able to enrich uranium up to 60% and we can easily produce 90% enriched uranium ... Iran has the technical means to produce a nuclear bomb but there has been no decision by Iran to build one," he said. Iran is already enriching to up to 60%, far above a cap of 3.67% under Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Uranium enriched to 90% is suitable for a nuclear bomb. In 2018, former US President Donald Trump ditched the nuclear pact, under which Iran curbed its uranium enrichment work, a potential pathway to nuclear weapons, in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. In reaction to Washington's withdrawal and its reimposition of harsh sanctions, Tehran started violating the pact's nuclear restrictions. Last year, Iran's intelligence minister said Western pressure could push Tehran to seek nuclear weapons, the development of which Khamenei banned in a fatwa, or religious decree, in the early 2000s. Iran says it is refining uranium only for civilian energy uses, and has said its breaches of the international deal are reversible if the United States lifts sanctions and rejoins the agreement. The broad outline of a revived deal was essentially agreed in March after 11 months of indirect talks between Tehran and Biden's administration in Vienna. But talks then broke down over obstacles including Tehran's demand that Washington should give guarantees that no US president will abandon the deal, the same way Trump did. Biden cannot promise this because the nuclear deal is a non-binding political understanding, not a legally-binding treaty. "The United States has not provided guarantees on preserving the nuclear deal and this ruins the possibility of any agreement," Kharrazi said. Israel, which Iran does not recognize, has threatened to attack Iranian nuclear sites if diplomacy fails to contain Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Kharrazi said Iran would never negotiate its ballistic missile program and regional policy, as demanded by the West and regional countries. "Any targeting of our security from neighboring countries will be met with direct response to these countries and Israel."

Iran accuses US of provoking Middle East 'crises'
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
Tehran on Sunday accused Washington of provoking tensions in the Middle East, a day after U.S. President Joe Biden ended a tour to Iran's rival Saudi Arabia and arch-foe Israel. Washington "has once again resorted to the failed policy of Iran-phobia, trying to create tensions and crises in the region," Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement. The comments come after Biden on Saturday vowed that the United States would not "tolerate efforts by any country to dominate another in the region through military buildups, incursions, and/or threats", in a transparent reference to Iran.
Biden's first Middle East visit came just a few days before Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to visit Tehran on July 19. Biden, in a speech in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah at a summit that brought together the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council as well as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, assured Arab leaders that Washington would remain fully engaged in the Middle East. "We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran," Biden said. Following the meeting, a joint statement committed the leaders to "preserve regional security and stability". It also underscored diplomatic efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, and notably called for enhanced joint deterrence capabilities "against the increasing threat" posed by unmanned aerial vehicles -- a likely reference to Tehran, which on Friday unveiled ships and submarines capable of carrying armed drones. Tehran, which denies seeking to build a nuclear bomb, on Sunday dismissed the comments made in Jeddah. "These false allegations are in line with Washington's seditious policy... in the region," Kanani said. Biden began his regional tour on Wednesday in Israel, before visiting the Palestinian Territories and then flying to Saudi Arabia.
In the Jewish state, Biden signed a security pact reinforcing a common front against Iran, where the president vowed to use "all" US power to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Kanani said the pact was a "great sign of the deception and hypocrisy" of the United States, because "they turn a blind eye to the Zionist (Israel) regime as... the greatest holder of the arsenal of nuclear weapons in the region."Israel is widely believed to hold the Middle East's sole but undeclared nuclear arsenal. A landmark deal that imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief was undermined in 2018 by former U.S. president Donald Trump's withdrawal, which led Iran to begin reneging on its commitments. Efforts to revive the accord have stalled since March.

Iran Arrests Several after Protests at Drying Lake
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
Iranian police have arrested several people for disturbing security after they protested the drying up of a lake once regarded as the Middle East's largest, official media said Sunday. Lake Urmia, in the mountains of northwest Iran, began shrinking in 1995 due to a combination of prolonged drought, and the extraction of water for farming and dams, according to the UN Environment Program. Urmia, one of the largest "hypersaline" -- or super salty -- lakes in the world, is located between the cities of Tabriz and Urmia, with more than six million people dependent on agriculture around its shores.
On Sunday, Rahim Jahanbakhsh, the police chief of Iran's West Azerbaijan province, reported the arrests. He described the suspects as "many evil and hostile elements, who had no other objective than to destroy public property and disturb the security of the population," according to state news agency IRNA.
On Saturday, the Fars news agency reported that "dozens of people in the cities of Naghadeh and Urmia had protested against the authorities' lack of attention to the drying up of Lake Urmia". Fars said protesters had shouted slogans in the provincial capital of Urmia warning the lake was shrinking. "Lake Urmia is dying, parliament orders its killing", some shouted, Fars reported, with others calling out that "Lake Urmia is thirsty". Largely arid Iran, like other nearby countries, has suffered chronic dry spells and heat waves for years, which are expected to worsen with the impacts of climate change. In the last few months, thousands of people have demonstrated against the drying up of rivers, particularly in central and southwestern Iran.Lake Urmia is an important ecosystems, a key stopping point for migratory birds, and home to an endemic shrimp as well as other underwater species.

EU mulls sanctions as Russia accused of shelling Ukraine from nuclear plant
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
The European Union will discuss tightening sanctions against Russia on Monday, as Moscow is accused of using the continent's largest nuclear power plant to store weapons and launch missiles on the surrounding regions of southern Ukraine. The situation at the captured Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is "extremely tense," Ukraine's atomic energy agency chief Petro Kotin said, adding that the Russians had installed missile launchers and used the facility to shell the Dnipro region. Describing "a deluge of fire", regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko on Saturday said Grad missiles had pounded residential areas. "Rescuers found two dead people under the ruins" in the riverside city of Nikopol, he said.With the conflict grinding on and increasingly spilling out into global energy and food crises, the EU's foreign ministers are considering banning gold purchases from Russia, which would align with sanctions already imposed by G7 partners. More Russian figures could also be placed on the EU's blacklist. "Moscow must continue to pay a high price for its aggression," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after forwarding the proposed measures. Brussels is expected to hold initial sanctions discussions Monday, but not make a same-day decision, according to a senior EU official.
- Stepping up attacks -
More than 20 weeks since Russia invaded its neighbor, killing thousands and displacing millions of Ukrainians, Moscow announced on Saturday that it would step up its military operations. Minister Sergei Shoigu "gave the necessary instructions to further increase" military pressure, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The war-ravaged nation's President Volodymyr Zelensky has already accused Russia of seeking to inflict maximum damage, but pledged that Ukraine would "endure."In his Saturday evening address, Zelensky said Ukraine has "withstood Russia's brutal blows" and managed to take back some of the territory it lost since the start of the war, and will eventually recapture more occupied land. "We will endure. We will win," he said, and "rebuild our lives". While the heaviest fighting has continued to focus on the industrial Donbas region in the east, in the northeast near Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv, the bombardments have been fast and hard in recent days. A Russian missile attack killed three in the town of Chuguiv over the weekend and destroyed a residential house and a local school.  "Why me? Just because I was born in Ukraine?" asked resident Raiysa Kuval as she sat on the rubble. "We were leaving peacefully, and they tore apart mother from father, child from mother, brother from sister... It's unbearable."
- Russia participation at G20 'absurd' -
A two-day meeting of finance ministers from the Group of 20 major economies looked for solutions to the food and energy crises caused by the war but the gathering ended Saturday in Indonesia without a joint communique after the conflict divided the global forum. The failure to issue a joint statement is expected to hinder coordinated efforts to address rising inflation and food shortages threatening to leave millions in developing nations at risk of hunger. The failure to secure a joint communique came a week after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walked out of G20 talks in Bali over criticism of Moscow. Canada blasted Moscow's participation in the meeting at all as "absurd," with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland saying from Bali that Russia's presence "was like inviting an arsonist to a meeting of firefighters."
- 'Clearing' Donbas town -
In the embattled Donbas region, grinding trench battles and artillery duels have morphed into a war of attrition. Moscow-backed separatists said Friday they were closing in on their next target, Siversk, after wresting control of sister cities Lysychansk and Severodonetsk about 30 kilometres (18 miles) to its east. Donetsk separatist official Daniil Versonov said rebel fighters were "clearing" eastern districts of Siversk in small groups. Hundreds of kilometers from the frontline, missile strikes caused heavy civilian casualties in the central city Vinnytsia, with the death toll raised to 24 on Saturday. "Unfortunately, one woman died in hospital today, she was 85 percent burned," said Sergei Borzov, the governor of Vinnytsia region, adding that 68 people were still receiving treatment, including four children. In the face of international condemnation, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had targeted a meeting in Vinnytsia of the "command of the Ukrainian Air Force with representatives of foreign arms suppliers."But a senior U.S. defense official said on condition of anonymity that he had "no indication" there was a military target nearby.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 17-18/2022
The Structural Flaw in Biden’s Mideast Tour
Raghida Dergham/The National/July 17/2022
The Biden administration’s Middle East vision is stalling even as it is just being launched. It is hitting a conceptual paradox in its presumption that it can forge a security, economic, and political architecture in the region bringing together its Israeli ally, Arab Gulf states, and Middle Eastern nations while simultaneously investing in nuclear talks with Iran seeking a deal that would lift all sanctions on the latter. True, it would be a stroke of genius for the Biden team if they could pull off a secret strategic Iranian-Israeli understanding where Iran would consent to such an architecture and Israel would consent to Iran being part of a new security order that complements it, bringing together the GCC nations, Iraq, and Yemen. True, this would mean a new Middle East in which the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Jewish State of Israel can publicly reconcile, instead of their historic tango of indirect war and peace while their proxy conflicts continue to devastate Arab states. However, this is far-fetched. Indeed, a realistic political reading indicates that the project of the regime in Iran would not allow it to relinquish its ideology. The regime cannot publicly accept Israel and cannot stop trying to export its revolutionary guards’ model to Arab states, not only to control them but also to prevent them from charting an independent course in their bilateral relations with Israel. And just like it is expedient for Iran that Israel continues to exist, behave greedily, and reject a two-state solution with the Palestinians, it is expedient for Israel that Iran pursue its nuclear project, as this is the fuel Israel needs to escalate when it sees fit, and leverage its dangers when it sees fit. Both states are theocratical in nature, no matter Israel’s pretenses of being a democracy fundamentally contradicted by its insistence on being first and foremost a Jewish state.
The flaws in Biden’s vision include its detachment from this reality coupled with a condescending approach to the Arab states and ignorance of the governing dogmas of Iran and Israel. As a consequence, the 46th US president will not be able to build either a new world or a new Middle East. He has set out to do so too late, when both Iran and Israel have already finished building their ‘forts’. Moreover, The Arab and Gulf states have already developed policies and choices based on breaking free of US expectations, ever since Barack Obama, the 44th president and his then-Vice President Joe Biden shocked them with a policy of abandonment and disregard. So what happens now?
President Biden’s visit to the Middle East was rushed, forced on him by the war in Ukraine and Europe’s dire need for alternative oil and gas streams to offset lost Russian supplies. If President Putin had not invaded Ukraine and upturned the global economic and energy landscape, Biden would not have hastened to visit Saudi Arabia, meet its leaders, and participate in the Jeddah GCC summit also attended by Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan. Indeed, President Biden had been fully preoccupied with the Vienna talks with Iran to revive the JCPOA and cut a bilateral deal similar to the one struck under the Obama-Biden administration.
Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia is a ‘mea culpa’ visit to offer excuses and indirectly admit to his errors, not a constructive visit. Inevitably, the US president was held back by the Iranian issue in his Israeli stop, and the same goes for his Saudi stop, because he is not done with the Vienna talks and has not concluded his commitment and insistence on a deal with Iran. These structural flaws in the arrangement of the visit mean he is lacking in the instruments to build long-term relations and polish sustainable strategies.
In other words, President Biden’s vision for a stable Middle East is hindered by the knot of Israeli-Iranian relations, the Iranian ideologically-driven behavior in the Arab region, and the Iranian hostility to US presence in the region. The flaw is that Biden and his team believe they have a magic wand through which they can change Iran’s behavior, ideology, and doctrine. Another flaw is this team’s belief that ‘patching up’ the Palestinian-Israeli question is sufficient to bring about a new reality, and that the mere reiteration of the two-state solution coupled with a meeting between Biden and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is enough to cool down the resistance front and its Iranian links. The flaw lies in the determination of the Biden administration, like many other administrations before it, to withhold justice from the Palestinians and crush their right to statehood, because Israel does not want a Palestinian state.
Until recently, US politicians feared angering Israel because of its influence on the US electoral scene. Today, alongside this fear, US politicians are wary of Iranian anger if the nuclear negotiations fail.
To some extent, President Biden walked himself into the trap of the Vienna talks seeking to revive the nuclear deal that his predecessor Donald Trump tore apart in protest at its shortcomings. Biden has become hostage to this process, navigating between Iran’s impossible conditions and Iran’s persistent march towards acquiring nuclear weapons. President Biden finds himself unable to resume the Trump-era policy of ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran, the mere idea of which is anathema to Biden, although he has not hesitated in adopting Trump’s policy that launched the Abraham Accords for Arab-Israeli normalization.
The Biden team wants to create a new Middle East following in the footsteps of Trump’s Israel policy, but it will find that its undoing of Trump’s Iran policy is the biggest obstacle to building the Middle East they wish for. Indeed, Iran will not allow the creation of a regional security order that brings together the Arab states and Israel while Iran remains outside it. Iran’s capability for subterfuge is immense and will not hesitate to use it. The price Iran wants is for the Biden administration to fully lift all sanctions on Iran, in accordance with Iranian conditions in the Vienna talks. But the Biden administration is in a bind.
It is in a bind because it is trying to revive US presence in and strong relations with the Arab Gulf States, and quickly build a coexistence and normalization structure between them and Israel. It believes this could be permanent and sustainable regardless of what happens in the negotiations with Iran, which the Biden team believes will be ultimately fruitful. But such thinking is wishful gambling, not a policy. It also suggests that the Biden team is improvising policies without a vision and is marred by an alarming degree of strategic incoherence.
What the United States needs today is to rebuild its Middle Eastern presence with clarity and pragmatism. Today, it appears somewhat childish, building quasi-contradictory policies: One seeking accord with Iran by meeting its conditions and ending sanctions, and another that is provocative, suggesting Iran will be excluded from security and economic arrangements in the Middle East between Arab Gulf States and Israel.
Forging a new role for the United States in the Gulf is crucial but risky if the Biden administration makes strategic blunders. The Biden administration was too late in clarifying the features of its policy in the Gulf and the Arab region, because of its preoccupation with Iran. In that time, the Arab states charted a different course, adopting policies that are independent from the norms of traditional US-Gulf relations yet without divorcing themselves from them. There is a chance to repair this, but the time of absolute trust in and full reliance on America is over. For this reason, the Biden team has its work cut out for it, not just with Iran and Israel, but also with the Arab states.
Building axes of alliance cannot be done in the same way as during the Cold War, and polarization is now much more complicated. This does not invalidate the fact that there is an axis comprised of China, Russia, and Iran closely watching what the Biden administration is trying to do. Yet in Russia’s view, the United States will not be able to build a serious axis because it is getting the substance and timing wrong, and the Kremlin’s view is that it’s not stability that matters today, but the building of axes, strategies, and security architectures that have strong, durable roots.

ريمون إبراهيم/معهد جيتستون: تقرير يلقي الأضواء بالوثائق على معاملة المسيحيين في دولة باكستان الظالمة واللاحقوقية والمهينة لكل هو مبادئ قبول الآخر وللوجدان وللضمير ولشرعة حقوق الإنسان الدولية
Death for “Blasphemers” in Pakistan
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/July 17/2022
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/110381/raymond-ibrahim-gatestone-institute-death-for-blasphemers-in-pakistan/
"Muhammad Irfan came to my shop for wheel balancing for his motorbike. I balanced the wheel and demanded my amount of labour as settled between us. Muhammad Irfan refused to give me money and said, 'I am a follower of Peer Fakhir [a Muslim ascetic] and don't ask for money from me.'" — Ashfaq Masih, Christian falsely accused of "blasphemy" and sentenced to death by hanging, chuchinchains.ie, July 7, 2022.
"They both made conspiracy against me and lodged a false FIR [First Incident Report] against me. I told the real story to a police officer but he did not record my version but conducted investigation ex-parte. I neither uttered any derogatory word against Prophet Muhammad nor can think about it." -- Ashfaq Masih, chuchinchains.ie, July 7, 2022.
The Muslim judge, Khalid Wazir, presiding over the case, went so far as to state that "it could not be believed that a Muslim will spin a story in this regard," while simultaneously describing the evidence presented by Masih's defense team as "not believable. "
"I don't remember any case where the lower court decided to grant bail or freed anyone accused of the blasphemy law. The judges are aware that such cases are made to punish and settle personal grudges with the opponents, especially against the Christians.... Masih's case was very clear—the shop owner wanted him out and Naveed was a business rival who implicated him in a false blasphemy case. He is innocent and has already spent five years in prison for a crime he never committed." — Nasir Saeed, Director of the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement, claas.org.uk, July 7, 2002.
Masih's case is now at least the third death sentencing of its kind since the start of this year.
In February 2022, Zafar Bhatti, 58 — another Christian man who had been serving a life sentence under a false accusation of blaspheming Muhammad in a text — was given a death sentence.
In January 2022, Aneeqa Atteeq, a Muslim woman, was sentenced to death after a Pakistani court pronounced her guilty of insulting Muhammad in text messages she had sent to a man via WhatsApp. She had offered a more plausible if not prosaic explanation: the man who reported her was getting "revenge" on her because she had refused his advances.
Horrific as it is to be accused of blasphemy in a Pakistani courtroom, it is even far worse to fall into the hands of a Pakistani mob. A decade-old report found that in Pakistan, between just 1990 and 2012 alone, "fifty-two people have been extra-judicially murdered on charges of blasphemy."
"Anyone Who Touches the Prophet, No Punishment—Just Kill!" — Yello Babo, Muslim cleric in Nigeria, Persecution.org, May 16, 2022.
On July 4, 2022, a Christian mechanic who had been imprisoned for the last five years, awaiting trial under a false accusation of "blasphemy" for allegedly insulting the Muslim prophet Muhammad, was sentenced to death by hanging in a Pakistani court. (Image source: iStock)
On July 4, 2022, a Christian mechanic who had been imprisoned for the last five years, awaiting trial under a false accusation of "blasphemy" for allegedly insulting the Muslim prophet Muhammad, was sentenced to death by hanging in a Pakistani court.
Five years earlier, on June 5, 2017, Ashfaq Masih, 34, had gotten into a quarrel with Muhammad Naveen, a rival who had established a mechanics' workshop near Masih's. According to Masih's not guilty plea, Muhammad "was jealous because my business was running better," and, after their altercation, "threatened me with dire consequences." On the following day, June 6, according to Masih:
"Muhammad Irfan came to my shop for wheel balancing for his motorbike. I balanced the wheel and demanded my amount of labour as settled between us. Muhammad Irfan refused to give me money and said, 'I am a follower of Peer Fakhir [a Muslim ascetic] and don't ask for money from me.' I told him that I am a believer in Jesus Christ and I don't believe in Peer Fakhir and please give me my labour."
At that point, Muhammad Irfan went—or perhaps returned—to the rival shop of Muhammad Naveed, and, moments later, a Muslim mob had formed around the Christian's shop. As Masih explains:
"They both made conspiracy against me and lodged a false FIR [First Incident Report] against me. I told the real story to a police officer but he did not record my version but conducted investigation ex-parte. I neither uttered any derogatory word against Prophet Muhammad nor can think about it."
Along with rival shop owner Muhammad Naveed, Muhammad Irfan, the complainant, also got two other Muslims — Muhammad Nawaz and Muhammad Tahir — to lie and tell police that they "heard Masih say derogatory words against the Muslim prophet," even though none of them was present during the altercation between Irfan and Masih.
Masih was charged under Section 295-C of Pakistan's penal code, which states:
"Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine."
The problem with this law is not so much that the sentence is extreme and irrevocable, but rather that Muslims regularly exploit it to settle personal grudges against non-Muslim minorities in Pakistan. The fact is, Pakistan's non-Muslim minorities, mostly Christians and Hindus, know better than to say anything that can be misconstrued as offensive about the Muslim prophet — they are well acquainted with the dire repercussions. They are taught from their youth to exhibit nothing but deference for Islam's prophet. That does not, however, stop Muslims from falsely accusing these "infidels" with whom they might have a gripe of supposedly insulting Muhammad.
Amnesty International noted this dynamic in a report compiled nearly three decades ago in 1994:
"[I]n all the cases known to Amnesty International, the charges of blasphemy [in Pakistan] appear to have been arbitrarily brought, founded solely on the individuals' minority religious beliefs. . . . The available evidence in all these cases suggests that charges were brought as a measure to intimidate and punish members of minority religious communities . . . hostility towards religious minority groups appeared in many cases to be compounded by personal enmity, professional or economic rivalry or a desire to gain political advantage. As a consequence, Amnesty International has concluded that most of the individuals now facing charges of blasphemy, or convicted on such charges, are prisoners of conscience, detained solely for their real or imputed religious beliefs in violation of their right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion [emphasis added]."
The implication that, when it comes to blasphemy cases, Pakistani courtrooms host kangaroo show-trials would seem to be an adequate description of Ashfaq Masih's recent trial. Despite Christians in Pakistan knowing that they have to be to be ultra-careful about saying anything that could be misconstrued as offending Muhammad, the prosecution declared:
"On 15 June 2017 at 12 noon, accused Ashfaq Masih, while sitting in shop, was uttering blasphemous words about Prophet Muhammad & said words [that] could not be restated."
The Muslim judge presiding over the case, Khalid Wazir, went so far as to state that "it could not be believed that a Muslim will spin a story in this regard," while simultaneously describing the evidence presented by Masih's defense team as "not believable. " So, on July 4, 2022, Khalid pronounced that the 34-year-old Christian, who has a wife and young daughter, is to "be hanged by neck till his death subject to confirmation by Honorable High Court."
Considering that Masih had already suffered over the past five years in prison, his family was aghast when the judge pronounced the death sentence. He had not been allowed to see or be with his mother ,who died in 2019, because he was behind bars. Since then, "the case has witnessed multiple adjournments, rescheduling, judge not showing up, witness failing to turn up and even the complainant's lawyer not registering their presence."
According to Masih's older brother, Mehmood:
"The sudden judgment stunned me and I didn't know what to do. I hardly gathered myself and came out of the courtroom and started crying as it was the end of the world for me. I rushed home and informed my family. My wife and children also started crying. As the news spread my relatives started visiting to console us, but it was not easy for me as Masih is my only brother and I love him very much."
Discussing this ruling, Nasir Saeed, the director of the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement, a charity that supports persecuted Christians in Pakistan, said the judgement was "very sad yet expected." He added:
"I don't remember any case where the lower court decided to grant bail or freed anyone accused of the blasphemy law. The judges are aware that such cases are made to punish and settle personal grudges with the opponents, especially against the Christians. Because of pressure from the Islamic groups, lower courts' judges are always hesitant to free the victims but make popular decisions to save their skin and shift their burden to the high court. Masih's case was very clear—the shop owner wanted him out and Naveed was a business rival who implicated him in a false blasphemy case. He is innocent and has already spent five years in prison for a crime he never committed."
Masih's case is now at least the third death sentencing of its kind since the start of this year.
In February 2022, Zafar Bhatti, 58 — another Christian man who had been serving a life sentence under a false accusation of blaspheming Muhammad in a text — was given a death sentence.
In January 2022, Aneeqa Atteeq, a Muslim woman, was sentenced to death after a Pakistani court pronounced her guilty of insulting Muhammad in text messages she had sent to a man via WhatsApp. She had offered a more plausible if not prosaic explanation: the man who reported her was getting "revenge" on her because she had refused his advances.
Horrific as it is to be accused of blasphemy in a Pakistani courtroom, it is even far worse to fall into the hands of a Pakistani mob. A decade-old report found that in Pakistan, between just 1990 and 2012 alone, "fifty-two people have been extra-judicially murdered on charges of blasphemy."
Most recently, in March 2022, a Muslim woman and her two nieces slaughtered Safoora Bibi by slitting her throat, after a relative of the three murderers merely dreamt that Bibi had blasphemed against Muhammad.
In February 2022, a Muslim mob stoned a mentally handicapped man to death, after a rumor surfaced that he had burned a copy of the Koran.
In December 2021, a mob descended on a factory, murdered and then burned the body of a Sri Lankan man, over rumors that he had blasphemed Muhammad. At least, it appears that the mob had killed him before torching his body, unlike a young Christian couple whom another Pakistani mob slowly burned alive in 2015 on a rumor that they had offended Islam.
This unspeakable style of murder against supposed "blasphemers" has also been on display recently in Nigeria. Two months ago, a number of university students stoned to death and set on fire Deborah Emmanuel, a Christian student who had earlier refused the sexual advances of a Muslim man. He retaliated by loudly claiming that she had blasphemed Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. Before long, a mob had formed and murdered her.
As oppressive as "blasphemy laws" are in Pakistan, they are not limited to, or a byproduct of, one country. They are, sadly, the byproducts of Islam. They not only occur throughout the Islamic world (for example, in Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Oman and Bangladesh), they have started spilling into the West -- in France and Spain.
"When you touch the prophet," a Muslim cleric, Yello Babo, who defended the stoning to death and burning of Deborah Emmanuel by a mob in Nigeria, notified us all, "we become mad people.... Anyone who touches the prophet, no punishment—Just kill!"
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18716/death-blasphemers-pakistan
*Raymond Ibrahim, author of the new book, Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, and a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
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What Does Biden Have to Understand?
Salman Al-Dossary/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 July, 2022
As a rule, politicians- especially while they are waging an electoral campaign- are inclined to say things that help them with their races or tickle the sentiments of their voters and parties. We journalists have become very used to seeing it. These statements only toy with peoples’ emotions and cause a media stir. They do not address facts in any sense. Our role as journalists and opinionated thinkers is to stand up for the truth; this is journalism’s eternal mission. During his visit to the Kingdom, US President Joe Biden tried to explain things from his perspective rather than precisely repeating what had been said during closed-door meetings. This circumspection obfuscates the context, and it certainly obfuscates the truth, which we ought to accept without adding anything to it or concealing any of the details before analyzing the facts and building on them. Thus, I thought it important, as a journalist, to document some of the recent developments, as they had been relayed to the media by officials, that unfolded within the context of Biden’s recent visit.
First: How did Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman reply when President Biden briefly mentioned Jamal Khashoggi?
A Saudi official told Al Arabiya about the conversation. “What happened is regrettable. Here in the Kingdom, we took all the legal steps available to us, conducting an investigation and holding a trial, the verdicts of which have been issued and implemented. The Kingdom has also put frameworks in place to prevent such mistakes from recurring in the future.” Moreover, the Crown Prince has said that such incidents happen everywhere in the world and that in the same year in which this unfortunate incident occurred, other journalists were killed in other places around the world. Furthermore, he added that the United States has also made mistakes, like those perpetrated in Abu Ghraib in Iraq, among others. What all these countries need to do is address these mistakes and take the steps needed to prevent them from happening again.
Second: How did Saudi Arabia respond when President Biden touched on the question of shared values? I believe this issue is more significant because it is more foundational for the future.
The Saudi source gave the following answer: “Every country in the world- the United States and the Kingdom in particular- have many values that they share and others that they do not. Nonetheless, correct and proper values and principles always end up influencing the people of other countries. Trying to impose these values by force, on the other hand, is extremely counterproductive, as demonstrated by the United States’ failed attempts to do so in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thus, it is important to accept that countries have divergent values and that these values must be respected.”
In my personal opinion, focusing on shared values and rendering them pillars of balanced relations and partnerships should be prioritized today. Some may find this blunt assessment unsettling, but taking the gloves off is crucial, as we cannot hide from misconceptions that hinder the emergence of any real and serious ties. As we have already mentioned, the Kingdom’s message to the world is that it is a “reliable ally,” but that certainly does not imply that it is anyone’s “subordinate.”
This is true for principles, politics, and values, and US President Joe Biden’s administration has understood this well after its discussions with the Saudi leadership on how to achieve the primary goal of his visit, building an effective partnership between the Kingdom and the United States.
During the Jeddah Security and Development Summit yesterday, the Crown Prince made noteworthy remarks about the importance of the world respecting the values we take pride in and will not abandon, just as we must respect divergent values, thereby making our partnerships more robust and benefiting our region and the world as a whole.
I conclude with Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s comments during the Summit on Saudi Arabia’s role in aligning divergent points of view by emphasizing shared values. He discussed the “effective and crucial” role the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been playing at the regional and international levels, as well as its consistent, genuine efforts to deepen ties of cooperation between allies and friendly states as it constantly strives to fortify security, stability, and peace in the region and the world as a whole,” concluding by saying that he hopes this Summit will be “an important step to achieving the aspirations of our countries and peoples for peace, progress, and prosperity.”
All the facts mentioned above serve as a badly needed archive for the history books that explain the Saudi point of view regarding these matters and emphasize the importance of replaying the facts accurately for building upon them. As journalists, we have become used to circumspection in presenting the news that leads to distorted analysis, and unfortunately, the first lie remains forever.

Saudi Success and American Return
Tariq Al-Homayed/ Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/Sunday, 17 July/ 2022 -
The Saudi-American and American-Gulf summits in Jeddah concluded with major announcements, most significant of which was the US president’s acknowledgement that Washington committed a mistake in withdrawing from the region.His visit was therefore, capped with returning Saudi-American ties back to their right path. In Israel, the US president admitted to the withdrawal mistake and leaving behind a void. His most important meeting, however, took place in Jeddah with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the signing of 18 Saudi-American agreements.
The meeting was no doubt effective. The Americans, starting with the president, heard frank words from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, especially since preparing for the Saudi-American summit took a line time and took into account sensitive details.
The Saudi-American summit was a success on all levels, despite attempts by American media to undermine the meeting to serve a certain agenda, not the general good of American, Saudi, Gulf and Arab ties and the entire region.
I say success in spite of what happened after the US president’s speech from Jeddah about human rights and the Saudi official response and clear clarification over Crown Prince Mohammed’s response as well.
The Saudi side did good in quickly responding and clarifying what happened at the Saudi-American summit over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, especially since this case has often been used for extortion. Transparency was therefore very important and took place at the right and accurate time.
In his speech, President Biden spoke of several agreements, including military ones. He spoke of steps that guarantee countering sabotage operations by Iran and its groups. He spoke of agreements that secure Saudi-American ties for the coming decades.
This means the ties have returned to the right path and will need more time due to internal American reasons. The Jeddah summit has, however, laid the foundation for institutional work and more.
This will reflect on American-Arab Gulf ties, especially after Biden himself admitted to America’s mistake in withdrawing from the region and leaving the vacuum to the Russians and Chinese and destructive Iranian expansion.
This acknowledgement is validation of Saudi, Gulf and Arab criticism that the US withdrawal was wrong. It means that Biden himself criticized policies set by his predecessor Barack Obama.
Today, the region is faced with a new approach where Saudi-American and Gulf-American-Arab coordination is clearer. Everyone was told what they should to their face after long negotiations.
Today, under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the direct meticulous supervision of Crown Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia succeeded in rectifying the course of Saudi-American relations and re-uniting Gulf Arab ranks so that they may have a united voice with the US and international community.
This success is not credited to Saudi Arabia alone, but the entire region and its rational figures. This is the Saudi model and the spirit of Vision 2030 - the piercing vision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Forget the trivia, here’s what really mattered in Jeddah
Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/July 17/ 2022
And so US President Joe Biden concludes his visit to Jeddah. As Air Force One took off and began to vanish over the horizon, so did long weeks of unprecedented speculation, cynicism and second guessing.
It was regrettable to see how what should have been serious discussion of this important visit was too often trivialized by what would otherwise be nothing more than social media fluff. It was even more regrettable that some of our esteemed colleagues in reputable American media organizations were tempted to focus on the superficial optics while ignoring the substance.
They would perhaps have been better advised to ask themselves, what does the average American voter really care about? Do they seriously believe that a truck driver in Michigan, for example, feeling the pinch from inflation and soaring fuel prices, really cares who greeted Biden at the airport in Jeddah? Or whether there was a handshake or a fist bump? Wouldn’t it be rational to assume that he would be more concerned with the fact that Saudi Arabia — the world’s most significant oil producer — just confirmed its intent to increase its output to full capacity and restated its longstanding commitment to stabilize energy markets?
“The Kingdom will contribute to this field to increase its production capacity to 13 million barrels per day, and after that the Kingdom will not have any additional ability to increase production,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said at a regional gathering attended by Biden.
As for us Arabs, it was unimaginably refreshing to hear Biden explicitly say that it was wrong for America to walk away from this region. We are delighted to see Washington finally realize what we have been trying for so long to explain: If you leave a vacuum, it is going to be filled by others — and you may not like who they are.
Do they seriously believe that a truck driver in Michigan really cares who greeted Biden at the airport in Jeddah? Or whether there was a handshake or a fist bump?
Of course, many are now asking: “So, what did Saudi Arabia or the participating countries at the GCC+3 summit get out of it?” The answer is simple. We got the three words we have been waiting so long to hear: America is back!
However, welcome as those three words are, they prompt a question that is so obvious it has become almost a cliche: Yes, America is back, but for how long?
This is where we, the GCC+3 — Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq — must realize that the Jeddah summit, far from being the chequered flag, is in fact only the starting line. What a waste it would be if all the time and effort that went in to organizing this summit, aligning Arab points of view, and the enormous diplomatic back and forth that persuaded Biden to signal the US commitment to this region, were all for naught.
To avoid that outcome we must never forget that America is a democracy, and the nature of the beast is that its leadership will change every four or eight years. This means working closely and tirelessly with both Republicans and Democrats, and remembering that for every lobbyist for one Arab cause there will always be dozens of others competing for the same or opposing interests.
The conclusion of the summit also brought a curtain down on issues that have been long rumored. There is clearly no likelihood of an America-led Arab ‘NATO,’ or a military alliance with Israel against Iran. There was also no truth in the speculation that the visit would bring the grand reveal of a Biden-brokered normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel. What is true, as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told The Atlantic magazine a few months ago, is that Israel could be an important ally of Riyadh provided a just solution for the Palestinian issue is found.
“So, what did Saudi Arabia or the participating countries get out of it?” The answer is simple. The three words we have been waiting so long to hear: America is back!
Most importantly, I believe the biggest achievement of the past few days for us in the Kingdom is that Biden finally got to see the new Saudi Arabia for himself. This is significant because it puts the enormous reforms that have been taking place here into perspective; the president and his team saw first hand how this transformation will not only secure a more prosperous, tolerant and stable Saudi Arabia, but also serves the whole region and American interests too.
• Faisal J. Abbas is the editor in chief of Arab News

Pressure on Iran regime will ultimately break its back
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/July 17/2022
As the pressure on the Iranian regime mounts, the theocratic establishment is finding itself in a major predicament. In the four-decade rule of the regime, this is most likely the first time that the ruling clerics have faced enormous pressure from three distinct directions: Domestic, regional and global.
On the domestic level, the Iranian regime has shown that it is not willing to address people’s economic and political grievances. The authorities continue to put their revolutionary and ideological ideals ahead of the country’s economy.
It is hemorrhaging the nation’s wealth on funding, sponsoring and arming militia and terror groups across the Middle East. It was revealed this month that a British Royal Navy warship had early this year seized advanced Iranian weapons from smugglers, including surface-to-air missiles and engines for cruise missiles. The missiles were reportedly headed to Yemen and the Houthis have used the same missiles to target Saudi Arabia.
The regime’s policy of prioritizing groups such as the Houthis and Hezbollah rather than its own people has led to fury inside the country and chants such as, “Neither Majlis nor the government thinks about the nation,” “Both the Majlis and government lie to the people,” and “We heard a lot of promises, but our food baskets are still empty.”
While protests and demonstrations, which have become the norm in Iran, were initially anchored in economic issues, they have now become political in nature, including chants such as, “Death to (Supreme Leader Ali) Khamenei,” “(President Ebrahim) Raisi, mullahs must get lost,” “Death to the dictator,” “Disgrace to our radio and television,” being regularly heard.
The Iranian people should not face such poverty, especially as the country is rich in natural resources such as oil and gas. Iran has the second and fourth-largest proven gas and oil reserves in the world, respectively. People are fed up with skyrocketing inflation and the increasing wealth gap between the rich and the poor. There is a high level of corruption and nepotism at the top. For instance, while many people are in need of basic necessities, Khamenei’s estimated wealth is about $200 billion.
The authorities continue to put their revolutionary and ideological ideals ahead of the country’s economy.
It comes as a surprise that even some politicians and clerics within the Iranian regime are warning the government about this predicament. For example, a member of the Iranian parliament from Isfahan, Massoud Khatami, said last month: “The people’s fury will break your government’s back if you do nothing.” Javad Nikbin, a cleric and MP from the Razavi Khorasan province in northeastern Iran, added: “The previous government burned people with gasoline (price hikes in 2019), and this government strangles people with bread (price hikes).”
When it comes to the region, the Iranian regime has become more isolated than ever before, with more countries uniting to deter Tehran’s threat. The Iranian leaders have brought this on themselves. This is due to the fact that the regime continues to advance its nuclear program toward weapons-grade level, defying the international community and its rules, while also arming and sponsoring terror and militia groups, which are wreaking havoc in other countries in the Middle East.
In a historic summit in March, top diplomats from the US, Israel and four Arab countries convened in Israel. “This new architecture — the shared capabilities we are building — intimidates and deters our common enemies, first and foremost Iran and its proxies,” then-Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said alongside his US, Emirati, Bahraini, Moroccan and Egyptian counterparts.
The Iranian regime has also received several blows from Israel recently. Tel Aviv has been targeting Iran’s nuclear and military programs, as well as its bases in other countries, and reportedly destroyed hundreds of Iranian drones during a March attack on an airbase near Kermanshah, western Iran. The same month, Israel also carried out an airstrike in Syria that killed four people, including two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers. The state-controlled Sepah News, which is connected to the IRGC, warned that Israel would “pay for this crime” and identified the two Iranians killed as Col. Ehsan Karbalaipour and Col. Morteza Saeidnejad.
On the global front, the Iranian regime believed that it could score a victory over the Biden administration. However, as of now, the Iranian regime is losing the battle against the US. In spite of several rounds of negotiations, Tehran has failed to persuade the Biden administration to meet its demands, which include removing the IRGC’s designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and lifting economic sanctions.
The Iranian leaders need to fundamentally alter their policies, otherwise these domestic, regional and global pressures will ultimately break the regime’s back.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist.
Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh