English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For 22 July/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2021/english.july22.22.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
The Parable of the Samaritan who helped a wounded man who was attacked by thieves while a Priest & a Levite ignored him
Luke 10/25-37: “Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”.

Titels For English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 21-22/2022
Archbishop El-Hage’s detention is Unlawful, Arbitrary and Revengeful/Elias Bejjani/July, 19/2022
President Aoun meets French Envoy in charge of coordinating international aid to Lebanon, stresses need to complete negotiations with IMF
President Aoun meets new council of Syndicate of Accounting Experts: Forensic audit in BDL accounts, which started late, will...
Berri calls Parliament to convene in plenary session on Tuesday
Justice Minister asks for immediate update on Archbishop Hage and central bank raid cases
Mikati meets Duquesne, Caretaker Justice Minister, Akkari delegation, Caretaker Interior Minister
Report: Israel wants border deal with Lebanon asap
General Security: Al-Hajj arrest 'judicial procedure,' Ibrahim didn't call al-Rahi
Akiki: I respect church but it is my duty to enforce boycott of Israel law
Franjieh meets al-Rahi, mentions fifth column in al-Hajj arrest
Mawlawi orders cooling operations as heavy smoke bellows from port silos
Jumblat calls for calm, refuses that 'Israel uses clerics for political ends'
Report: Army chief 'uncomfortable' with Geagea's support
General Security denies reports of contact between Ibrahim, Rahi over Archbishop Hage's detention
Minister of Information says National News Agency's open strike “bitter decision”
Bou Habib discusses displaced Syrians’ issue with UK Special Representative for Syria, receives credentials of new Ambassadors...
Mawlawi tasks Beirut Fire Brigade, Civil Defense to immediately cool Beirut Port silos
Lebanon’s water supply networks ‘remain on the brink,’ UNICEF warns
Health Minister receives medicine donation from two Swiss companies
UN launches fund to help NGOs improve women's participation in peacebuilding in Lebanon
Syrian refugees anxious over Lebanon's plans to deport them
Now is the time to speak. Soon is the time to act./Jean-Marie Kassab/Face Book/July 21/2022

Titles For Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 21-22/2022
Israel military admits it uses armed drones
Saudi crown prince receives telephone call from Putin
US may send fighter jets to Ukraine; 15,000 Russian soldiers killed, 45,000 wounded, CIA estimates: Live Ukraine updates
Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kramatorsk
CIA director estimates 15,000 Russians killed in Ukraine war
Biden tests positive for Covid-19
Turkey says it 'never asks permission' for Syria campaigns
Russia’s Lavrov to address Arab League on Sunday
Will Turkey attack Syria Kurds without nod from Russia and Iran?

Titles For LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 21-22/2022
Finland and Sweden in NATO are strategic assets, not liabilities/Bradley Bowman, Ryan Brobst, Jack Sullivan, John Hardie/Defense News /July 21/2022
Building on Biden’s Israel Commitments Before It’s Too Late/Orde Kittrie/The National Interest/July 21/2022
From Jerusalem to Jeddah...Biden’s mission to the Middle East goes south/Clifford D. May/The Washington Times/July 21/2022
Tyranny Or Chaos: Sudan's False Dilemma/Alberto M. Fernandez/MEMRI/July 21/2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 20-21/2022
Archbishop El-Hage’s detention is Unlawful, Arbitrary and Revengeful
Elias Bejjani/July, 19/2022
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/110470/elias-bejjani-archbishop-el-hages-detention-is-unlawful-arbitrary-and-revengeful/
General Security in Iranian occupied Lebanon, arbitrarily detained today for hours, the Lebanese Maronite archbishop Moussa El-Hage upon his return from the State of Israel, and he was exposed to humiliating lengthy unlawful interrogation. El-Hage is the Archbishop of Haifa, the Holy Land, and the Patriarchal Exarch of Jerusalem, Palestine and Jordan. He was detained at the Naqoura border crossing before being interrogated for eight hours. El-Hage’s detention is not comprehensible at all or acceptable by any means. Meanwhile, El Hage has also been summoned for interrogation before Military Examining Magistrate Fadi Akiki on Wednesday.
We call on the head of the Higher Judicial Council and the state prosecutor in occupied Lebanon to put an immediate end to the derailed judicial behavior of Judge Akiki, who viciously fabricated the case against El Hage, and to revoke the summoning and close the false file.
It was learned that El-Hage felt humiliated after he was subjected to an extensive search that involved all the items that he was carrying with him. His religious post was not taken into consideration, nor the fact that he is a patriarchal exarch who represents Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi.
He was released following the intervention of senior church and judicial officials. It is worth mentioning that there had been recent attempts to link Archbishop Moussa El-Hage to cases related to collaboration with Israel.
The Archbishop was falsely accused of transferring money and medicines from Lebanese exiles in Israel to their families in Lebanon. Sources close to El-Hage stated with sadness that he was very dismayed by the manner in which he was detained, and the Patriarch al-Rahi was also extremely disappointed and harsh-toned in dealing with those whom he considered responsible for this detention. El-Hage will put al-Rahi in the picture of everything that has happened with him, after which a release is expected to be issued.
We, deeply believe that the whole provocation is sinful, vicious, unlawful, revengeful and strongly condemned.

President Aoun meets French Envoy in charge of coordinating international aid to Lebanon, stresses need to complete negotiations with IMF
NNA/July 21/2022
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, asserted his insistence on continuing the necessary reform process in order to launch the financial and economic recovery in Lebanon, looking forward that the new Parliament would approve the necessary reform projects, including: the 2022 budget, amending the banking secrecy law and the Capital Control law, and other draft laws referred to it for study, in order to achieve this end.
President Aoun also emphasized the completion of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund “Because it is the main entry point for the beginning of recovery and the restoration of confidence in the Lebanese economy in Lebanon, despite the heavy responsibilities entrusted, which was finally translated through the French-Saudi support for the Lebanese people through a series of development programs and humanitarian projects, in addition to France providing Lebanon with a gift of 50 passenger buses to encourage joint transportation”.
The President’s words came while meeting the ambassador in charge of coordinating international aid in Lebanon, Ambassador Pierre Duquesne, in the presence of the French ambassador to Lebanon, Ambassador Anne Grillo, Mr. François de Ricolfis and Mrs. Emeraude Roederer.
President Aoun praised France’s efforts and contribution in helping to re-establish relations between Lebanon and the Gulf states, and expressed his hope that a government would soon be formed that would carry out its duties to the fullest, especially in terms of continuing the required reforms, the most important of which are: working on unifying the exchange rate, and following up on the forensic audit law that was launched from the Central Bank, the fair sharing of losses, and work to ensure food security, in addition to putting a plan to advance the electricity sector into practice, and reconsidering the tariff, especially for the affluent parties and not by adding burdens on the poor classes.
The President noted that all this would restore confidence in Lebanon and stimulate the restoration of hope for its future.
Ambassador Duquesne:
For his side, Ambassador Duquesne had conveyed to President Aoun the greetings of French President Macron, and his affirmation of the continued French interest in Lebanon and its desire to help it get out of the crisis it is going through at various levels.
Duquesne also stressed the importance of signing the final agreement with the International Monetary Fund, before the expiry of the term of President Aoun, pointing out that this achievement requires parliament to approve reform laws, most notably: the 2022 budget bill, amending the banking secrecy law, and the “Capital Control” law whose texts are in the House of Representatives, and speeding up the completion of the bank restructuring bill.
Moreover, Ambassador Duquesne thanked the President for his support of the reform process and the reform program of the International Monetary Fund, calling for looking at this program as a basis for restoring confidence in Lebanon, stimulating the economy and expanding its size, because this restores the confidence of international institutions in the Lebanese economy.On the other hand, Ambassador Duquesne stressed that France will work to encourage donor countries and international institutions to contribute to supporting Lebanon in order to improve infrastructure, which increases job opportunities and limits the growth of immigration, calling to look to the future with confidence to stimulate the economy.
Duquesne expressed his appreciation for what President Aoun announced that he supports reform work and wants to reach positive results.
On the Lebanese side, former Minister Salim Jreissati, General Director of the Presidency of the Republic, Dr. Antoine Choucair, and advisors: Rafic Haddad, Charbel Kordahi and Osama Khashab participated in the meeting. -- Presidency Press Office

President Aoun meets new council of Syndicate of Accounting Experts: Forensic audit in BDL accounts, which started late, will...
NNA/July 21/2022
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met the newly elected council of the Association of Certified Public Accountants in Lebanon headed by Afif Sharara.
President Aoun stressed that “Forensic audit in Central Bank accounts, which began two years and a few months late since the Council of Ministers took the decision to adopt it in March 2020, will not stop until it reaches practical results, no matter how obstacles and difficulties are placed in its way”. The President indicated that “The work of accountancy experts is important and accurate, and their responsibility is great in achieving financial order in the public and private sectors. The basis for this business is trust, accuracy, and honesty”.
In addition, the President indicated that the obstacles that were placed in front of the reform process that he sought to achieve since before assuming the presidency of the first, and during his assumption of this responsibility, were many, especially in terms of revealing the financial violations committed over the past years, and the failure to approve the state budget only in 2017.
“Not to mention the lack of scrutiny in fiscal years since the 1990s. My determination is clear from the first moment to correct the imbalance that afflicted the financial situation in the country, but the obstacles that were placed in the way were many, especially in terms of exposing the sources of corruption and the perpetrators” President Aoun continued.
Moreover, President Aoun stressed that he will continue to work in the remainder of his presidential term to provide the necessary foundations and appropriate grounds for the reform process to continue with the next President of the Republic.
For his part, Sharara had introduced to President Aoun the members of the new council of the Association of Certified Public Accountants in Lebanon after the elections that took place on June 19, pointing out that the Association includes 2,500 accountants with high qualifications and experience that qualifies them to carry out their responsibilities in financial auditing and preparing water and economic bills.
Sharara also pointed out that “Lebanon, through the Syndicate of Accounting Experts, was the first to establish the Federation of Accountants for French-speaking Countries, and assumed its presidency for two consecutive terms, and the Syndicate also contributed to the establishment of the Federation of Arab Accountants”. Sharara also revealed that the Lebanese experts are able to contribute to all audit work in the Banque du Liban and other banks, wondering why they were excluded from these tasks despite the experts’ willingness to participate in the rescue operation and the current economic advancement.
At the end, President Aoun wished the new council of the Syndicate success in its duties, and received from Sharara a book prepared by the Syndicate on the achievements of accountants entitled: “The Syndicate of Certified Public Accountants in Lebanon – A Profession and History”.
The delegation included the experts: Deputy President, Marwan Bou Zeidan, Secretary, Pierre Kamed, Treasurer Jamal Madhoun, Reserve Secretary, Muhammad Blaiq, Reserve Treasurer,Giselle Abdo, and advisors: Alfred Neama, Mahmoud Mizher, Nasrallah Fattouni, Nabil Ghaith, and a member of the Disciplinary Council Nizar Farhat, and Nadine Aoun, the Union’s General Secretary. -- Presidency Press Office

Berri calls Parliament to convene in plenary session on Tuesday
NNA/July 21/2022
House Speaker Nabih Berri called the Parliament to convene in a plenary session at 11:00 am next Tuesday, July 26, to elect 7 members of the Supreme Council for the Trial of Presidents and Ministers, and study an array of draft bills.

Justice Minister asks for immediate update on Archbishop Hage and central bank raid cases
NNA/July 21/2022
The press office of the Minister of Justice announced on Thursday that Caretaker Minister Henry Khoury will ask all the concerned judicial authorities for an immediate written update on the latest developments regarding the fresh raid of the central bank and the detention and interrogation of Archbishop Moussa Hage at the Naqoura border crossing.

Mikati meets Duquesne, Caretaker Justice Minister, Akkari delegation, Caretaker Interior Minister
NNA/July 21/2022
Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati received, at the Grand Serail on Thursday, French envoy in charge of coordinating the international support to Lebanon, Ambassador Pierre Duquesne, accompanied by French Ambassador to Lebanon, Anne Grillo.
Separately, Mikati held a meeting with Caretaker Minister of Justice Henry Khoury, in the presence of the Head of the Higher Judicial Council and the State Prosecutor of Cassation. Following the meeting, Khoury told reporters that the talks touched on the latest judicial developments. Asked about the Maronite bishops' statement on the detention of Archbishop Moussa Hage, Khoury said he will visit Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rahi to discuss the issue. On the other hand, PM- designate met respectively with State Security Director General, Major General Tony Saliba, and the Governor of Baalbek-Hermel, Bashir Khodr. Mikati later received a delegation representing the various sects and dignitaries of the region of Akkar, who came to demand the implementation of the provisions of the law relating to al-Tleil explosion. Mikati also held a meeting with Caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities Judge Bassam Mawlawi.

Report: Israel wants border deal with Lebanon asap
Associated Press/July 21/2022
Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid has told U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein that he wants to make a deal with Lebanon over the disputed maritime border as soon as possible, American news website Axios reported. The conversation between Lapid and Hochstein took place last week on the sidelines of Biden's visit to Israel. Axios said that Hochstein responded to Lapid that he's optimistic about reaching a deal in the near future. Last week, Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Narallah threatened Israel with military escalation if a future deal over the disputed maritime border is not in Lebanon’s favor. Lebanon says the Karish gas field is disputed territory under ongoing maritime border negotiations, whereas Israel claims it lies within its internationally recognized economic waters. Negotiations between Lebanon and Israel to determine their maritime borders commenced in October 2020, when the two sides held indirect U.S.-mediated talks in southern Lebanon. Since taking over the mediation from late 2021, Hochstein has resorted to shuttle diplomacy with visits to both Beirut and Jerusalem.

General Security: Al-Hajj arrest 'judicial procedure,' Ibrahim didn't call al-Rahi
Naharnet/July 21/2022
Lebanon's General Security agency denied Thursday any call between General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, following the arrest and summons of archbishop Mussa al-Hajj. The General Security said in a statement that the arrest of Hajj is "a judicial procedure that anyone who crosses from and to Palestinian territories is subject to, without any exception." The statement also negated that al-Hajj has been mistreated by the general security agents. "We treated the archbishop in a legal and humanitarian way," the General Security said.
Al-Hajj was detained and summoned by a military court after a visit to his parish in Israel. Security forces seized "large quantities of medicines, foodstuffs and canned goods, enough to fill a car, in addition to $460,000" when he re-entered Lebanon." Archbishop Mussa was bringing aid from Lebanese nationals in Israel to relatives back home who have been hit by Lebanon's crisis, an anonymous official added. Many Lebanese rely on remittances from family abroad to weather a crushing economic crisis that began in 2019, but transporting products or money from Israel to Lebanon is illegal. The arrest drew angry reactions from Christian leaders and was condemned by the council of Maronite bishops.

Akiki: I respect church but it is my duty to enforce boycott of Israel law
Naharnet/July 21/2022
Acting State Commissioner to Military Court Judge Fadi Akiki on Thursday defended the controversial detention and interrogation of Archbishop Moussa al-Hajj, who is the Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Haifa and the Holy Land and Patriarchal Exarch of Jerusalem and Palestine and Jordan. “The funds that he was transporting, around $460,000, are not owned by the church but they rather came from collaborators residing in Israel, the majority of whom work for the enemy in the occupied territories,” Akiki said in an interview with An-Nahar newspaper. “It is not true that Archbishop al-Hajj was detained in Naqoura; he was rather subjected to the search mechanism that is applicable at this border crossing, similarly to all those who cross it, including U.N. officers,” the judge added. “I respect the church, but there is a law, which is the boycott of Israel law, and it is my duty as a judge to enforce it,” Akiki went on to say. Sources informed on the investigations meanwhile said that what was confiscated was a large quantity of Israeli goods and medicines in addition to the sum of money. The measures against al-Hajj, including a military court summons, have drawn angry reactions from Christian religious and political leaders. As the Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Haifa and the Holy Land and Patriarchal Exarch of Jerusalem and Palestine and Jordan, al-Hajj is, along with other Christian religious figures, allowed to cross Lebanon's southern border and enter Israel, unlike regular Lebanese citizens.
While Lebanon and Israel remain technically at war, al-Hajj visited Israel because he heads a community of Lebanese Christian Maronites living there, many of whom are refugees who collaborated with Israel during Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. But he was questioned for 12 hours earlier this week upon his return from Israel, the Maronite Church said, before a military court summoned him for further questioning Wednesday. Al-Hajj ignored the military court summons, issued for allegedly violating boycott laws imposed on Israel and involvement in money laundering, an official close to the case said. Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi headed an emergency meeting with other Maronite clerics on Wednesday, including Archbishop al-Hajj. They condemned his arrest and summons, which they dubbed a "charade", and called for the case to be "closed immediately." "We demand... the confiscated aid be returned to the archbishop so that it can reach its beneficiaries," they said in a statement. They also called on State Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat to “refer Judge Akiki to judicial inspection and fire him.”

Franjieh meets al-Rahi, mentions fifth column in al-Hajj arrest
Naharnet/July 21/2022
Al-Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh met Thursday with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi over the arrest and summons of archbishop Mussa al-Hajj. Franjieh said that there's a fifth column in al-Hajj's case and asked who might benefit from the incident, as he condemned the act without blaming his allies, the Shiite Duo. "The judiciary in Lebanon is politicized and judges are being subjected to political and media intimidation," Franjieh said. Franjieh urged for a quick government formation, and stressed his good relation with al-Rahi. "The relation with al-Rahi has always been and will always be excellent," he said.

Mawlawi orders cooling operations as heavy smoke bellows from port silos
Naharnet/July 21/2022
Black smoke was bellowing heavily on Thursday afternoon from the blast-hit silos at Beirut port.
Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi meanwhile tasked the Beirut Fire Brigade and the Civil Defense to immediately launch cooling operations in a manner that “does not threaten the safety of individuals and does not pose a risk to the silos.”
Caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam had recently warned that the damaged silos, shredded in a massive ammonium nitrate explosion two years ago, are at risk of collapse because of a fire that ignited in early July and is still smoldering inside the structure.
The fires at the silos' damaged north block have been ignited by fermenting wheat and grains still trapped inside the building. Plumes of smoke have been rising from the silos since early July. The fire has reignited trauma among Lebanese gearing up to mark the deadly blast's anniversary.
"We don't want to try to fix something, only to make it worse," Salam said at the time, adding that experts were trying to find a solution. On Aug. 4, 2020, hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive material used in fertilizers that had been improperly stored for years in the giant silos exploded. The tall structure withstood the force, effectively shielding the western part of Beirut from the explosion that killed over 200 people, wounded more than 6,000 and badly damaged entire neighborhoods. "There have been fires like this before, and will continue as long as there are grains fermenting inside," Salam said, calling it a "tricky and complicated situation."Emmanuel Durand, a French civil engineer who volunteered for the government-commissioned team of experts, says the latest fire has only worsened the already poor structural strength of the north block, damaging it in an "irreversible way."
He added that he had warned the authorities in numerous reports the silos' northern block is at risk of collapsing. "In the last… days, basically since the current fire started, we're observing a very significant change in the rate of inclination in the north block. And it cannot be a coincidence," Durand told The Associated Press. "It's making the silo weaker and even more prone to tilting." Last April, the Lebanese government decided to demolish the silos, but suspended the decision following protests from families of the blast's victims and survivors. They contend that the silos may contain evidence useful for the judicial probe, and that it should stand as a memorial for the tragic incident. The Lebanese probe has revealed that senior government and security officials knew about the dangerous material stored at the port. The implicated officials subsequently brought legal challenges against the judge leading the probe, effectively leaving the investigation suspended since last December. Lebanon's cash-strapped government has not yet put in place a reconstruction plan for the heavily damaged port. Over a year ago, a consortium of German firms presented a proposal to rebuild the port, but nothing came of it. Earlier this year, the Lebanese government contracted a French shipping company to run the ports' container terminal.

Jumblat calls for calm, refuses that 'Israel uses clerics for political ends'
Naharnet/July 21/2022
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat tweeted Thursday that the arrest of Archbishop Mussa al-Hajj must be addressed calmly. "It would be better to address the issue in a calm way, instead of making noise about it," Jumblat said, adding that it is important during these hard circumstances to respect the institutions. Jumblat said that he refuses that Israel uses the position of clerics in an attempt to smuggle money for political ends. Al-Hajj had been questioned for 12 hours earlier this week upon his return from Israel with large quantities of medicines, foodstuffs and canned goods, in addition to $460,000. A military court summoned him for further questioning Wednesday, which drew angry reactions from Christian leaders. Many Lebanese rely on remittances from family abroad to weather a crushing economic crisis that began in 2019, but transporting products or money from Israel to Lebanon is illegal.

Report: Army chief 'uncomfortable' with Geagea's support
Naharnet/July 21/2022
Army chief Joseph Aoun is not comfortable with Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea supporting him as a Presidency candidate, al-Joumhouria newspaper said. The daily on Thursday reported that Aoun doesn't want his name to circulate as a candidate for Presidency. It added that Geagea's public statements made him uncomfortable, as he considered that these statements would weaken his position instead of strengthening it. Geagea had many times voiced his support for the Army Commander as a possible presidential candidate.

General Security denies reports of contact between Ibrahim, Rahi over Archbishop Hage's detention
NNA/July 21/2022
The General Security has denied reports claiming that its Director Major General Abbas Ibrahim, has contacted Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rahi in the wake of the detention and interrogation of Archbishop Moussa Hage at the Naoura border crossing.
"The General Directorate of the General Security confirms that the alleged phone call did not take place," the agency said in a statement, deprecating the "malicious intentions" and the "desperate attempts to drive a wedge" between the General Security and the Patriarchate.
The Directorate also said that the detention and interrogation of the Archbishop of Haifa and the Holy Land was based on the decision of the competent judicial authority.

Minister of Information says National News Agency's open strike “bitter decision”
NNA/July 21/2022
Caretaker Minister of Information, Ziad Al-Makary, on Thursday issued a statement regretting the failure of all the efforts that had been exerted to address the righteous demands of the National News Agency’s employees. “As of midnight, the National News Agency will start an open strike, which I hope will not be prolonged,” the Information Minister said. “Despite this bitter decision, I will spare no effort to follow up on the sacred demands of NNA employees,” Al-Makary added, deeming this matter a top priority.

Bou Habib discusses displaced Syrians’ issue with UK Special Representative for Syria, receives credentials of new Ambassadors...
NNA/July 21/2022
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdallah Bou Habib, on Thursday discussed with the UK Special Representative for Syria, Jonathan Hargreaves, the issue of the displaced Syrians and the course of Resolution 2254 and how to implement it with Syria.
On the other hand, Caretaker Minister Bou Habib received a copy of the credentials of the newly-appointed Uruguayan and Kazakhstani Ambassadors, as well as that of Kazakhstan's Commissioner to Lebanon.

Mawlawi tasks Beirut Fire Brigade, Civil Defense to immediately cool Beirut Port silos
NNA/July 21/2022 
Caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Bassam Mawlawi, on Thursday tasked Beirut Fire Brigade and the Civil Defense to immediately carry out the process of cooling the wheat silos at Beirut port in a manner that does not threaten people’s safety.

Lebanon’s water supply networks ‘remain on the brink,’ UNICEF warns
Najia Houssari/Arab News/July 21, 2022
BEIRUT: Lebanese children are at risk as water supply systems across the country teeter on the brink of failure, UNICEF has warned. “While a total collapse of public water supply networks has so far been averted, the (water supply) systems remain on the brink, which poses a threat for the health of millions of people, especially children,” UNICEF said in a statement. The UN body said Lebanon’s limited power supplies make it impossible to pump enough water, and in some cases, “cause pumping operations to shut down entirely.”
It added that it had previously warned “a year ago that the water system has reached a breaking point.”Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s representative in Lebanon, said that “millions of people in Lebanon are affected by the limited availability of clean and safe water, and addressing the issue is of (the) utmost importance for the health of children and families in Lebanon. “Since the beginning of the crisis, per-capita water supplies from the water establishments have decreased dramatically amid frequent blackouts, falling short of the 35 liters a day considered to be the minimum acceptable quantity,” he said.
“The average cost of 1,000 liters of trucked water increased to 145,000 Lebanese pounds ($6 at the Sayrafa exchange rate) in April 2022, an increase of almost 50 percent compared with the same month in 2021. “A family of five, drinking a total of 10 liters a day, would need to spend about 6.5 million pounds a year, in addition to the cost of water they use to meet their cooking and hygiene needs.”
Based on its report, UNICEF — which contributes financially to the operation of water pumps in Lebanon — “needs $75 million a year to keep critical systems operational and the water flowing to over four million people across the country and safeguard access and operation of the public water systems.”
The UNICEF warning came amid political chaos in Lebanon that is causing further crises, leading to caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati calling the country “Al-Asfouriyeh” (the lunatic asylum) in a speech on Wednesday. Employees of the Banque du Liban continued with their three-day strike on Thursday, in protest against Mount Lebanon’s state prosecutor, Judge Ghada Aoun, raiding the bank’s headquarters on Tuesday, in search of its governor in order to arrest him.
The raid took place after Riad Salameh failed to show up for questioning on charges of illicit enrichment and money laundering Aoun charged him with in March.
For the second consecutive day, exchange operations at the bank’s Sayrafa rate platform were put on hold, prompting traders and citizens alike to turn to the black market for dollars.
Other operations affected include check clearing, transfers abroad, opening credits and other procedures. More importantly, payment orders and transfers issued by the Ministry of Finance will not be disbursed. Repercussions triggered by the arrest of Bishop Musa Al-Hajj, archbishop of Haifa and the holy land, also continued after he was detained on Monday at the Lebanese border post in Ras Al-Naqoura after returning from Israel. He faced an 11-hour interrogation, with money and medicines he brought from Lebanese who fled to Israel 22 years ago being seized.
The Council of Maronite Bishops, which held an exceptional meeting on Wednesday, expressed its dismay at Al-Hajj’s arrest, the seizure of his passport and phone, and his being summoned to appear before the military judge Fadi Akiki.
In a meeting, the council demanded the removal of Akiki and called what happened “premeditated and determined, at a remarkable and suspicious time, and for known malicious ends.”The council also called on the minister of justice to take the necessary disciplinary measures against those responsible, and demanded the public prosecutor of cassation to refer Akiki to the judicial inspection and remove him. The press office of Justice Minister Henry Khoury announced on Thursday that the minister was asking all judicial authorities for an immediate update on the development of the investigation with Al-Hajj and the raid on the central bank. Walid Jumblatt, president of the Progressive Socialist Party, called for the situation to be addressed calmly and stressed the need to respect institutions “in these difficult circumstances above all consideration.”Suleiman Franjieh, head of the Marada Movement and a candidate for the presidency, met on Thursday with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, and claimed the judiciary in Lebanon was politicized and that judges were being subjected to “political and media intimidation.”In a press conference on Thursday, the Sovereign Front for Lebanon called the arrest of Al-Hajj “a coup to take advantage of the last parliamentary elections.”It said some prosecutors, security figures and judges were offering their services to people running the state, a veiled reference to the Iran-backed militia.

Health Minister receives medicine donation from two Swiss companies
NNA/July 21/2022 
Caretaker Minister of Health, Dr. Firas Al-Abiad, on Thursday welcomed the regional director of “Hikma” Pharmaceuticals, Mohammad Al-Alami, who handed him a gift provided by Swiss companies "Hikma" and “Vifor”. The donation includes “Ferinject”, a medicine used to treat iron deficiency and anemia in cancer patients following chemotherapy. The donation is worth approximately $400,000 and has been delivered to Karantina Pharmaceutical Warehouse. It is expected to cover patients' needs over the next six months.

UN launches fund to help NGOs improve women's participation in peacebuilding in Lebanon
Naharnet/July 21/2022
The Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) together with the United Nations in Lebanon has launched the second window of its financial support to eight women-led organizations in Lebanon that are working on community peacebuilding in Lebanon, as part of strengthening their institutional capacity and maximizing peacebuilding results.
“The WPHF is a flexible and rapid financing tool supporting quality interventions to enhance the capacity of local women around the world to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities,” U.N. Lebanon said in a statement.
“There cannot be any sustainable peace, security, or development without the effective participation of women, in all their diversity. Their meaningful participation is also not possible if funding and support are not provided to those working in their own communities, to build a culture of peace,” it added.
“Women continue to have to fight for their voices to be heard, despite abundant evidence on the link between women’s participation and peace. We need more women in decision-making and in peacebuilding efforts to ensure Lebanon’s sustained recovery,” said the U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Najat Rochdi. “Congratulations to the eight women-led organizations and our sincere thanks and gratitude to the Government of Germany for its steady support, which is much-needed for Lebanon’s recovery and development,” she added.
Supported by the Government of Germany, with complementary funding from the Government of Finland, the WPHF in Lebanon will provide funding to eight local women’s rights organizations. The WPHF’s second Call For Proposal was open from February 1 to mid-March 2022 whereby a total of 42 proposals were submitted, of which 13 were shortlisted, representing a variety of feminist and women and youth-led organizations. The shortlisted proposals were thoroughly reviewed by the National Steering Committee, which endorsed 8 new projects, on 26 April 2022.
This second window of the WPHF in Lebanon simultaneously seeks to support, through unearmarked funds, the institutional strengthening of women-led and community-based organizations working on peacebuilding efforts at the local level, while providing funding for specific peacebuilding initiatives.
“We owe it to those championing peace on the frontlines to provide them with timely and accessible funding that is responsive to their realities,” stated Rachel Dore-Weeks, Head of U.N. Women in Lebanon at the launch of the second window.
The first window of the WPHF was launched in Lebanon after the 2020 Beirut Port Explosion. The 6 grantees and 1 sub-grantee funded under the first window led recovery initiatives within their communities, rebuilding community centers, partnering with security institutions to invest in disaster risk preparedness, and supporting accountability tools for women’s inclusion in Lebanon’s recovery process. This second window builds on the work of the first-phase grantees who have also established mentoring relationships with those beginning their work under this second phase.
The work funded, which will begin in August 2022 and run through to December 2023, seeks to build peace through advocacy, art, and women-led peace spaces, dialogues, and student clubs.
“Less than two years ago, Germany decided to help set up the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund in Lebanon with the aim of strengthening small grassroots women-led organizations. The WPHF has indeed lived up to the expectations and delivered impressive work in its first round. We are all proud of the 7 inspiring organizations we have so far partnered with and wish the new participants success. Germany renews its trust in the fund and in the civil society organizations that have courageously stepped up in response to Lebanon’s enduring crisis,” stated Andreas Kindl, the German ambassador to Lebanon.
About the WPHF:
The Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is the only global financing mechanism dedicated exclusively to supporting women’s participation in peacebuilding and humanitarian action. WPHF is a flexible and rapid financing tool supporting quality interventions to enhance the capacity of local women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities. WPHF is an innovative partnership between Member States, the UN, and civil society, with all stakeholders represented on its global Funding Board. UN Women provides secretariat support to WPHF and ensures coordination to implement the decisions of the Funding Board. WPHF donors currently include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, European Union (Spotlight Initiative), Germany, Ireland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. WPHF is actively supporting over 345 local women’s organizations across 22 of its 25 eligible countries and has mobilized a total of $58 Million USD for grassroots women’s rights and women-led organizations working in settings of conflict and humanitarian emergency.
About the selected NGOs:
Stream 1 - Institutional Support.
• SEEDS is a women-led human rights organization, and a phase 1 WPHF grantee. Under Phase II, the organization will receive institutional funds to support it to retain key personnel, engage in strategic planning and raise new resources.
• Haven for artists (H4A) is a grassroots feminist art organization working at the intersection of art and activism, and a phase 1 WPHF grantee. Institutional funding will be provided to the maintenance of Haven House, the cultural community center, and the development of a new strategic and financial long-term strategy.
• Abnaa Saida El Balad is a women-led youth organization in Saida. As a new recipient of the WPHF, funds will support the organization’s core activities and the organization to develop an adaptative strategy and a detailed plan for its gender equality program.
Stream 2
• Committee of Employee Women Union (CEWU) is a women's rights/led organization focused on equality issues. Support from the WPHF aims to politically empower women and young women through skills building on promoting peace and conflict resolution in their communities, as well as public debating and mediation.
• SEENARYO utilizes participatory theatre for the empowerment of communities, partnering with Women Now for Development. The project will target local Lebanese and refugee women living in the Bekaa, as well as community leaders from local municipalities and CSOs, with the aim of supporting the integration of women’s voices and priorities into local decision-making. • Green villages promotes women's economic empowerment through ecological solutions while promoting women’s activism. The project funded by the WPHF will work in remote and border Syria, bringing together women's groups to discuss about different issues affecting their communities, and engage with local authorities.
• Women alive works in the north of Lebanon. The project promotes peacebuilding and women's participation and engagement. It will target female university students in clubs and the broader public through campaigns and dialogue with municipalities on topics of gender-based violence, peacebuilding, and political rights.
• Lebanese Family Planning Association for Development & Family Empowerment (LFPDA) is a women/youth rights organization. Work funded under the WPHF seeks to increase women's political participation at the municipal level in 15 villages in the regions of Tyre and West Bekaa.

Syrian refugees anxious over Lebanon's plans to deport them
Associated Press/July 21/2022
Sitting outside her tent in a camp in eastern Lebanon, a 30-year-old Syrian refugee contemplated the sunset and her worsening options.
Umm Jawad fled to Lebanon in 2011 to escape a Syrian government siege of her hometown of Homs. She managed to survive over the past decade, despite Lebanon's devastating economic meltdown and souring attitudes toward Syrian refugees.
But now Lebanon wants to send her and a million other refugees back to Syria, claiming that much of the war-shattered country is safe. She is terrified. Life in Lebanon is difficult, but she fears returning to Syria could be fatal.
She's considering a risky escape to Europe by sea with her husband and their children, ages 11 and six. There, she could complete her accounting degree, put the children back in school and secure a steady supply of medication for her epilepsy.
"They (the Europeans) live a better quality of life," said Umm Jawad, who asked to be identified by her nickname, which means mother of Jawad in reference to her older son's first name, to speak freely about her family and plans. "But here, my children, husband, and I live in a tent."
Lebanon's economic meltdown -– one of the worst in modern history -- has pushed a growing number of Lebanese and Syrians to attempt the perilous journey by sea to Europe.
The Lebanese government's recently announced plan to deport 15,000 refugees per month to Syria appears set to push more people to make that journey, at a time when Europe is struggling with millions of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the months-long war in their country.
The Lebanese Army and other security agencies report foiled migration attempts off the coast of the northern coasts on a weekly basis. At least seven migrants drowned following a confrontation between a boat of Lebanese and Syrian migrants and the Lebanese Army in April.
"The Lebanese are not happy with their life here and are trying to leave, so what does that mean for Syrians?" said Umm Jawad. "May God help both the Lebanese and Syrians out of this crisis."
Umm Jawad lives in a Syrian refugee camp near Lebanon's eastern border crossing with Syria, On a recent day, children played soccer in the camp's labyrinth of alleys, while some residents bartered with a street vendor who passed by with his cart carrying produce. One man set up a makeshift barbershop inside a tent. Life in the camp has been getting harder. Donor fatigue, the COVID-19 pandemic, and Lebanon's crippling economic crisis have forced more refugees to go into debt to afford food, medicine, and rent. Lebanon, a country of five million people, says it can no longer afford to host more than a million Syrian refugees, and is adamant to start deporting them within months, despite opposition from the United Nations and rights groups. The Lebanese authorities have supported forced refugee returns for years but had not come up with a comprehensive plan until recently. In justifying such measures, they say Syrian officials have assured them there are now many safe areas refugees can return to.
In a Lebanese government document obtained by The Associated Press, Damascus assured Beirut in April that returnees would be able to secure identification cards, birth certificates, social services, temporary housing, and a viable infrastructure. Syrian officials also wrote that returnees would benefit from Syrian President Bashar Assad's pardons of political opponents and military draft evaders.
In reality, the Assad government has struggled to rebuild areas it has reclaimed through devastating sieges and air raids, and Syria's economy, like that of Lebanon, is in tatters. Western-led sanctions on Damascus following the government's brutal crackdown on political opposition in 2011 have further exacerbated the economic downturn. Many Syrian refugees fear for their safety if forced to return, including the oppressive omnipresence of their country's notorious security services. Human Rights Watch has documented cases of Syrian refugees facing detention, torture, and a host of human rights violations upon their return, even with security clearances from the Syrian government, said Lama Fakih, the Middle East and North Africa director at the watchdog group.
Umm Jawad worries her husband could be forced to return to the military. "You have check points every few hundred meters, between every neighborhood, and crime is rampant. You just can't feel safe even in your own home," she said.
Hassan Al-Mohammed, who works in the fields of Lebanon's lush Bekaa Valley, along with several of his 12 children, said he dreams of going home, but that now is not the time. He said his hometown southwest of the city of Aleppo is still a frontline. "Should I flee an economic crisis just to have my family slaughtered?" he said, sitting in his tent. At the same time, many Lebanese feel that sending the Syrians home would ease the economic crisis in Lebanon, wherethree out of four people now live in poverty.
Tensions between Lebanese and Syrians are increasingly palpable. Al-Mohammed says bakeries would sometimes prioritize Lebanese nationals for their bundle of bread and make Syrians and non-Lebanese wait for hours. He is frustrated by claims that refugees have been benefitting economically at the expense of Lebanese. "They reduced aid, so we're working to eat. The money we make is to buy bread," he said.
Lebanese ministers in recent months have proposed that the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees redirect refugee aid to Syria, as a way of improving the situation there and encouraging returns.
But those calls have so far fallen on deaf ears. The U.N. refugee agency, along with Europe, the United States and several rights groups, say that Syria simply isn't safe yet.
Lebanese officials expressed their frustration. The U.N.'s refusal to redirect aid deters refugees from returning, Issam Charafeddine, the Cabinet minister dealing with refugee issues, said in an interview earlier this month. He also said reports of an imminent start of deportations amount to an unfounded "fear campaign." Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, a member of the Lebanese government's refugee returns committee, told reporters last week that "it seems the international community doesn't want the Syrians to return to their country."

Now is the time to speak. Soon is the time to act.
Jean-Marie Kassab/Face Book/July 21/2022
It is not about a bishop or a hysterical judge or another judge remotely-controlled by Iran and its stooges. The church has a very long list of oppressed clergymen who tried to help their community and were chastised in the process. Some of them were even killed while the church carried on unshaken and for millennia. Justice in Lebanon is rotten yet for few exceptions. Aren’t we all agreeing that Lebanon is corrupted to the bone?
Yet these events, these symptoms are worrisome. They look Gestapish to me. They seem coordinated and within a scary plan that preludes more of this.
Occupiers or dictatorial states often act brutally when challenged. They try to choke any opposition ahead of time.
Iran is in fact challenged, domestically and locally here in Lebanon. Its alliance with Russia is thought of as mutually beneficial for both countries and not in favor only of equally endangered Putin.
Consider this as a wakeup call. We need to act and act swiftly.
“This government does not represent me”.
“This parliament does not represent me”.
This is the voice of those who did not vote and are the majority. They resisted the occupation silently.
Now is the time to speak. Soon is the time to act.
Jean-Marie Kassab
Task Force Lebanon.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 21-22/2022
Israel military admits it uses armed drones
Reuters/July 22, 2022
JERUSALEM: Israel’s military censors have lifted a ban on reporting the country’s use of armed drones, an official said, ending an open secret by admitting that the armed forces have unmanned attack aircraft and have used them. Palestinians have accused Israel of using armed drones in targeted killings in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, something never confirmed by Israel, which had previously barred all publication of news on the issue. There have also been numerous international news reports of Israeli drones attacking targets in Lebanon and Iran, which have never been confirmed officially by Israel. A statement from the military censor said that after consideration of the issue, “it was found that there was no impediment to publishing the IDF’s use of armed UAVs as part of its operational activities.”Israel has one of the largest drone fleets in the Middle East and is among the region’s biggest exporters of drone technology but most of its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) are unarmed reconnaissance aircraft. The war in Ukraine and the 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan have underscored the vital role played by both unarmed reconnaissance UAVs and attack drones in destroying tanks and other armored vehicles. The Bayraktar drone developed by Turkey has been particularly successful, becoming a byword for a shift in the balance of battlefield advantage in favor of relatively low-cost drones over heavy armor. In April, the German parliament’s budget committee gave the green light to funding for the acquisition of missiles to be fitted to the German military’s fleet of Heron TP drones, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries. A censorship officer said that while a generalized ban on reporting the existence of armed drones had been lifted, reporting specific technical details or operations would still be subject to review before publication could be approved.

Saudi crown prince receives telephone call from Putin
Arab News/July 21, 2022
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s crown prince received a phone call from the president of Russia on Thursday, Saudi Press Agency reported. During the call, Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Vladimir Putin discussed bilateral relations between their countries and ways to develop them in various fields. They also reviewed the most prominent regional and international developments and efforts exerted in their regard to achieve security and stability.

US may send fighter jets to Ukraine; 15,000 Russian soldiers killed, 45,000 wounded, CIA estimates: Live Ukraine updates
John Bacon and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY/Thu, July 21, 2022
A top U.S. military general says the United States and its allies are considering providing Ukraine with fighter jets, a decision that would sharply escalate the level of weaponry being sent to Kyiv.
Gen. Charles Brown, Air Force chief of staff, said the jets could come from the U.S. or its allies.
"I can't speculate what aircraft they go to," Brown said in an interview at the Aspen Security Forum. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded for fighter jets for months, saying Russia's air supremacy has been a major stumbling block in his country's efforts to repel the invasion. In March, the U.S. and NATO scuttled Poland's proposal to send its Russian-built MiGs to Ukraine. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said at the time the proposal might be "mistaken as escalatory" and could provoke a Russian military confrontation with NATO.
Brown said Wednesday that Russian MiGs won't be sent to Ukraine, saying with a laugh that it will "be tougher to get parts" from the Russians.
“It'll be something non-Russian," he said. "I could probably tell you that, but I can't tell you exactly what it's going to be."
►Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told state-controlled RT television that Russia has added parts of southern Ukraine to its focus, which officials had said was limited to the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
►Britain will supply Ukraine with scores of artillery guns, hundreds of drones and 1,600 anti-tank weapons, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced.
►Collen Kelapile, president of the Economic and Social Council known as ECOSOC, said there is growing concern that funding for critical U.N. development goals including ending extreme poverty and hunger by 2030 might be neglected by Western donor nations supporting Ukraine militarily and financially in its war against Russia.
15,000 Russians killed, 45,000 wounded in Ukraine, CIA estimates
Russian President Vladimir Putin is "entirely too healthy" but the Russian military already has taken "significant" casualties in Ukraine, CIA Director William Burns said at the Aspen Security Forum. Burns dismissed persistent rumors that Putin, who traveled to Iran this week, is gravely ill from cancer or some other malady as unlikely. Burns said that Russia's military has adapted after suffering "catastrophic failures" early in the war. Latest estimates from the U.S. intelligence community put the number of Russian soldiers killed at about 15,000, and maybe 45,000 wounded, Burns said. "One of my recent conversations with one of my Ukrainian counterparts, he pointed out that the dumb Russians are all dead," Burns said. He added that Ukrainians have likely suffered fewer but still "significant" casualties.
Natural gas again flowing from Russia to Europe
Natural gas started flowing through a major pipeline from Russia to Europe on Thursday after a 10-day shutdown for maintenance, the operator said. But the gas flow was expected to fall well short of full capacity. Amid growing tensions over Russia’s war in Ukraine, German officials had feared that the pipeline might not reopen at all. It is the country’s main source of Russian gas, which has accounted for around a third of Germany’s gas supplies. Wednesday, the European Commission urged member nations to immediately cut natural gas use by 15% or face cold homes and struggling economies this winter. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that Russia is using gas as a "weapon" in its war with Ukraine.
'While Russia kills, America saves': Ukraine first lady thanks Congress
Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska on Wednesday urged the U.S. to provide more weapons for her country's fight "for our shared values of human life." In her address to Congress, Zelenska thanked the U.S. for the billions of dollars already committed. "You help us and your help is very strong," Zelenska said. "While Russia kills, America saves, and you should know about it. We thank you for that.Zelenska showed photos of children and families destroyed by Russia's unrelenting missile attacks on Ukraine's cities. She pleaded for more U.S. air defense weaponry to fend off the Russian military – "not to kill children in their strollers."Zelenska met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday and President Joe Biden on Tuesday, who tweeted after their meeting, "First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska embodies the same tenacity and resilience as the country she hails from."
Contributing: The Associated Press

Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kramatorsk
ASPEN, Colorado (Reuters) /July 21/2022
-The United States estimates that Russian casualties in Ukraine so far have reached around 15,000 killed and perhaps 45,000 wounded, CIA Director William Burns said on Wednesday, adding that Ukraine has also endured significant casualties. Nearly five months since President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Russia's neighbor, its forces are grinding through the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine and occupy around a fifth of the country. Burns, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, said those gains have come at great cost. "The latest estimates from the U.S. intelligence community would be something in the vicinity of 15,000 (Russian forces) killed and maybe three times that wounded. So a quite significant set of losses," Burns said.
"And, the Ukrainians have suffered as well - probably a little less than that. But, you know, significant casualties."Russia classifies military deaths as state secrets even in times of peace and has not updated its official casualty figures frequently during the war. On March 25 it said 1,351 Russian soldiers had been killed. The Kyiv government said in June that 100 to 200 Ukrainian troops were being killed per day. On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow's military "tasks" in Ukraine now went beyond the Donbas, in the clearest acknowledgment yet that it has expanded its war goals.But Burns said that at least for now the Russian military's concentration of forces in the Donbas suggested they had learned hard lessons from failures at the start of the campaign, where Moscow stalled in its assault on Kyiv. "In a way, what the Russian military has done is retreat to a more comfortable way of war, in a sense, by using their advantages and long range firepower to stand off and effectively destroy Ukrainian targets and to compensate for the weaknesses in manpower that they still experience," Burns said.
UKRAINIAN PURGE
In recent days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as carried out Kyiv's biggest internal purge of government officials in the war, citing their failure to root out Russian spies and announcing scores of treason cases. The United States has provided Ukraine vast amounts of intelligence to help guide its battlefield decisions, raising questions about whether the CIA and the Pentagon should be concerned about Russian infiltration. Burns, however, appeared to play down such concerns."We're confident that the partnerships we built are effective ones," Burns said.
"And we're sharing quite significant amounts of intelligence with the Ukrainian services and with the Ukrainian leadership that they're putting to a very effective use."
(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Leslie Adler and Grant McCool)

CIA director estimates 15,000 Russians killed in Ukraine war
ASPEN, Colorado (Reuters) /July 21/2022
The United States estimates that Russian casualties in Ukraine so far have reached around 15,000 killed and perhaps 45,000 wounded, CIA Director William Burns said on Wednesday, adding that Ukraine has also endured significant casualties.
Nearly five months since President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Russia's neighbor, its forces are grinding through the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine and occupy around a fifth of the country. Burns, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, said those gains have come at great cost. "The latest estimates from the U.S. intelligence community would be something in the vicinity of 15,000 (Russian forces) killed and maybe three times that wounded. So a quite significant set of losses," Burns said. "And, the Ukrainians have suffered as well - probably a little less than that. But, you know, significant casualties."Russia classifies military deaths as state secrets even in times of peace and has not updated its official casualty figures frequently during the war. On March 25 it said 1,351 Russian soldiers had been killed. The Kyiv government said in June that 100 to 200 Ukrainian troops were being killed per day. On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow's military "tasks" in Ukraine now went beyond the Donbas, in the clearest acknowledgment yet that it has expanded its war goals. But Burns said that at least for now the Russian military's concentration of forces in the Donbas suggested they had learned hard lessons from failures at the start of the campaign, where Moscow stalled in its assault on Kyiv. "In a way, what the Russian military has done is retreat to a more comfortable way of war, in a sense, by using their advantages and long range firepower to stand off and effectively destroy Ukrainian targets and to compensate for the weaknesses in manpower that they still experience," Burns said.
UKRAINIAN PURGE
In recent days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as carried out Kyiv's biggest internal purge of government officials in the war, citing their failure to root out Russian spies and announcing scores of treason cases. The United States has provided Ukraine vast amounts of intelligence to help guide its battlefield decisions, raising questions about whether the CIA and the Pentagon should be concerned about Russian infiltration. Burns, however, appeared to play down such concerns. "We're confident that the partnerships we built are effective ones," Burns said.
"And we're sharing quite significant amounts of intelligence with the Ukrainian services and with the Ukrainian leadership that they're putting to a very effective use."
(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Leslie Adler and Grant McCool)

Biden tests positive for Covid-19
Agence France Presse /July 21/2022
U.S. President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, his administration announced, saying the 79-year-old leader was experiencing "mild symptoms" and would carry out his full duties while isolating at the White House. Biden had been due to travel to Pennsylvania during the day, the latest in a series of trips around the country as he seeks to revive waning Democrat fortunes ahead of midterm elections. "He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms," the White House said in a statement, adding that Biden had begun taking Pfizer's anti-Covid pill Paxlovid. "Consistent with CDC guidelines, he will isolate at the White House and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time."Biden is reported to be in good general health, but his age will heighten concern over the impact of Covid. Politically he is in a tough phrase of his presidency, facing November midterm elections that are forecast to be painful for his Democratic Party, and declining personal approval ratings. According to a study conducted by Quinnipiac University in the state of Connecticut and released Wednesday, Biden's approval ratings have hit a new low, with only 31 percent of Americans satisfied with the way he is running the country. Biden had planned to spend more time on the ground in the United States in the coming weeks after a period of intense overseas travel, including a NATO summit in Spain and a controversial trip to Saudi Arabia. Biden's predecessor Donald Trump had tested positive for coronavirus in October, 2020 -- in the middle of their bitterly fought election race.
The news that he and the first lady, Melania Trump, had both contracted the virus was a shocking development at a time when the pandemic was still unfolding across the globe. Trump, who was 74 at the time, was transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he spent the weekend and received various treatments. He returned to the White House three days later. The White House said Biden had last tested negative on Tuesday. "Out of an abundance of transparency, the White House will provide a daily update on the president's status as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation," it said. "Per standard protocol for any positive case at the White House, the White House Medical Unit will inform all close contacts of the president during the day today, including any members of Congress and any members of the press who interacted with the president during yesterday’s travel."

Turkey says it 'never asks permission' for Syria campaigns
Agence France Presse/July 21/2022
Turkey warned on Thursday that it did not need anyone's permission to conduct a new military offensive against suspected Kurdish militants in Syria. The comments from Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu came two days after a summit in Tehran at which both Russia and Iran urged against Turkey's proposed new campaign in northern Syria. "We exchanged ideas, but we never asked and we never seek permission for our military operations," Cavusoglu said in a televised interview. "We won't ask anyone for permission in the fight against terrorism. It can happen one night, suddenly," he said, referring to the start of a new military push. The comments echo months of warnings from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about Turkey imminently launching a new ground campaign in Syria. The offensive would be the fifth since 2016. Most of the past campaigns have targeted Kurdish militants that Ankara links to a group that has been waging a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. Both Russia and Iran have either troops or militias in areas mentioned as possible targets of Turkey's new offensive. Tehran and Moscow supported the Syrian government during the country's conflict while Ankara backed the rebels. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had earlier told Erdogan that a new Turkish offensive would be "detrimental" to the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin said after the summit that Moscow and Ankara still had disagreements about Syria. Washington has also urged NATO member Turkey to exercise restraint. Kurdish militias played a central role in the U.S.-led campaign against the Islamist State group in Syria.

Russia’s Lavrov to address Arab League on Sunday
AFP/July 22, 2022
CAIRO: Russia’s top diplomat will address the Arab League at its Cairo headquarters Sunday, the organization said, days after Russia took part in a summit hosted by Iran. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of Russia will meet Arab League head Ahmed Aboul Gheit and representatives of the 22 nations that make up the pan-Arab bloc, it said on Thursday. On Tuesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi hosted a summit that was attended by his Russian and Turkish counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The meeting was nominally about conflict-ridden Syria, where Iran and Russia back the government while Turkey supports anti-regime groups. Russia invaded Ukraine in February, and the impact of the conflict on the global economy was also at the center of talks in Tehran. On Tuesday, Putin said “progress” had been made in discussions toward exporting grain from Turkey, adding after talks with Erdogan and Raisi that any deal hinged on the West’s willingness to yield some ground. NATO member Turkey has been using its good relations with both the Kremlin and Kyiv to try to broker an agreement on a safe way to deliver the grain. The war in Ukraine has caused food insecurity in Arab nations, many of which are heavily dependent on wheat imports from the former Soviet state. The Tehran summit came days after US President Joe Biden toured the Middle East. In Jerusalem, Biden and Israel’s caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced a new security pact which commits Washington to never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. Some Arab countries have tense ties with Iran which they accuse of involvement in many regional conflicts, including the wars in Syria.

Will Turkey attack Syria Kurds without nod from Russia and Iran?
Agence France Presse/July 21/2022
Turkey has renewed its threats of a new military offensive against Syria's Kurds, but what can it do after failing to secure the green light of Russia and Iran? After announcing plans to move against Kurdish forces in the areas of Manbij and Tal Rifaat in northern Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey joined a three-way summit in Tehran this week looking for support. While Iran and Russia, the two other main foreign players in the Syrian conflict, reined him in, analysts say, Turkey insisted Thursday it does not need anyone's "permission" for a new Syria campaign. Here's a look at what could be next.
- Did Erdogan get the green light? -
In Tehran, Erdogan renewed his threats against the Kurdish forces that control swathes of northeastern Syria and are considered "terrorists" by Ankara. The summit yielded a declaration vowing to cooperate to "eliminate individuals and terrorist groups" in northern Syria and opposing any separatist ambitions. The three main foreign brokers, who have long supported opposing sides in Syria's war, ostensibly omitted to define who qualified as "terrorist."Moscow and Washington have repeatedly warned NATO member Turkey against a fresh attack against the Kurds in northern Syria and in Tehran, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Erdogan an offensive would be "detrimental." "The summit did not give (Erdogan) the green light, but Turkey has repeatedly launched military operations into Syria without a green light," said Dareen Khalifa, a researcher at the International Crisis Group. But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday that Turkey had "never asked and we never seek permission" for its Syria campaigns. "It can happen one night, suddenly," he said of a new military push, without specifying the scale of such an operation. Between 2016 and 2019, Ankara launched three military offensives it said were to root out the Kurdish People's Protection Units, which are the main component of the autonomous Kurds' de facto army, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Ankara considers the YPG an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a group that has waged an insurgency in Turkey for decades.
Erdogan has threatened to attack Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria that are part of a 30-kilometer (20-mile) deep buffer zone he wants to establish along the border. Bassam Abu Abdullah of the Damascus Centre for Strategic Studies said he thought a Turkish attack was unlikely. "I think that the fuse of the Turkish military operation... has been completely removed," he told AFP.
- What options does Turkey have? -
But even without Moscow and Tehran's stamp of approval, Erdogan could still launch a limited attack. Turkish media reported that any operation would not take place before the end of August or beginning of September. "One option now that is available to Turkey is to use airpower to strike Kurdish targets throughout Syria. Erdogan has that greenlight," said Nicholas Heras of the New Lines Institute. Kurdish officials have said they are preparing for a potential Turkish attack. "Erdogan is desperate for permission to violate Syrian airspace to conduct his aggression," said SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami. Turkey, which has been carrying out cross-border operations against the PKK in neighboring Iraq for years, killed nine civilians in artillery fire on Wednesday. An attack on densely populated Manbij would have "grave humanitarian consequences," Khalifa warned. "Renewed conflict will inevitably lead to mass displacement and suffering," she said.Hundreds of thousands of Arabs and Kurds displaced by a 2018 Turkish offensive on the neighboring Afrin region live in the Tal Rifaat area. Manbij is also an Arab-majority town with displaced Kurds living in and around it.
- Is Turkey bringing Kurds closer to Damascus? -
The Syrian army has deployed reinforcements in the areas threatened by Turkey, especially in the vicinity of Manbij, to act as a buffer between Kurdish and Ankara-backed forces. Abu Abdullah expects even more Syrian army deployments in the area. Damascus ally Moscow "will press hard in this direction," he said, adding that Ankara "will not be bothered by this at all, they are pushing for the Syrian army to deploy" on the border to avoid a military escalation. "Any military operation will complicate the situation for everyone," he said. "The SDF have no choice but to reach an understanding with the Syrian state."
Kurdish forces and the Syrian regime have struggled to reach an accommodation, because the Kurds are reluctant to give up territorial gains while Damascus rejects their self-rule. Khalifa said she is skeptical the two will see eye to eye."A Turkish attack would potentially lead to more defense arrangements between the SDF and Damascus but that might not translate into a broader agreement or settlement," she said. "At least it hasn't in the past."

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 20-21/2022
Finland and Sweden in NATO are strategic assets, not liabilities
Bradley Bowman, Ryan Brobst, Jack Sullivan, John Hardie/Defense News /July 21/2022
In the two weeks since ambassadors from all NATO member states signed the accession protocols for Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, approximately half of the member countries have now ratified the decision. But as countries such as Hungary, Turkey, and the United States still have yet to ratify, it is worth taking stock of how the alliance would benefit from adding the two Nordic countries.
Finland and Sweden will bring two relatively small but advanced militaries into NATO, adding significant military capabilities and augmenting the alliance’s ability to deter additional Russian aggression. And contrary to suggestions by opponents of NATO enlargement, the addition of the two countries would strengthen transatlantic security and decrease the probability of Russian aggression against the alliance. Consider some of the specific air, sea, and land capabilities Finland and Sweden will add to the alliance’s arsenal.
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance 2021 report, the two countries will collectively contribute over 150 fighter aircraft, including 96 JAS-39 Gripens and 62 F/A-18 Hornets. By the end of the decade, Finland intends to acquire 64 fifth-generation F-35 fighter aircraft. This compares with Polish plans to acquire 32 F-35s and Italian plans to acquire 90 F-35s. Sweden is also set to procure two advanced GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, more capable platforms than the aging E-3A AWACS planes NATO currently uses to monitor European airspace. AEW&C aircraft are critical components of an effective air defense system. Indeed, at their June 29 summit in Madrid, NATO members endorsed a strategy to “ensure the seamless delivery of the next generation Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) and related capabilities.”
Sweden also possesses a skilled navy with Visby-class corvettes and Gotland-class submarines. These would improve NATO’s ability to deter and defeat maritime aggression and protect sea lines of communication. Islands belonging to Sweden and Finland, especially Sweden’s Gotland Island in the middle of the Baltic Sea, will greatly complicate potential Russian naval operations. Finland and Sweden would also bring significant land warfare capabilities to the alliance. Finland possesses one of the most capable artillery forces in Europe, with M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and hundreds of towed howitzers. Finland has more artillery pieces than France, Germany or the United Kingdom. Together, Finland and Sweden boast 220 active Leopard main battle tanks, nearly matching Germany’s 245 Leopards, another meaningful contribution to deter an attack on NATO territory.
Sweden has also operated the Patriot air defense system since November 2021, while Finland operates NASAMS, the same system that protects Washington, DC. Additionally, both countries are considering buying Israeli-made air defense systems, which would further increase their contribution to the NATO alliance. While NATO militaries have worked with their Finnish and Swedish counterparts for years, their membership in the alliance will allow these capabilities to be written into NATO war plans and deepen the level of integration. That will create additional dilemmas for Russian military planners, making aggression against the alliance less likely.
Some opposed to Finland’s and Sweden’s accession acknowledge their military contributions but suggest they would be outweighed by a new obligation to defend those countries against Russian aggression.
It is certainly true that NATO members would be expected to come to the aid of Finland and Sweden if they were attacked. After all, the heart of the NATO alliance is Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which states that “an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.”
But that’s exactly the point.
It’s no coincidence that Russia has invaded and occupied Georgia and Ukraine (which are outside NATO) but has not dared invade a NATO member for more than seven decades. Putin appears to understand that an attack against a NATO member country would risk war with the United States. What’s more, by complicating Russian military planning, Finland and Sweden can strengthen NATO’s deterrence of Russian aggression against other members, too.
During times of relative peace and stability, non-Finnish NATO deployments in that country can and should be managed prudently to avoid unnecessary tension with Moscow. But if Moscow were to rattle its saber against NATO members in the Baltics or elsewhere, additional NATO forces could be moved into Finland. Additional capabilities there would force Russian military planners to watch the 832-mile border and redirect finite combat forces to Moscow’s northwest. That would spread Russian forces more thinly across a wider front and make any scenario for potential aggression seem even less feasible to the Kremlin than it does now. Strengthening NATO’s deterrent in this way might hasten the day when Russian leaders realize that the best path to peace and security is respecting the borders and sovereignty of its neighbors.
In the meantime, a careful review of Finland’s and Sweden’s military capabilities and the geo-strategic advantages associated with their addition to NATO makes clear that their accession would enhance the alliance’s deterrence of Russian aggression and serve transatlantic security interests. That’s why the remaining NATO member countries should welcome Finland and Sweden into the alliance without delay.
*Bradley Bowman serves as senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Ryan Brobst is a research analyst, Jack Sullivan is a research associate, and John Hardie is a senior research analyst. Ashlyn Cox contributed to this article. Follow Bradley on Twitter @Brad_L_Bowman. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, non-partisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Building on Biden’s Israel Commitments Before It’s Too Late
Orde Kittrie/The National Interest/July 21/2022
During President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel last week, he and Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a landmark declaration that contains several important U.S. commitments, including on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and on combatting efforts to boycott or delegitimize Israel. The declaration is a snapshot of a high point in U.S.-Israel relations. It can also be used as a powerful springboard for future progress.
The document’s long-term impact will depend on whether Congressional and other supporters of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship encourage and assist the Biden administration to reiterate, robustly implement, and, in one case, strengthen the declaration’s commitments.
The document, formally known as The Jerusalem U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration, is not legally binding. But political commitments can carry considerable weight. Members of Congress can demand, both in hearings and other contexts, that the administration live up to its commitments.
In addition, the more Biden’s political commitments in the declaration are highlighted and reiterated, the stronger a message they will send to European, Arab, and other allied and adversary governments that are calibrating their policies on the same issues.
Perhaps most importantly, a president’s political commitments in a document such as the declaration can be spotlighted as guidance to the president’s aides, across the administration, as they handle topics referenced by the document.
Iran’s nuclear program, an existential threat to Israel, is the most important issue addressed by the declaration. In it, Biden makes a “commitment never to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon,” and declares that the United States “is prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome.”
This use of a traditional formula for implicitly threatening military action is important. It is reportedly more forward-leaning than anything Biden has said previously as president. But it is still almost certainly insufficient to deter Iran, even when combined with Biden’s presumably ad-libbed response last week to an interview question about his willingness to use force to stop Iran’s program (Biden replied simply: “If that was the last resort, yes.”)
Iran will roll back its nuclear program only if convinced that it is futile to seek a nuclear bomb because the U.S. military will ultimately prevent Tehran from succeeding. Iran’s nuclear program is reportedly now so advanced that it needs less than a month to produce sufficient highly enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon. Yet, in the declaration, Biden was less direct about a military option for rolling back Iran’s program than was President Barack Obama in 2012, when Iran still reportedly needed about four months to achieve such a nuclear breakout.
Obama in 2012 formally and explicitly referenced a military option: “I have said that when it comes to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, I will take no options off the table, and I mean what I say,” he said. “That includes ... a military effort to be prepared for any contingency.” “Iran’s leaders should understand,” Obama continued, “…I have a policy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon … [and] I will not hesitate to use force when it is necessary to defend the United States and its interests.”
Obama also formally threatened at least twice in 2013 and once in 2015 to halt Iran’s nuclear program using military force, with language nearly as explicit as that of 2012.
The relationship between an explicit U.S. military option and successfully halting Iran’s nuclear program diplomatically was elaborated in a December 2021 joint statement by seven distinguished experts including former Obama defense secretary and CIA director Leon Panetta and former Obama CIA director David Petraeus. The statement declared that “[w]ithout convincing Iran it will suffer severe consequences if it stays on its current path, there is little reason to hope for the success of diplomacy.” “…[S]uch consequences,” said the statement, “cannot be limited to political isolation, condemnatory resolutions in international fora and additional economic sanctions, … [which] are not sufficient at this stage to convince Iran’s leaders that the price they will pay requires them to alter their course.”
“…[F]or the sake of our diplomatic effort to resolve this crisis,” said the December 2021 statement, “we believe it is vital to restore Iran’s fear that its current nuclear path will trigger the use of force against it by the United States.” The statement called on the Biden administration to not only start using words “that are more pointed and direct than ‘all options are on the table’” but also undertake military exercises, pre-positioning, and other “steps that lead Iran to believe that persisting in its current behavior and rejecting a reasonable diplomatic resolution will put to risk its entire nuclear infrastructure.”
Yet eight months later, with Iran significantly closer to nuclear breakout, the Biden administration is employing language only slightly more pointed than “all options are on the table.” If Iran’s leadership is to be persuaded to halt its pursuit of a nuclear arsenal, Biden and his top aides will quickly need to—with both word and deed—turn the declaration’s implicit threat into an explicit one.
On other issues, the Joint Declaration is more explicit. Officials across the federal government will be guided by Biden’s various specific commitments on U.S. security assistance to Israel and on pursuing joint cooperation in developing cutting-edge defense and civilian technologies.
In addition, U.S. diplomats will be guided by the declaration’s unequivocal endorsement of, and commitment to expand, the Abraham Accords.
Finally, the declaration contains a robust U.S. commitment to combat the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign and all other “efforts to boycott or de-legitimize Israel, to deny its right to self-defense, or to unfairly single it out in any forum, including at the United Nations or the International Criminal Court.”Israel is facing dangerous efforts to delegitimize it not only at the UN and the International Criminal Court but also by some large non-governmental organizations such as Amnesty International and some members of Congress from the president’s own party. The declaration is an important signal to all of Biden’s welcome steadfastness on this issue. For as long as Joe Biden is president, members of Congress and others will be encouraging and assisting officials across his administration to robustly implement the broad range of important commitments contained in last week’s declaration.
But with Iran’s nuclear weapons program rapidly approaching a point of no return, it is essential to change its leadership’s calculus now. Congress must quickly urge Biden and his team to build upon the declaration by articulating and demonstrating a more explicit U.S. military threat that Iran rejecting a reasonable diplomatic resolution will result in severe consequences, including the destruction of Tehran’s current nuclear infrastructure, rather than in Tehran gaining a nuclear weapon.
Orde Kittrie, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and law professor at Arizona State University, is a former U.S. State Department attorney. Follow him on Twitter @OrdeFK. FDD is a Washington, DC-based nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.

From Jerusalem to Jeddah...Biden’s mission to the Middle East goes south
Clifford D. May/The Washington Times/July 21/2022
President Biden’s mission to the Middle East had been going so well.
In Jerusalem, he pleased his hosts by telling them: “Israel must remain an independent, democratic, Jewish state — the ultimate guarantee and guarantor of security of the Jewish people not only in Israel but the entire world. I believe that to my core.”
In Bethlehem, he announced $316 million in financial assistance for the Palestinian Authority and told its president, Mahmoud Abbas, that he felt Palestinian “grief and frustration.” But he refrained from initiating a new “peace process” that the 87-year-old Mr. Abbas, unpopular in the West Bank and persona not grata in Hamas-ruled Gaza, is incapable of pursuing.
In Jeddah, he welcomed the Saudi decision to open its airspace “to all civilian carriers without discrimination, a decision that includes flights to and from Israel.”
Then, on Friday, the mission went south. A spokesman for the United Arab Emirates announced that his government was sending an ambassador to Tehran with the goal of “rebuilding bridges.”
He added that the UAE would not join any Middle East air defense alliance – a proposal sometimes described as a Middle Eastern NATO but actually just an exchange of services that could prevent Iranian missiles from reaching their targets. Such an alliance would need to include Israel and enjoy firm U.S. support.
“We are open to cooperation, but not cooperation targeting any other country in the region, and I specifically mention Iran,” the spokesman said. “The UAE is not going to be a party to any group of countries that sees confrontation as a direction, but we do have serious issues with Iran with its regional politics.”
On Saturday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Farhan bin Faisal echoed him. “There is no discussion about a defensive alliance with Israel,” he told reporters.
The message the Emiratis and Saudis were sending Mr. Biden: “Cordial visits and nice words alone don’t cut the hummus. You say you have our backs, then you say you’re pivoting away. You’re not reliable. We’re hedging our bets.”
There’s also this: Iran’s rulers are continuing to make progress on their illicit nuclear weapons project and they’re forging closer ties with both Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.
And Iran’s rulers could soon enjoy a financial windfall – courtesy of Mr. Biden. I’ll explain.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid spoke of the danger the Iran’s rulers pose to both Israel and the Arab Sunni states. “Words will not stop them, diplomacy will not stop them,” he said. “The only thing that will stop Iran is knowing that if they continue to develop their nuclear program the free world will use force.”
Mr. Biden responded by reaffirming his belief in diplomacy – meaning unrelenting efforts to persuade Iran’s rulers to please, pretty please rejoin President Obama’s 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
In truth, the JCPOA is not comprehensive: It doesn’t address Tehran’s missiles, its sponsorship of terrorism, its proxies controlling several of its neighbors, or its efforts to destabilize other neighbors.
And it’s a plan of inaction. Rather than ending the clerical regime’s pursuit of nukes, it provides Iran’s rulers with what my FDD colleague, Mark Dubowitz, has dubbed a “patient pathway” toward that outcome.
If Iran’s rulers were to accept this deal, they would be provided with hundreds of billions of dollars to spend on whatever nefarious projects they choose.
So why do they resist? Largely because they despise Americans. They refuse even to sit at the same table with American diplomats, insisting that all negotiations be conducted through intermediaries – Russians heading the list.
They’ve also been demanding additional concessions such as the removal of their Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps from the American terrorist blacklist. To his credit, Mr. Biden has not conceded, cognizant of the fact that the IRGC is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans.
Given this context, the Emiratis and the Saudis are practicing realpolitik. Their aim is to end up on the winning side. That won’t be the U.S. if the U.S. is seen as in retreat and decline, unwilling and perhaps unable to defend its own interests, much less those of allies.
Mr. Biden powerfully reinforced this perception when he chaotically and dishonorably abandoned Afghanistan one year ago next month. Of course, it was President Trump who laid the diplomatic groundwork for America’s ignominious capitulation to the Taliban.
Mr. Trump also did nothing serious in response to Tehran’s attacks on Saudi oil facilities in 2019 – a breach of a longstanding if implicit agreement to defend the Kingdom in exchange for its collaboration on global energy stability – vital for the international economy that the U.S. leads and from which Americans benefit. (Note: High on Mr. Biden’s to-do list in Jeddah was convincing the Saudis to agree to pump more oil. Didn’t happen.)
Even earlier, President Obama attempted to implement what I’ve called the Mr. Rogers Doctrine: the naïve notion that the solution to the multiple conflicts of the Middle East was to convince Iran’s jihadi masters to “share the neighborhood.”
Mr. Obama was passive, too, when Tehran and Moscow intervened militarily to prop up the Assad dictatorship at the cost of hundreds of thousands of Syrian lives.
If America is seen as a sclerotic giant, if its credibility continues to shrivel, expect other nations – not only in the Middle East – to distance themselves from Washington while appeasing and even kowtowing to America’s enemies.
The ramifications would be enormous. Some people grasp that. Others embrace the view succinctly expressed by that eminent 20th century philosopher, Alfred E. Neuman: “What, me worry?”
*Clifford D. May is founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and a columnist for the Washington Times. Follow him on Twitter @CliffordDMay. FDD is a nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Tyranny Or Chaos: Sudan's False Dilemma
Alberto M. Fernandez*/MEMRI/July 21/2022
The carnage is horrifying. Initial reports on July 18 talked about 60 to 70 dead but later information puts it at up to 200 hundred civilians killed and 14,000 people displaced in tribal fighting in Sudan's Blue Nile State. Health authorities asked for additional help in treating the many wounded, beyond the capacity of an underfunded local medical system to care for the injured.
Joint Forces (RSF, SAF, Police) arriving in Al-Damazin, Blue Nile State to restore order.
In the regional media some of the discourse was predictable. A piece on a pan-Arab television network interviewed local men on the ground in Blue Nile State. All of them deplored the violence and noted the tolerance and pluralism that has characterized the state, with many different tribes and ethnic groups. One noted that "we have never seen anything like this" and called for peaceful coexistence.[1]
The reality of what happened on the ground is rather more complicated than man-on-the-street interviews would lead one to believe. Blue Nile is a heavily militarized zone, it became one of the battlefield states, along with neighboring South Kordofan, in the decades-long struggle between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and the government in Khartoum, usually represented on the ground by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The state is both rich in natural resources and filled with the poor, like most of Sudan. The tribal factor, and struggles over land and resources, were and remain key elements of conflict in the state.
In the war between Khartoum and rebels that raged for years, the tribal dimension was often of great importance. Rebel groups often drew from certain ethnic groups more than others and Khartoum would – in true imperial fashion – arm and unleash the traditional rivals of their enemies.
The SPLM in Blue Nile state during the years of the Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005 and, after the independence of South Sudan, 2011-2020) drew heavily from the Ingessana and Uduk peoples (SPLM leader and former Blue Nile Governor Malik Agar is Ingessana). Khartoum recruited paramilitary proxies among rival groups, such as the Felata and Hausa, tribal groupings originally from West Africa and 20th-century newcomers to the region. But tribal and factional loyalty were sometimes not so clear cut. The Kobaji militia created by Khartoum to fight the Malik Agar-led SPLA included fighters from the Al-Hamaj tribe who switched sides from the SPLA in 2015 to the SAF militia. The reason for the defection was friction with Agar but also the need to acquire better weapons to defend against other groups – like the Felata and Hausa – who coveted Al-Hamaj land.[2]
Not so coincidentally, the recent fighting and massacres were between the Hausa and Al-Hamaj, an ancient Blue Nile tribe with antecedents going back to the medieval Funj Sultanate of Sennar, against a "new" 20th-century arrival in the Hausa. The details are, as often happens in these situations, murky, but it includes "hate speech" and incitement, land issues, and fears by the Al-Hamaj that the Hausa are being favored by their old patrons in the Sudanese military and demanding rights they do not deserve.[3] The current tensions go back months.[4] Other reports describe the clashes as being between the Hausa and the Ingessana[5] or the Hausa and the Berta (Berta, Al-Hamaj and Funj are essentially the same). Most of the victims seemed to have been Hausa.
The state's current governor, veteran former SPLM/A rebel Ahmed Al-Umda (himself an Ingessana and deputy to Malik Agar during the war) described Blue Nile as a miniature version of Sudan and vowed to take a hard line against ethnic incitement and uphold the rule of law.[6] Critics of military rule note that Agar and other Juba Peace Agreement signatories have shown themselves to be allies of the military. The SPLM in Sudan is today split along ethnic lines, even in Blue Nile State.
The Sudanese military (SAF plus their rivals/partners in the Rapid Support Forces or RSF) overthrew the country's interim civilian government on October 25, 2021 and has attempted to maintain power ever since then, despite a popular pro-democracy movement and the cut-off of aid by Western countries. One way the military regime has tried to push back against the pro-democracy movement in the streets is by using tribal elements, including traditional tribal leaders, both before and after the October 25th coup. A blockade by Beja tribal leaders in East Sudan and the acquiescence of former rebel leaders from Darfur and Blue Nile were key elements in the military coup. Former Sovereignty Council member Mohammed Al-Faki Suleiman blamed the military (which imprisoned him in October 2021 and only released him in April 2022) for being behind the increase in tribal violence, not just in Blue Nile but throughout the country, since the coup. This was "carefully planned, and not spontaneous," he noted on his Facebook page.[7] Hausa leaders at a July 20 press conference agreed, to a point, that it was planned and organized, but blamed the local government, controlled by the SPLM/A rather than Khartoum. Ethnic Hausa in other Sudanese cities rioted in solidarity with their brethren in Blue Nile.
Certainly, the centrifugal forces potentially leading to greater violence and chaos are picking up steam in Sudan. There has been recent unrest in the east and north of the country, more massacres in Darfur, and worsening economic conditions.
The military is eager to retain real power (security, foreign affairs, banking) while handing over the messy parts of governing to a civilian government that can deflect the blame for the coming disasters away from the armed forces. That is assuming the civilians and politicians can agree to a government where they would be at the mercy of the soldiers at any moment.[8] According to the UN, there has been a dramatic increase in hunger with over 30 percent of Sudan's population facing "acute food insecurity."[9] Meanwhile, as hunger looms, Sudan's wheat rots in store houses because the government cannot afford to buy it.[10] If we are seeing this violence now, how will it be in six months when prices are even higher and food stocks lower?
The military itself though, pulling strings and manipulating internal events and foreign diplomats, is also divided although it strives manfully to present a united front. The military regime's two leaders, interim head of state SAF General Abdel Fatah al-Burhan and his deputy RSF General Muhammad "Hemeti" Dagalo are partners but also rivals. If Al-Burhan aspires to be Egypt's President Al-Sisi, Hemeti looks to emulate Chad's Idris Deby. Both have important foreign ties. Al-Burhan, despite SAF's continuing ties with Sudan's former ruling Islamists, is very close to Al-Sisi's Egypt. Hemeti cultivates closer ties with the UAE, with Russia, and even with Israel. Both Al-Burhan and Hemeti seek allies among former rebel groups in order to bolster their ranks. Hemeti's troops were among the first on the ground to help restore order in Blue Nile.[11]
Into such a bubbling cauldron comes the first U.S. ambassador accredited to Sudan in 25 years. Career diplomat John Godfrey was confirmed by the Senate on July 14. He will be presenting his credentials to General Al-Burhan about nine months after Al-Burhan ended civilian rule and upended a tortuously negotiated path to democracy. It certainly will not be a dull tour for Godfrey with the specter of famine, civil war, chaos, or tyranny on the horizon.
The Biden Administration has been relatively passive on Sudan, weak against the military and essentially punting to existing multilateral initiatives, as if realizing that Sudan was probably a lost cause and there were more pressing regional and global issues to worry about. My concern is that Washington may lean closer to the SAF/Egypt axis and essentially work to put a cosmetic civilian face on what is a military regime. I hope I am wrong and that the policy will be more pro-active in favor of the voices of the brave activists on the ground than it has seemed so far. One of the chronic dangers of Sudan policy is that a situation of permanent crisis can encourage an understandable focus on short-term results at the expense of much-needed slower longer-term outcomes.
Whatever marching orders Godfrey is given and however the United States decides to approach relations going forward with the country's military rulers, Sudanese history has repeatedly taught us that military rule is no real solution. The fear is that for U.S. policy and unfortunately, for the long-suffering Sudanese people, the future may not be a choice between tyranny or chaos but rather tyranny and chaos in Sudan.
*Alberto M. Fernandez is Vice President of MEMRI.
[1] Twitter.com/AlHadath/status/1549719613470023680, July 20, 2022.
[2] Smallarmssurvey.org/resource/spilling-over-conflict-dynamics-and-around-sudans-blue-nile-state-2015-19, March 2020.
[3] Alrakoba.net/31737902/%D8%A3%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AB-%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B2%D8%B1%D9%82-%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B9, July 18, 2022.
[4] Youtube.com/watch?v=GMr_iSQVCNE, July 20, 2022.
[5] Sudantribune.net/article261640, July 17, 2022.
[6] Youtube.com/watch?v=_kgV26qGP3w, July 20, 2022.
[7] Altaghyeer.info/ar/2022/07/18/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81%d9%83%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%aa%d9%87%d9%85-%d8%b3%d9%84%d8%b7%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%82%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%a8-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d8%ae%d8%b7%d9%8a%d8%b7, July 18, 2022.
[8] Dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/breaking-sudan-military-withdraws-from-negotiations-leaves-opposition-to-form-govt, July 4, 2022.
[9] Aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/16/one-third-of-sudans-population-faces-hunger-crisis-un, June 16, 2022.
[10] Moneycontrol.com/news/world/sudan-wheat-harvest-waits-to-rot-as-hunger-crisis-looms-8706411.html, June 19, 2022.
[11] Twitter.com/RSFSudan/status/1549644503195213826, July 20, 2022.