English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 25/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2021/english.june25.22.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
I have said this to you, so that in me
you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have
conquered the world!’
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint
John 16/29-33:”His disciples said, ‘Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in
any figure of speech! Now we know that you know all things, and do not need to
have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from God.’Jesus
answered them, ‘Do you now believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when
you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I
am not alone because the Father is with me. I have said this to you, so that in
me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I
have conquered the world!’”
Titels
For English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on June 24-25/2022
Aoun meets head of Hamas political bureau, affirms Palestinian right to
establish independent state
Aoun meets Arab Peace Group, says restoration of Arab cohesion cornerstone of
re-strengthening relations
Al-Mawarid Bank announces suspension of membership in Association of Banks in
Lebanon
Mikati, Derian perform Friday prayer at Prince Monzer Mosque in Downtown Beirut
Parliament General Secretariat issues schedule of non-binding consultations
Statement of International Support Group for Lebanon on Mikati’s reassignment
Italian Ambassador, UNDP ink Zahle Waste Water Treatment Project in presence of
Ministers of Energy and Environment
Families of Abra detainees stage sit-in making 9th anniversary
Report: Mikati won Maronite patriarch's 'blessing' despite FPM-LF snub
Mikati says Hezbollah backs government's sea border proposal
Raad calls for forming government that can address 'priorities'
Mikati expected to submit 'balanced' govt. line-up within a week
Al-Mawared suspends membership in Banks Association, urges others to follow suit
UK Court orders firm that sent nitrates to Beirut to reveal owner's identity
A World Apart, Lebanon and Sri Lanka Share Economic Collapse
Lebanon’s anti-Hezbollah parties should unite in any way they can/Khaled Abou
Zahr/Arab News/June 24/2022
Titles For Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on
June 24-25/2022
US Supreme Court ends constitutional right to abortion
Question: "What does the Bible say about abortion?"/GotQuestions.org?/June
24/2022
Iran: Israeli Accusation of Iranian Plot to Harm Israelis in Istanbul
‘Ridiculous’
Iran rejects Israeli charges of attacks in Turkey
Top EU Diplomat Due in Tehran on Friday for Talks
Faezeh Rafsanjani: My Father Tried to Convince Khomeini to End War with Iraq
Israeli FM Thanks Turkey for Foiling Attacks on Israelis
Ex-US Vice President Mike Pence Denounces Iran's ‘Brutality’
UN Chief Warns of ‘Catastrophe’ from Global Food Shortage
Troubled at Home, France’s Macron Remains a Key World Player
World Leaders Seek United Front for Ukraine as War Rages On
Russian Military Cargo Plane Crashes, Killing 4
Ukrainian Army to Leave Battered City to Avoid Encirclement
Tunisia's interior ministry says president facing 'serious threats'
Tunisian knife attacker wounds two policemen outside synagogue
New rocket attack targets northern Iraq gas complex
UN says Al-Jazeera journalist killed by Israeli fire
Titles For LCCC English
analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on June 24-25/2022
Muslim Man Tries to Slaughter Coptic Christian Woman with a Sickle/Raymond
Ibrahim/Coptic Solidarity/June 24/2022
Sudan: The Genocide No One Talks About/Pierre Rehov/Gatestone Institute/June 24/
2022
Putin: From Frank Sinatra to Leonid Brezhnev/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/June
24/2022
A Little Epoxy Can Unglue India’s Welfare System/Andy Mukherjee/Bloomberg/June
24/2022
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on June 24-25/2022
Aoun meets head of Hamas political bureau, affirms Palestinian right to
establish independent state
NNA/June 24/2022
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, renewed Lebanon's position on
the Palestinian cause, which is represented in affirming the right of the
Palestinian people to establish their independent state on all their national
soil, with Jerusalem as its capital, and dedicating the right of return to the
land of Palestine for Palestinian refugees. The President also considered that
resistance to occupation by the Palestinian people is not terrorism. President
Aoun stressed the importance of preserving Jerusalem, where the three religions
meet: Christianity, Islam and Judaism, considering that no one can imagine
Jerusalem without the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and other holy places.
President Aoun’s positions came while meeting head of the Hamas political
bureau, Dr. Ismail Haniyeh. Haniyeh was accompanied by a delegation that
included: Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of the movement, Dr. Khalil al-Haya,
a member of the political bureau, and Dr. Musa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of
movement and a member of the Political Bureau, Osama Hamdan a member of the Arab
and Islamic Relations Office of the movement, and Dr. Ahmed Abdel Hadi the
representative of "Hamas" in Lebanon.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Haniyeh expressed the Palestinian people's
appreciation for the support they receive in Lebanon, as president and people,
despite the difficult circumstances they are going through.
Then President Aoun was briefed on the latest developments in Palestine and what
the Israeli occupation is doing in Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank, especially
the settlement projects that are being implemented in addition to the permanent
exposure to places of worship and the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and other
aggressive practices. Dr. Haniyeh praised the steadfastness of the Palestinian
people and their confrontation with the continuous Israeli attacks, saluting the
Palestinian martyrs who fell in these confrontations.
Statement:
After the meeting, Dr. Haniyeh made the following statement:
"I had the honor to meet His Excellency the President, and the meeting was an
occasion in which I presented him with the latest developments that the
Palestinian cause is going through.
On our part, we focused on the fierce battle taking place in Jerusalem between
the Zionist occupation and our people stationed there. We explained what is
happening in Jerusalem, whether in the context of Judaization, continuing
settlement, demolishing homes, or deporting and restricting our Jerusalemites to
push them out of the holy city, as well as the plans for the temporal and
spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the attack that took place on the Church
of the Holy Sepulcher on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.
We assured that the Israeli occupation does not differentiate between a Muslim
and a Christian on the land of Palestine, especially in Jerusalem.
We were exposed to the unjust siege that Gaza has been experiencing for 15
years, with the aim of breaking the will of the Palestinian people and
subjugating the resistance in Palestine and Gaza to the will of the occupation,
an extension of what our people live in the camps of Lebanon, 74 years after the
Nakba and the asylum.
We reject resettlement, the alternative homeland and displacement, and we adhere
to the right of return to the land of Palestine, and we wished His Excellency
and the Lebanese state to look positively at some of the human rights
requirements of our people in the camps, especially since there is a significant
decline in the services provided by UNRWA to the Palestinian camps.
For our part, we congratulated His Excellency the President, the Lebanese state
and the Lebanese people on the achievement of the parliamentary elections and
the electoral entitlement, and we wished Lebanon stability, security and
well-being, because Lebanon's strength and stability is a strength for Palestine
and support for the resistance in it. We also affirmed our full solidarity with
Lebanon in the face of Israeli harassment on the borders. We asserted that the
Israeli is a usurper of Palestine and the arms of this occupation have no right
to extend to any Arab country, nor to Lebanon and its full right to its natural
resources, oil and gas.
We have heard His Excellency the President renewing the position of Lebanon and
the Presidency of the Republic on the Palestinian issue and the right of the
Palestinian people to establish their independent state on their entire national
soil, with Jerusalem as its capital, and on the right to return to the land of
Palestine for all Palestinian refugees. His Excellency also affirmed that the
Palestinian people have the right to resist the occupation and that the
resistance is not terrorism as he said, neither is it terrorism in Palestine,
nor is the resistance here in Lebanon and Hezbollah terrorism.
The President refuses to describe the resistance as terrorism, as long as it is
a resistance against the occupation. We expressed our very high appreciation to
His Excellency, and we always wish him health and wellness, and for Lebanon
security, stability and more unity”.—Presidency Press Office
Aoun meets Arab Peace Group, says restoration of
Arab cohesion cornerstone of re-strengthening relations
NNA/June 24/2022
President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, on Friday welcomed at Baabda Palace a
delegation from the "Arab Peace Group". The delegation included: former Yemeni
President, Ali Nasser Muhammad, former Jordanian Minister of Interior, Engineer
Samir Habashneh, member of the Central Committee of the "Fatah" movement, former
ambassador to Lebanon, Abbas Zaki, and Messrs.: Akram Abdel Latif Jarab, Abdel
Hussein Shaaban, Fahd Habashneh and Abu al-Fadl Baji. At the beginning of the
meeting, President Ali Nasser Mohamed conveyed the solidarity of the "Arab Peace
Group" with Lebanon, as president, government and people, wishing President Aoun
success in completing his national mission, calling for Lebanon to overcome the
difficult circumstances it is going through. President Mohamed expressed
confidence in the people's ability and presented the Arab situation in general,
and the efforts made by the group to achieve its goals and spread peace through
dialogue. President Mohamed pointed out that the group made great efforts with a
number of different parties in the Arab countries to reach a political solution
to the existing crises, whether in Yemen or Syria or Libya. After that, Minister
Habashneh explained the stages of the group's efforts and the reactions to them,
referring to the conference that the group will hold after Eid al-Adha in Cairo,
to evaluate the results of the contacts. Ambassador Zaki also spoke about the
situation in Palestine in light of the continued Israeli attacks. For his part,
Dr. Shaaban raised the importance of the "Human Academy for Convergence and
Dialogue," which President Aoun wanted as a space for dialogue that would
practically lead to peace and consensus.
President Aoun:
For his side, the President welcomed the delegation, praising the efforts made
by the group to achieve the goals for which it was established. President Aoun
asserted the importance of a unified position among Arab countries that suffer
from divisions and differences that are reflected in their peoples and their
peace and stability. In addition, President Aoun focused on the importance of
Arab cooperation in the economic field and the convergence of the group of
eastern countries with the Gulf states in a single economic market that will
have a great impact on the renaissance of these countries and their peoples.
Finally, the President considered that Arab solidarity has been shaken by the
events in the Arab countries, stressing that restoring cohesion and solidarity
is the cornerstone of re-strengthening relations between these countries, “And
there is no useful option other than that”.—Presidency Press Office
Al-Mawarid Bank announces suspension of membership
in Association of Banks in Lebanon
NNA /June 24/2022
The Media Department at AM Bank s.a.l. has issued the
following press release: “Ever since the inception of the “October 19” crisis,
AM Bank has been feeling that the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) has been
taking decisions that greatly diverge from the interests of its members, thus
harming the banking sector and depositors alike. The series of inappropriate
decisions started with the closure of banks for two consecutive weeks during the
month of October 2019. The unprecedented-in-history closure constituted the
first blow that undermined the long-standing trust between banks and their
clients. That trust was the cornerstone of the success and prosperity of the
banking sector in Lebanon, and the ABL managed with its closure decision to
erode decades of hard work in an instant. Such inappropriate decisions at the
ABL were frequent over the past two years and are still common now, most
recently in what relates to the correspondence addressed to the International
Monetary Fund. The letter dated June 21, 2022, and sent by “Decision Boundaries”
to Mr. Ernesto Ramirez Rigo, the Mission Chief for Lebanon at the IMF was sent
without a discussion of its contents. Most ABL member banks were not privy to
it, nor to the logic behind the proposed steps and action plan. AM Bank is of
the opinion that such an important action plan — one that will have lasting
consequences on Lebanon and its people for many years to come — ought to have
been discussed and approved by all member banks. Further, AM Bank is shocked
that it was neither informed of the appointment of the above-mentioned company
as an advisor to the ABL nor made aware of the terms and conditions governing
such appointment. What’s even more shocking is that AM Bank read the letter in
the press and on social media! AM Bank is of the opinion that the Association of
Banks in Lebanon had an opportunity to prevent the exacerbation of the current
crisis, yet it did not undertake efforts to improve its performance or make the
right decisions in order to put in place plans and solutions aimed at recovering
the depositors money. To date, the ABL remains in denial and unwilling to
recognize that its member banks need to be proactive and assume a certain level
of responsibility that is commensurate with the underlying risks of their
balance sheets. Alas, most of the positions of the ABL have aimed at solely
protecting banks and their owners, without stressing the seniority of the
deposits over their capital. The main objective of any bank operating anywhere
and in any country must be to safeguard the deposits entrusted to them, as it is
not possible to separate between depositors and banks - there are no banks
without depositors and no depositors without banks. AM Bank cannot stand idly
by, and expects much more from the ABL leadership that ought to know better.
Consequently, AM Bank announces the suspension of its membership in the
Association of Banks in Lebanon until matters are rectified in the best interest
of depositors first. It also calls upon other banks to follow suit and suspend
their memberships in the hope of sending a clear message to the ABL leadership
that “enough is enough”, and matters must be dealt with a higher level of
understanding and realism.”
Mikati, Derian perform Friday prayer at Prince
Monzer Mosque in Downtown Beirut
NNA/June 24/2022
Prime Minister-designate, Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Friday
visited Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, at the
latter’s residence. The pair then jointly perform Friday prayers at Prince
Monzer Mosque in downtown Beirut.
Parliament General Secretariat issues schedule of
non-binding consultations
NNA /June 24/2022
The General Secretariat of the Parliament has issued the schedule of the
non-binding consultations that the Prime Minister-designate, Najib Mikati, will
be holding in the Parliament on forthcoming Monday and Tuesday.
The schedule is as follows:
Monday, June 27, 2022:
- Speaker Nabih Berri (1:30 pm)
- Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab (1:50 pm)
- Development and Liberation Bloc (2:10 pm)
- Strong Republic Bloc (3:00 pm)
- Loyalty to Resistance Bloc (3:20 pm)
- MPs Paula Yacoubian, Melhem Khalaf, Mark Daou, Halima Kaakour, Rami Fanj,
Yassine Yassine, Firas Hamdan, Elias Jradi, Cynthia Zarazir, Najat Saliba,
Waddah Sadek, Michel Doueihy and Ibrahim Mneimneh (3:40 pm)
- Democratic Gathering Bloc (4:00 pm)
- National Moderation Bloc (4:20 pm)
- National Independent Bloc (4:40 pm)
- kataeb Bloc (5:00 pm)
- North of Confrontation Bloc (5:20 pm)
- Human Project Bloc (5:40 pm)
- Projects Association Bloc (6:00 pm)
- Jamaa Islamiya Bloc (6:20 pm)
- MP Ghassan Skaff (6:30 pm)
Tuesday, June 28, 2022:
- Independent MPs: Hassan Mrad (10:30 am), Jean Talouzian (10:40 am), Fouad
Makhzoumi (10:50 am), Osama Saad (11:00 am), Abdel Rahman Bizri (11:10 am),
Jihad Samad (11:20), Michel Daher (11:30 am), Ashraf Rifi (11:40 am), Firas
Salloum (11:50 am), Charbel Massaad (12:00 pm), Bilal Heshaymi (12:10 pm), Ihab
Matar (12:20 pm), Nabil Badr (12:30 pm)
- Strong Lebanon Bloc (12:40 pm)
- Armenian MPs Bloc (1:00 pm)
- MP Mohammad Yehia (1:20 pm)
- MP Abdel Karim Kabbara (1:30 pm)
- MP Jamil Sayyed (1:40 pm)
- Economic and Social Council (1:50 pm)
Statement of International Support Group for Lebanon
on Mikati’s reassignment
NNA/June 24/2022
The following is the Statement of the International Support Group for Lebanon on
the reassignment of Prime Minister, Najib Mikati: “The International Support
Group for Lebanon (ISG) takes note of the designation of a Prime Minister. It
calls on all political actors to form a government quickly. With the severe
economic and social challenges it faces, Lebanon and its citizens cannot afford
political deadlocks. The ISG also emphasizes that it is important to adhere to
the constitutional calendar in order for the presidential election to take place
on time. The ISG urges Lebanese stakeholders, including executive and
legislative authorities, to work quickly on the swift formation of a government
that can implement important outstanding reforms in order to relieve the
suffering of the Lebanese people. In particular, the authorities must deliver on
commitments made in the 7 April staff-level agreement with the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), including budget laws, capital control, banking secrecy,
banking resolution, government and central bank decisions on banking resolution
and exchange rate unification, to lay a solid basis for socio-economic relief
and a sustainable recovery of Lebanon. This is best achieved through an
agreement with the IMF, supported by the international donors’ community. The
ISG continues to stand by Lebanon and its people. The International Support
Group has brought together the United Nations and the governments of China,
France, Germany, Italy, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the
United States, together with the European Union and the Arab League. It was
launched in September 2013 by the UN Secretary-General with former President
Michel Sleiman to help mobilize support and assistance for Lebanon’s stability,
sovereignty and state institutions.
Italian Ambassador, UNDP ink Zahle Waste Water
Treatment Project in presence of Ministers of Energy and Environment
NNA /June 24/2022
Italian Ambassador to Lebanon, Nicoletta Bombardiere, accompanied by Caretaker
Minister of Energy and Water, Dr. Walid Fayad, Caretaker Minister of Environment
Dr. Nasser Yassin, and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Resident
Representative in Lebanon, Melanie Hauenstein, on Friday visited Zahle’s waste
water treatment plant, where Bombardiere and Hauenstein inked “Zahle Waste Water
Treatment Project”.
The Italian Government has provided a grant contribution of 4 Million Euros to
the UNDP to implement the project and ensure the operation and maintenance of
the aforementioned plant, considering the financial and economic crisis that is
currently affecting Lebanon.
This new contribution will sustain the running of the project for other two
years, with the aims of preserving the environment and increasing the health and
hygienic conditions of the population within the area.
The signing ceremony kicked off with an address by the Italian Ambassador to
Lebanon, in which she said: “We are proud of this Italian investment. We are
aware of its impact for the protection of health and environment. Health and
environment are top priorities for the Italian Development policy. And we are
equally aware, in this difficult time for Lebanon, Of the necessity to preserve
the functioning of this facility. For a successful implementation of the
project, we need to make sure that everybody delivers on its own commitment
(steering committee).
This project is a test case for a partnership in action. A partnership between
donors, UN agency and several state institutions, to prove our capacity to face
a critical challenge in a critical sector, working together to protect a basic
public service in the short term and at the same time to reform the whole water
sector."For her part, UNDP’s Hauenstein said, "As I said in the beginning for us
UNDP, accepting to manage and oversight the facility for the coming two years is
a new way of providing development services. We are convinced that this is an
opportunity to pilot a good example for others to follow in the future. Once the
project is running, it can be integrated into other upcoming projects as the
quality of the treated wastewater is such that can be used for irrigation, which
is critical to unleash the great potential of this region for agriculture. At
the same time it is a powerful example on how Lebanon can adapt to climate
change."In turn, Lebanon’s Caretaker Minister of Environment thanked the Italian
government and the UNDP for funding and managing Zahle’s waste water plant.
“The government is endeavoring to support this region that is fully qualified to
grow wheat and grains, especially in the central and western Bekaa,” Yassin
said.
“We must exert relentless efforts to secure proper agriculture in the Bekaa
region. This project will be completed, in cooperation with the Italian Embassy
and the World Bank, within the framework of Anjar city’s waste water project,”
Yassin added.
Lebanon’s Caretaker Energy Minister delivered a word in which he deemed Zahle’s
waste water plant one of the most strategic stations in Lebanon “as it
contributes to keeping agriculture sustainable and life honorable in this
region.”
However, Fayad warned that the success of this project remained coupled with the
ability to secure a 24/7 power supply.
“Therefore, we will look for objective solutions, but the main solution lies in
implementing the electricity plan set by the Ministry of Energy,” Fayad added.
Zahle Waste Water Treatment Project has the general objective to improve the
sanitation conditions of the Zahle Caza (Zahle city and the villages of Kaa El
Rim and Hazzerta) while reducing at the same time the environmental impact
linked to wastewater production due to human and commercial consumption,
targeting the SDGs. No. 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 9 (Built Resilient
Infrastructure) and 14 (Prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution).
The specific aim of the project is to eliminate the pollution of the Litani and
Berdawni rivers which are touristic sites with several restaurants and
recreational activities that shall benefit of the clean water.
Beneficiaries of the project are actually around 205,000 people, reaching
300,000 people for the horizon 2030, living in the municipality of Zahle and in
the villages of Kaa El Rim and Hazzerta and other villages in the central Beqaa.
The Project has been originally financed in 2005 by the Italian Government with
a soft loan of 22 Million Euro.
The construction of the project was awarded by CDR to the Italian company Suez
Trattamento Acque spa, one of the leading international company in the sector,
and the project started Operation and Maintenance on October 2, 2017.
Till now a total of 30 Million m3 of waste water has been treated with an
average flow of 20.000 m3/day with good treatment level, according to
international standards, and satisfactory laboratory results of the effluent at
the outlet.
The Government of Italy now is willing to provide an additional financing with a
grant contribution of 4 Million Euros to UNDP in order to ensure the operation
and maintenance of the plant, considering the financial and economic crisis that
is currently affecting Lebanon.
This new contribution will sustain the running of the project for other two
years, with the aims of preserving the environment and increasing the health and
hygienic conditions of the populationwithin the area.
It is crucial that all the partners involved, including the local Institutions
and Authorities, shall take all the actions necessary for a successful
sustainability of the Project, in terms of continuous electrical supply and
diesel (in case of cut-offs), sludge disposal and availability of human and
financial resources.
In addition to Zahle project, the Italian Cooperation is active with other
projects across the national territoy in the waste water treatment sector,
particularly: Jbeil under construction, Anjar, Harjel and Mish Mish awarded to
contactors, and others planned projects are Jbaa, Bint Jbeil, Bakoun, Hasbaya,
and Hermel. All such projects will target a total number of beneficiaries of
around 700.000 people. The Italian Cooperation in Lebanon is providing a total
financing of 180 million Euros for water and waste water projects.
Families of Abra detainees stage sit-in making 9th
anniversary
NNA /June 24/2022
The families of Abra detainees on Friday staged a sit-in marking the ninth
anniversary of Abra incident in front of Abra mosque under the title of “Stop
Abra conspiracy and release our detainees immediately".
The protesters also brandished pictures of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Asir and banners
calling for “an immediate halt to the injustice done to detainees” and for their
immediate release.
Report: Mikati won Maronite patriarch's 'blessing'
despite FPM-LF snub
Naharnet/June 24/2022
Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati won Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s
“blessing” for his nomination to form the new government although he was not
named in the binding consultations by the country’s two biggest Christian
parties – the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces, media reports
said.Prior to his designation, Mikati “engaged in dialogue with the LF and
sought indirect talks with the FPM, relying on Hizbullah’s assistance,” al-Akhbar
newspaper reported on Friday. “He also tried to benefit from Speaker Nabih
Berri’s special relation with Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat
and held contacts with religious leaders, most notably Maronite Patriarch
Beshara al-Rahi, with the aim of obtaining support for his program, proposing
anew a government reshuffle that would allow the entry of new forces into the
government and reiterating his readiness to head a national unity cabinet,” the
daily added. It also quoted sources close to Mikati as saying that he “won the
support of the Amal and Hizbullah duo and also the ‘blessing’ of the Maronite
patriarch.”“But he knows that the negotiations with the FPM will be difficult,”
the sources added. He meanwhile “does not know until the moment whether the
stance of the PSP and the LF is final as to refusing to take part in the
government,” the sources went on to say.
Mikati says Hezbollah backs government's sea border proposal
Naharnet /June 24/2022
Hezbollah backs the Lebanese government’s decision regarding sea border
demarcation and its response to the proposal presented to the U.S. mediator was
“not negative,” PM-designate Najib Mikati said. “We do not want a war and all
that we want is to extract gas from the Eastern Mediterranean,” Mikati said in
an interview on Qatari satellite TV network Al Araby. “We have submitted to U.S.
mediator Amos Hochstein a proposal regarding the gas in the Eastern
Mediterranean and we cannot back down from what we offered,” Mikati added.
Turning to the issue of his appointment as PM-designate, Mikati said “the
sectarian fabric was not balanced during the (binding) parliamentary
consultations,” in reference to the fact that he did not receive any vote from
the country’s main Christian parties. He, however, stressed that his new
government will “conform to the National Pact and respect sectarian
balances.”Mikati also revealed that “there has been no communication nor contact
with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil.”“Despite this, I don’t see
that there is any problem with him,” Mikati added.
Raad calls for forming government that can address
'priorities'
Naharnet /June 24/2022
The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammed Raad, on Friday called
for forming a new government that can “serve the priorities” that the country
needs, a day after Najib Mikati was designated to form a new cabinet.
“A PM-designate has been named, after everyone said that we must not waste the
remaining months of the presidential term in searching for a prime minister.
Thank God we acted quickly and a premier was designated, and now we will hurry
up in forming the government so that we don’t waste the remaining months in the
distribution of shares and rivalry over them,” Raad said. “Look at the
priorities that the country needs and let us form a government that can serve
these priorities,” Raad added, calling for “a smaller number of ministries.”“Let
the government be able to serve the priorities that the current period in the
country requires, including rescuing the monetary situation, securing
electricity, approving the recovery plan, fixing the Lebanese lira exchange
rate, activating the economic activity in the various fields, and providing food
and medical supplies,” the Hezbollah legislator went on to say, calling for
“productivity in the coming period.”
Mikati expected to submit 'balanced' govt. line-up within a week
Naharnet/June 24/2022
Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati is expected to submit a “balanced” cabinet
line-up to President Michel Aoun “within a week at the latest,” political
sources said. “The PM-designate intends to speed up the process of forming the
new government, despite all the obstruction attempts no matter where they may
come from, and he will reject any conditions or unrealistic, crippling demands,”
the sources told al-Liwaa newspaper in remarks published Friday. “The expected
line-up takes into consideration the requirements of the difficult and
complicated period and how to deal with it. It also takes into account citizens’
daily needs and demands and the revival of state’s crumbling institutions,” the
sources added.
Al-Mawared suspends membership in Banks Association, urges
others to follow suit
Naharnet/June 24/2022
Al-Mawared Bank announced Friday the suspension of its membership in the
Association of Banks as it accused the association of failing to protect the
banks and the depositors. The Bank in a statement accused the Association of
taking decisions "that are not necessarily in the interest of its members and of
the depositors," since the beginning of the crisis in October 2019, and of
"failing to protect the banking sector.""The Association has been taking
decisions that harmed the banking sector and the depositors, starting with the
decision to close banks for two weeks during the month of October 2019, which
affected the confidence of the depositors in the banks," al-Mawared said. The
Bank also accused the Association of sending a letter to the International
Monetary Fund without notifying the association's members or discussing its
content with them. "It is an obligation for banks to preserve the money of the
depositors who trusted the banks with it," al-Mawared said, adding that it can't
"stand idly by and let the depositors bear the losses."The Bank urged other
banks to follow suit and suspend their membership.
UK Court orders firm that sent nitrates to Beirut to reveal
owner's identity
Naharnet/June 24/2022
The High Court of Justice in London has ordered Savaro Ltd to disclose the
identity of its ultimate beneficiary owner who had sent the ammonium nitrate to
Beirut on the Rhosus ship. In august 2021, the Dechert LLP had filed an action
in the High Court of London against Savaro on behalf of the Beirut Bar
Association and a number of victims or their relatives of the Beirut Port
Explosion.Ten months later, a British judge ordered Savaro to disclose the
identity of its owner within a deadline. Lawyer Nasri Diab from the Beirut Bar
Association Prosecution office and lawyer Kamil Abu Suleiman from the Dechert
LLP stressed the importance of the court's decision, which gives hope to the
victims, a few weeks away from the anniversary of the August 4 explosion. Head
of the Bar Association, Nader Kaspar, considered that the diligent work of the
Public Prosecution Office constitutes a guarantee for the victims, despite all
the obstacles and delays.
A World Apart, Lebanon and Sri Lanka Share Economic
Collapse
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 24/2022
Lebanon and Sri Lanka may be a world apart, but they share a history of
political turmoil and violence that led to the collapse of once-prosperous
economies bedeviled by corruption, patronage, nepotism and incompetence. The
toxic combinations led to disaster for both: Currency collapse, shortages,
triple-digit inflation and growing hunger. Snaking queues for gas. A decimated
middle class. An exodus of professionals who might have helped rebuild. There
usually isn’t one moment that marks the catastrophic breaking point of an
economic collapse, although telltale signs can be there for months - if not
years.
When it happens, the hardship unleashed is all-consuming, transforming everyday
life so profoundly that the country may never return to what it was. Experts say
a dozen countries - including Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, Afghanistan and Pakistan -
could suffer the same fate as Lebanon and Sri Lanka, as the post-pandemic
recovery and war in Ukraine spark global food shortages and a surge in prices.
Roots of crisis
The crises in Lebanon and Sri Lanka are rooted in decades of greed, corruption
and conflict. Both countries suffered a long civil war followed by a tenuous and
rocky recovery, all the while dominated by corrupt warlords and family cliques
that amassed enormous foreign debt and stubbornly held on to power. Various
popular uprisings in Lebanon have been unable to shake off a political class
that has long used the country’s sectarian power-sharing system to perpetuate
corruption and nepotism. Key decisions remain in the hands of political
dynasties that gained power because of immense wealth or by commanding militias
during the war. Amid the factional rivalries, political paralysis and government
dysfunction has worsened. As a result, Lebanon is one of the most backward
Middle East countries in infrastructure and development, including extensive
power cuts which persist 32 years after the civil war ended.
In Sri Lanka, the Rajapaksa family has monopolized politics in the island nation
for decades. Even now, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is still clinging to power,
although the family dynasty around him has crumbled amid protests since April.
Experts say the current crises in both countries is of their own making,
including a high level of foreign debt and little invested in development.
Moreover, both countries have suffered repeated bouts of instability and
terrorist attacks that upended tourism, a mainstay of their economies. In Sri
Lanka, Easter suicide bombings at churches and hotels killed more than 260
people in 2019. Lebanon has suffered the consequences of neighboring Syria’s
civil war, which flooded the country of 5 million with about 1 million refugees.
Both economies were then hit again with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tipping points
Lebanon’s crisis began in late 2019, after the government announced new proposed
taxes, including a $6 monthly fee for using WhatsApp voice calls. The measures
set a spark to long smoldering anger against the ruling class and months of mass
protests. Irregular capital controls were put in place, cutting people off from
their life’s savings as the currency began to spiral. In March 2020, Lebanon
defaulted on paying back its massive debt, worth at the time about $90 billion
or 170% of GDP - one of the highest in the world. In June 2021, with the
currency having lost nearly 90% of its value, the World Bank said the crisis
ranked as one of the worst the world has seen in more than 150 years. In Sri
Lanka, with the economy still fragile after the 2019 Easter bombings, Gotabaya
pushed through the largest tax cuts in the country’s history. That sparked a
quick backlash, with creditors downgrading the country’s ratings, blocking it
from borrowing more money as foreign exchange reserves nosedived. On the brink
of bankruptcy, it has suspended payments on its foreign loans and introduced
capital controls amid a severe shortage of foreign currency. The tax cuts
recently were reversed. Meanwhile the Sri Lankan rupee has weakened by nearly
80% to about 360 to $1, making the costs of imports even more prohibitive. "Our
economy has completely collapsed,” the prime minister said Wednesday.
Upended lives
Before this latest descent, both Lebanon and Sri Lanka had a middle-income
population that allowed most people to live somewhat comfortably.
During the 1980s and 1990s, many Sri Lankans took jobs as domestic workers in
Lebanese households. As Sri Lanka began its postwar recovery, they have been
replaced by workers from Ethiopia, Nepal and the Philippines. The recent crisis
forced most Lebanese to give up that luxury, among others. Almost overnight,
people found themselves with almost no access to their money, evaporated savings
and worthless salaries. A month’s salary at minimum wage isn’t enough to buy 20
liters (5 1/4 gallons) of gasoline, or cover the bill for private generators
that provide homes with a few hours of electricity a day.
At one point, severe shortages of fuel, cooking gas and oil led to fights over
limited supplies - scenes now replicated in Sri Lanka. Cancer drugs are often
out of stock. Earlier this year, the government even ran out of paper for new
passports. Tens of thousands of professionals, including doctors, nurses and
pharmacists, have left the country in search of jobs. Similarly, Sri Lanka is
now almost without gasoline and faces an acute shortage of other fuels.
Authorities have announced nationwide power cuts of up to four hours a day and
asked state employees not to work on Fridays, except for those needed for
essential services. The UN World Food Program says nearly nine of 10 Sri Lankan
families are skipping meals or otherwise skimping to stretch their food, while 3
million are getting emergency humanitarian aid. Doctors have resorted to social
media to seek critical supplies of equipment and medicine. Growing numbers of
Sri Lankans want passports to go overseas to search for work.
Other disasters
In addition to the political and financial turmoil, both countries have faced
disasters that worsened their crises. On Aug. 4, 2020, a catastrophic explosion
struck Beirut's port, killing at least 216 people and wrecking large parts of
the city. The blast, widely considered one of the largest non-nuclear explosions
in history, was caused by the detonation of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate
that was stored in a warehouse for years. The dangerous material was housed
there apparently with the knowledge of senior politicians and security officials
who did nothing about it. There was widespread outrage at the traditional
parties’ endemic corruption and mismanagement, which were widely blamed for the
calamity. Sri Lanka faced a disaster in early 2021, when a container ship
carrying chemicals caught fire off the coast of the capital of Colombo. It
burned for nearly two weeks before sinking while being towed to deeper waters.
The burning ship belched noxious fumes and spilled more than 1,500 tons of
plastic pellets into the Indian Ocean, which were later found in dead dolphins
and fish on the beaches. Fishing was banned in the area because of health risks
associated with the chemicals in the water, affecting the livelihoods of some
4,300 families, who still have not received compensation.
خالد أبو زهر: مطلوب من الأحزاب اللبنانية التي تقف ضد حزب
الله أن تتوحد بأي طريقة ممكنة
Lebanon’s anti-Hezbollah parties should unite in any way they can
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/June 24/2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/109577/khaled-abou-zahr-lebanons-anti-hezbollah-parties-should-unite-in-any-way-they-can-%d8%ae%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%af-%d8%a3%d8%a8%d9%88-%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%b1-%d9%85%d8%b7%d9%84%d9%88%d8%a8-%d9%85%d9%86/
Following the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the
political landscape in Lebanon was divided between the March 14 and March 8
movements. March 14 was a gathering of all the political parties and voices
standing against the Syrian occupation. March 8 was represented by Hezbollah,
Michel Aoun and other pro-Syrian movements. Through violence and assassinations,
intimidation and other ruses, the March 14 alliance was beaten. The knockout
blow came on May 7, 2008, when Hezbollah invaded Beirut. This was the end of the
March 14 alliance.
In reality, March 14 had, from the start, a dysfunctional structure. With no
real leadership, structure or capacity, the alliance was imploding from within.
It was unable to face the ruthlessness of Hezbollah and the Iranian regime’s
takeover of Lebanon. In the face of this violence, it might not have been able
to survive even if it was united and in complete solidarity. But we will never
know.
And so, as March 14 disintegrated, analysts stopped representing the political
struggle in Lebanon as one between March 14 and March 8, or even as a fight for
freedom and real independence. This made it seem as if both alliances had
dissolved. In reality, March 8 was still alive and kicking and it has been the
ruling regime ever since, bringing in the coercion of all others. Even some of
its opposition ended up collaborating with it.
As early as 2006, the March 8 alliance had transformed into an iron-clad
political agreement. This happened in the form of the Mar Mikhael Agreement. The
name is in reference to the first meeting between the head of the Free Patriotic
Movement, then-MP Aoun, and Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in the
Mar Mikhael Church in Haret Hreik, south Beirut. This marked the full political
alignment between the FPM and Hezbollah. Through thick and thin, international
condemnation and sanctions, this political movement has been moving forward.
There is no doubt that the leader is Hezbollah and it calls the shots.
Nevertheless, it is a unified bloc on all matters.
On the other hand, its opposition is a fragmented and diversified group with no
coordination or common vision for Lebanon beyond slogans for freedom,
sovereignty and independence. As one would say when expecting a payment and
instead receiving a compliment: Where do I cash this check? Where does this
opposition, with its newcomers, cash the political gains it made in the recent
elections? There is, in fact, a greater risk of losing it all.
There is not much difference between these political formations and the
leaderless youth that started protesting in October 2019. In the face of the
adversity of Hezbollah and the Iranian occupation, they are unable to achieve
any real political gains. They do not seem able to disrupt the activities of
Hezbollah even in the slightest.
I have, unfortunately, little hope of seeing this change in the future. And
Hezbollah will continue to use these divisions to further its own interests and
continue its control over the country. When it comes to the reasons for these
divisions among the remnants of March 14, I am convinced that it is not about
religion. It is about too many egos and the lack of a clear vision and strategy
for the future. And, as always, a lack of hard power. Let’s face it, even in a
democracy, political parties are effectively dictatorships, with leaders having
enough muscle to silence any dissent. In Lebanon, besides Hezbollah, no other
formation can do this. Saad Hariri could not impose anything on Samir Geagea or
Walid Jumblatt. This is still true today with the current actors.
But this fragmentation goes deeper. How can a left-wing political party align
itself with a right-wing one? How can political groups fight together for the
same platform or agenda when their definitions of sovereignty and freedom are
different? This is mission impossible. Indeed, each group has its own view on
what the country’s institutions should be and what the meanings of freedom and
sovereignty are. More importantly, even the political structure does not allow
for a common agenda to be built. It is a political structure of transactions and
deal-making, not one of nation-building. The recent events around the central
bank are, if needed, further proof of this.
There is the possibility of Hezbollah and its allies either controlling or, in a
worst-case scenario, leading the consensus choice for PM.
As President Aoun has started the parliamentary consultations with the objective
of naming the next prime minister, it is important to recognize that, if all the
opposition to the Iranian regime and the anti-establishment MPs united under the
same umbrella, they could probably reach enough seats to propose the next PM.
Yet, in reality, there is little chance of this happening, as they will probably
be divided on names, details and political influence. This leaves the
possibility of Hezbollah and its allies either controlling or, in a worst-case
scenario, leading the consensus choice. Once again, they will be controlling the
government while making the opposition bear responsibility for all its ills.
This is why the opposition to Hezbollah and Iran should in reality be described
as a resistance. And the political parties should not enter into any
deal-making. They should block every single decision. They might not be able to
unite to form a majority that is capable of governing, but they can unite to
slow Hezbollah’s advances. However, this should only be seen as a temporary
solution.
*Khaled Abou Zahr is CEO of Eurabia, a media and tech company. He is also the
editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not
necessarily reflect Arab News' point of view
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports
And News published on June 24-25/2022
US Supreme Court ends constitutional right
to abortion
Agence France Presse/Friday, 24 June, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ended the right to abortion in a seismic ruling
that shreds half a century of constitutional protections on one of the most
divisive and bitterly fought issues in American political life. The
conservative-dominated court overturned the landmark 1973 "Roe v Wade" decision
that enshrined a woman's right to an abortion and said individual states can
permit or restrict the procedure themselves. "The Constitution does not confer a
right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate
abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives," the court
said.
Question: "What does the Bible say about abortion?"
GotQuestions.org?/June 24/2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/109582/%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%b0%d8%a7-%d9%8a%d9%82%d9%88%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d8%aa%d8%a7%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%82%d8%af%d8%b3-%d8%a8%d8%b4%d8%a3%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%ac%d9%87%d8%a7%d8%b6%d8%9f-wh/
Answer: In anticipation of the likely explosion of interest in the topic of
abortion, we have recorded four podcast episodes recently of the
GotQuestions.org staff discussing the issues:
What does the Bible say about abortion?
How should Christians view the Roe v Wade decision on abortion rights?
Why should Christians be pro-life?
What does it mean to be pro-life? How can I do more to promote life?
The Bible never specifically addresses the issue of abortion. However, there are
numerous teachings in Scripture that make it abundantly clear what God’s view of
abortion is.
Jeremiah 1:5 tells us that God knows us before He forms us in the womb.
Psalm 139:13–16 speaks of God’s active role in our creation and formation in the
womb.
Exodus 21:22–25 prescribes the same penalty—death—for someone who causes the
death of a baby in the womb as for someone who commits murder. This law and its
punishment clearly indicate that God considers a baby in the womb to be just as
much a human being as a full-grown adult. For the Christian, abortion is not a
matter of a woman’s right to choose to have a baby. The baby is already present
and living. Abortion is a matter of the life or death of a human being made in
God’s image (Genesis 1:26–27; 9:6).
What does the Bible say about abortion? Simply put, abortion is murder. It is
the killing of a human being created in the image of God.
A common argument against the Christian stance on abortion is “What about cases
of rape and/or incest?” As difficult as it would be to become pregnant as a
result of rape or incest, is the murder of a baby the solution? Two wrongs do
not make a right. Intentionally killing the unborn child is not the answer.
Also, keep in mind that having an abortion is a traumatic experience. It seems
nonsensical to add an additional trauma to the woman. Too, abortion can be a
means of rapists covering up their crimes. For example, if a minor is molested
and becomes pregnant and then is taken to have an abortion, the molestation
could continue without penalty. Abortion will never erase the pain of rape or
incest, but it very well may add to it.
A child who is conceived through rape or incest is as much made in the image of
God as any other human. That child’s life should be protected just as much as
the life of any other human being. The circumstances of conception never
determine the worth of a person or that person’s future. The baby in this
situation is completely innocent and should not be punished for the evil act of
his or her father. Depending on the situation, the mother might choose to raise
the child. If she does not already have a community of support, there are many
organizations and local churches ready to walk alongside her. Or she might place
the child for adoption. There are many families, some unable to have children on
their own, who stand ready to receive and love a child from any background.
It’s also important to keep in mind that abortions due to rape or incest account
for a very small percentage of total abortions: only 1 percent of abortions can
be traced to cases of rape or incest (Torres and Forrest, cited by Physicians
for Reproductive Choice and Health and the Alan Guttmacher Institute in An
Overview of Abortion in the United States, October 2001, www.abortionfacts.com/facts/8#cite-1,
accessed 9/9/21).
Another argument often used against the Christian stance on abortion is “What
about when the life of the mother is at risk?” Honestly, this is the most
difficult question to answer on the issue of abortion. First, let’s remember
that such a situation is exceedingly rare. Dr. Landrum Shettles, a pioneer in
the field of in vitro fertilization, wrote, “Less than 1 percent of all
abortions are performed to save the mother’s life” (Landrum Shettles and David
Rorvik, Rites of Life, Zondervan Publishing House, 1983, p. 129). Dr. Irving
Cushner, Professor of Obstetrics at the UCLA School of Medicine, when testifying
before the U. S. Senate, was asked how often abortions are necessary to save the
life of the mother or to preserve her physical health. His response: “In this
country, about 1 percent” (testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s
Subcommittee on the Constitution of the United States on October 14, 1981,
quoted in The Village Voice, July 16, 1985).
Other medical professionals go further, stating that abortion is never necessary
to save the mother’s life. Over 1,000 OB-GYNs and maternal healthcare experts
signed a statement in 2012, saying, in part, “As experienced practitioners and
researchers in obstetrics and gynaecology, we affirm that direct abortion—the
purposeful destruction of the unborn child—is not medically necessary to save
the life of a woman” (Dublin Declaration on Maternal Health,
www.dublindeclaration.com, accessed 9/9/21). Further, in 2019, “medical leaders
representing more than 30,000 doctors said intentionally killing a late-term
unborn baby in an abortion is never necessary to save a mother’s life” (www.lifenews.com/2019/03/05/30000-doctors-say-abortion-is-never-medically-necessary-to-save-a-mothers-life,
accessed 9/9/21).
Second, let’s remember that God is a God of miracles. He can preserve the life
of a mother and her child despite all the medical odds being against it. Third,
even in the small percentage of abortions performed to save the life of the
mother, most of those abortions can be prevented by an early induced delivery of
the baby or a C-section. It is extremely rare that a baby must be actively
aborted in order to save the life of the mother. Ultimately, if the life of the
mother is genuinely at risk, the course of action can only be decided by the
woman, her doctor, oftentimes the father of the child, and God. Any woman facing
this extremely difficult situation should pray to the Lord for wisdom (James
1:5) as to what He would have her do.
The overwhelming majority of abortions performed today involve women who simply
do not want to have the baby. As indicated above, just 2 percent of abortions
are for the reason of rape, incest, or the mother’s life being at risk. Even in
these more difficult 2 percent of instances, abortion should never be the first
option. The life of a human being in the womb is worth every effort to preserve.
For those who have had an abortion, remember that the sin of abortion is no less
forgivable than any other sin. Through faith in Christ, all sins can be forgiven
(John 3:16; Romans 8:1; Colossians 1:14). A woman who has had an abortion, a man
who has encouraged an abortion, and a doctor who has performed an abortion—all
can be forgiven by faith in Jesus Christ.
Iran: Israeli Accusation of Iranian Plot to Harm Israelis in Istanbul
‘Ridiculous’
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 24 June, 2022
Iran said on Friday Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s accusation of an
Iranian plot to harm Israelis in Istanbul was "ridiculous" and aimed at damaging
Iranian-Turkish relations. At a news conference in Ankara on Thursday, Lapid
thanked his host Turkey for helping abort a suspected Iranian plot against
Israelis in Istanbul and said the effort was still underway. Iranian Foreign
Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh was quoted in a ministry tweet as saying
Lapid’s "ridiculous” allegation was a "pre-designed scenario to destroy
relations between the two Muslim countries", referring to Turkey and Iran.
Iran rejects Israeli charges of attacks in Turkey
Agence France Presse/Friday, 24 June, 2022
Iran on Friday dismissed as "ridiculous" allegations by Israel's foreign
minister while on a visit to Ankara that the Islamic republic was planning
anti-Israeli attacks in Turkey. "The baseless allegations... are ridiculous and
part of a pre-designed plot to destroy relations between the two Muslim
countries," foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement.
"It is expected from Turkey not to remain silent in the face of these divisive
allegations," he said. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday thanked
Turkey for thwarting an alleged Iranian assassination plot against its tourists
in Istanbul. "We're not only talking about the murder of innocent Israeli
tourists, but also a clear violation of Turkish sovereignty by Iranian terror,"
Lapid said. Media outlets in Turkey have reported the arrest of eight people
allegedly working for an Iranian intelligence cell that planned to kill Israeli
tourists in Istanbul. Iran and Israel have been engaged in a years-long shadow
war but tensions have ratcheted up following a string of high-profile incidents
that Tehran has blamed on Israel. The Islamic republic has pointed at Israel for
the killing of Revolutionary Guards Colonel Sayyad Khodai at his Tehran home on
May 22. Two other senior Guard members have also died -- one in a reported
accident and the other in a shooting -- in the past month. The Revolutionary
Guard, the ideological arm of Iran's military, said Thursday it was replacing
its veteran intelligence chief. Khatibzadeh stressed that Iran would respond
forcefully to "assassinations and acts of sabotage by the Zionist regime" but
"without threatening the security of civilians and the security of other
countries". Israel last week urged its citizens to leave Turkey because of the
"real and immediate danger" coming from Iranian operatives. It is still keeping
Istanbul at its highest level of travel warning, while putting the rest of
Turkey on the second-highest alert.
Top EU Diplomat Due in Tehran on Friday for Talks
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 24 June, 2022
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will arrive in Tehran on
Friday night for talks, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said,
according to state media. "Bilateral relations, regional and international
issues, as well as the latest status of sanctions lifting will be discussed
during the visit, which is part of the ongoing consultations between Iran and
the European Union,” ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said. A deal to
revive Iran's 2015 nuclear accord with world powers seemed near in March but
talks were thrown into disarray in part by a dispute over whether the United
States should remove Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards from its Foreign
Terrorist Organization (FTO] list, The Associated Press said.
Faezeh Rafsanjani: My Father Tried to Convince Khomeini to
End War with Iraq
Riyadh - Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 24 June, 2022
Faezeh Rafsanjani, the daughter of late Iranian president Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani, revealed that her father sought an end to the Iran-Iraq war. He
proposed ending the war to then supreme leader Khomeini, but he refused, she
revealed in an interview to Asharq television. Moreover, she revealed that her
father sought openness towards Saudi Arabia and backed restoring Iran’s
relations with the United States. He did not oppose ties with any country,
except for Israel, she added. Rafsanjani, who is a member of the reformist
Executives of Construction Party, slammed the ruling conservatives in Iran,
saying they are not seeking a nuclear deal with the West because they are
actually benefitting from it. She noted how many conservatives often slam the US
and European countries, while their children purse an education in the West. She
doubted that a nuclear deal would be reached during the term of US President Joe
Biden, noting that the Iranians and Americans were awaiting the outcome of the
US Midterm elections. Rafsanjani’s father had pursued reform in Iran and sought
openness with neighboring countries and the West. His daughter called on her
country “to be open to the world” because few Iranians really support being
closed off from it.
Israeli FM Thanks Turkey for Foiling Attacks on Israelis
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 24 June, 2022
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday thanked Turkish authorities for
their cooperation in allegedly foiling attacks against Israeli citizens in
Turkey, and warned Israel would not "sit idly by' in the face of threats to its
citizens from Iran.
Lapid made the comments after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut
Cavusoglu, as the two countries press ahead with efforts to repair ties that
have been strained over Turkey’s strong support for the Palestinians. Earlier
this month, Israel issued a warning for its citizens to avoid travel to Turkey
and urging Israelis in Turkey to leave immediately. The warning said Israeli
citizens could be targets of Iranian attacks. Turkish media reports said
authorities had detained five Iranians suspected of planning attacks on Israelis
in Istanbul. "In recent weeks, the lives of Israeli citizens have been saved
thanks to security and diplomatic cooperation between Israel and (Turkey),"
Lapid said. "We are full of appreciation for the Turkish government for this
professional and coordinated activity."Lapid continued: "For its part, Israel
won’t sit idly by when there are attempts to harm its citizens in Israel and
around the world. Our immediate goal is to bring about calm that will enable us
to change the travel warning to (Turkey)."The travel warning angered Turkey,
whose economy depends on tourism to a large extent. Ankara responded by issuing
a statement that said Turkey was a safe country. Standing next to Lapid,
Cavusoglu said Turkey "cannot permit these kinds of incidents taking place in
our country.""We have delivered the necessary messages," he said, without
elaborating. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said that a joint
operation with Turkey succeeded in thwarting several attacks and resulted in the
arrest of several suspected operatives on Turkish soil in recent days. Hurriyet
newspaper reported on Thursday that Turkish authorities detained five Iranian
nationals on Wednesday suspected of involvement in an alleged plot to
assassinate Israeli citizens in Istanbul. Police seized two pistols and two
silencers in searches conducted in houses and hotels where the suspects were
staying, according to the report. Lapid’s visit comes amid political turmoil in
Israel, where Bennett’s fragile, year-old government decided this week to
dissolve parliament, triggering new elections which are set to take place in the
fall. Under the agreement that forged Bennett’s coalition government, Lapid is
expected in the coming days to become caretaker prime minister until a new
government is cobbled together after the elections. The developments deepen a
political crisis in Israel, which has held four elections since 2019, each
largely a referendum over former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rule.
Netanyahu hopes to return to power in the upcoming vote, but polls show that as
in previous rounds it will unlikely produce a clear winner.
Turkey, beset by economic troubles, has been trying to end its international
isolation by normalizing ties with several countries in the Middle East,
including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Turkey and Israel
were once close allies, but relations grew tense under Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, who is a vocal critic of Israel’s policies toward the
Palestinians. Turkey’s embrace of the Hamas movement, has angered Israel. The
countries withdrew their ambassadors in 2010 after Israeli forces stormed a
humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza, which has been under an Israeli-Egyptian
blockade since Hamas seized power there in 2007. Nine Turkish activists were
killed. Israel apologized to Turkey for the deaths under a US-brokered
agreement, but reconciliation efforts stalled. Turkey recalled its ambassador in
2018 after the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, prompting
Israel to respond in kind. The two countries have not reappointed their
ambassadors. The two ministers said Thursday that they had agreed to hold
discussions on re-appointing ambassadors. The latest rapprochement has been led
by Israel’s mostly ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, who has held several
telephone calls with Erdogan and visited Turkey in March, becoming the first
Israeli leader to do so in 14 years. Cavusoglu visited Israel last month. It was
first official visit to Israel by a Turkish official in 15 years.
Ex-US Vice President Mike Pence Denounces Iran's ‘Brutality’
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 24 June, 2022
Former US Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday denounced the Iranian regime for
"brutality" and urged the Biden administration not to renew a nuclear deal with
Tehran, saying it would embolden Iran's leadership. Pence flew 5,000 miles
(8,000 kilometers) from his home in Indiana to Albania to visit the Ashraf-3
camp that is home to some 3,000 Iranian dissidents from the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq,
best known as MEK. Speaking at the camp near a small hill town 30 kilometers (19
miles) west of Albania's capital, Tirana, Pence harshly denounced Tehran for
brutality, poverty and corruption. Pence said the election of President Ebrahim
Raisi, whom he called "a brutal mass murderer responsible for the 1988 massacre
of 30,000 political prisoners," was "intended to quash internal dissent and
intimidate the people of Iran into remaining silent." He also visited the camp’s
museum on what it describes as the death or execution of up to 120,000 Iranians
since the regime came to power in 1979. The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq began as a
Marxist group opposing the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It supported the
1979 revolution, but soon had a falling out with Khomeini and turned against his
clerical government, carrying out a series of assassinations and bombings in
Iran. The MEK later fled into Iraq and backed Saddam Hussein during his bloody
eight-year war with Iran in the 1980s, leading many people in Iran to oppose the
group. Although now largely based in Albania, the group claims to operate a
network inside Iran. Pence hailed the time of his governing with former
President Donald Trump when they canceled the Iran nuclear deal, mentioning the
sanctions imposed on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and bringing Iran’s oil exports
to near zero. "A renewed deal with Iran won’t block Iran’s path to a nuclear
bomb," Pence warned. He said a deal would not "benefit the people of Iran in any
way but "merely empower and enrich a corrupt regime that has tormented and
tortured the Iranian people for generations." Pence urged the Biden
administration "to immediately withdraw from all nuclear negotiations with
Tehran, voice support for the organized opposition in Iran, and make it clear
that America and our allies will never permit the regime in Tehran to obtain a
nuclear weapon."
UN Chief Warns of ‘Catastrophe’ from Global Food Shortage
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 24 June, 2022
The head of the United Nations warned Friday that the world faces "catastrophe"
because of the growing shortage of food around the globe. UN Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres said the war in Ukraine has added to the disruptions caused by
climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and inequality to produce an
"unprecedented global hunger crisis" already affecting hundreds of millions of
people. "There is a real risk that multiple famines will be declared in 2022,"
he said in a video message to officials from dozens of rich and developing
countries gathered in Berlin. "And 2023 could be even worse."Guterres noted that
harvests across Asia, Africa and the Americas will take a hit as farmers around
the world struggle to cope with rising fertilizer and energy prices. "This
year’s food access issues could become next year’s global food shortage," he
said. "No country will be immune to the social and economic repercussions of
such a catastrophe."Guterres said UN negotiators were working on a deal that
would enable Ukraine to export food, including via the Black Sea, and let Russia
bring food and fertilizer to world markets without restrictions. He also called
for debt relief for poor countries to help keep their economies afloat and for
the private sector to help stabilize global food markets. The Berlin meeting's
host, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, said Moscow's claim that
Western sanctions imposed over Russia's invasion of Ukraine were to blame for
food shortages was "completely untenable." Russia exported as much wheat in May
and June this year as in the same months of 2021, Baerbock said. She echoed
Guterres' comments that several factors underlie the growing hunger crisis
around the world. "But it was Russia's war of attack against Ukraine that turned
a wave into a tsunami," Baerbock said.
Troubled at Home, France’s Macron Remains a Key World
Player
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 24 June, 2022
Emmanuel Macron may be weakened at home after parliamentary elections forced him
into political maneuvering, but on the international stage the French president
has the resources to remain one of the most influential world leaders. France’s
foreign allies closely watched Sunday’s elections where Macron’s alliance won
the most seats but lost its majority in the National Assembly, France’s most
powerful house of parliament. The outcome has made the 44-year-old centrist’s
life significantly harder at home, rendering the implementation of his agenda -
such as pension changes and tax cuts - more difficult. Yet it is not expected to
derail his international agenda in the immediate future. Since Russia invaded
Ukraine on Feb. 24, Macron has been at the epicenter of international diplomacy
and, despite a historic shift in French politics and growing polarization,
experts say that’s not expected to change. "There will be much more contrast
between the pressure he might have at home compared to his freer rein abroad,"
said Laurie Dundon, a France-based senior associate fellow with the European
Leadership Network. Macron, who is in Brussels for a two-day European Council
summit, will next week head to Germany for the G-7 meeting and, the week after
that, to Spain for the NATO summit. The French president holds substantial
powers over foreign policy, European affairs and defense. He is also the
commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces. France has provided
significant financial and military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion and
sent its troops to bolster Europe’s defenses on its eastern flank. During the
presidential campaign in spring, Macron’s popularity rose because of his
leadership role in efforts to end the war: He championed ever tougher sanctions
against Moscow while keeping an open line with Russian President Vladimir Putin
and has been in near-constant contact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy. Macron, who won a second term against far-right candidate Marine Le
Pen in April, even traveled to Kyiv in the week between the two rounds of the
vote earlier this month, along with other European leaders.
France’s support for Ukraine is widely popular at home according to opinion
polls, and opposition leaders have carefully avoided criticizing it.
The platform of the leftist coalition led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, which has
become France’s main opposition force, is explicitly in favor of Ukraine’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity. On the far right, Le Pen, who has long
had ties to Russia, now says she supports a "free Ukraine" while expressing
reservations over arms deliveries. "Foreign policy is not a realm where either
Le Pen or Mélenchon want to expend their energy when they have so many domestic
issues to challenge Macron on," Dundon said. "Neither one of them wants to get
involved in the messiness of the diplomacy on Russia and Ukraine," she said.
First elected in 2017, the staunchly pro-European Macron has never hidden his
ambition for a leadership role in global diplomacy. His reelection in April
bolstered his standing as a senior player in Europe as it faces the war in
Ukraine and its consequences for the continent and beyond. France’s strong
presidential powers are a legacy from Gen. Charles de Gaulle’s will to have a
stable political system throughout the Fifth Republic he established in 1958,
after the post-World War II period experienced successions of short-lived,
inefficient governments. The president represents the country abroad, meeting
with foreign heads of states and governments. It’s the prime minister, appointed
by the president, who is accountable to parliament. The National Assembly has
negligible power over the president’s foreign agenda although it keeps control
of government spending. "Parliament has not been asked to give its opinion on
the dispatch of arms to Ukraine, nor on France’s external operations, notably in
the Sahel, in the Middle East as part of the anti-ISIS coalition, or in
Afghanistan," Nicolas Tenzer, Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy
Analysis, wrote. Parliament must, however, give its authorization for an
extension of these operations after four months, he stressed. The emboldened
opposition, both on the left and on the right, could seek to use parliament’s
power to force a debate. Every week, lawmakers are entitled to question
government members - but not the president - including about foreign policy.
It’s an opportunity to raise criticism on key issues. But the debate in France
is widely expected to remain focused on domestic policies. In a sign that the
president’s attention might be shifting at least temporarily to political
realignment at home, Macron hardly mentioned his international agenda on
Wednesday when he delivered his first speech since the parliamentary elections.
He only briefly referred to the European meeting focusing on Ukraine. "I will
have only one compass: that we move forward for the common good," he told the
French.
World Leaders Seek United Front for Ukraine as War Rages On
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 24 June, 2022
World leaders including US President Joe Biden will seek to close ranks at
back-to-back summits from Sunday on offering emphatic support to help Ukraine
repel Russian invaders as the relentless war puts international unity to the
test. In the face-to-face talks, the allies will take stock of the effectiveness
of sanctions imposed so far against Vladimir Putin's Russia, consider possible
new military and financial aid for Ukraine, and begin turning their eye to
longer-term reconstruction plans, AFP said. But they will also be struggling to
maintain a united front as the fallout from the war -- from soaring inflation to
looming food shortages to fears over energy supplies -- tug at their resolve.
Ahead of the summit of G7 most industrialized nations which will be hosted from
Sunday at the Bavarian mountain resort of Elmau Castle, German Chancellor Olaf
Scholz warned that allies would need stamina in shoring up Ukraine. "The truth
is, we are still far from negotiations between Ukraine and Russia" because Putin
"still believes in the possibility of a dictated peace", Scholz said on
Wednesday. "It is therefore all the more important that we stay firmly on course
-- with our sanctions, with internationally coordinated arms deliveries, with
our financial support for Ukraine." Scholz will be arriving in Elmau from an EU
summit in Brussels, where the 27-member bloc on Thursday agreed to grant
"candidate status" to Ukraine. After the G7 summit closes on Tuesday, the
leaders will head to a gathering of NATO powers in Madrid. There, cracks are
already apparent over Sweden and Finland's bids for accession, after Turkey
blindsided the 30-member defense alliance in opposing the applications.
- 'Increase pressure' -
Western allies have supplied Ukraine with billions in financial aid and
armaments, with the US leading the charge with $5.6 billion worth of weapons
alone. But as the war drags into its fifth month, Ukraine has repeatedly warned
that it needs far more support to withstand the grinding Russian assault.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the G7 and NATO
summits in separate video-link sessions, but he has made his agenda abundantly
clear with his repeated pleas for more pressure on Russia and more weapons for
his troops. Washington said leaders at the G7 plan to "roll out a concrete set
of proposals to increase pressure on Russia". Yet allies' coordinated
unprecedented action to shut down Russia's economy has failed so far to work.
Instead, it has exposed the Achilles heel of energy reliance that continues to
crimp the ability of major players like Germany or Italy to go all out in
punishing Moscow. As the impact of Western sanctions start to trigger more
violent aftershocks in the world economy, a backlash was also looming in other
parts of the world. Three invited guests at the G7 summit -- India, Senegal and
South Africa -- have all shied away from condemning Russia over its invasion and
all three face being hard hit by looming food shortages. A fourth guest,
Indonesia, while voting for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine in a March UN vote,
has refused to bar Putin from the G20 summit it is hosting in November. Instead,
it has invited Zelensky too to attend. Thorsten Brenner, director of the Global
Public Policy Institute, noted that "a crucial task is convincing many
non-Western countries who are sceptical of sanctions that the West is mindful of
their concern about rising energy prices when designing sanctions". "G7 also
needs to make it clear that... the West lives up to its responsibility of
advancing food security in most vulnerable countries."
- 'Not a catastrophe' -
Meanwhile in Madrid, where a broader spectrum of countries count among members,
military support for Ukraine will be on the NATO agenda. Here too, leaders will
be keen to demonstrate their ironclad resolve to shield member states against
Russia. But Turkey's opposition of Finland and Sweden's membership bids looks
set to tarnish the show of unity. The remaining 29 NATO leaders will seek to get
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to move towards a compromise but Germany
has sought to manage expectations, saying it "would not be a catastrophe if we
need a few more weeks" to reach an agreement. The delay was an unwelcome
distraction, and overshadows plans by the alliance to unveil plans to bolster
its forces on its eastern flank with an eye to facing down Russia in the longer
term. NATO rushed tens of thousands of troops to eastern Europe in the wake of
the invasion and members on Russia's borders were calling for major deployments
to be stationed permanently as a new defensive wall. But beyond Russia, the
alliance will also update its "strategic concept" for the first time in a
decade. Crucially, it is not only expected to toughen its stance towards Russia
but also mention the challenges posed by China for the first time.
Russian Military Cargo Plane Crashes, Killing 4
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 24 June, 2022
A Russian military cargo plane crashed Friday, killing at least four crewmembers
and leaving several others injured, officials said. The heavylift Il-76 cargo
plane went down in the southwestern Ryazan region. The Russian Defense Ministry
said that the plane suffered an engine problem that forced the crew to
crash-land it on the ground, The Associated Press said. The regional
administration said that four of its crew were killed and a further five were
injured when the plane slammed into a field just outside the city of Ryazan.
Officials said that those injured were hospitalized in grave condition. The
four-engine Il-76 was designed in the 1970s and has served as the main heavylift
cargo plane for the Soviet and Russian air force. It has also been widely used
by many countries around the world.
Ukrainian Army to Leave Battered City to Avoid Encirclement
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 24 June, 2022
After weeks of ferocious fighting, Ukrainian forces will retreat from a besieged
city in the country's east to avoid encirclement, a regional governor said
Friday. The city of Sievierodonetsk, the administrative center of the Luhansk
region, has faced relentless Russian bombardment. Ukrainian troops fought the
Russians in house-to-house battles before retreating to a huge chemical factory
on the city's edge, where they holed up in its sprawling underground structures,
The Associated Press said. In recent days, Russian forces have made gains around
Sievierodonetsk and the neighboring city of Lysychansk, on a steep bank across
the river, in a bid to encircle Ukrainian forces. Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai
said that the Ukrainian troops have been given the order to leave
Sievierodonetsk to prevent that. “We will have to pull back our guys,” he said.
“It makes no sense to stay at the destroyed positions, because the number of
casualties in poorly fortified areas will grow every day.”Haidai said the
Ukrainian forces have “received the order to retreat to new positions and
continue fighting there" but didn't give further details. He said the Russians
were also advancing toward Lysychansk from Zolote and Toshkivka, adding that
Russian reconnaissance units conducted forays on the city edges but were driven
out by its defenders. Following a botched attempt to capture Kyiv, Ukraine’s
capital, in the early stage of the invasion that started Feb. 24, Russian forces
have shifted focus to the Donbas region, where the Ukrainian forces have fought
Moscow-backed separatists since 2014. The Russian military controls about 95% of
Luhansk province and about half of neighboring Donetsk province, the two areas
that make up the Donbas. After repeated requests to its Western allies for
heavier weaponry to counter Russia’s edge in firepower, Ukrainian Defense
Minister Oleksii Reznikov said a response had arrived in the form of
medium-range American rocket launchers. A US defense official confirmed
Wednesday that all four of the promised High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems,
or HIMARS, were in the hands of Ukrainian forces but said it was not clear if
they have been used yet. The US approved providing the precision-guided systems
at the end of May, and once they were in the region, Ukraine’s forces needed
about three weeks of training to operate them. The rockets can travel about 45
miles (70 kilometers). The US will send an addition $450 million in military aid
to Ukraine, including four more of the medium-range rocket systems, ammunition
and other supplies, US officials announced Thursday.
Tunisia's interior ministry says president facing 'serious
threats'
Agence France Presse/Friday, 24 June, 2022
Tunisia's President Kais Saied is the target of "serious threats", the interior
ministry said Friday, 11 months since the head of state staged a dramatic power
grab. "According to credible information and investigations still underway, the
president of the republic and the presidency as an institution are the target of
serious threats," spokeswoman Fadhila Khelifi told journalists. "There is a plan
by groups both at home and abroad to target the security of the president" and
to "damage state security and create chaos" in the North African country, she
said. She did not provide more details on the threats or their origin.
Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, a prominent left-wing politician and key Saied opponent,
cast doubt over the claims. "This is just to justify new arrests and to take
revenge against his rivals," Chebbi told AFP. "The president is politically
isolated and is trying to stir up public sympathy." Saied sacked the government
and suspended parliament 11 months ago, later extending his powers over the
judiciary and moving to change the constitution in decisive blow to the only
democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings. Some Tunisians have welcomed
his moves against a system seen as corrupt and unable to tackle the country's
deep social and economic issues. But opponents, notably the Islamist-inspired
Ennahdha party, have condemned his moves as a coup.
Tunisian knife attacker wounds two policemen outside
synagogue
Associated Press/Friday, 24 June, 2022
An assailant with a knife wounded two police officers guarding a synagogue in
the center of the Tunisian capital overnight, the interior ministry said Friday.
The man had been imprisoned over a "terrorism" case and released in 2021,
interior ministry spokesman Fakher Bouzghaya told AFP. The suspect assaulted
police deployed to guard the Grand Synagogue of Tunis in the city center,
lightly wounding two officers before being overpowered. Bouzghaya said an
investigation was underway. Before its independence from France in 1956, Tunisia
was home to over 100,000 Jews, but emigration has seen their numbers fall to
around a thousand. Since the revolution that overthrew dictator Zine El Abidine
Ben Ali in 2011, the country has seen a number of jihadist attacks that have
killed dozens of people. The latest attack comes with the country in a deep
economic and political crisis almost a year since President Kais Saied's July
2021 power grab.
New rocket attack targets northern Iraq gas complex
Agence France Presse/Friday, 24 June, 2022
A Katyusha rocket struck near an Emirati-owned gas complex in northern Iraq on
Friday, a local official said, the second such unclaimed attack in as many days.
The rocket targeted the Khor Mor gas complex in the autonomous Kurdistan region
without causing any injuries or damage, a Kurdish security official said. UAE
energy company Dana Gas owns the complex, and the gas field lies between the
cities of Kirkuk and Sulaimaniyah. On Wednesday, the same facility was the
target of a Katyusha rocket that also caused no damage or injuries. No group has
so far claimed either attack. Energy infrastructure in the autonomous Kurdish
region of northern Iraq has come under repeated attack in recent weeks. In May,
there was minor damage at the Kawergosk refinery northwest of the Kurdistan
capital Arbil. Three rockets had landed near that facility in April with no
casualties or material damage reported
UN says Al-Jazeera journalist killed by Israeli fire
Agence France Presse/June 24/2022
The United Nations said Friday that its findings showed that the shot that
killed Al-Jazeera TV journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11 was fired by Israeli
forces. The Palestinian-American journalist, who was wearing a vest marked
"Press" and a helmet, was killed on May 11 while covering an Israeli army
operation in Jenin camp in the northern West Bank. "We find that the shots that
killed Abu Akleh came from Israeli security forces," UN Human Rights Office
spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva. "It is deeply disturbing
that Israeli authorities have not conducted a criminal investigation. "We at the
UN Human Rights Office have concluded our independent monitoring into the
incident. "The shots that killed Abu Akleh and injured her colleague Ali
Sammoudi came from Israeli security forces and not from indiscriminate firing by
armed Palestinians, as initially claimed by Israeli authorities" she said. She
added that the information came from the Israeli military and the Palestinian
attorney general. "We have found no information suggesting that there was
activity by armed Palestinians in the immediate vicinity of the journalists,"
Shamdasani said. In line with its human rights monitoring methodology, the UN
rights office inspected photo, video and audio material, visited the scene,
consulted experts, reviewed official communications and interviewed witnesses.
The findings showed that seven journalists arrived at the western entrance of
the Jenin refugee camp soon after 6:00 am. At around 6:30 am, as four of the
journalists turned into a particular street, "several single, seemingly
well-aimed bullets were fired towards them from the direction of the Israeli
security forces. "One single bullet injured Ali Sammoudi in the shoulder;
another single bullet hit Abu Akleh in the head and killed her instantly."UN
human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has urged Israel to open a criminal
investigation into Abu Akleh's killing and into all other killings by Israeli
forces in the West Bank and in the context of law enforcement operations in
Gaza.
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on June 24-25/2022
Muslim Man Tries to Slaughter Coptic Christian Woman with a Sickle
Raymond Ibrahim/Coptic Solidarity/June 24/2022
A Muslim man attempted to slaughter a Coptic Christian woman with a sickle in
the village of Sharona, Minya governorate, Egypt. According to a June 15 report,
Qassim Falah Muhammad attacked Mona Wafdi Marzouk, 35, as she was walking to her
family farm early in the morning to assist her sick and ailing father. Muhammad
crept up behind her and began to strangle her; then, according to the report,
“he grabbed a sickle [a sharp tool used for cutting weeds] and tried to
slaughter her with it.” Luckily, the sickle had dulled over the years and did
not fully slice though the arteries of her neck. Muhammad then fled the scene,
as reported by Mona’s cousin, Makari, who saw the incident from a distance and
ran to the butchered woman’s aid. He and other family members instantly
transferred her to the nearest medical center, where she received seven stitches
to her neck. Although she survived, “Mona lives in a state of terror and panic
after the harsh experience of this extremist person.”
While it is unclear why Muhammad targeted Mona, it is clear and well established
that he hates Christians and has targeted them before. In fact, the day before
he tried to slaughter Mona, he invaded the home of another Copt in the same
village and robbed him of his money and other possessions. In response to a
police investigation, Muhammad’s family instantly produced a certificate
indicating that he is “mentally ill”—a tactic on regular display in Egypt
whenever a Muslim is caught after attacking a Christian, to get him the most
lenient sentencing. But as the report notes, “If he is mentally ill, why does he
exclusively target Copts? Is it sensible to promote the ‘psychopath’ narrative
in every single incident against the Copts—as if the mentally ill only see and
try to kill Copts?” This is hardly the first time a fanaticized Muslim man
ambushes a Coptic Christian woman in Egypt. In an earlier, and eerily
reminiscent, incident from 2020, a Muslim man crept up behind a Coptic woman
walking home with groceries, pulled her head back with a hand full of hair, and
slit her throat with a knife in his other hand. In this instance, Catherine
Ramzi, who was also rushed to a nearby medical center, received 63 stitches to
her throat; doctors told her she came within an inch of dying. It is believed
that her Muslim would-be murderer—who was, incidentally, also portrayed by
Egyptian media as “mentally ill”—may have identified her as a Christian for not
wearing a hijab around her hair or for having a cross tattoo on her wrist. Also,
in April, 2021, a Muslim man butchered a Coptic woman and her toddler son with a
machete—“as if he were slaughtering chickens,” said eyewitnesses. He also tried
to slaughter the Christian woman’s young daughter, who managed to flee.
Sudan: The Genocide No One Talks About
Pierre Rehov/Gatestone Institute/June 24/ 2022
Civilian institutions are concerned that Sudan's new puppet government is simply
a cover for the return of Bashir and that, although he is in prison, he is
behind every development in the Sudanese government. This, apparently, is also
the conviction of El Nur. He notes with distress that the massacres organized by
the Janjaweed and the Rapid Intervention Forces have not seen any let up. Daily
peaceful demonstrations in Khartoum and the rest of the country are interrupted
by the police and state militias, who fire live ammunition at the crowds, while
raids are conducted throughout Sudan. Homes are burned. Villagers are forced
into the desert without food or water. Summary executions take place. Women and
children are crushed by cars. Students are mown down by bullets. To this day,
although the American government has scrupulously honored its part of the
agreement, the Sudanese authorities have been careful not to respect the
slightest paragraph. In northern Sudan, mercenaries from the Wagner Group, an
ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, have, with the apparent complicity of
the regime, taken over the main gold mines of Al-Ibediyya. Day and night,
extracting this gold is carried out by "free" Sudanese whose symbolic salary is
close to slavery. Where does this gold go? No one is sure, but reportedly it
could be feeding the coffers of Moscow and perhaps those of its ally, the
world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, Iran. Last month, the Biden
administration suspended all aid to Sudan, including that linked to its
normalization agreement with Israel, and informed Jerusalem that no support
should be given to the Khartoum government until there are democratic elections.
We may have to wait for a new coup d'état. Perhaps, this time, it will be led by
the Sudanese people at the instigation of El Nur, the "Mr. No" who has always
refused to compromise with dictatorial regimes. In Darfur, an area of Sudan,
massacres have been taking place on a daily basis for several decades. This is
happening everywhere in the country. But who is talking about it? Pictured:
Militiamen of the Sudanese regime's Rapid Support Forces prepare to receive then
President Omar al-Bashir during his visit to the town of Umm al-Qura in South
Darfur province, on September 23, 2017.
In Darfur, an area of Sudan, massacres have been taking place on a daily basis
for several decades. This is happening everywhere in the country.
But who is talking about it?
The Western world seems lack empathy, perhaps due to its weariness in the
watching this tragedy for so long, and masked by geopolitical and economic
interests. As for the international community, it remains focused on a conflict
between two nuclear superpowers, the US and Russia, at the gates of Europe,
Ukraine, and that could degenerate into a world war. For anyone following the
media, it would seem that, with the exception of the fighting there, the rest of
the planet is experiencing an unprecedented period of peace. The United Nations,
for its part, has long been bogged down in various obsessions, not the least of
which is its favoring numerous dictatorships and systematically condemning
Israel. The UN "peacekeeping" forces in Africa were keen to save their resources
by fleeing an area that was consuming most of them with little result -- thanks
to the alibi put together by the violent regime in Khartoum: that they were
committed to a democratic transition that was actually a long-lasting coup.
The UN, therefore, is actually paying lip service to daily murders committed by
the forces of the Islamist government in power against its "opponents". They are
called "armed and tribal rebels" to disqualify them in the eyes of the media.
The term includes villagers, whether or not they are Muslim, African tribes in
regions coveted for their natural resources, Christians living in the south of
the country and, more generally, anyone who does not please the militias in the
pay of the regime. These militias are the dreaded Janjaweed, associated with the
Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and armed groups linked to the current government,
the result of yet another military coup led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
and his sidekick with a genocidal reputation, Vice President Mohamed Hamdan
Dagalo (often referred to as Hemedti). After a recent four-day visit to Sudan,
UN human rights expert Adama Dieng expressed deep concern about the situation. A
comprehensive report, presented on June 15 at the 50th session of the UN Human
Rights Council in Geneva, documented unprecedented violence, particularly
against peaceful protesters opposed to the Khartoum regime and villagers who
dared to resist the imposed Islamic laws. However, according to the South
Sudan-based human rights lawyer and democratic opposition leader, Abdelwahid El
Nur, what the report details is "a drop in the bucket compared to the daily
atrocities committed by the government.
To understand the current situation, it helps to realize that Sudan -- after
centuries of Egyptian, Turkish and British colonization, and after finally
gaining its independence in 1956 -- immediately fell into a cycle of civil wars,
coups and revolutions, until 1972. Of the 160 ethnic groups that make up its
population, a small majority of individuals of Arab origin continues to dominate
social and political life while oppressing local Cushitic and Nilo-Saharan
minorities.
In 1983, a civil war in the south was reignited after the government imposed a
policy of Islamization, including enforced Sharia law. In six years, more than
four million people in southern Sudan were displaced or fled from the massacres.
On April 6, 1985, a group of military officers led by Lieutenant General Siwar
adh Dhahab overthrew President Jaafar Nimeiri, who took refuge in Egypt. That
coup was followed by a coalition government, headed by Sadiq Al Mahdi, a soft
and weak leader. In 1989 a new coup, fomented by the junta of Omar al-Bashir, a
fundamentalist from the Muslim Brotherhood, installed him as head of state, a
post he would for three decades. Under Bashir's presidency, sharia law was
quickly imposed again. Education was overhauled to emphasize the importance of
Arab and Islamic culture. Memorizing the Koran became mandatory in religious
institutions, school uniforms were replaced by combat fatigues and a religious
police force was established to compel strict sharia law, especially for women,
who were forced to wear veils in public.
This period, according to human rights groups saw a proliferation of torture
chambers used by security agencies and known as "ghost houses". Al-Qaeda
members, including Osama bin Laden, were given sanctuary and assistance; this
this policy of complacency towards fundamentalism and loss of human rights led
to the US listing Sudan as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
It was not until 2003 that El Nur's Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) tried to
obtain rights for the people of Darfur, who had been victimized by Khartoum's
policy of forced Islamization. After the violent reactions of the regime against
demonstrators and countless massacres against the civilian population -- and in
the absence of any possibility of a real ceasefire, because the UN failed to
protect the civilian population against militia attacks -- the SLM formed a
civilian protection force, the Sudan Liberation Army or SLM/A.
In contrast to the radicals in Khartoum, the SLM favors a secular and democratic
government, close to the West. The SLM includes the recognition of Israel and
the establishment of a peaceful, inclusive regime. El Nur, because he never
compromised with the regime, became the idol of millions of Sudanese. Successive
governments tried to lure him on their side, while hating him for what he
represented: a promoter of human rights, in the manner of South Africa's Nelson
Mandela, who must be prevented from taking power.
Meanwhile, the Janjaweed militias, taking advantage of the conflict that opposed
Khartoum's regime in Darfur and South Sudan, began ethnically cleansing the area
and committing atrocities on a grand scale. Hundreds of thousands of civilians,
in a country torn apart by civil war, were once again displaced. As thousands of
civilians were killed, rare lulls in the fighting, international interventions,
the dispatch of African Union troops and ceasefires following UN Security
Council resolutions blew about in the wind.
In 2009, the International Criminal Court, accusing Bashir of crimes against
humanity and war crimes, issued a warrant for his arrest. The massacres
nevertheless continued, on an even more massive scale.
Finally, in 2018, El Nur and several pro-democracy organizations organized new
demonstrations, which led in April 2019 to the fall of Bashir, arrested by his
lieutenant, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), the head of the Rapid Security
Forces, and apparently not much better. He was, it seems, only seizing the
opportunity to reach the highest level of power while continuing to practice
Bashir's policy of forced Islamization.
Since the fall of Bashir's government and his imprisonment, the country has been
"officially" ruled by the Sudan Sovereignty Council, composed of military and
civilian representatives, former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, and the
Council's chairman, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The coalition, however, is fragile
and does not include the popular El Nur.
After several months of discussion, Hamdok had met El Nur in Paris in September
2019, under the sponsorship of French President Emmanuel Macron. Hemedti also
sent a delegation to try to win El Nur's alliance. His repeated refusals to
compromise with "criminals bathed in the blood of his people" earned him the
nickname "Mr. No." He had apparently not forgotten that on June 3, 2019, Hemedti
had been responsible for the "Khartoum massacre" during which his Rapid Security
Forces killed 128 civilians.
It was in this tenuous context that the U.S. government brought Sudan into the
Abraham Accords. In October 2020, under the leadership of President Donald J.
Trump, Sudan had all sanctions lifted in exchange for normalizing diplomatic
relations with Israel, establishing a democratic regime, and forming an internal
reconciliation leading to lasting peace.
Shortly after, Sudan went to war with Ethiopia -- a conflict that has continued
since.
To this day, although the American government has scrupulously honored its part
of the agreement, the Sudanese authorities have been careful not to respect the
slightest paragraph.
The "transitional government" lasted until October 25, 2021, when the Sudanese
military, led by Burhan, took control of the government. At least five senior
officials were arrested and imprisoned. Civilian Prime Minister Hamdok, who
refused to declare his support for this new coup, immediately called for popular
resistance. On October 26, he was placed under house arrest.
In the face of internal and international resistance, on October 28 Burhan
declared himself ready to reinstate the Hamdok cabinet, even though the deposed
prime minister had declined the initial offer, making any further dialogue
conditional on the full restoration of the system that had been overthrown by
the latest coup.
On November 21, 2021, Hamdok and Burhan signed a 14-point agreement reinstating
Hamdok as prime minister and pledging that all political prisoners would be
released. Civilian groups, however, including the Forces for Freedom and Change
and the Association of Sudanese Professionals -- and again El Nur's SLM/A --
rejected the agreement, refusing to share power with the military.
Many see the senior generals -- all members of a security committee appointed by
Bashir in the last days of his regime -- as favoring the Bashir's National
Congress Party (NCP), which imposed a strict version of sharia law when it was
in power.
Hamza Balol, a leading member of the pro-democracy Forces for Freedom and Change
(FFC) movement, which shared power with the generals until the coup, believes
the military sabotaged the transition by protecting Bashir's NCP.
Civilian institutions are concerned that this new puppet government is simply a
cover for the return of Bashir and that, although he is in prison, he is behind
every development in the Sudanese government.
This, apparently, is also the conviction of El Nur. He notes with distress that
the massacres organized by the Janjaweed and the Rapid Intervention Forces have
not seen any let up. Daily peaceful demonstrations in Khartoum and the rest of
the country are interrupted by the police and state militias, who fire live
ammunition at the crowds, while raids are conducted throughout Sudan. Homes are
burned. Villagers are forced into the desert without food or water. Summary
executions take place. Women and children are crushed by cars. Students are mown
down by bullets. The daily death toll and the number of injured are in the
thousands.
In northern Sudan, mercenaries from the Wagner Group, an ally of Russian
President Vladimir Putin, have, with the apparent complicity of the regime,
taken over the main gold mines of Al-Ibediyya. Day and night, extracting this
gold is carried out by "free" Sudanese whose symbolic salary is close to
slavery. Where does this gold go? No one is sure, but reportedly it could be
feeding the coffers of Moscow and perhaps those of its ally, the world's leading
state sponsor of terrorism, Iran.
Last month, the Biden administration suspended all aid to Sudan, including that
linked to its normalization agreement with Israel, and informed Jerusalem that
no support should be given to the Khartoum government until there are democratic
elections.
We may have to wait for a new coup d'état. Perhaps, this time, it will be led by
the Sudanese people at the instigation of El Nur, the "Mr. No" who has always
refused to compromise with dictatorial regimes.
*Pierre Rehov, born and raised in North Africa, is a reporter, author and the
director of "Hostages of Hatred" and "Silent Exodus", documentary films about
Palestinian and Jewish refugees.
© 2022 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Putin: From Frank Sinatra to Leonid Brezhnev
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/June 24/2022
As the war in Ukraine drags on many commentators wonder where and when Vladimir
Putin might decide to call an end to his current aggressive behavior. Digging
into Russian history some may assert that even if he does stop it would be a
tactical move of the kind that Lenin described as "one step back, two steps
forward."Putin’s behavior has its roots in the Russian psyche. From early days
of appearing as a distinct people, Russians have always feared that they may
become like others while, lacking in natural defenses, their vast territory was
vulnerable to foreign invasion.
In his novel "What is to be done?" Nikolai Chernyshevki poses the question
whether Russia should become European or Asian or remain itself and make Europe
and Asia like itself. For Khomiakov and other pan-Slavists, to perform its duty
as the Third Rome and the final standard-bearer of True Christianity, Russia
should not allow even a parcel of its soil or soul to be lost to others. Thus,
when Putin says that Ukraine was, is and must re-become Russian he is expressing
a deeply-rooted national conceit that any relationship with the outside world is
ipso facto conflictual. Lenin expressed that Old Russian conceit in his own
style by using a misunderstood version of Hegelian dialectics. "We would be safe
and our victory would be victory only when our cause succeeds in the entire
world," he wrote. He accepted coexistence between Socialism and Capitalist in "a
period of transition", but insisted that Russia, in its Bolshevik version at the
time, wouldn’t be safe "until our cause conquers the whole world."
"It is inconceivable for the Soviet Republic to exist alongside the imperialist
states for any length of time. One or other must triumph in the end," he wrote.
Lenin made two mistakes in his use of dialectics. First, he assumed that the
conflict between thesis and anti-thesis had to be resolved "in the end", an
imaginary time-span. Secondly, he couldn’t see that in Hegelian dialectics the
conflict ends with a synthesis that both is and is not the thesis and the
synthesis while representing a third and new reality. In other words, the
conflict between socialism and capitalism isn’t like a boxing match that is set
to end after a predetermined number of rounds with a knockout win for one or the
other.
By the late 1950s after Nikita Khrushchev’s boast about "burying the Capitalist
world" by the year 2000 had become a sour joke, his successors rehashed the
Khomikov-Lenin pseudo-mystical vision of Russia’s role in history by shedding is
Christian and Communist aspects and basing it on preserving Russia’s interests
and influence as a state. That gave birth to the Brezhnev Doctrine under which
Russia wouldn’t allow any state that had been in Russian influence zone or had a
Communist regime to break away and join "the other side."
It was under that doctrine that Russian tanks crushed the Prague Spring and,
later, tried to preserve a ramshackle Communist regime in Kabul by invading
Afghanistan. The aim was no longer world conquest but hanging on to Russia’s
portion of it.
By the time Mikhail Gorbachev had risen to the top in the Kremlin, the Afghan
disaster and growing discontent across eastern and central Europe had made the
Brezhnev Doctrine redundant. Gorbachev developed his own mini-doctrine by
admitting and, in some cases even helping, the so-called People’s Republics in
the Russian zone of influence in Europe could go their own way provided they
would not totally exclude Russia.
His subliminal message as that the USSR and the "Capitalist world" could share
the booty they had won after the Second World War. A new world order could be
built based on "universal values" and "shared interests". Unlike Lenin, who saw
all relationships as conflictual, Gorbachev believed that thesis and anti-thesis
could join each other in a global synthetic tango. Interestingly, Western
democracies wanted the USSR to survive as a pillar of stability in Europe. James
Baker III, secretary of state under President George WH Bush, insisted that
"instability in eastern Europe isn’t in our interests." The US, France and Great
Britain were even maneuvering to delay or sabotage German reunification. In 1989
Gennady Gerasimov, spokesman for the Soviet foreign ministry, repeated what
Politburo member Alexander Yakovlev had quipped a few weeks earlier by asserting
that the USSR wanted to be part of a world order based on diversity. "Today, we
have replaced the Brezhnev Doctrine with the Sinatra Doctrine, allowing each
country to go its way." The reference, of course, was to American crooner Frank
Sinatra’s famous song "I Did It My Way" which Alexander Yakovlev and some other
fans of "ole-blue-eyes" in the Politburo loved. The Sinatra Doctrine remained in
force in the Kremlin even after the disintegration of the USSR, keeping alive
the hope of finding a proper place for Russia in a new world order free from
ideological rivalry, arms race and imperialistic competition for hegemony in the
"Third World." Regardless of who is to blame hopes of finding a proper place for
Russia were never fulfilled, partly because Russia always wanted more than it
deserved and the Western powers offered less than it merited. Putin’s jingoistic
jargon and Quixotic carpet-bagging in Ukraine is a crude response to that
reality. He has certainly buried the Sinatra Doctrine but one cannot be sure
whether he has fully reverted to the Brezhnev Doctrine. Conflicting signals from
Moscow indicate that he may end up adopting a more modest version of the
Brezhnev Doctrine by settling for annexing another chunk of Ukraine. Maria
Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry in Moscow, says Ukraine "as it
was with the same shape on the map and boundaries is finished and will never
return."
The problem is that if Putin manages to reshape Ukraine into a downsized nation,
he might be tempted to revert to the doctrines that, based on their different
and yet similar mystical views of Russia’s role in human history, Khomiakov and
Lenin advocated. And that could mean other conflicts and even wars in Europe
and, perhaps, even in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. In a mystical view of
human affairs knowing where to start is often easy. It is where to stop that is
always difficult. This is why even a fish-tail end to the war in Ukraine may not
be sufficient to restore lasting peace to Europe.
A Little Epoxy Can Unglue India’s Welfare System
Andy Mukherjee/Bloomberg/June 24/2022
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s model of welfarism isn’t new to India: Previous
leaders have also subsidized food and fuel, and given the rural poor houses,
toilets, and paid work. Modi’s edge comes from technology. A year before the
2014 election that brought him to power, the government, then led by the
Congress Party, had piloted direct cash transfer to beneficiaries, inspired by
the former Brazilian President Lula da Silva’s popular Bolsa Familia program.
Modi took that modest $1 billion start and turned it into a $300 billion vote
magnet: And he did it with the help of 12-digit numbers.
Those numbers — and the ID cards that carry them — are known as “Aadhaar.” It’s
a biometrics-based system through which almost everyone in the
second-most-populous nation can prove who they are. Aadhaar, which means
“foundation” in Hindi, supports 450 million-plus no-frills savings accounts and
has bolstered the use of mobile internet for financial transactions even in
remote villages. Five years ago, the Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Romer
endorsed Aadhaar as a template for the world.
Increasingly, though, it’s beginning to look like there’s a fair bit of epoxy
putty — quite literally — in the very foundation of Modi’s welfare program.
Fingerprinting 1.33 billion people and recording their personal information and
iris scans in a central repository was no mean feat. It was hoped that this
super-expensive database would pay its cost by helping to reduce waste in public
programs and by preventing theft. That was touted as a big advantage in a
corruption-ridden country where state benefits have a hard time reaching
legitimate beneficiaries.
However, activists have highlighted numerous incidents of denial of benefits:
Fingerprints fade with intense manual labor; getting data-entry mistakes fixed
can be a nightmare. Those issues have largely been ignored.
Now there’s a growing problem in the other direction: Aadhaar is being very
successfully used — by fraudsters. Blame it on ubiquity combined with lax
controls. While the unique ID was conceived to make welfare programs more
efficient, private entities didn’t lose any time in realizing its potential.
Banks and telcos used Aadhaar to conduct online “know your customer” checks,
which drastically cut their cost of authenticating customers. In the process,
Aadhaar became all-pervasive and private data began to show up for sale on the
dark web.
The government’s response has been to brush it all away. Anything that casts
doubt on the integrity of the system is ignored. That isn’t a surprise: Having
chosen a technology and made it universal, policy makers have no other route to
building trust in transactions. In 2018, the Indian Supreme Court restricted the
use of the database — and barred private entities from using it for
know-your-customer verifications. Nevertheless, New Delhi has since then gone
around opening legal back doors for the private sector to keep tapping it.
A wake-up call about identity fraud came last month. The Unique Identification
Authority of India, or UIDAI, issued an advisory asking people not to give out
photocopies of their cards “because it can be misused.” Further, the notice said
that only users licensed with the authority can query the database to
authenticate identity; establishments like hotels or movie theaters are not
permitted to collect or keep copies. After people began to question why this
warning was being issued when everyone’s Aadhaar information was already
circulating everywhere, it was withdrawn the same day and replaced with new
guidance that advised people “to exercise normal prudence.”
So what’s going on? The Morning Context, an Indian news website, recently gave
an alarming account of scams. It seems anyone can learn how to clone a
fingerprint with epoxy putty on YouTube; and anyone can buy an identification
card online. Fingerprints can be lifted from digitized property sale deeds. Or,
to steal money from bank accounts, one could hack into a mobile app used by
small village shops that double up as micro-ATMs for Aadhaar-holders. There was
a sixfold increase in overall Aadhaar fraud registered with the UIDAI last year,
the May 30 article said. “There is no data on the full extent of welfare
benefits swindled, accounts degraded and criminal complaints registered,” the
Morning Context added.
More disturbing than the crime is the official silence about its prevalence or
severity. The Reserve Bank of India’s recently released Payments Vision 2025
gives a nod to the “significant growth in Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS)
through the business correspondent-assisted model.” More than 2 billion such
micro-ATM transactions took place last financial year; that’s a $38 billion
entanglement of Aadhaar with the banking system — all of which is on behalf of
customers at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Yet the RBI’s vision document,
which has “integrity” as a key pillar, has nothing to say about making security
more robust for deposit, withdrawal and transfer services used by the poor.
Then there’s the social welfare plank: Aadhaar Payment Bridge System is how the
government transfers cash to beneficiaries. Even here, there are weaknesses.
Back in 2018, Ram Sewak Sharma, the former UIDAI chief, had made his Aadhaar
number public on Twitter and dared privacy activists: “Show me one concrete
example where you can do any harm to me!” As it turns out, someone managed to
register Sharma as an eligible farmer and the Modi government paid him three
installments of free cash. You can split hairs about whether the vulnerability
was in Aadhaar or elsewhere, but the hacker had proved a point.
Modi’s new welfarism rests on Aadhaar. But if there are cracks in the edifice,
they need to be acknowledged — not to frighten users away, but to make them more
aware. At the same time, India needs a strong data protection law. Losing money
is bad enough. But it’s scary if a bad actor can put a person at a specific
place or tie her to an activity with the help of a bogus transaction. Sealing
wax in the foundation of trust simply won’t do.