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

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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus Appears to Two Of The Disciples On the Road to Emmaus & Explaines For Them The Scripture
Luke 24/13-35/Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.0 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 30-May 01/2022
Lebanon tells UNHCR that it can no longer tolerate the burden of Syrian refugees/Najia Houssari/Arab News/April 30/2022
Lebanon's Aoun Criticizes 'Shiite Duo' over Port Explosion
Migrant boat disaster wrecks a Lebanese family amid crisis
Clashes with FPM and army, roads blocked as Bassil visits Akkar
Interior Minister chairs Central Security Council's meeting: We call on the media to review the electoral law in its details
Salam: Lebanon has been removed from the watch list related to the level of protection of intellectual property rights
Nassar inaugurates an office for Tourism Ministry in Beiteddine: Despite the difficult conditions, we insist on enhancing the reality of the tourism...
Lebanese restaurant serves iftar at Japanese mosque
An Important historical study by Colonel Charbel Barakat confirms with details and facts that Hezbollah did not liberate south Lebanon, and explains the fact that Israel withdrew from it in 2000 for mere internal reasons, in full agreement with the Iranians, and with an American blessing.
Hezbollah and the Liberation of South Lebanon/Colonel Charbel Barakat – April 30/ 2022

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 30-May 01/2022
Russia urges US, NATO to halt Kyiv arms supply
Kharkiv shelled as Russia maintains its offensive
Iran's Guards Commander Says Israel Creating Conditions for Own Destruction
US House Passes Stop Iranian Drones Act
Congressmen Upset over 'Assad's Wealth Growth' despite US Sanctions
Angry Syrians Demand ‘Holding Regime Accountable’ for Tadamon Massacre
UN Extends Libya Mission by Three Months
West Warns Sudan Against Forming Cabinet that ‘Lacks Credibility’
Three Killed in Latest Violence in Sudan's Darfur
Pakistani Premier to Asharq Al-Awsat: Committed to Promoting Ties with Saudi Arabia
Saudi Crown Prince Meets with Pakistani Prime Minister

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 30-May 01/2022
Giving Carrots to Iran Will Not Alter Its Brutal, Expansionist Plan/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/April 30/2022
War in Ukraine is Getting Sharper and More Complicated/Omer Onhon/Asharq Al-Awsat/April,30/2022
Inflation Is Soaring. So Where’s My Pay Raise?/Chris Bryant/BloombergApril,30/2022
The endless threat of terrorism in Afghanistan/Ishtiaq Ahmad/ِArab News/May 01, 2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 30-May 01/2022
Lebanon tells UNHCR that it can no longer tolerate the burden of Syrian refugees
Najia Houssari/Arab News/April 30/2022
Officials in Lebanon frequently hold Syrian refugees responsible for the deteriorating economic situation
Aoun raised the issue with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres when he visited Lebanon in 2021
BEIRUT: Lebanon has once again voiced its concerns about Syrian refugees, stating that the country can no longer tolerate some of their actions.
Lebanese Minister of Labor Mustafa Bayram said: “Lebanon is no longer able to play policeman for other countries.” Prime Minister Najib Mikati chaired a meeting of the ministerial committee in charge of discussing the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, during which Bayram said: “The Lebanese state is no longer able to handle this matter.”Bayram also stressed after the meeting that Lebanon is left alone, and the state cannot stand to cost. “We no longer have diesel boats to monitor the sea, and the UN and UNHCR must step up and bear their responsibilities. The Lebanese are queuing at banks and ATMs, while others receive direct aid in dollars. They share our water, electricity and resources while we do not get anything. Many institutions, international organizations and countries are concluding agreements with Lebanese NGOs and paying them in dollars without going through the state, and frankly, this uncontrolled situation is no longer acceptable,” he said. Hector Hajjar, minister of social affairs, met Ayaki Ito, representative of the UNHCR office in Lebanon, and conveyed the Lebanese government’s official position regarding Syrian refugees.
Hajjar’s office said he informed Ito that the Lebanese state is committed to the principle of not forcing refugees to return to their country of origin, but the situation is no longer tolerable and the state is no longer able to bear the cost of maintaining security in the refugee camps and the areas in which refugees have settled.Hajjar said: “The Lebanese state has always received less aid than the needs declared annually, despite the fact that 35 percent of the population is made up of displaced persons and refugees. According to reports, 82 percent of the Lebanese suffer from multidimensional poverty. The Lebanese state has incurred huge losses over the years, due to the displaced people benefiting from the state’s subsidies on basic commodities such as medicine, bread, and fuel, in addition to prison overcrowding and the resulting burdens, not to mention the security chaos and competition in the labor market.”
Following the ministerial committee meeting, Hajjar talked about the high crime rate, to which Syrians have contributed. The Internal Security Forces announced that they had arrested two Syrians who tried to kill a shop owner in Hermel on Friday by hitting him with a sharp object on the head as they attempted to rob him.Bayram warned that Lebanon will implement the laws deporting criminals back to their country. “This is what all countries do.” “The social situation is also no longer tolerable. The non-Lebanese are admitted to hospitals, while the Lebanese can no longer be hospitalized. Others receive education, rent, and heating allowance, and the Lebanese get nothing,” Hajjar said. The Supreme Defense Council convened on Friday, headed by Lebanese President Michel Aoun, to discuss the security measures that will accompany the parliamentary elections on May 15. Aoun repeated his demand that Syrian refugees return to their country and talked about the burden on Lebanon, which is suffering from a severe economic crisis. Officials in Lebanon frequently hold Syrian refugees responsible for the deteriorating economic situation. Aoun raised this issue with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres when he visited Lebanon in 2021.

Lebanon's Aoun Criticizes 'Shiite Duo' over Port Explosion
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
Lebanese President Michel Aoun has criticized the Shiite Hezbollah-Amal duo without naming them, calling for putting an end to political meddling and legal loopholes that prevent judicial authorities from prosecuting, accusing, and condemning the perpetrators of the Aug. 2020 Beirut port explosion.
Aoun was speaking on Thursday during his meeting with a delegation that discussed the detention of former Customs chief Badri Daher in the same case. The President also met with a delegation of families of persons arrested in the Beirut Port blast investigation. The blast was caused by the detonation of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a port warehouse for years, apparently with the knowledge of senior politicians and security officials who did nothing about it. The explosion killed at least 216 people, injured more than 6,500 others and destroyed parts of the city. Members of the two delegations told Aoun on Thursday that they are waiting anxiously, as are the families of the victims and owners of the damaged private properties, for fair and just judicial decisions, according to the Lebanese presidency. Aoun said that he is keen on ensuring the independence of the judicial authority in the prosecution, investigation, and judgment of crimes referred to the competent authority. The President stressed that "there is a need for an indictment to be issued by the investigative judge when he gets liberated from the constraints imposed on him, under which the Judicial Council would practice its jurisdiction according to the indictment." The Council would then "acquit the detainees it finds to be innocent and condemn those responsible," the President added. Aoun noted that delayed justice is not justice, emphasizing that "it's about time we knew the full truth about the circumstances of the disastrous explosion at Beirut's port." He urged an end to the political exploitation, privileges, immunities, and legal loopholes preventing the relevant judicial authorities from practicing prosecution, accusation, and condemnation. "Injustice is cruel, and it is unacceptable when justice is denied, restricted, partial or selective, due to political oppression and maliciousness." Aoun told the delegation that he would not stop until justice was achieved in this case, knowing that the "jurisprudence was found to fill the legal loopholes or to circumvent the artificial and malicious restrictions in the lawsuits."Finance Minister Youssef Khalil refuses to sign the partial judicial formations completed by the High Judicial Council, which included the judges of the cassation courts. Failure to appoint the new judges impedes the mission of the judicial investigator, Judge Tariq al-Bitar. The "Shiite duo" insists that ministers are tried before the High Council for the Trial of Presidents and Ministers and that the lawmakers enjoy immunity under their position in the parliament during ordinary or exceptional legislative sessions.

Migrant boat disaster wrecks a Lebanese family amid crisis
Associated Press/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
A week ago, the boat carrying Bilal Dandashi, his relatives and dozens of others hoping to escape Lebanon and reach Europe sank in the Mediterranean. Dandashi still doesn't know if his wife and children are alive or dead. Their boat sank in the darkness of night in a matter of seconds after a collision with a Lebanese Navy ship trying to stop the migrants. Of the around 60 men, women and children on board, 47 were rescued, seven bodies were found — and the rest remain missing. The tragedy underscored the desperate lengths to which some Lebanese are going after their country's economy collapsed, driving two-thirds of the population into poverty with no hope on the horizon for any recovery. Lebanon has now become a source for migrants making the dangerous boat crossing to reach European shores. There are no firm figures, but hundreds of Lebanese in recent months have attempted the journey.
In Tripoli, Lebanon's poorest city, residents say there is a constant stream of migrant boats, taking off from shores around the city — even from Tripoli's official port. "The port has become like an airport. Young people, women and children are going to Europe. The trips are daily," said Amid Dandashi, Bilal's brother, who was also on the boat with him and whose three children were killed in the capsizing. On Friday, police said they arrested three smugglers preparing to set off with a boat carrying 85 migrants from the dock of a resort near Tripoli. Bilal and another of his brothers had attempted a crossing once before, but the smugglers' boat they were on stalled offshore. So for a second trip, they took matters into their own hands. Working with two other families in Tripoli, they obtained a recreational boat, nearly 50 years old, from a smuggler. The brothers spent three months refurbishing it and getting life jackets for it. On the night of April 23, they set off: around 22 members of the extended Dandashi family along with members of the other two families. They were around 60 people total, well over the capacity of the small yacht. The goal was to reach Italy — some 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) across the Mediterranean, a common route for migrant boats from Lebanon. An hour and a half into their journey, their boat was intercepted by the Lebanese Navy. Disaster struck: The boat collided with the Navy ship and sank within seconds. The Navy has blamed the boat captain, saying he was maneuvering to avoid being forced to return to shore. It also blamed the migrants for overcrowding the boat and not wearing life vests. Bilal Dandashi, however, accused the Navy ship of intentionally ramming their boat to force it back.
He said the Navy crew were shouting insults at the migrants during the encounter. Their boat would have reached international waters, out of the Navy's jurisdiction, in just a few minutes, he said. "If it hadn't hit us from the front ... we would have been able to cross," he said. "They took a decision intentionally."The passengers weren't wearing their life jackets because they didn't want to draw attention as they left port and the boat sank too fast to put them on after the collision, Dandashi said. Bilal Dandashi was rescued along with two of his children. But his wife and two other children remain missing. His brother Amid's three children were all killed, their bodies found in the later search. Amid recalled packing up his children's things for the trip, never imagining he'd return home without them. He and his brothers had felt certain the boat was safe after the work they put into it, otherwise he never would have put his children at risk, he said. "I blame myself, as a father, that I went and took that risk," he said. "But I was sure that I would reach (Europe.) ... Everything was safe." The increase in migrants is fueled by desperation from an economic meltdown caused by years of corruption and mismanagement.
Spiraling inflation and the collapse of the currency have wrecked people's salaries and savings. Medicines, fuel and many foods are in short supply. Bilal Dandashi has diabetes and cannot find the medication he needs. Tripoli, Lebanon's second largest city, has felt the brunt of the crisis. Almost the entire Tripoli workforce depends on day-to-day income. Since the boat sank, tensions have heightened in the city. Angry residents blocked roads and attacked a main army checkpoint in Tripoli, throwing stones at troops who responded by firing into the air. The government held an extraordinary meeting and asked the military tribunal to investigate the case."This whole country is drowning, (it is) not just us who drowned. The whole country is drowning, and they are ignoring it," Bilal Dandashi said. The 47-year-old acknowledged his attempted crossing was illegal but said he was unable to travel legally. With so many Lebanese requesting passports, authorities have wrestled with a massive backlog and recently stopped processing applications altogether. "Give me a passport. For 6 months, I couldn't get one," he said. "Why? Because they want us here to put us in the grave here -- or go die in the sea."

Clashes with FPM and army, roads blocked as Bassil visits Akkar
Naharnet/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
Unrest erupted Saturday in Akkar over a visit to the northern region by Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil. A clash broke out between protesters and FPM supporters at the Rahbe intersection, al-Jadeed TV reported, adding that the incident left the FPM's official in the area, Tony Assi, wounded. The army later clashed with protesters and managed to reopen the road to the town of Rahbe, which Bassil intended to visit. LBCI television meanwhile reported that Bassil managed to enter the Akkar region.The protests over the visit had started overnight and continued into Saturday. The movements included the torching of Bassil posters and the blocking of several roads.

Interior Minister chairs Central Security Council's meeting: We call on the media to review the electoral law in its details
NNA/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi chaired a meeting of the Ministry's Central Security Council, which was attended by a number of senior security officials and judges. After the meeting, Minister Mawlawi said that they discussed with the attendees the completion of the security and logistical preparations for the parliamentary elections scheduled for May 15th. The minister affirmed that there is determination and preparation for the success of the electoral process, and that he had previously held bilateral meetings with all security agencies to coordinate the plan among all security agencies.
Mawlawi also pointed out that the attendees stressed the need to prevent large gatherings that may lead to a security breach, and to stop sports activities and matches starting tomorrow, according to the circular issued previously. On the issue of electoral silence, he said that this matter is related to the media, which is within the jurisdiction and control of the Elections Monitoring Authority, and it is not within the powers of the Minister of Interior to shut down a television station. ."We call on the media to review the electoral law in its details and to look forward to the comprehensiveness of the paragraph that includes electoral silence," Mawlawi said. He concluded that all the military apparatus and forces will be ready for the election day with distributed and coordinated tasks.

Salam: Lebanon has been removed from the watch list related to the level of protection of intellectual property rights
NNA/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi chaired a meeting of the Ministry's Central Security Council, which was attended by a number of senior security officials and judges. After the meeting, Minister Mawlawi said that they discussed with the attendees the completion of the security and logistical preparations for the parliamentary elections scheduled for May 15th. The minister affirmed that there is determination and preparation for the success of the electoral process, and that he had previously held bilateral meetings with all security agencies to coordinate the plan among all security agencies. Mawlawi also pointed out that the attendees stressed the need to prevent large gatherings that may lead to a security breach, and to stop sports activities and matches starting tomorrow, according to the circular issued previously. On the issue of electoral silence, he said that this matter is related to the media, which is within the jurisdiction and control of the Elections Monitoring Authority, and it is not within the powers of the Minister of Interior to shut down a television station. ."We call on the media to review the electoral law in its details and to look forward to the comprehensiveness of the paragraph that includes electoral silence," Mawlawi said. He concluded that all the military apparatus and forces will be ready for the election day with distributed and coordinated tasks.

Nassar inaugurates an office for Tourism Ministry in Beiteddine: Despite the difficult conditions, we insist on enhancing the reality of the tourism...
NNA/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
Minister of Tourism, Walid Nassar, visited the Chouf region, to inaugurate the new office of the Ministry of Tourism in Beiteddine, at the invitation of the Farid Al-Bustani Foundation. Nassar began his tour from the residence of MP Farid Al-Bustani in Deir Al-Qamar, and thanked him for his initiative "to open the office in partnership with the ministry to enhance cooperation between the public and private sectors and encourage the tourism sector in the Chouf district." During his tour in the Chouf, the minister stressed that despite the sensitive and difficult conditions Lebanon is going through, there is a determination to strengthen the reality of the tourism sector, which is the main supporter of the country's economy, and this determination will not diminish, but will increase more every day. He announced that the Ministry of Tourism will launch the first tourism conference for the districts of Chouf and Aley and the rest of the districts, as happened in Jbeil and Batroun. Nassar called on the country's politicians to maintain stability and calm in the country, as there is no tourism without security and stability, especially since Lebanon is approaching a hot tourist summer, stressing that flights from expatriates and foreign tourists are fully booked. "Lebanon will regain its name, position and image in the world despite all circumstances, and the visit of His Holiness the Pope on June 12 and 13 will be a very important message about Lebanon," the minister concluded.

Lebanese restaurant serves iftar at Japanese mosque
Arab News/May 01, 2022
The only mosque in the city of Yokohama, the Yokohama Mosque, served more than 30 meals on Wednesday to Muslims to break their fast during Ramadan. After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, mosques across Japan have resumed community iftar gatherings, allowing people in the country to enjoy the communal aspect that forms a central part of Ramadan for many. At the Yokohama Mosque, the iftar meals were provided by the Lebanese restaurant Al-Ain, which is located in Kanagawa. The meals donated by Al-Ain restaurant consist of a main course including rice, a sandwich, a side such as a piece of chicken and dessert. Ziad Karam, the owner of Al-Ain restaurant said that he tried to help anyone who needed it at the mosque. The restaurant has also offered a set iftar menu that is created exclusively for the holy month and charges ¥3,500 ($27) per person. The iftar features a four-course menu that consists of cold and hot mezze platters, main dishes, and desserts to allow guests to indulge in the traditional savory dishes from the Lebanese cuisine. “Ramadan traditionally has been very busy for us. There are many Japanese people that are interested in the Lebanese cuisine that also join in on the iftar meals,”
Karam said. Additionally, Al-Ain restaurant will be offering halal lamb for three consecutive days through the provision of a “Eid Al-Fitr Dinner Course” in commemoration with Eid Al-Fitr holidays.

An Important historical study by Colonel Charbel Barakat confirms with details and facts that Hezbollah did not liberate south Lebanon, and explains the fact that Israel withdrew from it in 2000 for mere internal reasons, in full agreement with the Iranians, and with an American blessing.
Hezbollah and the Liberation of South Lebanon
Colonel Charbel Barakat – April 30/ 2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/108382/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%84%d8%ba%d8%aa%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d9%86%d9%83%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%b2%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%af%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b3%d8%a9-%d8%aa
It has been 22 years since the withdrawal of Israel from the border region. Then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak, a proponent of the view of leaving Lebanon and its problems in 1982, took the decision of a quick withdrawal. This idea was proposed at the time by senior Israeli officers to their command after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) successfully fulfilled their mission in “Operation Peace in Galilee” in which they uprooted Yasser Arafat and his organization from Lebanon and sent them off first to Yemen, then to Tunisia. Since that time, General Barak has held on to his view of Israel withdrawing from what he called the “Lebanese swamp” and leaving Lebanon to flounder in its own problems.
In 1999, Barak decided to run for the Knesset as a candidate of the Labor Party, which he headed, on the basis of a program that boiled down to withdrawing from Lebanon before June 2000, should he succeed in the elections. His victory in those elections triggered a countdown for the Israeli Army withdrawal, in a fulfillment of the promise made by now Prime Minister-elect Barak. Subsequently, and with an agreement with the Americans to ensure a smooth withdrawal of the IDF from Lebanon without major incidents. Meanwhile, the Syrian occupation forces were on keeping the Israelis in Lebanon to ward off any demands by the Lebanese for a Syrian army withdrawal, and so Damascus was maneuvering to convince everyone that Israel will not withdraw, and that Barak was merely sloganeering in an election campaign.
In practice, the Israelis were seeking an agreement with the Iranians in which South Lebanon would be handed over to the pro-Iranian Hezbollah group on condition of controlling the border and interdicting any military operations across that border. Several contacts and meetings were held through Swedish and German emissaries, a demarche that was amply covered by international news outlets, and Der Spiegel was not the only one to do so. The Americans were, as far as is known, aware of all the details of these negotiations, and of course the Syrians as well. Yet, the Lebanese government was not allowed to participate in any of these negotiations or to even express an opinion on what was going on, just as was the case when the “April Understanding” was reached in the aftermath of the 1996 “Operation Grapes of Wrath”, even though the matter concerned Lebanese territories and the fate of Lebanese citizens. As a result, the Lebanese State and its institutions, including the Army, were excluded from any effective participation in the matter, as if the operation was to be carried out in some remote place in the middle of nowhere.
In the border zone, several intelligence operations were conducted to strike the infrastructure of the South Lebanon Army (SLA), in an attempt to present it as weak before Israeli and international public opinions. The movement led by Riyad Abdallah, a follower of the Amal Movement from Khiam village, might have taken the form of a coup, though it was not supported by SLA troops or the ordinary citizens of the border strip. This prompted the Director of the Lebanon Bureau Uri Lubrani and the Deputy Defense Minister General Sneh to pay a visit to Major General Lahad and together contain this rebellion. At the same time, however, assassination attempts were initiated against security officials operating in the area, which climaxed with the killing of the Western District Commander, Colonel Akel Hashem, who also headed the Intelligence Service. The objective was to weaken the morale of the people of the area, and perhaps also to silence those who may disclose the names of people meeting with the Israelis. Some of the targeted individuals were slated to take up important posts in the armed organization at a later time. This was followed by an increased recruitment of informers working for Hezbollah and the Lebanese Army, some of whom had previously worked for the Israelis, in order to protect them and improve their image. The Lebanese Army at the time pretended to be blind to the unfolding events, ever since the Lebanese South was handed over to Hezbollah to be the sole “Resistance”.
The Lebanese citizens of the border strip and members of the SLA were aware of what was being prepared, and everyone knew of the Israeli government’s intention to withdraw. However, the discussions were about an agreement in which the United Nations forces would assume responsibility for security in the area, and SLA members would be incorporated into the Lebanese government troops who be entering the area under UN command. That agreement also stipulated the resolution of all pending issues, including a clean slate to erase the residues of the conflict between Hezbollah and the SLA and reconcile the Lebanese residents separated by the conflict, leading to stability under the umbrella of the UN and the Lebanese State. All of this was included in a memorandum drafted by representatives of the civilian committees of the border strip and submitted to the French and British ambassadors and to an attaché at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. The UN representative, Mr. Larsen, did not have the courage to receive a copy of the memorandum when he visited the area, although a copy was delivered to the UN Command in Naqoura, while a second copy was directly forwarded to the relevant UN authorities in New York.
But the Iranians were not interested in such a solution because it would deprive them of control on the ground and of their claims of victory. The Iranians pledged to the Israelis that not a single shot would be fired across the border if Hezbollah were to control security in the area. But if the Lebanese Army were to enter the area, followed by the Lebanese State’s official institutions, the Iranians could not assume any responsibility for the transgressions that might ensue. The US ambassador to Lebanon, David Satterfield, agreed to the plan as it offered the fastest solution to reducing tensions and stop the attacks.
As for the Lebanese side, the Taef Agreement had granted Syria complete control on the ground. President Assad had secured his grip on security in Lebanon, and therefore on the Lebanese government as well. He believed that keeping Hezbollah in south Lebanon served his interests, because Hezbollah was an integral part of his Iranian ally’s forces and gave Iran space to persevere despite its defeat in its war with Iraq. Iraq’s victory gave President Saddam Hussein a surplus of force that drove him to invade Kuwait and face an international coalition to liberate it, a coalition that included Syria.
Details were being worked out on an agreement over border issues between Israel and Lebanon, using the officially recognized Lebanese and Israeli maps of the 1948 Truce Agreement to delineate the Blue Line under the auspices of the UN forces. The Lebanese State consented to the full implementation of UNSCR 425 as soon as Israel withdraws from Lebanese territory, on the basis of the Blue Line as the border between the two countries.
In the Border Strip, Major General Lahad had instructed his staff that the agreement included ceasing hostilities, coordinating the entry of the UN forces following the Israeli withdrawal, overseeing the heavy weapons, and integrating SLA members who wished to continue to serve into the State security institutions. In exchange, Hezbollah was to surrender its weapons to the Lebanese government, as had previously happened with the other militias after the Taef Agreement.
But the Iranian expansionist plan for the Middle East was still in its early phases, especially after the downsizing of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. As a result, these Iranian plans increasingly relied on creating local Shiite armed organizations that were brainwashed to blindly follow the directives of the Iranian theocracy and implement its expansionist projects. To appear as a victor that vanquished Israel was a very critical narrative in Iran’s future outlook for the region, something that Ehud Barak did not understand. He committed himself to a specific timetable for withdrawing from South Lebanon, which made him lose the prime minister ship less than a year later, and ushering Israel into many years of a cycle of violence inspired by the” success” of the radical “terrorist” movement in Lebanon, and a failure of all understandings to bring stability.
Hence, the Iranian attempts to score mediatic points victories on the ground, with Hassan Nasrallah volunteering to issue brazen and depraved threats to enter into the bedrooms of the southern Lebanese residents and kill them in their sleep. Afterwards, no sooner had the Israelis withdrawn from the Bayyada site overlooking the sea, Hezbollah tried to seize the SLA position at Hamra Bridge, but it was ambushed by the SLA and lost more than 15 of its members whose bodies were left by the roadside near the Hamra crossing until the full Israeli withdrawal, not to mention the wounded, and despite the participation of the Lebanese Army artillery in the attack. Following that debacle, Hezbollah did not dare to use its own forces, and instead pushed waves of civilians into entering the area through the Shoumariyeh – Deir Seryan crossing point.
Meanwhile, the Israelis had convinced Major General Lahad to visit his family in France before the scheduled withdrawal, so that he could be present and supervise the implementation of the agreed-upon provisions pertaining to the SLA. But Ehud Barak, seemingly fearing an unravelling of the agreement with the Iranians, took the decision to withdraw precipitously one month before schedule, in the absence of the SLA Commander, and without a clear plan or instructions for the rank and file. The people of the southern border strip were left confounded, with nor orders to fight or coordinate the withdrawal. In the absence of the Israelis and General Lahad, it seemed that there was an agreement to hand over the area to Hezbollah. Having no interest in fighting the Lebanese State or the UN, some of them preferred to enter Israel to avoid a gratuitous bloodshed, as the Israeli “ally” had left and the Lebanese government or the UN forces were not allowed to negotiate with the Israelis. There seemed to be a will to transform the war in the south into a war between the Lebanese owners of the land on one hand, and the Iranian Hezbollah on the other, under the watch of the Lebanese government and the UN. The people of the south could not comprehend these events, for they had defended their homes and coordinated this defense with the Israelis, pending a return of the Lebanese government to assume its responsibilities. Their objective was to prevent a cross-border war and not engage in a war against their own people, even though their Lebanese opponents were under orders of a foreign country.
The SLA was capable of resisting and controlling the area, and compelling others to coordinate and negotiate with it over future arrangements. But the absence of General Lahad – some say he was sent away or excluded himself on purpose in order to implement the agreement signed in Sweden between the Iranians and the Israelis, which stipulated that Hezbollah will supplant the SLA in protecting the border and preventing any attacks across it – and Barak’s hurried withdrawal, with the blessing of Satterfield, had undermined any attempt at a successful normal process that would have rehabilitated the Truce Accords, the deployment of the Lebanese Army with the assistance of the SLA and the UN along the entire border, the surrender by Hezbollah of its weapons to the government, and the integration of willing Hezbollah and SLA fighters into the Lebanese Army.
But the insistence on such a hasty withdrawal will remain a shameful scar on Barak’s character and career inside Israel. Many believe that his political leadership has betrayed the people of the border strip and walked away from the sacrifices made for the sake of peace across the border. As a result, it was the principal driver for all the terrorist attacks that were to later occur inside Israel, which were a direct result of the apparent victory of Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
Today, 22 years after the Israeli withdrawal, we can understand that Barak’s haste in making the decision, his disrespect and lack of protection of his southern ally and eliminating the SLA’s role as an element of balance in the Lebanese equation, was a “misstep” that contributed greatly to boost Hezbollah and assist the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in presenting themselves as victorious. It also led to the 2006 War that cost both Lebanon and Israel much pain. Thus, and even if it sowed the seeds for dismantling the Lebanese State (Israel’s enemies actually say that dismantling the Lebanese entity was one of Israel’s undeclared goals), it lessened the halo that surrounded it, all the while leading without war to undermining the organized armies of neighboring Arab countries that have no peace treaty with Israel. Indeed, it favored the ongoing rapprochement between Israel and the Gulf Arabs who fear Iranian domination, and whose mixed sectarian demographics were exploited by the Iranians to sow terror in their prosperous societies and jeopardize their stability as a prelude to controlling their resources and capabilities, using organizations like Hezbollah to carry out their dirty deeds.
As for the internal Lebanese situation, the Syrian occupation had tamed the forces opposed to it after the defeat of General Aoun and the entry of the Syrians into the Defense Ministry and the Presidential Palace in Baabda. The Syrian regime had imposed the Taef Agreement that legitimized its occupation of the entire country, followed by the defeat of the Lebanese Forces, their dissolution and the imprisonment of their leader Samir Geagea, the takeover of the Kataeb Party and the exclusion of President Gemayel from the political scene, the killing of Danny Chamoun and his family in a murder operation reminiscent of the assassination of Tony Frangiyeh and his family, leaving Syria’s fingerprints in all of this, even in the assassination of Prime Minister Rachid Karameh. The Syrians now controlled the “pacified” country, with their tight grip on both its political and economic life.
Everyone was led to concede that Hezbollah, backed by Syria and its Iranian ally, had liberated the Lebanese south and saved Lebanon from the Israeli “enemy”. None of the active political actors at the time realized that inflating the role of Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards will eventually turn against Lebanon and prevent it from recovering its sovereignty and will wipe out the hopes of the Lebanese for an end to wars and for a closure of the open wound in the South that had brought much destruction to them and their children.
Everyone applauded the withdrawal of the Israelis from all Lebanese territory, but no one inquired about those brave SLA soldiers who had protected the South with their bodies and prevented the establishment of Israeli colonies in it, as had happened in the Golan, the Sinai, the West Bank and Gaza. It was them who protected people’s rights and properties, as well as the diversity of their communities, and even their political affiliations. The Druze citizen of Hasbaya, even as a member of the Socialist Party, was proud of his friendship with the Head of the Civilian Administration and may have had a child of his serving as a soldier or officer in the SLA. Similarly, the Shiite citizen who was affiliated with the Amal Movement, the Sunni Bedouin in the West or hailing from the Arqoub region, were also proud of their good relations with the SLA and even with the Israeli officers. The Christians were no different, they who defended the region since the occupation by the Palestinian Fatah and others, and who later prevented the Jezzine residents from being forcibly evicted and displaced like the fate suffered by the people of East Sidon and the Iqleem. They improved relations with the Mount-Lebanon Druze, allowing movement between Hasbaya and the Shouf, Bint Jbayl and Tibneen, Marjeyoun, and Nabatiyeh. They had linked their region by sea with East Beirut before it fell to the Syrians, cooperating with the Lebanese Forces in its defense. However, after the fall of East Beirut to the Syrians as a result of the fratricidal war between its leaders, one of whom was exiled and the other jailed, all hope for salvation had evaporated, and there was no reason to connect with a Lebanon under the Syrian yoke. When Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak decided to withdraw unilaterally, there was no one in Lebanon who cared for the citizens of the South who had kept the Lebanese flag flying high until the Israeli withdrawal, only to be replaced by the Iranian flag and the yellow flag that have nothing to do with Lebanon and are rather symbols of Iran’s domination over Lebanon.
These days, when we hear some politicians proclaiming their conviction that Hezbollah had liberated the South, while fully aware that Hezbollah did nothing but prevent the withdrawal of Israel for 15 years in order to complete its takeover of the Shiite community and isolate it into backwardness and the fear of cooperating with others. It then proceeded to complete its effective takeover of the country with its Syrian and Iranian masters’ help, and transform it into a failed state whose population can be easily sent into forced migration, as it did in Syria; it impoverished the country and destroyed the State institutions, beginning with the electricity sector; it forbade its followers from paying their bills to the ministries since 1982, and has filled them with its own men who do not even go to work; to the universities whose value has been tainted, the banks whose trust and confidence it undermined, and even the social and medical security network and other institutions that managed people’s lives and contributed to the advancement of the country. They then attacked all the friends of the country and sowed division and conflict with them, they empowered the corrupt, the drug smugglers, and the theft gangs to erode all that the State’s infrastructure and projects, thus shattering the hopes of the Lebanese people of keeping up with the world.
Those politicians who say that Hezbollah liberated the south from the Israelis are either fooling the Lebanese or themselves, in order to adapt and be part of this new system of subordination to the Persian theocracy that can only drag the country into backwardness, oppression, and isolation. By instilling fear between the various constituents of the nation, it makes them cease cooperating with each other, which puts Hezbollah as the arbiter of potential conflicts. These same politicians will marvel after the elections that they imposed a “defense strategy” in which Hezbollah, rather that dissolving itself and surrendering its weapons to the government, will control the Lebanese Army and the legitimate security forces. Lebanon will suffer the same fate as Iraq which is controlled by the Popular Mobilization Movement (Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi) and is preventing the rise of the Iraqi State.
This domination by Hezbollah was made possible by the Israeli handover of the Lebanese South to it until it entered the political arena by means of the quadripartite alliance and then by its invention of the non-sensical “Blocking Third”. The latter gimmick was used ad libitum to undermine the government until the pro-Iranian militia was able to impose the new electoral law by which it managed to take control of Parliament and subdue all three top offices in the land. Here is Hezbollah today having decided to run for the elections which are expected to increase the number of MPs under Hezbollah’s control to over 70, a number that Qassem Sulaymani bragged about reaching the previous time.
Was it in Ehud Barak’s design to crush the surrounding countries, including Lebanon, via Hezbollah and its weapons and hostile ideology to all the nations of the Arab region under the control of the descendants of Qurush and Khosrow Anushirvan? Or is it pragmatism used by military people who cannot see beyond the immediate operation assigned to them in their mission, even if at the cost of other losses whose legacies could be much graver.
The project of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards entails the destruction of all that surrounds it in order to build its new empire governed by the Jurisprudent Ruler. Iran has so far destroyed Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen, after failing to destroy Bahrain. It is directly attacking Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, and prodding Palestinian extremism on a daily basis to undermine Israeli production centers with the objective of demolishing them, as it did in Lebanon and elsewhere in the region. Will the Abraham Accords between Arabs and Israel prevent the metastasis of this cancer and put an end to it? Or will these accords be more than successful than those accords stained with the blood of the southern Lebanese and the Israelis, and lead to a new era of peaceful relations between the two countries. Those relations were ended by the conduct of the “practical” and short-sighted Prime Minister General, much as the conduct of an “indecisive” President Amin Gemayel who obliterated the aftermath of Israel’s entry into Lebanon in 1982, namely putting an end to the legend of Arafat and his organization, and all of Syria’s military capabilities in Lebanon?
In conclusion, and 22 years after the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon, we ask: Isn’t it to remove the “liberator” label off Hezbollah and show its true nature as the “occupier” on behalf of its Iranian masters? Or is hatred still controlling the Lebanese that they become blind to the hurtful truth and no longer know where their interests lie?
N.B: The above study was translated from Arabic to English By Mr. Joseph Hitti.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 30-May 01/2022
Russia urges US, NATO to halt Kyiv arms supply
Agence France Presse/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
Russia's foreign minister urged the U.S. and NATO to stop supplying Kyiv with arms if they are "really interested in resolving the Ukraine crisis", Chinese state media reported Saturday. Months into an invasion that failed in its short-term aim of capturing Kyiv, Moscow is now intensifying operations in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. But Sergei Lavrov told China's official Xinhua news agency that the "special military operation... is proceeding strictly according to plan." China has avoided condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and defends its firm friendship with Moscow, with state media often echoing the Russian line on the war."If the U.S. and NATO are really interested in resolving the Ukraine crisis, then first of all, they should wake up and stop supplying the Kyiv regime with arms and ammunition," Lavrov said. The Kremlin had previously called Western arms deliveries to Ukraine a threat to European security. In his interview with Xinhua published Saturday, Lavrov said that Russia can "retool" its economy to guard against potential "unlawful hostilities".He added that the sanctions-hit country will focus on moving away from the US dollar and lean less on imports, while boosting its tech independence, Xinhua reported.
Moscow has pursued a "de-dollarization" policy for several years, calling on partners such as China and India to conduct payments in other currencies. Since the invasion, Western nations have imposed sanctions that largely cut Russia's financial sector off from the global economy. Ukrainian prosecutors say they have pinpointed more than 8,000 war crimes and are investigating 10 Russian soldiers for suspected atrocities in Bucha, where dozens of bodies in civilian clothes were found following Moscow's retreat.

Kharkiv shelled as Russia maintains its offensive
Agence France Presse/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
Ukraine's second city Kharkiv was hit by multiple Russian shellings Saturday, though President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukrainian forces are making "tactical successes" in the region. Although Ukraine has retained control of Kharkiv, the city has been repeatedly battered by Moscow's forces and still faces daily attacks.One person was killed and five were injured "as a result of enemy artillery and mortar strikes", the Kharkiv's regional military administration said on Telegram. "The situation in the Kharkiv region is tough. But our military, our intelligence, have important tactical success," Zelensky said in his latest televised address. Ukrainian forces said they had recaptured a "strategically important" village of Ruska Lozova, near Kharkiv, and evacuated hundreds of civilians. Russia confirmed Friday that it carried out an air strike on Kyiv during a visit by UN chief Antonio Guterres, the first such attack on the Ukrainian capital in nearly two weeks, and in which a journalist also died. Russia's defence ministry said it had deployed "high-precision, long-range air-based weapons" that "destroyed the production buildings of the Artyom missile and space enterprise in Kyiv". Zelensky called for a stronger global response to Thursday's strikes, which immediately followed his talks in the city with the UN's secretary general. "It is unfortunate, but such a deliberate and brutal humiliation of the United Nations by Russia has gone unanswered," he said. Guterres had also toured Bucha and other Kyiv suburbs where Moscow is alleged to have committed war crimes. Russia denies killing civilians. "I was moved by the resilience and bravery of the people of Ukraine. My message to them is simple: We will not give up," Guterres tweeted Friday. "The @UN will redouble its efforts to save lives and reduce human suffering. In this war, as in all wars, the civilians always pay the highest price." The powerful blast ripped out walls and doors, leaving piles of rubble on the ground. "I think Russians aren't afraid of anything, not even the world's judgement," Anna Hromovych, deputy director of a heavily damaged clinic, told AFP as she and others were cleaning up the devastation on Friday. Putin is nevertheless due to attend November's G20 summit, President Joko Widodo of host nation Indonesia said. Zelensky also has been invited.
Putin's 'depravity'
Ukrainian prosecutors said they had pinpointed more than 8,000 war crimes and were investigating 10 Russian soldiers for suspected atrocities in Bucha, where dozens of bodies in civilian clothes were found following Moscow's retreat. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Friday briefly choked with emotion as he described the destruction in Ukraine and slammed Putin's "depravity." Three months into an invasion that failed in its short-term aim of capturing Kyiv, Russia is now intensifying operations in the eastern Donbas region and tightening its stranglehold on the devastated southern port city of Mariupol. Ukrainian authorities said they planned to evacuate civilians on Friday from the besieged Azovstal steel plant, the last holdout in Mariupol where hundreds are sheltering with Ukrainian troops. But Denis Pushilin, leader of the breakaway eastern region of Donetsk, accused Ukrainian forces of "acting like outright terrorists" and holding civilians hostage in the steel plant. From Mariupol's badly damaged port zone, AFP on Friday heard heavy shelling coming from Azovstal during a media trip organised by the Russian army, with explosions only a few seconds apart in the early afternoon.
'Minor' advances
With the war claiming thousands of lives, Kyiv has admitted Russian forces have captured a string of villages in the Donbas region. But Ukrainian forces, armed by Western allies, also reported small victories along the frontline. A senior NATO official said Russia had made only "minor" and "uneven" advances in their attempt to encircle enemy positions as Ukrainian forces counter-attacked. The Pentagon said the Kremlin's eastern offensive was "behind schedule" as air strikes were failing to facilitate lightning ground offensives. But in Kharkiv, civilians continued to live in fear. One resident, Antonina, told AFP she returned home to find a rocket had smashed through her building and lodged in her bathroom. "When I came home, everything was destroyed... It was scary," she said. More Western armaments are due to arrive in Ukraine, with US President Joe Biden on Thursday seeking billions of dollars from Congress to boost supplies. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said that the United States wanted the war to end as soon as possible -- but that much of the US security assistance would last well beyond October. Russia's defense ministry in recent days has said its forces have struck Ukrainian military sites hosting Western-supplied weapons and ammunition, a claim denied by a senior NATO official.
'We will leave'
Britain said it was deploying about 8,000 troops for exercises across eastern Europe in a show of Western allies' resolve against Russian aggression. Fears of the conflict spilling over into neighboring Moldova's pro-Kremlin breakaway region of Transnistria have soared this week after explosions, shots and a drone sighting were reported.  "I don't know what to do, I've never lived through a situation like this," Victoria, a 36-year-old medical assistant who works in Transnistria, told AFP. "If things change we will leave, obviously." A NATO official said the presence of 1,500 to 2,000 Russian troops in Transnistria was a "concern" as they could distract Ukrainian forces and had stronger capabilities than Moldova's army. The cost of the war has reverberated across Europe, with Brussels publishing data showing that output growth for the eurozone has slowed to 0.2 percent, while consumer prices have leapt by a record 7.4 percent in April. But that pales in comparison to the plight of Ukrainians, more than 5.4 million who have fled their country since the invasion, according to UN estimates. Another 7.7 million others are displaced internally, the International Organization for Migration said, appealing for $514 million to help.

Iran's Guards Commander Says Israel Creating Conditions for Own Destruction
Tehran/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
Israel’s actions are creating conditions for its own destruction, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander on Friday told a Jerusalem Day rally at which the country’s new domestically-made Kheibar Buster missile was displayed. “Stop your vicious deeds. You know well that we are people of action and reaction,” Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami, addressing Israel, told demonstrators in Tehran. “Our responses are painful. You create conditions for your own destruction. We will not leave you alone ...You know better than me what will befall you if you take evil action.” Iran’s military has vowed to retaliate harshly against any attack by Israel, which has often voiced concern over the Iranian nuclear program. Tehran says the program is for peaceful purposes only. Israel has long threatened military action against Iran if talks between Tehran and world powers fail to curb Iranian nuclear activity. In February, Tehran unveiled its “Kheibar Buster” missile with a range of 1,450 kilometers. Iran says its ballistic missiles have a range of up to 2,000 km and are capable of reaching its arch-foe Israel and US bases in the region. State television said millions of Iranians joined rallies marking Quds Day, the Arabic name for Jerusalem, in state-organized marches across the country. It showed the Israeli flag being set on fire and groups of people around the country shouting choreographed “Death to America, Death to Israel” slogans. Supreme leader Ali Khamenei said in a televised speech that anti-Israeli protests and attacks showed that Palestinians rejected compromises by Arab authorities with Israel. President Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s military commanders and senior officials also attended the rallies in which people were allowed to march through the streets, the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic two years ago.
Iran's Jerusalem Day rallies are held annually in support of Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state in territories captured by Israel in a 1967 war, on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

US House Passes Stop Iranian Drones Act
Washington - Rana Abtar/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
The US House of Representatives unanimously passed the Stop Iranian Drones Act (SIDA) to end its drone program and impose sanctions on its supporters. The bill was approved by 424 votes against two and required approval from the Senate and a presidential signature to become law. Republicans Tom Massie and Marjorie Greene were against the bill. The bill promises to punish those who deal with the Iranian regime in the drones' program under the US Sanctions on conventional weapons. Democratic Representative Ted Deutsch tweeted: "time, and again, Iran has used UAVs to threaten global stability and US interests. Congress countered this destabilizing behavior today and passed the Stop Iranian Drones Act." Congresswoman Elise Stefanik said the Act would stop Iran or Iranian allies from acquiring combat drones that could be used against US troops or US allies. Alleging that Iran is "the world's leading exporter of terrorism," Stefanik said the world should know Washington will "use every tool at its disposal to cut off Iran's access to deadly weapons." The legislators spoke of the importance of approving such a draft as Iran uses the drones to spread panic in the Middle East and attack US forces, Israel, and allies in the region. They urged the Senate to pass the exact version of the bill quickly ahead of sending it for signing at the White House. Last December, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mike McCaul, warned of the danger of drones against the US and its allies in the Middle East. McCaul said that "these attacks are intolerable" whether Iran launches the attack, the Houthis, Iran-backed militia groups, or other Iran-sponsored entities. "The people of the Middle East, including Americans living there, cannot live in freedom, stability, or prosperity under assault by Iran's drones," said McCaul. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks pointed out that the "deadly drones in the hands of the world's greatest exporter of terrorism, Iran, jeopardizes the security of the United States and regional peace." He asserted that the recent Iranian drone attacks on US troops, commercial shipping vessels, regional partners, and the export of drone technology to conflict zones pose a dire threat. The Democratic representative stressed that the bill sends a strong signal to the international community that it supports the Iranian drone program and will not be tolerated by the US government. The senators pledged to expedite the bill's approval, which was put forward by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Bob Menendez, and its top Republican, Jim Risch, in December. The lawmakers behind the proposed legislation say it clarifies that US sanctions on Iran's conventional weapons program under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) include the supply, sale, or transfer to or from Iran of drones, which can be used in attacks against the US or its allies. "Iran's increasing reliance on unmanned aerial vehicles to attack US personnel and assets across the Middle East and shipping vessels, commercial facilities, and regional partners is a serious and growing menace to regional stability," said Menendez. He warned that Iran's reckless export of this technology to proxies across the region represents a significant threat to human lives. "We must do more to hold Iran accountable for its destabilizing behavior as we continue to confront the threat of its nuclear program."Risch said the US must do more to halt "Iran's regional terrorism," as "we saw with recent Iranian-sponsored drone attacks on American troops and the Iraqi Prime Minister, as well as the constant attacks on Saudi Arabia."

Congressmen Upset over 'Assad's Wealth Growth' despite US Sanctions
Washington - Rana Abtar/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
The US State Department estimated the wealth of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family at $1 to $2 billion, despite the imposed sanctions. The estimated figure surprised US lawmakers amid international reports stating that nearly 90 percent of the Syrian people live below the poverty line. Ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jim Risch said that Assad amassed his illegal wealth, which solidifies his regime and funds his crimes against the Syrian people. He asserted that international and economic isolation remains the best tool for seeking accountability. Risch called on the US administration to step up the implementation of the "Caesar Act" approved by Congress while mitigating its impact on the public. The State Department's report concerned members of the Legislative Council about the Biden administration's policy in the Middle East and Syria. Some senators believe the administration is not doing enough to push against the normalization of relations with the Assad regime. Risch criticized Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who attended a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this week. The Senator said that sanctions of the Caesar Act were not implemented, adding that the administration did not publicly encourage normalization with the Assad regime, but it is clear there are no repercussions for others.Congressional sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that there was general dissatisfaction among lawmakers with the information in the State Department report that showed that Assad and his family had circumvented the US and international sanctions imposed on them. They explained that they established a complex system including shell companies and corporate facades that serves as a tool for the regime to access financial resources via seemingly legitimate corporate structures and non-profit entities. The report added the regime "launders money acquired from illicit economic activities including smuggling, arms trading, drug trafficking, and protection and extortion rackets." At the outset of the report, the Department announced that it was based on open-source information, but this is a ballpark estimate that the Department cannot corroborate independently. It indicated it was difficult to accurately estimate the net worth of Assad and his extended family members, given that family assets are believed to be spread out and concealed in numerous accounts, real estate portfolios, corporations, and offshore tax-havens. It is likely that "any assets located outside of Syria and not seized or blocked are likely held under false names or by other individuals, to obscure ownership and evade sanctions." The report examines the finances of Bashar Assad and his wife Asma, Bashar's brother Maher, Bashar's sister Bushra, Bashar's cousins Rami and Ihab Makhlouf, Bashar's uncle Rifaat Assad, and Bashar's paternal cousins Dhu al-Himma and Riad Shalish. The Department does not have sufficient information on the net worth of Bashar Assad's three children, Hafez, Zayn, and Karim.
Bashar and Asma al-Assad:
The information included in the assessment is based on NGO reporting, and media sources assess claiming that Bashar and Asma Assad exert significant influence over much of Syria's wealth. "The Assads maintain close patronage relationships with Syria's largest economic players, using their companies to launder money from illicit activities and funnel funds to the regime. These networks penetrate all sectors of the Syrian economy."The report singles out Asma al-Assad, saying that she established a network that enjoys "increasing influence over the Syrian economy." Maher and Bushra al-Assad: The report sheds light on the role of Maher in drug smuggling operations. Maher is the commander of Syria's Fourth Armored Division, through which he acts as the head of a patronage network involved in illicit activities.NGO and media outlets allege the Fourth Armored Division also collects fees from traffic passing through official and unofficial Syrian checkpoints under its control and charges protection and royalty fees for commercial transports.The public report does not provide detailed information on Maher's wealth and refers lawmakers to the classified annex to this report. The State Department stated that Bushra and her children have reportedly lived in Dubai since 2012, following a dispute with Bashar over his handling of the conflict, adding: "We do not have reliable information on Bushra's net worth." Rami Makhlouf: The report describes Assad's cousin, Rami Makhlouf, as one "of Syria's richest and most powerful men and at one time controlled a large share of the Syrian economy."Open-source estimates of Makhlouf's wealth range between $5-10 billion.

Angry Syrians Demand ‘Holding Regime Accountable’ for Tadamon Massacre
Idlib - Firas Karam/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
The footage of the Tadamon massacre sparked massive anger among Syrians and opposition activists who called on the international community to hold the Syrian regime accountable for its horrific crimes. The Guardian released on Wednesday a video clip showing members of branch 227 of the country's military intelligence service carrying out mass executions of civilians in the Tadamon neighborhood, south of Damascus. The video, dating back to 2013, depicts a group of blindfolded and handcuffed detainees shot dead by a Syrian intelligence officer as they are forced to run toward an execution pit. It also showed members of the Syrian regime's forces piling bodies on top of each other and burning them. Opposition activist Ahmed al-Omar said that The Guardian's video and investigative report revealed the mass execution of dozens of civil detainees by the Syrian regime forces in the Tadamon neighborhood. Omar indicated that the video brought back to people's memory the atrocities and crimes of the regime forces during their raids on Syrian cities and neighborhoods. He noted that the international community's silence on the regime's crimes against Syrians over the past decade was shocking. Umm Mazen, 56, the wife of a detainee since 2013, said she felt intense fear and terror when she saw the video. She indicated that after watching the massacre, she sensed the feeling of every wife and mother whose husband or son is detained by the regime forces and fear that he will be killed in the same way. The Syrian Islamic Council offered its condolences to the families of the victims of the "horrific crime," adding that the crimes of the Syrian regime continue behind bars. The statement warned of dire consequences for the returned refugees, adding that a joint constitutional committee or reconciliation is not possible with the presence of these criminals in power. The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces said that the world watched one of the massacres of the criminal Assad regime, adding that it is only one crime out of the thousands of bloody massacres carried out by the government and its allies against the Syrian people. The Coalition stated that the truth known to Syrians is now clear to the whole world, leaving no room for doubt. In its statement, the Coalition said the massacre in the video is a well-documented "war crime" with perpetrators' information, adding that it requires fair accountability in the International Criminal Court of the criminal regime. It stressed that there would be no peace in Syria and the region with the presence of this criminal regime that has committed all kinds of atrocities against the Syrians. It urged an "international accountability" for the crimes, calling for a fair trial of perpetrators.

UN Extends Libya Mission by Three Months
New York - Ali Barada/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
The United Nations Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) for three months, with Russia vetoing a longer prolongation until a new envoy is appointed. The text extends until July 31, 2022 the mandate of UNSMIL and “calls upon the Secretary-General to appoint a Special Representative promptly” to be based in the capital Tripoli. The resolution requires the UN chief report monthly on its implementation until the end of July. Since the resignation in November of Slovak envoy Jan Kubis, the Security Council has been marked by growing Russian opposition to any common agreement on Libya. UNSMIL’s annual mandate was renewed in September for only four months, before being extended in January for another three months. According to diplomats, at the start of negotiations, Britain presented its 14 partners in the Security Council with a draft text renewing UNSMIL’s mandate for one year. But faced with Russian resistance, the text was transformed into a technical renewal of the current mandate for only three months. Resolution 2629 is the fourth issued by the Council since mid-September 2021, due to the division among its members on the appointment of a new special envoy to the UN mission to succeed Kubis. On December 6, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed American diplomat Stephanie Williams, a fluent Arabic speaker who served as deputy UN special representative in Libya from 2018-2020 as his special adviser and sent her to Tripoli.

West Warns Sudan Against Forming Cabinet that ‘Lacks Credibility’
Khartoum - Ahmed Younis/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
A high-level Western delegation has warned Sudan against any agreement or government resulting from non-inclusive processes, which would lack credibility with the Sudanese public and the international community. Senior officials from France, Germany, Norway, the UK, the US, and the EU concluded a joint visit to Khartoum to show support for the people of Sudan and a civilian-led transition towards democracy. The delegation called for immediate progress towards a transitional civilian government agreed through the Sudanese-led political process being facilitated by the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission to Sudan (UNITAMS), the African Union (AU), and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). They expressed grave concern about the former regime members once again being installed, further exacerbating tensions in Sudanese society and making it more difficult to implement reforms. The delegation reaffirmed their governments’ and the EU’s unwavering support for the Sudanese people’s aspirations for freedom, peace, and justice. They welcomed the facilitators’ announcement that they would convene a meeting to this end on May 10-12.
The delegation called upon all Sudanese stakeholders to participate constructively and fully in this process and pointed out to the dangers of any further delay. The officials warned against any agreement or government resulting from non-inclusive processes, which would lack credibility with the Sudanese public and the international community. The delegation underscored the importance of action to create an enabling environment for the success of the UNITAMS-AU-IGAD facilitated process. They welcomed the recent release of some detained political leaders and pressed Sudan’s military leaders to release all remaining political detainees and activists, end violence, including sexual and gender-based violence, against protestors, ensure accountability for those responsible for such acts and immediately lift the state of emergency. They expressed grave concern about the former regime members once again being installed, further exacerbating tensions in Sudanese society and making it more difficult to implement reforms. They stressed that freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association needed to be respected in full for the UNITAMS-AU-IGAD facilitated process to succeed. Western officials pledged to continue humanitarian and other direct assistance to the Sudanese people during this difficult time.
They underscored that international financial support for the Sudanese government, including debt relief, could only follow the establishment of a credible civilian government. They expressed concern that without this, Sudan might lose billions of dollars in development assistance from the World Bank and that Sudan’s IMF program and $19 billion in associated debt relief would be imperiled. The delegation also noted the fragile state of Sudan’s peace process, as tragically illustrated by the recent deaths of more than 200 people in West Darfur. The delegation strongly condemned this violence and called for those responsible to be held accountable. They underscored the urgent need to rapidly implement the security structures envisioned under the Juba Peace Agreement. The visiting delegation met with Sudanese society and political leaders, including the members of the Transitional Sovereign Council, chaired by Lt-Gn Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. It consisted of French Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Frederic Clavier, German Director for East Africa and the Horn of Africa Thorsten Hutter, Norwegian Director-General for Regional Affairs May-Elin Stener, UK Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea Philip Parham, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Africa, Sudan, and South Sudan Peter Lord, and EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa Annette Weber.

Three Killed in Latest Violence in Sudan's Darfur
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
Three people were killed Friday in Sudan's restive Darfur region, witnesses and an aid group said, as the United Nations condemned recent clashes that have left over 200 dead. West Darfur state, the arid region of Sudan bordering Chad, has for the past week been gripped by deadly violence between members of the Massalit community and Arab fighters. On Friday, gunmen opened fire in a fruit market in West Darfur's state capital El Geneina, said Adam Regal from the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur, a Sudanese independent aid group. "Three people were shot dead in El Geneina," Regal said, a toll confirmed by local resident Abdelrahman Hussein. It was not immediately clear what provoked the shooting, AFP reported. Over 200 people have been killed and scores wounded in a week of heavy fighting, initially centered around the town of Krink, before spreading to El Geneina, which lies over 1,100 kilometers west of the capital Khartoum. On Friday, the UN Security Council condemned the clashes and called for an "immediate cessation of violence" and a "transparent investigation" into those responsible. The UN stressed "the primary responsibility of state authorities to protect civilians." The latest violence comes as Sudan grapples with fallout from a coup in October last year led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Last week's deadly violence erupted with gunmen reportedly attacking Massalit villages around Krink in retaliation for the killing of two comrades. The UN said more than 1,000 armed members of the Arab Rizeigat community then swept into the town. Health facilities and government buildings were attacked or set on fire in the violence, according to the UN. Witnesses have accused the Janjaweed militia of orchestrating the violence.

Pakistani Premier to Asharq Al-Awsat: Committed to Promoting Ties with Saudi Arabia
Riyadh - Fatehelrahman Yousif/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
On his first foreign visit to Saudi Arabia, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that his government was committed to advancing the special relationship with the Kingdom. Sharif is the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League. He was sworn in earlier this month after parliament ousted his predecessor, Imran Khan, in a vote of no confidence. In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, the Pakistani premier said: “It is our sincere desire now to transform this relationship into a deep, diversified and mutually beneficial strategic partnership. The two sides are now working to enhance economic, trade and investment cooperation by exploring the opportunities available under Saudi Vision 2030 and Pakistan’s development priorities.” Shehbaz is the brother of Nawaz Sharif, who served as the country’s prime minister for three terms. When Nawaz tried to replace the army chief, the two brothers were overthrown in a military coup and were punished with imprisonment. They left for Saudi Arabia, where they spent eight years in the city of Jeddah until 2007. On November 25, 2007, Shehbaz and his brother Nawaz returned to Pakistan after the Supreme Constitutional Court in Islamabad issued a decision allowing their return to the country. Shehbaz Sharif, born in 1953 to a wealthy Kashmiri political family, previously held the position of prime minister of Punjab, the largest of Pakistan’s provinces. In his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, the new premier talked about relations with Saudi Arabia, the situation in Yemen and Afghanistan, as well as the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and its local and regional repercussions.
Saudi-Pakistani Relations
Asked about his current visit to Riyadh and his assessment of Saudi-Pakistani bilateral relations, Sharif said: “Relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are historical and strategic.” He pointed to full solidarity and understanding resulting from “our strong contacts at the leadership level and close cooperation on matters of regional and international importance.” He continued: “This is my first foreign visit, and it demonstrates my deep commitment to further strengthening this fraternal relationship.”As for the most important areas of mutual cooperation, the Pakistani premier stressed that brotherly ties with the Kingdom were not limited to specific fields but included all aspects of bilateral relations, including security and defense, bilateral trade and economic cooperation, in addition to parliamentary exchange.
Yemeni Crisis
Commenting on the Saudi initiative to resolve the Yemeni crisis, which was met with Houthis’ intransigence and their continued attacks on the Kingdom, Sharif said: “We strongly condemn the Houthi terrorist attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, and call for an immediate cessation of these hostilies, which violate and threaten the peace and security of the Kingdom and the region.”He emphasized in this regard that his country fully supported the initiative of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the peaceful settlement of the Yemeni conflict. He also lauded the establishment of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, as an “important step in the right direction that will help promote a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni crisis.”
Saudi Arabia and Iran
Asked about his government’s opinion on the current Saudi-Iranian talks, the Pakistani premier said that his country enjoyed good brotherly relations with both Riyadh and Tehran. “Iran is our important neighbor and Saudi Arabia is our closest friend. Thus, Pakistan welcomes the Saudi-Iranian talks, as Pakistan believes in the need to avoid conflict, defuse tensions and resolve differences through political and diplomatic means,” Sharif told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Afghanistan
On the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan and the increasing security danger by the extremist movement, the prime minister said that fighting terrorism was a common goal, not only for Afghanistan and Pakistan, but for the entire international community. “The international community should support Afghanistan to enhance its capacity to fight terrorism… But on the long term, the only guarantee of peace and security in our region is the stability and prosperity of Afghanistan,” he underlined.
Relations with the West
Asked about the means to improve relations with Europe and the United States, Sharif noted that Pakistan has traditionally enjoyed very good relations with Western countries, which he said were a major economic, trade and development partner. “We are determined to further strengthen these relationships in the coming years,” he stated. In this regard, the Pakistani premier said that Europe was one of his country’s largest trade and investment partners. “This relationship is further enhanced by the presence of more than 3 million expatriates, which serves as a strong bridge. The two sides are firmly committed to advancing the goals of promotion of democracy, development, human rights and rule of law, and will continue to expand cooperation in regional security, trade and climate change for the mutual benefit of our two peoples,” he remarked. On the US-Pakistani relations, Sharif noted that a long-term bilateral relationship between Islamabad and Washington was of a wide-ranging nature and covered issues of common interest. “We believe that our continued constructive engagement can promote peace and security as well as development in the entire region. With a focus on economic development, Pakistan is well positioned to engage the United States and further enhance bilateral trade and investment,” he said.
The Ukrainian Crisis
The military conflict in Ukraine reflected the failure of diplomacy, the prime minister emphasized, stressing the need for an immediate halt of hostilities and for continued dialogue. He said: “Pakistan enjoys good relations with both Russia and Ukraine. We have always taken a position based on the basic principles of the United Nations Charter. It is related to the peoples’ right to self-determination, the non-use or threat of force, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.” Sharif stressed the need to establish and maintain humanitarian corridors, provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, and continue efforts for a diplomatic solution. “Pakistan supports all efforts to provide humanitarian relief to civilians in the affected areas… and has sent two C-130 planes to provide relief aid to the people of Ukraine, as a gesture of solidarity,” he said. The premier warned that conflict was in nobody’s interest, especially the developing world. He explained that developing countries, such as Pakistan, were strongly hit by the crisis, especially with the soaring prices of oil and food on the international market.

Saudi Crown Prince Meets with Pakistani Prime Minister
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 30 April, 2022
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, met on Friday with Pakistani Prime Minister Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah. An official reception ceremony was held in honor of the visiting Prime Minister. After that, the Crown Prince and Sharif held a meeting to review the fraternal and historical relations between the Kingdom and Pakistan. They also discussed the prospects of bilateral cooperation and promising opportunities as well as ways to develop them in various fields. The two sides also reviewed all regional and international issues and discussed a number of issues of common interest. The meeting was attended by Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Energy; Prince Turki bin Mohammad bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State and Cabinet's Member; Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior; Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Minister of National Guard, Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Defense; Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Minister of State, Cabinet's Member, National Security Adviser, Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, who is also the accompanying minister; Minister of Commerce and Acting Minister of Media Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi; a number of ministers and senior officials and the Pakistani Prime Minister's accompanying delegation.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 30-May 01/2022
Giving Carrots to Iran Will Not Alter Its Brutal, Expansionist Plan
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/April 30/2022
"The Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ... will be responsible not only for guarding and preserving the frontiers of the country, but also for fulfilling the ideological mission of jihad in God's way; that is, extending the sovereignty of God's law throughout the world." – Constitution, Islamic Republic of Iran
"We shall export our revolution to the whole world. Until the cry 'There is no god but Allah' resounds over the whole world, there will be struggle." -- Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, 1981
"We do not worship Iran, we worship Allah. For patriotism is another name for paganism. I say let this land [Iran] burn. I say let this land go up in smoke, provided Islam emerges triumphant in the rest of the world." --Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, The Economist, November 20, 2007
Does anyone seriously think that having a bomb and billions of dollars will make the mullahs less aggressive?
It is time for the Biden administration and the European Union to see that, as with Putin's Russia, no amount of appeasement or concessions is going to pressure the Iranian regime – called by the US State Department itself "The world's worst state sponsor of terrorism -- to change its ruthless, expansionist program for the better.
Iran was ordered by a US judge to pay $7.5 billion to the families of victims of 9/11. Does anyone seriously think that having a bomb and billions of dollars will make the mullahs less aggressive? (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The Biden administration and the European Union continue to appease the ruling mullahs of Iran while ignoring the regime's threats to annihilate Israel. Do they really believe that appeasing the Islamic Republic will lead to a positive change within the regime? Or do they secretly hope that Iran will do them a favor and finally, to paraphrase King Henry II, rid them of this troublesome country?
The Biden administration and the European Union might do well to understand that revolutionary and authoritarian regimes such as the Islamic Republic -- as we are seeing now with Vladimir Putin's Russian invasion if Ukraine -- do not alter their malign policies through appeasement and concessions. If anything --as there are no negative consequences for unneighborly behavior, and sometimes there are even rewards -- they regard appeasement and concessions as green lights and double down, go twice as bad.
Take a look at history of the Islamic Republic: for almost four decades, since its inception in 1979, it has kept its revolutionary ideals. One of its most non-negotiable and critical revolutionary ideals is exporting its ideology and system of (Velayat e faqih: Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) to other countries. The late founder of the regime, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, introduced a revolutionary notion in Islamic Shiite thought with the concept of Velayat e Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) which means a clergy or an ayatollah should have custodianship and power over the people across the world, should rule over people and be the final decision maker.
The regime calls this core mission, Jihad, which has to be achieved through hard power and violence. As the Islamic Republic's constitution points out: "The Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ... will be responsible not only for guarding and preserving the frontiers of the country, but also for fulfilling the ideological mission of jihad in God's way; that is, extending the sovereignty of God's law throughout the world."
The founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, reiterated this important Islamic mission on several occasions: He famously said, "We shall export our revolution to the whole world. Until the cry 'There is no god but Allah' resounds over the whole world, there will be struggle."
For the revolutionary regime of Iran, all that matters is the triumph of Islam. As Ayatollah Khamenei stated, "We do not worship Iran, we worship Allah. For patriotism is another name for paganism. I say let this land [Iran] burn. I say let this land go up in smoke, provided Islam emerges triumphant in the rest of the world." He adds, "Islam is politics or it is nothing."
To achieve this revolutionary ideal of creating one nation under Islam, the ruling mullahs believe that whoever opposes them is an infidel and must be eliminated. As Ayatollah Khomeini warns "If one permits an infidel to continue in his role as a corrupter of the earth, the infidel's moral suffering will be all the worse. If one kills the infidel, and this stops him from perpetrating his misdeeds, his death will be a blessing to him." He also adds "All those against the revolution must disappear and quickly be executed."
Suppressing women is another revolutionary ideal of the regime. "Is progress achieved by sending women to the majlis [parliament]? Sending women to these centers is nothing but corruption. We are against this prostitution. We object to such wrongdoings," Ayatollah Khomenei said about women role in politics.
Take a quick look as well at the destruction that this regime has caused in the last four decades. At its inception, the regime detained and humiliated 52 Americans and did not release its hostages for 444 days, the longest hostage-taking in modern history. The Iranian regime has also been using its proxies, such as Hezbollah, to commit terrorism and incite antagonism towards America, Israel and even just Jews. Hezbollah has been accused of terrorist attacks, including the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marines barracks in Beirut, in which 241 U.S. Marines were killed; the 1984 United States Embassy annex bombing in Beirut; the 9/11 attacks in the United States, for which a U.S. federal court ordered Iran to pay $7.5 billion to the victims' families. Hezbollah and Iran were also reportedly behind the 1992 attack on Israel's Embassy in Buenos Aires during which 29 people were killed, as well as bombing the USS Cole in October, 2000.
It was the Iranian government that provided aid to Al Qaeda to carry out terrorist attacks against the US on 9/11/2001. A New York court found that "The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran ("Iran") has a long history of providing material aid and support to terrorist organizations including al Qaeda."
Does anyone seriously think that having a bomb and billions of dollars will make the mullahs less aggressive?
It is time for the Biden administration and the European Union to see that, as with Putin's Russia, no amount of appeasement or concessions is going to pressure the Iranian regime – called by the US State Department itself "The world's worst state sponsor of terrorism -- to change its ruthless, expansionist program for the better.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, is a business strategic and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 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.

War in Ukraine is Getting Sharper and More Complicated
Omer Onhon/Asharq Al-Awsat/April,30/2022
President Joe Biden continues to announce military aid packages. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin have visited Kyiv and reiterated their country’s resolve to stand with Ukraine against Russia’s aggression.
Among all political declarations, Secretary of Defense Austin’s statement was the most memorable one. He stated that “the US wants to see Russia weakened to the degree that it cannot do the kind of things that it has done in invading Ukraine”.
Upon the initiative of the US, 43 countries from NATO, the EU and others, which included Japan, Qatar, Jordan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Morocco Tunisia, Kenya, Israel came together in Ramstein. This air base is the headquarters to the US Air Forces in Europe and Africa and the NATO Allied Air Command.
The extent to which these countries will contribute to supporting Ukraine will vary. Germany’s announcement that it would provide anti aircraft systems to Ukraine was most striking. This follows their previous decision to supply anti-tank weapons and Stinger missiles to Ukraine. Russia warned that arming Ukraine threatens Europe’s security. Lavrov accused NATO of carrying out a proxy war against Russia and pointed to “a real danger of a third world war”. Putin said that any country trying to intervene in the Ukraine war will face a "lightning-fast" response. He said that Russia has all the tools and is ready to use them if necessary. Russia also responded by weaponizing its energy resources, once again. In the past, Russia had cut gas deliveries to Ukraine and Georgia. Now, implementing its threat of stopping gas exports to unfriendly countries, Gasprom is no longer sending gas to Poland and Bulgaria. Poland gets 55 percent of its gas from Russia. In case of Bulgaria, it is 90 percent. Gazprom’s sales to Europe in 2021 were around 150 bcm. The EU imports around 45 percent of its natural gas and 25 percent of its oil from Russia. That is an import of almost 1 billion dollars worth of energy per day from Putin’s land. In fact, this picture demonstrates that Russia and the EU are mutually dependent on each other. The EU is looking for ways of reducing its dependency on Russian gas as well as diversification both in terms of type of energy and suppliers. But it is not an easy and quick fix. Billions of dollars have been invested in the existing gas delivery network. Then, even though Russia does not have a monopoly on either natural gas or means of delivery, it will take time to switch to other suppliers such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Iran, Norway, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.
What is available and what is not, contractual obligations and geo-strategic and political issues related to alternative countries are also matters which can not be overlooked.
On the other side, it may be easier for Russia to find alternative buyers for its natural gas, at least in the short run.
What role the United Nations has?
At the outset of the war, UN Secretary General Guterres called Russia’s invasion a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. Then, until recently, the UN top diplomat was mostly absent.
This week, Guterres went first to Moscow and then to Kyiv. In Moscow, he emphasized that Russian forces are in Ukraine and not the other way round. He expressed deep concern about reported war crimes (by Russia).
What is clear is that they did not agree on the political aspects of the crisis. Guterres said that “Russia till has a different position on what is happening in Ukraine”.
In Kyiv, Guterres made a tour of destroyed cities, expressed his sorrow for what he saw and met with the Ukrainian president. The UN is quite efficient in humanitarian assistance and related activities. But when it comes to matters such as conflict prevention, the UN is no more than a talk and debate forum. The Organization is squeezed in the palm of permanent members which hold veto power.
Turkish president Erdogan talked to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is trying to be more than a venue provider and trying to facilitate or even mediate a ceasefire and a peace agreement.
Israel is another country which can talk to both sides but is very careful not to irritate Russia. China may have a leverage on Russia but prefers to watch from a distance.
Now that elections in France are over, President Emmanuel Macron will probably make a move to get back into the stage on Ukraine. Macron sees an opportunity in the Ukraine war. He cautioned that if Europe does not take responsibility and act to solve a European issue, outsiders such as “China and Turkey” may. Despite all that is going on, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators have not stopped negotiating. There is a draft, maybe more than one. Russia has accused Ukraine of stalling. They say that Ukraine is not serious about negotiations. The UN Secretary General described the situation as complex and pointed to different interpretations.
I was very cautiously optimistic after the meeting in Istanbul but at present, a breakthrough seems quite distant.

Inflation Is Soaring. So Where’s My Pay Raise?
Chris Bryant/BloombergApril,30/2022
When consumer prices began soaring last year, a trade union representing staff at the European Central Bank demanded their wages increase in lockstep with inflation.
This grassroots effort to index pay to price increases was ultimately unsuccessful, but it was incendiary stuff coming from the supposed guardians of euro-area price stability. Indexation, after all, can determine who is shielded from inflation — and who suffers from it. From the ECB’s perspective, it’s fortunate that the practice of linking wage raises to the inflation rate is less common now in Europe than it was in the 1970s. Inflation is increasing at an annual rate of 7.5%, and the bank is desperate to avoid a spiral whereby higher consumer prices beget higher wages, which further lift the price of goods and services. Not indexing wages to rising prices makes those dreaded second-round inflation effects less likely — but the cost is borne by workers whose purchasing power gets diminished.
The longer inflation persists, though, the greater pressure there will be to incorporate cost-of-living adjustments in pay. Asking people to simply forgo big salary increases, as Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey rather insensitively did in February, won’t cut it. Workers right now also have some leverage: Eurozone unemployment is at historic lows, and organized labor retains a strong voice on this side of the Atlantic. This week, an influential trade union representing German steel employees demanded an 8.2% pay increase.
Workers have reason to feel short-changed, too. Indexation is widely used in the economy to protect the real value of payments. Companies, for example, frequently insist on indexation clauses, allowing them to pass on raw material price increases and other costs to clients. Regulated utilities, telecoms companies and commercial real estate providers are particularly skilled at this. No wonder corporate profits are still going gangbusters.
State pensions are also fairly well protected from inflation. Almost all euro-area public pension plans are fully or partially indexed, as is US Social Security, which rose by 5.9% in 2022, the largest bump in 40 years.
Pensioners can still experience a real income squeeze due to the time lag between when prices rise and when benefits payments go up. That’s why French President Emmanuel Macron promised retirees their pensions would be re-indexed from the summer instead of from January. In contrast, UK state pensions this month rose by just 3.1%, the inflation rate that applied last fall, which is less than half the now prevailing rate of price increases.
Indexation also has an important role in taxation, normally to prevent workers from being penalized when nominal wages rise. Boris Johnson’s government, however, last year froze indexation of key income taxation thresholds until 2026. That means rising nominal wages will cause more UK earners to fall into a higher tax bracket, exacerbating the cost-of-living squeeze. The Treasury is poised to collect more than 20 billion pounds ($25 billion) in extra revenue thanks to the freeze, far more than originally anticipated.
Manipulating indexation is stealthier than an outright budget cut, and the UK has shown quite a talent for it. Consider the financing of English universities: Institutions have been barred from hiking tuition fees beyond the current 9,250-pound cap, so in real terms their funding will decline for a further two years. Yet students who borrow from the government to pay those fees are set to be hit with inflation-linked interest charges of as much as 12% until an interest-rate cap comes into force next year.
Of course, the British government faces a big bill of its own due to the soaring cost of servicing inflation-linked borrowings. Indexed interest payments added 35 billion pounds to UK debt interest costs in the year to March or around half the total, the Office for National Statistics revealed this week. European governments face a similar predicament.
One area where indexation remains uncommon, however, is wages. Economists and employers would say this is for good reason: Beyond the risk of a private and public sector wage-price spiral, tying employee earnings to the cost of living can make it harder for companies to adjust to economic shocks or manage a decline in their own productivity and competitiveness. If all incomes are protected, there’s also less societal pressure to stamp out inflation.
Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and Cyprus are the only euro-area countries to require that inflation developments are automatically reflected in wage-setting, according to the ECB. These account for just 3% of euro-area private sector employees. Around one-fifth of euro-area public sector wages are also indexed to inflation. But such arrangements could become more popular as trade unions push for cost-of-living allowances. Besides the German steel workers I mentioned, there’s evidence Spain is readopting wage indexation, having largely abandoned the practice in the wake of the 2009 recession.
As the war in Ukraine and soaring commodity prices continue to sap economic confidence and the growth outlook, job security, rather than inflation-beating pay hikes, may be the priority. Eventually, though, sagging real incomes may spark a political powder keg.
Rather than call for workers to spurn pay rises, governments should encourage companies to re-invest profits in the production of goods, services, commodities and clean energy, which in the long run will help curb inflation by rebalancing supply and demand. It’s imperative, too, they help the poorest withstand the cost-of-living squeeze, either via direct fiscal transfers, a cap on household energy bills or by indexing minimum wages to consumer prices. Meanwhile, tighter antitrust enforcement can help redress the imbalance between companies, which have too much pricing power, and workers, who have too little.
Thanks in part to differences in indexation, the inflation burden won’t be uniformly shared. How long until workers find their voice? Central bankers hope they don’t.

The endless threat of terrorism in Afghanistan
Ishtiaq Ahmad/ِArab News/May 01, 2022
Afghanistan might not be at war currently but its notoriety as a hub for terrorism against ethno-religious minorities and neighboring countries is gaining traction again under the Taliban. The specter of cross-border terrorism originating from Afghan soil haunts Pakistan in particular, fueling its worst fears of the chickens coming home to roost once again.After the Taliban defeated the US-led coalition and returned to power last summer, Afghanistan had a glimpse of a possible fragile peace for the first time in more than 40 years: The Taliban regime did not face any potent political rival, nor did the so-called Islamic State of Khorasan Province pose any formidable danger. The key challenge was economic in nature, as the US refused to unfreeze Afghan funds worth about $10 billion. This money was desperately needed to tackle the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the country.
Fortunately, the UN intervened on behalf of the suffering Afghan population as this crisis worsened during the winter. Consequently, international aid and relief agencies were able to tackle the country’s socioeconomic woes to some extent. Afghanistan’s neighbors, particularly Pakistan and the Central Asian republics, also helped in this process. Islamabad even organized a special session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Council of Foreign Ministers in December to secure humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan.
Of course, the primary cost of the successive rounds of war in Afghanistan since 1979 has been borne by its people. They have been killed, uprooted from their homes or forced to seek refuge across the world.
But neighboring countries have also paid a huge price, as terrorism rooted in the persistent Afghan conflicts undermined their peace and security. The human cost for Pakistan alone was more than 70,000 deaths at the hands of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan during the war on terror.
The end of the war therefore brought a collective sigh of relief from the Afghan people and their neighbors. Before and after taking over Kabul, the Taliban promised to grant Afghan women and minorities their due fundamental rights and deny terrorist organizations a safe haven. It was rightfully expected that the Taliban regime would deliver on these promises. Instead, they have chosen to replicate their previous era of regression. This betrayal has cost Afghan minorities dearly. Facing double jeopardy, the Hazaras, Tajiks, Uzbeks and other non-Pashtun communities are not only denied any presence in governance but also left to face the brunt of Daesh terrorism alone. Their mosques, madrasas, schools and hospitals have come under attack, with the intensity growing in recent weeks. In April alone, about 100 innocent people of Hazara, Tajik and Uzbek descent, half of them children, were killed in terrorist attacks in Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif and Kunduz.
In neighboring countries, the situation is equally bleak. Twice since December, Taliban soldiers have fought with Iranian border security guards. Militant incursions have been reported across the border with Turkmenistan.
A serious rift has also developed between the Taliban regime and Tajikistan and Uzbekistan over the return of Afghan planes and helicopters that flew out of the country during the Taliban onslaught on Kabul last year. The Central Asian republics face the prospect of a revived security threat from terrorist outfits with bases inside northern Afghanistan, such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
The Islamic State of Khorasan Province poses additional danger. This month, it claimed responsibility for launching a barrage of rocket attacks on an Uzbek border town from its hideout in Balkh province.
Though Russia is distracted by the war in Ukraine, the Chechen conflict taught Moscow that the threat of extremism in Afghanistan does not take too long to morph into terrorist violence in the Caucasus. Unless sanity prevails, Afghanistan and Pakistan are set to face more trouble. China, meanwhile, fears the spread of militancy by the East Turkmenistan Movement along the Wakhan corridor into Xinjiang province. Concerned about impending instability under Taliban rule, Beijing is also keeping tabs on Afghan mining and energy projects. Pakistan faces the worst of circumstances. It has lobbied for the diplomatic recognition of the Taliban regime and humanitarian relief for the Afghan people. Yet its repeated requests to the Taliban to nudge Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s terrorist hideouts inside Afghanistan have fallen on deaf ears. The growing mistrust between the erstwhile allies was clear when the Afghan delegation failed to turn up for the OIC Council of First Ministers’ annual meeting in Islamabad last month.
The Taliban’s unwillingness to go after the TTP confirms Pakistan’s worst fears. After the tragic attack in 2014 on the Army Public School in Peshawar, the army crushed the organization, forcing it to seek refuge inside Afghanistan. The US withdrawal last year allowed its estimated 10,000 militants to regroup and wage cross-border attacks against Pakistan, in which hundreds of civilians and more than 100 military personnel have died.
Pakistan’s patience ran out when seven soldiers were killed in an attack on April 14. Two days later, its air force carried out sorties on suspected militant sites in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Khost, causing 47 casualties. Since then, with the Taliban warning Pakistan of “bad consequences,” more TTP attacks have taken place.
In a sense though, Pakistan is reaping the whirlwind of its own flawed approach of “good Taliban versus bad Taliban.” The Afghan Taliban were considered good, for serving the cause of jihad in Afghanistan. The TTP was considered bad, for carrying out terrorist attacks in Pakistan. Overlooking the ideological affinity between the two fanatical militias was a strategic blunder, which is now apparent in the Taliban’s unwillingness to act against the TTP.
The Taliban regime has also fueled Pakistan’s insecurity by attempting to undermine its costly fencing of the Durand Line, the colonial-era porous border. On this issue, the predominantly Pashtun Taliban have — like previous Afghan rulers — resorted to Pashtun irredentism, justifying the cross-border movement of Pashtun tribes.
Unless sanity prevails, Afghanistan and Pakistan are set to face more trouble. Other neighboring nations might also be feeling uneasy. This is bad news for others with a stake in peace in Afghanistan, including China and Russia.
The mess the US and its Western allies left behind in Afghanistan might also cause more mayhem for its hapless people. Only proactive engagement by the UN in Afghan affairs can heal their wounds.
The Taliban regime has clearly flouted the international will by refusing to follow up on its commitments relating to the prevention of terrorism and the protection of human rights. A carrot-and-stick approach is needed to persuade, or coerce, the Taliban into meaningful action on these issues. Disengagement is not an option.The good news is that China, Pakistan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Iran have granted limited accreditation to Taliban diplomats, while the Central Asian republics continue to meet Afghan energy needs.
Moreover, as a force for regional stability, China continues to maintain a level of trust with the Taliban leadership. It brought the Taliban together with neighboring countries and Russia by hosting a meeting of their foreign minister last month. Beijing’s leadership can surely make a big difference in limiting the scope of the Afghan conflict that is reemerging under the Taliban’s nose. If left unaddressed, its implications will reach far and wide.
*Ishtiaq Ahmad is a former journalist who has been vice chancellor of Sargodha University in Pakistan and Quaid-e-Azam Fellow at the University of Oxford.