English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For November 23/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2021/english.november23.22.htm
News Bulletin Achieves
Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006
Bible Quotations For today
Jesus said to those who did not believe who
is He: ‘Prophets are not without honour except in their own country and in their
own house.
Saint Matthew 13/54-58: “Jesus came to his home town and
began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and
said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this
the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers
James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where
then did this man get all this?’ And they took offence at him. But Jesus said to
them, ‘Prophets are not without honour except in their own country and in their
own house.’And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their
unbelief.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on November
22-23/2022
Lebanon Is Totally Occupied by Iran, and its Mercenary Local Terrorist
Proxy, Hezbollah/Elias Bejjani/November 22/2022
Lebanese composer Romeo Lahoud passes away aged 92
Report: Franjieh talks to KSA as Paris leads positive drive
Mikati says to 'carry on with national and constitutional action'
Salameh: LBP 15,000 exchange rate to be applied as of February
Rifi from Maarab: Other team hides behind blank vote to cover its division
Bou Habib partakes in Alliance of Civilizations Forum in Morocco: Lebanon is the
country of tolerance & beauty, international community is required...
Al-Makary: On Independence Day, Romeo Lahoud joins the grand in his family &
homeland
Judge Aoun to MPs: If you really wish to fight corruption, amend the Code of
Criminal Trials
Hamieh before Arab Transport Ministers’ Council in Alexandria: Reviving joint
Arab action is the way to serve our central issues, especially...
Fondation Diane, EcoSwitch Coalition & Cewas Organize "2nd Annual EcoSwitch
Festival to Support Green Enterprises & Eco-Entrepreneurs"
Hold Lebanese Judiciary Accountable for Unlawful Detentions in Beirut Blast
Investigation
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on November
22-23/2022
Archbishop Gugerotti appointed new prefect of Eastern Churches
Over 70 killed in week in Iran’s crackdown on Amini protests
Iran could attack World Cup: Israeli security chief
Iran Media Blames Humiliating World Cup Loss on Protests
Nuclear power no solution for the N.W.T., some experts suggest
US Navy finds the same kind of Iranian suicide drone Russia has been using
against Ukraine was used to attack a tanker
Iran Situation ‘Critical’ with More than 300 Killed, Says UN Rights Chief
Iran to Enrich Uranium to 60% Purity at Fordow Nuclear Site
Russian Fury After Top Putin Official Is Booted From Diplomats Meeting
Canada to sanction Belarus firms, more officials over Russia's war in Ukraine
China halts some Russian crude purchases as looming oil price cap leaves buyers
looking for a bigger discount
Russia calls on Turkey to show 'restraint' in Syria
Yemen: Houthi drones attack ship at oil terminal
World Cup stunner: Saudi Arabia beats Messi's Argentina 2-1
Titles For The
Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on November
22-23/2022
The West is waking up to the Iranian threat — now what?/Baria Alamuddin/Arab
News/November 22/2022
Biden and Xi Jinping and Muawiya/Robert Ford/Asharq Al Awsat/November, 22/2022
The Desperate Need for True Interfaith Dialogue between Christians and
Muslims/Raymond Ibrahim/November, 22/2022
In an unprecedented moment, Kurds across the Middle East are under attack from
all sides/Borzou Daragahi/The Independent/November 22, 2022
Changing Population Patterns Will Reshape the Middle East/Patrick Clawson/The
Washington Institute/November 22, 2022
on November
22-23/2022
Lebanon Is Totally Occupied by Iran, and its Mercenary Local Terrorist Proxy,
Hezbollah
Elias Bejjani/November 22/2022
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/113551/113551/
We, the Lebanese people in Lebanon, and the Diaspora, are
supposed to celebrate today, our country's independence day, but sadly we are
not able to do so because, Lebanon, the land of the Holy Cedars, and 7000 years
deeply rooted glory, holiness and history is an occupied, impoverished, and
oppressed country by all means.
The stone age savage occupier, is the terrorist Iranian mercenary criminal and
armed proxy, the Hezbollah militia.
This terrorist armed militia controls totally Lebanon's decision making process
on all levels, and in all domains, including its borders with both Syrian and
Israel, as well as the peace and war one.
Meanwhile the majority of the Lebanese officials, if not all, as well as the
politicians are mere corrupted mercenaries appointed by Hezbollah, and like
puppets carry its wishes and orders.
The USA and all other democratic countries can help Lebanon and the Lebanese
people in reclaiming back their confiscated independence, and stolen country
through a strong, loud and official stance in practically and not only
rhetorically supporting the immediate implementation of the three UN resolutions
that addresses Lebanon's crisis: the armistice agreement, 1559 and 1701.
The Lebanese people after all these years of bloody, destructive, evil and
savage occupation, are unable on their own to liberate their country, without a
real and clear practical military and political support from the UN, and all the
democratic countries..
We call on the Free World to Help liberate Lebanon, before
it is too late.
In conclusion, Lebanon and the Lebanese people are kidnapped by the notorious
Iranian Mullah's rogue-pariah regime, and by its terrorist local mercenary
militia, Hezbollah.
The Lebanese and their country are taken hostages, oppressed, persecuted,
deprived of basic life needs and impoverished.
May Almighty God bless and safeguard Lebanon, and grant its oppressed people the
faith, perseverance, power and will to stay tall as their Holy Cedars, and keep
on struggling to reclaim it back from both, Hezbollah and its Iranian terrorist
masters.
Lebanese composer Romeo Lahoud passes away aged 92
L'Orient Today / 22 November 2022
The author-composer created dozens of shows, presented at prestigious festivals
around the world.Lebanese composer Romeo Lahoud passes away aged 92.
Lebanese author-composer and musical director Romeo Lahoud. (Credit: NNA). Often
described as the "king of folklore," a title he refuted, Lebanese author,
composer and musical director Romeo Lahoud, died Tuesday morning at the age of
92, according to the state-run National News Agency.
"It is rather the heritage that I have always defended," the composer told
L'Orient-Le Jour in 2014, in response to his grandiose title. Lahoud was a
native of Amchit, near Jbeil. Lahoud was behind dozens of musical theater shows
that were presented in prestigious festivals around the world, including
Baalbeck, Jarash (Jordan) and Jbeil (which he had contributed to creating in
1997), as well as at the Imperial Opera in Tehran, at L'Olympia in Paris and the
Palais Royal des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. He enjoyed a long career, crowned with
recognition and awards, which he put on hold before returning to the stage in
2014 with Tariq al-Chams, a show he had promised to his late wife he would
produce. The show was primarily targeted at the younger generation.
Report: Franjieh talks to KSA as Paris leads positive
drive
Naharnet/November 22/2022
Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh, who enjoys tacit backing from Hezbollah
for his presidential bid, has opened a communication channel with Saudi Arabia
through a businessman, a media report said on Tuesday.
The contacts comes after “the positive signal that Franjieh received from Saudi
ambassador to Beirut Walid Bukhari, who invited him to the Taif forum that was
held at the UNESCO Palace two weeks ago,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported. Informed
sources meanwhile told the daily that “a positive atmosphere was created through
French President Emmanuel Macron’s talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman in Bangkok, where they discussed the Lebanese file.”“Contrary to the
current presumptions, the international-regional interest in the Lebanese file
is active, and the French will carry out a new round of talks with the political
forces prior to Macron’s upcoming meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, amid
indications suggesting that Lebanon will be an essential topic in the meeting,”
the sources added. The daily, however, said that there are concerns that the
latest French-Iranian tensions might negatively affect the consultations over
Lebanon, especially that France has been playing a mediator role with Hezbollah
on behalf of the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.
Mikati says to 'carry on with national and constitutional
action'
Naharnet/November 22/2022
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday lamented that Lebanon is
celebrating its 79th Independence Day amid “a presidential vacuum and legitimate
concerns over the present and the future.”“Our unity is capable of pulling our
country out of what is suffering, with the help of our brothers and friends in
the world,” Mikati added. And calling on MPs to “cooperate to elect a new
president,” the caretaker PM pledged that he will “carry on with the national
and constitutional action that is required from us.”
Salameh: LBP 15,000 exchange rate to be applied as of
February
Naharnet/November 22/2022
The official exchange rate for the Lebanese lira against the dollar and
circulars 151 and 158 of the central bank will be hiked to LBP 15,000 as of
February 1, 2023, Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh has confirmed. Circular 151
currently allows depositors to withdraw funds from their trapped dollar savings
at a rate of LBP 8,000. Circular 158 meanwhile gives them the ability to monthly
withdraw $400 in cash money and the equivalent of $400 in Lebanese lira based on
an exchange rate of LBP 12,000. “Today we have entered
a phase of unifying exchange rates and this had started with the ‘customs
dollar’ that the Finance Ministry is deciding about along with the other fees
and taxes,” Salameh said in an interview on al-Hurra TV. “The circulars will
remain in force unless the capital control law is voted into effect. We will
then cancel all these circulars and become governed by the capital control law,”
Salameh added.
Rifi from Maarab: Other team hides behind blank vote to
cover its division
NNA/November 22, 2022
Head of the "Lebanese Forces" Party, Samir Geagea, met today in Maarab with MP
Ashraf Rifi. Rifi announced that their discussion with Geagea focused on the
entitlement for the presidency of the republic, announcing his confirmation, in
cooperation with the Lebanese Forces, of supporting MP Michel Moawad's
candidacy. He also considered that the other political
party is hiding behind the blank paper to veil its internal division and its
inability to unify its ranks. Finally, Rifi placed the responsibility for
delaying the country's rescue upon those who obstruct the elections of the
President of the Republic.
Bou Habib partakes in Alliance of Civilizations Forum in Morocco: Lebanon is the
country of tolerance & beauty, international community is required...
NNA/November 22, 2022
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdallah Bou Habib,
participated in the ninth international forum of the United Nations Alliance of
Civilizations held today in Fez in the Kingdom of Morocco.
In his delivered speech at the forum, Bou Habib thanked the Kingdom for its
“warm reception, hospitality and organization,” and the Alliance of
Civilizations for “ensuring the success of this forum at a time of deep
divisions that the world is witnessing.”
Bou Habib considered that “the forum’s convening in the Kingdom of Morocco is a
confirmation of its historical roles related to civilizations and openness,”
stressing that “it constitutes an affirmation of the multiplicity of
civilizations and cultures in the world that enrich it...and if we are to make
good use of it, it would enjoy peace, tranquility, and acceptance of the
different other...”In this context, he referred to the feature of pluralism and
rich diversity in Lebanon, which constitutes a model for coexistence due to the
mixing of religions and civilizations, and the plurality of sects in it that
impacts its cultural, social and political aspects. He added that the Lebanese
live in their pluralism, with societal mixing and cultural interaction, despite
the political difficulties they face from time to time, while realizing the
impossibility of continuing without dialogue and understanding as a basis for
the establishment of the country and the stability of society alike, a message
described by Pope John Paul II. “Lebanon is currently
living in the midst of huge storms of political instability leading to an
unprecedented economic and financial collapse, which poses a threat to the
entity of the state and the structure of society, especially in light of the
inability to elect a President of the Republic and implement the required
economic and financial reforms, both at the Lebanese and international levels,”
Bou Habib went on, citing Lebanon's misuse of the diversity it enjoys as one
possible reason for its prevailing crises. He added:
“What exacerbates the crisis in Lebanon, and threatens the Lebanese model, is
the entry of a new social component into it, as a result of the massive Syrian
displacement since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011, in the absence of
a serious road map for their return, which raises doubts about the intention of
some members of the international community towards preserving the Lebanese
model.” Bou Habib underlined the impossibility to wait
for political solutions whose indicators have not yet appeared till this day,
especially with the world’s preoccupation with new crises and conflicts that
have distracted its attention and resources from the problems of the Middle
East, in general, and the Syrian crisis, in particular.
“Lebanon is the message; it is the meeting place of civilizations,
religions, sects, and coexistence, and it is the country of cedar, tolerance and
beauty...What is required of the international community, especially from donor
countries, is not to heighten its internal problems, but rather to help it to
overcome them,” Bou Habib concluded.
Al-Makary: On Independence Day, Romeo Lahoud joins the
grand in his family & homeland
NNA/November 22, 2022
Caretaker Information Minister Ziad Al-Makary tweeted this evening on the
passing of Lebanese renowned artist Romeo Lahoud, saying: "Another giant leaves
the theater of life...He is the one who enriched theaters with works that have
been entrenched in lyrical theatrical history...On Independence Day, Romeo
Lahoud joined the grand in his family and homeland, although he never resigned
to age, for he wrote, created and composed and promised a new play.”
Judge Aoun to MPs: If you really wish to fight corruption,
amend the Code of Criminal Trials
NNA/November 22, 2022
Mount Lebanon's Public Prosecutor, Judge Ghada Aoun, said today on Twitter:
“Examples of antagonizing judges in corruption files and fabricating cases of
libel and slander and legitimate suspicion, abusing the right of defense to the
maximum extent to stop prosecutions in these cases...How long will the silence
continue? Honorable Representatives, if you really want to fight corruption,
amend the Code of Criminal Trials. At least an amendment would allow the
investigation to continue even if a response or legitimate suspicion lawsuit is
filed. Criminal prosecutions aim to protect society and are related to public
order. A country that respects itself and wants to protect its people cannot
allow these abuses of people's rights and the law...Is anyone listening?!"
Hamieh before Arab Transport Ministers’ Council in Alexandria: Reviving joint
Arab action is the way to serve our central issues, especially...
NNA/November 22, 2022
Lebanon participated in the 35th ordinary session of the Council of Arab
Transport Ministers in Alexandria, represented by Caretaker Public Works and
Transport Minister Ali Hamieh, in the presence of delegations from 19 Arab
countries represented by ministers concerned with transport and communications
affairs, and representatives (in an observer capacity) of Arab and international
organizations and unions operating in the field of transport, in addition to the
delegation of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States.
The Council approved two important recommendations that came in Minister
Hamieh’s address, the first relating to Palestine and how to support it in
mitigating the effects of the Israeli aggression on it, through the formation
of a working cell to include Lebanon and a group of other Arab countries that
will provide their expertise and capabilities in the transport field to serve
the Palestinian people. As for the second recommendation, it involves preparing
a study in which all Arab countries would participate, including an assessment
of the status of Arab ports and ports’ sector, especially in terms of size,
capacity, absorptive capabilities and the possibility of developing and linking
them to each other. Minister Hamieh began his speech
by thanking the Arab Republic of Egypt and its leadership, particularly
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Minister of Transport, Lieutenant-General
Engineer Kamel Abdel Hadi Faraj, and President of the Arab Academy for Science,
Technology and Maritime Transport, Dr. Ismail Abdel Ghaffar, for hosting the
session of the Council of Arab Transport Ministers and its executive office in
Alexandria.
"The topics on the agenda in the fields of land and sea transport are topics
that require us to have a strategic vision for the reality of the transport
sector among our Arab countries, and the strategic vision to be adopted in
relation to the port sector and the importance we attach to linking them
together and finding means that enhance their integration,” Hamieh said. “Our
message today is a message of hope for our peoples and our nation, that we are
able to revive joint Arab action, and to channel it in the service of our
central issues. We, God willing, are able to keep pace with every development
that occurs in the field of transportation, and all the other sectors we are
concerned with,” he concluded.
Fondation Diane, EcoSwitch Coalition & Cewas Organize "2nd
Annual EcoSwitch Festival to Support Green Enterprises & Eco-Entrepreneurs"
NNA/November 22, 2022
Following the success of the first Ecoswitch Festival, “Fondation Diane”, the
“EcoSwitch Coalition” and “Cewas” have launched the 2nd edition of the annual
EcoSwitch Festival for Green Entrepreneurs in Lebanon, scheduled to take place
from November 23rd to 25th - with two online afternoon programs and online
panels on the first 2 days of the event (on Nov. 23 and 24, from 3:00 till 7:00
pm), followed by a physical gathering of eco-entrepreneurs, green start-ups and
supporting organizations on the 3rd day (on Nov. 25 at Beirut Digital District -
BDD 1280, from 4:30 pm till 7:00 pm).
A press release was issued today announcing the launching of the festival:
"We are welcoming the public for the exciting online sessions and the networking
physical event! The festival consists of a world café with the coalitions’
partners, knowledge-sharing discussions, expert panel sessions, speed dating and
networking activities.
We are proudly welcoming Mrs. Diana Fadel, Founder & President of “Fondation
Diane” as the keynote speaker and to launch the event. Inspirational talks will
be followed by four successful Lebanese green entrepreneurs: Nadim Inaty from
Flixpy, Hanan Ismail from Garbalizer, Ziad Hussami from Mrüna, and Soumaya Merhi
from Taqa Bakery. Furthermore, animated discussion panels with moderators,
experts and eco-entrepreneurs will run on the topics of:
● The Value of Clustering
● Behavioural NeuroScience and Going Green
● Solving the Banana Waste Challenges
The Physical Gathering for Eco-Entrepreneurs & Green Start-ups
is on the 25th of November at 4:30 pm at BDD 1280
The In-person gathering event will be inaugurated by AbdelRahman Al Halawani
from the “Asfari Foundation”, representatives of “MedWaves”, and the coalition
partners. This day will also include networking opportunities and announcements.
Are you an Eco-entrepreneur who would like to meet and collaborate with
like-minded people, to network and benefit from knowledge sharing while having
fun?
The "EcoSwitch Festival" is right around the corner!
Join us on November 25, for the third and final day of the "EcoSwitch Festival",
We’re gathering at the Beirut Digital District 1280 at 4:30 pm to end the event
with a bang!
We will also introduce you to the "EcoSwitch Coalition" and its partners,
explain to you about the spread of our network, highlight how we will support
you through your entrepreneurial journey, and how you as an eco-entrepreneur or
eco-entrepreneur wannabe can become part of this community of experts passionate
about growing the green ecosystem in Lebanon and the region.
This event doesn’t require an entrance fee!
It is organized by "Fondation Diane", the "EcoSwitch Coalition" and "Cewas" and
supported by the "Asfari Foundation" and "SwitchMed".
Agenda of Nov. 25:
• 4:30 pm: Introductory & Welcome Notes from Fondation Diane, MedWaves (SwitchMed
representatives), the Asfari Foundation, and other EcoSwitch Coalition partners
• 4:50 pm: Announcement of the Duel Challenge winners!
• 4:55 pm: Speed Dating to get to meet other sustainable entrepreneurs and
EcoSwitch Coalition Partners
• 5:25 pm: Nibbles & Drinks & Free Networking time
• 6:15 pm: Concert & more Networking
• 7:15 pm: End of gathering
- Register Now: http://bitly.ws/vVrG
For more info, please feel free to contact Mrs. Pascale Assaad, Senior Programs
Coordinator at Fondation Diane on: + 961 (3) 324 576
Or visit "Fondation Diane" instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fondationdiane/
*About the EcoSwitch Coalition
The EcoSwitch Coalition is a partnership of well-established institutions, NGOs
and businesses that was created in 2020 to strengthen the support to
eco-entrepreneurs in Lebanon, extend and multiply their positive impact through
targeted assistance. This partnership is supported by the Asfari Foundation and
enabled through SwitchMed, a programme funded by the European Union covering 8
countries in the Southern Mediterranean, whose aim is to accelerate the
transition towards social innovation and the green circular entrepreneurship in
the region.
The Coalition currently encompasses 25 Partners, all providing different types
of support to entrepreneurs in general, and some more specifically to green
entrepreneurs: ACIE, AUF, Beirut Digital District, Berytech, Beyond Group,
Bloom, Centre MINE, Cewas, Circular Hub, Changelabs, EcoConsulting, Eedama,
Farah Social Foundation, Flat6Labs, Fondation Diane (implementing partner of
SwitchMed in Lebanon), Injaz Lebanon, LAU Innovation Center, Make Sense, Michel
Daher Foundation, AUB Nature Conservation Center, Nucleus Ventures, Proquale,
SmartESA, Tripoli Entrepreneurs Club and Waterlution.
The aim is to offer eco-entrepreneurs knowledge sharing events, capacity
building activities, access to expertise and technical support, and other
assistance through events like the Festival and Entrepreneurship Labs. Another
important objective is to help build a community of like-minded people, with
space for networking and collaboration between local sustainable enterprises.
Hold Lebanese Judiciary Accountable for Unlawful Detentions
in Beirut Blast Investigation
Celine Atallah started this petition/November 22, 2022
https://www.change.org/p/hold-lebanese-judiciary-accountable-for-unlawful-detentions-in-beirut-blast-investigation-take-a-stand-against-unlawful-detentions?recruiter=1237076611&recruited_by_id=918cdcd0-4ccc-11ec-b55e-21f81434dba9&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=73e58b97404e4be49564b2ad6f4b3c7c&utm_medium=facebook&utm_content=fht-35020068-en-us%3A7
On August 4th, 2020, a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon killed over 200
innocent people, 7000 injured, displaced over 300,000, including children, and
destroyed a wide swath of the Lebanese capital city.
As of today, no one has been held accountable, and the investigation has been
stalled since late 2021 due to political and legal wrangling. This was not only
devastating for the victims’ families, who deserve answers but also for the
families of the 17 detainees who have been unlawfully detained for over two
years without due process and have turned into victims of an investigation that
egregiously violates International and human rights laws and truly shocks the
conscience.
Starting with the politicized selection of suspects without reasonable
suspicion, to indefinite detentions without due process, and orchestrated media
leaks in violation of the secrecy of the investigation. For instance, an
official who started working at the port in 2018 was charged with introducing
thousands of tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate in 2013! Yet, high-ranked officials with
a legal duty to handle explosives were never named by investigative judges. In
another instance, an official was assigned to guard the ammonium nitrate
warehouse, but he refused to take the position, and someone else was assigned.
Yet, he was accused in the Beirut blast investigation and is still detained as
of today's date without due process.
It becomes evident that the detainees are being used as scapegoats to protect
the main liable parties, which does not serve justice! Victims of the Beirut
Blast and their families deserve justice, just like the detainees and their
families.
There is no excuse for the Lebanese judiciary to continue detaining 17 people,
including a critically ill American citizen and others with deteriorating health
conditions. The judiciary tries to wash its hands of the detainees’ unlawful
detentions and blames it on the stalled investigation due to lawsuits brought
against the investigative judge by politicians he sought to question. Indeed,
the lawsuits filed by the politicians against the investigative Judge stalled
the investigation; however, the judiciary is to be blamed for the indefinite
detention of 17 people without due process and for violating their fundamental
human rights.
Under Lebanese laws, the Higher Judicial Council may appoint a substitute judge
for a limited and specific mission to rule on issues related to the release of
detainees who have been held, without trial, for over two years now. The Higher
Judicial Council decided to keep the detainees unlawfully detained without due
process and refused to exercise its authority to appoint a substitute judge for
a limited purpose even though it would not jeopardize the investigation in any
way, shape, or form-needless to say, the investigation itself violates
international laws and human rights.
Lebanon ratified the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights,
under which accused persons must be brought promptly before a judge to review
the necessity and legality of a decision to detain or release them. Yet,
Lebanon’s Code of Criminal Procedure gives the investigative judge, whose
decisions are not subject to appeal, the authority to hold suspects in pre-trial
detention indefinitely, which does violate not only the International covenant
that the country ratified but also international and human rights laws.
The Higher Judicial Council must be held accountable for gross violations of
international laws and human rights laws when it fails to exercise its duty and
authority to appoint a substitute judge; thus, it continues to support and
engage in egregious violations of human rights by continuing to deny detainees
due process, including their rights to a speedy trial or release.
All these flagrant human rights and international law violations in the Beirut
explosion investigation were foreseeable. Since day one, the Lebanese people
have called for international intervention and monitoring or an international
investigation as they have no trust in their judicial system. On August 3, 2022,
UN experts called for an international investigation into this massive
explosion; however, as of today, countries who promised to help people in
Lebanon did not do enough to achieve justice and start an international
investigation. The victims’ families are devastated and seeking answers, and 17
detainees have been unlawfully detained for over two years now, stripped of
their fundamental human rights, and denied due Process, including ones in
critical health conditions. The investigation into the Beirut Blast violates
human rights and international laws. All this is happening, and the
international community turns a blind eye.
The Lebanese judiciary, including the Higher Judicial Council, must be held
accountable if they fail to immediately release the detainees and comply with
their obligations under international and human rights laws. These detainees
have families too, who are suffering. It won’t serve justice for the victims’
families if the detainees are denied due process.
It is imperative that the International Community and the United Nations launch
an international investigation into the Beirut Blast, as the local investigation
will serve justice neither to the Victims’ families nor to the 17 persons
unlawfully detained.
The United States must immediately address the unlawful detentions of the 17
detainees, especially when a critically ill American citizen is also being
stripped of his human rights and denied due process.
United Nations, White House, and Biden Administration, we ask that you take
action today and hold the Lebanese Judiciary accountable for unlawfully
detaining 17 people without due process for over two years, including some with
deteriorating health conditions.
Justice delayed is justice denied.
Sign the petition below and call or email the White House and the United Nations
today!
White House Email:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
White House Phone: (202) 456-1111
United Nations Human Rights Council Email:
ohchr-cp@un.org
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on November
22-23/2022
Archbishop Gugerotti appointed new
prefect of Eastern Churches
NNA/November 22, 2022
Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti to head the Dicastery
for Eastern Churches. The change in leadership comes after fifteen years with
Cardinal Leonardo Sandri as prefect who recently turned 79. Pope Benedict XVI
entrusted Cardinal Sandri with the post of prefect in June 2007, reconfirmed by
Pope Francis in 2014. The Cardinal will finish his service as prefect in
mid-January when the 67-year-old Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti will take over the
job.
STUDIES AND MINISTRY
Born in Verona in 1955, Archbishop Gugerotti joined the Pius Society of Don
Nicola Mazza and was ordained a priest in 1982. At the Ca' Foscari University in
Venice he received a degree in Oriental Languages and Literature, as well as a
licence in liturgy at the Pontifical Athenaeum Sant'Anselmo and a doctorate in
Oriental Ecclesiastical Sciences at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. He
teaches at universities in Venice, Padua and Rome, as well as at the Pontifical
Gregorian University and the Pontifical Oriental Institute.
SERVICE AS NUNCIO
Archbishop Gugerotti worked at the Congregation for Oriental Churches, the
office that became today's Dicastery for Eastern Churches, in his wide-ranging
service at the Holy See starting in 1985. In 1997 Saint Pope John Paul II
appointed him undersecretary of the Congregation. He served as a consultant to
the Office for Papal Liturgical Celebrations from 1990 to 2001, the year in
which the Pope appointed him Titular Archbishop of Ravello in December, while
later receiving episcopal ordination by John Paul II in 2002. He then began his
service in the papal representations or nunciatures around the world. He served
as apostolic nuncio to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Then in 2011 Benedict
XVI made him nuncio to Belarus. In 2020 Pope Francis sent him to Ukraine in 2015
as nuncio, and later moved him to Great Britain in 2020.
PUBLICATIONS
In addition to numerous articles and essays, Archbishop Gugerotti is author of
several books in Italian that bring together his experience and studies both
involving the eastern churches and liturgy, including: "La liturgia armena delle
ordinazioni e l’epoca ciliciana. Esiti rituali di una teologia di comunione tra
le Chiese" (Rome 2001); "L’uomo nuovo un essere liturgico" (Roma 2005), also
translated into Romanian and Ukrainian; "Caucaso e dintorni" (Rome 2012); and "Riflessi
d’oriente" (Bose 2012). --- Vatican News
Over 70 killed in week in Iran’s crackdown on Amini
protests
AFP/November 22, 2022
PARIS/TEHRAN: Iranian security forces have killed 72 people, including 56 in
Kurdish-populated areas, in the past week alone in their crackdown on the
protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death, a rights group said Tuesday. The
protests, which erupted in mid-September following the death of Amini, 22, in
the custody of the morality police, have turned into the biggest challenge for
Iran’s clerical leadership since the 1979 revolution. With the wave of protests
cutting across ethnicities, social classes and provincial boundaries,
authorities have responded with an intensifying crackdown that has sparked an
international outcry. Iran has also launched repeated cross-border missile and
drone strikes, most recently Tuesday, against exiled Kurdish opposition groups
it accuses of stoking the protests from their bases in neighboring Iraq.
Norway-based group Iran Human Rights said in its latest toll on the violence
inside Iran that 416 people had been killed by security forces nationwide. It
said 72 people had lost their lives in the past week alone, including 56 in
western Kurdish-populated areas where there has been an upsurge in protest
activity over recent days. Several towns in Kurdish-populated western Iran,
including Mahabad, Javanroud and Piranshahr, have seen large protests, often
starting at the funerals of those previously killed in the demonstrations.
The Norway-based Hengaw rights group, which focuses on Iran’s Kurdish areas, has
accused Iranian security forces of directly firing on protesters with machine
guns and shelling residential areas.
Hengaw said that five people were killed in Javanroud on Monday alone after
thousands gathered for funerals for victims of the crackdown who were killed at
the weekend. The group said it had confirmed the killing of 42 Kurdish citizens
of Iran in nine cities over the last week, almost all killed by direct fire.
Monitors also accused Iran of imposing a nationwide mobile internet blackout on
Monday at the height of the protest activity. Monitor Netblocks said that the
mobile internet had now been restored after a “3.5 hour cellular data blackout”
which also coincided with the refusal of Iran’s football team to sing the
national anthem in the World Cup. Freedom of expression group Article 19
expressed alarm that “reports of extreme state brutality continue out of
Kurdistan alongside nationwide internet disruptions and shutdown.”
Hengaw meanwhile posted a video of protesters trying to remove birdshot pellets
from the body of a protester with a knife, saying people were afraid to go to
hospital for fear of being arrested.
According to figures collated by IHR, over half of those killed by the Iranian
security forces in the crackdown have died in provinces populated by ethnic
minorities. It said 126 people had been killed in the southeastern province of
Sistan-Baluchistan, largely populated by the Sunni Baluch minority, where the
protests had a separate spark but fed into the nationwide anger. Meanwhile 48
people have been killed in Kurdistan, 45 in West Azerbaijan and 23 in Kermanshah
regions with a strong Kurdish presence, it said. “Systematic killing of civilian
protesters belonging to the Kurdish and Baluch minorities amounts to crimes
against humanity,” said IHR director Mahmood Amiry Moghaddam.
The mainly Sunni Kurds, often described as one of the world’s largest stateless
peoples, make up one of Iran’s most important non-Persian ethnic minority groups
and also have significant minorities in neighboring Iraq and Turkiye as well as
Syria. The regime’s judiciary, meanwhile, said the country has arrested 40
foreign nationals during the protests. “Forty foreign nationals implicated in
the recent riots have been arrested,” judiciary spokesman Masoud Setayeshi said
in comments carried by its Mizan Online news website. Iranian officials have
repeatedly accused Western governments of stoking the protests over Amini’s
death. A number of Westerners, some of them dual nationals, were already in
custody in Iran before the latest protests broke out in September. French
teachers’ union official Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris were
detained in May, following teachers’ strikes earlier in the year.
Both have been charged with espionage and have been held in isolation since
their arrests, French trade union sources have said. “The two French spies
remain in custody and their case is in the final decision stage,” Setayeshi
said. In early October, state television broadcast what it said were “espionage
confessions” by the two French detainees. The French government condemned the
airing of the alleged confessions as “shameful, revolting and unacceptable” and
described the pair as “state hostages” for the first time. Five other French
nationals are also in custody in Iran. Iran’s courts have convicted nearly 2,500
people of involvement in the Amini protests, the judiciary spokesman said.
“Nationwide, preliminary verdicts have been handed down against 2,432 people so
far. A further 1,118 people have been charged and are awaiting trial in the
capital Tehran,” Setayeshi said. The verdicts handed down so far are all
preliminary because they are subject to appeal to the supreme court. The
revolutionary court in Tehran has already handed down six death sentences over
the protests after convicting the accused of being “enemies of God” or “corrupt
on Earth,” both capital offenses in Iran.
Iran could attack World Cup: Israeli security chief
Arab News/November 22, 2022
LONDON: The head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Military Intelligence Directorate
has claimed Iran could attack the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in which its
national team is currently participating. Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva said the
regime in Tehran was “considering” the move in a bid to destabilize the region
and distract from its domestic unrest following widespread protests against the
government that have left hundreds dead and as many as 14,000 people in jail. In
an address at the Institute for National Security Studies conference in Tel
Aviv, Haliva said: “I am telling you that the Iranians are now considering
attacking the World Cup in Qatar as well. “Iran is seeking to preserve
instability as a constant thing. At a time when the world around it is stable
and thriving — this is the opposite of what is happening inside Iran. “The World
Cup is likely to be one of those events at which it tries to cause instability,”
The Times of Israel reported him as saying. The nationwide protests in Iran
against the regime erupted after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa
Amini while in the custody of the country’s morality police, who had detained
her for improperly wearing her hijab.
“At this stage, I do not see a risk to the regime, but as the pressure on Iran
increases, including internal pressure, the Iranian response is much more
aggressive, so we should expect much more aggressive responses in the region and
in the world,” Haliva added.
Iran lost its opening match on Monday 6-2 to England, in a game mired in
controversy after its players refused to sing the Iranian national anthem in a
silent protest against the situation in their country. Iranian fans booed the
anthem in the stadium and held up signs condemning Amini’s death and the regime,
and calling for women’s rights to be protected, while in Iran, footage emerged
overnight of people celebrating England’s victory. One video showed a man riding
on the back of a moped while flying the Union flag, and others were seen
cheering and dancing after the final result.
One man, identified only as a linguistics professor from northern Iran called
Kamran, told MailOnline: “The protest movement has overshadowed the football. I
want Iran to lose these games.”Anusha, a 17-year-old girl from Tehran, said: “A
few months ago I would have said of course I want Iran to win against England
and America. Now, it’s strange. I really don’t care.”Catherine Perez-Shakdam, an
Iran specialist at the Henry Jackson Society in London, told the website: “The
refusal by Iran’s football team … to sing the Islamic Republic’s national anthem
will be a decision the players will pay for dearly.
“Similarly, any Iranian fan identified by the regime for booing the anthem will
also face being severely punished. This is the brutal reality of modern-day
Iran. “Iran’s players may have forfeited more than just their freedom today; and
their lives may not be the only ones on the line. “Indeed, the regime has
demonstrated a particular propensity to target dissidents’ family members and in
doing so deter others from voicing their opinions.“Given Iran’s horrendous track
record, it stands to note that the players and fans who today shunned the regime
knew full well about the risks they faced. “Such courage and dignity in the face
of absolutism most certainly deserves our full recognition,” she added.
Iran Media Blames Humiliating World Cup Loss on Protests
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 22 November, 2022
Iran was reeling Tuesday from the humiliation of starting the World Cup with a
lopsided 6-2 loss against England in a match overshadowed by protests on and off
the field. Hard-line Iranian media sought to blame the defeat on the unrest that
has gripped the country since the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in
the custody of the country's morality police. Iranian newspapers turned to the
familiar tactic of accusing foreign enemies, including the United States,
Britain and Israel, of stirring up protests to throw the national team off its
game. The hard-line daily Kayhan, whose editor-in-chief is appointed by Iran’s
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said Iran’s rout came after "weeks of unfair and
unprecedented psychological warfare against the team ... from domestic and
foreign-based traitors." It added that a "political media current" has sought to
"damage the spirit of Iran’s team by attacking them." Iran fans in the stands on
Monday chanted Amini’s name, held signs and wore T-shirts with protest slogans
and booed during the national anthem. Many fans appeared conflicted over whether
to even support their national team against the backdrop of security forces’
violent crackdown on demonstrations. At least 419 people have been killed since
the protests erupted, according to the watchdog Human Rights Activists in Iran.
As the game unfolded on Monday, Iranian security forces unleashed heavy gunfire
against protesters in a Kurdish town in the country’s west.
Another hard-line daily, Vatanemrooz, reported that protesters in Iran
celebrated their country’s humiliating defeat in the streets, bursting into
cheers in coffee shops when England scored goals and honking car horns with joy
after the game.
Footage from central Tehran spread online showing motorbike drivers honking and
chanting "Six!" in reference England’s six goals against Iran. Authorities shut
down a coffee shop in the northeastern city of Mashhad for announcing it was
rooting for England. "None of the players were ready in spirit," wrote Iran’s
pro-reform Shargh daily. The nationwide protest movement first focused on Iran's
state-mandated hijab, or headscarf, for women, but soon morphed into calls for
the downfall of Iran's ruling Shiite clerics. Over the course of the
demonstrations, filmmakers, actors, sports stars and other celebrities have been
speaking out publicly against the government. Iran's national team has come
under enormous pressure from protesters to show support in the run-up to
soccer's global championship. The players faced a barrage of public criticism
last week after meeting with President Ebrahim Raisi at a send-off ceremony,
where they were silent on the issue of protests. A few players were photographed
bowing in respect to Raisi. "So you went to the president, that was the best
opportunity to ask him not to kill kids and teenagers, at the very least!"
prominent Iranian actor Parviz Parastouei wrote on Instagram. Before the
kick-off against England, Iranian players did not sing their anthem, standing
silently in an apparent act of solidarity. During the match they didn't
celebrate the team's two goals. The players risk heavy backlash for making even
the smallest gestures of protest. State-run IRNA news agency has sought to
promote the team as a patriotic symbol and national unifier amid the turmoil,
describing the players as "soldiers fighting to uplift their country." Some
former soccer stars who have championed the protest movement have been arrested
or charged in absentia. Moslem Moein, the head of the paramilitary Revolutionary
Guard's Cyberspace Organization, called out four of the most vocal retired
players, who reportedly refused invitations to attend the World Cup as guests of
the government. "England’s forwards did not score the goals," he wrote, adding
that Iran's defeat was the work of the outspoken former players, who protested
off the pitch.
Nuclear power no solution for the N.W.T., some experts
suggest
CBC/November 22, 2022
When it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions — nuclear power is a divisive
option. But for Canada's North, two academics on different sides of the debate
agree: small modular reactors, called SMRs, are not an economically feasible way
of getting remote northern communities off of diesel-generated power.
Since 2017, the N.W.T. government has been part of a working group looking at
the possibility of SMRs. John Richards, a fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute,
co-authored a paper published last week that said Canada needs to embrace small
modular reactors in order to meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals. In a
transition to cleaner forms of energy, Richards says Canada can't entirely rely
on solar and wind power because it's intermittent. He said nuclear power can be
used in conjunction with those forms of renewable energy to provide a constant
supply of energy — when there's no wind or no sunlight. But, he said, he sees it
as an option in Saskatchewan or Manitoba — where there isn't much more potential
for hydro. In the small remote communities in the North, he said, small modular
reactors would be too expensive.
Who will build them?
Small modular reactors are nuclear reactors that use fission to produce energy,
similar to existing large reactors, but with smaller power capacity. They're
"modular" because they're designed to be assembled in a factory, transported by
flatbed trucks or trains, and installed where needed. The International Atomic
Energy Agency defines reactors as "small" if their output is under 300
megawatts.
Small modular reactors are still in the prototype phase now. Even if they can be
built small enough so as not to massively over-supply power in a small remote
community, M.V. Ramana — a professor at the School of Public Policy and Global
Affairs at the University of British Columbia and a critic of nuclear power —
doubts a private sector manufacturer will do so.
Ramana said a manufacturer would want to be guaranteed there's a market for the
technology, and he thinks they'll be too expensive for remote communities to buy
them. According to Natural Resources Canada, a 20 megawatt SMR for the mining
industry is expected to cost between $200 and $350 million.
Ramana co-authored a report that found all the remote communities and all the
remote mines in Canada would not generate enough demand to serve as an incentive
for a manufacturer to build an SMR factory. The price of the technology would
also drive up the cost of the power it generates.
"Our estimates showed that the price of electricity from a small modular reactor
built in the remote parts of Canada could cost up to 10 times as much as the
cost of electricity from diesel," he said.
Too much power
During peak demand in the winter months, Yellowknife uses about 34 megawatts of
power, according to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. Elsewhere in
the N.W.T., Inuvik's peak demand is 5.5 megawatts, while in Jean Marie River,
it's just 0.5 megawatts. In an emailed statement to CBC News in late October,
Ben Israel, a senior coordinator with the N.W.T.'s infrastructure department,
said the smallest available size of SMR might still be oversized for most of the
territory's remote communities.
Israel said the territory has been part of an SMR working group since 2017, and
that it is also participating in an SMR feasibility study being carried out by
the Yukon government.
"Any development of SMR technology in the N.W.T. would first require extensive
demonstration of safety and cost-effectiveness in other jurisdictions — as well
as education about the technology … before it would be considered as an option
by the Government of the Northwest Territories."Kevin O'Reilly, the MLA for
Frame Lake, said nuclear energy comes up every so often "as some kind of climate
crisis saviour" — and he isn't convinced yet that it would work. "If we want to
deal with the climate crisis, I think we need to be looking at some fundamental
changes in the way we do things and the way we consume and extract energy."
Already in action
Bob McDonald, the long-time host of CBC's Quirks and Quarks, believes nuclear
power is worth looking into. He outlines a case for small modular reactors in
his recently published book, The Future Is Now, and says they could be used to
replace diesel generators in Canada's North."Nuclear powered aircraft carriers,
nuclear submarines, Russian nuclear icebreakers … have been using small reactors
for decades," he said in an interview. The core of the reactor in an SMR isn't
much bigger than an office desk, he said, and it's sealed in a stainless steel
container that is transported to a community and installed. underground. "These
are designed to be safe and shut themselves down without any human intervention
if something goes wrong," he said. Though SMRs do create nuclear waste, McDonald
considers the amount of waste to be small and manageable — and, unlike with
carbon emissions that spread out into the atmosphere, you know where the nuclear
waste is stored. "The bottom line is we need to talk about it," he said. "We
need to have education on how these things work, from the nuclear industry to
the public, to allay the fears, explain how the technology works, the benefits,
the costs compared to what we're doing today."
US Navy finds the same kind of Iranian suicide drone Russia
has been using against Ukraine was used to attack a tanker
Jake Epstein/Business Insider/November 22, 2022
An Iranian-made suicide drone slammed into a commercial tanker in the Arabian
Sea last week. The US Navy identified the drone as a Shahed-136, which Russia
has been using to attack Ukrainian cities. A Navy official said the Iranian
attack on the ship was "deliberate, flagrant, and dangerous."
The US Navy says that an Iranian-made suicide drone of the same type that Russia
has been slamming into Ukrainian cities was used in a recent attack on a
commercial tanker in the Middle East. Last week, an explosive-packed drone hit a
Liberian-flagged ship transiting the Northern Arabian Sea, the US Navy said in a
Tuesday statement. US 5th Fleet collected evidence from the incident and sent it
to a lab where technicians confirmed the drone to be an Iranian-made Shahed-136
— a weapon which has been used for months in Ukraine. "The Iranian attack on a
commercial tanker transiting international waters was deliberate, flagrant, and
dangerous, endangering the lives of the ship's crew and destabilizing maritime
security in the Middle East," said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, who is the commander
of US Naval Forces Central Command, US 5th Fleet, and Combined Maritime Forces.
The tanker, Pacific Zircon, came under attack in the evening on November 15. The
US Navy said a drone ripped into the back of the ship, caused a 30-inch-wide
hole, and exploded, damaging the ship's potable water tank, a boiler, and life
raft. The next day, US Navy explosive ordnance technicians boarded the wounded
tanker to collect debris and inspect the damage. That evidence was then sent off
for further analysis at a lab in Bahrain, where Iran's connection to the
incident was determined, the Navy said."The aerial drone that hit the commercial
tanker was identified as a Shahed-136 UAV, fitting a historical pattern of
Iran's increasing use of a lethal capability directly or through its proxies
across the Middle East," the Navy said. The sea service added that Iran has
supplied drone technology to Houthi rebels fighting Yemen's internationally
recognized government. Additionally, these drones have seen action in Saudi
Arabia and Iraq.
Although it's called a drone, Iran's Shahed-136 is actually technically a
loitering munition. These long-range and small systems are packed with
explosives and can fly around like a normal drone and are capable of lingering
over a target area.
But once these munitions are on site, they can be directed at specific targets
and then fly straight into them and detonate upon impact. For this reason, the
Shahed-136 is often referred to as a suicide or kamikaze drone. Britain's
defense ministry has shared that the 440-pound weapons are relatively slow and
carry a small explosive payload. In recent weeks, these weapons have been thrust
into the spotlight for their role in Russia's nine-month-long war in Ukraine.
Russian forces have used the systems in deadly attacks on Ukrainian cities,
often targeting civilian infrastructure hundreds of miles from the war's front
lines. Top US officials have said that Russian representatives previously
traveled to Iran to learn how to use the drones, which would later be used in
attacks, before Iranian military personnel more recently traveled to Crimea to
help Moscow operate the weapons. Meanwhile, last week's Shahed-136 attack is the
second time this month that US Navy forces have reported Iranian influence in
waters near the Middle East. Earlier in November, the service said it recovered
a "massive amount" of explosive material — used to fuel ballistic missiles —
from a fishing boat that was sailing from Iran to Yemen.
Iran Situation ‘Critical’ with More than 300 Killed, Says
UN Rights Chief
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 22 November, 2022
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Tuesday that the situation in
Iran was "critical", describing a hardening of the authorities' response to
protests that have resulted in more than 300 deaths in the past two months. "The
rising number of deaths from protests in Iran, including those of two children
at the weekend, and the hardening of the response by security forces, underline
the critical situation in the country," said a spokesperson for UN human rights
chief Volker Turk at a Geneva press briefing. The country has been gripped by
nationwide protests since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in
morality police custody on Sept. 16 after she was arrested for wearing clothes
deemed "inappropriate". Tehran has blamed foreign enemies and their agents for
orchestrating the protests, which have turned into a popular revolt by Iranians
from all layers of society, posing one of the boldest challenges to the clerical
rulers since the 1979 revolution. Iran's World Cup team declined to sing their
anthem before their opening World Cup match on Monday in a sign of support for
the protests. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said
that more than 300 people had been killed so far, including more than 40
children. These deaths occurred across the country, with deaths reported in 25
of 31 provinces. In the same briefing, OHCHR spokesperson Jeremy Laurence also
voiced concern about the situation in mainly Kurdish cities where it has reports
of over 40 people killed by security forces over the past week.
Iran to Enrich Uranium to 60% Purity at Fordow Nuclear Site
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 22 November, 2022
Iran has started enriching uranium to 60% purity at its underground Fordow
nuclear site, according to state media on Tuesday, which described the action as
a response to the UN nuclear watchdog's demand for more cooperation from Tehran.
Iran is already enriching uranium to up to 60% purity elsewhere, well below the
roughly 90% needed for weapons grade material but above the 20% it produced
before a 2015 agreement with major powers to cap enrichment at 3.67%. "In a
letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has informed the
agency that it has started enriching uranium to 60% purity at Fordow site," the
semi-official ISNA news agency reported, adding that it was a "strong response"
to the agency's latest resolution. The IAEA 35-nation Board of Governors on
Thursday passed a resolution ordering Iran to cooperate urgently with the
agency’s investigation into uranium traces found at three undeclared sites,
diplomats at the closed-door vote said. Iran's SNN network said Tehran will also
be building a new set of centrifuges at its Natanz and Fordow nuclear sites. In
June, Reuters reported that Tehran was escalating its uranium enrichment further
by preparing to use advanced IR-6 centrifuges at the Fordow site, which can
easily switch between enrichment levels. The IAEA resolution is the second this
year targeting Iran over the investigation, which has become an obstacle to
talks on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal because Iran has demanded the probe
be ended. Iran's foreign ministry on Monday dismissed the resolution as
"politically motivated".
Russian Fury After Top Putin Official Is Booted From
Diplomats Meeting
Shannon Vavra/The Daily Beast/November 22, 2022
Polish officials have been accused of disinviting Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov from a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) in Lodz, Poland, next week, just days after questions arose over
whether Russia’s war in Ukraine is spilling over into neighboring Poland. Maria
Zakharova, a spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, accused Poland, the
current OSCE chair, of railroading European national security by barring Lavrov
from leading a Russian delegation at the 29th Ministerial Council. “Nowadays,
the Polish chairmanship is practically demolishing this negotiating venue when
they physically prevent a delegation from taking part and speaking,” Zakharova
said, according to TASS. The Polish Foreign Ministry notified the Kremlin about
Lavrov not being welcome via diplomatic note, a spokesperson for the foreign
ministry said. Poland has also blocked Russian legislators from joining in on
the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly meeting this week in Warsaw, according to local
Polish news outlet, TVP World. Lavrov is not allowed to attend because he is
sanctioned, according to Poland. ‘You Can’t Force Love’: Russian Diplomats Told
to Kiss the West Goodbye
“Delegations should be adjusted to the current EU regulations and not include
persons that are sanctioned by the European Union,” the Polish OSCE chairmanship
said. Lavrov’s exclusion from the meeting comes as Warsaw grapples with the
consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine spilling over into Poland. Last week,
hours after Russia unleashed dozens of missile strikes on cities throughout
Ukraine, an explosion in Przewodów in Poland, near Poland’s border with Ukraine,
killed two Polish citizens. The incident raised questions over whether Poland, a
member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), could trigger a
collective NATO retaliation that could lead to the most escalatory moment yet in
Russia’s nearly ten-month-long war in Ukraine. Some authorities, including those
in Ukraine, have cast suspicion on whether the hit was deliberate or accidental
on behalf of the Russians. The Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zbigniew
Rau—who currently serves as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office—summoned the Russian
ambassador over the incident in the initial hours following the strike. NATO has
said that evidence from a preliminary investigation points to Ukrainian air
defenses, activated to defend against the Russian attacks, falling into Poland
by accident. The White House National Security Council has indicated that there
is no evidence yet to contradict that initial finding. The investigation into
the incident is ongoing. The Pentagon has experts on the ground investigating,
according to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Although Russia’s Permanent
Representative at the OSCE, Alexander Lukashevich, will attend the meeting in
Poland next week in Lavrov’s place, Russia is still protesting the decision.
“The decision by Poland, as the current chair [OSCE], to bar FM Lavrov from the
OSCE Minister Council is an unprecedented step,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said
in a statement. “During all of this year, instead working to strengthen the OSCE,
Warsaw has persistently destroyed its foundations.”In response Russia’s
complaint, the Polish OSCE Chairmanship shot back, pointing out that Russia is
waging a war of choice in Ukraine, unprovoked. “The decision by Russia, as a
participating State of the [OSCE], to wage an unprovoked full-scale war of
aggression against Ukraine is an unprecedented step,” the chairmanship said.
“During all of this year, instead of working to strengthen the OSCE, Moscow has
persistently destroyed its foundations.”
Canada to sanction Belarus firms, more officials over
Russia's war in Ukraine
Nov 22 (Reuters)/Tue, November 22, 2022
Canada said on Tuesday it will slap more sanctions on Belarusian President
Alexander Lukashenko's administration for supporting Russia's war in Ukraine.
The foreign ministry in Ottawa said it would sanction 22 more Belarusian
officials as well as 16 Belarusian companies involved in military manufacturing,
technology, engineering, banking and railway transportation. It said the
officials included some who were "complicit in the stationing and transport of
Russian military personnel and equipment involved in the invasion of Ukraine."
Canada is among several countries that have imposed steep financial penalties on
Russia for its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent war, for which it
has used Belarus as a staging ground. The country has imposed sanctions on more
than 1,500 individuals and groups, including from Belarus, according to the
foreign ministry. While Kyiv and the West describe Russia's actions as an
unprovoked war of aggression, Moscow calls it a "special military operation" to
rid Ukraine of nationalists and protect Russian-speaking communities.
China halts some Russian crude purchases as looming oil
price cap leaves buyers looking for a bigger discount
Business Insider/Phil Rosen/November 22, 2022
Some Chinese buyers have halted purchases of Russian crude ahead of a price cap
expected to begin December 5, Bloomberg reported. Traders say they are waiting
to see if the price cap allows for better deals on supplies, per the report.
Russian officials have said they would not sell to nations that adhere to the
US-led price cap. Chinese buyers have halted some purchases of Russian crude as
a US-led price cap initiative looms in less than two weeks, Bloomberg reported
Tuesday. Those customers are hesitant to complete purchases because once a price
cap sets in, they might be able to secure cheaper supplies, traders told
Bloomberg. Now, several cargoes of Russian ESPO crude remain without buyers for
December-loading. The price cap is expected to coincide with the European
Union's next round of sanctions, which will ban seaborne Russian crude imports
into Europe as well as related services to customers worldwide. The cap is meant
to keep Russian crude flowing through global markets and prevent a price spike
while also squeezing Moscow's finances and ability to fund its war in Ukraine.
Russian officials, however, have said they would not sell oil to nations that
implement the plan.
Since President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February,
China and India have emerged as big buyers of Russian crude, while the US and
other Western nations wean off doing business with Moscow. Northern European
buyers have already slashed Russian oil imports by 90%.
Meanwhile, China's biggest oil refiners have reached out to Beijing for help in
keeping Russian imports flowing after more sanctions take effect, citing concern
over their ability to navigate the payments and insurance required to keep doing
business with Moscow, Bloomberg reported last week.
Russia calls on Turkey to show 'restraint' in Syria
Agence France Presse/November 22/2022
Russia on Tuesday said it hoped Turkey would exercise "restraint" and refrain
from "any excessive use of force" in Syria, where Ankara has carried out air
strikes and is threatening to launch a ground offensive against Kurdish
fighters. "We hope to convince our Turkish colleagues
to refrain from resorting to excessive use of force on Syrian territory" to
"avoid the escalation of tensions", Alexander Lavrentyev, Russian President
Vladimir Putin's special envoy on Syria, told reporters in Astana. Turkey on
Sunday launched a series of air raids targeting bases of outlawed Kurdish
militants across northern Syria and Iraq. At least 37
people were killed in the strikes, according to a report by Britain-based
monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "Russia has for months
... done everything possible to prevent any large-scale ground operation,"
Lavrentyev said in the Kazakh capital, which is hosting a tripartite meeting
between Russia, Turkey and Iran on Syria. The three countries are major players
in the war in Syria, which has claimed nearly half a million lives since 2011.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been threatening to launch a new
military operation in northern Syria since May. "We will make those who disturb
us on our territory pay," he said on Monday, adding that consultations were
ongoing "to decide the level of force that should be used by our ground forces".
The Turkish air offensive, codenamed Operation Claw-Sword, came a week after a
blast in central Istanbul killed six people and wounded 81, an attack Turkey has
blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PKK has waged a
bloody insurgency in Turkey for decades and is designated a terror group by
Ankara and its Western allies. But it has denied involvement in the Istanbul
explosion.
Yemen: Houthi drones attack ship at oil terminal
Associated Press/November 22/2022
Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a ship at an oil terminal in the south of the
country on Monday, the internationally recognized government said, in the latest
in a series of recent attacks that threaten to escalate the conflict after
months of relative calm.
The government, which controls the territory where the terminal is located, said
in a statement that the strike took place while a commercial ship was in the
port of Al-Dabah, near the city of Mukalla, and that it had been carried out by
drones. It did not say whether any damage had been sustained or to which nation
the vessel belonged. The Houthis appeared to acknowledge the afternoon strike in
a series of tweets. Houthi military spokesman Yahia Sarea said that "the armed
forces succeeded in forcing an oil ship — that had come close to the Al-Dabah
port in the south of the country — to leave." He said that the ship had "refused
to heed warnings." The group takes issue with its rivals receiving funds from
oil exports. Yemen's warring parties failed last month
to renew a months-long truce that had spurred hopes for a longer peace. Later in
October, the rebels targeted several other ships in drone attacks.
War has raged since 2014 in Yemen between the Houthi rebels and pro-government
forces backed by a coalition of Sunni Gulf Arab states. The Iran-backed Houthis
swept down from the mountains in 2014, occupied northern Yemen and the country's
capital and forced the internationally recognized government to flee into exile
to Saudi Arabia. Since then, more than 150,000 people have been killed in the
violence and 3 million have been displaced. Two-thirds of the population
receives food assistance. The initial, two-month truce agreed to on April 2 by
the government and the Houthis was extended twice, until Oct. 2. Since then,
both the United States and the United Nations have blamed the Houthis for a
breakdown in efforts to extend the cease-fire yet again. One of the main
obstacles to a truce is the use of Yemen's resources. The Houthis maintain that
oil produced in Yemen should not be allowed to be exported by the cash-strapped
government side.
World Cup stunner: Saudi Arabia beats Messi's Argentina 2-1
Associated Press/November 22/2022
Lionel Messi stood with his hands on his hips near the center circle, looking
stone-faced as Saudi Arabia's jubilant players ran in all directions around him
after scoring one of the biggest World Cup upsets ever against Argentina.
The South American champion and one of the tournament favorites slumped
to a 2-1 loss against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, in a deflating start to Messi's
quest to win the one major title that has eluded him. Saudi Arabia's comeback
joins the list of other major World Cup upsets: Cameroon's 1-0 win over an
Argentina team led by Diego Maradona in the opening game of the 1990 World Cup,
Senegal's 1-0 victory over titleholder France 1-0 in the 2002 tournament opener
or the United States beating England by the same score in 1950. "Prior to the
match we were anointed as favorites," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. "But
this sort of stuff can happen in a World Cup."Messi gave Argentina the lead in
the 10th minute with a coolly dispatched penalty and the match had the makings
of a routine win for the defending Copa America champion, which were on a
36-match unbeaten run. Didn't turn out that way.
Goals by Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari in a five-minute span early
in the second half gave the Saudis a landmark result in the first World Cup
staged in the Middle East. The Saudis' previous biggest win was 1-0 over Belgium
at the 1994 World Cup. "All the stars aligned for us," Saudi Arabia's coach
Herve Renard said. "We made history for Saudi football."The 35-year-old Messi,
playing in his fifth — and likely his final — World Cup for Argentina, scratched
the side of his head and shook hands with a Saudi coaching staff member after
the final whistle. He walked toward the tunnel with a group of other Argentina
players and looked despondent, an all-too-familiar scene for one of the best
players ever who is yet to win soccer's ultimate prize. "We screwed it up in the
second half," Argentina striker Lautaro Martinez said. "Small details make a
difference. We have to fix them."The unlikely victory was sealed by a somersault
by Aldawsari, who brought down a high ball just inside the penalty area, spun
Nahuel Molina with the help of a ricochet, jinked past Leandro Paredes and drove
a powerful shot to the far corner in the 53rd. A stunned Messi watched as
green-clad fans from Saudi Arabia, Qatar's neighbor, celebrated in disbelief in
the stands. Saudi Arabia's substitutes swarmed onto the field.
Messi put Argentina ahead from the penalty spot after the video assistant
referee told the referee to take a look at a jersey grab by Saud Abdulhamid on
Paredes. Saudi Arabia didn't have a shot on goal in the first half and looked
like conceding more by playing with a high line that resulted in Argentina
getting in behind in the Saudi defense with ease. The 48th-minute equalizer came
from Saudi Arabia's first attempt on target, with Alshehri finding the far
corner with an angled finish that went through the legs of defender Cristian
Romero and beyond the dive of goalkeeper Emi Martinez.Goalkeeper Mohammed
Alowais made two key saves late in the game to preserve the win. Argentina plays
Mexico in its second Group C match on Saturday.
The Latest LCCC English analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on November
22-23/2022
بارعة علم الدين: موقع عرب نيوز: بدأ الغرب يستفيق على حقيقة الخطر الإيراني،
ولكن ماذا الآن؟
The West is waking up to the Iranian threat — now what?
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/November 22/2022
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/113572/113572/
During last week’s Manama Dialogue, I was struck by some unusually strident
statements from Western officials regarding the geopolitical threat emanating
from Iran.
Comments from the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen,
deserve quoting at length. She said: “Several Gulf countries have been warning
for years about the risk that Iran feeds rogue nations around the world with
drones. It took us too long to understand a very simple fact that while we work
to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, we must also focus on other
forms of weapons proliferation, from drones to ballistic missiles. It is a
security risk, not just for the Middle East but for us all.”
These remarkable comments tacitly acknowledge how the West systematically chose
to ignore warnings about Iran’s ballistic missile and drone programs, and the
threat posed by Iran-sponsored region-wide paramilitary armies.
What has changed is that, in recent weeks, Iranian drones and missiles have been
used to annihilate the power facilities and civilian infrastructure of a
European state, Ukraine. Alongside the significant casualties, tens of millions
of people are likely to go without heating and electricity over the winter
period as a direct result of Iranian weapons programs.
As US Undersecretary of State for Defense Colin Kahl reminded audiences in
Bahrain: Iran’s nuclear activities are now “at their most advanced state ever.”
Tehran has been allowed to build up its arsenal of weapons and distribute these
to its proxies “despite years of sanctions.” Iranian drones and missiles have
been used to attack Gulf shipping — in recent days including missile strikes
against an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.
Hundreds of Iranian-made missiles have attacked economic and civilian targets
throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Iranian munitions and militias killed tens of
thousands of innocent Yemenis and Syrians.
Von der Leyen warned that Iran and Russia were jointly undermining the rules of
the global order, adding: “Where does this end, if left unchallenged? History
shows that this is a recipe for perpetual war. It is a recipe for arms races and
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”
We have a right to know whether or not the West possesses any actual strategy
for confronting Tehran
Iran possesses by far the largest programs in drones and ballistic and cruise
missiles in the region. Experts worry that the lessons Iran learns from seeing
these weapons used in anger against civilians in Ukraine will allow it to
increase their accuracy and lethality.
In Bahrain, US National Security Council official Brett McGurk described a “sea
change in how the world looks at Iran” in recent weeks. “Iranian-supplied
weapons threaten the entire region,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly
told the Manama Dialogue — as if revealing a hidden truth that his government
had only just discovered. He added: “The regime has resorted to selling Russia
the armed drones that are killing civilians in Ukraine.” Full marks for stating
the obvious — but what will the consequences be for Tehran’s theocracy? Without
just criticizing for the sake of criticizing, we have a right to know whether or
not the West possesses any actual strategy for confronting Tehran.
In questions I posed to European officials — including Finnish and German
foreign affairs ministers — about specific action that could be taken, there was
notable evasiveness, beyond recent sanctions against Iranian officials involved
in the violent repression of protesters. The German minister talked about
increasing sanctions, yet this is a regime that thrives on confrontation and
isolation. Sanctions against the legitimate oil sector have only enriched the
regime by allowing entities like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to
monopolize the smuggling of oil, drugs, weapons and the full spectrum of other
goods.
The export of weapons from Iran violates international sanctions, so the
international community is obliged to take action to prevent such movement of
arms, including potential measures such as controls on non-civilian flights
between Iran and Russia or the indictment of both states for war crimes.
European states could furthermore downgrade or halt diplomatic ties with Iran or
halt flights and commercial activities.
In defiance of all expectations, protests have continued throughout Iran after
more than two months. If anything, the unrest is becoming more violent and
entrenched, with several hundred killed, including at least 58 children.
Some 15,000 people have been arrested and several of these have already been
sentenced to death — yet this has scarcely deterred the courageous protesters,
who will settle for nothing less than toppling the regime. Hard-liners like
Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami have encouraged the widespread use of the death penalty,
demanding that the judiciary acts “against all these criminals.”
After a shooting incident in Iran’s southwestern town of Izeh, a fake statement
was circulated that sought to implicate Daesh in the incident, in what appears
to be a part of calculated efforts by the regime to discredit protesters and
portray them as terrorists and extremists. Similar efforts have been made to
undermine protesters in Kurdish regions. In reality, the only terrorists and
extremists are the ones charged with running the country.
I asked several Western officials why the international community was not doing
more to support the protesters and, in many cases, the response was that this
would allow the regime to claim that the uprising was foreign-backed. Yet the
regime is constantly alleging this anyway, so what difference would this make?
Now that Western officials are beginning to acknowledge the threat that Iran
poses, their goal should not merely be behavior change. There have now been two
decades of consolidated diplomatic efforts to halt the regime’s military nuclear
program, and what has this achieved? The mullahs’ regime is on the cusp of
building atom bombs, negotiations have broken down altogether and cooperation
with the International Atomic Energy Agency has virtually ceased.
A big problem is that, despite all the effusive Western pledges of “partnership”
on show in Manama, the repeated breaking of commitments has severely damaged the
trust of Gulf states. Actions, not words, is the only way this can change. Among
such examples of tangible action were initiatives discussed in Manama by Gen.
Michael Kurilla, commander of US Central Command. Kurilla talked about the
planned deployment of a fleet of more than 100 unmanned marine vessels to patrol
the seas, as well as a pilot program for targeting enemy drones.
Does the West really believe that Tehran will stop selling missiles and drones
to Russia when this regime has a record of exporting weapons to militants,
insurgents and pariah regimes throughout Africa and Asia? It likewise beggars
the imagination to think how Iran’s military sector will invest this huge cash
windfall from the Russians and other clients.
The West should fully commit to the objective of toppling this criminal,
terrorist regime. The region, the world and the Iranians themselves will not
know stability as long as these brutal theocrats remain in power.
It is heartening to hear senior Western officials beginning to acknowledge this
reality. Now enough of the empty rhetoric. What are they actually going to do
about it?
**Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle
East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has
interviewed numerous heads of state.
Biden and Xi Jinping and Muawiya
Robert Ford/Asharq Al Awsat/November, 22/2022
President Biden met President Xi Jinping in Indonesia last week and told the
world that there need not be a new cold war. Is he serious?
Any observer watching world politics now understands that America is trying to
reduce Chinese growth and Chinese power. At the same time, the Chinese
government does not hide that it would like to replace the United States at the
center of the international system. Last April the Chinese President in a speech
laid out his new “Global Security Initiative” that insists countries and
societies can choose their own domestic systems. Xi made clear that Biden’s
promotion of human rights and democracy in other countries is not a good basis
for international relations. Thus, just like the ideological competition between
the Communist Soviet Union and the democratic United States in the Cold War,
there is now an ideological element in the Chinese-American competition.
And this cold war mentality is obvious in American trade strategy with China.
The days of boosting trade and economic integration with China are gone.
Instead, as during the cold war with the Soviet Union, Washington is trying to
weaken the Chinese economy. Most importantly, the Biden administration is
undertaking to block the export to China of advanced computer chips and the
technology to manufacture them. These chips are at the center of modern
economies. China last year imported 300 billion dollars of the chips, more than
its imports of oil.
Washington has been very clear about its goal: it wants to impede China’s
ability to develop its own capacity to produce the advanced chips which have
commercial and military applications. Moreover, again like the old Cold War,
Washington is exerting pressure on its allies to follow its sanctions policy on
China. For example, it is pressing the Dutch and Japanese governments to block
sales from their companies from selling advanced chip-making technologies to
China. Singapore’s Foreign Minister, watching this unilateral American effort,
called the American policy “all but a declaration of technological war.”
Moreover, the Biden administration which replaced Donald Trump’s team in 2021
promising better relations with traditional allies now is forcing allies like
Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands that engage in technology trade with
China to choose sides, something that they do not want to do.
Biden also said in Indonesia last week that a Chinese attack on Taiwan is not
“imminent.” However, his reassuring tone leads me to wonder why he has
repeatedly said this year that the United States would defend Taiwan if China
attacks. These statements were a big change in the traditional American
ambiguity about defending Taiwan that began with former Secretary of State Henry
Kissinger when he negotiated the American opening to China in 1972.
Xi reiterated in Indonesia last week that Taiwan is a “fundamental” Chinese
interest. I understood from Biden’s statement that Washington doubts China would
attack in 2022 or maybe 2023 but after that Washington does not know. Following
the traditional cold war strategy, in order to deter China, the new NATO is a
four-way alliance with India, Japan and Australia that Washington is building.
And it is no coincidence that Biden is hosting African leaders next month in
Washington. The guest list that includes various dictators and thus promoting
democracy and human rights is obviously not the goal of the meeting.
The Chinese for their part also recognize the new cold war. They will try to
build up their own technological capabilities despite American sanctions, and at
its October conference the Communist Party leadership brought into the Politburo
and Central Committee more members with technology expertise in fields like
aerospace, biotechnology, semiconductors and artificial intelligence.
Nonetheless, China appears not to want major confrontation now with the United
States. China did not retaliate for the new American semiconductor sanctions.
Instead, President Xi agreed to establish working groups with the Americans on
issues like climate change. These working groups strengthen dialogue between the
bureaucracies in the two governments.
More dialogue will be a good thing in the months ahead. The new Republican Party
majority in the House of Representatives will anger Beijing by pushing for
bigger arms sales to Taiwan and holding public hearings that blame China for the
spread of the Coronavirus. The new Speaker of the House of Representatives may
visit Taiwan. The visit of the previous Speaker in August provoked a harsh
Chinese response, including cutting off all dialogue with Washington on
international issues. Biden and Xi have restored that dialogue for now. Direct
communication about perceived interests and threats is useful to avoid
unnecessary conflict. I have always appreciated the Caliph Muawiya’s remark that
“if there be one hair binding me to my fellow men, I do not let it break. If
they pull, I loosen, and if they loosen, I pull.”
The Desperate Need for True Interfaith Dialogue between
Christians and Muslims
Raymond Ibrahim/November, 22/2022
A much touted conference in Bahrain, dedicated to promoting “interfaith
dialogue” and “coexistence,” recently came to a close. Featuring many leading
Christian and Muslim figures—including Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb,
the Grand Imam of Al Azhar—the conference’s purpose was “to build bridges of
dialogue between leaders of religions, sects, thought, culture and media, in
cooperation with Al Azhar, the Catholic Church, the Muslim Council of Elders,
and other international institutions concerned with dialogue, human coexistence
and tolerance.”
While this sounds splendid on paper, in reality, it often amounts to little and
arguably makes matters worse. Put differently, this and all other such
conferences between Christians and Muslims that are sponsored by “official”
channels are often dedicated to one thing: exonerating Islam of all the misdeeds
committed daily in its name.
For example, not only did the Grand Imam—who smiles, hugs, and preaches
brotherly peace to the pope while sponsoring radicalism and even death for
apostates when speaking to Muslims—repeatedly insist that Islam has nothing to
do with terrorism, but so too did Pope Francis, blaming “erroneous
interpretations” of Islam for the violence and intolerance committed in its
name.
To be sure, the pope and imam have long been committed to whitewashing Islam
during their many interfaith initiatives. In 2019, they signed a document that
blamed jihadist terrorism on “incorrect interpretations of religious [Muslim]
texts and to policies linked to hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression and
pride.”
Not only do all of these conferences and initiatives conceal the truth, leaving
complications to fester and metastasize beneath the surface. They are great but
missed opportunities. After all, interfaith dialogue between Christians and
Muslims has great potential—but only if it is honest and sincere, addressing the
differences and sources of conflict, rather than continuously stressing
(superficial) commonalities.
And, for a millennium, they were.
For instance, around 718—less than a century after Islam’s prophet Muhammad
died—Caliph Omar II called on Eastern Roman Emperor Leo III to embrace Islam.
This led to a frank exchange in letters. Rather than diplomatically praising
though politely refusing Islam, Leo scrutinized its claims as heaven-sent. Among
other things, he openly criticized Islam for circumcising and treating women as
chattel and for teaching that paradise will be little more than a brothel, where
Muslim men copulate in perpetuity with supernatural women.
Leo further contrasted Christ’s peace with Muhammad’s jihad: “You call ‘the Way
of God’ these devastating raids which bring death and captivity to all peoples.
Behold your religion and its recompense [death and destruction]. Behold your
glory ye who pretend to live an angelic life.”
Far from being a godsend, Islam was at war with God’s people, concluded the
emperor: “I see you, even now … exercising such cruelties towards the faithful
of God [Christians], with the purpose of converting them to apostasy, and
putting to death all those who resist your designs, so that daily is
accomplished the prediction of our Savior: ‘The time will come when everyone who
puts you to death will believe he is serving God’ (Jn 16:2).” [Sword and
Scimitar pp. 63-65 has the complete exchange between the emperor and caliph.]
Meanwhile, and even though Christians are being persecuted all throughout the
Islamic world, Pope Francis refuses to utter a single word about it. Even at the
recent conference, although he passingly mentioned the persecution of Shiites in
Sunni-majority nations, he uttered no word concerning Christians, even though
millions are savagely persecuted throughout the Islamic world.
Or consider Saint Francis of Assisi, whom Pope Francis so idolizes as to take on
his name. While Saint Francis (b.1182) did meet and peacefully dialogue with
Sultan al-Malik al-Kāmil of Egypt—as the Vatican often reminds us in an effort
to position Pope Francis as walking in the saint’s “bridge building”
footsteps—he was no less forthright than Leo. He did not ignore Islam’s violent
reality nor apologize for Christian truths to accommodate Muslim sensibilities,
as Pope Francis often does. Rather, the saint engaged in true dialogue—and, if
the Muslim clerics he debated had their way, would have cost him his head.
Or consider Eastern Roman Emperor Manuel II (b. 1350), who lived nearly 700
years after Leo III. As a man who spent his entire life defending against
invading Turks, Manuel was well acquainted with Islam. He understood the three
choices Islamic law (shari‘a) imposed on conquered non-Muslims. In his own
words, “[1] they must place themselves under this law [meaning become Muslims],
or [2] pay tribute and, more, be reduced to slavery [an accurate depiction of
jizya and dhimmi status], or, in the absence of wither, [3] be struck without
hesitation with iron,” [Sword and Scimitar, p. 217].
In 1390, Manuel was a ward—more realistically, a hostage—of the Turkish sultan,
Bayezid, whom contemporary Europeans described as “a persecutor of Christians as
no other around him, and in the religion of the Arabs a most ardent disciple of
Muhammad.”
At Bayezid’s courts, Muslim clerics regularly accosted Manuel to embrace the one
“true” faith. He responded with blunt honesty: “Show me just what Muhammad
brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such
as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” He too was lucky
not to lose his head, as he managed to abscond back to Constantinople.
Interestingly, in 2006, when Pope Benedict passingly quoted Manuel’s
aforementioned assertion about Muhammad, Muslims around the world, as if to
prove Manuel correct in his assessment, rioted, burned churches, and attacked
Christians; an Italian nun who had devoted her life to serving the sick and
needy of Somalia was murdered there.
Pope Benedict’s successor, Pope Francis, has obviously learned the lesson: the
only “interfaith dialogue” acceptable to Muslims is the sort that, instead of
asking sincere but tough questions of Islam, covers for it. Hence why Sheikh
Ahmed al-Tayeb—who had severed all ties with the Vatican after Pope Benedict
quoted Manuel in 2006—has embraced Pope Francis as a fellow “brother.”
Sadly, and believe it or not, some Muslims actually need to hear the
aforementioned criticisms and concerns to be shaken from their complacency and
truly evaluate their religion. Reasonable polemics against Islam, as captured by
the words of Leo, Saint Francis, Manuel, and many other historical personages,
have caused not a few Muslims over the centuries to search their scriptures in
order to respond to the charges, only to end up seeing things the infidels’ way.
(Indeed, if Christian chroniclers are to be believed, the frank and sincere
words of Emperor Leo III and Saint Francis to Caliph Omar II and Sultan al-Malik,
respectively, caused the latter two Muslims to apostatize from Islam, if only in
secret.)
Be that as it may, one thing is certain: sincere dialogue ultimately empowers
that which is true, and thus good—even if it leads to temporary friction;
insincere dialogue ultimately empowers that which is false, and thus evil—even
if it leads to temporary but artificial cooperation in the now, as in the good
show recently put on by Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb in Bahrain.
بورزو دراغاهي/انديبندت: في لحظة غير مسبوقة، يتعرض الأكراد
في كل الشرق الأوسط للهجوم من جميع الجهات
In an unprecedented moment, Kurds across the Middle East are under attack from
all sides
Borzou Daragahi/The Independent/November 22, 2022
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/113579/borzou-daragahi-the-independent-in-an-unprecedented-moment-kurds-across-the-middle-east-are-under-attack-from-all-sides-%d8%a8%d9%88%d8%b1%d8%b2%d9%88-%d8%af%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%ba%d8%a7%d9%87%d9%8a/
The Middle East’s Kurds are being bombed, shot at and arrested
across four countries. Scores have died in political unrest in northwest Iran.
Some two dozen have died in airstrikes on northern Syria. And both Tehran and
Ankara are threatening ground invasions, which will kill and displace even more.
It is an unprecedented moment of pressure on one of the world’s largest
stateless ethnic groups. It has come about in part because of the war in Ukraine
and international disengagement from the region.
Turkey and Iran are subjecting Kurdish populations in their own countries, as
well as those in Syria and Iraq, to increasing pressure and violence. In
response to a 13 November bomb attack, the Turks have launched cross-border
airstrikes and are preparing for a possible ground invasion of
Kurdish-controlled regions of northern Syria, and have struck positions held by
Kurdish militant groups in Iraq. Ankara has also upped the pressure on Turkey’s
main Kurdish-led political party.
Iran is dispatching heavily armed ground forces to quell one segment of a
nationwide political uprising in its own Kurdish towns and cities. In one video
clip posted to the internet, pro-regime gunmen can be seen attacking unarmed
protesters in the city of Javanrud, opening fire wildly while yelling “God is
great!”
Like Turkey, Iran has also been launching missiles against Kurdish rebel groups
across the border in Iraq, using drones and fighter jets in an attack early on
Sunday that was at least the second in recent weeks.
“We’re seeing that Turkey and Iran are bombing more, and further, into Iraq and
Syria, with a volume and cadence we haven’t seen for a while,” says Hetav Rojan,
a security expert based in Cophenhagen.
While they might be taking place simultaneously, there is little evidence of
direct coordination between Ankara and Tehran in their attacks on Kurds. But
there is probably some tacit understanding between the two nations, and Iran is
likely to have given Turkey a green light for its attack on northern Syria.
Analysts say that domestic political calculations in Ankara and Tehran are
combining with geopolitical shifts to drive the confluence of violence and
political pressure.
“This is one of the rare moments when Iran and Turkey are seeing what’s
happening to them as an existential threat by the Kurds,” says Abdulla Hawez, a
London-based analyst of Kurdish affairs. “Before, each country would use the
Kurds against the other. Right now, what’s happening is similar in both
countries.”
Both Tehran and Ankara see Kurdish aspirations as a long-term threat, and each
has a long history of abuse against the Kurdish population, which numbers
between 30 million and 45 million and is spread across sections of southeast
Turkey, northern Syria, northern Iraq and northwestern Iran.
“For both Ankara and Tehran, it’s incredibly valuable to have an external enemy
archetype that’s been cultivated through decades of minority marginalisation, to
shift blame for domestic woes,” says Rojan.
For much of the 20th century, Turkey denied Kurds basic cultural rights, and it
has been waging war against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an outlawed
separatist group, since the 1990s. Ankara accuses the PKK’s Syrian affiliates in
a self-ruled region called Rojava of being behind the deadly bombing of a
shopping district in Istanbul this month, which killed six people.
At least 31 people were killed in the airstrikes that took place on Sunday night
and early Monday morning against Syrian and Iraqi positions held by PKK
affiliates. Ankara has warned that it is preparing a possible ground incursion
into northern Syria, prompting statements of concern from Moscow and Washington.
Turkey faces crucial elections next year, in which the country’s Kurds will play
a significant role in denying or ensuring the re-election of its president,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan. If Kurds embrace Erdogan’s opponents, it could cost him
the leadership.
Upping pressure on the ethnic group could widen splits between the Kurds and an
opposition that has often demonstrated even more animosity towards Kurdish
aspirations than that shown by Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP).
“Erdogan is trying to drive a wedge within the opposition,” says Hawez. “One of
his strategies is going to make it very difficult for any opposition to get
close to Kurds.”
Turks have for months been signalling a possible ground incursion into northern
Syria, to wrest control of the city of Kobani from Kurds. Storming the city of
perhaps 100,000 just seven months ahead of the 23 June elections entails risks,
but could also yield political rewards. “The possibility of Turkey attacking
Kobani is very high for various reasons,” says Kaveh Ghoreishi, a Berlin-based
journalist specialising in Kurdish affairs. “â??â??Erdogan is hoping that this
war will mobilise the nationalist body of the society in his favour.”
While more tolerant of Kurdish language and culture, Iran has also fought
against Kurdish rebel groups and has been accused of discrimination against its
Kurdish population, which is mostly Sunni Muslim in a country dominated by Shia
Muslim clergy. Kurds have taken a prominent role in the ongoing nationwide
uprising triggered by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish
woman who was abducted by the morality police on a visit to Tehran in September.
Shows of unity between Iran’s ethnic Kurds, Baloch, Persians and others within
the nationwide movement have rattled Tehran. Public displays of cross-ethnic and
sectarian solidarity pose an especially sharp threat to a clerical regime that
has largely relied on the fear of separatism and civil war to keep its opponents
divided and its supporters united.
“It’s not often we see the Kurdish and Baloch minorities included in Iranian
protests, because of the ethnic and political divide between majority and
minority groups,” says Rojan. “This ups the ante for Tehran, which is quickly
looking for perceived external enemies to shift blame and show assertiveness.”
The Tehran regime has eyed Iraqi Kurdistan more and more suspiciously as the
self-ruled region has improved ties with the United States and Israel. While
Tehran has collaborated with the PKK and its affiliates in the past, it is
enraged by the influence of the group on the protest movement. The slogan
“Woman, life, freedom”, the rallying cry of the uprising, is rooted in the
left-leaning politics of the PKK.
“It is worried about the further reverberations and consequences of this slogan,
and for this reason, Iran has given Turkey the green light to attack Rojava,”
says Ghoreishi.
It is likely that Iran’s use of extreme violence against ethnic Kurds is meant
to provoke a response from Iraq-based armed rebel groups, and to lend credence
to its narrative that the protests will lead to national dissolution.
In Iranian attacks on Iraqi Kurdistan over the past few weeks, dozens of
civilians have been killed, hundreds of people have been injured, and thousands
of people have been displaced from the cities, says Ghoreishi. So far none of
the groups – which include the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, a
left-leaning group called Komola, and an Iranian offshoot of the PKK – has taken
the bait.
“The Kurdish armed opposition groups are cognisant of the fact that if they took
any material action it would completely play into the hands of Tehran,” says
Mohammad Salih, a Washington-based Middle East analyst specialising in Kurdish
affairs. “That would derail the uprising.”
The attacks are coming at a time when the West and Russia are distracted by the
conflict raging in Eastern Europe. Russia maintains a military presence in
northern Syria and is the primary benefactor of the Syrian regime. The United
States maintains a military presence in both Iraq and Syria, where it is
partnered with Kurds in ongoing efforts to defeat Isis remnants. But both Moscow
and Washington have been reticent about the Iranian and Turkish attacks on
Kurds.
“The broader regional power vacuum has provided an opportunity,” says Salih.
“Until a few months ago, the US would have had something strong to stay. In the
case of Syria, before the Ukraine crisis we could have expected a country like
Russia to say something. But they’re pretty much silent.”
Changing Population Patterns Will Reshape the Middle East
Patrick Clawson/The Washington Institute/November 22, 2022
Several of the region’s demographic heavyweights will be surpassed, and major
shifts at the global level may affect how great powers vie for influence there
as well.
The demographers in the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs are
widely regarded for their first-rate work, and their recently released World
Population Prospects report is no exception. Alongside detailed demographic
information on every UN member state, the twenty-seventh edition includes
projections on how each of their populations will change through the year 2100.
These forecasts suggest that demographic realities—and, presumably, power
relationships—will shift considerably in many regions, including the Middle
East.
Forecasting is often an inexact art—think of the challenges facing pollsters,
for instance. Yet demography is one discipline where practitioners and consumers
can have substantial confidence in forecasts made even decades out. For
instance, barring some catastrophe, observers have quite a good idea of what the
population of fifty-year-olds will be forty-five years from now; after all, they
have already been born.
When forecasting changes in a country’s population, the UN uses three scenarios:
low, medium, and high. The analysis below focuses on the medium scenario. Yet it
is worth noting that the low scenario has often been the most accurate in recent
decades, and that UN forecasts have been criticized for not taking sufficient
note of modern trends that depress population. That said, forecasts from the
Centre of Expertise on Population and Migration (CEPAM) and the University of
Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) are very similar
to the UN’s in predicting substantial implications for the Middle East.
The Middle East in 2100
The UN forecasts that two of the largest populations in the Middle East—Turkey’s
and Iran’s—will experience declines by the year 2100. Turkey’s is expected to
fall from 85 million to 83, and Iran’s from 89 million to 80 million, toppling
them from their status as the region’s demographic giants.
By contrast, two midsize countries—Iraq and Yemen—are expected to explode in
population, presumably increasing their geostrategic importance in the process.
Iraq will expand from 44 million people to 112 million—that is, from half as
large as Iran or Turkey today to 40% larger than either. Among other things,
this means that the country with the most Shia Muslims in the world will be
Iraq, not Iran. Ankara and Tehran will likely find it more challenging to
dominate an Iraq whose population exceeds their own. Another way of looking at
the numbers: Iraq’s population is currently 75% that of the six Gulf Cooperation
Council countries combined (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the
United Arab Emirates), but by 2100 it will be 33% larger than the GCC’s. It will
also be 2.2 times larger than the 50 million people in the most populous GCC
state, Saudi Arabia.
Yemen is projected to increase from 34 million people to 74 million—that is,
from being less populated than Saudi Arabia to having 50% more people than Saudi
Arabia. This would make its populace 90% as large as the GCC’s combined, and
close to Iran’s or Turkey’s.
Egypt is slated to continue its demographic explosion, almost doubling from 111
million people to 205 million, giving it the region’s largest population by far.
Put another way: it will be 25% larger than Iran and Turkey’s combined, and
almost twice the size of Russia’s (which is projected to decline to 112
million).
The GCC countries will have much slower population growth. Their current
combined population is 59 million; in 2100, it is forecast to reach 84 million.
Yet that is still a substantial increase in the context of broader slowdown in
global growth. It will also push the GCC past Iran and Turkey in population
size.
Elsewhere, the UN offers the following forecasts:
Israel’s population will double from 9.2 million to 18.4 million
Palestine (i.e., Gaza and the West Bank) will grow from 5.2 million to 12.8
million
Syria will nearly double from 22 million to 43 million
Jordan will grow from 11 million to 18 million
By contrast, Lebanon will shrink from 5.5 million to 4.7 million
In total, these five populations will hit a combined figure of 95 million,
larger than Turkey or Iran.
Great Power Forecasts
The Middle Eastern numbers are even more illuminating when viewed alongside
projected population shifts in the “great power” countries currently competing
for influence in that region. Today, the U.S. population of 338 million is
one-fourth that of China. Yet by 2100, it is projected to hit 394 million, or
more than half the size of China’s—which the UN expects to decrease dramatically
from 1.425 billion to 767 million. Russia’s population is projected to shrink as
well, falling from 43% that of the United States to 28%. In other words, Moscow
and Beijing will likely face serious challenges in maintaining their current
national strength relative to Washington.
In contrast, India’s population is expected to grow modestly from 1.417 billion
to 1.530 billion, or twice that of China. This suggests that its importance as a
world power could rise as well. Interestingly, India’s population will not grow
as quickly as America’s, illustrating a continued demographic dynamic in the
United States fed in no small part by immigration.
Arguably, the most striking change in global population will be the rise of
sub-Saharan Africa as a demographic giant. Today, it is home to 1.166 billion
people, or 78% as many as China, but by 2100 it is projected to hit 3.442
billion. This would make its population 450% that of China, and more than eight
times that of the United States.
*Patrick Clawson is the Morningstar Senior Fellow and director of research at
The Washington Institute.