English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For October 09/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2021/english.october09.21.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
First Letter to the Corinthians 12/28-31/13-01-07:”And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October 08-09/2021
Ministry of Health: 640 new infections, 4 deaths
President Aoun briefed by Minister Fayyad on energy sector and talks held in Egypt and Jordan
President Aoun tackles work of ministerial committee in charge of negotiating with IMF with Deputy Prime Minister
UNIFIL Head Urges Lebanon, Israel to 'Use Liaison and Coordination Mechanisms'
Miqati Briefs al-Rahi on Govt. Rescue Plan, Says Measures Are Taken for Bitar’s Safety
Rahi receives Interior Minister, MP Makhzoumi
Mashnouq, Khalil, Zoaiter File New Lawsuits against Bitar
US: Hezbollah Playing Public Relations Game in Fuel Shipments
Iran Says it Aims to Continue Fuel Product Shipments to Lebanon
Iran FM Says Ready to Help Lebanon Solve its Problems, ‘Confront Enemies’
Lebanon's Central Bank Denies Swiss Report about 2016 IMF Paper
Under Li Beirut, UNESCO gathers experts at AUB to identify and protect modern cultural heritage after the blasts
Fayad meets Shea, British ambassador
Are we occupied by Iran AND/OR by the political class/Jacques Dermosessian/October 09/2021
In facing Hezbollah, the Lebanese can count only on themselvesظKhaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/October 08/2021
Ces élections arrivent au mauvais moment: L'illusion de force est plus dangereuse que la faiblesse./Jean-Marie Kassab/Octobre 09/2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 08-09/2021
Human Rights Defender of Armenia briefs Pope Francis on torture of Armenian captives by Azerbaijanis
Explosion in North Afghanistan mosque, 100 reportedly killed
Jordan fumes after court allows Jews to pray on Temple Mount
US Discreetly Pressing Israel to Ease Off Settlement Construction
Russia Carries Out Raids Near Turkish Base in Northern Syria
Iran FM ‘optimistic’ on nuclear talks if US plays ball
Journalists Who Took on Putin and Duterte Win 2021 Nobel Peace Prize
UK, US, Norway urge end to east Sudan protests
UNFP: Six Million Yemeni Women in Dire Need of Protection
Egypt, Tunisia Urge Libya to Hold Elections on Time

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 08-09/2021
Tehran Demands Access to $10 Billion of Frozen Iranian Assets as Reward for Negotiating/Mark Dubowitz and Tzvi Kahn/Policy Brief-FDD/October 08/2021
Iran’s hard-liners ditch diplomacy in favor of revolutionary zeal/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/October 08/2021
Ahead Of Iraqi Elections, Hizbullah Brigades Secretary-General Urges Shi'ites To Go To The Polls En Masse And Vote For Pro-PMU Shi'ite Candidates/MEMRI/October 08/2021
Ex-Hizbullah Brigades Senior Member Heads Party Competing In Upcoming Iraqi Elections/MEMRI/October 08/2021
Election After Failed Revolutions/Elias Harfoush/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 08/2021
Iran: When Preconditions Disappear/Amir Taherih/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 08/2021
Soldiers Stay but No American Solution for Syria/Robert Fordh/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 08/2021
Turkey's Airstrikes in Syria, Iraq/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/October 08/2021
Question: "What is a Christian work ethic?"/GotQuestions.org/October 08/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on October 08-09/2021
Ministry of Health: 640 new infections, 4 deaths
NNA/Friday, 8 October, 2021  
The Ministry of Public Health announced 640 new coronavirus infection cases, which raises the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 628,881.
Four deaths have been recorded.

President Aoun briefed by Minister Fayyad on energy sector and talks held in Egypt and Jordan
NNA/Friday, 8 October, 2021 
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met this afternoon at Baabda Palace with Minister of Energy and Water Walid Fayyad, the discussion focused on energy situation in Lebanon and the efforts undertaken by the government and the ministry to improve productivity. Minister Fayyad informed the President of the Republic on the outcomes of his visit to Egypt and Jordan and the results of the talks with Jordanian officials to import energy from Egypt and Jordan through Syria. After the meeting, Minister Fayyad confirmed that he conveyed to President Aoun the greetings of the officials he met in both countries. He said: "I learned from all the officials in Egypt and Jordan, in addition to the Syrian Minister of Energy, who was also present, the desire to overcome all obstacles, technical and non-technical, including the commercial necessities of contracting with various parties to extract gas from Egypt and electricity from Jordan through Syria. Everyone is seriously working on this issue in order to secure additional feed of Electricity for Lebanon so that people can enjoy some additional hours of feeding, but the matter is related to the expected financing from the World Bank.
Minister Fayyad added: "I met with an official from the World Bank for the Middle East, and he conveyed to me the determination to end the process by providing all the necessary facilities to Lebanon." In response to a question about who controls the fuel market in Lebanon, Minister Fayyad explained that work is “currently taking place, with the market being open and governed by the supply and demand mechanism, provided that the price is issued periodically and constitutes a maximum ceiling, as the price is supposed to be lower than the issued price which takes into account the exchange rate of the dollar and the international price of fuel. Everyone must abide by the pricing, including the station operators. We have requested and put in place the necessary measures to abide with. The most important is that cooperation and professionalism prevail, with commitment to the license obtained by the owners of the stations, to manage and to sell the existing quantities at the declared price until it runs out. Therefore, no one should control the market, provided that the citizen has the option to buy fuel or not.”
He pointed that “ we witnessed the great improvement in the markets, waste was prevented and the queues at the gas stations were reduced. We also dealt with the confusion that occurred in the past days and the restoration of the situation to normal ." Regarding the different pricing of kilowatt for generators, the Minister of Energy explained, "The procedures followed in terms of pricing issued depend on scientific matters, according to the price of diesel during the month and the adoption of a general rate governing the tariff. During the past month, there was a discrepancy, as the same month witnessed some subsidies in its beginnings before lifting it. Therefore, the pricing was according to a rate that took into account this matter, which some generator owners were not satisfied with, and a large number of them inclined to achieve greater profits, but what matters to us is their commitment to the announced pricing and the need to install meters, especially with the high cost of kilowatt-hours Therefore, it is not possible to hold the citizen accountable according to the public consumption policy (ie cut off), as legally and morally, generator owners must install meters, even in light of the recently issued revised tariff. And we must all sacrifice a little to overcome the difficult stage we are passing through.”On the time needed to be able to bring gas to Lebanon, Minister Fayyad said that he would have wanted this to take place within days, but work is underway to be within few months. With regard to the Iranian offer to build two power plants, Minister Fayyad confirmed that no one had formally brought the issue to him, nor had it been brought before the Council of Ministers. “We really want to get help for Lebanon from the largest possible number of friendly countries, but the matter is entrusted to the Council of Ministers. -- Press Office

President Aoun tackles work of ministerial committee in charge of negotiating with IMF with Deputy Prime Minister
NNA/Friday, 8 October, 2021   
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met Deputy Prime Minister, Saada Al-Shami, today at the Presidential Palace. The meeting addressed the work of the Ministerial Committee in charge of negotiating with the International Monetary Fund, and the ongoing preparations for this purpose. Al-Shami explained that after the formation of the committee, a series of preparatory meetings were held, expressing hope that it would quickly complete its work to start negotiations with the International Monetary Fund soon, according to the desire of the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the members of the committee.
Archbishop George Khawam
The President met Archbishop George Khawam, who is elected to the Diocese of Lattakia, Tartous and their Melkite Greek Catholic dependencies, accompanied by Dr. Suhail Abu Hala.
Archbishop Khawam invited President Aoun to attend his bishop's ordination on Saturday, October 16, at St. Paul's Church in Harissa, headed by the Roman Catholic Patriarch Youssef Al-Absi. For his side, President Aoun wished Archbishop Khawam success in his new spiritual responsibilities. -- Presidency Press Office

UNIFIL Head Urges Lebanon, Israel to 'Use Liaison and Coordination Mechanisms'
Naharnet/Friday, 8 October, 2021 
UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col on Friday chaired a special Tripartite meeting with senior officers of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and Israeli army at a U.N. position in Ras al-Naqoura. Major General Del Col tackled the "serious breaches" in the cessation of hostilities on 4, 5, and 6 August, a UNIFIL statement said. “I immediately utilized our liaison and coordination mechanism to engage both sides seeking de-escalation,” he added. “This unprecedented level of escalation has serious implications for the cessation of hostilities. It is important therefore that this remains an isolated event and does not represent a new trend along the Blue Line,” he said. With the renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate and the adoption of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2591 on August 30, Del Col noted “the Security Council’s support for the tripartite mechanism and its role in facilitating coordination, de-escalating tensions, stabilizing the situation along the Blue Line, and building confidence.”During the meeting, discussions also focused on the situation along the Blue Line, air and ground violations, and other issues within the scope of UNIFIL’s mandate under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006) and subsequent resolutions. The UNIFIL chief emphasized the need to move forward on outstanding Blue Line issues, as "clearly expressed" in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2591: “The Security Council has welcomed your progress in Blue Line marking and a continuation of that process, aimed at addressing and completing all the outstanding points, would deliver a clear message towards addressing mandate imperatives.” On a practical note, Major General Del Col urged the parties to find solutions to seasonal issues along the Blue Line, which "could be solved through local arrangements with the assistance of UNIFIL’ s Liaison and Coordination mechanism."Since the end of the 2006 war in south Lebanon, regular Tripartite meetings have been held under UNIFIL’s auspices as an "essential conflict-management and confidence-building mechanism," UNIFIL said. "Through its liaison and coordination mechanisms, UNIFIL remains the only forum through which Lebanese and Israeli armies officially meet," it noted.

Miqati Briefs al-Rahi on Govt. Rescue Plan, Says Measures Are Taken for Bitar’s Safety
Naharnet/Friday, 8 October, 2021
Prime Minister Najib Miqati heading a ministerial delegation met Friday with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki. The delegation included the ministers of information, justice, telecom and tourism -- the four Maronite ministers in the new government. Miqati said from Bkirki after the meeting that he wishes “for a Miracle from Saint Charbel” whose Canonization day happens to be on October 9. He added that the “situation is difficult” and that he has asked the Patriarch for “blessings and prayers because we need them.”Miqati said he briefed al-Rahi, who is concerned about people’s needs, on the government’s plan to tackle the social issues. He answered when asked about the KSA, that the kingdom has never closed its doors to Lebanon, and that Saudi Arabia (where the Kaaba – direction of prayers of Muslims – is located) is his guidance in politics and also as a Muslim. Concerning the gas stations crisis that has resurged amid a delay in the issuance of the weekly prices schedule, Miqati said that the Energy Minister is taking the necessary measures. He also said, answering a journalist, that the Minister of justice has inquired about the threat against Judge Tarek Bitar and that “security measures are being taken” to protect the Judge – Bitar had confirmed in a letter to the State Prosecutor last month that he had received a verbal threat from senior Hizbullah official Wafiq Safa.

Rahi receives Interior Minister, MP Makhzoumi
NNA/Friday, 8 October, 2021
Maronite Patriarch, Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, on Friday welcomed in Bkirki, Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Judge Bassam Mawlawi. On emerging, Minister Mawlawi said that this was his first visit to the patriarchate since assuming his post, saying "Today, I was honored to visit His Beatitude for the first time and to brief him on the government’s work, in general, and the Ministry of Interior, in particular, and its role in ensuring security and catering to citizens' affairs and basic needs.”In response to a question about the transparency of the upcoming parliamentary elections, Mawlawi affirmed that the elections will take place on time, saying these elections will be fair and transparent. “We are currently working on appointing a supervisory body for the elections as soon as possible,” the Minister maintained. He also stressed that he shall seek to ensure the success of the elections.
On the other hand, Patriarch Rahi received MP Fouad Makhzoumi, with discussions reportedly touching on an array of national matters.

Mashnouq, Khalil, Zoaiter File New Lawsuits against Bitar
Naharnet/Friday, 8 October, 2021
MP and Ex-minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq’s lawyer Naoum Farah filed on Friday morning a lawsuit before the Criminal Court of Cassation in Beirut to dismiss lead investigator into Beirut’s port blast, Judge Tarek Bitar, from the probe due to so-called "legitimate suspicion."The Court of Appeals had turned down Monday requests to replace Bitar following a week-long suspension after al-Mashnouq, suspected of negligence leading to the tragedy, filed a lawsuit to replace the judge. Former ministers Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zoaiter, who are both incumbent MPs, meanwhile filed a lawsuit Friday before the Civil Court of Cassation, demanding Bitar’s removal for “violating constitutional norms and bypassing the powers of parliament and the Higher Council for the Trial of Presidents and Ministers.”

US: Hezbollah Playing Public Relations Game in Fuel Shipments
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 8 October, 2021
The United States on Thursday denounced Hezbollah's deliveries of Iranian fuel in crisis-hit Lebanon as a public relations stunt and warned that Tehran remained under sanctions. Iran is set to deliver more fuel in the coming days to Lebanon for distribution by Hezbollah. "Fuel from a country subject to extensive sanctions like Iran is not very clearly a sustainable solution to Lebanon's energy crisis," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters. "We support efforts to find transparent and sustainable energy solutions that will address Lebanon's acute energy and fuel shortages. "This is, in our minds, Hezbollah playing a public relations game, not engaged in constructive problem-solving," AFP quoted him as saying. He stopped short of saying that Lebanon would be subject to US sanctions and noted that President Joe Biden is willing to lift measures against Iran if it returns to full compliance with a 2015 nuclear accord. His criticism comes as the foreign minister of Iran's ultraconservative new government, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, visits Beirut. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose government was formed after a year-long delay, has denounced the deliveries as an attack on sovereignty and said he believed his country would not be hit by US sanctions.

Iran Says it Aims to Continue Fuel Product Shipments to Lebanon
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 8 October, 2021
Iran aims to continue sending fuel products to Lebanon in the future and hopes a bilateral agreement can be struck for that purpose, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Friday during a visit to Beirut.
The Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group has been coordinating Iranian fuel shipments for Lebanon since August as shortages spread amid an economic meltdown, despite US sanctions on Iranian oil sales.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has said the Iranian shipments constitute a breach of his country’s sovereignty. “At any point in time if the Lebanese government asks Iran formally within the context of their brotherly ties ... Iran is ready to send fuel products,” Amir-Abdollahian said at a news conference. Amir-Abdollahian held talks with Mikati and Lebanon’s president on Thursday. Iran sends the fuel oil shipments organized by Hezbollah to the port of Baniyas in Syria and from there they are transported by truck to Lebanon. Syria is also under US sanctions. The move in August to source fuel for Lebanon at a time when severe shortages were hindering daily life marked an expansion of Hezbollah’s role in Lebanon, where critics have long accused the armed group of acting as a state within the state. On Friday, Amir-Abdollanhian said he hoped that Lebanon would get a sanctions waiver in order to have more cooperation with Iran.

Iran FM Says Ready to Help Lebanon Solve its Problems, ‘Confront Enemies’
Beirut – Caroline AkoumAsharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 8 October, 2021
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian expressed his country’s readiness to help Lebanon solve its problems and build power plants. Prime Minister Najib Mikati said his country welcomed any effort from brotherly and friendly countries and the international community “as long as it falls within the context of helping preserve the the state and its constitutional institutions.”Abdollahian had arrived in Beirut on Wednesday, following a visit to Moscow. He met with President Michel Aoun, Mikati and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri before holding a press conference with his Lebanese counterpart, Abdullah Bou Habib.Upon his arrival, the Iranian foreign minister was received by the Director of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abeer Al-Ali, Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad-Jalal Firouznia and delegations from the Amal movement and Hezbollah party. Aoun voiced Lebanon’s support for Tehran’s efforts to achieve more rapprochement with the countries of the region, especially Arab states, and praised Iran’s “solidarity with Lebanon in facing its crises, and the assistance the country has provided following the Beirut port explosion.”In remarks following his meeting with Berri, Abdollahian said there was a “joint emphasis on the need to enhance cooperation between the two brotherly countries in various fields.” They also highlighted the “the importance of the role played by the valiant Lebanese resistance in confronting Israel.” The FM continued: “We have positively evaluated the Iranian-Saudi negotiations, and we believe that the presence of foreign powers in the region is the main factor that destabilizes security and creates problems.”Mikati, for his part, told the Iranian official that Lebanon was “in dire need to improve the Lebanese people’s trust in the state and its institutions, through forging normal relations between countries based on mutual respect and common interests.”He also welcomed the recent positive dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Baghdad.

Lebanon's Central Bank Denies Swiss Report about 2016 IMF Paper
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 8 October, 2021
Lebanon's central bank denied on Friday a Swiss newspaper report that alleged the International Monetary Fund had removed information from a 2016 report on the country at the request of its governor, Riad Salameh.
Switzerland's Le Temps said in a report on Thursday that in 2016, as Lebanon was headed towards financial ruin, 14 pages containing vital information were removed from an IMF assessment through the intervention of Salameh. Reuters could not independently verify the report. Salameh did not respond to a request from Reuters for comment. The IMF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. "This article and everything that was mentioned in it has nothing to do with the truth," the Lebanese central bank said in a statement. "What was reported in Le Temps newspaper makes clear the article is not serious as it says the governor of the central bank of Lebanon personally omitted 14 pages from a report of an international and respectable organization like the IMF." Lebanon is suffering what the World Bank has described as one of the deepest depressions in modern history. Its economic meltdown has thrown three-quarters of the population into poverty and the Lebanese pound currency has lost 90% of its value in the past two years. The financial system collapsed in 2019 following decades of corruption and waste in the state and the unsustainable way it was financed. Lebanon's woes were aggravated by political deadlock which lasted for over a year, with bickering politicians unable to form a government. Prime Minister Najib Mikati's cabinet, formed this September, has said it will resume negotiations with the IMF for a funding program and technical talks are expected to begin soon.

Under Li Beirut, UNESCO gathers experts at AUB to identify and protect modern cultural heritage after the blasts
NNA/October 09/2021
Within the framework of the UNESCO study “Identifying Cultural Heritage Attributes in Beirut Blast Damaged Areas”, the Beirut Urban Lab at AUB organized a workshop titled “Framework and criteria for the identification of Modern heritage”. The workshop engaged local and international experts who discussed through their findings the proposed definition and criteria for the identification of Modern urban heritage in the Lebanese capital. The UNESCO study aims to identify and map cultural heritage in the blast-impacted area of Beirut on August 4, 2020, in order to set an action plan for their rehabilitation, protection and sustainable management, as part of UNESCO’s flagship initiative Li Beirut. What is Modern heritage in the Beiruti context? How can we identify its key attributes in the selected historic quarters of Beirut most impacted by the blast? These are few of the questions that the study will answer, knowing that modern built and landscape heritage were often marginalized by the law, in the absence of clear, distinctive attributes. In her opening remarks, Costanza Farina, Director of UNESCO Beirut Office, highlighted the importance of Article 7 of Law 194, issued by the Lebanese government on October 2020, to develop the necessary strategies and policies towards ensuring the preservation and protection of the urban heritage in the blast-devastated areas. “This law gives the Lebanese Directorate General of Antiquities a limited period for action. In response, an action plan is needed to support the DGA in strategic decision-making and in managing interventions”, she affirmed. “Through Li Beirut initiative, we have been advocating for a people-centered urban recovery through culture, heritage and education, she added. UNESCO projects are tailored towards the Historic Urban Landscape approach, known as the HUL approach. UNESCO will also launch a new project to strengthen legal measures in order to protect Lebanon’s built heritage and urban fabric. In close coordination with the DGA, the third strategic contribution of UNESCO has been to document Beirut’s cultural and architectural heritage affected by the blast, facilitating the creation of a geo-referenced 3D model of three historic areas of Beirut: Gemmayzeh, Mar Mikhail, and Karantina. This new tool shall guide the rehabilitation of urban cultural spaces and other selected historical landmark buildings”.
From his side, Dr. Sarkis Khoury, Director General of Antiquities, recalled the path adopted by the DGA to protect cultural heritage in Beirut, and assured that the institution gives a special attention to modern urban heritage. “We need to agree on a solid technical file to present to the Lebanese parliament; it’s a long path”, he assured. The explosion of the Port of Beirut has sounded the alarm of an irreversible loss of lives and properties including the urban heritage of the surrounding neighborhoods, a cultural landscape that dates back to the second half of the 19th century, when Beirut started its expansion outside the walls. Predatory real-estate pressure and insufficient protection laws already threatened these neighborhoods long before the blasts. Li Beirut is an international flagship initiative launched from Beirut by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, in the aftermath of the explosions, on August 27, 2020, to support the rehabilitation of schools, historic heritage buildings, museums, galleries and the creative industry, all of which suffered significant damage in the deadly explosions.

Fayad meets Shea, British ambassador
NNA/October 09/2021
Minister of Energy Walid Fayyad welcomed for the second time in less than a week the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, at the head of a delegation. Shea and the Minister of Energy tackled "the positive atmosphere aimed at accelerating the completion of the agreement with Egypt and Jordan, in order to bring gas and electricity to Lebanon, and the possibility of speeding up the securing of funds necessary to conclude the agreement."Fayad had earlier met with British Ambassador Ian Collard, and discussed cooperation in the energy and water sectors.

Are we occupied by Iran AND/OR by the political class?
Jacques Dermosessian/October 09/2021
How come most Lebanese consider our country for being occupied by Iran through Hezebollah when;
1- Majority of current parliament vote for hezebollah and supports such an occupation.
2 - Current President has already offered the country years ago to be occupied so that he be seated on the presidential seat.
3 - Current Cabinet is a result of above 2 so definitely dominated by Hezebollah (PM Mikati confirms it)
First time I hear of an occupation where all government entities support and welcome the occupier!
This should be a case study for a very sophisticated occupation !
So for all those fighting the occupation, including myself, once we dismantle the legitimacy of current occupation then we have the right and legitimacy to talk about being occupied!
For those in a hurry to engage in parliament elections; are you seriously considering kicking out the occupier democratically ?
Is being occupied, a democratic choice for you?
Our biggest enemy is the parliament who gives legitimacy to such an occupation and the President who supports it.
Fight your true enemy first

خالد أبو زهر: في مواجهة حزب الله على اللبنانيين أن يعتمدوا فقط على أنفسهم
In facing Hezbollah, the Lebanese can count only on themselves
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/October 08/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/103116/khaled-abou-zahr-in-facing-hezbollah-the-lebanese-can-count-only-on-themselves-%d8%ae%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%af-%d8%a3%d8%a8%d9%88-%d8%b2%d9%87%d8%b1-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d9%85%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%ac%d9%87%d8%a9-%d8%ad/
Ardem Patapoutian, a US biologist of Lebanese-Armenian heritage, was this week jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine with David Julius. They were honored for discovering how our bodies feel heat and touch. Molecular biologist Patapoutian is a reminder of the enormous potential Lebanese have when in a positive environment, such as the US. At a time when Lebanon is descending into a never-ending abyss of misery, this can be read as either a sign of hope or of constant doom. In fact, can the Lebanese only thrive outside of their own land? Why can’t Lebanon be a platform for its own people’s happiness and success?
The new Lebanese government headed by Najib Mikati does not have the time to answer these questions. Instead, it is working hard at finding short-term solutions to the current shortages in energy and supplies, while also trying to mend relations with Arab countries. However, most countries now consider Lebanon to be a humanitarian file, meaning any help will be in the spirit of a palliative solution, or “Band-Aid,” with more support to nongovernmental organizations than the government if possible. This was quite clear in France’s rebooted approach for Lebanon, which had the support of Europe as well as the US. It is also difficult to imagine any real change in relations with Arab countries without an executive power capable of delivering on its commitments. And this is not happening any time soon.
As expected, the real focus for political forces in the country is next year’s parliamentary elections. They are all already gearing up and focusing on how to position themselves. So the current government will probably leave the difficult reforms to its successor following the results of these elections. One might already ask how long it will take to form a post-election government regardless of the results. If another 13-month standoff takes place, then by October 2022, when President Michel Aoun’s term ends, Lebanon might find itself without both a prime minister and a president.
My view is that Lebanon needs a referendum on a new constitution, but this is wishful thinking. And so the main agenda for the coming elections is how to solve the domestic deadlocks and crises knowing that this cannot be done without international aid or support. It will, therefore, be a question of geopolitical repositioning for all leading candidates to adapt to changes in the region. The energy crisis and Egypt’s decision to export gas to Lebanon through Syria, which necessitated international approval, is an early sign of that change, as well as that Damascus is regaining international credibility.
The main geopolitical influence on these elections seems to be the coming nuclear negotiations and the US administration’s updated approach toward Iran — an approach that has become more in sync with the European one. There is little chance, considering the expected return of negotiations with Iran, that any actions will be taken to weaken Hezbollah. The declarations of Hezbollah’s leaders against US interference in the Lebanese elections through NGOs are purely populist, as they see the winds blowing in their favor, especially after the US retreat in Afghanistan. In the same way, the US administration will not give support to or try to change the current balance of power within Lebanon. Lebanon is what it is, and it will deal with it this way.
This is a stark reminder that, since May 7, 2008, Lebanese political forces have surrendered to Hezbollah’s will. Indeed, since Hezbollah and its allies invaded the streets of Beirut and clarified who had the real power, Lebanese politicians have chosen to consider the organization to be a regional or international problem that should be solved with the Iranian file. They stopped considering it a Lebanese problem. In all fairness, this invasion came after too many assassinations and intimidations for a peaceful opposition to continue.
In recent years, this has led to clear declarations from politicians such as: “Hezbollah is not our problem.” In fact, this is wrong. Hezbollah is Lebanon’s problem before being the region’s. Who is completely isolated? Who does not have electricity? Who does not have medicine? Who does not have clean water? Who does not have security? Lebanon. So Hezbollah is Lebanon’s problem and no one else’s. The rest of the countries in the region are busy investing in a better future for their children.
In fact, even before 2008, the Lebanese politicians opposed to Hezbollah always placed their bets on a regional turnaround that would get rid of the Iranian proxy for them. They had the belief that the international community would come to their rescue with an entire armada or that a deal with Iran would disarm Hezbollah. This too was wishful thinking. And so, as the politicians were waiting for international change, Hezbollah was anchoring itself and taking over the entire country, making its rule inevitable. This means the general opposition’s thinking that Hezbollah is worried about the outcome of the coming elections is completely misplaced. Hezbollah knows its crowd and constituents and how to preserve its interests. It also knows it can use violence with impunity thanks to the current regional transformations.
There is little chance, considering the expected return of negotiations with Iran, that any actions will be taken to weaken the group.
In a bizarre twist, the UK is going through the same supply chain problems as Lebanon — although to a much lesser extent. This proves that, once we abandon our neighborhood, isolation is the price we pay. The UK will shortly solve these temporary issues and reconnect to the world according to the will of its own people. In Lebanon, it will be a different story. Lebanon might reconnect to its neighborhood, but it will be a different Lebanon and I am not sure the Europeans realize it or even care. One should ask, if the current trends are not reversed, what will Lebanon be like in 10 years? Or even in five?
So the real question is how do the Lebanese change the balance of power on the ground when Hezbollah yields this military power? How should the Lebanese navigate the current regional changes to guarantee the country’s independence? In short, the Lebanese need to find ways to obstruct Hezbollah’s takeover without counting on international intervention. It is a difficult equation, yet the Lebanese have proven to be resourceful and can achieve it.
*Khaled Abou Zahr is CEO of Eurabia, a media and tech company. He is also the editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point-of-vie

Ces élections arrivent au mauvais moment: L'illusion de force est plus dangereuse que la faiblesse.
Jean-Marie Kassab/Octobre 09/2021
Ces élections arrivent au mauvais moment. Le pays est toujours sous occupation. Imaginez des élections en France, durant l'occupation Nazie. Les Français souverainistes écrasés par la botte de la Gestapo auraient-ils eu une chance de changer quelque chose?
Notre situation n'est pas très différente. En fait elle pourrait être pire : ils y a deux millions de révoltés et autant de candidats peut-être qui vont probablement s'entretuer et se déchiqueter les uns les autres pour le grand bonheur des autres. Ces " autres" par contre opèrent en toute discipline sous les ordres de l 'Iranien qui distrubuera les ordres et la tâches. Et puis comme la corruption est commune aux élections , l'argent va tinter dans les poches comme toujours. Sauf que le pays est en soldes: le vote qui coûtait auparavent 200 dollars coútera aujourd'hui la moitié, dévaluation oblige. Dans le même sens, il n'est plus un secret que l'Arabie Saoudite alimentait les opposants d'aujourd'hui, or les Saoudiens ne cessent de répeter qu'ils ne veulent plus entendre parler des Libanais de tous genres qu'ils soient. Donc pas de sous pour un camp.
Certes, il y aura toujours les naifs, les optimistes qui vivent dans leur bulle et leur illusion de libérté. Mais aussi les opportunistes indifférents au sort du pays. Restent ceux qui aiment préfèrent être actifs à l'intérieur du parlement. Sauf que nous les avons vus à l'oeuvre: résultat zèro.zéro et encore zéro.
Le plus tragi-comique seraient les démissionaires qui veulent se présenter à nouveau: ne savent-ils pas que rien a changé depuis leur démission ????
Boycotter est une décision grave. Participer l'est autant.
La solution serait de participer et accepter de perdre honorablement. Ce sera la meilleure démonstration vis-à-vis du peuple et de l'étranger que le Liban n'est pas libre et souverain. Que le Liban est occupé.
L'espoir demeure que cette gifle magistrale réveillera ce peuple endormi et animera la résistance active.
L'illusion de force est plus dangereuse que la faiblesse.
Jean-Marie Kassab

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 08-09/2021
Human Rights Defender of Armenia briefs Pope Francis on torture of Armenian captives by Azerbaijanis
NNA/Friday, 8 October, 2021
Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, on Friday briefed Pope Francis on the torture that Armenian captives have been suffering on the hands of Azerbaijanis, National News Agency correspondent in the Vatican and Rome said. During a meeting in the Vatican, Tatoyan expressed gratitude to Pope Francis for his statements urging an end to aggression against the Artsakh and an immediate release of Armenian POWs that were still kept in Azerbaijan. Arman Tatoyan also noted that some of the Armenian captives were held illegally in Azerbaijan, facing threat to their lives, and spoke about Azerbaijani violations against the border population of Armenia. He also informed his Beatitude that he had brought reports proving that. Pope Francis took the reports and examined the photos which display Azerbaijani cruelty, Tatoyan said. On the sidelines of Armenian President, Armen Sarkissian’s visit, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Sapienza University of Rome and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. The correspondent of ARMENPRESS reported from Rome that the memorandum was signed by the Ambassador of Armenia to Italy, Tsovinar Hambardzumyan, and Rector of Sapienza University of Rome, Antonella Polimeni. The memorandum officially gave start to the reopening of Chair of Armenology in the university.

Explosion in North Afghanistan mosque, 100 reportedly killed
Arutz Sheva/Friday, 8 October, 2021
Reportedly nearly 100 people were killed and dozens of others were wounded when a blast ripped through a Shia mosque in northern Afghanistan
Reportedly nearly 100 people were killed and dozens of others were wounded when a blast ripped through a Shia mosque in Afghanistan's northeastern Kunduz province. According to reports, a suicide bomber was responsible for the blast. The attack occurred in Kunduz, north of Kabul. No group has claimed responsibility so far. “This afternoon, an explosion took place in a mosque of our Shiite compatriots … as a result of which a number of our compatriots were martyred and wounded,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter. Local businessman Zalmai Alokzai told AFP that the scene was chaos. He was in the process of quickly making his way to the hospital to see if blood donations were needed. "Ambulances were going back to the incident scene to carry the dead," he said. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan called the attack “part of a disturbing pattern of violence” against religious institutions. "The UN family in Afghanistan is deeply concerned by reports of very high casualties in an attack today in Sayyidabad Shia Mosque, Khanabad, Kunduz," the Mission said on Twitter. "Initial information indicates more than 100 people killed and injured in a suicide blast inside the mosque."
They added in a follow-up tweet: "Today’s incident is part of a disturbing pattern of violence: 3rd deadly attack this week apparently targeting a religious institution. Islamic State(KP) claimed responsibility for Sunday’s incident next to a Kabul mosque. Wednesday’s attack on a madrassa in Khost unclaimed."The deputy police chief for Kunduz province, Dost Mohammad Obaida, told the Associated Press that most of the victims had been killed. He believed the attack was the work of a suicide bomber who had mixed in with the crowd of worshipers inside the mosque.
“I assure our Shiite brothers that the Taliban are prepared to ensure their safety,” Obaida said. The current reported death toll would be the largest since the US withdrawal from the country in August, during which the Taliban took over. A series of deadly attacks against the Taliban have been carried out by the ISIS-K since it took control of Afghanistan.

Jordan fumes after court allows Jews to pray on Temple Mount
Arutz Sheva/Friday, 8 October, 2021
Jordan fumes after court allows Jews to pray on Temple Mount
Jordan condemns Jerusalem court's decision to permit Jews to pray silently on Temple Mount. 'Temple Mount is a place of worship only for Muslims.' The Jordanian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned a ruling by the Jerusalem Magistrates Court allowing, for the first time, Jews to pray silently on the Temple Mount. "The Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemns the decision by the Israeli court allowing extremists to pray in the plazas of Al Aqsa Mosque," the Ministry said in a statement. أaitham Abu Al Foul, the Ministry's official spokesperson, said, "This decision is worthless, and it has no legal standing under international law, which does not recognize the legal jurisdiction of Israel in territories occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem."According to him, "This decision constitutes dangerous damage to the historical and legal status quo at Al Aqsa Mosque, and to the UNESCO decisions."According to him, "This decision constitutes dangerous damage to the historical and legal status quo at Al Aqsa Mosque, and to the UNESCO decisions." The Kingdom does not recognize Israel's legal jurisdiction over occupied Jerusalem. The Al Aqsa plaza, 144 dunam, is an area of worship only for Muslims, and the Jordanian Waqf management is the only body responsible for handling all of the issues pertaining to the holy site, including entry to it and exit from it."On Tuesday, Justice Bilhha Yahalom of the Jerusalem Magistrates Court ruled that silent prayers on the Temple Mount cannot be construed as a criminal act, and ordered police to drop a restraining order imposed on Rabbi Aryeh Lippo, who had been barred from the Mount over his silent prayers. “His daily visits to the Temple Mount indicate how important this is for him,” Justice Yahalom wrote in her decision.'

US Discreetly Pressing Israel to Ease Off Settlement Construction
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 8 October, 2021
The Biden Administration has reportedly been pressuring the Israeli government to curb construction in Jewish communities in the West Bank, according to Axios. The US most senior envoy in Jerusalem, Michael Ratney, has reportedly raised specific concerns about possible construction in the E1 area near Israel’s capital city. A US official told Axios that the government has been in weekly contact with Israel about settlements since the Washington meeting. "There is great sensitivity right now with the Americans about settlements. This is the reason the approval of new planning and building in the settlements is held up for now," a senior Israeli official said. The Prime Minister’s office said it would not comment on private conversations with US officials, and the US embassy remained similarly tight-lipped about communications between the two allies, though it called for “all parties to refrain from unilateral steps that exacerbate tensions and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution. That includes settlement activity.”In the same context, the far-right Religious Zionism party responded to the report by saying Bennett’s coalition was “inviting international pressure.”“There is a de facto construction freeze in Judea and Samaria,” the party said in a statement, using the biblical name for the West Bank. Israel is already paying a heavy price for the [government’s] failed conduct.”David Elhayani, who is the current chair of the Yesha umbrella council of settlement mayors, said in a statement: “It would be better for the Biden administration to not get involved in internal Israeli matters.“We won’t suffer this gross American intervention, and we expect Prime Minister Bennett to completely reject it,” Elhayani said.

Russia Carries Out Raids Near Turkish Base in Northern Syria
Ankara, Idlib - Saeed Abdulrazek and Firas Karam/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 8 October, 2021
Russian warplanes launched raids near a Turkish base in the countryside of Aleppo, northern Syria, after Ankara announced the killing of a soldier in a bombing by Kurdish forces. The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the killing of one of its soldiers as a result of a missile attack in the northern countryside of Aleppo, within the area known as the “Euphrates Shield”, which is under Turkey’s control. A leader in the Syrian National Army said the raids were the third of their kind within weeks.Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin by phone on Thursday, a number of bilateral and regional issues, including developments in Syria and the situation in Idlib. The phone call came a week after the two leaders met in Sochi, where they discussed the Syria and the tense situation in Idlib. They stressed their commitment to previous agreements and understandings in this regard. In the same context, the spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party in Turkey, Omer Celik, warned that any attack by the Syrian regime forces or any tension that occurs in the Idlib governorate would lead to new waves migrants and humanitarian tragedies.
He added that his country was closely monitoring any violations of the ceasefire signed with Russia on March 5, 2020, and attacks targeting civilians.

Iran FM ‘optimistic’ on nuclear talks if US plays ball
Arab News/October 08, 2021
TEHRAN: Iran is optimistic talks on reviving a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with major powers will bear fruit, provided the US fully resumes its commitments, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Friday. The deal, which gave Iran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear program, has been on life support since 2018, when then US president Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out and reimposed crippling sanctions.US President Joe Biden has signalled a willingness to return to the deal, but his Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned last week that time was running out and the ball was in Iran’s court.
Amir-Abdollahian said Iran was looking for concrete signs from the US that it was ready to resume all of its commitments but said he was confident a deal could be done if it was.“It is important that we receive signals from the other side, including from the United States, showing that they are intent on returning fully to their commitments,” the minister told a news conference in Beirut. “We are assessing the behavior of the United States. If it reflects a full return to their commitments, we can be optimistic about the Vienna talks.” The talks in the Austrian capital between Iran and the remaining parties to the agreement — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — have been on hold since a June election in Iran led to a change of president. New President Ebrahim Raisi — an ultraconservative former judiciary chief — is thought to be less ready than his predecessor Hassan Rouhani to make concessions to the West for the sake of a deal.Tehran has gradually rolled back its nuclear commitments in response to the US pull-out, and Washington has been demanding that Iran return to its obligations too. The United States has had no seat at the Vienna talks but has been participating indirectly. Amir-Abdollahian said in Moscow on Wednesday that he expected the talks to resume “soon.”“We are coming back to the Vienna talks,” the minister said in Beirut Friday.“We are nearing a final decision within the Iranian government. It is very important to the new government that the interests and rights of the Iranian people be fully guaranteed in the talks. We will not waste our time in negotiations.”Amir-Abdollahian also said that Iran was willing to cooperate with the Lebanese government to help the country emerge from a crushing economic crisis that has seen shortages of fuel and electricity, and said Iran was ready to build two power stations in Lebanon.

Journalists Who Took on Putin and Duterte Win 2021 Nobel Peace Prize
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 8 October, 2021
Two journalists whose work has angered the authorities in Russia and the Philippines were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, honoring the right to free speech which the prize-giving committee described as under threat around the globe. Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov were given the award "for their courageous fight for freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia," Chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen of the Norwegian Nobel Committee told a news conference. "At the same time, they are representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions," she added. The prize is the first for journalists since the German Carl von Ossietzky won it in 1935 for revealing his country’s secret post-war rearmament program. "Free, independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda," Reiss-Andersen said. Muratov is editor-in-chief of Russian investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which has defied the Kremlin under President Vladimir Putin with probes into wrongdoing and corruption, and extensively covered the conflict in Ukraine.He is the first Russian to win the Nobel Peace Prize since Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev -- who himself helped set up Novaya Gazeta with the money he received from winning the award in 1990. Ressa heads Rappler, a digital media company which she co-founded in 2012, and which has grown prominent through investigative reporting, including into large scale killings during a police campaign against drugs. "I am in shock," Ressa told a live broadcast by Rappler. In August, a Philippine court dismissed a libel case against Ressa, one of several lawsuits filed against the journalist who says she has been targeted because of her news site’s critical reports on President Rodrigo Duterte. The plight of Ressa, one of several journalists named Time Magazine Person of the Year in 2018 for fighting media intimidation, has raised international concern about the harassment of media in the Philippines, a country once seen as a standard bearer for press freedom in Asia.
In Moscow, Nadezhda Prusenkova, a journalist at Novata Gazeta, told Reuters staff were surprised and delighted. “We’re shocked. We didn’t know,” said Prusenkova. "Of course we’re happy and this is really cool." The Kremlin itself congratulated Muratov on the award. "He persistently works in accordance with his own ideals, he is devoted to them, he is talented, he is brave," said spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The award will give both journalists greater international visibility and may inspire a new generation of journalists, said Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
"We normally expect that greater visibility actually means greater protection for the rights and the safety of the individuals concerned," he told Reuters. The Nobel Peace Prize will be presented on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards in his 1895 will.

UK, US, Norway urge end to east Sudan protests
AFP/October 08, 2021
KHARTOUM: The US, UK and Norway on Friday urged Sudanese protesters who have shut down oil pipelines and the main port in the country’s east since mid-September to end their blockade. The appeal came as the civilian-military government in Khartoum has warned that unrest has crippled Sudanese exports and imports of basic goods. “The Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States) strongly supports the efforts of Sudan’s government to resolve protests in eastern Sudan,” a statement said. But a prolonged blockage of roads, docks and the airport in east Sudan threaten to have “a serious impact on the country’s economy and the well-being of its citizens,” it said. The Troika are guarantors of the 2005 peace agreement struck between Sudan and southern rebels ahead of South Sudan’s secession six years later. On September 17, protesters objecting to parts of an October 2020 peace deal between the Khartoum government and a coalition of rebels blocked the country’s main container and oil export terminals in Port Sudan. It crippled Sudan’s own exports and also blocked the 154,000 barrels of oil per day pumped from neighboring South Sudan — for which Khartoum earns lucrative transit fees that are an important source of revenue for the cash-strapped government. The protesters in the east say the 2020 deal — orchestrated by a transitional government that came into being in 2019, following the ouster of veteran autocrat Omar Al-Bashir — overlooks them.
They agreed to allow South Sudanese oil exports to resume, but continued to block other key infrastructure in Port Sudan. On Sunday, the Khartoum government said it was running out of life-saving medicine, fuel and wheat. “The Troika joins with the civilian-led transitional government in calling for an end to the ongoing blockades of port and transportation infrastructure in eastern Sudan,” Friday’s statement read. The Troika said it “fully recognizes the development challenges facing the people of eastern Sudan.” But it called on protesters to engage in a political dialogue with the government and urged authorities in Khartoum to “intensify” efforts to resolve the issues that sparked the demonstrations. Eastern Sudan is one of the country’s poorest regions, and residents have long complained of being marginalized politically and economically by the government. Protesters have said they will keep on blocking infrastructure until their basic needs are met. According to the demonstrators 60 percent of Sudan’s gold is mined in the east, which is also a crucial transit point for trade. Beset by economic and security woes, the central government remains fragile.

UNFP: Six Million Yemeni Women in Dire Need of Protection
Aden – Mohammed Nasser/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 8 October, 2021
The war waged by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen has collapsed women protection mechanisms there, leaving more than six million Yemeni women in desperate need for security. Displacement and the breakdown of protection mechanisms have drastically increased the vulnerability of women and girls to violence and abuse. A report by the UN Population Fund (UNPF) said that an estimated 6.1 million women are in urgent need of protection. It added that violence and deprivation are also taking a toll on the psychological well-being of Yeminis. One in five people is estimated to suffer from a mental health disorder, yet mental health services remain scarce. According to the report, the US Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance has contributed US$5 million to UNFP to provide life-saving reproductive health and protection services to more than 300,000 of the most vulnerable women and girls in Yemen over the next 12 months. Despite the donation, a lack of funding continues to critically undermine life-saving services for women and girls in Yemen. Yemen’s health system is in tatters, a situation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reproductive health services are particularly affected. An estimated 5 million women and girls of childbearing age, and 1.7 million pregnant and breastfeeding women have limited or no access to reproductive health services. Only 20% of functioning health facilities provide maternal and child health services. “The suffering of women and girls in Yemen has never been this alarming. They are faced with multiple threats of conflict, famine, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which impact them uniquely. Yet, we are faced with a severe shortage of funds which would ensure that women and girls have the services they require,” said UNFP’s Representative in Yemen. USAID’s new funding will help the UNFP provide emergency obstetric and maternal health care in 14 hospitals and two mobile health clinics across eight governorates, targeting areas where needs are most severe. Six women and girls’ safe spaces will be supported to provide psychosocial care, legal aid, medical services, and livelihood opportunities, while mental health services will be supported in two specialized psychiatric care centers. The UNFP is the sole provider of essential life-saving reproductive health medicines in Yemen and leads coordination and provision of women’s reproductive health and protection services across the country. To keep reaching the most vulnerable women and girls, UNFPA requires $100 million in 2021. To date, only 41% of this funding appeal has been received.

Egypt, Tunisia Urge Libya to Hold Elections on Time
Cairo - Khaled Mahmoud/Friday, 8 October, 2021
Egypt and Tunisia expressed their “complete” keenness on ending the crisis in Libya so that security, stability and sovereignty can be restored there. Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and his Tunisian counterpart, Kais Saied discussed the situation in Libya during a telephone call on Wednesday, said Egyptian presidency spokesman Bassam Rady. They stressed the need for Libya to hold the presidential and parliamentary elections on time in December. They also underscored the need for all foreign fighters and mercenaries to quit the country in line with international agreements. Meanwhile, the 5+5 Joint Military Committee (JMC) held a second day of meetings in Geneva on Thursday. US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland hoped that the committee “continues to build on the progress it has already made. The meetings in Geneva are another chance to find common ground on military, security, and fiscal issues that still divide Libya.”The JMC met to discuss the development of a comprehensive action plan for the withdrawal of mercenaries, foreign fighters and foreign forces from Libya. In his opening remarks, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General and head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Jan Kubis said: “Everyone understands that if you will manage to come together and agree on such an action plan you will be sending a signal, not only to the political leaders and institutions in the country but a signal of hope also to your people that things can move, including towards the elections that should bring a change of all the institutions and authorities of the country based on a strong popular legitimacy.”“It is a complex issue, as it is not only a concern for Libya, it is also a concern to regional countries and the international community. The UN, along with its international partners, stands ready to support you in this endeavor, to the maximum extent possible, including through the deployment of UN ceasefire monitors, who will work under your guidance and at your request to monitor and verify the withdrawal,” he added. Separately, head of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdulhamid Dbeibeh was in Qatar where he met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. He quoted Sheikh Tamim as saying that Qatar will be ready to play a positive role in Libya should it be asked so. He also expressed his support for the elections to be held on time. Dbeibeh invited Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to take part in the conference on Libya’s stability that is scheduled to be held later in October. Dbeibeh had kicked off an official two-day visit to Qatar on Wednesday. It is his first to the Gulf state since being appointed to his post. He was accompanied by a delegation that includes the ministers of foreign affairs and finance and head of the National Oil Corporation. A GNU spokesman said the trip aims at developing relations between Libya and Qatar and exploring opportunities for cooperation in energy and investment.

The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 08-09/2021
Tehran Demands Access to $10 Billion of Frozen Iranian Assets as Reward for Negotiating
Mark Dubowitz and Tzvi Kahn/Policy Brief-FDD/October 08/2021
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Saturday that Washington should unfreeze $10 billion of Iranian assets as a goodwill gesture before Tehran resumes negotiations over compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). While the Biden administration’s subsequent rejection of this demand displayed a welcome measure of common sense, Washington remains eager to offer the Islamic Republic billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran’s return to the flawed JCPOA.
Since Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi took office in August, his government has repeatedly claimed that it would come back to negotiations once it completed an internal review of Tehran’s nuclear policies. On September 21, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that talks “will resume soon and over the next few weeks.” On September 24, Amirabdollahian said Iran would re-enter negotiations “very soon,” but provided no date. The exact timetable remains unclear.
The delay constitutes an attempt by Tehran to boost its leverage and toy with the United States. The Islamic Republic is exploiting the current suspension of talks to advance its nuclear program without consequence, potentially reducing its breakout time — that is, the amount of time needed to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for one nuclear weapon — to as low as one month, according to arms control experts at the Institute for Science and International Security and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Concurrently, Iran continues to stonewall the International Atomic Energy Agency’s investigation of undeclared nuclear materials found at several sites across the country. Yet the agency’s Board of Governors has failed to pass a resolution referring the Islamic Republic to the UN Security Council for countermeasures, apparently fearing that such a step would torpedo negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
“Iran will eventually return to the talks in Vienna,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. “But we are in no rush to do so because time is on our side. Our nuclear advances further [sic] every day.” As a senior European diplomat put it, the Iranians “want to create a fait accompli on the ground — technical and nuclear — and preserve the possibility of a negotiation.”
Tehran’s negotiating strategy has paralyzed the Biden administration, effectively deterring Washington from punishing the clerical regime for its nuclear activities. Rather, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on September 8 that America’s ability to rejoin the JCPOA “is not indefinite.” Special Representative for Iran Robert Malley commented on September 3 that America “can’t wait forever” but is “prepared to be patient.” Neither statement appears to have intimidated Tehran.
Given the possibility that America and Iran will ultimately resuscitate the JCPOA, other key stakeholders must intervene. U.S. governors and private attorneys, as well as Israel and the Gulf states, should use a combination of market and political deterrence to diminish the economic benefits to Tehran from an American return to the JCPOA. Some congressional Republicans have already signaled to the market — through legislation, resolutions, and open or personal letters — that when they take back power, they will reinstate sanctions and impose significant costs on anyone who has re-entered the Iranian market. Companies may thus enjoy only a few years of business opportunities before sanctions return.
U.S. governors can reinforce this market deterrence by expanding state laws to divest public pension funds from companies doing any business with the Islamic Republic. Private attorneys currently hold more than $50 billion in outstanding judgments against the clerical regime on behalf of victims of Iranian terrorism. They should seek to attach these judgments to transactions between international companies and Iranian entities.
These steps would help mitigate the deleterious effects of any revival of the JCPOA, denying Iran billions of dollars in cash that it would use to finance its malign activities.
*Mark Dubowitz is the chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where Tzvi Kahn is a research fellow. Both contribute to FDD’s Iran Program and Center on Economic and Financial Power (CEFP). For more analysis from Mark, Tzvi, the Iran Program, and CEFP, please subscribe HERE. Follow Mark and Tzvi on Twitter @mdubowitz and @TzviKahn. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD and @FDD_CEFP and @FDD_Iran. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

د. ماجد رفيزاده/ عرب نيوز:  المتشددون في إيران يتخلون عن الدبلوماسية لصالح الحماس الثوري
Iran’s hard-liners ditch diplomacy in favor of revolutionary zeal
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/October 08/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/103111/103111/
Within Iran’s political establishment, both hard-liners and moderates share the same goal of ensuring the survival of the regime and the concept of Velayat-e Faqih (guardianship, or rule, of the Islamic jurist). Leading adherents of both political ideologies are regime insiders and are loyal to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
However, there is a difference between the two camps: The means they rely on to reach the ultimate objective. This important distinction can shed light on the regional and foreign policies of the regime, depending on which political camp controls the relevant part of the government.
Hard-liners prioritize the revolutionary ideals and principles of the regime, while the moderates argue that putting economic interests ahead of revolutionary norms better serves the interests of the political establishment.
As a result, the so-called moderates are more willing to negotiate with the West and employ diplomacy to reintegrate the country into the global financial system and help the government’s economy improve. This strengthens the theocratic establishment, providing it with the resources and cash needed to pursue its revolutionary goals, hegemonic ambitions and military adventurism in the region.
It was the so-called moderate administration of Hassan Rouhani, for example, that in 2015 sealed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action deal with global powers concerning its nuclear program. As a result of the deal, sanctions against Tehran were lifted, the regime gained global legitimacy, and billions of dollars flowed into Iranian government coffers.
But the international community saw that the regime’s behavior and foreign policy objectives did not change after the nuclear agreement; instead, it used the extra cash to further pursue its ambitions in the region, empowering its militia and terror groups with financial assistance and ammunition. Had it not been for the Trump administration pulling the US out of the JCPOA, Tehran would still be reaping the benefits and the moderates would likely still be ruling the executive branch.
Now, however, Iran’s hard-liners have control of all the regime’s branches — executive and legislative, as well as the judiciary. The last time they were in such a position was almost a decade ago, during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency.
The top decision-makers — Khamenei and the senior cadre of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the elite Quds Force — invariably dictate which political party controls what. This is done through powerful unelected institutions, such as the Guardian Council, which vets political candidates. The 12 members of the Guardian Council are appointed either directly or indirectly by the supreme leader. They all owe their positions to Khamenei and represent his agenda.
After the nuclear deal failed and the US reimposed sanctions on the regime, and following widespread uprisings that began to threaten the government’s hold on power, senior Iranian decision-makers began to replace moderates with hard-liners in all government branches.
The regime orchestrated a plan that would allow hard-liners to take over the parliament and presidential office. Khamenei’s political arm, the Guardian Council, disqualified more than 7,000 candidates, mostly from the reformist, independent and moderate political movements, ahead of last year’s parliamentary elections. As a result, hard-liners took over the parliament and, later, about 230 lawmakers out of 264 voted for Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, a former general and senior IRGC figure, to be speaker.
Had it not been for the Trump administration pulling the US out of the JCPOA, the moderates would likely still be ruling the executive branch.
A year later, the regime orchestrated another sham election, with the Guardian Council disqualifying any presidential candidate, reformist or moderate, who appeared to be a viable rival to Khamenei’s favored choice, Ebrahim Raisi.
Raisi, in turn, has appointed top hard-liners, including former members of the IRGC, to the Cabinet. These include Ahmad Vahidi, Iran’s new interior minister, an IRGC commander and defense minister from 2009 to 2013 during Ahmadinejad’s presidency. Vahidi is wanted by Interpol for his alleged involvement in the 1994 AMIA Jewish center bombing in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who had a liaison role with the IRGC and Quds Force, is now foreign minister.
In conclusion, the Iranian regime’s tactical shift in placing hard-liners in charge of the legislative, judicial and executive branches highlights its prioritizing of revolutionary principles over diplomacy and economic interests.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadehnd can achieve it.
*Khaled Abou Zahr is CEO of Eurabia, a media and tech company. He is also the editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.

Ahead Of Iraqi Elections, Hizbullah Brigades Secretary-General Urges Shi'ites To Go To The Polls En Masse And Vote For Pro-PMU Shi'ite Candidates
MEMRI/October 08/2021
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information,
Ahead of the Iraqi parliamentary elections, slated for on October 10, 2021, Abu Hussein Al-Hamidawi, the secretary-general of the Hizbullah Brigades, issued a statement calling on Shi'ites to go to the polls en masse. Without naming specific candidates or parties, he urged them to vote for Shi'ite candidates who support the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU). It should be mentioned that, for the first time, one of the parties running in these elections is headed by a former Hizbullah Brigades official, Hussein Muanis. Although he has tried to distinguish his party from the PMU, its participation in the elections is perceived as an attempt by the PMU to enter the parliamentary arena.[1]
This announcement by Al-Hamidawi, who issues few statements,[2] indicates the importance he ascribes to these elections and perhaps also his concern over a possible weakening of the parties that support the resistance axis, to which he belongs. His statement is part of intense efforts by many heads of the Shi'ite militias to ensure a high turnout of Shi'ites voters, including efforts by Kais Al-Khaz'ali, secretary-general of 'Asaeb Ahl Al-Haqq, and Hadi Al-'Amari, head of the Badr Movement and chair of the Al-Fatah Alliance, which is running in the elections. 'Ali Sistani, the top religious leader of Iraq's Shi'ites, likewise encouraged his followers to go to the polls, while stressing that he does not support any specific candidate. [3]
The following are translated excerpts from Al-Hamidawi's statement.[4]
"Our country is experiencing sensitive times and great challenges, which indicate that we are at war with the entire axis of evil. [This axis] has prepared for these elections, so as to usurp our people's will, distort it and keep the right people from fulfilling their role in defending the country's security and sovereignty, and its holy places.
"The parliamentary elections, in which the representatives of the people will be selected, are without a doubt the first step towards forming a new government that will represent the Iraqis' will and assume the responsibility of implementing their demands and aspirations for a dignified life and for defending [Iraq's] honor and sovereignty. [The elections also] enable to form the front of truth, which we must [all] support and strengthen, so that it will have an active presence in the legislative and executive spheres. Consequently, it is our religious and moral responsibility to vote for the right figures, brave, virtuous and competent ones who belong to the school of [the Prophet's grandson] Imam Hussein [i.e., Shi'ite figures], the school of sacrifice and courage, so that they can help the people and support the resistance and the PMU.
"The present parliamentary elections are the most important ones held so far. We must raise the turnout, to avoid leaving a vacuum that will be exploited by opportunists who act day and night, overtly and covertly, to take over the resources of the state and the people in order to realize their sick dreams.
"Oh [Shi'ite] Iraqis, sons of [the founders of the Shi'a,] 'Ali and Hussein! Come [to the polls] en masse, so as to win this campaign and attain a new victory that will gladden the hearts of our martyrs and uphold [the honor of] their pure blood and their sacrifice…"

Ex-Hizbullah Brigades Senior Member Heads Party Competing In Upcoming Iraqi Elections
MEMRI/October 08/2021
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
Iraqi parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 10, 2021. The elections were moved forward from May 2022, following a popular protest that erupted in 2019, which led to the resignation of the government of Adel Abdul-Mahdi.
In these elections, for the first time, a "rights movement" party will run for power. Known as Harakat Huqouq (Rights Movement), it is headed by Hussein Muanis Faraj Al-Muhammadawi, a former senior member of the Hizbullah Brigades, a Shi'ite militia with close ties to Iran which has perpetrated many terror attacks against the American forces in Iraq. It is not unlikely that this party was established at the behest of Iran, in an attempt to further strengthen its influence in the Iraqi corridors of power.
Despite repeated assurances from both Al-Muhammadawi and the Hizbullah Brigades that there is no connection between the two, the creation of the party marks the entry of the Hizbullah Brigades into the Iraqi political arena. As such, it joins other Shi'ite militias which are represented in the Iraqi Parliament, such as the Badr Organization headed by Hadi Al-Amiri, and Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq, headed by Qais Al-Khazali, which operate in the Parliament under the umbrella of the Al-Fatah Alliance, which is headed by Hadi Al-Amiri.
The efforts of the Shi'ite militias in Iraq to enter the political arena follow the Hizbullah-Lebanon model, which is based on the understanding that in order to control, or at least to influence, a country, one must use not only force, but should also penetrate the corridors of power.
The following is a brief review of the new Harakat Huqouq political party:
The party list comprises 31 candidates, seven of whom are women, from various districts, while most of the candidates are running in the Baghdad district.
The above image shows the presentation of the party's candidates at the first election conference on August 4, 2021 (source: Telegram, August 4, 2021).
Party chairman Hussein Muanis a married father of three. He holds a BA in Electrical Engineering and an MA in Law and is one of the founders of the Hizbullah Brigades. He was imprisoned by the Americans from 2008 to 2012 because of his activity in the Brigades. He was a member of its Shura council and held positions in the organization's law and information departments.
Muanis takes pains to stress that he is no longer a member of the Hizbullah Brigades and that he officially resigned from his positions within the organization so that he could participate in the establishment of the party. He claims that in the 2018 election campaign he opposed the entrance of the Hizbullah Brigades into the political arena, "but today I believe that we should be there,"[1] and so he resigned.
A popular theory held by many people in Iraq is that Muanis is actually Abu Ali Al-Askari, the security spokesman of the Brigades, however, he vehemently denies this. In an interview with the Lebanese Al Mayadeen TV channel he said, "I am currently the chairman of a rights movement. There is a separation between the two things… I have a letter from the security apparatuses according to which there is no connection between me and Abu Ali Al-Askari."[2]
The Party Platform
Although the party presents itself as an "independent party," which has no connection to other bodies, the fact that its leader was a senior member of the Hizbullah Brigades overshadows this claim. Furthermore, the Hizbullah Brigades has not denied its support for the party, while noting that such support does not imply that it would not support other "trustworthy" parties.
An October 2, 2021 post on Abu Ali Al-Askari's Telegram channel reads: "Hizbullah stands with the trustworthy bodies and will assist in every way it can to bring them to a decision-making position, with its assistance varying among the different lists… Our support for the Rights Movement does not imply a lack of support for other trustworthy lists."[3]
In an attempt to recruit the support of the masses, the party seeks to integrate a social platform with a political platform that opposes the American presence in Iraq.
The party asserts that it, "Highlights issues which are relevant to the citizen and the Iraqi homeland… The movement unites in its ranks resistance fighters, academics, dignitaries, clerks, and workers." According to the party website, its political platform is based on two central elements: the right and the power, where "the right is the constitutional and moral force, and the power is the necessary condition for the achievement of the rights." The movement's slogan is based on these two elements: "[Rights are] taken, not given."[4]
In its election campaign, the party accentuates the issue of government corruption and vows to take action to ensure the rights of the Iraqi people in the spheres of employment, water, electricity, education, and housing.
The text on the above Rights Movement campaign poster reads: "Every person has the right to work under just conditions" (Source: Telegram.me/hoquqmovement, August 5, 2021)
The text on the above Rights Movement campaign poster reads: "Where is my right to housing?" (Source: Telegram.me/hoquqmovement, August 8, 2021)
Alongside the social issues, which the party promises to target, it also presents demands to expel the American forces from Iraq and to protect the status of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) as an independent organization, and to allow the resistance factions to retain their weapons.
At the party's first convention, Chairman Muanis said, "We in the party are discussing today what the situation in Iraq will be after the American [forces] leave. The withdrawal of the occupier is a sure thing which will occur sooner and not later."[5] Party member Sa'id Al-Sarai said, "The expulsion of the American forces from the land of Iraq is an inescapable necessity. We will oppose anyone who tries to delay it."[6]
Regarding the PMU and the resistance factions, the homepage of the party website notes that one of the goals of the party is "the preservation of the unity of the military and security establishment and all its departments, and support for the PMU institution as a barrier which protects against attack from terrorist organizations or the occupation forces."[7]
Party Chairman Muanisi said, "We will not allow a comparison to be made between weapons which defended, liberated, and protected the cities of Iraq, and weapons which harm the Iraqi [social] fabric."[8] Sa'id Al-Sarai made similar statements, "The PMU is one of the issues on our priority list. Our goal is to obey the law [according to which it operates] and not to harm it. We will work to strengthen it as much as we can."[9]
Connections with Parties That Represent Other Shi'ite Militias
According to a survey conducted by the Iraqi Al-Bayan Center for Planning and Studies, which was published on September 30, 2021, the movement would receive 0.81% of all the votes and Al-Muhammadawi would garner 42% of the votes in Baghdad.[10]
There are those in Iraq who believe that the establishment of this party marks a turning point in the balance of power among the parties that represent the pro-Iranian militias in Parliament, and that it constitutes a challenge to the leadership of Hadi Al-Amiri.[11]
Al-Muhammadawi indirectly criticized the conduct of the Al-Fatah Alliance, when he said that his party is taking it upon itself to fill the political vacuum in Iraq and working to integrate the political and the military activity.[12] On another occasion he said, "The Al-Fatah Alliance [members] are our brothers but our demands are greater."[13]
[1] Almayadeen.net, September 11, 2021.
[2] Almayadeen.net, September 11, 2021.
[3] Telegram, October 2, 2021.
[4] Hoquq.org, accessed October 5, 2021.
[5] Hoquq.org, August 21, 2021.
[6] Telegram, October 3, 2021.
[7] Hoquq.org, accessed October 5, 2021.
[8] Hoquq.org, August 21, 2021.
[9] Telegram, October 3, 2021.
[10] Bayancenter.org, September 30, 2021.
[11] Noonpost.com, September 12, 2021.
[12] Noonpost.com, September 9, 2021.
[13] Almayadeen.net, September 11, 2021.

Election After Failed Revolutions
Elias Harfoush/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 08/2021
Three Arab countries' citizens are preparing to head to the polls. They could be followed by a fourth, Tunisia, if President Kais Saied's plan to bring Tunisian politics in order goes smoothly. Iraq is holding parliamentary elections in two days. After the Iraqi elections, Libyans will head to the polls to vote in the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for late this year. The elections' aim is to finally put Libya on the path to stability after Moammar Gaddafi's overthrow couldn't and instead left various loyalties and internal schisms exploding, in addition to creating opportunities for foreign intervention at the invitation of domestic parties, as always happens.
After that, the Lebanese will prepare for their elections next spring. They are like all other Lebanese elections, an opportunity to reconsider everything, always granted at the last minute, which leaves insufficient time for any real reconsideration. They are currently looking into the date of the elections and the electoral lists, as well as expatriates' right to vote, the number of districts and even the number of deputies. These matters should have been decided long ago, but the Lebanese prefer to solve their problem late on, leaving no time for any real solutions to come about.
In these countries, there are inherited crises and others that emerged after the political developments that transpired over the last few years. Because of these crises, which have become citizens' bread and butter, elections have been seen as the gateway to salvation. All you hear, wherever you go, is talk about "reproducing the regime" or "change through the ballot box." These are beautiful phrases that almost convince hapless citizens that this ballot they will put in the box could create a shift in their countries and change their circumstances for the better.
In Iraq, early elections were decided on. They will be held six months ahead of schedule after the protests of 2019 witnessed the broadest mobilizations in opposition to Iranian interference in the country's history. They led to Adil Abdul-Mahdi's departure, with Mustapha al-Kadhimi replacing him after months of tense negotiations between the country's parliamentary blocs.
Elections were considered the best path to change after insurgencies and revolutions' failure to pave that path. The same rhetoric can be heard in Lebanon after its October 17 uprising, which also began in 2019, came to nothing. The political forces that emerged in the aftermath of this uprising, most of whom are under the "civic movement's" umbrella, are betting on the potential to change the composition of the country's parliament, which will be elected next spring in elections that the Lebanese government insists will go ahead. The same could be said of Libya, where the elections are seen as a gateway to ending divisions and to the emergence of a unified central authority.
No doubt, elections should be a chance to actualize change. That is their goal, as they provide the electorate with the chance to give a verdict on the preceding experience, either giving those who had been in power another chance or choosing new faces.
However, we are talking about countries whose elections are mired with impediments. The most prominent of these impediments is the influence exerted by foreign powers whose interventions have become decisive, at least amid the crises in the countries we are talking about. Bribery, given the abominable living conditions most voters suffer from, will be a major factor, as will the degree to which the integrity of the elections will be ensured by the body overseeing them.
It is no coincidence that you hear Arab governments voice their "keenness" on electoral integrity and citizens' right to cast their vote freely. These matters are taken for granted in countries where elections deserve to be called that, as for our part of the word…You hear, for example, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustapha al-Kadhimi saying his government is committed to ensuring the integrity of the elections. The same is said by Lebanon's interior minister. Western countries race to demand that the governments allow the electoral process to run its course smoothly. Meanwhile, the international community almost unanimously has little faith in the democratic process' potential for success in the Arab world.
Foreign powers' lack of confidence is met with equally limited internal confidence about the likelihood of change being realized through elections. The biggest indicator of that is the increased abstention rate. The feeling is almost universal: my vote will not make any difference or change anything. In Lebanon, over 60% of the electorate didn't vote in the last elections, and in Iraq, observers put the turnout rate at around 25 percent. Most voters know that the political forces and sects in power will not give them a chance to change anything in such a way that undermines their influence and interests. It was remarkable to see the most prominent religious figure in Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, with all the moral influence he has on the countries' Shiites, call for broad participation in the elections, "to weed out the corrupt.”
For this reason, ensuring electoral integrity, even if it is achieved, does not suffice to ensure the process' success. It could be outweighed by the foreign influence, which could trump candidates' loyalties and the votes of the electorate. Perhaps the two most prominent cases of countries suffering from this problem are Iraq and Lebanon, where the loyalty of political forces allied with or subordinated by Iran to that country has become likely to play a major role in the elections. These forces, especially in those two countries, have come to see elections as part of the battle for influence between them and the Western powers competing with them, powers that Tehran and its allies accuse of supporting the opposition. In Lebanon, these allies speak openly about Western intervention in favor of civil forces as they attempt to flip the internal balance of power.
In Iraq, Shiite forces compete to demonstrate their loyalty to Iran. There is Muqtada Sadr's bloc (Sairoon alliance), which is said to be the favorite in these elections, and the Fateh alliance, which represents the Popular Mobilization Forces, as well as other alliances led by former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Nouri al-Maliki. As for the Sunni forces, their loyalties are now divided between the parties and clans that make up their support base after they had lost their former influence. The Kurdish blocs continue to have a "balance of influence" between Sulaimaniyah and Erbil, between the Patriotic Union and the Democratic Party. Spoil sharing on the basis of sectarian quotas has, in Iraq as in Lebanon, led to the country's top three leadership positions divided based on this rule, governance's rule, whereby loyalty is to the sect. Considered the gateway to power, it precedes loyalty to the nation. Under such circumstances, the potential for change becomes limited, and striving to reproduce the regime, which is now being discussed, is akin to a dream.

Iran: When Preconditions Disappear
Amir Taherih/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 08/2021
Is it because they are still learning the ropes or are have they understood that they can no longer afford a change of course? The question concerns President Ibrahim Raisi’s new team in the Islamic Republic in Iran sending conflicting signals.
At one level, we have the usual blood-curdling outbursts, mostly coming from the few hundred mullahs and military men who provide the backbone of the Khomeinist regime for the past four decades. At another level, one hears a soothing tune designed to signal that the new team may not be the bitter-ender outfit that former President Hassan Rouhani and his team claimed. The blood-curdling outburst may be caused by the fact that the usual chorus of verbal revolutionaries hasn’t yet realized that their regime is in a rather poor shape and can no longer afford the luxury of pseudo-revolutionary logorrhea. On the other hand, the soothing tune may be a lullaby to send real or imaginary foes into a slumber. In either case, it would be unwise to forget that while Rouhani and his “New York Boys” always had to look behind their back for knife-wielding puritans, the Raisi team, consisting of knife-wielders of the first order, can, if it is needed for the survival of the regime, sell the family silver with no fear of being stabbed in the back. While Raisi goes around saying he wants “to get things done”, thus Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian assures foreign dignitaries that the new “Islamic President” is “a pragmatic” presumably prepared to sacrifice ideological shibboleths. So far, the Raisi team has swallowed its pride by limiting itself to a symbolic military demonstration on the border of the (former Soviet) Azerbaijan republic. On the very day that Baku was closing trade routes to Iran, arresting Iranian lorry drivers and laying claim to parts of Iranian territory, Abdollahian was receiving the new ambassador from Baku with full pomp and no mention of the injurious behavior of the Aliev clique. Then came another surprise as Abdollahian announced that if Washington transferred $10 billion to Tehran he would return to the “nuke talks” in Vienna “sooner.” He did not say what “sooner” actually meant. Nor did he suggest how much would persuade him to return to Vienna immediately.Some commentators saw the $10 billion demand as a precondition for returning to “nuke talks”. A day later, however, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told the press that the Islamic Republic would return to the talks with “absolutely no preconditions”. What had delayed the return, he said, was the process of “reaching consensus” in Tehran.
Taken as it is, this represents a huge climb-down by the Islamic Republic.
Ever since the new US President Joe Biden announced his decision to abandon “the maximum pressure” policy launched by his predecessor Donald Trump, Tehran had been piling up conditions for return to the Vienna talks. Believing that Biden would be as keen as Barack Obama to make a deal with Iran, the Khomeinist leadership pretended that it was not in a hurry to resume talks. To underpin that position Tehran set five preconditions. The first was that the US agree to lift all sanctions not directly related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as the Obama Iran-deal is known. The second condition was that specific sanctions imposed under Trump on Islamic personalities and institutions, most notably “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guard be canceled.
The third condition was that “other issues” such as Tehran’s missile program and its interventions in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen, and human rights related concerns, not be included in the talks.The fourth was that the US release frozen Iranian assets and lift the restrictions imposed on other countries to do the same.The fifth condition was to introduce measures to make sure that the US would no longer be able to withdraw from the JCPOA in its revised version. It was not clear how could such measures be introduced unless the JCPOA, an informal accord, was turned into a treaty approved by the US Senate.
In any case, it now seems that Tehran has dropped all its preconditions, thus kicking the ball into Biden’s court. The US president may or may not wish to test Tehran’s new position. He may wish to seize the opportunity by ending the diplomatic cul-de-sac created over the JCPOA, thus claiming to have undone another of Trump’s signature policies. But that, even without the unfreezing of Iranian assets, would help the Islamic Republic to benefit from a measure of normality in its foreign trade, especially by increasing oil exports and receiving dollar payments from customers, such as China, India and Japan. Solving its cash flow problem, the Khomeinist regime could heighten its regional profile and be tempted into attempting further mischief.
On the other hand, Biden might seize the opportunity provided by Tehran’s claimed “pragmatism” to tackle the real source of tension with the Islamic Republic in the past four decades: its efforts to “export” the revolution and carve out an ideological empire in the name of its brand of Islam.
Some of us have always believed that the “nuke issue” was a side show designed to divert attention from the fact that, even without a putative nuclear arsenal, the Khomeinist regime has been and remains a threat to regional peace and stability. It has always said it does not intend to make the bomb but uses the promise not to do what it says it doesn’t want to do as a license for doing what it shouldn’t be doing in other domains. Today, the Khomeinist regime may be hitting the bottom of the hole it has dug for itself through reckless behavior and disregard for rule-based international relations. The mullahs have used a promise of tactical retreats as a prelude to further cheating in the future on a number of occasions before. President Bill Clinton fell for it in a big way and President Obama in an even bigger way. Obama’s Secretary of State John Kerry claimed that he could “trust” his Khomeinist interlocutors more than some European allies. The result has been years of prolonged tension in the region and the loss of trust in the US among regional allies. Our guess is that Tehran’s new show of pragmatism does not represent a genuine change of nature by the regime. But that does not mean that the new posture should not be tested. Trust is useful only if it is coupled with stringent verification.

Soldiers Stay but No American Solution for Syria
Robert Fordh/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 08/2021
Two Syrian delegations visited Washington last week. They don’t share a vision for solving the Syrian war and they met Americans but they didn’t meet each other. The Syrian National Coalition delegation leader later told Asharq Al-Awsat that there was differentiation in the American treatment of the two opposition organizations. He was polite. In fact, the Americans for years have been uncomfortable with Islamists in the National Coalition and its Turkish support.
In comparison, the Americans are grateful to the secular autonomous administration and its well-organized Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, for its success against ISIS. Ilham Ahmed, who led the autonomous administration delegation, told the media after her meetings with Biden administration officials that she received assurances the Americans would not withdraw from Syria.
The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, whose core is the YPG, told the London Times that he received the same pledge earlier in September from the American military commander in the Middle East, General McKenzie, and from Joey Hood, the senior State Department official for the Middle East.
The State Department on September 29 after receiving Ilham Ahmed emphasized that the United States supports “stability” in the region. You can translate this diplomatic language to say American forces will stay in eastern Syria to protect the autonomous administration and block the road before Russian, Iranian, Turkish or Syrian Government forces.
The American statement on September 29 also promised they would continue helping the SDF (and its YPG core) to fight against ISIS, even though President Biden told the United Nations and the American people his administration had finished the forever wars.
One element of the continuing war in eastern Syria is American military assistance to the YPG and SDF militias to defend the oilfields. No one thinks that a few tens of ISIS fighters can seize and control oilfields for more than a day or two. The oilfields are vital for the autonomous administration, and increasing their production was a big goal for Ilham Ahmed’s visit to Washington. She requested waivers from the Caesar Sanctions so that American companies can repair the oilfields and so the autonomous administration can more easily receive humanitarian aid.
At the same time, the Biden administration is giving more economic aid to the autonomous administration. But the more Washington builds up the autonomous administration and its forces, the harder reaching a deal between the autonomous administration and Assad’s government will be. The autonomous administration won’t compromise on autonomy and the Americans can’t compel Assad to make compromises. In this stalemate, the autonomous administration is evolving into a de facto small state under an American military umbrella.
I have written many times that eventually Washington will take away the umbrella. Was I wrong? Yes, at least in the short term. Brett McGurk, who is now Biden’s most important advisor on the Middle East, resigned from the Trump administration when Trump ordered American troops to withdraw in 2019.
After that public resignation in 2019, McGurk’s reputation is tied to the fate of the autonomous region. In addition, especially after the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Biden administration needs a convincing plan to contain ISIS in eastern Syria. Its only plan now is the militias of the autonomous administration.
Unless McGurk reaches a good deal with Russia for the protection of the SDF and the autonomous administration, Biden’s team will urge the President to maintain the American force in Syria. In addition, the chaos in Kabul hurt Biden politically; his popularity fell to its lowest level since he became president. Politically, it is easier for Biden and the Democrats to delay a Syrian withdrawal, and accompanying accusations of betraying another American ally, until after the 2024 presidential election and perhaps longer.
Two things could change this American political calculation. First, there have been only a few American casualties in Syria. The Iranian militias and Assad’s forces are not the equal of the Taliban resisting the Americans and their local allies. Only a few American citizens pay attention to Syria now.
However, if there are significant American casualties in Syria, or in Iraq which is the supply base for the forces in Syria, then the deployment in Syria would get new political attention. Second, as I have written before, the left wing of the Democratic Party agrees with the America First movement inside the Republican Party about the need to reduce American military deployments and costs in many secondary locations, including Syria.
If in the 2022 Congressional elections candidates from the left wing of the Democratic Party and the extreme right wing of the Republic Party win more seats in the next Congress, they could cooperate to raise the profile of the American military presence in Syria and embarrass the White House which has no strategy for Syria.

Turkey's Airstrikes in Syria, Iraq
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/October 08/2021
Turkey appears to be maneuvering to expand an Islamic state in Syria and Iraq.
The same Turkish government that claims to counter "terrorism" through its fight against the Kurdish PKK has supported ISIS in the region for years.
"The ability of ISIS to become a functioning state so quickly is largely due to its relationship with President Erdoğan in Turkey." — Dr. Mordechai Kedar, BESA Center, October 11, 2020.
The Turkish government -- a member of NATO -- clearly seems to feel itself on a jihadist roll.
On August 17, in Iraq, the Turkish military carried out an airstrike on a hospital in Sinjar Province, where the Yazidi minority had already been victim of a genocide in 2014 at the hands of ISIS. The raid, consisting of three drone strikes, "totally destroyed" the makeshift hospital in the village of Sekaina. A doctor in Sinjar said that at least three people had been killed and five others wounded. Pictured: An Anka drone in the service of the Turkish military, 8.6 meters long and with a wingspan of 17.6 meters, in a hanger in Ankara on March 5, 2021. (Photo by Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images)
Since the Taliban's violent takeover of Afghanistan on August 15, Turkey has increased its expansionist military activities in the Middle East in a way that is significantly impacting the lives of minorities.
Turkey appears to be maneuvering to expand an Islamic state in Syria and Iraq.
Turkey has so far been using its fight against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) as an excuse to justify its military aggression, destruction and casualties of persecuted minorities. Among those communities affected by Turkish military actions in Iraq and Syria are Yazidis, Assyrians and Kurds -- communities previously targeted by ISIS and al-Qaeda.
On August 17, in Iraq, the Turkish military carried out an airstrike on a hospital in Sinjar Province, where the Yazidi minority had already been victim of a genocide in 2014 at the hands of ISIS.
The raid, consisting of three drone strikes, "totally destroyed" the makeshift hospital in the village of Sekaina. A doctor in Sinjar said that at least three people had been killed and five others wounded. A senior Iraqi army officer told AFP that the raid had been carried out by Turkey's military. Another Turkish air strike on August 16 targeted and killed a senior Yazidi leader, Hassan Saeed.
Assyrian Christians, another persecuted indigenous minority in Iraq, are also suffering from Turkish airstrikes. In a 2021 report , "Caught in the Crossfire: Assyrians and the Turkey-PKK Conflict in Iraq," by the Assyrian Policy Institute, reported:
"Turkish strikes in northern Iraq have caused irreparable and costly damage to civilian properties and agricultural lands... The destruction to private property and farmland caused by Turkish airstrikes effectively robs Assyrian farmers of their livelihoods and immediately threatens their ability to stay in their homes and villages."
Meanwhile, Turkey's military is targeting northern Syria, where the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its Kurdish component, the People's Protection Units (YPG), previously fought against ISIS.
Also in August, the Turkish military conducted bombardments in Al-Hasakah Province; once again Turkey used the PKK to justify targeting civilians and US allies. One child was killed and five other civilians were wounded in the bombardment, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The next day, 13 rockets hit the Afrin city center, killing three people and wounding four others. In another airstrike that killed four members of the SDF, the Turkish military targeted Tel Tamir's Military Council base. Sosin Birhat, one of the SDF casualties, had previously joined meetings with top US military officials and diplomats, the pro-government Turkish newspaper Sabah noted.
Amy Austin Holmes, a public policy fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, has challenged Turkey's version of events:
"First, Turkey justified its 2018 and 2019 interventions in Syria by claiming the presence of the SDF/YPG along its southern border constituted a grave threat. But my analysis of data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project indicates the opposite is closer to the truth. Between January 2017 and August 2020, Turkey and Turkish-backed forces carried out 3,319 attacks against the SDF/YPG or civilians. By contrast, the SDF/YPG carried out 22 cross-border attacks into Turkey. Turkish officials claim their attacks against the SDF/YPG were tit-for-tat. But that is mathematically impossible.
"Second, after signing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement in Syria in October 2019, Turkey promised to safeguard civilians and religious and ethnic minorities. However, Yazidis, Christians and Kurds have fled in droves from the Turkish-occupied areas of Syria. Data I analyzed showed that Turkey and Turkish-backed militias violated the U.S. ceasefire agreement over 800 times in the first year after it was signed. The Assyrian Christian region of Tel Tamer was targeted every single month.
"Finally, I led a research project that analyzed the impact of Turkish airstrikes on Yazidis in Sinjar. Data-mining from five different sources, we found that Turkey had hit Sinjar with strikes every single year for the past five years. Turkish military activity is a major impediment to recovery. In the month of July alone, 472 Yazidis who tried to return to Sinjar to rebuild their lives ended up relocating back to camps for internally displaced people.
"As these examples illustrate, Turkish claims about "anti-PKK" operations need to be fact-checked."
The same Turkish government that claims to counter "terrorism" through its fight against the Kurdish PKK has supported ISIS in the region for years. According to Dr. Mordechai Kedar:
"2014 marked the year when ISIS became a very real threat to the Middle East. Within one year, the group managed to take over a third of Iraq and half of Syria, with 200,000 fighters under its control....
"The ability of ISIS to become a functioning state so quickly is largely due to its relationship with President Erdoğan in Turkey.
"ISIS has had strong connections to Turkey over the years, whether through its oil industry or through its willingness to shield wanted members of the Muslim Brotherhood. This 'neighborly' relationship was essential to ISIS's success, and it continues to be reflected in Turkish decision making.
"Turkey has been ruled by Erdoğan since 2002. He is a vocal supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement that seeks to establish a worldwide Islamic caliphate that applies Islamic sharia law.
"Not only did President Erdoğan never launch any counterterror operations to disrupt ISIS's networks or recruitment activities, but he provided it with assistance." International Christian Concern has reported that Turkey's expansionist foreign policy has significantly declined religious freedoms in the region, making persecuted minorities even more vulnerable:
"Countries previously part of Turkey's former Ottoman Empire, and countries with a significant Muslim population, are specifically targeted... Turkey has leveraged those religious freedom issues of neighboring countries for Turkey's own benefit, at the expense of the local population.
"In short, Turkey's military expansionism has had the impact of exploiting people, exporting persecution, and enabling the perpetrators to commit even more egregious actions. If this is how Turkey treats vulnerable communities outside of its own borders, then how much more so within."
The Turkish government -- a member of NATO -- clearly seems to feel itself on a jihadist roll.
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.
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Question: "What is a Christian work ethic?"
GotQuestions.org/October 08/2021
Answer: Colossians 3:23-25 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Another translation says to “work heartily” (ESV). Yet another says to “work willingly” (NLT). The Amplified Bible adds “from the soul.” Ephesians 6:7-8 shares a similar concept: “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” In essence, this is the Christian work ethic. We are commanded to put forth our best efforts, to work from our heart and soul at whatever we do. We are accountable to God and stewards of the gifts He has given us. Our work flows out of our gratefulness to Him.
God instituted work with creation, prior to the Fall. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” After Adam and Eve sinned, work became toil (Genesis 3:17-19), but work itself is included in the “very good” part of creation (Genesis 1:31).
Throughout the Old Testament, God gave the Israelites specific instructions about how to do their work. He also gave instructions about providing for those who had less: “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 23:22). This command confirms the importance of work. God does not tell the people to harvest everything and then simply give food to the poor. Instead, He tells them to leave enough of the grain to allow the poor to work for themselves. Work has a way of giving us a sense of purpose, productivity, and dignity.
The Proverbs and Ecclesiastes contain some wise sayings regarding work. Proverbs 14:23 says, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Proverbs 6:6-11 says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.” Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” A strong work ethic is confirmed, with warnings concerning slackness.
The New Testament contains another important principle regarding work: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10); that is, the refusal of an able-bodied man to work should have the consequence that he lacks food. Paul also says that an “idle” man who refuses to work should not be part of the church (verse 6). Paul and his companions set a good example of hard work: “We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you” (verses 7-8).
Christians should work hard. Work is integral to life, and approaching work as God-given will give us more pleasure in it. We can work cheerfully and without complaint because we are working for the Lord who loves us and has redeemed us. A good work ethic can also be a witness to others (Matthew 5:16). The world takes notice of our efforts and wonders why we do what we do.
It is important to note that the Bible does not condone workaholism. We do not work merely to amass worldly wealth (in fact, Matthew 6:19-34 warns about this). We work to bring glory to God. We also do not work ourselves into the ground or to the extent that our health is damaged or our families suffer.
God is more interested in relationship with us than He is in what we do. God instituted the Sabbath at the beginning of creation. He did the work of creation for six days and then ceased. God is omnipotent; He did not need rest; He was setting an example for us. In the Ten Commandments, God confirmed both the importance of work and rest. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work” (Exodus 20:9-10a). Later, we see that God even required a Sabbath for the fields (see Leviticus 27). Though the specific laws regarding the Sabbath no longer apply to believers, we are told that “the Sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27). It is a gift that we are wise to accept. So, while Christians are called to have a strong work ethic and to work hard at all that they do, they are also called to take times of rest.