English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For October 25/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
Do not be deceived! Fornicators,
idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy,
drunkards, revilers, robbers none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. And
this is what some of you used to be
First Letter to the Corinthians 06/01-11/:”When any of you
has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the
unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints? Do you not know that the
saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you
incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels to
say nothing of ordinary matters? If you have ordinary cases, then, do you
appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your
shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between
one believer and another, but a believer goes to court against a believer and
before unbelievers at that? In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is
already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be
defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud and believers at that. Do you
not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites,
thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers none of these will inherit the
kingdom of God. And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed,
you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and
in the Spirit of our God.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials
published on
October 24-24/2021
Al-Rahi Backs 'Those who Defended Their Dignity' in Ain al-Remmaneh
Aude Slams Those who 'Stormed Civilian Areas, Terrorized Residents'
Raad: He Who's Saying We Insulted Judiciary is Refusing to Appear before It
Jreissati Hits Back at Amal over Bitar Accusations
Trapped in 'Cruel' Forest, Lebanese Man Regrets Belarus-EU Crossing
Hezbollah Ties Lebanon’s Political Stability to Resignation of Beirut Blast
Probe Judge
Lebanon’s negotiations with IMF likely to start in November
Lebanon eyes IMF progress despite new turmoil, says economy minister
Meet the Belgian company championing Lebanon’s smaller farmers
Lebanon, Iraq, Venezuela and the Tricky Nexus/Charles Elias Chartouni/October
24/2021
Pour ces raisons, j’ai appelé à la paix avec Israël/Jean-Marie Kassab/Octobre
24/2021
Nasrallah’s fatal miscalculations spell doom for Lebanon — and Hezbollah/Baria
Alamuddin/Arab News/October 24/2021
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
October 24-24/2021
Pope Urges Intervention on Libyan Migrant Crisis
Khamenei Urges Reversal of Arab-Israeli Normalizations
Husband of detained Iranian-British woman on hunger strike
Hundreds of Electoral Appeals Rejected in Iraq
Arab Coalition Says over 260 Houthis Killed in Marib Fighting
Russia Envoy: Damascus Attack Affected Constitutional Committee Talks in Geneva
Israeli Official Says Reopening of US Palestinian Mission in Jerusalem May Not
Happen
Israel Set to OK 3,000 West Bank Settler Homes This Week
Under Israel's Blockade, Gaza Fishermen Struggle for a Catch
Algerian FM Defends ‘Sovereign’ Decision to Close Airspace to France
Egypt, Albania Agree on Importance of Supporting Stability in East Mediterranean
Libya's Elections Commission to Open Registration for Candidates in Nov.
US Meets Sudanese Leaders to Reaffirm Support for Democracy
Statement on United Nations Day
Erdogan Orders Expulsion of 10 Ambassadors
Ethiopia Launches Air Strikes in Northern and Western Tigray
Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC
English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on
October 24-24/2021
“The Basic Message Is Hatred”: The Persecution of Christians, September
2021/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/October 24/2021
Syria: Geopolitical Tragedy/Amir Taheri/Asharq al-Awsat/October 24/2021
Will ISIS Succeed in Attracting Taliban Defectors?/Charles Lister/Asharq Al
Awsat/October 24/2021
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on October 24-24/2021
Al-Rahi Backs 'Those who Defended Their Dignity' in Ain al-Remmaneh
Naharnet/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi has thrown his support behind Ain al-Remmaneh’s
residents and those who were arrested in the wake of the deadly Tayyouneh
clashes.“With its legitimacy, institutions and judiciary, the state is asked to
protect its people and prevent attacks on them and to act wisely, fairly and
impartially. It should not implicate the judiciary and subject civil peace to
danger, seeing as injustice produces oppression and oppression would lead to an
explosion,” al-Rahi warned. “We who believe in justice do not accept that those
who defended their dignity and the security of their environment be turned into
a scapegoat. These people, along with others, had defended Lebanon and offered
thousands of martyrs for the sake of its unity and sovereignty,” the patriarch
added. As for those detained by security agencies, al-Rahi called for
“respecting human rights” in the investigations without any “intimidation.”“We
do not want to acquit someone guilty not to accuse someone innocent. We are keen
that the investigations should target all the parties, not a single party, as if
it is responsible for the incidents,” the patriarch added. He stressed that
“everyone would be under the law when the law is above everyone.”Moreover, al-Rahi
emphasized that “despite their gravity, the Tayyouneh-Ain al-Remmaneh incidents
should not eclipse the probe into the Beirut port bombing.”“We warn against any
attempt to make a bargain between the port bombing and the Tayyouneh-Ain al-Remmaneh
incidents, seeing as continuing the port bombing investigations remains the path
to justice,” al-Rahi added. Seven people were killed on October 14 -- mostly
Hizbullah and Amal Movement members -- during a protest organized by the two
groups to demand Tarek Bitar, the judge investigating Beirut's devastating port
blast, be removed.
Hizbullah and Amal accused the Lebanese Forces, which supports the probe, of
being responsible for sniper fire against the protesters that ignited street
clashes. The LF denies the charges. Fadi Akiki, a representative of the military
court, has "instructed the army intelligence to summon (LF leader Samir) Geagea
and take his statement based on information provided by arrested LF members," a
judicial official said. Twenty-six people were arrested after the violence in
the Tayyouneh-Ain al-Remmaneh area, most of them LF members, the official added.
Geagea has denied responsibility for the deaths, saying that residents of Ain
al-Remmaneh had "defended" themselves against "Hizbullah militiamen who tried to
enter their homes." He also said that four Ain al-Remmaneh residents were
injured at the hands of violent protesters, some by handgun shots, before any
rounds were fired from the neighborhood.
Aude Slams Those who 'Stormed Civilian Areas, Terrorized
Residents'
Naharnet/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut Elias Aude on Sunday lashed out at
Hizbullah and Amal Movement without naming them over the bloody incidents in Ain
al-Remmaneh and Tayyouneh. In his Sunday Mass sermon, Aude said "those possessed
by the demons of corruption tried to evade testimony (in the port blast case) by
storming civilian areas, terrorizing residents and school students, and accusing
those who defended themselves of being the aggressors and killers." "They were
calling for truth and justice, but when that loomed, they became terrified and
moved to bury truth and justice before they appear and topple those truly
responsible for the country's ruin and collapse," Aude added. He also accused
those parties of "fabricating files" and "practicing oppressive intimidation and
attacks against anyone who dares criticize, reject or confront." Turning to the
port blast probe, Aude described the lead investigative judge Tarek Bitar as a
"ray of light" amid "what time and politicians have corrupted in the judicial
authority.""The people of Beirut will not remain silent or back down from their
demand of the truth and they will not accept selective justice," the
metropolitan emphasized.
Raad: He Who's Saying We Insulted Judiciary is Refusing to
Appear before It
Naharnet/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
Head of Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad has lashed out
at Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea for refusing to appear before the
Military Court over the deadly Tayyouneh incidents. “Those who have honor must
apologize when they do a mistake. The perpetrator knows that he made a mistake,
because he objected against a demo that aimed to change a judge who violated
credible conduct in the investigations,” Raad said. “They objected against those
who protested, considering their protest against the judge’s selectivity as an
insult against the judiciary, whereas LF party leader Samir Geagea has the right
to reject appearing before the Military Court,” the Hizbullah lawmaker
added.“What credibility do you have?” Raad said, addressing Geagea, accusing him
of being “a liar whose words contain nonsense.”“He is insulting the country, not
only our (Hizbullah chief) Sayyed (Hassan Nasrallah), while you are doing
everything to conceal your lies, racism and fraud,” Raad added. Moreover, he
accused the LF of “refusing the partnership of anyone in this
country.”“Unfortunately, you are the reasons behind this crisis that the country
is going through and you are the ones instigating our enemies against us. This
is what must be said and we must clarify this truth to the people,” Raad went on
to say.Seven people were killed on October 14 -- mostly Hizbullah and Amal
Movement members -- during a protest organized by the two groups to demand Tarek
Bitar, the judge investigating Beirut's devastating port blast, be removed.
Hizbullah and Amal accused the LF, which supports the probe, of being
responsible for sniper fire against the protesters that ignited street clashes.
The LF denies the charges. Fadi Akiki, a representative of the military court,
has meanwhile instructed the army intelligence to summon Geagea and take his
statement based on information provided by arrested LF supporters.Twenty-six
people were arrested after the violence in the Tayyouneh-Ain al-Remmaneh area,
most of them LF supporters. Geagea has denied responsibility for the deaths,
saying that residents of Ain al-Remmaneh had "defended" themselves against "Hizbullah
militiamen who tried to enter their homes." He also said that four Ain al-Remmaneh
residents were injured at the hands of violent protesters, some by handgun
shots, before any rounds were fired from the neighborhood.
Jreissati Hits Back at Amal over Bitar Accusations
Naharnet/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
President Michel Aoun’s adviser ex-minister Salim Jreissati on Sunday snapped
back at the Amal Movement over accusations related to Beirut port blast
investigator Tarek Bitar. “If Amal Movement’s policies and its national and
regional alignments are based on such fake accusations and boring choruses, then
I congratulate it and its media mouthpieces on their brilliantly failed
stances,” Jreissati said in a statement. “It is silly, unjust, shameful and
criminal to accuse the investigative judge into the port blast of acting at the
dictations of a ‘black room’ run and overseen by me,” the ex-minister added.
“Those suspected have almost accused themselves… Fear God and return to the
principles of our disappeared imam” Moussa al-Sadr, the founder of the Amal
Movement, Jreissati went on to say.
Trapped in 'Cruel' Forest, Lebanese Man Regrets Belarus-EU Crossing
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
Exhausted and trapped in a cold, "cruel" forest, Lebanese barber Ali Abd
Alwareth said he regretted his week-long bid to enter the European Union via the
Belarus-Poland border. "It's miserable. Something that you don't wish for your
worst enemy... A nightmare," the soft-spoken 24-year-old with Crohn's disease
told AFP. Sitting cross-legged on a bed of pine needles and dead leaves near the
border town of Kleszczele in eastern Poland, Abd Alwareth described being a
ping-pong ball for the guards. "I tried crossing like five, six times, and every
time I got caught and deported back to the border" by Poland, he said in
English.
The Belarusian side meanwhile refused to let him return to Minsk to fly home.
Abd Alwareth said security forces told him: "You have only two choices: either
you die here or you die in Poland. That's it."One of thousands of migrants --
mostly from the Middle East -- who have tried to penetrate the 400-kilometre
(250-mile) border since August, Abd Alwareth said he left the financial crisis
in Lebanon in search of a better life. The whole journey from his home region of
Bekaa cost $4,000 and involved help from a Minsk-based company he found on
social media.
The EU suspects Belarus is masterminding the unprecedented influx of migrants
into Poland as a form of retaliation against EU sanctions, but the regime has
put the blame on the West.
'I feel like a puppet'
Poland has sent thousands of troops, built a razor-wire fence and implemented a
three-month state of emergency that bans journalists and charity workers along
the immediate border area. A group of Polish mothers rallied near the border on
Saturday in protest at the pushbacks.
"We feel for the people in the forest," said Sylwia Chorazy, one of a couple of
hundred protesters at the border guard facility in Michalowo, eastern Poland.
"My sons asked me this morning, 'Mum, what if we too had to spend the night in
the woods?'. It's sad, incredibly sad," she told AFP. During his grueling time
in the woods, Abd Alwareth said he drank water off of leaves, was too cold to
sleep, and was once hit on the head by either the Polish army or police. Though
"exhausted" and "devastated", he said he understood that the border guards "are
doing their job. They are protecting their country. We are illegal.".On Friday,
Abd Alwareth and his Syrian walking companions managed to get in touch with
Polish activists, who met them in the forest with warm clothes and food as well
as offering support when the guards arrived.
His fate up in the air, Abd Alwareth hopes to receive asylum in Poland -- or at
the very least, to return to Lebanon. "Okay, you don't want me here, you don't
want me in Belarus. Just deport me back home. That's all I'm asking for," he
said. "What is happening in the forest is cruel... I feel like a puppet. It was
my decision, I came this way -- but not to be treated like this," he added. "I
refuse to die at the border. I just want to see my mum."
Hezbollah Ties Lebanon’s Political Stability to Resignation
of Beirut Blast Probe Judge
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
Hezbollah tied on Saturday Lebanon’s political stability to the resignation of
lead judge in the investigation of the Beirut port blast, Tarek Bitar. Deputy
leader of the Iran-backed party, Naim Qassem said Bitar “has become a real
problem in Lebanon.”The dispute has obstructed the work of the government for
ten days now. Parliamentary sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that there are no signs
that it will be convening any time soon given that the dispute is not close to
being resolved. Qassem said: “We wanted a real investigator to reveal what
happened at the port so that justice can prevail.”He accused Bitar of
“flagrantly politicizing the probe”, alleging that the relatives of the victims
have grown suspicious of him and that he had almost caused strife in the
Tayyouneh area in Beirut. Some ten days ago, Hezbollah and its ally Amal had
staged a protest against Bitar in Tayyouneh. Tensions between them and the
Lebanese Forces (LF) boiled over, leading to armed clashes in the area
reminiscent of the 1975-90 civil war. Seven people were killed in the fighting.
“What sort of investigator is this? He has brought us problems and crises. There
can be no hope in justice coming from him,” declared Qassem. “He is better off
resigning so that stability can be restored and so people can have their
justice,” he added. He also slammed the LF over the Tayyouneh fighting, accusing
it of planning the clashes beforehand as it had snipers ready to attack the
peaceful protest. “We succeeded in this confrontation because we snuffed out
strife through patience and rationality,” he said, stressing that Hezbollah will
follow through with the probe into the fighting so that the perpetrators are
brought to justice. Former LF MP Fadi Karam expressed his concern that the
“security apparatus” could be used to suppress the opposition. He explained that
Hezbollah was using the Tayyouneh incident to divert attention from the Beirut
port blast probe so that it could shirk blame from that crime.
Former President Michel Suleiman expressed concern that the judiciary was coming
under pressure over the Beirut blast probe and Tayyouneh clashes. He echoed
Karam’s remarks in that the clashes were being used to divert attention from the
blast investigation.
Lebanon’s negotiations with IMF likely to start in
November
Reuters/25 October ,2021
The Lebanese foreign minister said on Sunday that negotiations with the
International Monetary Fund would likely start in November, Lebanon’s Al Jadeed
TV reported. Economy Minister Amin Salam had said on Friday in an interview with
Reuters that the new government aimed to make progress towards starting full
negotiations for an IMF deal by the end of this year or early next but was not
expecting funds to be dispersed before elections in March. Lebanon is
experiencing its worst-ever financial crisis and an IMF deal is widely seen as
the only way for it to secure aid. Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib also
spoke about the maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel, telling Al
Jadeed that he was “optimistic about reaching an agreement”. The two countries
are in a dispute over the delineation of their territorial waters and
negotiations could lead to Lebanon being able to unlock valuable gas reserves.
They have been holding on-and-off US-mediated talks to try to resolve the issue.
Lebanon eyes IMF progress despite new turmoil, says economy minister
Reuters/October 24/2021
Lebanon’s new government aims to make progress towards starting full
negotiations for an IMF deal by the end of this year or early next, but is not
expecting funds to be dispersed before elections in March, a minister said on
Friday.
In an interview with Reuters, Economy Minister Amin Salam also said Lebanon has
lost precious time in dealing with the economic meltdown because of a crisis
over the probe into the Beirut port explosion which has paralysed cabinet.
Lebanon is suffering one of the world’s sharpest ever economic depressions and
an IMF deal is widely seen as the only way for it to secure aid.
Salam said that figures crucial to progress on the IMF track — including
Lebanon’s estimate of losses in its financial system — would be sent to the Fund
as early as next week.
While there was no agreement yet on how the losses should be distributed,
“opinions are much closer and the picture is much clearer”, he said.
He declined to give figures which he said it was up to the finance ministry and
central bank to provide.
But he indicated he did not expect the government to clinch a full IMF agreement
before parliamentary elections set for March 27, saying no money was expected to
be dispersed before the vote, after which a new cabinet would be formed.
IMF talks broke down last year because the banks, central bank and Lebanon’s
ruling politicians could not agree with the previous government on scale of vast
losses, estimated at the time at around $90bn, and how they should be shared
out.
An IMF programme is widely seen as the only way Lebanon can unlock desperately
needed aid.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati took office in September vowing to remedy one of the
world’s sharpest ever depressions.
His government was already facing a difficult path to pave the way for an IMF
deal before Lebanon slid into yet another crisis, this time linked to the probe
into the port blast which has ignited a new political conflict and deadly street
violence.
Cabinet has not met since October 12 because of the standoff.
Still, Salam and other officials met the Fund this week as technical talks got
underway.
The message delivered by IMF officials was “we want to focus on what went wrong
in the first phase and that is defining the losses and giving an idea about
their distribution”, he said.
The government has “huge hopes” that it can secure an IMF memorandum of
understanding, including the figures and financial recovery plan, late this year
or early next to open the way to negotiations.
Lebanon hopes to secure at least $2bn from the IMF in an agreement that would
unlock other foreign aid, he said.
But Salam added that while the current government should get as much reform done
as possible, sign the MoU and prepare for IMF negotiations, “the IMF is for sure
not giving any money before the parliamentary elections.”
The crisis over the port explosion investigation has escalated as Hezbollah and
its ally Amal have pressed their demand for the removal of the lead
investigator, whom they accuse of bias.
The row derailed the last cabinet session.
Mikati has held off convening cabinet sessions pending the outcome of political
contacts over the issue, after postponing a session last week out of fear the
row would escalate.
“Without a doubt the security events and the circumstances surrounding the port
and the probe and Judge Bitar delayed us for two weeks,” Salam said.
“Every passing day is valuable,” he said. “We are hoping to be back on schedule
by next week.”
Meet the Belgian company championing Lebanon’s smaller
farmers
Robert McKelvey, Al Arabiya English/24 October ,2021
As Lebanon’s agriculture sector struggles to feed the country amid a crippling
financial crisis and nationwide shortages, Belgian culinary company Key Sixteen
has partnered with the Food Heritage Foundation to find the very best Lebanese
farm-to-table food and share them with the world. “It’s a personal relationship
that we are developing,” the company’s founder and COO Eric Humbert told Al
Arabiya English. “We’re trying to push the small farmers and producers. For
them, it’s been the most difficult. As a chef, I like to work with those
products and to look for them is my passion.”
Key Sixteen was originally created in 2014 with the idea of offering patrons a
culinary experience by bringing them to destinations in different parts of the
world to sample authentic local flavors. When travel restrictions were
introduced following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company pivoted
to a new business model; bringing the same exotic tastes to people stuck at home
with carefully curated food boxes containing traditional regional goods. “If you
asked me to cook a meal for 1000 people, it would not be tasty, but if you asked
me to cook for 10 people, I can invest more into it,” Humbert explained. “I
think it’s like that for the farmer. It’s fine agriculture. When you open this
box, you see in every product a description of the person that is working all
day long, just to make the perfect product. It tells you a story.”Key Sixteen’s
first Lebanese project – the Mezze Box themed around traditional preserves – has
proven to be extremely popular with its European audience. Now, the firm hopes
the Manoushe Box will receive the same feedback. The manoushe is a traditional
bread dish typically served with a topping of thyme and olive oil. It has
remained popular in Lebanon for generations.
“[The] manoushe was the common denominator,” said food author, photographer and
Slow Food Beirut president Barbara Massaad. “It was cheap, it was street food
and it was available to everyone. You can call it the emblem of Lebanon.
Unfortunately, due to the current economic crisis, it has become something that
you have to think twice about before you buy, which is a horrible idea.”The
Lebanese lira has lost more than 90 percent of its value, and foreign currency
bank accounts have been frozen to preserve the equity of Lebanon’s financial
institutions, leaving many in Lebanon stranded in poverty. Because Lebanon
imports many of its raw ingredients, including the flour and oil used to make
manoushe dough, the cost of this once ubiquitous snack food has risen rapidly.
By introducing artisanal Lebanese goods to the lucrative European market, Key
Sixteen hopes to provide farmers and producers with a vital economic boost,
while raising their profiles. “They are bringing Lebanese products to Europe,
putting them on a pedestal, and giving work to local food producers in Lebanon,”
said Massaad. “This is really great because they are earning money in euros
[and] they are paid directly. There’s no middleman. That’s how we know for sure
it’s going to them.” “It’s my belief that when you give back, you get back,”
Humbert agreed. “We have volunteers – local and foreign – who are coming and
helping us with our events. They will give something back, whether it’s
[preparing] food or giving education sessions.”This commitment to local farmers
echoes the mission of Key Sixteen’s partners on the Manoushe Box, the Food
Heritage Foundation (FHF). Dedicated to reviving and documenting Lebanese
recipes, culture and traditional foods, the group aims to improve market access
for independent growers and producers. “We work very closely with the small
scale producers,” said Marwa Soubra, speaking to Al Arabiya English on behalf of
FHF. “One common difficulty that producers are facing is the ability to market
and sell their products, so that’s why we have created Food and Roots.” “[This]
is a new, socially-engaged brand of traditional, innovative Lebanese products,”
she explained. “[Our mission] is to create market access to the small scale
producers by buying their products and then selling them at different points of
sale. Everything we do [goes] back to our community.”While the situation in
Lebanon remains volatile and extremely difficult for many, Humbert and Massaad
are confident that their efforts will, in the long-term, allow the farmers to
continue their operations, and preserve their unique traditions and flavors. “It
takes a lot of work,” admitted Massaad. “It’s a lot of red tape and it’s not an
easy process, but when you see the results and you see that people are so
excited and they love the products, it gives you hope for the future. This is
part of our heritage [and] our culture, and we have to fight to keep it alive.”
“We want people to be more aware of where these amazing products are coming
from,” said Humbert. “It’s always a pleasure to come back to this amazing
country. Here, people keep smiling. That’s the beauty, and that’s what we’re
trying to bring back.”
Lebanon, Iraq, Venezuela and the Tricky Nexus
Charles Elias Chartouni/October 24/2021
شارل الياس الشارتوني: لبنان والعراق وفنزويلا والروابط الخادعة
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/103590/103590/
The latest evolutions in the three respective countries are quite overlapping
and reminiscent of the commonalities they share in spite of their geopolitical
distances.The three have been dealing with the difficulties of ramshackle
statehood, dysfunctional governance, curtailed sovereignty, endemic corruption,
oligarchic foreclosures and pervasive insecurity. Lebanon’s political
institutions have been hijacked by cohorts of oligarchs who ultimately traded
power with radical Shiite Hezbollah bent on their destruction and the
reconfiguration of Lebanese geopolitics; Iraq is still dealing, eighteen years
after the downfall of Saddam Hussein, with the intricacies of State building,
restoration of national sovereignty, control of oligarchic plundering and the
awkward management of ethno-religious pluralism; As for Venezuela, it is still
under the spell of a debunked leftist fallacy which managed to destroy the
country, its institutions and transform its oil resources into the financial
lifelines of a corrupt military oligarchy and its allies in the organized
criminality underworld.
The three partake in a common pattern while striving to build the walls of an
imaginary international counter-system, whose coordinates are ill defined and
elusive. Iran tries, through its Hezbollah franchises and alliance with
Venezuela, to promote the rogue state model and set the coordinates of an
international architecture made up of a complex web of fledgling dictatorships,
organized criminality, and institutional terrorism. The pattern set by Hugo
Chavez and Ahmadi Nejad is still on hold while both dictatorships are mired in
systemic crises and a cohort of plagues ranging between structural violence and
rampant poverty, urban squalor, environmental disasters, financial insolvency,
pervasive insecurity and socio-economic disarray. Their survival owes to
Venezuelan State Terrorism (FAES killing squads, 18000 since 2016…) and Iranian
political executions (30.000 since 1988), while their legitimacy has dwindled
dramatically at a time when they have witnessed systemic socio-economic
breakdowns, running inflation, massive unemployment and inability to jump start
self stultifying economic systems. While Lebanon is pursuing its race into the
abyss, its oligarchic foreclosures have doubled down, corruption has become a
hallmark and the Hezbollah is pursuing the dismantling of State institutions,
and preparing for substantial geopolitical inflections. Iraq’s attempt to
extract itself from Iranian clasp, manage its gradual transition to democracy
after the US withdrawal, and steer its inter-ethnic conflicts away from the sway
of violence and domination politics, have a staggering record with major
qualitative leaps under Mustapha al Khadhimi, the relative distancing of Muqtada
al Sadr from Iranian controls, and the moral influence of Grand Ayatollah al
Sistani.
The convoluted nexus between the three countries lies on the crossroads between
domestic repression, State terrorism and organized criminality in both internal
and external variants, the angling for an alternative international order with
its inchoate coordinates and fleeting partnerships, and the adoption of
repression and sabotaging politics as best means to secure survival in an
inimical domestic and regional environment, where bankrupted ideological
politics leave no room for alternative reform policy making, and lead to
regional and international destabilization and the muddied waters of underground
economies and international criminality. The chances of stabilization,
democratization and reform dynamics, in each of these countries, should be
predicated on severing the convoluted nexuses, engaging the international
community and the long awaited democratic and liberal reforms, which have been
hobbled by the interlocking foreclosures set by regimes whose violence and
ineptitude are the functional equivalent of their undermined legitimacy, and
inability to disengage the beaten tracks of bankrupted dystopias and oligarchic
entrenchments.
Pour ces raisons, j’ai appelé à la paix avec Israël
Jean-Marie Kassab/Octobre 24/2021
Pourquoi ai-je avancé durant ma récente intervention télévisée sur MTV, malgré
la délicatesse du sujet et les menaces que ça pourrait engendrer, la paix avec
Israel.
Parce que je pense qu'il est temps de dire les choses telles qu'elles sont. Que
cette stupide guerre contre Israel nous a trop coûté depuis 1967 et à ce jour et
même avant, à cause du déferlement des palestiniens en 48. Que le second
raz-de-marée Palestinien en 67 et la création du concept Fedayines nous a
obligés de signer les accords du Caire en 69 sous une pression Arabe intolérable.
Cet accord qui légalisa les armes des Palestiniens et nous amena tête première à
la guerre de 1975. La similitude est frappante entre cet accord maudit et les
déclarations ministerielles répétitives qui octroient à la soi-disant Moukawama
le droit de porter des armes. La similitude va encore plus : Palestiniens et
milices Iraniennes utilisèrent très souvent pour ne pas dire exclusivement ces
armes contre les Libanais eux-mêmes. Les deux les utilisèrent pour contrôler et
occuper le Liban.
Pourquoi maimtenant quand nous avons d'autres chats à fouetter et que la crise
économique bat son plein? On me le reprocha.
Parce que, une fois de plus nos leaders se suffisent de réagir et de s'attaquer
aux symptomes mais en négligeant le fond et les causes réelles de nos problèmes.
Réclamer la paix avec Israel amputerait et répudierait totalement les raisons
qu'invoque le tandem Hezbollah et Amal: "Protéger le Liban de toute aggression".
Or si les soi-disant aggressions cessent, aucun besoin de Moukawama. Cette
attitude est la raison pour laquelle les USA et d'autres pays soutiennent
inlassablement l'armée: En présence d'une Armée Libanaise, suffisement forte,
nul besoin de Moukawama.
Pour en revenir au timing: le Liban est en faillite totale. Or il se peut qu'une
fortune colossale nous attende au fond de la mer. Fortune qui pourrait nous
renflouer et nous remettre sur pied. Cependant cette fortune faites de
ressources énergétiques est située sur notre frontière maritime avec un pays
ennemi. Les négociations pourraient durer éternellement ou même ne jamais
aboutir vu l' état des choses. En contre exemple , Israel, Chypre et l 'Egypte
achevèrent les leurs en un quart de tour et avec le sourire que fournissent les
poches remplies.
L'idée peut vous paraitre saugrenue sauf si vous accepteriez le fait que
l'occupant Iranien pourrait lui-même faire cette sacrée paix et engloutir les
dividendes. Juste un rappel, Berry qui normalement n' aurait rien à voir dans ce
processus s'en mèle religieusement et a même pris l'avion depuis quelques années
pour faire avancer les choses.
A vous de conclure.
Pour terminer: Je n'ai aucune envie de libérer Jerusalem. Je tiens à peine
debout...
Vive la Résistance Libanaise
Vive le Liban
Jean-Marie Kassab
Nasrallah’s fatal miscalculations spell doom for Lebanon — and Hezbollah
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/October 24/2021
بارعة علم الدين: إن الحسابات الخاطئة والقاتلة لنصر الله تنذر بالهلاك للبنان –
ولحزب
الله
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/103594/baria-alamuddin-nasrallahs-fatal-miscalculations-spell-doom-for-lebanon-and-hezbollah-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%b9%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%a5%d9%86/
Evidence of Lebanon’s impending collapse piles up by the day: About 230,000
citizens emigrated in the first four months of this year alone, a
disproportionate number of whom are Christians. About 40 percent of Lebanon’s
doctors and 30 percent of its nurses have departed; with comparable levels among
teachers, lawyers, entrepreneurs and other professionals. More are looking to
flee as the nation totters on the threshold of civil war, relinquishing all
hopes of meaningful, rewarding futures in their beloved homeland.
The UN estimates that 82 percent of citizens cannot afford essential services
like healthcare and education. With routine operations costing more than a
year’s salary, children unable to afford treatment are dying outside hospitals.
With the international airport under threat of closure, taxi drivers, lecturers
and other segments of society are threatening civil disobedience in response to
their desperate situations. Soldiers and policemen on unsurvivable salaries have
simply withdrawn from their positions.
As soaring sectarian and factional tensions risk triggering war, the duty of
conscientious leaders is to calm the situation. Instead, we got Hassan Nasrallah
frenziedly pouring gasoline on the flames, boasting that Hezbollah has 100,000
fighters ready to hurl themselves into battle.
One analysis estimated that if Hezbollah actually possesses 100,000 fighters,
its annual budget likely far exceeds $2 billion. Given that this is about three
times what Hezbollah reportedly receives from Tehran, this either indicates that
Nasrallah was grotesquely exaggerating, or was making a tacit admission that
Hezbollah has been reaping billions of dollars from illegal activities, like
drugs, arms and people smuggling.
Nasrallah’s ugly, confrontational speech last Monday was sectarian warmongering
personified: He accused Christian leaders of lying to their communities that
Hezbollah has an aggressive sectarian agenda, then spent an hour aggressively
threatening these communities in the most sectarian language conceivable!
Anybody who previously doubted that Lebanon was on the brink of civil war now
comprehends exactly which way the wind is blowing. Hidden deep underground,
Nasrallah forgets that Lebanon’s population is on the brink of starvation:
Hence, his threats simply bestow upon citizens the option of dying slowly, or
with a quick, merciful bullet to the head.
Nasrallah always claimed that Hezbollah purely existed for the purpose of
fighting Israel, or perhaps Daesh — or maybe innocent Syrian citizens. This time
the fig leaf dropped altogether: If other factions act in a manner which
Hezbollah does not like, Hezbollah will unleash war against them and to hell
with the consequences. During a second speech, Nasrallah was so consumed by
divisive pronouncements about Bahrain, Yemen and Palestine that he apparently
did not have time to comment on the catastrophic situation facing Lebanon’s
citizenry.
About 40 percent of Lebanon’s doctors and 30 percent of its nurses have
departed; with comparable levels among teachers, lawyers, entrepreneurs and
other professionals.
Everybody knows that Hezbollah has by far the strongest war machine. But in the
last Lebanese conflict, Israel and other regional players were drawn into the
conflagration. Israel already regrets not cutting Hezbollah down to size when
previous opportunities presented themselves. There is no way in hell that
Israel, the US or even Putin’s Russia would allow Hezbollah to emerge from this
impending war as Lebanon’s supreme power. And does Hezbollah expect the basket
case Iranian economy to bankroll Lebanon’s post-war reconstruction; or perhaps
the GCC states, which long since wrote off Beirut as Hezbollah-land?
Super-rich businessmen from Lebanon’s West African diaspora and elsewhere for
decades have pumped (and laundered) billions of dollars of investments into
Lebanon, and into Hezbollah itself. But this preferential relationship was
always premised on seeing returns on investments. Matters look very different
after Hezbollah and its allies shipwrecked the Lebanese economy, bankrupted the
banks, and now are determined to shatter the nation altogether through a
senseless and indefinite conflict.
And where are Lebanon’s political leaders, and the government itself? The
president makes vague and confused pronouncements, as if these events are
occurring a million miles away; while other faction leaders are busy feathering
nests overseas, having sequestered families in gold-plated palaces in Paris and
London, far from the impending inferno. They failed to step in to address the
financial crisis, then the political crisis. Now we are facing a military
crisis; do they seriously still believe they will escape unscathed? Bring on the
day when European governments get round to seizing and repatriating all this
ill-gotten wealth! Nasrallah’s nakedly sectarian language stands out because
Lebanon’s upcoming generations largely came of age in a post-sectarian milieu,
caring nothing about each other’s confessional origins. During the 2019
protests, demonstrators stood united against Lebanon’s discredited leaders in
their entirety: Kullun yaani kullun! This post-sectarian spirit terrifies
Nasrallah: When politics functions according to the old sectarian logic,
Hezbollah’s position remains relatively secure. But when activists and voters
from across the social spectrum successfully vote together against this outdated
and corrupt model, Hezbollah hopefully does not stand a chance!
Nasrallah is tossing hand grenades into the current explosive status quo because
the upcoming elections are fated to be disastrous for his allies. The FPM has
gone from occupying one of the largest niches of the Christian community to
shedding its entire support — even more so after recent events. No surprise then
that the only issue which animates President Aoun is obstructing the holding of
early elections. And if this devolves into a wide-scale Shiite-Christian
conflict, what side will Hezbollah’s Christian lackeys Aoun and Jibran Baseel
stand on? These are dirty, ugly equations, but such are the sordid calculations
of sectarian conflict. Hence, this is a moment when Lebanese society as a whole
must speak with one voice: Rejecting sectarianism and rejecting Hezbollah and
other parties’ attempts to steamroll the nation into war. Hezbollah’s 100,000
fighters count for nothing when 5 million Lebanese stand peacefully but
determinedly against them, with millions more behind them from Lebanon’s vast
diaspora.
The international community must likewise stop pretending that Lebanon’s
predicament has nothing to do with it: Lebanon’s fragmentation means a new
influx of refugees pouring into Europe, just when Belarus has decided to
weaponize the refugee crisis by flooding Europe with displaced Syrians. It means
a confrontation which will suck in Israel and the wider region. And it entails
Hezbollah becoming even more nakedly criminal and terrorist in its orientation.
And where is the Arab world as the Lebanese volcano is poised to erupt in their
midst? Lebanon is the beating heart of the Arab world. Is there a single family
throughout the Gulf which does not have familial, emotional or material ties to
Lebanon? A Lebanese crisis is never simply a Lebanese crisis — such disputes
have always been internationalized in nature. Even parties which desire to
remain neutral will rapidly be sucked into the conflagration.
Better that Lebanon’s closest friends act now, before Nasrallah and Tehran’s
miscalculations blow up in everybody’s faces.
• Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle
East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has
interviewed numerous heads of state.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
October 24-24/2021
Pope Urges Intervention on Libyan Migrant Crisis
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 24 October,
2021
Pope Francis on Sunday called on the global community to resolve the Libyan
migrant crisis, even as EU leaders disagree on how to best manage flows of
migrants crossing to Europe. "I express my closeness to the thousands of
migrants, refugees and also others in need of protection in Libya. I don't
forget you ever. I hear your cry and pray for you," Francis said following his
traditional Sunday Angelus prayer on Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican. "So
many of these men, women and children are subject to an inhumane violence. Yet
again I exhort the international community to keep their promises and find
common, concrete and lasting solutions, to manage the migrant flows in Libya and
all the Mediterranean."Governments must stop returning migrants to "non-secure
countries" like Libya, the 84-year-old pontiff said, while prioritizing saving
lives in the Mediterranean, safe disembarkations at ports and guaranteeing
migrants "alternatives to detention" and access to asylum. Italy continues to be
confronted by waves of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Libya, with
hundreds of people arriving nearly daily on the country's shores. On Sunday,
migrant rescue hotline Alarm Phone said two inflatable boats in the
Mediterranean carrying 60 and 68 people, respectively, needed urgent
intervention. Doctors Without Borders, meanwhile, said its Geo Barents charity
vessel had rescued another 95 people Saturday night, bringing the total of
rescued migrants onboard to 296. At the European Union level, however, attention
has turned from the Mediterranean to the border between Belarus and neighbors
Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, as thousands of migrants have sought to cross from
Belarus into eastern EU states in recent months. A two-day summit of EU leaders
that ended Friday revealed continued rifts between countries on the migrant
issue, with a number of EU member states, including Poland and Lithuania,
calling for the bloc to finance barriers.
Khamenei Urges Reversal of Arab-Israeli Normalizations
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 24 October,
2021
Arab nations that normalized ties with Israel last year have "sinned" and should
reverse such moves, Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei said on Sunday. The
United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco all said in 2020 they would
normalize ties with Israel, as Washington under the administration of then U.S.
president Donald Trump made Arab-Israeli rapprochement a foreign policy
priority. "Some governments have unfortunately made errors -- have made big
errors and have sinned in normalizing (their relations) with the usurping and
oppressive Zionist regime," Khamenei said, referring to Israel. "It is an act
against Islamic unity, they must return from this path and make up for this big
mistake," Khamenei added, in a speech marking a public holiday honoring the
birth of the Prophet Mohammed. Iran has in the four decades since the 1979
Islamic revolution positioned itself as a strong defender of the Palestinian
cause. Egypt and Jordan were until last year the only two Arab countries to
normalize relations with Israel. "If the unity of Muslims is achieved, the
Palestinian question would definitely be resolved in the best fashion," Khamenei
said. In May, Khamenei characterized Israel as a "terrorist base" and "not a
country."
Husband of detained Iranian-British woman on hunger
strike
AFP/October 24, 2021
LONDON: The husband of UK charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been
detained more than five years in Iran, has gone on a hunger strike again after a
court decided she has to spend another year in prison. Richard Ratcliffe started
his fast on Sunday outside the British government’s Foreign Office in central
London. He plans to maintain a “constant vigil” by sleeping in a tent outside
the building’s main entrance in an effort to pressure Prime Minister Boris
Johnson to secure the release of his wife and other detained dual
British-Iranian nationals, Amnesty International said. Zaghari-Ratcliffe served
five years in prison after being taken into custody at Tehran’s airport in April
2016 and convicted of plotting the overthrow of Iran’s government, a charge that
she, her supporters and rights groups deny. In May, she was sentenced to an
additional year in prison on charges of spreading “propaganda against the
system” for having participated in a protest outside the Iranian Embassy in
London in 2009 — a decision upheld this month by an appeals court. The verdict
includes a one-year travel ban, meaning she wouldn’t be able to leave Iran until
2023. Ratcliffe went on a 15-day hunger strike two years ago outside the Iranian
Embassy, a move he credits with getting their 7-year-old daughter Gabriella
released. “We are now giving the UK government the same treatment. In truth, I
never expected to have to do a hunger strike twice. It is not a normal act,”
Ratcliffe said on his change.org petition. He said Iran remains the “primary
abuser” in Nazanin’s case, but the “UK is also letting us down.”“It is
increasingly clear that Nazanin’s case could have been solved many months ago –
but for other diplomatic agendas. The PM needs to take responsibility for that.”
Zaghari-Ratcliffe was employed by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable
arm of the news agency, and was arrested as she was returning home to Britain
after visiting family. Rights groups accuse Iran of holding dual-nationals as
bargaining chips for money or influence in negotiations with the West, something
Tehran denies. Iran doesn’t recognize dual nationalities, so detainees like
Zaghari-Ratcliffe can’t receive consular assistance.
Hundreds of Electoral Appeals Rejected in Iraq
Baghdad – Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in Iraq announced that it had
received around 1,400 appeals and complaints related to the parliamentary
elections. A member of the commission told the media that it had rejected
hundreds of the appeals, adding that the majority of them were not based on
clear and specific evidence. Meanwhile, the so-called “organizational committee”
of the rallies held by the losing Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) factions
gave the commission three days to “amend the electoral process.”
The Iran-backed factions were the biggest losers in the elections and have been
holding demonstrations in protest against the results, which they have rejected.
Other statements issued by the losing parties had until Saturday been released
by the “coordination framework,” meaning the “organizational committee” is a new
side. The committee not only expressed its rejection of the results, but called
for the trial of members of the IHEC “for taking part in the plot to manipulate
votes.”The commission, it alleged, has become a “pawn” in the hands of sides
that are “plotting to shuffle cards and push Iraq towards American plans.” The
United Nations Security Council has welcomed the results of the elections. In a
statement on Saturday, it said: “The members of the Council welcomed interim
reports that the elections proceeded smoothly and featured significant technical
and procedural improvements from previous Iraqi elections.”
“The members of the Security Council commended the Independent High Electoral
Commission for conducting a technically sound election. They commended the
Government of Iraq for its election preparations and for preventing violence on
election day.”
“The members of the Security Council stressed that any electoral disputes that
may arise should be resolved peacefully through established legal
channels.”“Once the results are ratified, the members of the Security Council
look forward to the peaceful formation of an inclusive government that reflects
the will of the Iraqi people and their call for a stronger democracy.”“The
members of the Security Council reiterated their support for the Government of
Iraq’s efforts to deliver meaningful reforms and advance inclusive political
dialogue aimed at meeting the Iraqi people’s legitimate demands to address
corruption, provide essential and basic services, diversify the economy, create
jobs, improve governance, and strengthen viable and responsive State
institutions,” it stressed. Media professor at the University of Ahl al-Bayt Dr.
Ghaleb al-Daami told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Security Council statement
bolsters the position of the IHEC and Iraqi government against the factions that
have rejected the electoral results. The statement has put these factions under
the international media spotlight, forcing them to abandon the use of violence
to change the results and ultimately agree to a settlement, he explained.
Arab Coalition Says over 260 Houthis Killed in Marib
Fighting
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
The Saudi-led Arab coalition said on Sunday its air strikes had killed more than
260 Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen in the past three days. The deaths are
the latest among roughly 1,600 Houthis the coalition claims it has killed in
strikes over the past two weeks around Marib. "Thirty-six military vehicles were
destroyed and more than 264" rebel fighters were killed in the past 72 hours,
the coalition said, quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency. The strikes were
carried out in Al-Jawba, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Marib, and Al-Kassara,
30 kilometers to the northwest.
The UN Security Council called on Wednesday for "de-escalation" in Yemen, in a
unanimously adopted statement to counter the risk of "large-scale famine" in the
country. The 15 council members demanded an immediate nationwide ceasefire, and
sought an end to the Marib escalation. Saudi Arabia had proposed a ceasefire
initiative early in the year but the Houthis have repeatedly ignored calls for
calm and peace. "The members of the Security Council expressed grave concern for
the dire humanitarian situation, including prolonged starvation and the growing
risk of large-scale famine," said the Security Council statement.They also
"condemned the recruitment and use of children, and sexual violence, in
conflict". The UN children’s agency UNICEF last week said that seven years of
conflict in Yemen had killed or wounded at least 10,000 children. The figure
only included child victims whose fates were known to the organization, and
there were countless others, UNICEF spokesman James Elder said in Geneva. "The
war must come to an end," he said.
Russia Envoy: Damascus Attack Affected Constitutional
Committee Talks in Geneva
Damascus, Geneva, London - Asharq Al-Awsat
A bomb attack on an army bus in Damascus on Wednesday affected the work of the
sixth round of Constitutional Committee talks between the Syrian regime and
opposition in Geneva, said a Russian official. The Kremlin’s special envoy for
Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, said parties traded accusations on Wednesday but
resumed constructive talks the next day after UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir
Pedersen worked on overcoming obstacles. Both parties still disagree on various
issues, he added. Bombings targeting a bus in Damascus left 17 soldiers dead on
Wednesday. Pedersen had said the latest round of talks between representatives
of Syria’s government, opposition and civil society aimed at drafting a new
constitution failed to make any headway. He described the talks as a “big
disappointment” and said they did not find a common path to draft a constitution
or agree on a date for the next round. “I think it fair to say that the
discussion today was a big disappointment...we lacked a proper understanding on
how to move that process forward,” he told a news conference. Ahmad al-Kuzbari,
the Syrian government representative, said the delegation proposed principles
that reflect the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people. “We listened to
all proposals made by some of the participants. Unfortunately, some of the
suggestions were far from reality and even reflected malign thoughts and hostile
agendas,” Kuzbari told a separate press conference. “The opposition factions
were attempting to legitimize the Turkish and US occupation of Syrian
territory,” he added. Hadi al-Bahra, the Syrian opposition representative,
pointed the finger at the government delegation, telling a separate press
conference that it had not even attempted to reach consensus on pending issues.
Israeli Official Says Reopening of US Palestinian Mission
in Jerusalem May Not Happen
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
Israel's deputy foreign minister said on Sunday that the Biden administration
may shelve its plan to reopen a US diplomatic mission for Palestinians in
Jerusalem after Israel voiced opposition to such a move. The Jerusalem consulate
was subsumed into the US Embassy that was moved to the contested city from Tel
Aviv in 2018 by the administration of former President Donald Trump - a reversal
of US policy hailed by Israel and condemned by Palestinians. US Secretary of
State Antony Blinken this month reiterated Washington's plan to reopen the
consulate as part of efforts to repair Palestinian ties. He did not give
timelines. "I believe that I have good reason to think this will not happen,"
Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll told Israel's Ynet TV. "The Americans
understand the political complexity," Roll said. "We have very good relations
... We don't believe in surprising them. I don't think they will try to surprise
us." US Embassy spokespeople could not immediately be reached for comment.
Israel deems all Jerusalem its undivided capital and says it would not consent
to reopening the consulate. The Palestinians want the city's east for their own
future, hoped-for state.Reopening the consulate could weaken nationalist Prime
Minister Naftali Bennett and undermine his fragile cross-partisan government,
Israeli officials have argued.
Israel Set to OK 3,000 West Bank Settler Homes This Week
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
Israel is expected to move forward with thousands of new homes for Jewish
settlers in the West Bank this week, a settlement watchdog group said Sunday.
The plan for some 3,000 new settler units in the West Bank has already drawn
calls for restraint from the US, which on Friday voiced “concern” over the
expected approvals, The Associated Press said. Hagit Ofran from the
anti-settlement group Peace Now said a committee is set to meet Wednesday to
approve 2,800 units deep in the West Bank, complicating any efforts to create a
Palestinian state. More than half of those are receiving final approval, meaning
construction could begin in the coming year. On Friday, US State Department
spokesman Ned Price said the US was “concerned” about the housing plans. He
called on Israel and the Palestinians to “refrain from unilateral steps that
exacerbate tension and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state
solution” to the conflict. The Palestinians seek the West Bank, along with the
Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem — areas Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war —
for their future state. The Palestinians view the settlements, which house some
700,000 settlers, as the main obstacle to peace. Most of the international
community considers settlements illegal. Israel views the West Bank as the
biblical and historical heartland of the Jewish people. Ofran said Israel is
also set to approve 1,600 units for Palestinians in the areas of the West Bank
that it controls. But critics say the move comes at the initiative of villagers
and not the Israeli government and that the figure is a fraction of the building
permits requested by Palestinians over the years.
Under Israel's Blockade, Gaza Fishermen Struggle for a
Catch
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
Crashing through the Mediterranean waves at sunset, Palestinian fisherman
Mohammed al-Nahal leads a convoy of rickety boats out for another risky night
under the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Forced to stay close to shore due
to Israeli restrictions on powerful engines, the men complain they must seek a
catch from overfished shallow waters with declining stocks. "If we catch 200
kilos (450 pounds) of sardines, that would be great," Nahal says. "But we can
also come back empty-handed."High prices of fuel in the enclave means that
fishing operating costs are crippling, making them stay closer inshore.
"The further we go, the more we pay for fuel without guarantees about the
catch," Nahal says, leading a line of five boats, the air heavy with the stench
of diesel and sardines. For Gaza, fenced in by Israel and Egypt, and where Hamas
Islamists took power in 2007, the open sea seems to offer the promise of freedom
-- but it is deceptive. Israel's navy fully controls the waters off Gaza's
40-kilometre (25-mile) long coastline, and regularly restricts or expands the
size of the fishing zone in response to security conditions. After months of
relative calm following an 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas in May, the
permitted fishing zone was expanded last month to 15 nautical miles, its maximum
under the blockade, including deep water with richer fish stocks.
- A 'Volvo' at sea -
But Nahal's crew does not venture that far. Six miles is their outer limit, good
for sardines, but too close to shore for the bigger value fish such as tuna. "We
fishermen do not have appropriate engines to reach a distance of 15 miles,"
Nahal says. "Currently, we are not allowed to enter Gaza with these modern
engines."Some Palestinian fishermen are also fearful of heading out too far to
sea. In the past, Israeli gunboats have opened fire and damaged nets to enforce
access restrictions. Making a living requires resourcefulness, and Nahal has
repurposed a Volvo car engine to power the boat and run the powerful lights --
which the fishermen shine into the night waters to attract the sardines. Due to
the blockade's import restrictions, Israel also limits access to other key
equipment such as sonar devices to find fish shoals. Israel restricts such items
citing their "dual use", saying they could either aid Hamas weapons production,
or the powerful engines could be used by smugglers. It says the blockade is
necessary to protect Israeli civilians who have been targeted with thousands of
rockets fired by militants in the enclave since the Hamas takeover. But Yussef,
22, keeping watch on Nahal's boat, complains that with all Gaza's fishermen
forced into the same small area, they struggle to catch enough to turn a profit.
"There's not enough fish," he says. "I've lived off of fishing since I was 14.
Every day, when the water is open, I go out. It's the only thing I know how to
do in life."
- 'Overexploited' -
For Gaza, home to some two million Palestinians -- roughly half of whom are
unemployed -- fish from the sea offer a critical source of protein.But as well
as overfishing, the industry faces multiple challenges. They include poorly
treated sewage pumped into the sea from the tightly packed city, "affecting the
entire marine environment and public health", according to a 2020 World Bank
report. "Many of the fish that people depend on are already overexploited," the
World Bank adds. This time, for Nahal, there is moderate success. After hours
shining bright lights into the waters, the boats encircle the area and cast
their nets. "Here are the fish, catch them, for it is my fish that I love," the
men sing as the catch is hauled up. Exhausted and back in port, the fishermen
sell the catch in the busy port, where auctioneers shout prices to waiting
wholesalers. For Nahal, the half-ton sells within 90 seconds for 3,000 Israeli
shekels ($935). It is more than he had hoped for, but is barely a profitable
night once his costs and crew's wages are deducted.
Algerian FM Defends ‘Sovereign’ Decision to Close Airspace
to France
Algiers - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
Algeria defended on Saturday its “sovereign” decision to close its airspace to
French military planes. Algeria does not practice megaphone diplomacy, stressed
Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, noting that it works quietly and records its
positions through diplomatic channels, reported the German news agency (dpa).
Algiers rejects any foreign intervention in its internal affairs, especially if
this intervention is by a former colonizer, he told Russia’s RT Arabic channel,
adding that the country’s ambassador in Paris is still in Algeria for
consultations. The FM underscored the historic ties and strategic agreement
Algeria enjoys with Russia, adding that both countries regularly carry out
consultations on African issues. Commenting on the developments in Libya,
Lamamra said Libyans have taken the initiative to control the fate of their
country. He expected the Libyan presidential and parliamentary elections to be
held on time in December once organizational preparations are complete. The FM
further urged Libyan authorities to exert greater efforts to disarm militias so
that they can protect their country’s sovereignty. He cited the Berlin
Conference that called for all foreign forces and mercenaries to withdraw from
the country. The withdrawal must not take place at the expense of the security
and stability of the region and neighboring countries, Lamamra urged.
Egypt, Albania Agree on Importance of Supporting Stability in East Mediterranean
Cairo - Walid Abdul Rahman/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
Egypt and Albania have agreed on the importance of maintaining stability in the
East Mediterranean region and respecting the sovereignty of countries. They also
stressed the need to coordinate efforts to confront terrorism and radical
ideology. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received on Saturday Albanian
Prime Minister Edi Rama to discuss means of expanding bilateral cooperation.
According to presidential spokesman Bassam Rady, Sisi expressed his country’s
pride in the friendship and historical ties with Albania, hoping to expand
bilateral cooperation in various fields. Both sides discussed means of
developing bilateral ties in line with their historic relations and addressing
aspects of economic cooperation. They tackled means to increase trade exchange
and bolster mutual investments in various sectors, the spokesman added.
They discussed regional developments and agreed on the importance of maintaining
stability in the eastern Mediterranean region, respecting the sovereignty and
rights of states in terms of their natural resources on their lands and their
exclusive economic zones, in accordance with the rules of international law and
the principles of good neighborliness.
Rama commended Egypt’s experience in spreading moderate Islam and confronting
religious intolerance and hatred. He pointed to Sisi’s efforts to support the
values of coexistence, tolerance and acceptance of the other.
Libya's Elections Commission to Open Registration for
Candidates in Nov.
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
Registration for candidates in Libya's presidential and parliamentary elections
should open as of the first half of November, Emad al-Sayah, the head of the
High National Elections Commission, said on Sunday. The registration process
should open in mid-November when technical and logistical preparations are
completed, al-Sayah added. Wrangling over the constitutional basis for
elections, the rules governing the vote and questions over its credibility have
threatened to unravel the country's peace process over the last months. The
Commission is tasked with organizing general elections on Dec. 24 in accordance
with Libya's political roadmap agreed by the UN-supervised Libyan Political
Dialogue Forum.
US Meets Sudanese Leaders to Reaffirm Support for Democracy
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
A US envoy underlined Washington's support for a democratic transition to
civilian rule in Sudan on Saturday during talks with the head of its ruling
council and the prime minister, the US embassy in Khartoum said. It tweeted that
Jeffrey Feltman, special envoy for the Horn of Africa, had also urged all sides
to recommit to working together to implement Sudan's constitutional declaration,
signed after a 2018-2019 uprising that resulted in the removal of president Omar
al-Bashir. Feltman met with Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, General Abdel Fattah
al-Burhan, head of the Sovereign Council, and his deputy General Mohamed Hamdan
Dagalo. Tensions between the civilian and military leaders who now share power
have soared in the wake of an attempted military coup in September, which the
army said it had foiled. As an economic crisis deepens, a coalition of rebel
groups and political parties have aligned themselves with the military, which
has accused the civilian governing parties of mismanagement and monopolizing
power, and are seeking to dissolve the cabinet. In response, hundreds of
thousands demonstrated in several parts of the Khartoum and other cities on
Thursday against the prospect of military rule. Several cabinet ministers took
part. In a statement after the meeting with Feltman, Burhan praised American
support for Sudan's transition to democracy and said the military was keen to
protect that trans
Statement on United Nations Day
October 24, 2021 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the
following statement:
“76 years ago, from the ashes of World War II, our parents and grandparents
responded to the unprecedented social and economic collapse of their time by
building a new international order based on rules and strong international
institutions with the United Nations at its core. In the wake of unparalleled
death and destruction, they understood that nations working together in open
cooperation was the only way to bring stability, prosperity and peace for
generations that would follow.
“Today, the world is once again facing simultaneous and cascading crises,
including climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, growing inequality, the rise of
authoritarianism and threats to international peace and security. These
challenges call for strong international cooperation within the United Nations
whose architecture continues to underpin our international order.
“Canadians take pride in our country’s long history of multilateral cooperation
as a founding member of the United Nations and the International Criminal Court,
a pioneer in peacekeeping and an author of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.
“Canada will continue to support the UN and the invaluable role it plays in
helping build a fairer and more just and sustainable world.
“As an outward-looking country whose strength comes from our diverse population
connected to all corners of the Earth, we believe we are stronger because of our
differences and that working together is the only viable path forward.
“Our future is in our hands, and cooperation is key to finding solutions to the
complex challenges we face. Nobody is free, safe and healthy until everyone is.”
Erdogan Orders Expulsion of 10 Ambassadors
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told his foreign minister to expel
the ambassadors of 10 countries, including Germany and the United States, who
had appealed for the release of a jailed civil society leader. The envoys issued
a highly unusual joint statement on Monday saying the continued detention of
Parisian-born philanthropist and activist Osman Kavala "cast a shadow" over
Turkey.The escalating row with the Western countries -- most of which are also
NATO allies -- caps a torrid week for Turkey in which it was added to a global
money-laundering and terrorism-financing blacklist and its currency plunged over
fears of economic mismanagement and the risk of hyperinflation. "I have ordered
our foreign minister to declare these 10 ambassadors as persona non grata as
soon as possible," Erdogan said, using a diplomatic term meaning the first step
before expulsion. "They must leave here the day they no longer know Turkey," he
said, accusing them of "indecency." Several European countries said late on
Saturday they had received no official notification from Turkey. "We are
currently in intensive consultation with the nine other countries concerned,"
the German Foreign Ministry said. "Our ambassador has not done anything that
would justify the expulsion," Norwegian foreign ministry spokeswoman Trude
Maseide told media in her home country. She vowed to continue pressing Turkey on
human rights and democracy -- comments echoed by Danish and Dutch officials. The
United States was aware of the reports and was seeking clarity from the Turkish
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a State Department spokesperson said.
- 'Speedy resolution' -
Kavala, 64, has been in jail without a conviction since 2017 on charges linked
to 2013 anti-government protests and a failed military coup in 2016. The Western
ambassadors had called for a "just and speedy resolution" to his case. But on
Saturday, Erdogan described Kavala as the "agent in Turkey" of Hungary-born
American billionaire George Soros -- a regular target of right-wing and
anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.Kavala's supporters see him as a symbol of the
sweeping crackdown Erdogan unleashed after surviving a 2016 coup attempt.
Kavala told AFP from his cell last week that Erdogan was trying to blame foreign
conspiracy for opposition to his almost two-decade rule, particularly the 2013
nationwide protests sparked by plans to demolish Gezi park in Istanbul. "Since I
am accused of being a part of this conspiracy allegedly organized by foreign
powers, my release would weaken the fiction," he said. Kavala was acquitted of
charges linked with the Gezi protests last year only to be re-arrested before he
could return home over alleged links to the 2016 coup plot. Human rights
watchdog the Council of Europe has issued a final warning to Turkey to comply
with a 2019 European Court of Human Rights order to release Kavala pending
trial. If it fails, Turkey could eventually have its voting rights or even its
membership suspended.
- 'President-made crisis' -
Erdogan faces multiple challenges at home and abroad, with global financial
misconduct watchdog FATF placing Turkey under surveillance for failing to
properly combat money laundering and terrorism financing. Erdogan passed
anti-terror laws but they failed to impress FATF and critics said the new rules
mostly targeted Turkish NGOs that promote pro-Kurdish causes and human rights.
The president's attacks on Kavala this week caused jitters in the markets with
fears of a deepening confrontation with the West sending the lira slumping even
further against the dollar. Erdogan is in danger of "dragging the Turkish
economy into a president-made crisis," Eurasia Group said.
Ethiopia Launches Air Strikes in Northern and Western
Tigray
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 24 October, 2021
Ethiopia's military on Sunday launched two air strikes on what a government
official said were rebel-held facilities in Tigray, the seventh and eighth
bombardments in its war-torn northern region in a week. The strikes, far from
the regional capital Mekele, signaled the military was potentially widening its
campaign of aerial bombardments which has drawn international rebukes and
disrupted UN flights to the famine-threatened region. "Today the western front
of (Mai Tsebri) which was serving as a training and military command post for
the terrorist group TPLF has been the target of an air strike," government
spokeswoman Selamawit Kassa said, referring to the Tigray People's Liberation
Front (TPLF). Later, Selamawit said the same mission destroyed a separate
facility in the northern town of Adwa used to manufacture "military equipments"
as well as fake military uniforms used by TPLF combatants.
There was no immediate response from the TPLF, which has condemned earlier
strikes as evidence of the government's disregard for civilian lives.There was
also no immediate information on casualties in either Mai Tsebri or Adwa. Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed's government has been locked in a war against the TPLF since
last November, though Tigray itself had seen little combat since late June, when
the rebels seized control of much of Ethiopia's northernmost region and the
military largely withdrew. But on Monday Ethiopia's air force launched two
strikes on Tigray's capital Mekele that the UN said killed three children and
wounded several other people. Since then there have been three more strikes on
Mekele and another targeting what the government described as a weapons cache in
the town of Agbe, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) to the west. The strikes
coincide with ramped-up fighting in Amhara region, south of Tigray. They have
drawn rebukes from Western powers, with the U.S. last week condemning "the
continuing escalation of violence, putting civilians in harm's way."
- U.N. suspends flights -
A strike Friday on Mekele forced a U.N. flight carrying 11 humanitarian
personnel to turn back to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, and the UN
subsequently announced it was suspending its twice-weekly flights to the region.
TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda on Friday criticized the air force for putting the
UN flight at risk. "Our air defense units knew the UN plane was scheduled to
land & it was due in large measure to their restraint it was not caught in a
crossfire," Getachew said on Twitter.The TPLF issued a statement Saturday saying
the incident revealed the government's "intention to continue obstructing
humanitarian operations." The conflict has spurred fears of widespread
starvation, as the U.N. estimates it has pushed 400,000 people in Tigray into
famine-like conditions.
The Latest The Latest LCCC
English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on October 24-24/2021
“The Basic Message Is Hatred”: The
Persecution of Christians, September 2021
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/October 24/2021
ريموند إبراهيم/معهد كايتستون: جدول مفصل بحوادث اضطهاد المسيحيين في شهر أيلول/2021
تحت عنوان..الرسالة الأساسية هي الكراهية
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/103588/raymond-ibrahim-gatestone-institutethe-basic-message-is-hatred-the-persecution-of-christians-september-2021-%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%85%d9%88%d9%86%d8%af-%d8%a5%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%87%d9%8a%d9%85/
“[T]he humanitarian crisis that is developing as the Taliban
returns to power is likely to become a genocide against Christians if the Biden
Administration does not act….” — Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, American
Center for Law and Justice, August 27, 2021.
“[T]he possibility of there being a genocide against Christians in the wake of
this withdrawal is extremely high. Already, the Taliban is compiling lists of
known Christians and their communities. They are going door to door searching
Afghan homes for Bibles, even searching smartphones for Bible apps.” — Former
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, American Center for Law and Justice, August 27,
2021.
“We allowed the Fulani Muslims who are migrants to settle among us on our lands
for free. Now, Christians who welcomed and accommodated them have become targets
of their attacks.” — Dominic Gambo Yahaya, local leader, Morning Star News,
September 29, 2021, Nigeria.
“A human rights activist [Patrick George Zaki, a 30-year-old Christian graduate
student] who wrote about his experiences as a Coptic Christian in Egypt has gone
on trial on the charge of spreading false news.” — BBC, September 28, 2021,
Egypt.
Anas Khalifa—for 20 years one of the most influential Salafist preachers in the
nation—now calls Salafist Islam (fundamentalist Islam) “a cancer” and “a
worldview that is spreading rapidly among young people.”…Anas also said that
“They [Salafists] spread hatred against Christians and Jews, strong prejudices
about other groups. The basic message is hatred.” — Anas Khalifa, influential
Salafist preacher, svt.se, September 22, 2021, Sweden.
According to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, “the possibility of there
being a genocide against Christians [in Afghanistan] in the wake of this
withdrawal is extremely high. Already, the Taliban is compiling lists of known
Christians and their communities. They are going door to door searching Afghan
homes for Bibles, even searching smartphones for Bible apps.” (Photo by Joe
Raedle/Getty Images)
The following are among the abuses inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout
the month of September 2021:
Muslim Slaughter of Christians
Afghanistan: Muslims linked to the Islamic State murdered four Christians. While
trying to escape the country, a Christian family was intercepted by the
jihadists. According to a local source:
“ISIS asked them, ‘we have tape about you that you are no longer Muslims. So is
it true that you are not Muslim?’ They said, ‘Yes, we are not Muslims anymore.
We are Christians.’ So the men of this family were killed at the spot. The
children and women, they let them go.”
Also and in keeping with what several international human rights groups are
warning, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote an article in which he
expressed his concern that a “genocide” of Christians is brewing in Afghanistan:
“[T]he humanitarian crisis that is developing as the Taliban returns to power is
likely to become a genocide against Christians if the Biden Administration does
not act…. [T]he Taliban’s persecution of Afghan Christians … is now only just
beginning. There are at least as many Christians in Afghanistan today as there
are stranded Americans. Given that many of them are Muslim converts—a crime
punishable by death under the dictates of Shariah Law which the Taliban has
openly embraced—the possibility of there being a genocide against Christians in
the wake of this withdrawal is extremely high. Already, the Taliban is compiling
lists of known Christians and their communities. They are going door to door
searching Afghan homes for Bibles, even searching smartphones for Bible apps.
Afghan Christians are being forced to flee the country, and it should be a
priority of the United States government to do what it can to get them out of
harm’s way. Unfortunately, if the Biden Administration cannot even manage to get
Americans out, there is scant hope they can be trusted to protect religious
freedom as well.”
Israel: A Muslim man murdered his own mother because she converted to
Christianity. According to the Sept. 27 report,
“A 27-year-old man from northern Israel was charged on Monday [9/27] with
murdering his mother and hiding her body last month, after she converted from
Islam to Orthodox Christianity.
According to the charge sheet, Rasha Muklasha, 46, left her husband and severed
ties with her five children — including the suspect, Muad Hib — in 2006. She
then moved from the town of Zarzir to Nof HaGalil and converted to Christianity.
Recently, she resumed contact with her children following the death of her
ex-husband. Prosecutors allege that her conversion, which greatly angered Hib,
was the motive for the murder.
According to the indictment, the murder was premediated, with Hib setting up a
meeting with his mother on August 5 near Nazareth with the intention of killing
her and disposing of her remains.
After picking up Muklasha in his car, he ‘strangled the deceased with a rope or
his hands, alone or with others, with the intention of causing her death,’ the
court documents said.”
He buried her body along the Jordan River, where it was later discovered and led
to the son’s arrest.
Uganda: Muslims targeted and killed Dante Tambika, a 19-year-old Christian youth
and son of a deceased evangelist. According to his friend Stephen, who survived
the attack, on Aug. 31, he, Dante, and two other friends were walking toward a
lake where they planned to do some fishing when suddenly five Muslim teenagers
started to follow and accost them. “They tried to provoke us by calling us
infidels and saying that they were going to crush us just like Allah did to
those who used to attack their prophet, Muhammad,” Stephen said. The four
Christians did not respond, reached the lake, boarded a boat, and went fishing.
Two hours later, they returned to shore only to find the same Muslims standing
there, with one shouting “Allah Akbar [Allah is greater].” “From nowhere we saw
six other Muslims approaching our fishing boat, furious and uttering defaming
words against us,” Stephen continued. “I told my friends that we were in trouble
and that each of us should prepare for self-defense. I led them in prayers.” The
Muslims came in close and one of them jumped into the boat and began beating
Dante with a stick: “He commanded us to believe in Allah, or else they will kill
us. Dante replied that we can’t renounce Christianity, saying, ‘If you want to
kill us, kill us, know that we are ready.'” In response, more Muslims jumped
into and swarmed the boat. Dante’s three friends jumped into the water, swam for
shore, and ran for help. When they returned with assistance, the jihadists had
fled. Dante’s body was later found floating in the water; he had been “beaten on
the head, tied with a rope and strangled.” According to the report,
“[Dante] Tambika’s father had mentored his son in how to share the gospel, and
area Muslims began monitoring Tambika’s movements after he led five teenage
Muslims to Christ, sources said. His father had led a community leader and about
30 other Muslims to Christ before he died in 2019. The conversions led to
confrontations with clan members, and several former Muslims who put their faith
in Christ left the area due to threats on their lives, sources said.”
Nigeria: Some of the more notable slaughters of Christians and the destruction
of their churches during the month of September included:
According to a Sept. 21 report, in one state alone, Muslim Fulani herdsmen
slaughtered 50 Christians—including several women (at least two of whom were
pregnant) and children; they also destroyed 254 homes and attacked seven
churches. Discussing these massacres, Dominic Gambo Yahaya, a local leader of
the Christians in the affected areas, said,
“The unrestrained violence unleashed on poor, defenseless, innocent Christian
farmers of Atyap land has reached a sorry state that no farmer can venture out
to the farmland, as the chances of returning home alive are very slim… We are
under siege of terror attacks from herdsmen, as the Muslim Fulani community that
lives with the Atyap Christians have been seizing the Christians from their
farms to kill them… We allowed the Fulani Muslims who are migrants to settle
among us on our lands for free. Now, Christians who welcomed and accommodated
them have become targets of their attacks.”
On Sunday, Sept. 26, Muslims murdered 44 Christians in coordinated attacks on
three Christian communities in Kaduna State. Many of those killed were women and
children, “slaughtered like rams to be used for barbecue,” one witness said.
During these jihadi attacks, a Christian church was also invaded; in it, one
worshipper was killed and several wounded. Its pastor, Matthew Atayi, described
what happened:
“The kidnappers stormed the church while I was conducting the call to worship,
and they were shooting sporadically. They disrupted the service, and I escaped
from the church by running.
One of the abductors chased me and ordered me to stop, but I refused to stop. I
kept falling while running, but I did not stop running. I returned to the Church
after I realized that no one was chasing me.
Upon my return to the church, I noticed that people were weeping. I entered the
church to see the corpse of Mr. Ruben Gbenga while another worshipper was lying
in a pool of blood. I eventually joined others who were crying. Every member of
the children’s department escaped except my daughter. We went about crying and
searching for her until we found her hiding in the toilet.”
According to a Sept. 27 report, a Muslim mob brandishing machetes hacked the
Rev. Yohanna [John] Shuaibu to death; they then burned down his New Life Church,
the school attached to it, and his home.
On Sept. 11, Muslims “hacked to death” another Christian pastor, the Rev. Silas
Yakubu of the Evangelical Church of Winning All.
On Sunday, Sept. 19, Muslim gunmen invaded a church, murdered one person,
kidnapped two and injured three.
Muslim Attacks on Apostates, Blasphemers, and Evangelists
Uganda: A group of Muslims severely beat and nearly killed an 83-year-old
Christian widow. Harriet Namuganza had given refuge to two Muslim converts to
Christianity, aged 18 and 22, after a local pastor asked her for aid. During
this time, their household received calls from another pastor who said he knew
of their plight and wanted to help. Then, “on Sept. 8 at about 10 p.m., a person
who said he was the pastor who had offered to help knocked on the door,” one of
the converts said:
“When he mentioned that he was a pastor, we opened only to see several men
outside. We rushed into one of the rooms and hid ourselves on top of the
ceiling. The attackers could not find us and landed on our spiritual
grandmother, saying, ‘Let us kill her.’ Another said she was too old. One
assailant started beating and kicking her as she screamed for help. Another
said, ‘Let us leave her—we’ll come back to look for the boys who mysteriously
escaped.'”
The elderly woman was taken to a hospital where she received medical treatment
for injuries to her back, rib and chest, and two weeks later to still another
hospital for more intensive treatment.
Indonesia: After Muhammad Kace, a former Muslim cleric who had converted to
Christianity in 2014, was detained for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad
on YouTube, police and fellow prisoners tortured him. A high-ranking police
official, whose name is given as Napoleon Bonaparte, confessed to the incident.
According to an official, Bonaparte “and several other perpetrators” admitted
that they “beat Kace. They also covered his face and body with human feces.”
During his hearing, Bonaparte said, “Anyone can insult me, but not against my
Allah, the Quran, the Prophet and my Islamic faith. Therefore, I swear I will
take any measured action against anyone who dares to do so.” Rather than blame
the assailants, the highest Islamic authority in the nation, the Indonesian
Ulema Council, said that “this case sends a message that the issue of blasphemy
is a sensitive matter”:
“No matter how high a person’s position is and no matter how great people’s
knowledge of the law is [Bonaparte is a two-star general and former head of the
international division of the national police], if their religion and beliefs
are disturbed, then what will speak apart from ratios is also their feelings of
faith.”
Conversely, according to the Indonesian bishops’ Advocacy and Human Rights
Forum, “The torture is a new case which should be looked at separately from the
blasphemy case that Kace faced. The blasphemy case that he was accused of cannot
justify his torture.”
Egypt: Patrick George Zaki, a 30-year-old Christian graduate student and
activist remains behind bars under “false charges,” according to a Sept. 28
report:
“A human rights activist who wrote about his experiences as a Coptic Christian
in Egypt has gone on trial on the charge of spreading false news.
Patrick George Zaki is a researcher on gender issues for the Egyptian Initiative
for Personal Rights (EIPR).
He was arrested in February 2020 at Cairo airport upon his return from Italy,
where he had been studying.
He denies the charge and local rights groups say he is being prosecuted simply
for expressing his opinion.”
Patrick had been studying for a master’s degree in Italy when he decided to
return to Egypt for a brief visit. On landing in Cairo International Airport,
authorities detained him and he was held incommunicado for 24 hours. During this
time he was “subjected to torture, including with electric shocks, while being
questioned about his activism.” He was eventually indicted on the charge of
“spreading false news inside and outside of the country,” which carries a
maximum sentence of five years in prison in Egypt, due to an opinion piece he
published on the Daraj news website in July 2019, titled, “Displacement, Killing
and Restriction: A Week’s Diaries of Egypt’s Copts.” In it, he “described his
experiences as a Coptic Egyptian and his views on current events affecting the
religious minority.” He pled not guilty to the charges on Sept. 14 when his
trial was, once again, adjourned. Days earlier, ten human rights organizations
in Egypt issued a joint statement saying that he was being detained “without
legal justification,” and that his trial was “an infringement on the rights of
all Egyptians to freedom of expression, and the rights of Christian Egyptians in
particular to demand their right to equality both socially and in front of the
law.”
Separately, a 17-year-old Christian girl was arrested by police as she was
leaving a Cairo-based church. According to the Sept. 3 report, “her current
status and health condition remain unknown”:
“The young woman is a Christian convert from Islam, something which she had
successfully kept secret from her family for a number of years, with only an
atheist relative knowing. He advised her to leave Egypt for her own safety. She
successfully applied to a university in Texas and was awarded the Presidential
Scholarship, worth $22,000.00 per year, along with other smaller scholarships.
She was working through the American Embassy in Cairo to plan her travel.”
Although the “reason for her arrest is unclear,” continues the report, it may be
that “her family discovered her plan to leave the country, and her conversion to
Christianity, and called the police. Muslim converts are frequently threatened
by their family members and detained by the Egyptian authorities, making their
situation particularly perilous.”
Iran: On Sept. 5, authorities raided two Christian homes and arrested three
men—all former Muslims. They were taken to an unknown location and interrogated.
According to the report,
“The small community of Christian converts in Rasht [where the three were
arrested] has been affected perhaps more than any other in Iran in recent years,
with 11 local Christians currently serving long prison sentences, another living
in internal exile, and a further four facing a combined 13 years in prison.”
Discussing these most recent arrests, Mansour Borji, an Iranian human rights
activist, said:
“These latest arrests show that the Iranian authorities are determined to ignore
the civil and constitutional right of the Christians to assembly and worship by
continued attacks on this community in Rasht, who have done nothing more than to
meet together to pray and worship…. [T]heir lives may also be at risk, given
that in many smaller Iranian prisons there is no segregation between political
prisoners like them and dangerous common criminals who may feel hostility
towards Christian converts.”
Malaysia: Four new Sharia stipulations were drafted by the federal government in
early September—including one titled the “Control and Restriction on the
Propagation of Non-Muslim Religions Bill”—which was heavily denounced by the
nation’s Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and others. According to a Sept. 10
report, several Christian leaders especially “criticized draft proposals to
restrict faiths other than Islam, saying the measures should not be put to a
vote [in Malaysia, which is 60 percent Muslim],” since it “would curb the rights
of around 40 per cent of Malaysians who adhere to beliefs other than Islam.”
According to the Catholic Archbishop of Kuching, the government’s proposed
“Control and Restriction on the Propagation of Non-Muslim Religions Bill”
amounts to “directly contravening the very spirit of the formation of Malaysia….
Such bills … should never be allowed to be tabled in our multiracial and
multi-religious Malaysia.”
Sweden: Anas Khalifa—for 20 years one of the most influential Salafist preachers
in the nation—now calls Salafist Islam (fundamentalist Islam) “a cancer” and “a
worldview that is spreading rapidly among young people.” According to a Sept. 22
report, Anas also said that “They [Salafists] spread hatred against Christians
and Jews, strong prejudices about other groups. The basic message is hatred.”
Muslim Attacks on Churches
Pakistan: On Sunday, Sept. 5, during afternoon church service, a group of
Muslims attacked and opened fire on the New Hope Church in Lahore; afterwards
they opened fire on nearby Christian homes. Several Christians were
wounded—including a pregnant woman—some with life-threatening injuries. In the
days before this latest attack, Christians, especially women, were “the victims
of harassment,” according to the report: “families going to church were mocked
and insulted with offensive language.” “I was cleaning a room when suddenly I
heard shots coming from the street,” one of the women in a nearby Christian
house shared her experiences. “I fainted for a while.” After she regained
consciousness, “I remembered my three-year-old son was playing in the courtyard.
I ran out to him. While I was rescuing my son, a stone broke a window and a
piece of glass injured my hand.” The attackers “had military-style weapons and
fired directly at the houses,” said a local source. They “wounded several
people, including the New Hope Church pastor, Rev. Asif Nawab Masih.” Discussing
this incident, the secretary general of the Pakistan Minority Rights Commission
said that “in the last three years, incidents and abuses against minorities have
increased by 40 per cent.”
Egypt: According to an Arabic language report, on September 7, a Coptic
Christian prayer hall was demolished in Egypt. In the village of Bastra in
Damanhour, Christians, who number more than 500, were not permitted to have a
church, so they decided to construct a building, not to be used as a church, but
as an event hall for their Christian community; they had nowhere to meet for
weddings and funeral services. Apparently this was still too much for the local
Muslim sensibilities: soon after the building was constructed, and without a
word of warning, the city council sent demolition squads, supported by armed
Central Security forces, to tear down the building, which stood on a vast and
empty field, on the pretext that it did not have the proper permits. According
to the report, the “simple Copts” of the village, who had worked hard to erect
this building, instinctively rose to its defense. The were beaten, and security
forces also fired tear gas canisters into their midst, suffocating many. In the
end, four Christians, two of whom were female, were seriously injured: one woman
suffered a broken jaw and another suffered multiple injuries to her head. An
additional 21 Christians were arrested and hauled off. There and then, “before
crying and screaming women,” the city council forces proceeded to tear down the
building on which the Christians had spent much time, effort, time and money.
The report concludes by mentioning how this building was “the village Copts
dream destroyed.” One Christian interviewed said that the nearest church was
extremely far away and difficult to reach, and all they had wanted was a place
to celebrate their newlyweds and mourn their dead—just as their Muslim
counterparts do.
In a separate incident, an ancient church near the Nile River was inundated and
partially ruined after a higher-than-usual flooding season (pictures here). Long
aware of the threat posed by the Holy Virgin Church’s proximity to the Nile, its
leaders had petitioned the government several times for a permit to build a
wall, but the authorities had refused. (Based on Sharia, or Islamic law,
building or renovating preexisting churches is forbidden.) According to the
September 6 report,
“Everything on the basement level on the church grounds is covered with water:
all rooms and halls, as well as the passageway leading from the Nile up to the
church courtyard….. [The Holy Virgin Church] was first mentioned by historians
in the 10th century, but may have existed before that date. It was renovated
several times throughout its history. The church is built on the site where the
Holy Family is believed to have boarded a boat and sailed up the Nile to Upper
Egypt.”
USA: A Muslim refugee from Syria who plotted but failed to bomb a Christian
church in Pittsburgh changed his plea to guilty. According to the Sept. 16
report:
“Pittsburgh resident Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, 23, entered the plea to attempting
to provide material support and resources to the Islamic Stage group, a militant
extremist organization.
Authorities have said he had detailed plans in 2019 to bomb the Legacy
International Worship Center, a small Christian church on the city’s North Side.
Federal prosecutors said at the plea hearing that he talked about potentially
planting a second explosive device, timing the detonation to coincide with when
first responders would begin to arrive…
In a release, the U.S. attorney’s office said Alowemer wanted to inspire other
U.S. supporters of the Islamic State group to conduct similar actions.”
Alowemar was initially exposed when he gave an undercover FBI agent, pretending
to be a fellow ISIS supporter, instructions on how to build and detonate
explosives. He also later procured the necessary materials to construct a bomb
and gave the agent “maps with arrival and escape routes, and a handwritten,
10-point plan about how he would deliver the explosives in a backpack.”
In Sept. 23, in California, on a different occasion, an Armenian church was
vandalized during what its pastor called a “hate crime.” Surveillance footage
shows a young, masked man walking up to the St. Peter Armenian Apostolic Church
in the greater Los Angeles area, when he begins to smash its glass-stained
windows with a baseball bat. According to the report,
“After more than 20 strikes to the church’s windows… the suspect shattered a
total of eight windows on Thursday at around 1:30 a.m. Shards of glass were left
all over the floor and the window sills of the sanctuary. At least two
protective outer windows were also shattered and destroyed… [T]he vandal also
damaged the sign of a neighboring church on the property.”
“A young man in his 20’s came well-organized and you can tell it’s
premeditated,” Fr. Shnork Demirjian of the church said. “Initially, you feel
surprised and then you realize what’s happening, the devastation and the damage.
We have to control our sentiments, but you still feel angry.” Although local
police are investigating the incident as vandalism, “Demirjian believes it’s a
hate crime”: “By coincidence on September 21, it was the celebration of the
independence of Armenia. I really believe that it’s against Armenians who happen
to be Christians.”
Raymond Ibrahim, author of Crucified Again and Sword and Scimitar, is a
Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, a Shillman Fellow at the
David Horowitz Freedom Center, and a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle
East Forum.
About this Series
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by
extremists is growing. The report posits that such persecution is not random but
rather systematic, and takes place irrespective of language, ethnicity, or
location. It includes incidents that take place during, or are reported on, any
given month.
© 2021 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Syria: Geopolitical Tragedy
Amir Taheri/Asharq al-Awsat/October 24/2021
[W]hat is planned isn’t the actual writing of a new constitution but “drafting”
unspecified “reforms” to a non-existent constitution. If this sounds like
diplomatic gesticulation, don’t be surprised because it is exactly that.
Syria today isn’t a constitutional problem.
[W]hat is still lacking is a clear American strategy for reviving Syria as a
nation-state, the only outcome that can contribute to regional peace and help
the long-term interests of the United States and its allies. Without US
leadership, the European powers won’t be able to play the crucial role they
could and should claim in helping end the Syrian tragedy.
If Syria is recognized for what it is, that is to say an ungoverned territory,
the UN’s role would have to help restore sovereignty to the Syrian people who
should have the final say on how they wish to be governed and by whom. And that
can’t be done by diplomatic gesticulations in a hotel suite in Switzerland.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has brought the so-called
“Constitution Committee” out of its two-year hibernation to “start drafting for
constitutional reform.” What is planned isn’t the actual writing of a new
constitution but “drafting” unspecified “reforms” to a non-existent
constitution. If this sounds like diplomatic gesticulation, don’t be surprised
because it is exactly that. Pictured: Pedersen meets with Syrian Foreign
Minister Faisal Miqdad in Damascus on September 11, 2021. (
Desperately trying to retain a modicum of relevancy in the Syrian imbroglio, the
United Nations has shaken an old ghost out of slumber to claim a few headlines.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has brought the so-called
“Constitution Committee” out of its two-year hibernation to “start drafting for
constitutional reform.”
Notice the words “to start”, “drafting” and “constitutional reform”. This means
that after two years of real or imagined deliberation, the committee is no
further than the starting point. Even then, what is planned isn’t the actual
writing of a new constitution but “drafting” unspecified “reforms” to a
non-existent constitution. If this sounds like diplomatic gesticulation, don’t
be surprised because it is exactly that.
To reduce the role that the United Nations could potentially play in helping
bring Syria out of the current deadly impasse to mere gesticulation is
regrettable to say the least.
Syria today isn’t a constitutional problem.
The tragedy that has claimed almost half a million lives and made nearly half of
the population refugees or displaced persons wasn’t caused by a defective
constitution and won’t be concluded with a constitution dreamed by Pedersen and
his associates.
The truth is that Syria has ceased to have effective existence as a
nation-state. At the same time, however, it cannot be regarded as a classical
“ungoverned territory” because different chunks of it are under some measure of
governance by foreign powers and their local surrogates and allies.
That makes Syria a complex geopolitical problem that cannot be solved with
pie-in-the-sky legalistic gambits.
Today, Syrian territory is under some measure of control by five different
players.
One segment is run by Russia, partly through private security companies, with
the remnants of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime as its local façade. Another
segment is controlled by Turkey and its local Muslim Brotherhood allies. The
United States and some NATO allies control a third segment with support from
local ethnic Kurds. The Islamic Republic of Iran and its Afghan, Pakistani,
Iraqi, Syrian and Lebanese “foreign legions” control a fourth chunk. The last
chunk is held by the remnants of the ISIS and former foes turned allies among
anti-Assad groups.
The five segments have been tuned into laboratories for different, at times
diametrically opposed, experiments in political organization. In the
Russian-controlled sector one still finds an echo of the typical
military-security based Arab despotism that was backed by the now-defunct Soviet
Union during the Cold War.
As long as it can keep its military presence, notably bases on the
Mediterranean, Russia isn’t interested in political engineering in Syria.
President Vladimir Putin is also determined not to allow Syria to become a base
for exporting terror to parts of the Russian Federation where Muslims form a
majority.
Putin is persuaded that with the possible exception of Turkey, all other players
in Syria are bound to drop out or be pushed out of the game sooner or later.
Helped by frequent Israeli air raids on Iranian positions, he is already paving
a path with banana skins for Iran which has begun to reduce its footprint in
several locations.
Putin may be wrong in thinking that the US is also preparing to quit Syria. Such
a move would have been more likely under Donald Trump or if President Joe Biden
hadn’t been stung by his fiasco in Kabul.
Putin regards his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan as his only worthy
partner in deciding the future of Syria. Turkey has a national security interest
in creating a buffer zone along its border and preventing the emergence of an
autonomous Kurdish enclave in Syria.
While Pedersen and his group have been hibernating, Putin and Erdogan have
discussed a new constitution for Syria on a number of occasions, most recently
in a summit in Sochi. Putin wants a secular constitution for Syria with no
mention of a state religion.
Erdogan, however, insists that if a state religion is to be mentioned it should
specify the Hanafi version of Sunni Islam. Yet, that would mean antagonizing
Syria’s Nusairi (Alawite) Ismaili, Ithna-ashari, and Druze minorities, not to
mention Christian communities.
The two leaders also disagree on the issue of an official state language being
mentioned in a future constitution. By casting himself as protector of the
Turkic minority in Syria, less than one per cent of the population, Erdogan
wants Turkish to be recognized as one of the official languages along with
Arabic but is vehemently opposed to granting Kurdish, language of some four per
cent of Syrians, the same status.
For its part, the Islamic Republic of Iran has offered musings of its own on a
putative Syrian constitution. Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, the man in charge of
propagating the Iranian brand of Shi’ism in Syria, proposes the creation of a
new “Fatimyoun” identity which would encompass the Iranian brand of Shi’ism
along with the Alawite, Ismaili and Druze faiths. However, the scheme faces a
hurdle in the form of traditional Shi’ite authorities in Qom and Najaf still
considering the Syrian sects as heretics.
The United States, for its part, doesn’t seem to have any long-term view of what
it is doing in Syria. President Trump’s sulkily expressed desire to withdraw
from Syria dealt a big blow to local Kurdish and other allies of the United
States.
Trump, however, quickly backpedaled, and has been followed on that by Biden, at
least for the time being. Nevertheless, what is still lacking is a clear
American strategy for reviving Syria as a nation-state, the only outcome that
can contribute to regional peace and help the long-term interests of the United
States and its allies. Without US leadership, the European powers won’t be able
to play the crucial role they could and should claim in helping end the Syrian
tragedy.
By ignoring the geopolitical aspect of the Syrian problem and by limiting the
Syrian people’s involvement in shaping the future of their country to a few
Assad pawns and a handful of self-styled opposition figures, the UN may be
making a double mistake.
If Syria is recognized for what it is, that is to say an ungoverned territory,
the UN’s role would have to help restore sovereignty to the Syrian people who
should have the final say on how they wish to be governed and by whom. And that
can’t be done by diplomatic gesticulations in a hotel suite in Switzerland.
Amir Taheri was the executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from
1972 to 1979. He has worked at or written for innumerable publications,
published eleven books, and has been a columnist for Asharq Al-Awsat since 1987.
Lebanon eyes IMF progress despite new turmoil, says economy minister
Reuters/October 24/2021
Lebanon’s new government aims to make progress towards starting full
negotiations for an IMF deal by the end of this year or early next, but is not
expecting funds to be dispersed before elections in March, a minister said on
Friday.
In an interview with Reuters, Economy Minister Amin Salam also said Lebanon has
lost precious time in dealing with the economic meltdown because of a crisis
over the probe into the Beirut port explosion which has paralysed cabinet.
Lebanon is suffering one of the world’s sharpest ever economic depressions and
an IMF deal is widely seen as the only way for it to secure aid.
Salam said that figures crucial to progress on the IMF track — including
Lebanon’s estimate of losses in its financial system — would be sent to the Fund
as early as next week.
While there was no agreement yet on how the losses should be distributed,
“opinions are much closer and the picture is much clearer”, he said.
He declined to give figures which he said it was up to the finance ministry and
central bank to provide.
But he indicated he did not expect the government to clinch a full IMF agreement
before parliamentary elections set for March 27, saying no money was expected to
be dispersed before the vote, after which a new cabinet would be formed.
IMF talks broke down last year because the banks, central bank and Lebanon’s
ruling politicians could not agree with the previous government on scale of vast
losses, estimated at the time at around $90bn, and how they should be shared
out.
An IMF programme is widely seen as the only way Lebanon can unlock desperately
needed aid.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati took office in September vowing to remedy one of the
world’s sharpest ever depressions.
His government was already facing a difficult path to pave the way for an IMF
deal before Lebanon slid into yet another crisis, this time linked to the probe
into the port blast which has ignited a new political conflict and deadly street
violence.
Cabinet has not met since October 12 because of the standoff.
Still, Salam and other officials met the Fund this week as technical talks got
underway.
The message delivered by IMF officials was “we want to focus on what went wrong
in the first phase and that is defining the losses and giving an idea about
their distribution”, he said.
The government has “huge hopes” that it can secure an IMF memorandum of
understanding, including the figures and financial recovery plan, late this year
or early next to open the way to negotiations.
Lebanon hopes to secure at least $2bn from the IMF in an agreement that would
unlock other foreign aid, he said.
But Salam added that while the current government should get as much reform done
as possible, sign the MoU and prepare for IMF negotiations, “the IMF is for sure
not giving any money before the parliamentary elections.”
The crisis over the port explosion investigation has escalated as Hezbollah and
its ally Amal have pressed their demand for the removal of the lead
investigator, whom they accuse of bias.
The row derailed the last cabinet session.
Mikati has held off convening cabinet sessions pending the outcome of political
contacts over the issue, after postponing a session last week out of fear the
row would escalate.
“Without a doubt the security events and the circumstances surrounding the port
and the probe and Judge Bitar delayed us for two weeks,” Salam said.
“Every passing day is valuable,” he said. “We are hoping to be back on schedule
by next week.”
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17875/persecution-of-christians-september
Syria: Geopolitical Tragedy
Amir Taheri/Asharq al-Awsat/October 24/2021
[W]hat is planned isn't the actual writing of a new constitution but "drafting"
unspecified "reforms" to a non-existent constitution. If this sounds like
diplomatic gesticulation, don't be surprised because it is exactly that.
Syria today isn't a constitutional problem.
[W]hat is still lacking is a clear American strategy for reviving Syria as a
nation-state, the only outcome that can contribute to regional peace and help
the long-term interests of the United States and its allies. Without US
leadership, the European powers won't be able to play the crucial role they
could and should claim in helping end the Syrian tragedy.
If Syria is recognized for what it is, that is to say an ungoverned territory,
the UN's role would have to help restore sovereignty to the Syrian people who
should have the final say on how they wish to be governed and by whom. And that
can't be done by diplomatic gesticulations in a hotel suite in Switzerland.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has brought the so-called
"Constitution Committee" out of its two-year hibernation to "start drafting for
constitutional reform." What is planned isn't the actual writing of a new
constitution but "drafting" unspecified "reforms" to a non-existent
constitution. If this sounds like diplomatic gesticulation, don't be surprised
because it is exactly that. Pictured: Pedersen meets with Syrian Foreign
Minister Faisal Miqdad in Damascus on September 11, 2021. (
Desperately trying to retain a modicum of relevancy in the Syrian imbroglio, the
United Nations has shaken an old ghost out of slumber to claim a few headlines.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has brought the so-called
"Constitution Committee" out of its two-year hibernation to "start drafting for
constitutional reform."
Notice the words "to start", "drafting" and "constitutional reform". This means
that after two years of real or imagined deliberation, the committee is no
further than the starting point. Even then, what is planned isn't the actual
writing of a new constitution but "drafting" unspecified "reforms" to a
non-existent constitution. If this sounds like diplomatic gesticulation, don't
be surprised because it is exactly that.
To reduce the role that the United Nations could potentially play in helping
bring Syria out of the current deadly impasse to mere gesticulation is
regrettable to say the least.
Syria today isn't a constitutional problem.
The tragedy that has claimed almost half a million lives and made nearly half of
the population refugees or displaced persons wasn't caused by a defective
constitution and won't be concluded with a constitution dreamed by Pedersen and
his associates.
The truth is that Syria has ceased to have effective existence as a
nation-state. At the same time, however, it cannot be regarded as a classical
"ungoverned territory" because different chunks of it are under some measure of
governance by foreign powers and their local surrogates and allies.
That makes Syria a complex geopolitical problem that cannot be solved with
pie-in-the-sky legalistic gambits.
Today, Syrian territory is under some measure of control by five different
players.
One segment is run by Russia, partly through private security companies, with
the remnants of President Bashar al-Assad's regime as its local façade. Another
segment is controlled by Turkey and its local Muslim Brotherhood allies. The
United States and some NATO allies control a third segment with support from
local ethnic Kurds. The Islamic Republic of Iran and its Afghan, Pakistani,
Iraqi, Syrian and Lebanese "foreign legions" control a fourth chunk. The last
chunk is held by the remnants of the ISIS and former foes turned allies among
anti-Assad groups.
The five segments have been tuned into laboratories for different, at times
diametrically opposed, experiments in political organization. In the
Russian-controlled sector one still finds an echo of the typical
military-security based Arab despotism that was backed by the now-defunct Soviet
Union during the Cold War.
As long as it can keep its military presence, notably bases on the
Mediterranean, Russia isn't interested in political engineering in Syria.
President Vladimir Putin is also determined not to allow Syria to become a base
for exporting terror to parts of the Russian Federation where Muslims form a
majority.
Putin is persuaded that with the possible exception of Turkey, all other players
in Syria are bound to drop out or be pushed out of the game sooner or later.
Helped by frequent Israeli air raids on Iranian positions, he is already paving
a path with banana skins for Iran which has begun to reduce its footprint in
several locations.
Putin may be wrong in thinking that the US is also preparing to quit Syria. Such
a move would have been more likely under Donald Trump or if President Joe Biden
hadn't been stung by his fiasco in Kabul.
Putin regards his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan as his only worthy
partner in deciding the future of Syria. Turkey has a national security interest
in creating a buffer zone along its border and preventing the emergence of an
autonomous Kurdish enclave in Syria.
While Pedersen and his group have been hibernating, Putin and Erdogan have
discussed a new constitution for Syria on a number of occasions, most recently
in a summit in Sochi. Putin wants a secular constitution for Syria with no
mention of a state religion.
Erdogan, however, insists that if a state religion is to be mentioned it should
specify the Hanafi version of Sunni Islam. Yet, that would mean antagonizing
Syria's Nusairi (Alawite) Ismaili, Ithna-ashari, and Druze minorities, not to
mention Christian communities.
The two leaders also disagree on the issue of an official state language being
mentioned in a future constitution. By casting himself as protector of the
Turkic minority in Syria, less than one per cent of the population, Erdogan
wants Turkish to be recognized as one of the official languages along with
Arabic but is vehemently opposed to granting Kurdish, language of some four per
cent of Syrians, the same status.
For its part, the Islamic Republic of Iran has offered musings of its own on a
putative Syrian constitution. Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, the man in charge of
propagating the Iranian brand of Shi'ism in Syria, proposes the creation of a
new "Fatimyoun" identity which would encompass the Iranian brand of Shi'ism
along with the Alawite, Ismaili and Druze faiths. However, the scheme faces a
hurdle in the form of traditional Shi'ite authorities in Qom and Najaf still
considering the Syrian sects as heretics.
The United States, for its part, doesn't seem to have any long-term view of what
it is doing in Syria. President Trump's sulkily expressed desire to withdraw
from Syria dealt a big blow to local Kurdish and other allies of the United
States.
Trump, however, quickly backpedaled, and has been followed on that by Biden, at
least for the time being. Nevertheless, what is still lacking is a clear
American strategy for reviving Syria as a nation-state, the only outcome that
can contribute to regional peace and help the long-term interests of the United
States and its allies. Without US leadership, the European powers won't be able
to play the crucial role they could and should claim in helping end the Syrian
tragedy.
By ignoring the geopolitical aspect of the Syrian problem and by limiting the
Syrian people's involvement in shaping the future of their country to a few
Assad pawns and a handful of self-styled opposition figures, the UN may be
making a double mistake.
If Syria is recognized for what it is, that is to say an ungoverned territory,
the UN's role would have to help restore sovereignty to the Syrian people who
should have the final say on how they wish to be governed and by whom. And that
can't be done by diplomatic gesticulations in a hotel suite in Switzerland.
*Amir Taheri was the executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from
1972 to 1979. He has worked at or written for innumerable publications,
published eleven books, and has been a columnist for Asharq Al-Awsat since 1987.
Will ISIS Succeed in Attracting Taliban Defectors?
Charles Lister/Asharq Al Awsat/October 24/2021
Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan two months ago, the international
community has tentatively engaged with the new ‘government’ in Kabul, seeking to
explore what kind of relations are possible with a Taliban-run entity. Until
now, this phase of exploratory dialogue has resulted in very little meaningful
openings, leaving Afghanistan and its 38 million people at the edge of a deeply
concerning precipice.
Even before the US withdrawal and Taliban takeover, Afghanistan’s economy was
heavily dependent on foreign aid and over half the population lived in poverty.
With the sustainability of foreign aid unclear and the public treasury
effectively empty, an economic and humanitarian crisis appears virtually
guaranteed.
While the root causes of extremism and terrorism are many in number, there can
be no doubt that high rates of poverty, displacement and humanitarian suffering
are potent drivers. While the Taliban has provided assurances of its intention
to prevent al-Qaeda from using Afghan soil to plot international terrorism and
to combat ISIS, there is little reason for confidence. On the one hand, the
Taliban’s relationship with al-Qaeda is deeply embedded and the most important
linkage between the two, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is Afghanistan’s new Interior
Minister.
While the Taliban similarly claims to have moderated in recent years, it
celebrated its victory in August with a high-definition video lauding its
squadrons of suicide bombers. This week, Haqqani himself convened a mass
gathering of the families of Taliban suicide bombers, to celebrate their role in
securing victory.
With the Taliban running the new Afghan government and the Haqqani Network
holding key positions of power, al-Qaeda will be looking for opportunities to
quietly recover in the shadows. It may take time for that recovery to become
clear, but it is all but guaranteed. When Taliban militants swarmed into the
Panjshir Valley to confront and ultimately disperse fighters of Ahmad Massoud’s
National Resistance Front, they were accompanied by at least several dozen
al-Qaeda members from Central Asia – according to an informed Western source.
What is most concerning though, is the opportunities that Afghanistan’s slow
descent into economic collapse, humanitarian suffering and instability provides
to ISIS’s local branch, ISIS Khorasan. In recent weeks, ISIS has conducted a
significant campaign of violence in an expanding array of Afghan provinces,
claiming responsibility for at least 40 attacks in the last four weeks. This
ISIS campaign has focused primarily on two target sets: The Taliban and
Afghanistan’s Shiite Hazara community. For two Fridays in a row, Shiite mosques
have been struck by ISIS suicide bombers, with hundreds killed and injured.
Precipitating a sectarian conflict is clearly on ISIS’s agenda, much like its
years-long campaigns in Iraq and Syria, where exploiting ethnic and sectarian
divisions proved to be particularly successful – and extremely deadly.
In response to ISIS’s challenge, the Taliban appear to have launched a series of
localized crackdowns on Salafist communities, mostly in eastern Afghanistan.
According to some reports, thousands of Salafists accused of being loyal to ISIS
have been detained in Taliban raids in the last 10 days. While Taliban fighters
have been disappearing at night and their beheaded bodies discovered hours
later, men have also begun to fall victim to a series of otherwise unclaimed
assassinations – widely attributed to Taliban hit squads.
Thus, within two months of the Taliban taking over Afghanistan, a deadly
campaign is already well underway, along with a shadowy intra-militant civil
war. One particularly troubling outcome of this emerging dynamic is that within
recent weeks, intelligence agencies in the US, Europe and across Central, South
and Southeast Asia have all detected a clear spike in Afghanistan-focused
extremist chatter at home. In almost every single case, that chatter is
associated with ISIS.
A small but detectable flow of foreign fighters (from Central Asia, Indonesia,
Arab countries and northwestern Syria) towards Afghanistan began weeks before
the Taliban marched into Kabul, but it appears not just to have continued, but
to have at least minimally increased in scale. For now, Tajikistan is their most
favored point of entry.
By pushing two parallel narratives – one anti-Shiite sectarian and one critical
of the Taliban for, in its eyes, having sold out fighting in favor of politics –
ISIS is in a prime position to exploit Afghanistan’s newfound instability. As
pressure continues to mount on the Taliban to curry more and more favor with the
international community and to confront ISIS with greater resources, ISIS’s
narrative will gain an increasingly potent foothold in the extremist community,
both in Afghanistan and beyond. One dynamic to watch especially closely will be
whether ISIS succeeds in attracting meaningful numbers of defectors from Taliban
ranks, given its allegations of Taliban moderation and the fact that thousands
of Taliban fighters who have known nothing but war are now stuck doing the
menial jobs associated with governing.
With all of this reality in mind, it can be said with some confidence that
foreign fighters are likely to travel to Afghanistan in increasing numbers in
the coming months and years. The only question that remains unclear is the scale
that this flow will come to represent. It is therefore incumbent upon all
governments across the world that we must be prepared today to detect, intercept
and prevent prospective militants from traveling to Afghanistan. Given the
geographic proximity and historical trends, the Middle East could come to play a
central role in this emerging dynamic.