English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 02/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2021/english.september02.22.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be
called children of God; and that is what we are
First Letter of John 03/01-10: "See what love the Father has
given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The
reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.Beloved, we are
God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know
is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he
is.And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know
that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who
abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little
children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous,
just as he is righteous. Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil; for
the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for
this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born of God
do not sin, because God’s seed abides in them; they cannot sin, because they
have been born of God. The children of God and the children of the devil are
revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are
those who do not love their brothers and sisters."
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on September 01-02/2022
UN Condemns Restrictions on Peacekeepers in South Lebanon
US calls for concluding maritime border deal 'in coming weeks'
Hochstein to return on Sep. 7 as Total Energies demands 'security guarantees'
Mikati reportedly willing to make concessions to Aoun
President Aoun receives invitation from Jaafari Mufti to attend memorial
ceremony on first anniversary of the passing of Imam Qabalan
President Aoun welcomes UNIFIL mandate extension, tackles general situation with
Baabda palace visitors
Mikati chairs meeting over telecoms conditions, tackles developments with Grand
Serail visitors
Bukhari meets Choucair, private sector delegation
Lebanese families file lawsuit against army for boat sinking
Lebanese Speaker Calls for Electing President that 'Unites Rather Than Divides'
US: Hezbollah’s amassing of weapons on Israel’s northern border must stop
Hezbollah at 40 stronger than ever but has more enemies
'Rampant chaos': Lebanon state sector eroded by grinding crisis
The End of the 'Strong Reign'/Hanna Saleh/Asharq Al Awsat/September 01/2022
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on September 01-02/2022
Eleven Coptic Churches “Catch Fire” Over Two Weeks in Egypt/Raymond
Ibrahim/Coptic Solidarity/September 01/2022
Iranian Commander Says Time for Ground War Against Israel
Ex-IDF intel chief reveals more details on Israel's role in Soleimani killing
Macron Hopeful of Iran Nuclear Deal in Next Few Days
Israeli Missiles Target Aleppo Airport, Damascus Countryside
Israel Fires Missiles at Syrian Airports – Report
Syrian FM Says Israel 'Playing with Fire'
US Pressures for Calm in West Bank, Curbs Palestinian Efforts for ‘Full UN
Membership’
Biden Urges Iraq 'National Dialogue' in Call with Kadhimi
Precarious calm in Baghdad as roots of crisis endure, US praises Kadhimi's
performance
Four Killed as Violent Clashes Move to Iraq's Basra
Iraq’s Green Zone Breathes a Sigh of Relief as ‘Anxious’ Calm Returns to Baghdad
UN team heads to Ukraine nuclear plant despite shelling
Australia, France deepen defense ties after breakdown
To China's fury, UN accuses Beijing of Uyghur rights abuses
Titles For The
Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on September 01-02/2022
A Deal Based on Lies: The Iran Nuclear Agreement Will Make War More
Likely/Richard Kemp/Gatestone Institute./September 01/2022
Hamas in Turkey: Money Laundering, Turkish Passports, Government Collusion and
Terror Bank Accounts/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute./September 01/2022
A Deal Based on Lies: The Iran Nuclear Agreement Will Make War More
Likely/Richard Kemp/Gatestone Institute./September 01/2022
Pelosi’s promise...Showing up in Taiwan is not enough/Clifford D. May/The
Washington Times/September 01/2022
Putin Will Turn Gorbachev’s Death to His Advantage/Clara Ferreira
Marques/Bloomberg/September 01/2022
Iran nuclear deal: Iran will sign, but it won't go quietly - analysis'/Yonah
Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/September 01/2022
On the fate of the missing/Farouk Youssef/The Arab Weekly/September 01/2022
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on September 01-02/2022
UN Condemns Restrictions on Peacekeepers in South
Lebanon
Associated Press/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
The UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Wednesday strongly
condemning harassment, intimidation, attacks and restrictions against the UN
peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon. It also called on Lebanese authorities
to accelerate deployment of ground and naval forces to the area, which borders
Israel. The resolution, which extends the mandate of the peacekeeping force,
known as UNIFIL until Aug. 31, 2023, stresses again the importance of all
parties respecting the UN-drawn Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel. It
expresses concern at the recent installation of “containers” along the line that
restrict the UN force’s access and visibility and at UNIFIL’s inability to visit
areas north of the line related to tunnels that Israel said it discovered in
late 2018. Israel has repeatedly accused the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah,
which is backed by Iran, of impeding UNIFIL peacekeepers from carrying out their
mandate. Hezbollah battled Israel to a stalemate in a month-long war in 2006,
and in 2019 Israel destroyed a series of what it said were attack tunnels dug
under the border by Hezbollah, The Associated Press reported. UNIFIL was created
to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after a 1978
invasion. The mission was expanded after the 2006 war so peacekeepers could
deploy along the Lebanon-Israel border to help Lebanese troops extend their
authority into their country’s south for the first time in decades. That
resolution also called for a full cessation of Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities,
which has not happened. The resolution adopted Wednesday does not mention
Hezbollah, which remains active in southern Lebanon, by name. But US deputy
ambassador Richard Mills noted that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said
in his latest report that UNIFIL troops are blocked “with increasing frequency”
from carrying out their mandate and accessing sites, and the American envoy
strongly indicated that Hezbollah is to blame. “The proliferation of
prefabricated containers placed by Green Without Borders obstructs UNIFIL’s
access to the Blue Line and is heightening tensions in the area, further
demonstrating that this so-called environmental group is acting on Hezbollah’s
behalf,” Mills said.
The resolution condemns “in the strongest terms all attempts to restrict the
freedom of movement of UNIFIL’s personnel, all acts of harassment and
intimidation and all attacks against peacekeepers,” including attacks from 2018
through January 2022. It reiterates that the status of forces agreement between
Lebanon and the United Nations gives UNIFIL peacekeepers the authority to carry
out their mission without prior authorization or permission. The resolution
“demands the parties cease any restrictions and hindrances to the movement of
UNIFIL personnel and guarantee the freedom of movement of UNIFIL, including by
allowing announced and unannounced patrols,” a reaffirmation of the UN mission’s
authority to operate independently. The Security Council strongly reaffirmed the
necessity for the Lebanese armed forces to deploy in southern Lebanon and its
territorial waters “at an accelerated pace." It also strongly encouraged the
Lebanese government “to accelerate its deployment of a model regiment” and
welcomed the inauguration of its headquarters on June 13, in the village of
Srobbine in south Lebanon. The regiment is funded by the European Union.
It also strongly encouraged the accelerated deployment of a patrol vessel in
UNIFIL’s operating area and reiterated its call for the government “to present a
plan to increase its naval capabilities as soon as possible,” with the ultimate
goal of decreasing UNIFIL’s maritime force and transferring responsibilities to
the government. UNIFIL has a ceiling of 13,000 uniformed personnel, but the
latest UN figures say less than 10,650 are deployed. Lebanon is struggling
through a crippling economic crisis that has plunged over three-quarters of its
population into poverty. The Lebanese pound has lost over 90% of its value
against the US dollar. The country’s already frail infrastructure further
deteriorated after the huge explosion at the Beirut port on Aug. 4, 2020, that
killed more than 200 people, injured over 6,000, and destroyed several
neighborhoods in the Lebanese capital. The Security Council resolution expresses
solidarity with Lebanon and its people following the port explosion and deplores
“the lack of progress of an independent, impartial, thorough and transparent
investigation into the explosions by the Lebanese judicial system.”The council
also urged Lebanese political leaders to urgently form a government that can
implement reforms and respond to “the current and unprecedented acute social,
economic and humanitarian crises.”
US calls for concluding maritime border deal 'in coming
weeks'
Agence France Presse/September 01/2022
A White House statement said U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister
Yair Lapid have discussed negotiations to resolve border issues between Israel
and Lebanon. "The President also emphasized the importance of concluding the
maritime boundary negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in the coming weeks,"
the U.S. statement said. Lebanon and Israel, whose border is U.N.-patrolled,
have no diplomatic relations.They resumed maritime border negotiations in 2020
but the process was stalled by Beirut's claim that the map used by the United
Nations in the talks needed modifying.
Lebanon initially demanded 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) in the
disputed maritime area but then asked for an additional 1,430 square kilometers,
including part of the Karish offshore gas field. Israel claims the field lies in
its waters and is not part of the disputed area subject to ongoing negotiations.
Hochstein to return on Sep. 7 as Total Energies demands
'security guarantees'
Naharnet/September 01/2022
U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein has postponed his visit to the region until
September seven, al-Akhbar newspaper said Thursday. The daily added that
Hochstein has held an online meeting with Israeli officials after having met in
Greece with Israeli delegates and the leadership of the Greek gas exploration
company, Energean. Al-Akhbar had earlier reported that Hochstein had discussed
with an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron the role of Total Energies,
the French company which owns the gas exploration rights in Lebanon’s
territorial waters. On Thursday, the daily said that the mediator couldn't
obtain Total Energies' full approval to start the gas extraction in Lebanon
before a "clear" border deal is reached and before receiving security guarantees
from all parties. The report went on to say that Hochstein's plan is to postpone
the demarcation deal until after the Israeli elections and the end of President
Michel Aoun's term. "Israel would announce postponing the exploration in Karish
and Total Energies would announce its willingness to proceed with the
exploration in Lebanon," the report said.
Mikati reportedly willing to make concessions to Aoun
Naharnet/September 01/2022
Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati is willing to make concessions to
President Michel Aoun, al-Akhbar newspaper reported. The daily said Thursday
that it had learned that Mikati does not mind letting Aoun choose the names of
the two ministers who will replace the minister of economy and the minister of
the displaced. "Mikati is yet insisting that one of the new ministers must be
from the North and have the support of the Akkar MPs," the report said. It added
that Mikati also needs the approval of Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid
Jumblat "to ensure that the new government would obtain the Parliament's
confidence."Meanwhile, Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jarida said that Hezbollah is
communicating with both Aoun and Mikati in an attempt to find common ground that
allows forming a new government. It added that Hezbollah is trying to convince
Aoun to give up his demand for adding six state ministers.
President Aoun receives invitation from Jaafari Mufti to
attend memorial ceremony on first anniversary of the passing of Imam Qabalan
NNA/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, received met the excellent
Jaafari Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan. Mufti Qabalan conveyed an invitation from
the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council and the family of the late Imam Sheikh Abdul
Amir Qabalan, to attend the memorial celebration that is held on the first
memorial of the death of Imam Qabalan, on Wednesday, September 7, at five
o'clock in the afternoon, in the National Unity Hall, in the Supreme Islamic
Shiite Council, on Airport Road. General and current developments were
deliberated in the meeting
President Aoun welcomes UNIFIL mandate extension, tackles
general situation with Baabda palace visitors
NNA/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, welcomed the UN Security
Council's decision to extend the international forces operating in the south (UNIFIL)
for an additional year. President Aoun considered that this step confirms the
determination of the international community to maintain security and stability
on the southern borders. In addition, President Aoun indicated that coordination
is on-going between the Lebanese army and "UNIFIL" for the good implementation
of Resolution 1701 in all its aspects, especially the cessation of hostilities
perpetrated by Israel on land, sea and air.
On the other hand, President Aoun renewed his thanks to the countries
participating in UNIFIL for continuing to carry out the peacekeeping mission
along the borders, and stressed Lebanon's commitment to implementing
international resolutions, commemorating the international soldiers who fell on
the land of the south, and appreciating their sacrifices.
Minister Hajjar
The President met Social Affairs Minister, Hector Hajjar, today at Baabda
Palace.
President Aoun deliberated a number of ministerial issues, in addition to
developments related to the issue of displaced Syrians, and the contacts the
ministry is making with the concerned authorities. Granting aid to poorest
families through the program prepared for this purpose was also tackled.
Ambassador Kastoun:
President Aoun received Lebanon's Ambassador to Liberia and Mali, Henry Kastoun,
and was briefed on the conditions of the two communities in Liberia and Mali.
Relations between Lebanon and these two countries, were addressed especially
that the two communities have a role in the economic and commercial life of both
countries.
Condolences to Russian President:
The President sent a telegram to his Russian Counterpart, President Vladimir
Putin, condoling the death of former Soviet Union President, Mikhail Gorbachev.
Text:
“I remember the late with much appreciation, especially in terms of the approach
he established based on disclosure, rebuilding internally, and maintaining peace
globally. Today, as he crossed our world to stand face to face with the rule of
history, the Lebanese remember him at this difficult stage of their history,
when he visited them twice, in 2003 and 2010, lecturing on demolishing the walls
of distance and building bridges of convergence. He was impressed by Lebanon,
and Lebanon appreciated him. -- Presidency Press Office
Mikati chairs meeting over telecoms conditions, tackles
developments with Grand Serail visitors
NNA/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
Prime Minister-designate, Najib Mikati, on Thursday held a series of ministerial
meetings at the Grand Serail. In this framework, Premier-designate Mikati met
with the Caretaker Minister of Communications, Eng. Johnny Al-Corm, who
announced after the meeting: “I discussed with the Premier the conditions of the
telecommunications sector, and there were several proposals that will be studied
and discussed with the employees before being announced.” In response to a
question about his meeting yesterday with the employees, Al-Corm said: “The
meeting was very cordial, and I understand the employees’ predicaments and will
try to solve them through available legal means and funds. I have some ideas
which I will propose to them, and I might hold a meeting with them this
afternoon to find appropriate solutions as soon as possible.” Premier Mikati
also met respectively with Deputy Prime Minister Saade Al-Shami, and then with
Caretaker Tourism Minister Walid Nassar. Separately, Mikati received MP Ahmed
Al-Kheir, who said after the meeting that he discussed with the Premier an array
of political and developmental dossiers. MP Al-Kheir also voiced support for the
Premier's efforts to form a government as soon as possible. Mikati also received
MP Karim Kabbara, and then met with the head of the Civil Service Council,
Nisreen Machmouch, who handed him the results of the comprehensive national
survey.
Bukhari meets Choucair, private sector delegation
NNA/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid bin Abdullah Bukhari, on Thursday, received
at his residence in Yarzeh, head of the economic bodies in Lebanon, former
Minister Mohammad Choucair, with an accompanying economic delegation. As per a
statement by the economic bodies, the meeting was an occasion to discuss the
means to activate the economic and trade relations between Lebanon and the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The economic bodies’ delegation affirmed the Lebanese
private sector’s determination to take all available steps to develop economic
and trade relations between the two brotherly countries, especially that the
Kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries constitute Lebanon’s
strategic economic depth. The participants hoped that all the problems that
limit trade exchange between the two countries, especially the issue of
exporting Lebanese products to the Kingdom, will be resolved as soon as possible
Lebanese families file lawsuit against army for boat
sinking
Associated Press/September 01/2022
Survivors and families of the victims of a sunken migrant boat off the coast of
Lebanon on Thursday said they have filed a lawsuit accusing the military of
detaining two missing survivors. The boat that sank in April carried dozens of
Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians trying to migrate by sea to Italy. It went
down more than five kilometers (three miles) from the port of Tripoli, following
a confrontation with the country's navy. Survivors say the Lebanese navy rammed
their vessel, while the military claims the migrants' boat collided with one of
their ships while trying to get away. The captain of a submarine mission last
week said they found the remains of at least 10 migrants and the wreckage of the
sunken boat with dents and damages. Now, the survivors say the army has been
holding two survivors who have been missing since the night of the sinking and
has refused to reveal footage of the wreckage from the submarine mission. They
also say the military barred them from attending a press conference with the
submarine's captain and navy officials. The military says the investigation is
ongoing and the footage from the submarine investigation has been transferred to
the military probe. "We've been waiting for you and the state for four months
throughout this whole turmoil," Amid Dandachi, a survivor of the doomed boat
whose three children and wife drowned, said at the news conference. "I challenge
you to show us the videos of the pursuit of the boat."Ten bodies were recovered
the night the boat sank -- including one of a child -- while 48 survivors were
pulled from the Mediterranean. According to navy estimates, 30 people were
believed to have gone down with the boat. The wreck remains some 450 meters
(about 1,470 feet) below the surface. The survivors' lawyers have blasted the
authorities' sluggish investigation. Diala Chehade, one lawyer representing the
survivors and victims' families, urged authorities to retrieve its wreckage. "A
key reason of the submarine mission was to try to recover what remains from the
bodies so their loved ones can mourn them in dignity and pray for their souls,"
Chehade said at the press conference. "But there is also another key reason,
which is to find and retrieve the drowned boat and forensically examine it."
Chehade also called for transferring the probe from the military tribunal to a
civic court, claiming it would be more transparent and impartial for such a
case. The April sinking was the greatest migrant tragedy for Lebanon in recent
years and put the government further on the defensive at a time when the country
is in economic free fall and public trust in the state and its institutions is
rapidly crumbling. With a population of about 6 million people, including 1
million Syrian refugees, Lebanon has been mired since 2019 in an economic
meltdown that has plunged three quarters of the population into poverty. Once a
country that received refugees, Lebanon has become a launching pad for dangerous
migration by sea to Europe. As the crisis deepened, more Lebanese, as well as
Syrian and Palestinian refugees have set off to sea, with security agencies
reporting foiled migration attempts almost weekly.
Lebanese Speaker Calls for Electing President that 'Unites Rather Than Divides'
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri affirmed that the country is ready now "but not
forever” to go into indirect negotiations with Israel under US mediation to
demarcate the maritime borders. "The ball now is in the US court, and we're not
advocates of war, but if our sovereignty gets threatened, we will defend these
rights and borders," the Speaker said in remarks on Wednesday. Berri accused the
US mediator (Amos Hochstein) of wasting time, saying he has been absent for a
month. Berri warned against procrastination and the usurpation of Lebanon's
rights. Lebanon's "border and sovereignty are like our honor, we do not
negotiate over them, and we will defend them with all our capabilities," the
Speaker stressed. Berri was speaking at the 44th anniversary of the
disappearance of Amal movement founder Moussa Sadr. On Lebanon’s upcoming
presidential elections, Berri said that his parliamentary bloc "will vote for a
figure who would gather and unite rather than divide." The term of President
Michel Aoun ends on October 31. Berri asserted that the next president should
"believe in nationalist and patriotic principles and deeply believe that Israel
represents a threat to Lebanon's existence." "Let no one claim to be more
sovereign than us," Berri said. Regarding the presidential elections, Berri
described as “unacceptable” any attempts to manipulate the constitution to meet
the personal ambitions of any candidate. He said it is illegitimate to surrender
to some malicious wills that are seeking to plunge the country into a vacuum.
Berri touched on internal issues and lashed out at the Free Patriotic Movement
in the presence of outgoing Energy Minister Walid Fayyad. He criticized the
power outages and the failure to appoint the authority that regulates the
sector. "Is it rational for Lebanon to be deprived of Jordanian and Egyptian gas
due to failures to form a regulatory commission at the Energy Ministry, which
has drained a third of the state's finances, under the excuse of 'changing the
law instead of implementing it?'" Berri asked. He warned that Lebanon is going
through the worst and most dangerous phase in its history, and some approach it
with the worst mentality of “maliciousness and wrath." The Speaker renewed his
accusation of the former Libyan regime being responsible for kidnapping Moussa
Sadr, saying the kidnapping crime was carried out by the former Libyan
government and that Sadr and his companions did not leave for Italy, according
to the findings of the panel probing the case. The failure of the current Libyan
authorities to cooperate with the Lebanese authorities is considered to be
"collusion," according to Berri.
US: Hezbollah’s amassing of weapons on Israel’s northern
border must stop
Tovah Lazaroff/Jerusalem Post/September 01/2022
The US warned that UNIFIL peacekeepers are being increasingly blocked from
fulfilling their mission.
Hezbollah must stop amassing weapons on Israel’s northern border, the US’s
Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Mills, told the UN Security
Council in New York on Wednesday, after it voted to renew the mandate of the
organization’s peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
“The US shares this council’s significant concern about the state of affairs in
southern Lebanon, in particular, Hezbollah’s threatening activities,” he said.
Tensions continue surrounding Lebanon-Israel maritime border demarcation talks
The UNSC vote comes as tension has increased between Israel and Lebanon over
their maritime dispute. On Wednesday, Reuters posted a video of two Lebanese
ministers symbolically throwing rocks towards Israel.
Since 1978, the UN has maintained a peacekeeping force along the border between
the two countries known as the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Since 2006
it has been specifically tasked with maintaining the cease-fire agreement that
ended the Second Lebanon War and that was codified in UNSC Resolution 1701.
UNIFIL currently has a force of 10,500 peacekeepers from 48 UN countries. Its
patrols focus on the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River, with an
eye to preventing another arms build-up that could lead to another war,
particularly by a non-state actor such as Hezbollah.
Israel holds that Hezbollah is an Iranian proxy group. UN reiterates Lebanese
Army should be only armed force in country
The UNIFIL resolution approved Wednesday reiterated the UN position that the
Lebanese Army should be the only armed force in the country. It also called for
UNIFIL to be given the freedom of movement needed to fulfill its mandate. Mills
said the resolution “reaffirms UNIFIL’s authority to operate independently and
to conduct both announced and unannounced patrols.”“We urge the Lebanese
authorities as the host state to facilitate UNIFIL’s full and timely access to
UNIFIL’s entire area of operations,” Mills said. He echoed a concern raised many
times by Israel about the Lebanese failure to ensure that UNIFIL has freedom of
movement in its area of operation. “UNIFIL peacekeepers are blocked with
increasing frequency from conducting their mandated tasks and accessing sites of
concern,” Mills said. The area of between the Blue Line – the internationally
recognized border that has yet to be ratified by both countries – and the Litani
River “must be free of weapons except for those used by the government of
Lebanon and UNIFIL,” he added. “With this resolution [renewing UNIFIL’s mandate]
the security council has made clear that Hezbollah’s continued amassing of
weapons must stop,” Mills said.
He took particular issue with the actions of a non-governmental environment
group called “Green Without Borders” believed to be an affiliate of Hezbollah
that operates in southern Lebanon.
US accuses Hezbollah of obstructing UNIFIL
Mills accused the group of obstructing UNIFIL’s actions by placing containers
near the border with Israel.
“The proliferation of prefabricated containers placed by Green Without Borders
obstructs UNFIL’s access to the Blue Line and is heightening tension in the
area, further demonstrating that this so-called environmental group is acting on
Hezbollah’s behalf,” Mills said.
UNIFIL must also have access to the tunnels, he said, referring to the sites
where Israel has documented that Hezbollah has dug attack tunnels along the
border.
The UNSC votes annually to renew UNIFIL’s mandate. This year it added a
paragraph to the renewal resolution that is largely the same from year-to-year,
to strengthen the language showing its opposition to Hezbollah’s armed presence
on Israel’s northern border and to the continued transfer of arms to that group.
The new paragraph stated that the UNSC “condemns the continued maintenance of
arms outside the control of the Lebanese State by armed groups in violation of
resolution 1701 (2006).”
It “recalls paragraph 15 of resolution 1701 (2006) according to which all States
shall take the necessary measures to prevent, by their nationals or from their
territories or using flag vessels or aircraft, the sale or supply of arms and
related materiel to any entity or individual in Lebanon other than those
authorized by the Government of Lebanon or UNIFIL.”'
Hezbollah at 40 stronger than ever but has more enemies
Associated Press/September 01/2022
Forty years since Hezbollah was founded at the height of Israel's 1982 invasion
of Lebanon, the group has morphed from a ragtag organization to the largest and
most heavily armed militant group in the Middle East. The Iranian-armed and
funded Hezbollah, which has marked the anniversary with ceremonies in its
strongholds in recent weeks, dominates Lebanon's politics and plays an
instrumental role in spreading Tehran's influence throughout the Arab world. But
the Shiite powerhouse, once praised around the Arab world for unrelentingly
standing against Israel, faces deep criticism on multiple fronts. At home in
Lebanon, a significant part of the population opposes its grip on power and
accuses it of using the threat of force to prevent change. Across the region,
many resent its military interventions in Iraq and in Syria's civil war, where
it helped tip the balance of power in favor of President Bashar Assad's forces.
There is no specific date on when Hezbollah was founded, starting as a small,
shadowy group of fighters helped by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. But
the group says it happened during the summer of 1982.The 40th anniversary comes
this year as Hezbollah officials have warned of a possible new war with Israel
over the disputed gas-rich maritime border between Lebanon and Israel.
Over the years, Hezbollah has boosted its military power. It boasts of having
100,000 well-trained fighters. And now its leader says they have
precision-guided missiles that can hit anywhere in Israel and prevent ships from
reaching Israel's Mediterranean coast, as well as advanced drones that can
either strike or gather intelligence. "Hezbollah has evolved tremendously in the
past four decades in its organizational structure, global reach, and regional
involvements," says Middle East analyst Joe Macaron. Hezbollah's biggest
achievement over the past 40 years was its guerrilla war against Israeli forces
occupying parts of southern Lebanon. When Israel's army was forced to withdraw
in May 2000 — without a peace deal like the ones it reached with Egypt, Jordan
and the Palestinians — the victory brought Hezbollah praise from around the
Middle East. "Who would have imagined that our enemy could be defeated?"
Hezbollah's chief spokesman Mohammed Afif said in a press conference held in
July to mark the anniversary. But since the withdrawal, the controversy over
Hezbollah has steadily grown as its role has changed. In 2005, Lebanon's former
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the most powerful Sunni politician in the country
at the time, was killed in a massive truck bomb in Beirut. A U.N.-backed
tribunal accused three Hezbollah members of being behind the assassination.
Hezbollah denies the charges. Hezbollah was blamed for other assassinations that
followed, mostly targeting Christians and Sunni Muslim politicians and
intellectuals critical of the group. Hezbollah denies the accusations.
"Hezbollah's danger to Lebanon is huge," says journalist and former Cabinet
minister May Chidiac who lost an arm and a leg in a 2005 assassination attempt
with explosives placed in her car. She said Hezbollah has been expanding Iran's
influence in Lebanon, "and this is a long-term plan that they have been working
on for 40 years."
Asked if Hezbollah is to blame for the attempt on her life, Chidiac said: "Of
course. There is no doubt about that. All these assassinations are linked."
Lebanese have been sharply divided by Hezbollah's determination to keep its
weapons since Israel's withdrawal. Some call for its disarmament, saying only
the state should have the right to carry weapons. Others support the group's
stance that it must continue to be able to defend against Israel. Hezbollah
fought Israel to a draw in a 34-day war in the summer of 2006. Israel today
considers Hezbollah its most serious immediate threat, estimating that the
militant group has some 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at it. In early July,
the Israeli military shot down three unmanned aircraft launched by Hezbollah
heading toward an area where an Israeli gas platform was recently installed in
the Mediterranean Sea. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned that
Israel will not be allowed to benefit from its gas fields in the disputed
maritime border area before a deal is reached with Lebanon. Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin,
the incoming head of Israel's Northern Command, described Hezbollah as a
"serious threat," due to both its proximity to Israel and its arsenal.
"This is a very strong terror army," he told The Associated Press in Jerusalem.
"Not as strong as the Israeli military, not as strong as the Israeli air force.
We are in a completely different place when it comes to our military
capabilities. But it can do some significant damage. I have to say that." Afif,
the Hezbollah spokesman, said that "as long as there is an aggression, there
will be resistance."
In 2008, the government of Western-backed Prime Minister Fouad Saniora decided
to dismantle Hezbollah's telecommunications network. Hezbollah responded by
capturing by force Sunni neighborhoods in Beirut. It was the worst internal
fighting since the 1975-90 civil war ended and marked a breach in Hezbollah's
pledge never to use its weapons at home. Perhaps the most controversial decision
Hezbollah has made was by sending thousands of fighters to Syria since 2013 to
back Assad against opposition fighters, as well as against al-Qaida-linked
fighters and the Islamic State group.
The intervention "meant becoming entangled in the internal conflict of a
neighboring Arab country rather than fulfilling Hezbollah's claimed mandate of
resistance against Israel," Macaron said. Across the Arab world, it cemented an
image of Hezbollah as a sectarian Shiite force fighting mainly Sunni insurgents
and spreading Iran's power. Hezbollah was also accused of helping Iranian-backed
Houthi rebels in Yemen, leading at least six Arab countries to list the group as
a terrorist organization. Within Lebanon, Hezbollah has used its powerful
support among the Shiite community and tough tactics to gain political
dominance. In 2016, it secured the election of its Christian ally Michel Aoun as
president, then it and its allies won a parliament majority in subsequent
elections.
But that also sealed its role as part of a governing system whose decades of
corruption and mismanagement have been blamed for Lebanon's economic collapse,
starting in late 2019. With the currency crumbling and much of the population
thrown into poverty, the political elite, which has been running Lebanon since
the 1975-90 civil war ended, has resisted reforms. Massive protests demanding
the removal of those politicians began in late 2019, and days afterward,
hundreds of Hezbollah supporters attacked the protesters in downtown Beirut,
forcing them to flee. In October, Hezbollah supporters and a rival militia, the
Lebanese Forces, had an armed clash in Beirut over investigations into the 2020
devastating explosion at Beirut's port. Voters punished Hezbollah and its allies
in this year's elections, making them lose their parliamentary majority. One
former senior figure in Hezbollah, Sobhi Tufaili, pointed to the new image of
the group as part of the system in a recent interview with a local TV station.
"There is a ship full of thieves," he said, "and Hezbollah is its captain and
protector."
'
'Rampant chaos': Lebanon state sector eroded by grinding
crisis
Agence France Presse/September 01/2022
Even as he battles Lebanon's summer heat without air-conditioning, Judge Faysal
Makki tries not to drink too much water because the toilets at the Justice
Palace are broken. His printer still works, but if he wants to use it he needs
to bring his own paper and ink cartridges because the ministry can no longer
afford office supplies. State institutions have reached a state of disrepair
that mirrors Lebanon's broader unravelling amid a political crisis and economic
turmoil branded by the World Bank as one of the worst globally in modern times.
Even in the corridors of power, the paint is peeling and the lights are off.
"There is no paper or ink or pens or envelopes or functioning bathrooms or even
running water," Makki, who has been a judge for 21 years, told AFP. "I try not
to drink water on the job so I won't have to go home or to the nearby offices of
the syndicate of lawyers just to use the bathroom," he said. Staff are sometimes
trapped in a lift because of power cuts, or are forced to light their way down
dark staircases with their mobile phone flashlights. Makki said one colleague
broke her arm when she tripped and fell down the stairs. Ever more civil
servants have gone on strike or just stay home with their employer's blessing,
because the commute to work would eat up their entire salary or more. "The basic
requirements for a public institution are no longer available," said Makki.
'Embodiment of poverty'
Lebanon's downward spiral has been met with inaction from authorities, who have
yet to chart a path out of the three-year-old economic crisis they are widely
blamed for. Parliament, which has yet to approve a 2022 budget, has rarely
convened since it was elected three months ago. Lebanon's president and prime
minister have failed to agree on a new government since the outgoing cabinet's
mandate expired in May. With the Lebanese pound losing more than 90 percent of
its value against the dollar on the black market in recent years, public sector
salaries have slumped as low as $40 a month. A 50-year-old mother of two who has
worked for the interior ministry for 26 years says she now has little incentive
to go to work. The civil servant in a district east of Beirut, who asked not to
be named for fear of reprisals, says she now only goes into the office once
every two weeks, just above the threshold for a de facto resignation.
Without electricity, employees there have to climb seven flights of stairs in
the dark to reach the office, the woman said. "The tiles on the stairs are
chipped," she said. "Every time you go up or down, you risk breaking your neck."
Inside the office, "there is no air conditioning or paper or photocopy machines
or pens. You have to take a bottle of water with you to the bathroom because
there is no running water." The woman, whose salary dropped from $1,600 a month
to about $75, said she never imagined things would get this bad."The embodiment
of poverty is being an employee of the Lebanese state," she said.
'Total collapse'
Across Lebanon, decaying institutions have deprived citizens of the most basic
services.
Power cuts at the parliament have forced lawmakers to postpone sessions, and the
General Security agency at one point this year ran out of passports. The
Lebanese army can barely afford to pay and feed its soldiers, forcing many to
quit or take up second jobs. At the environment ministry, the damage caused by
the massive and deadly August 2020 Beirut port explosion has yet to be fully
repaired. "The doors are still broken, so they don't close," caretaker
Environment Minister Nasser Yassin told AFP, adding that the dividing walls and
false ceilings are also still in disrepair. Some meeting rooms have no lighting,
and employees bring their own toilet paper. The main municipality building in
the northern city of Tripoli -- which was torched last year by demonstrators
angered by the economic crisis -- is a standout example of state decay.
Employees there work in offices with crumbling, soot-covered walls, no cooling
and barely any lighting. "Things are only going to get worse," said Riad Yamak,
the former Tripoli mayor who was removed in September following a political
dispute.
"We are heading towards total collapse and rampant chaos."
The End of the 'Strong Reign'
Hanna Saleh/Asharq Al Awsat/September 01/2022
Today, on the 1st of September, Lebanon sees the term of its president end. It
is true that Article 73 of the Lebanese constitution leaves it up to the
Parliamentary Speaker to choose a day this month to hold a parliamentarian
session to elect a new president, and he will probably bide his time in hope of
a Constitutional Council ruling that slightly alters the makeup of parliament.
This is no secret, as details of confidential conversations continue to leak,
and the propaganda promoting electoral fraud is in full swing! As he had done in
his comments on the course of the investigation into the port blast, Hassan
Nasrallah made a “prediction,” saying that two or three deputies would change
this time!
Until then, Article 75 of the constitution stipulates that “the Chamber meeting
to elect the president of the republic shall be considered an electoral body and
not a legislative assembly. It must proceed immediately, without discussion of
any other act, to elect the Head of the State.”
One thing we know for sure is the “strong reign” ended a long time ago, and it
entered the history of presidential terms as the one in which the Lebanese were
sent to hell, and the country was threatened as a political entity. No measures
or decisions were issued to address the collapses that have hit every aspect of
the lives of the Lebanese. The country has been looted, and its people are on
the brink of hunger. The homeland has become a migration center for skilled
Lebanese youths, and increasing numbers of Lebanese are choosing to board “boats
of death.” The latter stages of his term saw the broadest ever strike carried
out by public sector employees that threatened severe consequences, and to top
it all off, Lebanon’s judges declared their first open-ended strike in the
country’s history.
One could argue for or against the Judges’ move, but it wouldn’t have taken
place, and the course of justice in the country would not have been disrupted if
it were not for the “Nitrate regime,” which subordinated the judiciary and
suspended its independence. The humiliation aggravated when Aoun, contradicting
the constitution, decided to refrain from signing the decree to appoint new
judges in 2017.
Despite the arrogance of the Palace and the noise it made, as well as its
threats intended to conceal its desire to launch a coup that reflects the
president’s hysterical push to cling to power, all these attempts amount to
nothing more than last-minute saber-rattling. Though this hysteria failed to
ensure that his international sanction son-in-law would inherit his position,
Aoun’s bet that it would do has cost Lebanon dearly.
Among these costs are unprecedented isolation from the Arab world and the
international community and Lebanese being forced to watch on as Hezbollah
hijacked the state and turned the country into a tool of the Persian project
against the region. The fact is that since Aoun became president, his only
priorities have been to serve his partisan interests and his ambitions. Real
power was wielded outside the Presidential Palace, as nothing other than the
“rights” of his team and solidifying his hold on positions of power to ensure
its longevity concerned the president.
In the months since the general elections on May fifteenth, the president fought
a fierce battle with the prime minister-designate over shares in the government.
Mikati did mention objectives or a program in their back and forths, nor was he
concerned with addressing the implications of the election results that saw a
strong punitive vote against the political class. His priority is well known. He
wants to remain prime minister. On the other hand, the Palace was totally
detached from what the country is going through as the pain gets worse and
social tensions spike.
Aoun prioritized perpetuating Bassil’s control over the government situation
during the inevitable phase in which Lebanon will be without a president... and
he failed! Time is obviously not on the side of the Palace, and its capacity to
dictate the next president diminishes by the day. Regardless of his fatwas, Aoun
will leave the Palace on time. Once he does, Bassil will go back to being a
deputy subjected to American Magnitsky Act sanctions!
Things are worrying for the Palace as Aoun’s term has left nothing but immense
suffering behind it, and the page on Bassil’s “leadership” has turned though he
was not convinced that the October 17 revolution had put his political career
behind him. Despite the electoral law being tailored to suit sectarian parties,
the results altered the composition of parliament. Hezbollah lost its majority,
and the other sectarian parties, as the party and its partners in the
sectarian-quota-based spoil-sharing regime failed to win a majority. The Palace,
relying on Hezbollah, thus rushed to stir division over the presidency, opening
the door to sharp Maronite-Sunni tensions!
Deluded into thinking it could impose a “deal,” the president tried to seize the
power of the prime minister, turning the Presidential Palace into a hub for
inflaming sectarian tensions. Aoun turned to the head of the Maronite League,
who claimed that Aoun “does not believe that a government which lacks the needed
standards, as well as parliament’s confidence, can fill the vacuum at the level
of the head of the state.”
We saw a lot of nonsense and fatwas coming from the Palace over the past few
weeks as Aoun attempted to conceal his intention to launch a coup after his term
ends. Today, we see sectarian tensions being inflamed and efforts to stir panic
regarding the prospect of a vacancy. It seems that Aoun and his associates have
overlooked the fact that the president’s office has been vacant for decades and
that it was emptiest during his term… Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the man who
really holds the levers of power and has seized the authority of the presidency
is behind this smokescreen the president is seeking to create. Hezbollah runs
this Don Quixote battle. Aoun’s propositions do not harm the party, and it has
no problem with him staying in Baabda and allowing the devastation to aggravate.
Bassil’s gimmicks do not bother Hezbollah, nor did his gradually increasing hold
over the presidency... Hezbollah’s priority is that Aoun does what he had been
entrusted to do. The party wants either a new president who perpetuates Aoun’s
term or a president it can invest in and exploit until the kidnapped state
vanishes altogether. As far as Hezbollah is concerned, this brings it closer to
achieving its ultimate goal of taking over the country and annexing it, turning
it into part of the Ayatollah’s empire!
His term ended a long time ago, and it is his obsession to remain in power,
imposing himself on Lebanon and the Lebanese, that is being exposed. More than
ever, Lebanon is caught between two projects. One is Hezbollah’s project-
eroding the country so it can be annexed. The other is the October 17
Revolution’s project for change, which seeks to achieve the people’s hopes and
dreams of the establishment of a constitutional state of law and order in which
there is accountability, equality before justice is guaranteed, and pluralism
and democracy are safeguarded. This project demands political organization
around a comprehensive vision, leading to the emergence of a “historical bloc”
that cuts across regions and sects, creating a genuine political alternative.
The bloc of deputies elected by those aspiring to this change has been entrusted
to develop a reading of the situation, present a vision for how to change it,
and decide on a president that can help it do so. Without pushing delusions, the
major bet is on what they will do to ensure that the election of the new
president becomes a pitstop on the road to change. In parallel, there is also a
need to prepare for mass mobilization if we see the “legalized” seizure of the
seats won by deputies elected by the people in the hope that they could
facilitate change.
Bluntly put, with this dreadful, plunderous, murderous political class, the
state hijacked, and the sovereignty of the country and the constitution violated
repeatedly, we cannot rely on this class’s proposals. Even though they try to
hide it behind empty rhetoric about criteria and the eligibility of candidates,
their only goal is consolidating their positions of power with this
sectarian-quota-based spoil-sharing regime. Electing a president that meets the
political class’s criteria will not give us back our republic, reinstate the
constitution, or turn Lebanon into a country of law. It would only perpetuate
the vacuum. In light of the current balance of power, it would do little more
than strengthening the desire of the Lebanese to leave the hell that has become
their country.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on September 01-02/2022
Eleven Coptic Churches “Catch Fire” Over Two
Weeks in Egypt
Raymond Ibrahim/Coptic Solidarity/September
01/2022
The Church of Saint Bishoy in New Minya, one of the eleven churches to “catch
fire.”
Once again, only the proverbial tip of the iceberg of persecution Christians
experience throughout the Muslim world reaches the West: on Sunday, Aug. 14,
2022, U.S. media outlets reported that a Coptic church “caught fire,” leading to
41 Christian deaths, many of them children. The official explanation remains
that “faulty electric wiring” was responsible.
Left completely unreported in the Western press, however, is that, all
throughout the month of August—particularly within the dates of an important
religious season, when churches were especially packed—a total of eleven Coptic
churches in Egypt “caught fire.” Two (Imbaba and Minya) were major, some were
minor, and some were caught early enough to prevent serious damage, thanks to
heightened vigilance among the Christians themselves. A list of the eleven
follows:
Aug. 8: The Church of Saint Paul in Ard al-Golf, Cairo.
Aug. 14: The Church of Abu Seifein in Imbaba, Cairo (where the aforementioned 41
Christians were burned to death).
Aug. 15: The Church of the Holy Virgin and Saint Moses in Kirdassa, Giza.
Aug. 16: The Church of Saint Bishoy in New Minya.
Aug. 16: The Church of Saint Moses in the City of Six of October, Giza.
Aug. 17: The Church of Saint Moses the Black in Alexandria.
Aug. 19: The Church of the Holy Virgin and Abanoub in al-Baragil, Giza.
Aug. 20: The Church of Saint George in Badran, Cairo.
Aug. 20: The Church of the Angel Rafael in Ghayt al-‘Inab, Alexandria.
Aug 21: The Monastery of the Virgin in Drunka, Assiut.
Aug 16 & 21: The Church of Saint Mary the Egyptian in al-‘Imarawa, Alexandria.
In every one of these fires, Egyptian authorities denied arson as a possible
cause, citing instead “natural” or accidental causes such as faulty wiring,
electric overloads, etc.
Meanwhile, in the real world, the idea that arson was responsible for at least
some of the fires is immensely plausible if not probable—not least because
fanatic Muslims have literally set hundreds of Coptic Christian churches aflame
in Egypt over the decades (as discussed here). In fact, while the spectacle of
churches “catching fire” has become rather commonplace—a historic Catholic
church was just “reduced to ashes” in Canada, aka the “church-burning centre of
the Western world”—perhaps no nation can claim the “honor” of seeing so many of
its churches burn as Egypt.
There are, moreover, other curious “coincidences” surrounding these recent
church fires in Egypt. Not only did they all occur during an important holiday
on the Coptic Orthodox calendar—the Virgin Mary fast (Aug.7-21), when churches
are especially packed—but that timeframe also coincided with the “anniversary”
of when Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers torched 62 Coptic churches in Egypt in
2013, suggesting that the same elements may have been “commemorating” those
events by burning more churches and, in at least the case of the Church of Abu
Seifein, killing more Christians.
Finally, it’s worth noting that, although there are well over half a million
mosques and prayer halls in Egypt—compared to only some three thousand
churches—not one Muslim worship center “caught fire” during this same timeframe.
Trying to overturn the narrative that “faulty electric wiring” is behind all of
these recent church fires is not helped by the fact that what the Christian
victims themselves say is being suppressed and underreported in the Egyptian
media. The fires that erupted in the Church of Saint Mary the Egyptian are a
good case in point. On Aug. 16, witnesses saw someone on the balcony of a
residential building adjacent to the church twice hurl some combustible
substance onto the top floor of the church. Christians called the authorities
but instead of blaming the apartment in question—and thus risking worse by way
of “reprisals”—the church diplomatically asked the authorities to investigate
with due diligence, especially the nearby building. The only thing that came out
of it was another fiery missile hurled onto the church on Aug 21. The
facts—including those so easily deduced—speak for themselves. Meanwhile, whereas
Egypt is reporting all eleven of these church fires as unplanned “accidents,”
only one—where 41 Christians died (of “faulty wiring”)—received any mention at
all in Western media, perhaps lest readers connect the many not-so-coincidental
dots and reach their own conclusions.
Iranian Commander Says Time for Ground War Against
Israel
Israel Today/September 01/2022
Top Iranian military commander believes Hezbollah and the Palestinians are ready
to actually invade and conquer Israel. Israel might be powerful militarily, but
a top Iranian commander says that doesn’t mean it can’t be beaten with a
well-executed invasion. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s website
posted an interview this month with Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who argued that the Palestinians and Hezbollah
must launch a “ground war.” According to translations provided by MEMRI, Salami
lauded Palestinian and Hezbollah missile attacks on Israel, which have sparked
numerous recent mini-wars in southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. But, he
argued, “missiles are excellent for deterrence or for waging static wars. They
do not liberate the lands.”To actually achieve the Palestinians’ long-stated
goal of destroying Israel and supplanting it with a State of Palestine, they
must move beyond isolated terrorist assaults and missile barrages. One might
rightly wonder how in the world a Palestinian and Hezbollah ground force, even
one that numbered of many thousands of troops, could possibly overcome the air
power and armored forces at Israel’s disposal.
Salami believes this is possible because Israel’s army, as well-equipped as it
is, lacks the same level of religious fervor and belief that characterizes the
Hezbollah, the Palestinians and the Islamic Republic. He added: “The
Palestinians are ready today for ground warfare. Israel’s biggest weakness is
ground warfare.”With reporting by JNS.
Ex-IDF intel chief reveals more details on Israel's role
in Soleimani killing
Yonah Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/September 01/2022
"The Americans’ view of him was radically altered after they saw the
intelligence from us and the level of danger he [continued to] present to
Americans," former IDF intel. chief Tamir Heyman said. Why did former IDF
Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Tamir Heyman reveal in December 2021,
shortly after he had retired, that Israel assisted with intelligence aspects of
the US assassination of Qasem Soleimani? US drones assassinated the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander, a nemesis of Israel for decades,
as he left Baghdad Airport on January 3, 2020.
How extensive was Israel's role?
Although NBC News and Yahoo News had published detailed pieces about Israel’s
role, all official Israeli echelons had been mum on the issue. The censor had
actively prevented Israeli journalists, including those with The Jerusalem Post,
from providing details for nearly two years – until Heyman broke the news. So
why did Heyman, who is now managing director of the Institute for National
Security Studies (INSS) think tank, think it was appropriate to discuss Israel’s
role publicly, without fears about angering Iran into retaliation? In an
interview with the Post, he said: “I stand by what I announced. We gave
intelligence that incriminated and proved the responsibility of Soleimani for
killing Americans. The Americans’ view of him was radically altered after they
saw the intelligence from us and the level of danger he [continued to] present
to Americans.” “I stand by what I announced. We gave intelligence that
incriminated and proved the responsibility of Soleimani for killing Americans.
The Americans’ view of him was radically altered after they saw the intelligence
from us and the level of danger he [continued to] present to Americans.” Former
IDF Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Tamir Heyman. “The Americans needed
Soleimani during the fight against ISIS [which continued until 2017-2018],”
Heyman said. “But they did not forgive him for the attacks he had carried out
against Americans. Still, they understood he was necessary and effective against
ISIS. “There needed to be intelligence information to change things after ISIS.
He [Soleimani] rechanneled his violence toward Americans and [created new]
national security dangers for America. We gave this [intelligence information]
to them. This was the trigger that changed their concept of who Soleimani is. It
took a period of months, but eventually[,] they understood.”
What do the experts think about Iran?
According to many analysts, Iran has been constantly trying to target Israelis
with terrorist attacks. Reflecting on the larger impact of eliminating Soleimani,
Heyman said: “They accomplished one of the most successful operations against
Iran in the region even to this day. The assassination of Soleimani was a point
in which there was a paradigm shift. "They accomplished one of the most
successful operations against Iran in the region even to this day."Former IDF
Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Tamir Heyman “His successors have not been
as effective. He was a truly unique figure. It was like the architect of a
building disappearing, where the workers keep building. At the beginning, it
looks like the same building, but later the building loses aspects of its shape
because no one tells them when to build the roof and the porches.” Heyman broke
the news of Israeli intelligence involvement as part of an interview with Malam
magazine, which is published by the Israeli Intelligence Heritage and
Commemoration Center. “Soleimani’s assassination is an achievement since our
main enemies, in my eyes, are the Iranians,” he told Malam, discussing two major
assassination operations in which Israel played a role (with Soleimani referring
to an intelligence role). Heyman declined to address the specifics of Israel’s
intelligence role reported by NBC and Yahoo regarding allegedly tracking
Soleimani’s numerous cellphones and providing that tracking information to the
US.
Macron Hopeful of Iran Nuclear Deal in Next Few Days
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
France's president said on Thursday he hoped a deal to revive the Iran nuclear
deal would be concluded in the coming days. "I hope that in the next few days
the JCPOA will be concluded," Emmanuel Macron said, referring to the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action as the deal is formally known, in a speech to
French ambassadors. Iran needs stronger guarantees from Washington for the
revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, its foreign minister said in Moscow on
Wednesday, adding that the UN atomic watchdog should drop its "politically
motivated probes" of Tehran's nuclear work.
After 16 months of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington, EU foreign
policy chief Josep Borrell said on Aug. 8 the EU had laid down a final offer to
overcome an impasse for the revival of the agreement. Iran's top diplomat,
Hossein Amirabdollahian, said Tehran was carefully reviewing Washington's
response to the text, which was conveyed to Iran last week by the EU as
coordinator of the nuclear talks. "Iran is carefully reviewing the EU-drafted
text ... We need stronger guarantees from the other party to have a sustainable
deal," Amirabdollahian told a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart
in Moscow.
Israeli Missiles Target Aleppo Airport, Damascus
Countryside
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
Four Israeli missiles targeted a runway at Aleppo airport and warehouses in its
vicinity, causing fire and explosions, likely due to the outbreak of a batch of
Iranian missiles, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported. The
official Syrian News Agency (SANA) quoted a military source as saying that
Israel launched a missile on Aleppo airport, adding that the aggression caused
some material damage. An hour after the Aleppo airport was targeted, the
Observatory monitored Israeli shelling of military sites in the al-Kaswa area in
Damascus countryside, coinciding with the air defenses attacking targets over
the region. No casualties have been reported. This is the 23rd Israeli attack on
Syrian territory in 2022. The last Israeli strike in Syria was recorded last
week, when missile shelling targeted sites in the vicinity of Hama and Tartous
in western Syria. On August 25, the Observatory reported that Israeli jets
renewed their attacks in the west Hama countryside. The airstrikes targeted
positions and warehouses of Iranian-backed militias on Wadi al-Oyoun road, west
of Masyaf and the Scientific Research Center. Weapons and ammunition were
destroyed while the fire broke out in areas in the Masyaf countryside against
the backdrop of Israeli shelling and defense missiles that tried to confront the
strikes. No casualties were reported.
Israel Fires Missiles at Syrian Airports – Report
JNS/September 01/2022
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was the 23rd such attack of the
year.
(JNS) The Israel Air Force (IAF) launched missiles at the airport in the
northern Syria city of Aleppo on Wednesday, according to Syrian state media.
Subsequently, air-defense systems in Damascus fired at Israeli missiles aimed
south of the capital. “At nearly 8 p.m., the Israeli enemy targeted Aleppo
International Airport with a missile strike that caused material damage to the
airport,” a military source told Syrian state news agency SANA late in the day.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based opposition war monitor,
reported that this is the 23rd Israeli attack in Syria in 2022 and that the one
near the capital came about an hour after the one at the airport. “Four Israeli
shells hit a runway of the Aleppo International Airport and warehouses in its
vicinity, causing fire and explosions to erupt, likely to be due to the
explosion of a batch of Iranian missiles,” asserted the observatory. The
observatory also claimed that Russian and regime forces were positioned at the
airport. Furthermore, the Russians knew about the upcoming alleged Israeli
airstrikes and had begun mobilizing 10 minutes before the attack, according to
the organization.
Syrian FM Says Israel 'Playing with Fire'
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
Syria's foreign minister said on Thursday that Israel was "playing with fire"
following Israeli strikes near Damascus and on Aleppo's international airport
the previous evening. The strikes resulted in material damage only, according to
state news agency SANA, which said Syria's air defenses shot down a number of
Israeli missiles around the capital.In comments reported by SANA on Thursday,
Syria's top diplomat Faisal al-Meqdad said Israel was threatening regional
security. "Israel is playing with fire and is putting the regional military and
security situations at risk of an explosion," the agency reported him as saying.
"Syria will not remain silent regarding the repeated Israeli attacks and the
Israelis will pay the price sooner or later."Israel has staged numerous strikes
in Syria in recent years, mainly targeting weapons convoys or stores belonging
to allied fighters from Iran.
US Pressures for Calm in West Bank, Curbs Palestinian
Efforts for ‘Full UN Membership’
Ramallah -Kifah ZbounAsharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
The United States is pressuring the Palestinian Authority (PA) to stop its
request for "full UN membership" and pushing a plan to ensure calm in the West
Bank, according to a Palestinian source.The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the
US envoy, Hady Amr, arrived in Ramallah on Wednesday, ahead of the Assistant
Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf, who will visit Tel
Aviv and Ramallah. The source said that the US focuses on two main issues
including blocking the Palestinian movement to obtain full membership at the UN
because that would embarrass Washington, which may resort to veto at some point.
The second issue is maintaining calm in the West Bank, pushing forward Israeli
facilities, and strengthening the Palestinian economy. Leaf is supposed to
arrive in Tel Aviv first, where she will meet Israeli officials, including Shin
Bet chief Ronen Bar and National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata. According to the
Israeli Walla website, she will head to Ramallah and meet Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas and his aides. On Wednesday, Amr met Palestinian Prime Minister
Mohammad Shtayyeh, who stressed the need for the US to fulfill its promises
towards Palestine and support its move to request "full membership" in the UN.
Shtayyeh stressed that the Palestinian people and leadership are facing
considerable pressure. He explained that Israel is escalating its unprecedented
repressive measures, including the incursions into al-Aqsa mosque, arrests,
extrajudicial killings, and appropriation of land, and there is no political
horizon amid the problematic financial situation on the other. "We seek to
revive the political file again by requesting to become a full state membership
at the UN in light of the absence of political initiatives to resolve the
Palestinian issue," said Shtayyeh, calling on the US not to disrupt these
efforts and recognize the State of Palestine. The premier briefed the US envoy
on the progress in implementing the financial and administrative reform agenda
and steps taken in various fields to reduce expenditures and face the financial
crisis.He also discussed the financial challenges caused by the illegal Israeli
deductions of Palestinian tax revenues and the drop in international assistance.
Biden Urges Iraq 'National Dialogue' in Call with
Kadhimi
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
US President Joe Biden urged Iraqis Wednesday to support dialogue to resolve a
months-long political crisis that erupted into violence, in a call with Prime
Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Biden “commended” Kadhimi's “personal leadership
during escalating tensions and violence over a 24-hour period earlier this
week," the White House said in a statement after their call, adding the two
leaders agreed to stay in touch in the coming weeks. Biden and Kadhimi "welcomed
the return of security to the streets, and called on all Iraqi leaders to engage
in a national dialogue to forge a common way forward consistent with Iraq's
constitution and laws," the statement said. The US leader also voiced support
for "a sovereign and independent Iraq.”Kadhimi had in mid-August called for a
national dialogue involving main political leaders, although Shiite cleric
Muqtada al-Sadr did not agree to participate. Tensions escalated sharply Monday
when Sadr said he would quit politics, with his supporters storming an area in
Baghdad's high-security Green Zone in violence that killed 30 people.
Precarious calm in Baghdad as roots of crisis endure, US
praises Kadhimi's performance
Agents/The Arab Weekly/September 01/2022
Iraqi paramilitary forces killed in heavy clashes with the supporters of
powerful Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were laid to rest on Wednesday as Iraq’s
parliament speaker announced three days of mourning. Normal life crept back in
Baghdad after a bloody 24 hours when the supporters of Sadr clashed with Iraqi
security forces inside the heavily-fortified Green Zone, the seat of Iraq's
government. At least 30 people, both Sadr loyalists and Iraqi security forces,
were killed and over 400 people were wounded after trading fire for hours this
week. Sadr later called on his supporters to withdraw on Tuesday, spurring a
de-escalation of hostilities. Nevertheless, the threat of more clashes looms as
the political rivalry between Sadr and his Iran-backed rivals in the
Coordination Framework has not been settled. Tensions between the two camps are
still palpable and a way out of Iraq's ten-month political vacuum does not
appear within reach. Both camps disagree over the appropriate mechanism to
dissolve parliament and hold early elections, key demands of Sadr. His party won
the 2021 federal election but was not able to form a coalition government that
excluded his Iran-friendly rivals. Sadr's representative, who goes by the
Twitter moniker Mohammed Saleh al-Iraqi, called on Iran to “rein in her camel”
in Iraq, a reference to the Framework, or face the consequences. The strong
language was unusual from Sadr's camp, indicating tensions are still simmering.
The statement came in response to an earlier plea from the Framework calling on
the parliament to convene, a move Sadr's supporters prevented by storming the
legislative assembly in July. A funeral procession for four members of the
Popular Mobilisation Forces, a state-sanctioned umbrella of paramilitaries among
which Iran-backed Shia militias are the most powerful, was held in Baghdad. Key
leaders from the Framework attended.
Iraq's Parliament Speaker Mohammed Halbousi declared three days of mourning for
those killed in the clashes, according to a statement from his office.
Shop-owners in the capital's markets said they were relieved the army had lifted
the curfew, fearing a drawn-out conflict would have undermined their
livelihoods. Many residents said they feared a return to clashes. Both Prime
Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and President Ibrahim Salih warned the protagonists
on Tuesday that more violence and chaos could lead only to a political vacuum
that will undermine the stability and security of Iraq.Kadhimi also said he
would “vacate his post” if the complicated political situation in the country
continues. In the meanwhile, the Iraqi premier has received US support for his
handling of the crisis with a telephone call from President Biden. "The
President commended Prime Minister Kadhimi's personal leadership during
escalating tensions and violence over a 24-hour period earlier this week," the
White House said in a statement Wednesday after their call, adding the two
leaders agreed to stay in touch in the coming weeks. Biden and the Iraq prime
minister "welcomed the return of security to the streets" and called on local
leaders to engage in dialogue in line with Iraq's constitution, the White House
said. The White House said that Biden "praised the performance of the Iraqi
Security Forces and extended condolences to the families of those killed in the
recent fighting." The White House readout did not mention Sadr by name
Four Killed as Violent Clashes Move to Iraq's Basra
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
Four people were killed in clashes among rival Shiite militants in the southern
Iraqi city of Basra that took place overnight and on Thursday morning, local
security officials said. It was the latest violence to hit the country in a
political crisis that pits followers of Moqtada al-Sadr against mostly
Iran-aligned parties and paramilitary groups. The security officials said the
clashes took place in the center of Basra, Iraq's main oil-producing hub. Two of
those killed were members of Sadr's Peace Brigades militia, Reuters quoted them
as saying. Violence re-erupted in Iraq this week as armed supporters of Sadr
fought with security forces and Iran-aligned gunmen in Baghdad in the fiercest
street battles the capital has seen for years.An intractable political deadlock
between the two rival Shiite camps has left Iraq without a government since an
October election. It has also deepened dysfunction and instability as Iraqis
struggle to move on from decades of war, sanctions, civil strife and endemic
corruption.
Iraq’s Green Zone Breathes a Sigh of Relief as ‘Anxious’
Calm Returns to Baghdad
Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
Calm returned to Iraqi streets on Wednesday, with the Green Zone breathing a
sigh of relief after concrete barriers were removed from its surroundings,
allowing for all traffic to pass without exception. A day earlier, bloody
clashes had swept the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. Comprehensive conflict had erupted
between followers of the Sadrist Movement and the Coordination Framework.
Baghdad’s Republic Bridge and Suspension Bridge witnessed the return of normal
movement, which facilitated the crossing between the two sides of the Iraqi
capital. During the clashes, Sadrists assumed control of the Republic Bridge
while the Coordination Framework followers overran the Suspension Bridge. Taking
note of the ongoing dispute between Sadrist Movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr and
Coordination Framework leaders, observers described the calm that has returned
to the capital as “anxious.”Coordination Framework leaders, except for Hadi al-Amiri
and Haider al-Abadi, did not confront Sadr’s decision to stop the violence with
support. Instead, the group released a controversial statement that claims
victory over the Sadrist Movement. For his part, Sadr moved from exclusively
accusing armed factions of insolence to casting the accusation against the
entirety of the Coordination Framework and the government it intends to form. At
a time when the Iraqi President Barham Salih urged the Coordination Framework to
communicate with Sadr, to prepare for early elections, Prime Minister Mustafa
Al-Kadhimi threatened to vacate his position as prime minister. The situation
remains open to all possibilities, and attention is turning to what will be
issued by the Federal Supreme Court regarding the requests to dissolve the
Parliament. The court had decided to postpone consideration of the case to
dissolve Parliament until Thursday. On Tuesday, the Federal Supreme Court had
postponed hearing the case for dissolving Parliament against the background of a
general curfew and disruption of state institutions.
UN team heads to Ukraine nuclear plant despite shelling
Agence France Presse/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
U.N. inspectors pressed on towards a Russian-held nuclear plant in southern
Ukraine Thursday despite an early shelling attack, as the ICRC warned the
consequences of a strike on the facility could be "catastrophic". Just before
the 14-strong team from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) left for the
Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Ukraine said Russian troops had shelled the town
next door. The area around the plant -- Europe's largest nuclear facility -- has
suffered repeated shelling, with both sides accusing the other of
responsibility, sparking global concern over the risk of an accident.
"It is high time to stop playing with fire and instead take concrete measures to
protect this facility.. from any military operations," ICRC chief Robert Mardini
told reporters in Kyiv. "The slightest miscalculation could trigger devastation
that we will regret for decades."Ukraine's nuclear agency Energoatom said later
that one of the six reactors at the Russian-held nuclear plant was shut down
Thursday as an emergency protection measure following the shelling in the area.
"Today at 4:57 am (0157 GMT), due to another mortar shelling by the Russian
occupying forces at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant site, the emergency
protection was activated and operating power unit 5 was shut down," it said.
Mardini said it was "encouraging" that the IAEA team was en route to inspect the
plant because the stakes were "immense"."When hazardous sites become
battlegrounds, the consequences for millions of people and the environment can
be catastrophic and last many years," he said. Just before leaving the southern
city of Zaporizhzhia, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said his team had been updated
about the shelling but would press on anyway. "We are not stopping," he vowed,
despite being aware there that in crossing the frontline into Russian-held
territory, there was a security "grey area.. where the risks are significant".
"I believe we have to proceed with this. We have a very important mission to
accomplish."
Fresh shelling attack
Earlier, the mayor of Energodar, the town next to the plant, said it had come
under sustained attack early on Thursday. In an 8:00 am (0500 GMT) update on
Telegram, Mayor Dmytro Orlov said that since dawn, Russian troops had "shelled
Energodar with mortars and used automatic weapons and rockets," posting images
of damaged buildings and spiraling smoke. But Moscow accused Kyiv of smuggling
in up to 60 military "saboteurs", saying they reached the area near the plant
just after dawn and that Russian troops had taken "measures to annihilate the
enemy". Grossi on Wednesday said the IAEA would seek to establish a "permanent
presence" at the plant to avoid a nuclear disaster at the facility which is
located on the frontline of the fighting. "My mission is... to prevent a nuclear
accident and preserve the largest nuclear power plant in Europe," he said.
- 'Explicit safety guarantees' -
Although Zaporizhzhia is normally about a two-hour drive from the plant, it was
not immediately long it would take the IAEA team to get there after crossing the
frontline into Russian-held areas. The plant has been occupied by Russian troops
since March and Ukraine has accused Russia of deploying hundreds of soldiers and
storing ammunition there. Both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of
staging "provocations" aimed at disrupting the work of the IAEA mission. "Sadly,
Russia is not stopping its provocations precisely in the direction the mission
needs to travel to reach the plant," President Volodymyr Zelensky said late
Tuesday after meeting Grossi. And in Moscow, the Russian defense ministry
accused Kyiv of "continued provocations aimed at disrupting the work of the IAEA
mission" saying it had shelled the area around the plant on Tuesday hitting a
building containing "the solid radioactive waste processing complex".
- Counteroffensive in the south -
Meanwhile, intensive fighting raged across the nearby southern region of Kherson
where Ukraine began a counteroffensive on Monday. Most of the region and its
provincial capital of the same name were seized by Russian forces at the start
of the invasion six months ago. With the war in the eastern Donbas region
largely stalled, analysts have said for weeks that combat is likely to shift
south to break the stalemate before winter comes. Meanwhile, a British medic
volunteering in Ukraine died in the fighting, the foreign ministry in London
said on Thursday. It said he had died on August 24 but gave no further details.
Australia, France deepen defense ties after breakdown
Associated Press/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
Australia and France are strengthening their defense cooperation and deepening
their diplomatic ties, officials said Thursday, as the two countries seek to
heal wounds from a controversy over a secret submarine contract that infuriated
France a year ago.
During his last stop on a European tour, Australian Defense Minister Richard
Marles assured France that his country is trying to "turn the page" and "move
on" from the breakdown in relations. The controversy erupted after Australia
canceled a military contract with France that was worth billions of euros
(dollars) and took its business instead to the United States and Britain. "It's
critically important that our relationship moves forward with frankness, with
respect and with honesty," Marles said in a joint statement with his French
counterpart, Sébastien Lecornu, in the western French port city of Brest. The
two ministers said they were committed to projects that will strengthen their
joint defense capabilities and protect their "shared interests in a prosperous,
resilient and secure" Indo-Pacific region. They agreed to "enhance military
cooperation," including more robust joint military exercises, joint regional
deployments, training activities and improved sharing of intelligence. "Like all
friendships, it has experienced ups and downs," Lecornu, the French defense
minister, said of their bilateral relations.
To China's fury, UN accuses Beijing of Uyghur rights
abuses
Associated Press/Thursday, 1 September, 2022
The U.N. accused China of serious human rights violations that may amount to
"crimes against humanity" in a long-delayed report examining a crackdown on
Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups. Beijing on Thursday denounced the
assessment as a fabrication cooked up by Western nations. Human rights groups
have accused China of sweeping a million or more people from the minority groups
into detention camps where many have said they were tortured, sexually
assaulted, and forced to abandon their language and religion. The camps were
just one part of what the rights organizations have called a ruthless campaign
against extremism in the far western province of Xinjiang that also included
draconian birth control policies and all-encompassing restrictions on people's
movement. The assessment from the Geneva-based U.N. human rights office largely
corroborated earlier reporting by researchers, advocacy groups and the news
media, and it added the weight of the world body to the conclusions. But it was
not clear what impact it would have.
Still, among Uyghurs who have fled overseas, there was a palpable sense of
relief that the report had finally seen the light of day since many worried that
it would never be published. Several saw it as a vindication of their cause and
of years of advocacy work.
"The report is pretty damning, and a strong indictment on China's crimes against
humanity," said Rayhan Asat, a Uyghur lawyer whose brother is imprisoned in
Xinjiang. "For years, the Chinese government has said the Uyghurs are
terrorists. Now, we can point to them and say, you're the terrorists." Human
rights groups, Japan and Germany also quickly welcomed the report, which had
become caught up in a tug-of-war between China and major Western nations as well
as human rights groups that have criticized the repeated delays in releasing the
document. Many Geneva diplomats believe it was nearly complete a year ago. The
assessment released late Wednesday concluded that China has committed serious
human rights violations under its anti-terrorism and anti-extremism policies and
calls for "urgent attention" from the U.N., the world community and China itself
to address them. Human rights groups renewed calls for the U.N. Human Rights
Council, which meets next month, to set up an independent international body to
investigate the allegations. But China showed no sign of backing off its blanket
denials or portraying the criticism as a politicized smear campaign.
"The assessment is a patchwork of false information that serves as political
tools for the U.S. and other Western countries to strategically use Xinjiang to
contain China," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said. "It again shows
that the U.N. Human Rights Office has been reduced to an enforcer and accomplice
of the U.S. and other Western countries."In a sign of China's fury, it issued a
122-page rebuttal, entitled "Fight against Terrorism and Extremism in Xinjiang:
Truth and Facts," that was posted by the U.N. along with the report.
The U.N. findings were drawn in part from interviews with more than two dozen
former detainees and others familiar with conditions at eight detention centers.
They described being beaten with batons, interrogated while water was poured on
their faces and forced to sit motionless on smalls stools for long periods. Some
said they were prevented from praying — and were made to take shifts through the
night to ensure their fellow detainees were not praying or breaking other rules.
Women told of being forced to perform oral sex on guards or undergo
gynecological exams in front of large groups of people. The report said that
descriptions of the detentions were marked by patterns of torture and other
cruel and inhumane treatment and that allegations of rape and other sexual
violence appeared credible. "The extent of arbitrary and discriminatory
detention of members of Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim groups ... in
(the) context of restrictions and deprivation more generally of fundamental
rights ... may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against
humanity," the report said.
It made no mention of genocide, which some countries, including the United
States, have accused China of committing in Xinjiang.The rights office said it
could not confirm estimates that a million or more people were detained in the
internment camps in Xinjiang, but added it was "reasonable to conclude that a
pattern of large-scale arbitrary detention occurred" at least between 2017 and
2019. Beijing has closed many of the camps, which it called vocational training
and education centers, but hundreds of thousands of people continue to languish
in prison, many on vague, secret charges.
The report called on China to release all individuals arbitrarily detained and
to clarify the whereabouts of those who have disappeared and whose families are
seeking information about them.
Japan, which has recently become more vocal in its criticism of China's conduct
in Xinjiang, was one of the first foreign governments to comment on the report.
"Japan is highly concerned about human rights conditions in Xinjiang, and we
believe that it is important that universal values such as freedom, basic human
rights and rule of law are also guaranteed in China," Chief Cabinet Secretary
Hirokazu Matsuno said.
A German Foreign Ministry statement also welcomed the publication of the report,
saying it confirms there is cause for the "greatest concern." It called for the
immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained and said that Germany was
working with the EU to combat the use of forced labor — as has been alleged in
the production of goods from Xinjiang that eventually are sold around the world.
Human Rights Watch said the report laid a solid foundation for further U.N.
action to establish accountability for the abuses.
"Never has it been so important for the U.N. system to stand up to Beijing, and
to stand with victims," said John Fisher, the deputy director of global advocacy
for the group.
Rahima Mahmut, U.K. director of the World Uyghur Congress, said she was relieved
the report is finally out -- but had no hope it would change the Chinese
government's behavior and called on the international community to send a signal
to Beijing that "business cannot be as usual."That the report was released was
in some ways as important as its contents. U.N. High Commissioner for Human
Rights Michelle Bachelet said she had to resist pressure both to publish and not
publish. She had announced in June that the report would be released by end of
her four-year term on Aug. 31, triggering a swell in back-channel campaigns —
including letters from civil society, civilians and governments on both sides of
the issue. The report was published just minutes before her tenure officially
ended. Critics had said a failure to publish the report would have been a
glaring black mark on her tenure.
"The inexcusable delay in releasing this report casts a stain" on the record of
the U.N. human rights office, said Agnès Callamard, the secretary-general of
Amnesty International, "but this should not deflect from its significance."
The Latest LCCC English analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on September 01-02/2022
A Deal Based on Lies: The Iran Nuclear Agreement Will
Make War More Likely
Richard Kemp/Gatestone Institute./September 01/2022
These are the effects of the proposed nuclear deal brokered by the EU, Russia
and China. Why is it brokered by the EU, Russia and China? Because the United
States was outrageously banned from direct negotiations by Tehran. It is not
outrageous that Iran demanded it, but that the US tolerated its own exclusion.
[T]he deal that is about to emerge will be even worse [than the 2015 deal]. The
argument of the "bad" dealers is that it buys time for the West, with
Micawberish optimism that "something will turn up". This thinking is clear from
President Biden's preposterous hope that he can "lengthen and strengthen" the
deal once it has been struck.
While in office, Obama declared that Iran would not be allowed to build nuclear
weapons on his watch. He must have known that the only way to prevent that was
through military action or perhaps crippling sanctions, but was unwilling to do
either and the result was the JCPOA, which kicked the problem down the road onto
someone else's watch.
Tehran can legitimately commence operation of advanced uranium enrichment
centrifuges in two years, all the while working flat out to develop
nuclear-capable ballistic missiles that, along with Iran's terrorist activities,
are not covered at all in the agreement.
The "buying time" argument, and indeed an argument for any agreement, only works
if you do not understand Iran and are naive enough to believe the regime will
honor what it agrees to.
The reality that the optimistic and the unschooled fail to grasp is that the
regime in Tehran will ignore constraints imposed by the deal that it does not
like.
Tehran will continue to develop the nuclear capability that it sees as its right
— deal or no deal — at the speed it wants until it is physically stopped from
doing so. Whatever shape Biden's deal takes there are only downsides for the
West and the Middle East and only upsides for Tehran.
More than that, according to Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid, Tehran will
receive $100 billion a year as a result of lifted sanctions.
Released from sanctions, Iran will be used as an economic refuge by Moscow to
evade its own international sanctions.
Under the draft deal, Iran will be able to retain the uranium that it has been
illicitly producing since the original JCPOA, enriched beyond any requirements
for a peaceful nuclear programme.... [I]t seems likely that Russia — despite its
own repeated nuclear threats — will be handed control of this existing uranium
stockpile.
This chilling scenario — for which the world will pay a very high price — is
about to be made more likely by the ill-judged actions of governments in America
and Europe, which lack the resolve and courage to apply sufficient economic
pressure and military deterrence to put a stop to Iranian nuclear ambitions.
Instead, as they did in response to Russian aggression, they are again opting
for appeasement, the opium of the faint-hearted.
Under the proposed renewed nuclear deal, Iran can legitimately commence
operation of advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges in two years, all the while
working flat out to develop nuclear-capable ballistic missiles that, along with
its terrorist activities, are not covered at all in the agreement. Pictured:
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during a press conference in Tehran on
August 29, 2022.
As Western governments quake in the face of Russian nuclear threats, they are on
the verge of striking a deal that will give Iran that same power over them.
Even after six months of war in Europe, they cannot seem to grasp the parallels
between the two. Putin risked invading Ukraine because of Western weakness and
appeasement, naively welcoming Russia back into the family of nations after it
devoured large parts of Ukraine in 2014, while at the same time filling its war
chests with ever more billions of euros from energy exports to Europe.
Iran has been waging war non-stop on the West and its allies in the Middle East
since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Appeasing Tehran by endorsing its nuclear
programme and handing it billions of dollars from sanctions relief will likewise
empower and encourage the ayatollahs to greater aggression even than hitherto.
These are the effects of the proposed nuclear deal brokered by the EU, Russia
and China. Why is it brokered by the EU, Russia and China? Because the United
States was outrageously banned from direct negotiations by Tehran. It is not
outrageous that Iran demanded it, but that the US tolerated its own exclusion.
The feeble mantra of the apologists for President Joe Biden's JCPOA 2.0, a
desperate attempt to revive President Barack Obama's failed agreement from 2015
that paved the way to an Iranian nuclear bomb, is "a bad deal is better than no
deal". Well, no it is not, and the deal that is about to emerge will be even
worse. The argument of the "bad" dealers is that it buys time for the West, with
Micawberish optimism that "something will turn up". This thinking is clear from
Biden's preposterous hope that he can "lengthen and strengthen" the deal once it
has been struck. But optimism is not a strategy and it certainly is not a
strategy for dealing with a violent and volatile revolutionary regime dedicated
to the destruction of the Jewish state, which it sees as the proxy of its
ultimate enemy, America.
While in office, Obama declared that Iran would not be allowed to build nuclear
weapons on his watch. He must have known that the only way to prevent that was
through military action or perhaps crippling sanctions, but was unwilling to do
either and the result was the JCPOA, which kicked the problem down the road onto
someone else's watch.
Unfortunately the road was short — and is now shorter still. The sunset clauses
in Obama's JCPOA are not going to be extended in this new deal, and that means
Tehran can legitimately commence operation of advanced uranium enrichment
centrifuges in two years, all the while working flat out to develop
nuclear-capable ballistic missiles that, along with Iran's terrorist activities,
are not covered at all in the agreement. At best Biden's new deal just boots the
can down the road to his own successor.
The "buying time" argument, and indeed an argument for any agreement, only works
if you do not understand Iran and are naive enough to believe the regime will
honour what it agrees to. You only need to look across the border at the
equivalent jihadist entity next door in Afghanistan, which Biden assured us was
somehow reformed and had undertaken not to allow Al Qaida to rebuild its base
there, only to find a year later its leader living and plotting in Kabul under
the protection of the Taliban leadership.
The reality that the optimistic and the unschooled fail to grasp is that the
regime in Tehran will ignore constraints imposed by the deal that it does not
like. That is what it did with the original JCPOA and its other international
undertakings including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that it has
frequently breached, confirmed again earlier this year by the International
Atomic Energy Agency.
As Mossad chief David Barnea said a few days ago, the deal is "based on lies".
Tehran will continue to develop the nuclear capability that it sees as its right
— deal or no deal — at the speed it wants until it is physically stopped from
doing so. Whatever shape Biden's deal takes there are only downsides for the
West and the Middle East and only upsides for Tehran. Signing the deal will give
Iran renewed legitimacy (while getting Biden and his European friends off the
hook of having to confront reality). More than that, according to Israeli Prime
Minister Yair Lapid, Tehran will receive $100 billion a year as a result of
lifted sanctions.
Those dollars will enable Iran to speed up its nuclear programme, including
development of ballistic missiles capable of launching nuclear warheads not just
across the Middle East but also to Europe and the US. Those dollars will boost
Iran's regional aggression, threatening Saudi Arabia and the UAE from Yemen,
threatening Israel from Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, and threatening the US, Europe
and the world with its global network of terrorist proxies and followers. This
violent malignity, which will shift into overdrive with a massive cash
injection, was most recently exhibited by Tehran's proxies in Gaza launching
thousands of missiles at Israel in August, by rocket attacks in Syria that
wounded US servicemen just a few days ago, by the attempt to murder Salman
Rushdie in the US and by recently-revealed Iranian assassination plots against
former members of the Trump administration. All that while dictating terms at
the negotiating table.
Missing no opportunity to exploit Western spinelessness, there is also a
significant upside for Tehran's ally Russia, which has been in bed with America,
Europe and Iran over the negotiations while at the same time inflicting untold
violence in Ukraine. Released from sanctions, Iran will be used as an economic
refuge by Moscow to evade its own international sanctions. It will be no comfort
to Western citizens to know that their governments are taking action that will
ease Russian pain while they themselves endure enormous economic suffering as a
result of the very restrictions Putin will bypass.
Under the draft deal, Iran will be able to retain the uranium that it has been
illicitly producing since the original JCPOA, enriched beyond any requirements
for a peaceful nuclear programme. In a twist that many will find shocking, it
seems likely that Russia — despite its own repeated nuclear threats — will be
handed control of this existing uranium stockpile. Taken together with the
benefits that will accrue to China also, which last year concluded a long-term
economic agreement with Iran, this deal clearly runs counter to American and
European national security interests as well as Israel's. This is not a
strategic misjudgement that might only be discovered downstream; it is blatantly
obvious today.
As the deal legitimises the Islamic Republic, it will delegitimise the vital
efforts of those who have no choice but to deal with it or risk annihilation.
Sometimes with US and British assistance, Israel has been conducting a long-term
covert campaign to contain and delay Iran's nuclear project. This campaign,
which must continue, will be seen in a different light by Western governments
once the deal is in place — a deal that they will be every bit as desperate to
be seen publicly to succeed as they have been to bring it about.
Twice before, Israel has saved the world from nuclear catastrophe in the Middle
East, by bombing an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 and a Syrian reactor in 2007.
Both raids were condemned by world leaders at the time, who only later came to
comprehend the enormity of what they had been delivered from. Imagine the
reactions of Western governments to such action against Iran when a deal is in
place. Destroying the Iranian nuclear infrastructure, while at the same time
defending against the inferno Tehran will seek to unleash using its Hizballah
proxies in Lebanon, will be a challenge infinitely greater than that faced by
Israel in Iraq or Syria.
This chilling scenario — for which the world will pay a very high price — is
about to be made more likely by the ill-judged actions of governments in America
and Europe, which lack the resolve and courage to apply sufficient economic
pressure and military deterrence to put a stop to Iranian nuclear ambitions.
Instead, as they did in response to Russian aggression, they are again opting
for appeasement, the opium of the faint-hearted.
*Colonel Richard Kemp is a former British Army Commander. He was also head of
the international terrorism team in the U.K. Cabinet Office and is now a writer
and speaker on international and military affairs. He is a Jack Roth Charitable
Foundation Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2022 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Hamas in Turkey: Money Laundering, Turkish Passports,
Government Collusion and Terror Bank Accounts
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute./September 01/2022
Beside Erdoğan's regular antisemitic outbursts, other alarming issues -- such as
Hamas' secret investment portfolio in Turkey and Turkey's granting passports to
Hamas terrorists -- need to be addressed by Turkish government authorities.
See the US Treasury's list of specially designated nationals whose businesses
operate in Turkey and elsewhere.
"It seems that Hamas has chosen to manage its secret investment portfolio in
Turkey because of the weak financial system in Turkey, which enables Hamas to
hide its money laundering activity and tax violations from the regulatory
bodies. Trend Gyo, controlled by Hamas, has five subsidiaries in Turkey. Senior
officials in the investment portfolio hold dual, high-ranking positions in all
five companies." — Double Cheque, February 2, 2018.
As Turkey-Israel relations appear to be entering a so-called "new phase", the
government of Turkey needs to publicly explain the following: When Hamas began
operating in Turkey, what its political, financial, military, and diplomatic
activities have been there, how many Hamas terrorists have lived in Turkey, and
why Turkey has enabled them. Why did Turkey give them Turkish citizenship? And
if they really deported a few of them, what has changed? Does Turkey see Hamas
as a terrorist organization now? How many Hamas terrorists remain in Turkey as
of today? And why?
[A] senior Turkish official and other sources told Middle East Eye that Turkey
had not expelled any Hamas members and was not planning to expel the Muslim
Brotherhood presence in the country, either. As Hamas is the Palestinian branch
of the Muslim Brotherhood, it is probably not a reach to assume that Turkey has
no plans to ask Hamas to leave any time soon.
Until the Turkish government officials honestly and transparently answer these
questions and take concrete steps to end Hamas' presence in Turkey, its
"rapprochement" with Israel should be understood only as an unauthentic attempt
to benefit Erdoğan's regime and harm Israel.
Beside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's regular antisemitic outbursts,
other alarming issues -- such as Hamas' secret investment portfolio in Turkey
and Turkey's granting passports to Hamas terrorists -- need to be addressed by
Turkish government authorities. Pictured: Erdoğan (right) honors Hamas leader
Ismail Haniyeh at the Parliament in Ankara, Turkey on January 3, 2012.
"Tayyip [Erdoğan] is a Jew who pretends to be a Muslim," wrote Yüksel Üstün, on
his Facebook account in 2020. In November 2021, a criminal court sentenced Üstün
with a fine of 7,000 Turkish liras ($385) for "insulting the president." In the
complaint, filed by Hüseyin Aydın, an attorney for President Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan, the expression "Jew" (when applied to Erdoğan) was deemed "humiliating,
damaging to honor and dignity."
The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the city in which Üstün resides filed
the lawsuit against Üstün after the Ministry of Justice gave permission to
prosecute him. The indictment argued that the suspect committed the alleged
crime in his post by "offending the honor, dignity and respectability of the
president". The court initially sentenced the defendant to 10 months and 20 days
in prison. The judge later commuted the sentence to a judicial fine. The
defendant nearly went to prison for calling Erdoğan "a Jew."
Ironically, the government of Erdoğan, who believes that being called Jewish is
an "insult", now claims to be in the process of "normalizing" its relations with
Israel.
Beside Erdoğan's regular antisemitic outbursts, other alarming issues -- such as
Hamas' secret investment portfolio in Turkey and Turkey's granting passports to
Hamas terrorists -- need to be addressed by Turkish government authorities.
On May 24, according to the US Treasury Department, the United States imposed
sanctions on a Hamas finance official as well as a network of financial
facilitators and companies that generated revenue for the terror group.
The sanctions target Hamas's Investment Office, which holds assets estimated to
be worth more than $500 million. This includes companies operating in Turkey,
Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates, again according to a
statement issued by the US Treasury Department.
"Today's action targets the individuals and companies that Hamas uses to conceal
and launder funds," said Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist
Financing and Financial Crimes Elizabeth Rosenberg while in Israel to discuss
countering terror financing.
"Hamas has generated vast sums of revenue through its secret investment
portfolio while destabilizing Gaza, which is facing harsh living and economic
conditions. Hamas maintains a violent agenda that harms both Israelis and
Palestinians. The United States is committed to denying Hamas the ability to
generate and move funds and to holding Hamas accountable for its role in
promoting and carrying out violence in the region."
In mid-2017, Usama Ali was appointed as the head of the Hamas Investment Office,
a position from which he coordinated financial transfers for the terrorist
group. The US Treasury statement noted:
"Hisham Younis Yahia Qafisheh (Qafisheh) is a Turkey-based Jordanian national
who served as Usama Ali's deputy and played an important role in transferring
funds on behalf of various companies linked to Hamas's investment portfolio.
Qafisheh was involved in managing the operations or held key roles in several
companies controlled by Hamas including serving as a member of the Board of
Directors at Sudan-based Agrogate Holding and the Deputy Chairman of the Board
at Turkey-based Trend GYO, and Chairman of the Board at Sudan-based Al Rowad
Real Estate Development. Qafisheh also managed Anda Company, a real estate and
construction business, which was based in Saudi Arabia.
"As of 2018, Hamas elements held about 75 percent of the issued capital at
Turkey-based company Trend GYO. Additionally, Hamas planned to privately issue
more than $15 million of Trend GYO's shares to senior officials in the
investment portfolio."
See the US Treasury's list of specially designated nationals whose businesses
operate in Turkey and elsewhere.
The database of the website Double Cheque, which helps companies refrain from
business activity that facilitates terrorism, lists the subsidiaries of Trend
GYO, a real estate investment trust ("gayrimenkul yatırım ortaklığı" in Turkish)
located in Turkey, as follows:
IYS Yapi Co, a contracting company, and a subsidiary of Trend Gyo. Its CEO is
Hamas operative Walid Jadallah. The chairman of the board of directors is Hamas
operative Hisham Qafisheh.
Expert Yapi Co, another contracting company in Turkey and Trend subsidiary. Its
CEO is Hamas operative Amer al-Shava.
Uzmanlar Co, a construction company and subsidiary of Anda Gayrimenkul Co. The
company was established in 2001. The CEO is Hamas operative Ahmad Jahleb. The
partners in the company and members of the board of directors are Hamas
operatives Ahmad Odeh, Ahmad al-Maghrebi, Amar al-Shava, Ahmad Jahleb, and Ayman
al-Duwaik, and Hamas facilitator Muhammad Bin Mahfouz. This company established
two subsidiaries in 2014, one that imports and exports air conditioners and
elevators, and the other in the tourism sector. The company operates in Jordan,
Dubai, and Saudi Arabia as well.
Advancity Co., is a construction contracting company and subsidiary of Anda
Gayrimenkul Co. It was founded in 2014. The company's CEO and chairman of the
board is Hamas operative Amar al-Shava.
AG Yapi Co., a construction contracting company and subsidiary of Anda
Gayrimenkul Co. It was founded in 2007. The company shareholders and board
members include: Hisham Qafisheh (20%), Muhammad Bin Mahfouz (15%), Saleh
Mangoush (20%), and Amar al-Shava (1%).
According to Double Cheque:
"It seems that Hamas has chosen to manage its secret investment portfolio in
Turkey because of the weak financial system in Turkey, which enables Hamas to
hide its money laundering activity and tax violations from the regulatory
bodies. Trend Gyo, controlled by Hamas, has five subsidiaries in Turkey. Senior
officials in the investment portfolio hold dual, high-ranking positions in all
five companies.
"Trend Gyo has been traded on the Istanbul stock exchange since 2018. Raising
funds via a public company that is traded on the Istanbul stock exchange is
unprecedented in the extent of the risk posed by the terror organization to all
investors, banks, accountants, and lawyers involved.
"In addition to the banking, business, and regulatory sectors, unwitting
customers who buy apartments are unaware that they are purchasing real estate
from a terror organization that is incapable of providing financial backing in
case of a collapse. The correspondent banks linked to the banks that manage the
investment portfolio accounts are also subject to fines and audits."
These companies are not the only way that the Turkish government has enabled
Hamas. In 2020, The Telegraph reported that Turkey was in the process of
granting citizenship to high-ranking Hamas members living in the country, who
are suspected of involvement in directing terror attacks. Of the 12 senior
members of the cell, most were already given citizenship, according to the
British daily.
One of those who has apparently received citizenship is Zacharia Najib. He
reportedly oversaw a plot to assassinate senior Israeli public figures,
including the national police commissioner and Nir Barkat, who at that time was
mayor of Jerusalem and is today a Member of Knesset. The Times of Israel
reported that an East Jerusalem Palestinian-Arab, who was recruited to the cause
during a meeting in Istanbul, was arrested after he returned to Israel and tried
to buy a pistol.
Roey Gilad, chargé d'affaires at Israel's embassy in Turkey, confirmed the
reports. "Some are in the process, some already got (the documents), but we are
talking about around a dozen". Gilad said Israel has evidence of the
arrangements.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan met several times with delegations of Hamas leadership,
including its leader Ismail Haniyeh and deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri, both of
whom have a $5 million bounty on their heads after being designated as
terrorists by the US.
Erdoğan also received Haniyeh alongside the accompanying delegation at
Istanbul's Vahdettin Palace.
The Erdoğan regime's close relationship with Hamas might be explained by the
ideological agreement between the two entities. In 2017, Erdoğan targeted the
Jewish people by referring to a hadith (traditional accounts of Islam's prophet
Muhammad's deeds and sayings) about Judgement Day. "Those who think they are the
owners of Jerusalem today will not even be able to find trees to hide behind
tomorrow," he declared, ironically during a "Human Rights Day" event in Ankara
on December 10, 2017. Erdoğan's comment came in response to the U.S.
administration's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. According to the
hadith, for the "the coming of the hour," the Jews must suffer a violent death
to the last one.
The Hamas Charter also refers to the same hadith:
"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing
the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees
will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only
the Gharkad tree, would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews."
(related by al-Bukhari and Moslem)."
Meanwhile, a Palestinian official told the Israel daily Israel Hayom this past
April that "Some of the people with ties to Hamas' military wing have been
deported" from Turkey. A month later, however, a senior Turkish official and
other sources told Middle East Eye that Turkey had not expelled any Hamas
members and was not planning to expel the Muslim Brotherhood presence in the
country, either. As Hamas is the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood,
it is probably not a reach to assume that Turkey has no plans to ask Hamas to
leave any time soon.
Hamas continues to operate an office -- or more -- in Turkey. The Israeli chargé
d'affaires in Turkey, Irit Lillian, said on August 26 that Israel "expects
Turkey to close the Hamas office and send the activists there away from here."
As Turkey-Israel relations appear to be entering a so-called "new phase", the
government of Turkey needs to publicly explain the following: When Hamas began
operating in Turkey, what its political, financial, military, and diplomatic
activities have been there, how many Hamas terrorists have lived in Turkey, and
why Turkey has enabled them. Why did Turkey give them Turkish citizenship? And
if they really deported a few of them, what has changed? Does Turkey see Hamas
as a terrorist organization now? How many Hamas terrorists remain in Turkey as
of today? And why?
Until the Turkish government officials honestly and transparently answer these
questions and take concrete steps to end Hamas's presence in Turkey, its
"rapprochement" with Israel should be understood only as an unauthentic attempt
to benefit Erdogan's regime and harm Israel.
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the
Gatestone Institute.
A Deal Based on Lies: The Iran Nuclear Agreement Will Make
War More Likely
Richard Kemp/Gatestone Institute./September 01/2022
These are the effects of the proposed nuclear deal brokered by the EU, Russia
and China. Why is it brokered by the EU, Russia and China? Because the United
States was outrageously banned from direct negotiations by Tehran. It is not
outrageous that Iran demanded it, but that the US tolerated its own exclusion.
[T]he deal that is about to emerge will be even worse [than the 2015 deal]. The
argument of the "bad" dealers is that it buys time for the West, with
Micawberish optimism that "something will turn up". This thinking is clear from
President Biden's preposterous hope that he can "lengthen and strengthen" the
deal once it has been struck.
While in office, Obama declared that Iran would not be allowed to build nuclear
weapons on his watch. He must have known that the only way to prevent that was
through military action or perhaps crippling sanctions, but was unwilling to do
either and the result was the JCPOA, which kicked the problem down the road onto
someone else's watch.
Tehran can legitimately commence operation of advanced uranium enrichment
centrifuges in two years, all the while working flat out to develop
nuclear-capable ballistic missiles that, along with Iran's terrorist activities,
are not covered at all in the agreement.
The "buying time" argument, and indeed an argument for any agreement, only works
if you do not understand Iran and are naive enough to believe the regime will
honor what it agrees to.
The reality that the optimistic and the unschooled fail to grasp is that the
regime in Tehran will ignore constraints imposed by the deal that it does not
like.
Tehran will continue to develop the nuclear capability that it sees as its right
— deal or no deal — at the speed it wants until it is physically stopped from
doing so. Whatever shape Biden's deal takes there are only downsides for the
West and the Middle East and only upsides for Tehran.
More than that, according to Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid, Tehran will
receive $100 billion a year as a result of lifted sanctions.
Released from sanctions, Iran will be used as an economic refuge by Moscow to
evade its own international sanctions.
Under the draft deal, Iran will be able to retain the uranium that it has been
illicitly producing since the original JCPOA, enriched beyond any requirements
for a peaceful nuclear programme.... [I]t seems likely that Russia — despite its
own repeated nuclear threats — will be handed control of this existing uranium
stockpile.
This chilling scenario — for which the world will pay a very high price — is
about to be made more likely by the ill-judged actions of governments in America
and Europe, which lack the resolve and courage to apply sufficient economic
pressure and military deterrence to put a stop to Iranian nuclear ambitions.
Instead, as they did in response to Russian aggression, they are again opting
for appeasement, the opium of the faint-hearted.
Under the proposed renewed nuclear deal, Iran can legitimately commence
operation of advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges in two years, all the while
working flat out to develop nuclear-capable ballistic missiles that, along with
its terrorist activities, are not covered at all in the agreement. Pictured:
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during a press conference in Tehran on
August 29, 2022.
As Western governments quake in the face of Russian nuclear threats, they are on
the verge of striking a deal that will give Iran that same power over them.
Even after six months of war in Europe, they cannot seem to grasp the parallels
between the two. Putin risked invading Ukraine because of Western weakness and
appeasement, naively welcoming Russia back into the family of nations after it
devoured large parts of Ukraine in 2014, while at the same time filling its war
chests with ever more billions of euros from energy exports to Europe.
Iran has been waging war non-stop on the West and its allies in the Middle East
since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Appeasing Tehran by endorsing its nuclear
programme and handing it billions of dollars from sanctions relief will likewise
empower and encourage the ayatollahs to greater aggression even than hitherto.
These are the effects of the proposed nuclear deal brokered by the EU, Russia
and China. Why is it brokered by the EU, Russia and China? Because the United
States was outrageously banned from direct negotiations by Tehran. It is not
outrageous that Iran demanded it, but that the US tolerated its own exclusion.
The feeble mantra of the apologists for President Joe Biden's JCPOA 2.0, a
desperate attempt to revive President Barack Obama's failed agreement from 2015
that paved the way to an Iranian nuclear bomb, is "a bad deal is better than no
deal". Well, no it is not, and the deal that is about to emerge will be even
worse. The argument of the "bad" dealers is that it buys time for the West, with
Micawberish optimism that "something will turn up". This thinking is clear from
Biden's preposterous hope that he can "lengthen and strengthen" the deal once it
has been struck. But optimism is not a strategy and it certainly is not a
strategy for dealing with a violent and volatile revolutionary regime dedicated
to the destruction of the Jewish state, which it sees as the proxy of its
ultimate enemy, America.
While in office, Obama declared that Iran would not be allowed to build nuclear
weapons on his watch. He must have known that the only way to prevent that was
through military action or perhaps crippling sanctions, but was unwilling to do
either and the result was the JCPOA, which kicked the problem down the road onto
someone else's watch.
Unfortunately the road was short — and is now shorter still. The sunset clauses
in Obama's JCPOA are not going to be extended in this new deal, and that means
Tehran can legitimately commence operation of advanced uranium enrichment
centrifuges in two years, all the while working flat out to develop
nuclear-capable ballistic missiles that, along with Iran's terrorist activities,
are not covered at all in the agreement. At best Biden's new deal just boots the
can down the road to his own successor.
The "buying time" argument, and indeed an argument for any agreement, only works
if you do not understand Iran and are naive enough to believe the regime will
honour what it agrees to. You only need to look across the border at the
equivalent jihadist entity next door in Afghanistan, which Biden assured us was
somehow reformed and had undertaken not to allow Al Qaida to rebuild its base
there, only to find a year later its leader living and plotting in Kabul under
the protection of the Taliban leadership.
The reality that the optimistic and the unschooled fail to grasp is that the
regime in Tehran will ignore constraints imposed by the deal that it does not
like. That is what it did with the original JCPOA and its other international
undertakings including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that it has
frequently breached, confirmed again earlier this year by the International
Atomic Energy Agency.
As Mossad chief David Barnea said a few days ago, the deal is "based on lies".
Tehran will continue to develop the nuclear capability that it sees as its right
— deal or no deal — at the speed it wants until it is physically stopped from
doing so. Whatever shape Biden's deal takes there are only downsides for the
West and the Middle East and only upsides for Tehran. Signing the deal will give
Iran renewed legitimacy (while getting Biden and his European friends off the
hook of having to confront reality). More than that, according to Israeli Prime
Minister Yair Lapid, Tehran will receive $100 billion a year as a result of
lifted sanctions.
Those dollars will enable Iran to speed up its nuclear programme, including
development of ballistic missiles capable of launching nuclear warheads not just
across the Middle East but also to Europe and the US. Those dollars will boost
Iran's regional aggression, threatening Saudi Arabia and the UAE from Yemen,
threatening Israel from Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, and threatening the US, Europe
and the world with its global network of terrorist proxies and followers. This
violent malignity, which will shift into overdrive with a massive cash
injection, was most recently exhibited by Tehran's proxies in Gaza launching
thousands of missiles at Israel in August, by rocket attacks in Syria that
wounded US servicemen just a few days ago, by the attempt to murder Salman
Rushdie in the US and by recently-revealed Iranian assassination plots against
former members of the Trump administration. All that while dictating terms at
the negotiating table.
Missing no opportunity to exploit Western spinelessness, there is also a
significant upside for Tehran's ally Russia, which has been in bed with America,
Europe and Iran over the negotiations while at the same time inflicting untold
violence in Ukraine. Released from sanctions, Iran will be used as an economic
refuge by Moscow to evade its own international sanctions. It will be no comfort
to Western citizens to know that their governments are taking action that will
ease Russian pain while they themselves endure enormous economic suffering as a
result of the very restrictions Putin will bypass.
Under the draft deal, Iran will be able to retain the uranium that it has been
illicitly producing since the original JCPOA, enriched beyond any requirements
for a peaceful nuclear programme. In a twist that many will find shocking, it
seems likely that Russia — despite its own repeated nuclear threats — will be
handed control of this existing uranium stockpile. Taken together with the
benefits that will accrue to China also, which last year concluded a long-term
economic agreement with Iran, this deal clearly runs counter to American and
European national security interests as well as Israel's. This is not a
strategic misjudgement that might only be discovered downstream; it is blatantly
obvious today.
As the deal legitimises the Islamic Republic, it will delegitimise the vital
efforts of those who have no choice but to deal with it or risk annihilation.
Sometimes with US and British assistance, Israel has been conducting a long-term
covert campaign to contain and delay Iran's nuclear project. This campaign,
which must continue, will be seen in a different light by Western governments
once the deal is in place — a deal that they will be every bit as desperate to
be seen publicly to succeed as they have been to bring it about.
Twice before, Israel has saved the world from nuclear catastrophe in the Middle
East, by bombing an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 and a Syrian reactor in 2007.
Both raids were condemned by world leaders at the time, who only later came to
comprehend the enormity of what they had been delivered from. Imagine the
reactions of Western governments to such action against Iran when a deal is in
place. Destroying the Iranian nuclear infrastructure, while at the same time
defending against the inferno Tehran will seek to unleash using its Hizballah
proxies in Lebanon, will be a challenge infinitely greater than that faced by
Israel in Iraq or Syria.
This chilling scenario — for which the world will pay a very high price — is
about to be made more likely by the ill-judged actions of governments in America
and Europe, which lack the resolve and courage to apply sufficient economic
pressure and military deterrence to put a stop to Iranian nuclear ambitions.
Instead, as they did in response to Russian aggression, they are again opting
for appeasement, the opium of the faint-hearted.
*Colonel Richard Kemp is a former British Army Commander. He was also head of
the international terrorism team in the U.K. Cabinet Office and is now a writer
and speaker on international and military affairs. He is a Jack Roth Charitable
Foundation Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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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.
Pelosi’s promise...Showing up in Taiwan is not enough
Clifford D. May/The Washington Times/September 01/2022
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi cares deeply about the people of Taiwan as she
has throughout her long career. That’s my story and I’m going to try my
darnedest to stick to it as I write this column.
Her visit to the self-governing island earlier this month displayed her
commitment to this beleaguered democracy. At a press event following her meeting
with President Tsai Ing-wen, she said her goal was to make Taiwan’s security
relationship with the U.S. “stronger and up-to-date.” She emphasized: “And we
don’t want anything to happen to Taiwan by force.”
She also pledged to boost America’s economic relationship with Taiwan, in
particular a “trade agreement that might be possible and soon.”
So, what has she done to fulfill these promises since her return to Washington?
Not much, far as I can tell.
That’s a problem because – apologies to Woody Allen – 80 percent of success is
not just showing up.
Nancy Pelosi is a lioness in winter. Her days as a political powerhouse probably
end after the November elections. There are steps she can take to strengthen
Taiwan and more effectively deter China’s rulers. But she needs to act quickly
and boldly.
She might start with the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022, introduced by Senate Foreign
Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez. Its purpose, as Mr. Menendez wrote,
is to “develop and put in place a new and more resilient strategy for Taiwan
while there is still time.”
The bipartisan bill would help the Taiwanese with defense training and planning,
as well as provide $4.5 billion in security assistance – funds Taiwan would use
to purchase U.S. weapons systems already approved for sale under both the Trump
and Biden administrations.
The better trained and armed the Taiwanese are, the less likely that Xi Jinping
will wage war on them. A more colorful – if by now clichéd – way to say this:
Taiwan needs to become a porcupine – tough for a predator to swallow.
Speaker Pelosi should be pressing the House Foreign Affairs Committee to advance
a companion version of the Taiwan Policy Act, as well as making plans for the
full House to consider such legislation before the end of the fiscal year.
Moving on to the U.S.-Taiwan economic relationship: Where’s her legislation
establishing a free trade agreement that would reduce Taiwan’s economic reliance
on Beijing, currently its top trading partner?
She’d find many allies for that across the aisle. Getting President Biden on
board will be more challenging but she’s no slacker when it comes to
arm-twisting.
And does she support renewal of trade promotion authority to give the White
House a way to fast-track trade deals in Congress?
Other useful activities would include speaking out forcefully against Beijing’s
influence operations on American campuses, taking on the Chinese Communist
Party’s apologists in Hollywood and on Wall Street, warning state and local
governments against getting too cozy with Beijing, and doing something about the
UN’s refusal to penalize Beijing in any meaningful way for its genocide of
Uighur Muslims and other minorities, not to mention its colonization of Tibet.
Leave aside for the moment a serious inquiry into how a viral pandemic spread
from the city where the Wuhan Institute of Virology is located.
It also would be helpful if – at this time of rising isolationism on both the
left and the right – she would explain clearly to the public how important
Taiwan is to American prosperity and why, if the Free World is to endure,
America cannot not be indifferent when totalitarians threaten to snuff out
democratic societies.
She could remind Americans that the Taiwanese have never been ruled by
Communists and don’t want to be. We know that for certain from public polling
and because the Taiwanese vote in free and fair elections.
Mr. Xi’s argument for the Taiwanese accepting the mainland as their motherland
might have been more compelling had he abided by his government’s treaty
obligation to respect the civil and human rights that Hong Kong enjoyed under
British rule. Instead, he reneged on the “One Country, Two Systems” promise –
and when the people of Hong Kong protested, he responded brutally.
One more item, the most significant: President Biden has said three times that
he would use force to defend Taiwan. At present, however, the U.S. military is
not adequately resourced for that mission.
Ms. Pelosi must know that. It would be a Nixon-to-China moment (so to speak)
were she to call for sharply increasing military spending but that’s what is
necessary for “deterrence by denial” – convincing Mr. Xi that a military
invasion of Taiwan would likely fail.
She ought to acknowledge, too, that America’s defense-industrial base is in
urgent need of shoring up. We don’t have the means to rapidly produce military
hardware and munitions to replace what we’re sending to the Ukrainians who are
now defending themselves from a neo-imperialist tyrant – in large measure
because we did not make Ukraine a porcupine when we should have.
As much as a trillion dollars for this purpose could be available if Mr. Biden
would change his mind about forcing taxpayers to pick up the tab for loans taken
out by a select group of college graduates. Speaker Pelosi has said he doesn’t
have the legal authority to spend the public’s money this way. Now would be a
good time for her to press the point.
Mr. Biden will be displeased but so what? He objected to her going to Taiwan
this summer and she went anyway.
She did that as a matter of principle, not as virtue signaling, or to give
herself a grand swan song. That’s my story and I’ve now stuck to it for an
entire column.
*Clifford D. May is founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies (FDD) and a columnist for the Washington Times. Follow him on
Twitter @CliffordDMay. FDD is a nonpartisan research institute focusing on
national security and foreign policy.
Putin Will Turn Gorbachev’s Death to His Advantage
Clara Ferreira Marques/Bloomberg/September 01/2022
Mikhail Gorbachev was a man who hoped for the best, and got the worst.
The legacy of the last Soviet leader, who died yesterday aged 91, was largely
undone by two decades of Vladimir Putin. Now a grinding war in Ukraine is its
grim and bloody requiem.
Gorbachev had an aversion to violence, a desire to work within the system, a
curiosity about the West born of state-sponsored trips abroad, and lofty ideals.
All of these, together with ill-conceived economic reforms, eventually led to
his downfall. When Gorbachev left office in 1991, he called on Russians to
preserve the democratic freedoms he had introduced. But the chaos he left in his
wake allowed a kleptocracy to take root instead — one that will now weaponize
his death.
A complex and flawed man, Gorbachev has long been something of a political
Rorschach test. For many, especially outside Russia, he is the reformist the
West found it could “do business with,” in British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher’s phrase, the statesman who ended the Cold War. Few had expected this
turn of events when he came to power in 1985, at a youthful 54 — he was a party
man who turned out to be more like a Western politician than any of the grey
figures that preceded him.
For many in former Soviet-ruled states, he was the leader who allowed history on
a dramatic scale to happen peacefully. He tore down The Wall.
And yet for hardliners and those tied to the security services, as President
Vladimir Putin was and remains, Gorbachev was the man responsible for losing an
empire. He brought national humiliation to a great nation and caused what the
Kremlin’s current occupant once described as “the greatest geopolitical
catastrophe of the century.” The disintegration of “historical Russia” leaving
millions of ethnic Russians in newly independent states. “What had been built up
over 1,000 years was largely lost,” Putin said in a documentary aired last year.
Few episodes are as significant in understanding Putin’s political vision — and
his current war of conquest in Ukraine — as that unravelling, and his experience
of that collapse as a young KGB agent in Dresden. Others may have seen the
prospect of freedom during the perestroika years — Putin saw powerlessness. ”I
got the feeling then that the country no longer existed,” he later wrote. “That
it had disappeared.”
All of this leaves the Kremlin in something of a bind when it comes to
Gorbachev’s death. He’s a reminder of that humiliation and the crumbling that
led to the economically desperate, undignified 1990s. Even worse, his name has
faint remnants of a moment when there were hopes for freedom, openness and
reform. Though few were listening by the end, the former Soviet leader was
inconveniently loud in his criticism of the Kremlin’s tightening grip, which he
argued came with growing costs. He pointed out in 2017 that Russia could not fix
stagnation without a change of government. His reformist perestroika policies,
he wrote last year in a reflective essay, was a humanist project that leaned on
individual initiative and broke with autocracy. “This is what makes perestroika
relevant today; any other choice can only lead our country down a dead-end
road.”
For Putin today, all of this can — and no doubt will — be easily swept aside in
official remembrance and tributes, because Gorbachev, while hardly universally
popular, was the last prominent link to the Soviet Union, a statesman of rare
status. And in the complex way that Russian politics works, he arguably shared
Putin’s vision of Ukraine in Russia’s orbit, though he did not advocate war. His
criticisms will be overlooked, the specifics will be glossed over.
Like the Soviet leaders who came before him, Putin understands very well that
political deaths and funerals are not about the dead at all. They’re about the
pageantry, and a unique opportunity to retell history and project strength.
Gorbachev, after all, came to prominence for much of the outside world at the
funeral of his predecessor, Konstantin Chernenko, giving a eulogy that said more
about his priorities — shaking Russia from economic stagnation — not those of
the deceased.
In Moscow — as, indeed, in Beijing, where the Communist Party has long sought to
learn the lessons from perestroika errors — this will not be an opportunity to
reflect on the fact that the Soviet system’s secrecy and rigidity were,
ultimately, its downfall. It won’t be an opportunity to reflect on what might
have been, had democracy taken root, or Gorbachev moved more slowly.
There will be a moment to use his failures in the Kremlin’s eyes — say, his
decision to largely avoid force in Soviet-run states, the weakness that allowed
even Russia to break away — to justify empire-building actions today. These
mistakes, Putin will say, cannot be repeated. But many more Gorbachev-era facts
with awkward contemporary echoes will be avoided — like opposition to the war in
Afghanistan, the social cost of excessive military spending, or the economic
shortages — in favor of a focus on sepia-tinted Soviet nostalgia. Putin, who
promotes a vaguely Soviet-inspired national mythology, needs a distraction from
the counter-offensive by Kyiv that his forces are now battling.
The West has less of an excuse to gloss over Gorbachev’s shortcomings. He was a
man of vision who changed the world, but there should be room among the
political eulogies to reassess lessons all too relevant today to countries like
Ukraine. Democracy requires state structures to support it and economic
underpinnings. And it’s rarely wise to place too much weight on the role of
individuals who often cannot control what they unleash.
Iran nuclear deal: Iran will sign, but it won't go quietly
- analysis'
Yonah Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/September 01/2022
For Iran, it is lots of screaming and kicking at the 11th hour to see if it can
secure a few more concessions before it signs the dotted line.
It is important to pay attention to the nuclear policy announcements and threats
coming out of Iran these days, but also to take them with a grain of salt.
All signs are that Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has finally
reached the decision to return to the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal and that the many
recent hardline statements from Iranian officials are part of the Islamic
Republic’s favorite negotiation strategy.
In essence, it is lots of screaming and kicking at the 11th hour to see if it
can secure a few more concessions before it signs the dotted line.
In the worst-case scenario, where it gains little, Khamenei can at least present
himself as having gone into the deal grudgingly and without naivete.
Also, Khamenei probably expects that most of his people will not follow many of
the details and nuclear limits that he may agree to; they will, however,
remember that he and his nuclear lieutenants sounded very tough and
uncompromising in public.
Khamenei was a doubter of the 2015 deal up until the last moment when he allowed
it to go forward.
In the days and weeks counting down to the signing of the deal, Khamenei
unveiled harsher and louder nuclear threats, including spinning up an astounding
180,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium, far greater than the 20,000 they had at
the time.
When he allowed then-Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif to ink the nuclear
deal, it really did seem like Tehran was being dragged to the bargaining table.
Why does Iran want to stall the deal so much?
Iran’s main concerns still seem to be getting the IAEA to close its probes of
illicit nuclear material, equipment and documents at three nuclear sites. Iran
likely wants to ensure that it fully benefits from sanctions relief, as opposed
to post-2015, when it believed that the West indirectly undermined efforts by
Western businesses to invest in the Islamic Republic.
Tehran’s public statements do not clarify whether it is close to a deal or has
changed much of its positions since mid-2021.
In fact, the only way that observers know that Khamenei is close to a deal is
that Iranians have played this game before, and keeping that in mind as they
painstakingly follow its public statements and official negation positions.
Anyone following would notice that, recently, he has allowed his officials to
drop positions he had long stuck to.
What changed in Iran's echelon?
One Iranian official recently said there would be no “reimplementation day”
unless the IAEA probes are closed. But reimplementation day is off into the
distant future, and the old Iranian position was not signing anything until the
probes are closed.
That position has been abandoned and all of the tough-sounding statements appear
to be cover for that embarrassing retreat.
Likewise, on the issue of getting guarantees for sanctions relief, Khamenei
fought for several months to get the IRGC delisted from the US terror list.
Eventually, however, Iranian officials said that was not crucial for them and
now they have completely stopped talking about it.
All of this was after trying and failing to get the Biden administration to give
Iran a guarantee for remaining in the deal beyond his presidency.
Most of the guarantees being discussed now are much more limited, such as
getting back billions of dollars frozen in South Korea and commitments by the US
to allow Western private companies to maintain new contracts with Iran for some
period of time, even if the US might later pull out again.
These are poor guarantees since the South Korean money would only go to Iran
once it has reduced uranium enrichment from 60% to 20% – a trade-off offered by
France many times in recent years, which Iran had repeatedly rejected.
Even the “guarantee” for companies could be easily repealed by a new US
administration if the circumstances lined up in a certain way.
None of this means the West will actually get real answers from Khamenei about
past military nuclear dimensions.
Mossad director David Barnea correctly noted last week that if the West signs a
deal with a regime – regarding which it was 100% proven in 2018 from its own
secret nuclear archives that it had lied to them about past nuclear dimensions –
the West has already signaled that, at some point, they will put the issue on
the back burner.
However, this does mean that, although now Iran insists that there are things it
will not budge on, it may very well concede on those things in the near future.
On the fate of the missing
Farouk Youssef/The Arab Weekly/September 01/2022
There are many meanings covered by the word ‘absence’. I say ‘absence’ although
death is what eventually brings together all absentees. There is no worse fate
than that created by a political system that puts its citizens on the edge of
the unknown.
The idea is to transfer the citizen from a place to a non-place. Whoever is
detained quickly finds himself missing. One could cease to exist. One could
disappear, as if one never existed. A citizen morphs into thin air. He loses his
name to a number. After a while, whoever kidnapped him will be certain that no
one will listen to him. It does not matter if he talks or does not talk. His
confessions will only matter if they incriminate him. One is required to justify
his deportation from his former position to complete oblivion. After his arrest,
he will be absent from work and home. He will be absent from the street, the
coffee-shop and the market place. He will leave behind his wife, parents,
brothers, friends, his own talent, his passions along with his homeland.
His family would not believe in his absence. Prisoners of war return, but the
missing do not. Suddenly he finds himself missing in a war he did not fight. A
war that did not happen and may not end because it never started. A one-sided
war in which he was the victim. He found himself facing enemies he did not
choose but who chose him as their enemy instead. The enemy functions based on
suspicions of sedition and conspiracy, all from the book of the regime.
What is happening in our countries does not happen anywhere else in this day and
age. Everywhere else, thinking is no longer a crime. The books one chooses to
read are no longer held against you. Differences of opinion are no more a sin.
We have been mired in our backwardness since forever. Reason is still a crime in
a large part of the Arab world. If you do not want to be part of the herd, you
have to expect to disappear or go missing.
Once you are arrested, the “why?” question will haunt you in vain. It is an
absurd question that no one will answer for you. You just have to believe that
you have moved from the visible world to a world of ghosts, in which the senses
are disrupted and even prophecies will not be able to predict your fate. No one
you meet in that nowhere-land will give you the benefit of his experience.
In fact, you will not really be living. What you will be going through is a kind
of nightmare in which the facts are garbled. Torment and hazy fables will
resemble the nights of Scheherazade with dawn’s reprieve.
In supposedly-democratic Iraq and Syria, in authoritarian Syria in particular,
there are many missing. Suspicions and accusations move people from the state of
presence to the state of absence. From the visible world to the invisible.
Narratives become irrelevant. An absent relative is a detainee to his
kidnappers. In relation to his previous life he is a missing person. But in both
cases no one will know anything about him. At the moment of his abduction, pain
will overwhelm his life.
The missing do not pose a problem for the political systems in place, which is
not embarrassed by the scourge. Despite deploring the practice, the world will
not end its support to the (presumably democratic) regime in Iraq , while
authoritarian regimes will not be perceived as any worse.
The problem of the missing is an individual problem, even if it involves tens of
thousands of people. No one asks about the missing as long as the international
community is preoccupied with its own humanity and the interests of major
powers. That is an egregious mistake for which those who are kidnapped pay for
in a second.