English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For April 04/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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15 آذار/2023
Bible Quotations For today
Strive to enter through the narrow door; for
many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.
Saint Luke 13/22-30:”Jesus went through one town and
village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked
him, ‘Lord, will only a few be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through
the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.
When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to
stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, “Lord, open to us”, then in
reply he will say to you, “I do not know where you come from.”Then you will
begin to say, “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.”But he
will say, “I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you
evildoers!”There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves
thrown out.Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and
will eat in the kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and
some are first who will be last.’”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on April 03-04/2023
Commemoration Of The Zahle City siege: Heroism and Martyrdom/Elias
Bejjani/April 02/2023
Israel: Iran was behind drone incursion from Syria
Qatari envoy meets Lebanese leaders over presidential crisis
Qatari delegation initially suggests Joseph Aoun’s name, visit turns into
scrutiny mission
Mawlawi 'ready' for municipal polls, urges govt. to secure funds
Wronecka: Municipal elections important for adhering to Lebanon's constitutional
timelines
Frangieh's visit to Paris neither positive nor negative: Sources
Franjieh 'relieved', Iran may join '5+1 group' on Lebanon
Paris to host more presidential candidates as 'progress' made with KSA
Rahi meets Shea in Bkerki
Berri tackles general developments with Qatari Minister of State, meets UN’s
Wronecka, US Ambassador, receives Ramadan congratulatory cables
Mikati broaches general developments with Qatari Minister of State, chairs
meeting of ministerial committee tasked to follow up on repercussions of...
Gemayel meets Qatari envoy
Mufti Derian broaches general situation with Qatari Minister of State
Bou Habib meets Qatari Minister of State
Lone suspect in 1980 Paris synagogue bombing goes on trial
Geagea: FPM obstructing municipal vote, its popularity not at its best
Gemayel calls for Arab support on all levels after meeting Qatari Minister
Lebanon probes embezzlement at Ukraine mission
Touch employee involved in illegal sale of mobile lines
Agreement reached between doctors and insurance companies
Powerless against thieves: Infrastructure theft increases in Lebanon
Lebanese Journalist: Iranian Drones, Deployed In Ukraine, Also Threaten Morocco;
U.S. And Europe Bear Responsibility To Confront This Threat
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 03-04/2023
Israel's Netanyahu, dissenting defence minister to visit troops together
Palestinians say 2 killed in Israeli army raid in West Bank
Chinese spy balloon gathered intelligence on US military sites- NBC News
Russia is trying to cover up the decline of a once elite unit that was rendered
'combat ineffective,' UK intel says
Russian charged with war crimes may brief U.N. Security Council
Israel detains Passover sacrifice campaigner as Al Aqsa tensions simmer
Zelenskiy commemorates ordeal of villagers held captive in basement
With no peace in sight, NATO countries eye more Ukraine help
Russia Is Running An 'Information Operation' To Revive Leaders' Reputations, UK
Says
Saudi Arabia Emboldened on World Stage Underpins OPEC Decision
Leader of Egypt on surprise visit to Saudi Arabia
Saudi prince pivots to peace after years of war
Titles For
The Latest
English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on April 03-04/2023
Washington, the West, Iran and Syria/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al Awsat/April
03/2023
Fear of an A.I. Pundit/Ross Douthat/The New York Times/April 03/2023
A Path Towards Solving the Region’s Problems!/Fayez Sara/Asharq Al Awsat/April
03/2023
Trump: The Man to Bring Down?/Alain Destexhe/Gatestone Institute./April 3, 2023
Use a Nail Gun to Nail Their Heads and Crucify Them!’ The Muslim Persecution of
Christians, February 2023/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/April 04/2023
Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on April 03-04/2023
Commemoration Of The Zahle City siege:
Heroism and Martyrdom
Elias Bejjani/April 02/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/117073/elias-bejjani-commemoration-of-the-zahle-city-siege-heroism-and-martyrdom/
Any country whose people are not always ready to offer themselves as sacrifices
on its altar will lose its sovereignty, and they will turn into humiliated
slaves.
In this context of heroism and resistance, and under the leadership of Sheikh
Bashir Gemayel, the great people of Zahle city, supported by all the free people
of Lebanon, uttered a loud blatant and resounding NO to the Syrian occupation
Army.
On April 02/1981, the Lebanese resistance stood tall like their country’s Holy
Cedars and challenged the Syrian occupier’s terror, criminality, and barbarism.
The Lebanese resistance did not succumb, but courageously defended Zahle City
and defeated the occupier’s criminal siege.
The people of Zahle stood firm and defended their city, and its besieged
residents with ferocity, pride and faith, while offering hundreds of martyrs.
They heroically sad NO, to the barbaric Syrian Baathist armed attack, and
because of their devotion and sacrifices Zahle City remained and is still
remains free and proud.
About Christ’s salvation and crucifixion, Saint Paul wrote in his letter to the
Hebrews/02/09: “But we see him who has been made a little lower than the angels,
Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by
the grace of God he should taste of death for everyone”.
As Jesus has tasted death for everyone, the Zahle City martyrs offered
themselves on Lebanon’s alter to keep it a free, independent and sovereign holy
country.
In this same realm of faith and sacrifice, and as the seeds parable teaches us
in the holy Bible, John 12/24/: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat
falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it
produces many seeds.”, the Zahle City martyrs died so the people of Lebanon will
multiply and live in deeply rooted faith values, love pride and dignity.
In contemplating the death of Christ and its holy Godly messages, we can accept
death and transcend its unjust causes, hoping for its sublime purpose. Meanwhile
it enables us to understand and accept the death of our martyrs in the city of
Zahle, and in all of our dear and beloved Lebanon so we can overcome its unjust
causes in order to reach its honorable goal, which is maintaining a free, holy
and independent Lebanon.
The martyrs of Zahle, like Christ, had to taste death, and they did so for the
good of all of us, the Lebanese loving peace and freedom people. They were
martyred in order for us to remain as free Lebanese, and the city of Zahle to
remain, free.
On the evening of April 2, 1981, Sheikh Bashir Gemayel addressed the resistance
fighters in Zahle via the phone and delegated to them the sole decision to
continue the resistance or to leave the city, and he said: “Because the road is
still open for only a few hours, if you leave, you will save your lives, and the
fall of the city becomes an inevitable reality, and this constitutes the end of
the resistance epic.” and if you stay, you will find yourselves without water,
without medicine, without food, without ammunition, and your task will be to
organize the internal resistance and preserve the identity of the Lebanese
Bekaa, and give meaning to our six years of war. And he added: “If you decide to
stay, then know one thing, which is that heroes die and do not surrender.”
Everyone replied, “We will stay,” and the slogan was born, and Zahle remained
free, and Lebanon remained.
In conclusion, faith, heroism and martyrdom defeated the Zahle City Syrian
siege, and Lebanon remained a free country.
Israel: Iran was behind drone incursion from
Syria
JOSEF FEDERMAN/Associated Press/April 3, 2023
Iran appears to have been behind the launch of a drone that was shot down over
Israeli airspace this week, the Israeli military said Monday. The army announced
its conclusions on Monday, a day after air force helicopters and fighter jets
were scrambled to intercept the drone when it entered Israeli territory from
Syria. There were no casualties in the incident, but it added to the already
heightened tensions between the two arch-enemies. The interception happened
shortly after Iranian state media reported that an Iranian adviser who was
wounded in an Israeli airstrike in Syria over the weekend had died of his
wounds. That made him the second Iranian adviser allegedly killed by Israel in
recent days. Last week, Greece announced the arrest of two Pakistani operatives
it said were planning an attack on a Jewish center in Athens. Israel has said
Iran was behind the plot. The Israeli military said Monday an initial inquiry
determined the intercepted drone was Iranian. It said debris was still being
collected and analyzed. Since the start of Syria’s conflict in March 2011, Iran
has been a main supporter of President Bashar Assad’s government and has sent
advisers and other assistance to the Syrian leader. Throughout the Syrian war,
Israel has carried out scores of airstrikes in the neighboring country. Most of
these strikes have been aimed at Iranian targets or suspected arms shipments to
Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups that have sent troops to back Assad.
Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy, citing the country's hostile
rhetoric, support for militant groups like Hezbollah and its suspected nuclear
program. Iran denies Western allegations that it is pursuing a nuclear bomb.
Israel appears to have stepped up its activities in Syria recently. The Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-linked war monitor, says Israel has
struck targets in Syria nine times this year. Israel rarely acknowledges
individual strikes. But on Sunday, the Syrian state news agency SANA, citing
military sources, said Israeli strikes targeted sites in the city of Homs and
surrounding countryside. Syrian air defenses intercepted the missiles and shot
down some of them, it said. The observatory reported that the missiles targeted
Syrian military sites and those of Iran-linked militias, including a research
center. Later on Sunday, Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, commented
about Syria during a visit to soldiers in the occupied West Bank but did not
directly confirm the recent airstrikes. “We will not allow the Iranians and
Hezbollah to harm us. We have not allowed it in the past, we won’t allow it now,
or anytime in the future,” Gallant said. He also accused Iran of seeking to
entrench its presence along Israel’s borders. “When necessary, we will push them
out of Syria to where they belong. And that is Iran,” Gallant said.
Qatari envoy meets Lebanese leaders over presidential
crisis
Naharnet/Mon, April 3, 2023
A Qatari delegation, headed by the minister of state at the Qatari Foreign
Ministry Mohammed Abdel Aziz al-Khulaifi, met Monday with caretaker Prime
Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri over the presidential
file. Al-Khulaifi arrived in Lebanon on Sunday night to discuss the presidential
deadlock with the Lebanese leaders. He also met on Monday with Kataeb leader
Sami Gemayyel and Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan, and will meet with
Hezbollah secretary-general's aide Hussein Khalil and coordination and liaison
officer Wafiq Safa, media reports said, adding that the Qatari initiative does
not involve the name of Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh. Franjieh has
not officially announced his candidacy, but Hezbollah and Amal officially
nominated him, although Hezbollah's ally the FPM would not endorse him. "The
Qatari envoy had no initiative or suggestions, but he is rather exploring view
points and listening," Gemayyel said after his meeting with al-Khulaifi. "We
didn't discuss names," he told journalists. Al-Khulaifi will later meet with
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Free Patriotic Movement leader Jebran
Bassil. He will also shuttle between Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid
Jumblat, Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Erslan, and Maronite Patriarch
Beshara al-Rahi. Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term
expired at the end of October. Lawmakers have held 11 rounds of voting to name a
successor to Aoun, but no candidate has garnered enough ballots. With no single
party or parliamentary bloc holding a majority, electing a new president in
crisis-hit Lebanon can drag on for months of even years.
Qatari delegation initially suggests Joseph Aoun’s name,
visit turns into scrutiny mission
LBCI/Mon, April 3, 2023
The Qatari delegation visit to Lebanon headed by Assistant Foreign Affairs
Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Khulaifi started with initially
suggesting Army Commander General Joseph Aoun as a possible presidential
candidate who political leaders may agree on. However, it became apparent that
the purpose of the visit was transformed into a scrutiny mission of political
parties’ stances to build results in approaching the presidential file, given
the Saudi vetoes and the internal Lebanese opposition that is preventing any
progress in the French initiative to persuade other members of the Quintet to
agree on the candidacy of the Marada Movement leader, Sleiman Frangieh. Details
of the meetings with Al Khulaifi were kept confidential. Even the statements
issued by the political and religious sources did not deviate from what was
agreed upon based on the request of the Qatari visitor.
Only the Kataeb Party leader, MP Sami Gemayel, shared some of the results of his
meeting with Al Khulaifi. After the meeting, Gemayel stressed that Lebanon needs
Arab support on all levels. He also confirmed that what matters are the
guarantees related to the person they will elect, and that they cannot vote for
someone with an unclear public stance and an unclear nomination program. Gemayel
asked, "who said there is a French initiative regarding the head of the Marada
Movement, Sleiman Frangieh?" indicating that the French are in contact with
everyone. Moreover, the head of the Qatari delegation also met with the Maronite
Patriarch as he expressed solidarity with Lebanon and its stability and
emphasized the importance of electing a president, assuring that regional and
international efforts will not stop helping in this regard. He also met with
Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc leader Mohammad Raad in the bloc’s offices.
Moreover, he will also meet with other political leaders, including the head of
the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, and the head of the Lebanese
Democratic Party, Talal Arslan. Al Khulaifi is set to conclude his visit on
Tuesday with a meeting with the Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, the Free
Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader, Gebran Bassil, and Change MPs. On the second
and last day, he will visit Yarzeh and meet with Army Commander General Joseph
Aoun.
Mawlawi 'ready' for municipal polls, urges govt. to secure
funds
Naharnet/Mon, April 3, 2023
Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi announced Monday that municipal
elections will take place on time. "We are ready to hold the municipal
elections, and we will issue the necessary circulars," Mawlawi said, adding that
he is forced by law to hold the elections and that he is convinced that these
elections must be held on time. "We urge everyone not to obstruct these
elections," Mawlawi added. The minister called on the government to secure the
necessary funds and complete the administrative preparations. He said that the
elections will cost much less than the electricity and the subsidization's
expanses, adding that he sees "no reason" for cancelling the municipal polls.
The municipal elections will start on May 7 in the North, on May 14 in Mount
Lebanon, on May 21 in Beirut and in Bekaa, and on May 28 in the South, Mawlawi
said.
Wronecka: Municipal elections important for adhering to
Lebanon's constitutional timelines
Naharnet/Mon, April 3, 2023
The U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, on Monday welcomed an
announcement by caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi calling for municipal
elections during 7 May through 28 May 2023. “Conducting the municipal elections
is important for adhering to Lebanon’s constitutional timelines and democratic
practices, at a time when the country is already facing a presidential vacancy
and widespread institutional paralysis,” Wronecka said. She hoped all
stakeholders “will take the steps to ensure a smooth, inclusive and transparent
electoral process and enable the Lebanese to exercise their political rights in
a peaceful and orderly environment,” noting that “since their postponement last
year, the United Nations has provided considerable assistance in support of
these elections.”“The upcoming municipal elections offer an opportunity for
citizens to make their voices heard and to enhance their involvement in local
governance and development and foster local ownership. The Lebanese people
deserve effective, responsive and accountable State institutions at all levels,”
Wronecka added. “Most attuned to the people’s rising needs, empowered
municipalities can help introduce reforms, new ideas and innovative solutions to
improve the delivery of basic public services and contribute to strengthening
people’s trust in their institutions. Municipalities are also a key partner for
the U.N. in delivering assistance,” the Special Coordinator went on to say. The
Special Coordinator also called for making the elections an inclusive process,
“particularly for women and youth to provide them with a meaningful opportunity
to participate and make a difference.”
Frangieh's visit to Paris neither positive nor negative:
Sources
LBCI/Mon, April 3, 2023
The Marada Movement Leader, Sleiman Frangieh's recent visit to Paris, has
boosted his candidacy for the presidency, placing him in an advanced stage of
the race. However, this does not necessarily mean his candidacy has received
international approval. While Frangieh's candidacy may require the approval of
Saudi Arabia, which is not currently available, it is not subject to a decisive
'Saudi veto,' which is considered a positive signal by Paris and Frangieh.
During the visit, the French side discussed with Frangieh various guarantees
related to Lebanon's internal and external policies, as well as rejecting the
theory of the 'guaranteeing third' to avoid disrupting the government's work at
every opportunity. Frangieh's supporters revealed that he was not surprised by
the guarantees presented to him by the French side, as the purpose of the visit
was to take clear answers from him on several issues to be conveyed to the Saudi
side. Furthermore, the French side was frank with Frangieh in this regard and
reiterated Saudi Arabia's concerns about him. Frangieh, who had coordinated his
visit to France with Hezbollah and Amal Movement, will discuss the details of
his visit with Hezbollah in a meeting held away from the media on Monday,
according to information obtained by LBCI. However, upon his return from Paris,
Frangieh immediately contacted Hezbollah's officials and briefed them on the
atmosphere of the visit, which, according to Frangieh's close sources, was
neither positive nor negative.
The same sources also said he was more of a listener than a speaker during his
meeting with Macron's adviser, Patrick Durel.
Franjieh 'relieved', Iran may join '5+1 group' on Lebanon
Naharnet/Mon, April 3, 2023
Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh appeared to be “very relieved” although
“realistic” following his return from Paris, al-Akhbar newspaper quoted his
visitors as saying. “The French stressed to him that the discussions with others
over his nomination have not at all come to an end,” the daily quoted sources
close to Franjieh as saying. Prominent political sources meanwhile told al-Akhbar
that “Franjieh has been informed that he is still the leading candidate for the
French,” although “the regional developments have not changed to become in his
interest.”
“The French told him that they have not yet managed to break the Saudi siege on
him and that Riyadh’s stance on him has not changed, although they will continue
to support him,” al-Akhbar said. Egypt has meanwhile proposed “the formation of
a 5+1 group aimed at adding Iran to the five-party group discussing the Lebanese
file -- the U.S., France, Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia,” the daily added.
Moreover, “the meetings would be moved to Riyadh as a reassuring move toward the
kingdom,” the newspaper said. The daily also said that Bernard Émié, the
Director of the French General Directorate for External Security, had told
Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat during his presence in Paris
that France was “still clinging to Franjieh” despite the PSP leader’s “attempt
to convince him of the difficulty of his election” as president. Prominent
sources meanwhile told al-Akhbar that Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea’s
latest escalation “came at the request of Saudi Ambassador to Beirut Walid
Bukhari.”
Paris to host more presidential candidates as 'progress'
made with KSA
Naharnet/Mon, April 3, 2023
France is inclined to invite more Lebanese presidential candidates to talks in
Paris, after it hosted Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh in recent days,
Annahar newspaper reported on Monday. A senior French source meanwhile told the
daily that “there is progress in the dialogue with Saudi Arabia regarding the
guarantees” that Franjieh can offer. “Paris is yet to receive a final answer
from Saudi Arabia and it will continue its efforts,” the source added.
Rahi meets Shea in Bkerki
NNA/Mon, April 3, 2023
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Mar Beshara Boutros Al-Rahi, is currently meeting
in Bkerki with US Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea.
Berri tackles general developments with Qatari Minister of
State, meets UN’s Wronecka, US Ambassador, receives Ramadan congratulatory
cables
NNA/Mon, April 3, 2023
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Monday welcomed at his Ain al-Tineh residence
Minister of State at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohammad bin
Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, who visited him with an accompanying delegation, in the
presence of Qatari Ambassador to Lebanon, Ibrahim Al-Sahlawi.
The meeting reportedly discussed the country’s general situation and latest
developments, as well as bilateral relations between Lebanon and Qatar and the
best means to enhance and develop them. Speaker Berri also received at the
Second Presidency in Ain El-Tineh, United Nations Special Coordinator for
Lebanon Joanna Wronecka, with whom he discussed the current general situation
and the latest developments. Berri later received in Ain El-Tineh US Ambassador
to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea. On the other hand, Berri received congratulatory
cables on the occasion of the blessed month of Ramadan, notably from the
President of the Federal National Council (FNC) of the United Arab Emirates,
Saqr Ghobash, Chairman of the Shura Council of the Kingdom of Bahrain Ali bin
Saleh Al-Saleh, Speaker of the Jordanian Senate, Faisal Akef Al-Fayez, and the
first deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council Ahmad Mohammad Bahar.
Mikati broaches general developments with Qatari Minister of State, chairs
meeting of ministerial committee tasked to follow up on repercussions of...
NNA/Mon, April 3, 2023
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Monday met at the Grand Serail with
Minister of State at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin
Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, over the bilateral relations between the two countries
and the situation in Lebanon and the region. During the meeting, Premier Mikati
stressed the strong Lebanese-Qatari relations at all levels, hailing "the Qatari
contributions in helping Lebanon overcome over the difficulties it is going
through politically and economically." Mikati He renewed "appreciation for
Qatar's support for the army in this difficult phase, enabling it to carry out
its responsibilities."The Prime Minister also presented the current situation in
Lebanon and the efforts made by the government in addressing urgent files, in
accordance with the constitution in the caretaker phase. Mikati reaffirmed that
"the gateway to resolving the crises in Lebanon lies in electing a new president
of the republic as soon as possible."On the other hand, Mikati chaired at the
Grand Serail, a meeting of the Ministerial Committee tasked to address the
repercussions of the financial crisis on the activity of public facilities.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Saade Chami, Caretaker
Ministers of Education and Higher Education Judge Abbas Al-Halabi, Justice Judge
Henry Khoury, Finance Youssef Khalil, Administrative Development Najla Riachi,
Social Affairs Hector Hajjar, Industry George Boujikian, Public Health Dr.Firas
Abiad, Interior and Municipalities Judge Bassam Mawlawi, Labor Mustafa Bayram,
and Public Works and Public Works and Transportation, Ali Hamieh.
The meeting was also attended by former Minister Nicolas Nahas, Secretary
General of the Council of Ministers, Judge Mahmoud Makiya, Head of the Civil
Service Council, Nisreen Machmouchi, and Director General of the Ministry of
Finance, George Maarawi. The meeting approved a number of proposals to be
presented during the next session of the Council of Ministers.
The Premier had earlier met with Caretaker Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Abbas
al-Hajj Hassan, who briefed him on the outcome of a recent meeting that brought
together four Arab ministers of agriculture representing Iraqi, Jordan, Syria,
and Lebanon in the Syrian capital, Damascus. “It has been agreed to hold another
meeting soon with Arab ministers of agriculture and transport to overcome all
obstacles regarding the transit process between these four countries,” Hajj
Hassan said in the wake of the meeting. “We are witnessing a positive storm of
inter-Arab and Arab relations with all the countries of the region, which we
hope will reflect positively on Lebanon,” he added. Regarding the increasing
fear over Lebanon’s food security, Hajj Hassan said: “We do fear that food
security will be shaken, but this does not mean that it is shaky today; however,
things could change any minute if the situation keeps faltering. Food security
is threatened in the entire region and across the world. We are working on
transforming our economy from a rentier to a productive one, and we are laying
the basic foundations by activating internal work and improving our relations
with neighboring countries.”
Mikati also welcomed at the Grand Serail the the Japanese Ambassador to Lebanon,
Magoshi Masayuki. The pair reportedly discussed the general situation and the
bilateral relations between the two countries. Mikati also received at the Grand
Serail Head of the Audit Bureau, Judge Mohammed Badran.
Gemayel meets Qatari envoy
NNA/Mon, April 3, 2023
Kataeb party leader, MP Sami Gemayel, met on Monday in Saifi with Qatari envoy,
State Minister at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdul
Aziz Al Khulaifi, and the accompanying delegation. Talks touched on the latest
developments in Lebanon and the broader region, in addition to the Lebanese
presidential file. "The meeting stressed the necessity to elect a president for
Lebanon as soon as possible, who is capable of addressing all political,
economic and financial files, and restoring Lebanon's ties with its friends in
the Arab world and worldwide," statement by Kataeb read.
Mufti Derian broaches general situation with Qatari
Minister of State
NNA/Mon, April 3, 2023
Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, on Monday
welcomed at Dar Fatwa, Minister of State at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi. During the meeting, they
reviewed the general situation and emphasized the importance of Lebanon's
stability and unity.
Bou Habib meets Qatari Minister of State
NNA/Mon, April 3, 2023
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdallah Bou Habib, is
currently meeting with Minister of State at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi.
Lone suspect in 1980 Paris synagogue bombing goes on trial
Associated Press/Mon, April 3, 2023
A Lebanese-Canadian academic who is the lone suspect in a 1980 bombing outside a
Paris synagogue will go on trial Monday, nearly 43 years after four people were
killed and 46 wounded in the unclaimed attack. French authorities identified
Hassan Diab as a suspect in 1999. They accuse him of planting the bomb on the
evening of Oct. 3, 1980, outside the synagogue where 320 worshipers had gathered
to mark the end of a Jewish holiday. Diab, 69, has denied involvement in the
attack and said he was at a university in Beirut at the time of the western
Paris bombing. His supporters and lawyers in France and Canada claim Diab has
been wrongly pursued by the French judicial authorities as a victim of a
mistaken identity. French investigators attributed the synagogue attack to the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-Special Operations. Canada
authorized Diab's extradition to France at the end of 2014. He spent three years
in pretrial detention but anti-terrorism judges then ordered him freed from
French custody due to a lack of evidence, and he returned to Canada. France's
court of appeal ruled in January 2021 that Diab must stand trial on
terrorism-related charges. If convicted, he could receive a life sentence. A
verdict is expected by April 21. He lives in Ottawa and will be tried in
absentia. Survivors of the attack and victims' families are expected to attend
the proceedings in Paris. For them, the long path to trial may be justice
delayed but at least it's not justice denied, their lawyers told The Associated
Press ahead of court proceedings. The victims' attorneys say the trial will
serve as deterrent for future terrorist acts and antisemitic sentiments. "It's a
positive development that the trial is taking place, even if he will not be
there and even if he is acquitted," said Bernard Cahen, a lawyer for two
families who lost loved ones. David Père, a lawyer for a then-14-year-old victim
who was celebrating his bar mitzvah at the time of the attack, said the "path of
justice must be followed," even after more than four decades of investigation
and legal drama. There is a suspect in the attack, and Père said his client
wants to hear what Diab has to say in court, even if only through his lawyers.
"A terrorist attack is something that haunts you every day of your life," Père
said. "A trial is a result (of an attack) not a revenge for it."
Geagea: FPM obstructing municipal vote, its popularity not
at its best
Naharnet/Mon, April 3, 2023
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea accused Monday the Free Patriotic Movement
and the Hezbollah-led camp of obstructing the municipal polls. "it's getting
harder for them, the FPM's popular support is not at its best," Geagea said,
adding that millions of dollars had been spent from the Special Drawing Rights
and that the elections can also be funded. Geagea told Free Lebanon radio that
some are saying that the elections should be funded through a legislative
session, but those don't want the elections to be held because parliament cannot
legislate before a president is elected. Earlier on Monday, caretaker Interior
Minister Bassam Mawlawi announced the dates of the municipal elections, urging
the government to secure the necessary funds and complete the administrative
preparations. "I see no reason for cancelling the municipal polls," he said. "It
will cost much less than the electricity and the subsidization's expanses."
Gemayel calls for Arab support on all levels after meeting
Qatari Minister
LBCI/Mon, April 3, 2023
The leader of the Kataeb party, MP Sami Gemayel, praised the Qatari stance and
commitment to an independent Lebanon and a state of law with the support of
Saudi Arabia, amidst the progress made by Arab countries in combating corruption
and achieving growth. He emphasized that Lebanon should follow these standards.
After meeting with the Qatari Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Khulaifi,
Gemayel stressed that Lebanon needs Arab support on all levels. However, he also
confirmed that what matters are the guarantees related to the person they will
elect, and that they cannot vote for someone with an unclear public stance and
an unclear nomination program. Gemayel asked, "who said there is a French
initiative regarding the head of the Marada Movement, Sleiman Frangieh?"
indicating that the French are in contact with everyone.
Lebanon probes embezzlement at Ukraine mission
Agence France Presse/Mon, April 3, 2023
Lebanon is investigating alleged embezzlement of over $300,000 at its Ukraine
embassy, a judicial official told AFP on Monday, as sources say the
cash-strapped country is trying to cut costs at diplomatic missions. The probe
was launched after financial irregularities came to light in September, the
official said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the
media. Preliminary investigations showed "an estimated $318,000" had been
embezzled from funds including for consular services such as "passport renewal
fees," the official said. The foreign ministry had apparently failed to notice
or investigate the missing funds, according to the official. A diplomatic source
confirmed to AFP that "judicial investigations are underway into a financial
matter at the Ukrainian embassy."Ambassador Ali Daher -- who had been recalled
to Beirut pending the completion of the probe -- and one of his assistants have
been questioned, the judicial official said. Citing initial investigations, the
official said the money had been transferred to a Ukrainian bank account
belonging to the embassy employee who claimed the funds had been sent to Beirut.
The assistant has returned to Lebanon but since disappeared, the official said,
adding that Lebanon's top prosecutor has issued a travel ban against the
assistant and his Ukrainian wife. Rent paid for the ambassador's residence in
Kyiv was also under investigation, the official said. Work has largely been
suspended at the Lebanese diplomatic mission in Ukraine following Russia's
invasion last year, the diplomatic source said also on condition on anonymity.
Since late 2019, Lebanon has faced a devastating economic crisis that has
plunged more than 80 percent of the population into poverty, according to the
United Nations. The local currency has lost much of its value and public sector
employees, whose salaries remained largely stagnant, have had their purchasing
power slashed. Since last year, the foreign ministry has proposed suspending
work in 17 foreign missions to help rein in expenditure, according to the
diplomatic source, with Kyiv being one of them according to media reports. While
the government has not made a decision on the matter, the source said expenses
and employee numbers at missions abroad were already being reduced to help cut
costs.
Touch employee involved in illegal sale of mobile lines
LBCI/Mon, April 3, 2023
When entering Ras Beirut Central in Sakiet El-Janzir, you notice that the point
of sale belonging to Touch is closed in the building, and the employee is not
there. According to sources, a Touch employee named M.A. was recently arrested
for his involvement in the illegal sale of mobile lines at Ras Beirut Central.
The investigation revealed that M.A. opened lines using fake IDs or IDs of
people without their knowledge and sold them at exorbitant prices to unknown
individuals. The employee underwent investigations that indicated that thousands
of lines were sold illegally, some of which were used for criminal activities,
as suspects resort to using unregistered mobile lines on their identities. This
case has raised concerns about the possibility of other employees at different
sales centers being involved in this illegal activity. However, Touch has
started an internal audit, and the responsible individuals for the sales centers
must be held accountable. The illegal opening of mobile lines is not a new
phenomenon. Agents and distributors have resorted to this procedure to increase
their share of profit from mobile cards that make substantial revenue. When
caught, their share is revoked for a period. Some stores have also been selling
mobile lines at higher prices than the official rate in case the buyer chooses
not to register the line under their real identity. Moreover, the recent illegal
process of opening and registering lines with fake IDs and selling them is
taking place in sales centers and by employees, which is a severe security
threat.
Agreement reached between doctors and insurance companies
LBCI/Mon, April 3, 2023
Patients in Lebanon have long suffered from the disparities between insurance
companies, hospitals, and doctors, especially regarding hospital bills.This
issue was exacerbated after the agreement between doctors and insurance
companies expired on March 10, 2023, and doctors were getting paid directly for
their work. However, today there is good news for all patients who have been
burdened by this issue. The news is especially favorable for patients who have
100% coverage. The positive impact of this development is not limited to
patients only but also extends to the medical sector and doctors. After doctors
had been receiving 50% of their dues, the percentage will increase gradually,
thus securing their continuous work. According to the previous contracts,
doctors will be paid within 90 days without any delay and in fresh dollars
according to the agreement. Starting Monday, whenever a patient undergoes a
medical procedure, they will no longer have to worry about any additional
charges, as long as they have insurance coverage.
Powerless against thieves: Infrastructure theft increases
in Lebanon
LBCI/Mon, April 3, 2023
Insecurity and theft are becoming increasingly problematic in Lebanon, with
thieves causing millions of dollars in damage and disrupting the lives of
citizens. In the latest incident, three high-voltage
transmission towers in the outskirts of Makneh town in Baalbek collapsed after
thieves stole their iron bases.
The thieves used 4x4 vehicles or trucks to remove the bases, causing power
outages in the affected areas for several hours. However, the feeding hours have
been limited to just two hours a day in some regions after Labweh and Hermel
power generation plants went out of service. Additionally, Electricité du Liban
(EDL) estimated the losses at around $3 million, and despite their efforts to
report these incidents, perpetrators were not caught. In the past few hours,
there have been similar incidents in Metn and Zgharta regions, with the EDL
reporting up to 40 complaints per month and millions of dollars in losses. EDL
has called on MPs and local authorities to help combat these criminal acts and
not just rely on reporting power cuts after the fact. These thefts are not only
causing significant financial losses to EDL but also negatively affecting the
daily lives of citizens.
Lebanese Journalist: Iranian Drones, Deployed
In Ukraine, Also Threaten Morocco; U.S. And Europe Bear Responsibility To
Confront This Threat
MEMRI/April 3, 2023
Iran, Lebanon, North Africa | Special Dispatch No. 10548
On March 3, 2023, in his column in the London-based Emirati daily Al-Arab,
Lebanese journalist Khairallah Khairallah wrote about the deployment of Iranian
drones in various arenas of conflict. He especially noted the reports that the
Polisario Front – a movement which is supported by Algeria and is acting to
establish an independent state in the Western Sahara, in territory claimed by
Morocco – now possesses such Iranian drones and uses them to threaten Morocco.
Khairallah stated that the extent of the danger posed by the Iranian regime's
drones was exposed when Russia used them in the war in Ukraine, and prior to
this when the Iran-backed Houthis used them to target Saudi Arabia. He added
that Algeria has ties to the Iranian-Russian alliance, and that the threat now
posed to Morocco by the Polsario's Iranian drones constitutes a critical test
for the U.S. and Europe, which bear the responsibility to confront this
threat.[1]
It should be noted that, in early October 2022, Polisario official 'Omar Mansour
stated that his organization would "soon use drones as part of its war of
attrition in the Western Sahara," without mentioning the source of the
drones.[2] Furthermore, on October 27, 2022, Morocco's representative to the UN,
Ambassador 'Omar Hilale, claimed that Iran and Hizbullah were arming the
Polisario with advanced weapons, including Iranian drones, and presented
photographs confirming his claim. Hilale accused Hizbullah and Iran of
destabilizing the region and warned that the use of Iranian drones against
Morocco by the Polisario would be met with a harsh and appropriate response.[3]
In fact, in May 2018 Morocco broke off diplomatic relations with Iran after
accusing it and Hizbullah of attempting to undermine its security by providing
military assistance to the Polisario. In a press conference, Moroccan Foreign
Minister Nasser Bourita stated that Iran had sent military aid to the Polisario
via the Iranian embassy in Algeria, and that Hizbullah had trained Polisario
operatives. He also contended that the ties between the Polisario and Hizbullah
dated back to 2016. He revealed that Morocco had information that Iran and
Hizbullah had supplied the Polisario with rockets, and that the collaboration
between them also included excavating tunnels and trenches in the Sahara
region.[4]
Tehran Iran - September 9, 2019, Iran's military drone display, reverse
engineering by Iran of American drone samples. On the wall is written "The hand
of God is above all hands" Copyright (c) 2022 saeediex/Shutterstock.
The following are translated excerpts from Khairallah's column: [5]
"The war in Ukraine did not only change the world, but also the character of
wars when it deployed drones, among them Iranian drones, on the frontlines. This
war exposed the danger of the Iranian regime, which has begun to threaten Europe
directly and is apparently prepared to extend its activities to North Africa as
well. The U.S. administration has become aware of this, and Germany has recently
begun to take very firm positions regarding Iran's possible attainment of
nuclear weapons, and regarding the Iranian nuclear program in general.
As for the deployment of the drones, the Iranians are using the Polisario, which
is nothing more than a tool that has been used since 1975 by the Algerian regime
to wage a war of attrition against Morocco. Iran has already used drones by
means of the Houthis in Yemen, who [used them] to attack civilian targets in
Saudi Arabia, including airports, and once even used them to attack the airport
in [the Yemeni city of] Aden. These precedents highlight the serious danger
inherent in the transfer of [Iranian] drones to the Polisario as part of the war
that the Algerian regime is waging against Morocco.
"[Russian President] Vladimir Putin has managed to continue his war against
Ukraine, which is moving into its second year, with Iranian assistance.
According to testimony from CIA Chief William Burns, Iran supplies Russia with
drones and cannon shells… The war in Ukraine has proved the depth of the current
relationship between Iran and Russia… The U.S. administration is no longer
hiding its priorities in this particular phase, which include the manner of
dealing with Russia, China and Iran…
"What seems certain is that there has been a shift in the American position
toward Iran and toward its nuclear ambitions, its missiles and its drones. Iran
opened the eyes [of Europe and the U.S.] after it became an integral part of the
war against Ukraine and after it revealed the depth of its relationship with
Vladimir Putin. In the end, the Russian president was forced to succumb to the
Iranian embrace in order to wage a war of attrition in Ukraine. Putin's fate now
depends on Iran and its support, especially given that China has yet to make a
final decision regarding its involvement alongside him in the Ukraine war, and
its commitment to supporting him militarily to the bitter end.
"How much longer can the U.S. administration tolerate Iran's character? The
point is not just the Iranian conduct in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, and not
[only] the militias which are subordinate to [Iran's] Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps, and which operate in these countries and supervise the destruction
of their institutions. There are matters that go far beyond this. There are the
Iranian drones, which are no longer confined to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen,
but have begun to spread to the Arab Maghreb [i.e., North Africa]. There is a
clear attempt to attack Morocco, which means that the U.S. and Europe have a
great responsibility and face an important test. [And] all this is happening at
a time when the extent of the Algerian regime's ties with the Russian-Iranian
alliance is becoming clearer every day…"
[1] It should be noted that Khairallah Khairallah has warned in the past about
Iran and Hizbullah's relations with the Polisario and the threat this poses to
Morocco. See e.g., MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 7528, Lebanese Columnist:
Hizbullah's Actions In Morocco Are Part Of Its Role As A Tool Of Iran, June 18,
2018.
[2] Almaghribalarabi.com, October 4, 2022; elikhbaria.dz, October 5, 2022.
[3] Al-Arabi Al-Jadid (London), October 28, 2022.
[4] For more information, see MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 7528, Lebanese
Columnist: Hizbullah's Actions In Morocco Are Part Of Its Role As A Tool Of
Iran, June 18, 2018.
[5] Al Arab (London), March 3, 2023.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on April 03-04/2023
Israel's Netanyahu, dissenting defence minister to
visit troops together
JERUSALEM (Reuters)/Mon, April 3, 2023
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit troops with Defence Minister Yoav
Gallant, an aide said on Monday, as Israel's public broadcaster reported he had
decided to delay the dismissal of the minister announced more than a week ago.
Netanyahu announced he was firing Gallant on March 26, following his defence
chief's public call to halt a highly contested judicial overhaul. The plan
triggered unprecedented nationwide demonstrations, some involving military
reservists saying they might refuse call-ups. With tensions running high during
the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which this year coincides with the Jewish
Passover, public broadcaster Kan reported on Monday that Netanyahu had decided
to hold off on firing the minister. "Due to the evolving security situation,
Netanyahu will attend to the matter of the defence minister down the line," the
broadcaster cited a political source as saying. The Prime Minister's office had
no immediate comment. The news of Gallant's abrupt dismissal, during a period of
exceptional tension in the occupied West Bank and continuing concerns over
Iran's nuclear ambitions, triggered immediate mass protests, with tens of
thousands pouring into the streets after the announcement. Netanyahu relented
and suspended the contested reforms to allow for compromise talks with
opposition parties. Political sources said there have been efforts in recent
days to end the rift between Netanyahu and Gallant, whose potential firing had
set off alarms within the ruling Likud party, the armed services and among
Israel's Western allies. Two Israeli officials who requested anonymity said
Gallant and Netanyahu would on Monday evening visit two military bases to toast
troops for the Passover holiday. Details on such visits are generally not
published in advance on security grounds.
Palestinians say 2 killed in Israeli army raid in West Bank
JERUSALEM (AP)/Mon, April 3, 2023
Two Palestinian men were killed by Israeli troops in an army raid in the
occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Monday, the Palestinian Health Ministry
said, the latest in a year-long spike of violence that shows no sign of abating.
The Israeli military said that troops arrested two people suspected of assisting
a gunman who shot two soldiers in the occupied West Bank town of Hawara last
month. The army said its soldiers came under fire during the raid and shot back,
confirming “hits.”Violence has surged in recent months in the West Bank and east
Jerusalem amid near-daily Israeli arrest raids in Palestinian-controlled areas
and a string of Palestinian attacks. The U.S. has tried to broker talks between
Israel, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinians to try to defuse tensions during the
Muslim holy month of Ramadan, now in its second week. At least 88 Palestinians
have been killed by Israeli or settler gunfire this year, according to an
Associated Press tally. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed 15
people in the same period. Israel says most of those killed have been militants.
But stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions and people not involved in
the confrontations have also been killed. The Israeli military also said Monday
that fighter jets intercepted an “unidentified aircraft over the Gaza Strip”
that didn't enter Israel's airspace. The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which
rules the Gaza Strip, said that the intercepted aircraft was one of its unmanned
attack drones conducting an exercise. Israel captured the West Bank, east
Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek
those territories for their future independent state.
Chinese spy balloon gathered intelligence on
US military sites- NBC News
(Reuters)/Mon, April 3, 2023
A Chinese balloon that flew across the United States was able to gather
intelligence from several U.S. military sites and transmit it back to Beijing in
real time, despite the Biden administration's efforts to prevent it from doing
so, NBC News reported on Monday. The high-altitude balloon, controlled by
Beijing, was able to make multiple passes over some of the sites before it was
shot down on Feb. 4, at times flying in a figure-eight formation, NBC said,
citing two current senior U.S. officials and one former senior administration
official. The three officials said it could transmit the information it
collected back to Beijing in real time, NBC reported. "The intelligence China
collected was mostly from electronic signals, which can be picked up from
weapons systems or include communications from base personnel, rather than
images," NBC cited the officials as saying. U.S. officials were not immediately
available for comment. The Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing and the Chinese
Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for
comment. At the time, U.S. officials played down the balloon's impact on
national security.The balloon, which Beijing denies was a government spy vessel,
spent a week flying over the United States and Canada early in February before
the U.S. military shot it down off the Atlantic Coast on President Joe Biden's
orders. The Chinese balloon incident prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony
Blinken to postpone a planned visit to Beijing and further strained relations
between Washington and Beijing. The episode caused an uproar in Washington and
led the U.S. military to search the skies for other objects that were not being
captured on radar. The United States said on Feb. 17 it had successfully
concluded recovery efforts off South Carolina to collect sensors and other
debris from the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon and that investigators
would analyze its "guts."
Russia is trying to cover up the decline of a once elite unit that was rendered
'combat ineffective,' UK intel says
Sinéad Baker/Business Insider/April 3, 2023
Russia is trying to fix the reputation of a once elite brigade hammered in
Ukraine, the UK MOD said. The military is worried the brigade's reputation
reflects how military leaders are seen, it said. Insider previously reported
that the brigade's failures in Ukraine mirror Russia's struggles there. Russia
is trying to salvage the reputation of a once elite unit and obscure the fact
that it has been rendered incapable of fighting, according to UK intelligence.
In an update published Monday, the UK Ministry of Defence said the once
celebrated 155th Naval Infantry Brigade of the Pacific Fleet had been rendered
"combat ineffective" multiple times when fighting in Ukraine. It said the
Kremlin was doing its best to cover up its defeats, to prevent the 155th
becoming a symbol of Russia's larger failures in the invasion.The MOD update
said Russian officials were "likely running a deliberate information operation
to revive the reputation of a brigade which has become synonymous with recent
Russian failures in Ukraine." Insider recently profiled the 155th, reporting
that it had been involved in many of the low points of Russia's invasion and had
suffered huge casualties. Experts told Insider that the brigade once had an
elite reputation, but that this had been eroded by repeated defeats. Its best
soldiers were killed or wounded and replaced with inexperienced fighters.
Russia's military overall has experienced the same issues. The UK MOD said that
Russia tried to show off the brigade in March, including though "some of the
most extensive Russian helmet-cam combat footage yet released" and staging a
visit by the Russian TV host Vladimir Solovyov. It also noted public
announcements that the brigade was determined and in "high spirits," and said
Russia shared images of the brigades getting modified tanks. It said that
Russia's "effort to revive the brigade's image likely reflects concern about the
way in which its failures were being increasingly associated with Russian senior
military leaders." The MOD noted that the brigade was majorly suffering. "In
reality, the 155th has likely been reduced to combat ineffective status at least
twice in the last six months, due to being committed to tactically flawed
frontal assaults near Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast," the UK said. The MOD said in
February said last month that while the 155th is seen as elite, its abilities
had "almost certainly been significantly degraded" over the course of the war.
The brigade has had such high losses that the military has had to replenish it
with new troops as many as eight times, according to the Washington DC-based
Institute for the Study of War.
Russian charged with war crimes may brief U.N.
Security Council
Michelle Nichols/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters)/ April 3, 2023
Russia's commissioner for children's rights, who is wanted by the International
Criminal Court on war crimes charges, is likely to brief an informal meeting of
the U.N. Security Council this week, according to a note seen by Reuters on
Monday. Russia, which holds the monthly rotating presidency of the 15-member
body for April, told council members in a note that it plans to hold an informal
meeting on Wednesday on Ukraine, focused on "evacuating children from conflict
zone." "Participants will hear 'first hand' information from the Presidential
Commissioner for Children's Rights of the Russian Federation, as well as from
children evacuated from the conflict area," read the note. The commissioner is
Maria Lvova-Belova. The International Criminal Court (ICC) last month issued an
arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lvova-Belova,
accusing them of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine, as well
as the unlawful transfer of people to Russia from Ukraine since Moscow invaded
on Feb. 24, 2022. "They cannot invite a credible briefer because they do not
have any credibility on this issue," Britain's Deputy U.N. Ambassador James
Kariuki told Reuters in a statement. "Russian leaders have been charged by the
ICC with unlawfully deporting children from Ukraine to Russia. That is a war
crime." Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said on Monday that the
meeting briefers would be announced shortly. Such meetings are held at U.N.
headquarters, but not in the Security Council chamber, and briefings can be done
virtually.
'APRIL FOOL'S JOKE'
Moscow has not concealed a program under which it has brought thousands of
Ukrainian children to Russia but presents it as a humanitarian campaign to
protect orphans and children abandoned in the conflict zone. Nebenzia told
reporters last month that the informal meeting of Security Council members to be
held on Wednesday had been planned long before the ICC announcement and it was
not intended to be a rebuttal of the charges against Putin and Lvova-Belova.
While a feature of Russia's presidency, members do not need to be the rotating
monthly president to hold such meetings. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
is due to travel to New York to chair formal Security Council meetings later in
the month on the Middle East and on "effective multilateralism through the
defense of the principles of the U.N. Charter." The 193-member U.N. General
Assembly has criticized Russia for violating the founding U.N. Charter by
invading its neighbor and called for a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace"
in line with the principles of the U.N. Charter. Given Russia's Security Council
presidency started on April 1, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda
Thomas-Greenfield, told reporters on Monday: "It's like an April Fool's joke ...
We expect that they will behave professionally." "But we also expect that they
will use their seat to spread disinformation and to promote their own agenda as
it relates to Ukraine, and we will stand ready to call them out at every single
moment that they attempt to do that," she said.
Israel detains Passover sacrifice campaigner as Al Aqsa
tensions simmer
Dan Williams/JERUSALEM (Reuters)/Mon, April 3, 2023
An Israeli campaigner for Jewish prayer rights at the Jerusalem compound that
houses Al Aqsa mosque was detained on Monday, in an apparent bid to preempt any
attempt to hold a Passover sacrifice at the site while Palestinians mark
Ramadan. The compound, revered by Jews as a vestige of their two ancient
temples, is a flashpoint of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that is monitored
especially closely by authorities during religious holidays. Since capturing the
site in a 1967 war, Israel has maintained a long-standing status quo arrangement
preventing non-Muslim worship there. But a fringe Jewish religious group, the
Temple Mount Administration, has been calling for fellow activists to bring
Paschal lambs to sacrifice at the site on Wednesday, the beginning of the
Passover festival. That would clash with Palestinian observances of the Ramadan
month, when Muslims fast during daylight hours. Israeli media aired cellphone
footage taken by Refael Morris - whom the Temple Mount Administration describes
as the leading Passover sacrifice campaigner - that showed him being pulled over
in his car by plainclothes policemen. In the video an officer says Morris is
suspected of disrupting public order and that his house would be searched.
Police said the video was authentic but did not make further comment on the
reasons for the detention. Morris was stopped while driving near Latrun, about
35 km (20 miles) from Jerusalem, the Temple Mount Administration said. Growing
numbers of Jewish visitors who flout the ban on prayers in the compound have
stoked rancour among Palestinians and in Jordan, Al Aqsa's custodian. So has
Israel's appointment of Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-rightist who once opposed the ban
when he was minister for police. On Sunday, the Temple Mount Administration
circulated a protest statement after Ben-Gvir told Channel 12 TV the Passover
sacrifice campaigners should "cool it" on what he dismissed as their "protest
stunt". "I'm not in favour of there being a Passover sacrifice," said Ben-Gvir,
who since taking office has dropped his past demand to formalise Jewish prayer
rights at the compound.
Zelenskiy commemorates ordeal of villagers held captive in basement
Yurii Khomenko/YAHIDNE, Ukraine (Reuters)/Mon, April 3, 2023
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday paid tribute to the courage of nearly
400 residents of a village in north Ukraine who were held in a school basement
under Russian occupation for 27 days before they were set free a year ago. The
Ukrainian leader travelled to Yahidne, where he gave an emotional speech
recalling how villagers were kept captive in a space less than 200 square metres
during the first month of Russia's February 2022 invasion. He said that 11
people died during the ordeal. "These people somehow lived and waited for
Ukraine in the dark," said Zelenskiy who appeared visibly moved on the
anniversary. "They lived standing and sitting."Zelenskiy was joined on the visit
to Yahidne, a village in Chernihiv region, by German Vice-Chancellor Robert
Habeck and Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric.
Zelenskiy has made several trips to front line regions in the last two weeks.
Zelenskiy thanked Habeck and Buric for attending and said the basement was
important for Ukraine's allies to see. "It's important to see this and to be in
these basements to understand whether to help Ukraine or to keep thinking how to
find a way to talk with Russia," he said. Zelenskiy said Russian troops and the
country's leadership, including President Vladimir Putin, were responsible for
the tragedy. Russia denies involvement in war crimes and has called a warrant
for Putin's arrest issued by the International Criminal Court unacceptable and
outrageous.
"Having seen all this, I can wish the President of Russia to spend the rest of
his days in a basement with a bucket for a toilet," Zelenskiy said.
With no peace in sight, NATO countries eye
more Ukraine help
LBCI/Mon, April 3, 2023
Ukraine’s Western allies have sent the country 65 billion euros ($70 billion) in
military aid to help thwart Russia’s full-scale invasion, NATO Secretary-General
Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, and with no peace negotiations on the horizon the
alliance is gearing up to send more. “We cannot allow Russia to continue to chip
away at European security,” Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels,
adding “there are no signs that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is preparing
for peace. He is preparing for more war.” NATO foreign ministers meeting in
Brussels on Tuesday “will discuss how we can step up our support, including by
continuing to strengthen Ukraine’s armed forces,” Stoltenberg said. “Our support
is for the long-haul.” Analysts suspect Putin plans to dig in and hold out
against a possible Ukraine counteroffensive in coming months, hoping that the
West’s costly support for Kyiv will unravel. Putin’s invasion in February 2022
backfired in some key respects. It led NATO to deploy more troops and weapons
into the territories of its members in Eastern Europe and persuaded Sweden and
Finland to scrap their neutrality and seek NATO membership. Finland will
formally join the alliance on Tuesday, Stoltenberg said. The war has also bound
together more tightly foreign leaders viewed by Putin as adversaries. Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to head to Warsaw on Wednesday for a meeting
with Polish President Andrzej Duda. Polish authorities announced the visit
Monday in an unusually early disclosure of the Ukrainian leader’s travel plans.
Amid fears among Russia’s other neighbors about the Kremlin’s ambitions, the
leaders of Germany, Romania and Moldova were due Monday to look at ways of
shoring up defenses along NATO’s eastern flank. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
was meeting in Bucharest with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Moldovan
President Maia Sandu. Their talks were expected to focus on security, the
economy and energy supply. Meanwhile, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, who
is also the economy minister and responsible for energy, arrived in Kyiv on
Monday on an unannounced visit. He traveled with a business delegation that
included the head of Germany’s main industry lobby group, the Federation of
German Industries. Habeck said the trip was meant to send a clear signal “that
we believe they will be victorious, that they will be rebuilt, that there is an
interest on Europe’s part not just to support them in an emergency, but in
Ukraine being an economically strong partner in the future.” Zelenskyy and
Habeck visited the village of Yahidne — 140 kilometers (87 miles) north of Kyiv.
Zelenskyy visited the Yahidne secondary school, in whose basement Russian
occupiers forcibly kept 367 Ukrainian civilians for 27 days in March of last
year. Eleven people died in the dark, crowded basement. Meanwhile, in Ukraine’s
eastern Donetsk region, where much of the fighting has taken place in recent
months, six civilians were killed in a single Russian rocket strike on the town
of Kostiantynivka, Ukraine’s presidential office said. Four more civilians were
killed in the northern Chernihiv region when their vehicles hit land mines,
underscoring the perils of living in the war zone. Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko
said that a spell of cold weather has deepened the civilians’ plight there.
“Freezing temperatures and snow make life unbearable for civilians, they have to
survive in damp basements without power and communications and can only
occasionally get out to warm themselves around a campfire,” Kyrylenko said in
televised remarks. “The Russians never run out of ammunition, equipment and
personnel whom they use as cannon fodder to keep trying to storm cities.”
Russia Is Running An 'Information Operation' To Revive Leaders' Reputations, UK
Says
Kate Nicholson/HuffPost UK/Mon, April 3, 2023
Russia is likely running a “deliberate information operation” in a bid to rescue
the reputation of its senior military leaders, according to the UK. The UK’s
Ministry of Defence has suggested that its Russian counterpart is trying to
revive the image of one particular battalion – the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade
– through a media campaign. In its latest daily update, the MoD claimed this
brigade “has become synonymous with recent Russian failures in Ukraine”. Back in
March, Ukraine made international headlines after it claimed that the very same
brigade was refusing to carry out orders to capture Vuhledar, the site of an
ongoing battle in the east of Ukraine. So throughout March, Moscow seemed to
focus in on this battalion. The MoD claim Russia released “some of the most
extensive Russian helmet-cam combat footage yet” in March from the brigade’s
soldiers, and there was a televised visit by a prominent Russian TV host
Vladimir Sovyov. The UK officials also noted that there were “public
announcements that the formation is in ‘high spirits [with] a strong
determination to achieve the set goals’” and there have been plenty of “images
showing the 155th being re-quipped with modified tanks”.
However, UK officials speculated that the regiment has in reality been “reduced
to combat ineffective status at least twice in the last six months”. That’s
because they were “committed to tactically flawed frontal assaults near Vuhledar
in Donetsk Oblast”. As the Ukrainian military told the Kyiv Post last month:
“The leaders of the brigade and senior officers are refusing to proceed with a
new senseless attack as demanded by their unskilled commanders – to storm
well-defended Ukrainian positions with little protection or preparation.” The
Russian military allegedly lost 130 tanks in Vuhledar, which was one of the
reasons soldiers supposedly wanted to stop fighting. Ukrainian drone footage
showed that the failed battle had left Russian tanks all over the battlefield.
Russia is said to still be relying on its tanks left over from the Cold War era,
while Ukraine is set to receive its American Abrams and German Leopard 2 tanks
from its Western allies in the coming months. And many of the Russian units
reportedly struggled in Vuhledar due to a lack of training, particularly the new
conscripts. The MoD added that this attempt to fix the 155th Brigade’s image
might reflect “concern about the way in which its failures were being
increasingly associated with Russian senior military leaders”. A think tank, the
Institute for the Study of War, has also claimed that this brigade, once an
elite part of the Russian army, had been reconstituted as much as seven times
since the start of the invasion.
Saudi Arabia Emboldened on World Stage Underpins OPEC Decision
Fiona MacDonald and Sam Dagher/(Bloomberg/Mon, April 3, 2023
If ever there was any doubt over Saudi Arabia’s growing international
assertiveness, Sunday’s decision to slash OPEC+ oil production put it to rest.
Mere months after rebuffing President Joe Biden’s pleas to pump more crude, an
increasingly confident Riyadh is using its regional clout to carve out its own
path. Whether in the fields of energy or diplomacy, through forging ties with
former foe Iran and moving toward embracing Syria’s pariah leader, it’s evidence
of a determination to pursue Saudi priorities even if they run against
Washington’s interests. Saudi newspapers were brimming with self-assurance on
Monday, asserting that Riyadh’s course had been the right one all along. The
commentary suggested that addressing a sinking oil price was more important than
extending any favors to allies because it would reap longer-term benefits.“OPEC+
has succeeded now and in the past in stabilizing oil markets, and contrary to
claims by Western and industrial states this has nothing to do with politics,”
former Saudi oil ministry adviser Mohammad Al Sabban said, according to Asharq
Al-Awsat newspaper. The decision was “preemptive and precautionary” due to
uncertainty in oil markets and increased risk of recession, he added. Faisal
Faeq, a former manager at state-owned Saudi Aramco, wrote in periodical Al-Majalla
that OPEC+ had to act because tightening monetary policy in the West put
“artificial” downward pressure on prices.
Saudi Oil Surprise Sets Prices Up for Bigger Rally: Energy Daily
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s willingness to act to secure stability, while
coordinating energy policy with Russia and even sidelining the US in favor of
its No. 1 rival China, underscores Riyadh’s growing geopolitical influence as a
fossil fuel superpower. His latest move also reflects an element of economic
expediency, with the crude price slumping to a 15-month low in late March. “The
Saudis and OPEC feel that they have some bragging rights,” Bob McNally,
president of Rapidan Energy Group and a former White House energy official, told
Bloomberg Television. “They’re proud of their cut in October, they had a lot of
naysayers.”MBS, as the Saudi crown prince is known, also calculates that the US
won’t risk a full rupture in relations with Riyadh, so will temper its response
to any diversions in policy. The Saudis, who rely on the US for security, are
still unwilling to pursue a complete breach with Washington. “American tolerance
for this Saudi-first mentality is certainly more tested in a geopolitical
environment where higher prices play into the hands of the Russians and the
Saudi political posture aligns more with US strategic competitors,” said Kristin
Smith Diwan, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in
Washington. Saudi Arabia led the OPEC+ cartel by pledging a 500,000 barrel-a-day
supply reduction. Fellow members including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and
Algeria followed suit, while Russia said the production cut it was implementing
from March to June would continue until the end of 2023. After last year’s snub,
the White House reaction was more restrained this time round. While the 1
million barrel-a-day reduction was ill-advised under current market conditions,
the US will work with producers and consumers with a focus on gasoline prices
for Americans, it said. Karen Young, a senior researcher at Columbia
University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, said it was “too bad” the US was
criticizing Saudi Arabia for the OPEC+ decision when they both share the same
concerns over Chinese economic growth. “Moreover, we need to pay close attention
to how Gulf-Russia relationships evolve,” she said. “There will not always be a
rationale to help Russia.”
‘New reality’
Crown Prince Mohammed’s foremost priority is ensuring his multi-trillion-dollar
vision to transform Saudi Arabia stays on track. That’s driving his efforts to
shield his country from any possible escalation as a result of US and Israeli
tensions with Iran. While the US remains Saudi Arabia’s main defense and
security partner and the No. 1 provider of military technology, the Saudis have
grown less confident of Washington’s support in the event they come under
attack. “The US and other leading consumers have to get used to this new
reality” of a “Saudi-first” policy, said Kuwait University history professor
Bader Al-Saif. “Why would you expect a state to put other countries’ interests
ahead of it?” It’s tempting to consider it politically instigated, but the
economics backs up the production-cut decision, he added. Oil prices rose and US
gasoline jumped on Monday, in a blow to Biden’s efforts to tame the cost of
transportation fuels. Riyadh said the reductions were a “precautionary measure
aimed at supporting the stability of the oil market.” Interpreting every Saudi
production change as a political statement is a mistake, David Rundell, a former
U.S. diplomat with decades of experience in the kingdom, said. “The Saudis have
an interest in maximizing oil prices over the long term, not the short term,” he
said. “This requires a degree of price stability.” In any case, he added, “the
days of you being with us 100% or against us are over.”Biden vowed after last
year’s production cut that there would be “consequences” for Saudi Arabia, but
the administration has yet to follow through. Riyadh has not only cast itself as
an emerging power that stands up to Washington, but has become an even greater
force in global energy markets since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February
2022. Sunday’s decision isn’t great for the US or China, so differs from the
Iran deal mediated by China, according to Gregory Gause, a professor of
international affairs at Texas A&M University. Rather, it’s “a reflection of a
Saudi foreign policy that sees the world as multipolar, giving Riyadh greater
room for maneuver among the great powers, and that is very focused on maximizing
short-term economic benefits,” he said. For Fawaz Gerges, a professor of Middle
Eastern politics at the London School of Economics, the Saudi move is part of “a
recalibration moment” in the region. Middle Eastern rulers, no longer confident
that the US has their back, are working to “lower the tempo of geostrategic
rivalries and tensions,” and Saudi Arabia is no different, Gerges said. “MBS and
his regional cohorts look at the world and see China and India as the future,
not the USA.”
Leader of Egypt on surprise visit to Saudi
Arabia
Associated Press/Mon, April 3, 2023
The leaders of Egypt and Saudi Arabia have met in the kingdom, officials said
Monday. It's the first visit by top officials in months as Egypt battles a
domestic economic crisis. President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, held talks late Sunday
that focused on ties between the two heavyweights, according to Egyptian
presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmy. Fahmy said in a statement that the two
leaders "affirmed mutual concern for promoting common cooperation in all
fields." They also agreed to continue "coordination and consultation" on
regional and international topics, he added. The statement did not give further
details. The meeting came as el-Sissi's government is struggling to overcome an
economic crisis blamed on the war in Europe, but what critics say is resulting
from mismanagement of the economy. The two heavy powers are also both seeking to
mend their frayed ties with other regional powers, including Iran and Turkey. "I
affirm the depth and strength of the biliteral relations between Egypt and the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," el-Sissi tweeted after returning to Egypt early
Monday. Bin Salman, widely known in the west by the acronym MBS, received el-Sissi
in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on the Red Sea. Images aired by state-run
media in the two countries showed the crown prince waiting for the Egyptian
president on the tarmac. Other officials from both countries attended the talks,
including Abbas Kamel, head of Egypt's General Intelligence Authority, and
Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, Saudi national security adviser, according to the
Saudi official news agency. The surprise trip was the first announced encounter
between the two leaders since they met in Qatar during the opening of the World
Cup. El-Sissi also received bin Salman in Cairo in June 2022 ahead of President
Joe Biden's Mideast trip. Saudi Arabia and other Arab
Gulf states have been the main suppliers of aid to the Egyptian government,
which has been struggling to overcome a staggering economic crisis. In 2022,
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates pledged a total of $22 billion
in deposits and direct investments in Egypt, in a bid to stabilize its battered
economy after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However,
in recent months, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states seemed increasingly
reluctant to help cash-strapped Egypt. They urged el-Sissi's government to make
economic reforms to receive aid. Egypt has already begun to make changes as part
of a $4 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund.
"We need to see reforms. We are taxing our people. We are expecting also
others to do the same, to do their efforts. We want to help, but we want you
also to do your part," Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said at the
World Economic Forum's annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland, in January.
The veiled criticism to the Egyptian government's handling of the economy
has strained ties between Cairo and Riyadh. An online spat between public
figures in the two countries erupted after an opinion piece was published in an
Egyptian state-owned newspaper in February, arguing that Saudi Arabia and other
Gulf states had no right to criticize the Egyptian government's handling of its
economy. Speaking at the World Government Summit in
Dubai in February, el-Sissi watered down the spat and praised Gulf monarchies
for their financial support over the past years. "Reality may be different from
what we see in the media or what we hear from politicians … even when it's
politicians who think they are in control," he said.
Saudi prince pivots to peace after years of war
Associated Press/Mon, April 3, 2023
In the years since Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman catapulted to power,
it has been hard to find a controversy in the Middle East that doesn't somehow
involve the 37-year-old heir to the throne. Now he's pivoting to his next
audacious plan: Giving peace a chance. The moves toward reaching a détente with
Iran, reestablishing ties to Syria and ending the kingdom's yearslong war in
Yemen could extricate Prince Mohammed from some of the thorniest regional issues
he faces. Whether it succeeds will have profound
impacts on the wider Middle East and on his expansive plans to reshape the
kingdom away from oil and further into his image. Failure threatens not only his
impending rule over a nation crucial to global energy supplies, but a wider
region shaken by years of tensions, inflamed in part by his decisions. Prince
Mohammed's rise accelerated in 2015 after his father, King Salman, appointed him
as deputy crown prince. That year saw Mohammed, also the country's defense
minister at the time, plunge Saudi Arabia into a military campaign in Yemen, a
civil war that grew into a regional proxy battle still continuing today. Riyadh
supports Yemen's exiled government against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who
hold Sanaa, the country's capital.
The tensions with Iran, at the time still in a nuclear deal with world powers,
escalated with Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric in 2016.
Protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran, and Riyadh broke off ties to
Tehran.
In 2017, Saudi Arabia joined three other Arab nations in boycotting Qatar, which
maintains ties to Iran. The same year, the prince made what appeared to be a
heavy-handed attempt to break Iranian-backed Hezbollah's domination of Lebanon's
government by inviting Lebanon's prime minister to the kingdom and then
allegedly forcing him to announce his resignation. The attempt failed and Saudi
Arabia's influence in Lebanon has been diminished ever since.
Prince Mohammed days later launched a purported anti-corruption campaign that
saw the Saudi elite locked in the Ritz Carlton until they handed over billions
in assets. The slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi
Consulate in Istanbul, believed by the United States and others to be at the
prince's orders, followed in 2018. But an attack that followed likely changed
the prince's calculations. In September 2019, a barrage of cruise missiles and
drones struck at the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry, temporarily halving
production.
While the Houthis initially claimed the assault, the West and Saudi Arabia later
blamed the attacks on Tehran. Independent experts also linked the weapons to
Iran. Though Tehran still denies carrying out the attack, even United Nations
investigators said that "the Houthi forces are unlikely to be responsible for
the attack."Saudi Arabia never retaliated publicly for the attack, nor did the
U.S. under President Donald Trump as the longtime security guarantor for the
Gulf Arab states. That, as well as America's later chaotic 2021 withdrawal from
Afghanistan, led to a reconsideration in the region of how much to rely on U.S.
promises. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia maintained a close
relationship with Russia as part of the OPEC+ group. The organization's oil
production cuts, even as Moscow's war on Ukraine boosted energy prices, angered
President Joe Biden and American lawmakers. China, emerging from the coronavirus
pandemic, also wants to secure its supply of Saudi oil. Both Russia and China
offer Saudi Arabia and Prince Mohammed the cachet of being respected by the
world's great powers without the persistent human rights concerns of the West.
Prince Mohammed has hosted and spoken by phone with both Chinese President Xi
Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin. The Chinese-mediated deal on the kingdom
reestablishing ties with Iran also provides Prince Mohammed with a new
opportunity to show the U.S. that others can shape Mideast politics. It also
offers a needed lull to allow the prince to instead focus on his planned $500
billion futuristic desert smart city project called Neom in the kingdom's
northwest, and the Mukaab in Riyadh — a 400-meter-high (523-yard) cube-shaped
mini-city full of holograms and entertainment venues — to anchor a new downtown
in the Saudi capital, likely to cost billions more if completed. A lull in
tensions is desperately sought by Iran as well, particularly in the wake of the
Mahsa Amini protests that represent one of the greatest challenges to its
theocracy since the chaotic years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. U.S.
sanctions over Tehran's collapsed nuclear deal as well still choke Iran's
economy.
For Prince Mohammed, the time must have appeared right to make the move.
Already, Saudi Arabia led efforts to reestablish ties to Qatar in 2021. Easing
tensions with Iran may provide him the avenue to finally fully pull out of the
Yemen war. Still, Prince Mohammed instructing Saudi officials to sit down with
Iranian counterparts to reopen embassies represents a dramatic change for a
leader who in 2018 said: "I believe the Iranian supreme leader makes Hitler look
good."Meanwhile, talks are ongoing on restoring ties with Syria, still under
Iranian-backed President Bashar Assad after years of civil war. An upcoming Arab
League summit being hosted by the kingdom in May could see Syria formally
brought back into the fold. Even Lebanon, beset by crises ranging from fiscal to
even time keeping, could benefit from a Saudi-Iran rapprochement.
The kingdom will also face a transition in the future. King Salman is already
87. His predecessor, King Abdullah, was the oldest Saudi monarch when he died at
the age 90. Prince Mohammed likely will be the youngest ever to take the throne
— and could have decades more to make his mark on the kingdom.
What that mark will be depends just as much on him as it does on whether he can
cool the tensions he helped kindle.
The Latest LCCC English analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on April 03-04/2023
Washington, the West, Iran and Syria
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al Awsat/April 03/2023
The United States and the West have taken stances that can only be described as
tactical, not strategic, since the announcement that Saudi Arabia and Iran were
normalizing relations, through a China-brokered agreement, and with more and
more talks being held to restore Arab relations with Bashar al-Assad's regime.
With the Saudi-Iranian announcement, suddenly Washington and London started to
make frequent leaks about Iranian arms shipments to the Houthis. They even
provided numbers, something that has never happened so clearly before.
I say suddenly because Saudi officials and others from the region have during
meetings with American and western officials never ceased warning of the
dangerous Iranian armament of the Houthis. The West at the time dismissed the
remarks as part of a proxy war between Riyadh and Tehran.
I say suddenly because Washington and the West never really took seriously
Ukraine’s evidence that Tehran was providing Moscow with drones that are being
used in the war there. The issue rose up their list of priorities after what can
be described as a long period during times of war.
As for relations between Arab countries and the Assad regime, we now see
Washington and London taking sudden action. They revealed the amount of Captagon
pills that the regime smuggles and the revenues it generates from it.
Washington also now suddenly retaliated to Iranian militias in Syria. I say now
because Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revealed just last week incredible
information related to how his country handles the Iranian attacks. He said that
Iran and its proxies have attacked American interests in the region 83 times
since President Joe Biden came to office, while Washington has retaliated to
them only four times!
Washington just now started to talk about how dangerous the Assad regime is, and
we have no doubt it is. But the question is, why now? Wasn't Washington the one
who gave the regime a lifeline when Assad ignored the red line drawn by former
President Barack Obama in Syria?
Did Obama not view the just Syrian revolution as a civil war? He decided to
ignore the Syrian tragedy because he wanted to and so did the Democrats. He went
on to ink the nuclear deal with Iran. Washington also ignored the protests in
Iran itself to strike the deal with the mullahs.
The story doesn’t end here. When former US President Donald Trump described
COVID-19 as a Chinese virus, Democrats were outraged and criticized his
disgusting racist remarks.
Now, after China succeeded in mediating between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and after
its President Xi Jinping visited Moscow, the White House announced it was
lifting secrecy over the COVID-19 file to verify that the virus had emerged from
a Chinese company.
To the US and West: Do you have a strategy in how to deal with Iran and the
Assad regime? Or do you simply follow tactics? Do you have a clear political
foreign policy or just political quarrels? The world is a dangerous place that
deserves a better approach than electoral pledges and arguments.
Fear of an A.I. Pundit
Ross Douthat/The New York Times/April 03/2023
Nick Bostrom’s 2014 book, “Superintelligence,” a crucial text for the community
of worriers about the risks of artificial intelligence, begins with a fable: A
tribe of sparrows, weary of a marginal existence, becomes convinced that
everything would be better if they could only have an owl to help them out — to
build nests, to assist with care and feeding, to keep an eye out for other
predators. Delighted by this idea, the sparrows decide to go hunting for an owl
egg or owl chick that they might bring up as their own.
Only Scronkfinkle, “a one-eyed sparrow with a fretful temperament,” points out
that maybe they should consider the dangers of living with a full-grown owl and
put some thought into owl taming and owl domestication first. But he’s overruled
on the grounds that merely getting an owl will be hard enough and there will be
time to worry about taming it once it’s been acquired and reared. So while the
others fly off to search for eggs and chicks, Scronkfinkle and a few other
sparrows try to put their minds to the taming problem — a difficult challenge,
lacking an owl to work with, and one shadowed by the fear that at any moment
their nest mates might come back with an owlet and put their sketched-out
theories to a brutal test.
It’s a neat fable about what A.I. alarmists think is happening right now. The
accelerating power of artificial intelligence, manifest publicly so far in
chatbots and image generators, is a growing owlet in our nest, and our alarmists
are still unprepared to tame it. And it’s in the spirit of Scronkfinkle that a
collection of Silicon Valley notables, including Elon Musk, just signed an open
letter urging at least a six-month pause in large-scale A.I. experiments to
allow our safety protocols to catch up.
But there’s a crucial difference between the fable and our own situation, which
helps explain why the human pause urgers have a harder task even than
Scronkfinkle. Note that the sparrows, for all their guilelessness, at least know
generally what an owl looks like, what it is and what it does. So it shouldn’t
be hard for them, and it isn’t hard for the reader, to imagine the powers that
an untamed owl would bring to bear — familiar powers of speed and sight and
strength, which could tear and gouge and devour the luckless sparrow clan.
With a notional-for-now superintelligence, however, the whole point is that
there isn’t an analogue in existence right now for us to observe, understand and
learn to fear. The alarmists don’t have a simple scenario of risk, a clear
description of the claws and beak; they have a lot of highly uncertain scenarios
based on even more uncertain speculation about what an intelligence somehow
greater than ours might be capable of doing.
That doesn’t make their arguments wrong. Indeed, you could argue that the very
uncertainty makes superintelligent A.I. that much more worth fearing. But
generally, when human beings turn against a technology or move to restrain it,
we have a good idea of what we’re afraid of happening, what kind of apocalypse
we’re trying to forestall. The nuclear test ban treaties came after Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, not before. Or a less existential example: The current debate
about limiting kids’ exposure to social media is potent because we’ve lived with
the internet and the iPhone for some time; we know a lot about what the
downsides of online culture seem to be. Whereas it’s hard to imagine persuading
someone to pre-emptively regulate TikTok in the year 1993.
I write this as someone who struggles to understand the specific dooms that
might befall us if the A.I. alarmists are correct or even precisely what we mean
when we say “superintelligence.”
Some of my uncertainty attaches to the debates about machine consciousness and
whether A.I. would need to acquire a sense of self-awareness to become genuinely
dangerous. But it’s also possible to distill the uncertainty to narrower
questions that don’t require taking a position on the nature of the self or
soul.
So let’s walk through one of them: Will supercharged machine intelligence find
it significantly easier to predict the future?
I like this question because it’s connected to my own vocation — or at least
what other people think my vocation is supposed to be: No matter how many times
you disclaim prophetic knowledge, there is no more reliable dinner-party
question for a newspaper columnist than, “What’s going to happen in Ukraine?” Or
“Who’s going to win the next primary?”
I don’t think my own intelligence is especially suited to this kind of
forecasting. When I look back on my own writing, I do OK at describing
large-scale trends that turn out to have a shaping influence on events — like
the transformation of the Republican Party into a downscale, working-class
coalition, say. But where the big trends distill into specific events, I’m just
doing guesswork like everybody else: Despite my understanding of the forces that
gave rise to Donald Trump, I still consistently predicted that he wouldn’t be
the Republican nominee in 2016.
There are forms of intelligence, however, that do better than mine at concrete
prediction. If you read the work of Philip Tetlock, who studies superforecasters,
it’s clear that certain habits of mind yield better predictions than others, at
least when their futurology is expressed in percentages averaged over a wide
range of predictions.
Thus (to use an example from Tetlock’s book, “Superforecasting,” written with
Dan Gardner) the average pundit, early in the Syrian civil war, might have put
the likelihood of President Bashar al-Assad losing power within six months at
around 40 percent. But the superforecasters, with a slightly deeper focus on the
situation, put the odds at less than 25 percent. Assad’s subsequent survival
alone doesn’t prove that the superforecasters had it exactly right — maybe the
dictator just beat the odds — but it helps their overall batting average, which
across a range of similar predictive scenarios is higher than the pundit
baseline.
But not so much higher that a statesman can just rely on their aggregates to go
on some kind of geopolitical winning streak. So one imaginable goal for a far
superior intelligence would be to radically improve on this kind of merely human
prognostication.
We know that artificial intelligence already has powers of pattern recognition
that exceed and sometimes mystify its human makers. For instance, A.I. can
predict a person’s sex at above-average rates based on a retina photograph
alone, for reasons that remain unclear. And there’s growing evidence that
artificial intelligence will be able to do remarkable diagnostic work in
medicine.
So imagine some grander scale of pattern recognition being applied to global
politics, predicting not just some vague likelihood of a dictator’s fall, but
this kind of plot, in this specific month, with these particular conspirators.
Or this particular military outcome in this particular province with these
events rapidly following. Superintelligence in this scenario would be
functioning as a version of the “psychohistory” imagined by Isaac Asimov in his
“Foundation” novels, which enables its architect to guide future generations
through the fall of a galactic empire. And a prophetic gift of this sort would
have obvious applications beyond politics — to stock market forecasting, for
instance, or to the kind of “precrime” prediction engine envisioned by Philip K.
Dick and then, in adaptation, Steven Spielberg.
It would also fit neatly into some of the speculation from A.I. pessimists. When
the Silicon Valley-adjacent writer Scott Alexander set out to write a vision of
a malevolent A.I.’s progress, for instance, he imagined it attaching itself
initially to Kim Jong-un and taking over his country through a kind of
superforecasting prowess: “Its advice is always excellent — its political
stratagems always work out, its military planning is impeccable and its product
ideas turn North Korea into an unexpected economic powerhouse.”
But is any intelligence, supercharged or otherwise, capable of such foresight?
Or is the world so irreducibly complex that even if you pile pattern recognition
upon pattern recognition and let A.I. run endless simulations, you will still
end up with probabilities that aren’t all that much more accurate than what can
be achieved with human judgment and intelligence? My assumption is that it’s the
latter, that there are diminishing returns to any kind of intelligence as a tool
of prophecy, that the world is not fashioned to be predicted in such detailed
ways .
A Path Towards Solving the Region’s Problems!
Fayez Sara/Asharq Al Awsat/April 03/2023
Over the past six months, a remarkable series of promising events have unfolded
in the Middle East. The most significant of which was the Saudi-Iranian
rapprochement brokered by China, which was preceded by Turkiye, encouraged and
spurred on by the Russians, opening up to the Assad regime in Syria. Turkiye’s
relations with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel took the same trajectory.
We can point to other breakthroughs among regional countries whose relations
have been tense or limited. This is the case for Iraq’s ties to its Arab
surroundings, which began to improve under Mustafa al-Kadhimi. His successor,
Iraq’s current Prime Minister Mohammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, has taken on the task of
following up on his work since forming his government in late 2022.
The series of breakthroughs in the Eastern Mediterranean and their extension
into the Arab Gulf region reflect two matters. First, we have internal
developments in these countries, especially its regional powers, such as Saudi
Arabia, Turkiye, Iran, and Egypt. Their governments have fortified efforts to
confront domestic challenges through new initiatives.
This is the case for Saudi Arabia, which is changing radically within the
framework of Vision 2030. Others are seeking to address problems engendered by
government policies and decisions that have been escalating and building up, as
in the case of Iran, which has been facing serious repercussions for its
regional policies. The second matter that the recent breakthroughs reflect is
that the states of the region have decided to change how they deal with each
other. We are seeing a shift from confrontation towards an approach that seeks
solutions, reconciliations, and rapprochements. Some consider this shit to be a
prelude to agreements that could give rise to a regional system that governs
most, if not all, of the region.
It perhaps goes without saying that the recent reconciliations were not made in
isolation of the great powers’ Middle East policies, which have changed
tremendously over the past decade. The United States, Russia, and China have all
changed their posture. The United States’ engagement in the region, which had
long been at the forefront of Washington’s international political, economic,
and security concerns, has declined to the lowest levels we have seen in
decades.
This US retreat has been reflected in criticism and defamation. Indeed, it went
as far as opposing the policies of allied countries like Turkiye, which is
considered Washington’s most important NATO partner. Its actions have given rise
to disputes that will require significant efforts to overcome. Their
ramifications will be difficult to contain. Indeed, this is not merely true for
US-Turkish relations but also in US-Saudi relations, which have been excellent
for decades.
While US interest in the region has declined, Russia has been opening up to
countries in the region over the past decade. Its relationship with Turkiye is
crucial for Moscow’s policies in the region. What used to be a traditional
relationship has turned into an alliance since Russia’s intervention in Syria in
2015, though that intervention almost precipitated a war between the two sides.
Instead of waging war, however, Moscow turned its intervention into a gateway
for political and operational cooperation with Turkiye. Together with Iran, they
share the same position on Syria, per their 2016 joint statement and the launch
of the Astana peace process that began that same year.
Moscow thus managed to reconcile the positions of its allies, which had seemed
mutually exclusive. It then moved towards further strengthening the ties between
Moscow and Ankara. The success of this policy is evident from Turkiye’s shift
towards normalizing relations with the Assad regime. While several factors
helped explain this turnaround, Russian demands and pressure were certainly
decisive.
The changes to China’s engagement with the region are the most consequential
great power recalibration in the Middle East. China is keen on calm in the
region. It has been open and focused on building economic relationships with
most of the countries in the region for decades. Nonetheless, the Chinese
President’s visit to Saudi Arabia in late 2022 marked a turning point in
Arab-Chinese relations. Three summits were held during the visit, a Chinese-Arab
summit, a Chinese-Gulf, and a Chinese-Saudi summit opening new horizons for
deepening its relations with the Arab world.
The Saudi-Iranian agreement sponsored by Beijing that turned a new page cannot
be understood without accounting for recent domestic and regional developments
and the shifting international balance of power. These factors have contributed
to the opening paths in the bilateral relationships between the countries of the
Eastern Mediterranean and Arab Gulf.
While the recent agreements are largely strategic in their content, they are
also largely experimental. The fact is that the experiences and legacies of
inter-ethnic conflicts and disputes have cast a shadow over the region and its
people for decades.
If the Saudi-Iranian agreement is an example of one of the paths of openness
being paved in the region and the strategic necessity of transforming regional
relations, it is experimental because of Iran’s policies. At the forefront are
its Gulf policies, but this also includes its actions in the Eastern
Mediterranean. In both regions, the Iranians have been exploiting religion to
expand their influence, establishing armed militias and strengthening and
diversifying its proxies, who are supported by its missiles and nuclear program.
In this context, Iran has imposed its direct and indirect hegemony over four
Arab countries: Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Syria, which have been held captive to
Iran. Meanwhile, Saudi openness towards Iran requires genuine steps toward
different policies. Iran must stop interfering in the affairs of neighboring
countries. Instead, it should help them to reclaim their natural positions and
rebuild their traditional alliances, becoming a good neighbor that further
shared interests. Turkiye’s openness to the Assad regime should do the same.
Assad’s actions undid the breakthroughs the two countries had made. His war
against the Syrian people had serious political, economic, and security
implications for Turkiye, especially with the influx of refugees and the rise of
Kurdish armed groups. Apprehension about both these things played a decisive
role in pushing Turkiye to take its Syria initiative, which will have positive,
albeit indirect, implications, as it will push towards finding a resolution for
the conflict in and around Syria.
All of this will place Turkiye in a better opportunity to ameliorate relations
with Damascus and, through it, with its Arab neighbors. This makes Turkiye’s
recent openness a matter of strategic interest. Given that the two sides have
been in conflict for a decade, during which dark pages from the past were
reopened, it is difficult to imagine that the path of openness will be smooth or
yield swift results. It will be difficult and dangerous, and a lot of time and
effort will be needed to achieve the desired outcomes.
In conclusion, the region is undergoing a phase of openness. Policies,
relationships, and actors are changing. While this course serves the strategic
interests of the region and its countries, it seems experimental, given the
legacy of the past few years and decades. Some may succeed, and others may fail,
making them practice tests for building a brighter future in which we hopefully
overcome the region’s current problems; eventually leading to the emergence of a
new regional system.
Trump: The Man to Bring Down?
Alain Destexhe/Gatestone Institute./April 3, 2023
The indictment of former President Donald Trump is just the latest maneuver by
many in the United States to distort elections.
The tactic appears reminiscent of Soviet secret police head Lavrentiy Beria's:
"Show me the man, and I will find you the crime."
"[I]t is not a question of discovering the commission of a crime and then
looking for the man who has committed it. It is a question of picking the man
and then searching the law books, or putting investigators to work, to pin some
offense on him." — Alan Dershowitz, Professor Emeritus at Harvard Law School,
New York Sun, March 15, 2023.
In the 2020 presidential election, under the pretext of Covid, election laws in
many states were changed -- illegally, some by not going through state
legislatures, as required by the Constitution. There was also a series of
maneuvers -- including the federal government and 51 former intelligence
officers knowingly suppressing media reporting on the contents of Hunter Biden's
laptop -- that cast legitimate suspicion, regardless of what the almost
unanimous mainstream media said, on the outcome.
After President Trump, on January 6, 2021, called on his supporters to
demonstrate "peacefully and patriotically," in front of the Capitol Building,
some skeptical and disappointed demonstrators -- perhaps again with the
intervention of the FBI -- became disorderly. Politicians and the media did not
hesitate to compare the events of that day to 9/11 attacks and Pearl Harbor. The
only person unfortunately killed at the demonstration was an unarmed
demonstrator, shot by a policeman. The federal government refused to release
14,000 hours of footage, presumably in an attempt at a cover-up. Trump was
subjected to the absurd procedure of a second impeachment to remove him from
office -- even though he was no longer president. Finally, he was banned from
Twitter and Facebook, which had been so useful to him in 2016 to bypass a
hostile media.
Moreover, despite the efforts of many politicians and journalists to protect
Biden, the new Republican-dominated House of Representatives has uncovered bank
records showing "payments made to President Joe Biden's son from a Chinese
Communist Party-linked company," as well as "showing Biden family members
received more than $1 million from a Chinese energy company after passing
through the account of a family associate," [including] "an unknown bank account
identified as 'Biden.'"Trump's indictment, a humiliating "perp walk," and the
possible incarceration of a former president, serve as useful diversions to
prevent the public from seeing evidence of a current commander-in-chief who has
been questioned as being compromised.
No abuses will be spared Trump, or any other Republican who might run for
president in 2024. It seems as if many in America, in what appears an escalating
wish for authoritarian power are ready for all maneuvers to not let American
voters choose their president democratically in 2024.
The indictment of former President Donald Trump is just the latest maneuver by
many in the United States to distort elections. The tactic appears reminiscent
of Soviet secret police head Lavrentiy Beria's: "Show me the man, and I will
find you the crime."
The indictment of former President Donald Trump is just the latest maneuver by
many in the United States to distort elections.
The indictment will not be known until tomorrow, but according to the American
media, the former president is accused of making fraudulent payments to a porn
star with whom Trump denies having had sexual relations. According to the claims
of his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who went to prison for "lying to the
Internal Revue Services about the taxes he owed, lying to financial institutions
and lying to Congress," Trump is accused of making the payments with funds from
his 2016 presidential campaign, which is prohibited. But Trump did not use
campaign funds, which would actually have been a serious violation of campaign
laws. Trump used his personal money -- to pay Cohen.
It would be an old offense, quite minimal -- there is a two year statute of
limitations on such campaign misdemeanors; this payment goes back seven years --
without influence on the outcome of the election. Trump's alleged offense until
now had not been prosecuted by New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg
(elected in 2021), nor by his predecessor, nor by the competent election
commission. Bragg, who reportedly benefited indirectly from $1 million of George
Soros' funds, had led his election campaign by promising to indict Donald Trump.
In January 2021, during his campaign, when asked by a radio host, "A lot of
people are wondering, whoever has this job, are they going to convict Donald
Trump?", Bragg answered: "That is the number one issue." Not try Trump; convict
Trump. The tactic appears reminiscent of Soviet secret police head Lavrentiy
Beria's: "Show me the man, and I will find you the crime."
According to Alan Dershowitz, Professor Emeritus at Harvard Law School:
"In such a case, it is not a question of discovering the commission of a crime
and then looking for the man who has committed it, it is a question of picking
the man and then searching the law books, or putting investigators to work, to
pin some offense on him."
Even former US Attorney General William Barr, not known to be unquestioningly
supportive of Trump, called the indictment "an abomination": "They are going
after a man, not a crime," Barr said.
But let us not be mistaken. This is obviously not an isolated act, nor is it
about serving justice. The Republican Party front-runner in polls for the 2024
presidential election is the man to kill for the "Deep State," who appear
determined to keep running the country the way they like (here, here, here and
here).
Remember: in 2016, all the polls predicted a big loss for Trump. His election
was a divine surprise that could never be allowed to happen again. At the
beginning of Trump's term of office, the FBI mounted a campaign against National
Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who was forced to resign. Then came the endless
saga of "Russian collusion", which finally deflated after thousands of
accusatory articles and the $32 million investigation by special counsel Robert
Mueller, who completely discredited himself. Then we had the first impeachment
proceedings on a reportedly frivolous pretext in relation to Ukraine.
In the 2020 presidential election, under the pretext of Covid, election laws in
many states were changed -- illegally, some by not going through state
legislatures, as required by the Constitution. There was also a series of
maneuvers -- including the federal government and 51 former intelligence
officers knowingly suppressing media reporting on the contents of Hunter Biden's
laptop -- that cast legitimate suspicion, regardless of what the almost
unanimous mainstream media said, on the outcome.
After President Trump, on January 6, 2021, called on his supporters to
demonstrate "peacefully and patriotically," in front of the Capitol Building,
some skeptical and disappointed demonstrators -- perhaps again with the
intervention of the FBI -- became disorderly. Politicians and the media did not
hesitate to compare the events of that day to the 9/11 attacks and Pearl Harbor.
The only person unfortunately killed at the demonstration was an unarmed
demonstrator, shot by a policeman. The federal government refused to release
14,000 hours of surveillance video of the Capitol from that day, presumably in
an attempt at a cover-up. Trump was subjected to the absurd procedure of a
second impeachment to remove him from office -- even though he was no longer
president. Finally, he was banned from Twitter and Facebook, which had been so
useful to him since 2016 to bypass a hostile media.
Despite this relentless hostility, the beast is alive and still roaring. At the
beginning of 2023, here Trump is, still leading the polls as Republican favorite
for the 2024 presidential election and capable of defeating a seemingly senile
Joe Biden, who is being called a puppet in the hands of his entourage and whose
almost daily gaffes the media spare us.
Moreover, despite the efforts of many politicians and journalists to protect
Biden, the new Republican-dominated House of Representatives has uncovered bank
records showing "payments made to President Joe Biden's son from a Chinese
Communist Party-linked company," as well as "showing Biden family members
received more than $1 million from a Chinese energy company after passing
through the account of a family associate."
The House Oversight Committee's majority staff stated in a memo:
"Biden family members and their companies began receiving incremental payments
over a period of approximately three months. The recipients of the money
included Hallie Biden, companies associated with Hunter Biden and James Biden,
and an unknown bank account identified as 'Biden.'"
The Biden family's shadowy connections to Ukraine and China are largely ignored
by the American media and there is no rush to investigate them, but they loom
like a threat that could explode at any moment. Trump's indictment, a
humiliating "perp walk," and the possible incarceration of the former president,
serve as useful diversions to prevent the public from seeing evidence of a
current commander-in-chief who has been questioned as being compromised.
No abuses will be spared Trump, or any other Republican who might run for
president in 2024. It seems as if many in America, in what appears an escalating
wish for authoritarian power (such as here, here, here, here, and here) are
ready for all maneuvers to not let American voters choose their president
democratically in 2024.
*Alain Destexhe, a columnist and political analyst, is an honorary Senator in
Belgium and former Secretary General of Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors
Without Borders.
© 2023 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.
ريموند إبراهيم/موقع مؤسسة كايتستون: تقرير
باحداث وحوادث الإضطهاد الإسلامي للمسيحيين خلال شباط/2023
Use a Nail Gun to Nail Their Heads and Crucify Them!’ The Muslim Persecution of
Christians, February 2023
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/April 04/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/117131/117131/
Desecrated in Syria: A monument to 750,000 Christian Assyrian victims purged in
the Turkish Genocides.
Gatestone Institute
The following are among the murders and abuses inflicted on Christians by
Muslims throughout the month of February 2023:
The Muslim Slaughter of Christians
Democratic Republic of Congo: On Sunday and into Monday, Feb. 12-13, Muslim
terrorists massacred 22 people in the more than 95% Christian-majority nation.
The terrorists were members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), “a Ugandan
armed group that has operated in east Congo for decades.” “It has pledged
allegiance to the Islamic State and stages frequent deadly raids on villages.”
Although Reuters claims that “There was no indication as to the motive” of the
attacks, others are more forthright. Discussing the ongoing terrorization of the
DRC, one human rights group said:
These predominantly Christian communities are attacked by an Islamic extremist
group with a clear Islamic expansionist agenda…. The ideology, the agenda of
establishing a ‘caliphate’ in the region, and the way they operate is the same,
and we can see how they afflict terrible suffering on innocent people.
Similarly, speaking of an earlier attack on his village, when the ADF
slaughtered about 20 people, a Christian clergyman further shed light on their
Islamic motivations:
They tried to force some of our Christians to convert to Islam. They also tried
to force my wife and our four children to convert to Islam, but when they
refused to convert, they shot my wife in the head while our four children were
cut into pieces with a Somali sword… the rebel militants intend to establish an
Islamist state ruled by sharia [Islamic law].
Nigeria: On Sunday, Feb. 5, Muslims raided and butchered at least five people in
Christian villages. Witnesses say that the terrorists were heard to chant
Islam’s ancient war cry, “Allahu Akbar,” as they opened fire on the fleeing
Christians.
Mozambique: According to one report,
[The] Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) announced the killing of five Christians in
the village of Chapa in Cabo Delgado Province on February 4. In a statement the
Islamists said that ‘the soldiers of the Caliphate … captured five Christians
and slaughtered them, praise be to God.’
Pakistan: On Feb. 6, Rana Muhammad Waseem, a Muslim landowner, and five other
Muslims, beat a Christian farm laborer to death on the accusation that he had
stolen oranges from his orchard. According to the slain Christian’s nephew:
My uncle was busy in work when Waseem and the other men approached him and
accused him of stealing their citrus. He pled his innocence, but the men lunged
at him and beat him up mercilessly, resulting in his death…. He was very
hard-working and honest, and police found no evidence from the crime scene that
suggested that he had committed any theft… We are very poor and too weak to even
think of offending the Muslim villagers. They know that we are helpless and that
they can get away with anything, even murder… The fact that we are Christians
makes us more vulnerable to injustice.
The slain Christian, Emmanuel Masih, 48, was the only breadwinner for his wife
and six children.
Less than a month earlier, in January, an opposite incident occurred—though
again it was the Christian who was killed: a Christian farmer found Muslims on
his land laughing, eating, and destroying his crops. When he told them to stop,
they flew into a rage that a lowly Christian dared confront them, and killed him
on the spot.
Muslim Abuse of Christian Women in Pakistan
On Feb. 1, a Muslim man splashed acid onto the face of a teenage Christian girl,
because she had refused to convert and date him. According to the report, when
Sunita Munawar, aged 19, stepped off the bus on her way to work:
she noticed that Kamran Allah Baksh a local neighbour who had been stalking and
harassing her for several years, was already waiting at the bus stop. Despite a
sense of foreboding, Miss Munawar bravely exited the bus and headed towards her
workplace. As she passed by Mr Baksh without warning he threw something on Miss
Munawar’s face. She could feel intense pain in her eyes and on the skin of her
face, arms, torso and legs and knew immediately, that something was seriously
wrong. She screamed and tried to wipe away the acid but found that the pain
would not stop, a pain so severe that at some point Miss Munawar fainted and
collapsed to the ground.
Sunita was taken a nearby hospital, where it was confirmed that she had suffered
20 percent acid burns. From her hospital bed she said of her assailant:
He wanted me to be his girlfriend but I refused his advances. I can’t believe
what he has done to me, I did nothing to deserve this. It feels like he has
destroyed my life. I have bright scars everywhere he sprayed the acid on me,
it’s so hard to take.
Sunita’s uncle added:
He would try to force her to renounce her Christian faith, assuring her that he
would marry her once she became a Muslim, but she refused to surrender to his
illegitimate demands…. Sunita had informed her siblings about Kamran’s
harassment, and they had repeatedly complained to his parents, urging them to
stop him, but that did not work…. Sunita is just 19, but now her whole life has
been physically and mentally scarred by Kamran. Even if he is convicted for his
crime, will Sunita be able to live a normal life again? We all know how our
society treats acid attack survivors….
Sunita is only one of many acid victims in Pakistan.
Separately, Rana Tayyab, a 60-year-old married Muslim man kidnapped, forcibly
converted, and “married” a teenage Christian girl. Saira Arif, the 15-year-old
abductee, used to work for the abductor’s wife, Naila Ambreen, a Muslim
government school principal. Although the incident occurred on Dec. 15, 2022,
her father, Arif Gill, a physically handicapped Catholic, described what
happened in a Feb. 13 report: “I went to the police station to report my
daughter’s kidnapping, but they refused to accept my complaint and forced me out
of the building.” He made repeated attempts to register a case against Tayyab,
though police continued to ignore his pleas.
Madam Naila [wife of abductor] is a government employee, and both she and her
husband have considerable influence on the police, which is why they outright
rejected my application. After repeated humiliation and intimidation to stop
pursuing the matter, I surrendered to my fate thinking that I won’t be able to
see my daughter again. It’s been nearly two months since my wife and I haven’t
seen our daughter or heard anything regarding her safety and well-being. Only
God knows our pain and suffering since the day she was taken from us…. We have
always been very protective about our daughter, and it never occurred to us that
she would be targeted by a man five times her age.
Finally, on Feb. 3, Akmal Bhatti, an influential lawyer, learned of the
Christian family’s ordeal, and managed to set up a meeting with police, where a
First Information Report (FIR) was registered. When police, however, went to the
Muslim household, not only were the abductor and abductee gone, but Naila, the
government employee wife of the abductor, presented police with an Islamic
marriage certificate between him and Saira. According to Bhatti,
This is the modus operandi in all cases involving forced marriages of underage
minority girls. The accused first rapes the victim and then uses the cover of an
Islamic Nikah [marriage certificate] to escape punishment for this heinous
crime… If the police had acted when the crime was first reported, the child
could have been recovered sooner, but the prolonged delay has given the accused
ample time to change his locations. Some sources have told us that the accused
has taken Saira to Islamabad, and we are now pressing the police to find them
there.
Adds the Feb. 13 report:
Forced conversions and underage marriages are a long-standing issue in Pakistan.
At least 1,000 women from religious minorities, including Christians and Hindus,
are forcibly converted and married annually in the country, Forbes magazine
reported in February 2021, quoting human rights organizations. Although Pakistan
dismissed the report as ‘rubbish and baseless,’ Forbes reported that the actual
numbers could be much higher as many cases go unreported.
Muslim Attacks on Christian Evangelists and Apostates
Uganda: On Feb. 10, Muslim clerics invited a Christian pastor to a debate in
their mosque. The contest ended with the apparent conversion of 37 Muslims to
Christianity—which was followed by the same clerics who had invited him and
other Muslims to severely beat him. As a result, Pastor Arthur Asadi Babi, 42,
was hospitalized for eight days, with severe injuries and broken bones.
According to Bishop Michael Okia:
We [had] received an invitation letter from the sheikh of Nakaloke mosque. I
decided to send Pastor Babi to debate with the Muslims because of his
scholarship skills in the Koran and the Bible… On Feb. 10, at the end of his
defense [of Christianity], the pastor made an appeal for a response from the
audience to believe in Christ. Surprisingly, 29 adults and 8 children gave their
lives to Christ Jesus, all Muslims.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Pastor Arthur described what happened next:
From nowhere, Muslims started throwing stones, and then with sticks and clubs
attacked me by beating me, including the new Muslim converts who had embraced
the Christian faith. I was hit on my right hand and left leg while some tried to
strangle me. One Muslim kicked me and injured my private parts, which is still
in pain to date.
Converting from Islam seven years ago, Pastor Babi is a married father of six
children, ages 3 to 17.
Sudan: On Feb. 17, authorities arrested a Christian man for preaching to Muslims
at an open air event. According to one report,
Yousif Ayoub Hussein … was accused of inciting religious hatred and preaching to
Muslims, though there is no law in Sudan against proclaiming one’s faith… Area
Muslims expressed fear that his preaching would encourage their children to
convert… The arrest violates religious rights and international treaties to
which Sudan is a party….
In a separate incident, a Muslim man who became a Christian evangelist, was
threatened and hounded by his extended family all throughout February.
Initially, Ahmad Adam Mohamad, 49, went into hiding after his Muslim uncles
accused him of “apostasy.” Then, on Feb. 6, relatives stormed his home and
ordered him to “renounce Christianity and return to Islam.” Three days later, on
Feb. 9, his family sent “a group of Muslim extremists” to find him. “Again on
Saturday, Feb. 11,” he said, “another group was sent to my house with a mission
to arrest and kidnap me,” though he again narrowly escaped. Since then, he has
been secretly moving from one location to another to avoid kidnapping or arrest.
Last heard from on Feb. 13 he said:
The situation is extremely difficult—I am not safe at all. I urge all the
brothers to pray and help me get out from this area to a safer place… I have not
eaten for almost two days now.
Muslim Attacks on Christian Churches
Indonesia: On Sunday, Feb. 5, authorities entered into and disbanded a church
service in Bogor, West Java. They said the church did not have the proper permit
to hold worship services. But as one report says, “Local leaders have
historically made it difficult for Christian churches to obtain such permits” in
Muslim-majority Indonesia.
Two weeks later, on Sunday, Feb. 19, another official leapt over the meter-high
fence of another church, to disrupt and stop worship services at the Tabernacle
of David Christian Church in Sumatra Island. A video of the incident shows Wawan,
the official, pushing away a pastor as others cry that they are in “a house of
God” and only praying. Wawan then takes the pulpit and motions his hands
indicating that the service is over. When some Christian women are heard urging
him, “Be patient, be patient, sir,” he responds, “stupid.” A female member of
the church said,
He threatened with harsh words, asking the congregation who were worshiping to
dissolve… [He said] if it doesn’t, more [Muslim] people would be brought in, and
then he threatened to weld [shut] the church gate.
Before long, another ten people who had also jumped over the fence appeared to
insist that the service was over. According to a church leader,
[One of these invaders] came straight into the church and climbed onto the
pulpit and choked the pastor. The pastor suffered from a slight scar on his hand
because he was trying to defend himself. The atmosphere was tense, and finally
the congregation dispersed.
The official and other invaders justified their actions by also saying that the
church did not have a permit to operate. In fact, after having met all
conditions, the church had applied for a permit back in 2014, but officials had
refused to respond. Responding to these ongoing attacks, on Feb. 20 the
Communion of Indonesian Churches (PGI) issued a statement:
PGI asks the government and security forces not to allow cases like this to
continue without firm and transparent legal action. The state’s inaction will
result in the loss of state authority, the development of distrust, and the
accumulation of friction at the grassroots level which can be ignited at any
time by irresponsible people into open conflict…. PGI understands that there are
rules that must be met in order to build a house of worship. Even so, incomplete
permits should not be an excuse for forcibly stopping an ongoing worship
service, let alone since the dissolution was carried out in a very undignified
way and caused terror and fear.
Egypt: On Sunday, Feb. 19, a fire broke out in and “devoured” a Christian church
in the Giza Governorate. Although there were no casualties, “Copts gathered
around their church amid scenes of grief.” The official explanation is that a
small candle left by a worshipper on a votary stand caused the fire. However,
images from surveillance cameras clearly show that “the candle ignited suddenly
and in an unusual way.” According to one Egyptian researcher, Magdi Khalil,
“close to one thousand churches have been attacked or torched by mobs in the
last five decades [since the 1970s] in Egypt.” More recently, however, churches
continue to burn to the ground, though these are increasingly being attributed
to accidents—including 11 churches that mysteriously “caught fire” in one month
alone (Aug. 2022). As such, foul play is suspected in this latest church
torching. But as the report states, authorities refuse “to investigate in depth,
contending that an ordinary ‘candle’ is behind the accident.”
Generic Muslim Abuse against Christians
France: An Iranian migrant was arrested after he made death threats to at least
two Christian priests in Paris. According to one report, the Muslim migrant,
is suspected of having threatened priests of the parishes of Saint-Sulpice and
Saint-Germain-des-Prés on January 26 and February 6. The victims had filed a
complaint. According to a police source, the person was the subject of a wanted
poster for a temporary ban from French territory and another entry for
activities related to terrorism. He was taken into police custody.
Such death threats should not be ignored. Around the same time in neighboring
Spain, on Jan. 25, 2023, a machete-waving Muslim migrant screaming Islam’s
ancient war cry, “Allahu akbar,” attacked two churches. In one, he hacked at the
74-year-old priest, who was just then celebrating morning mass; the elderly
clergyman survived, though only after immediate medical treatment and surgery.
The 32-year-old illegal Moroccan migrant, then moved onto another church where
he slaughtered a sacristan. Three other Christians were seriously injured in the
rampage.
Pakistan: Due to entrenched social discrimination and economic hardships,
Christians have no choice but to stack the bodies of their deceased loved ones
in one grave. According to a Feb. 16 report,
[The] Christian community is forced to bury five to 10 bodies in a single grave
that is already filled with skeletons and bones as there are four graveyards for
more than 70,000 Christians living in Peshawar and other cities….. [and] old
graves are being dug up and used for burying the dead…. [The] local Muslim
community is not allowing them to construct a graveyard. [Alaica] Khan [a social
activist in Peshawar] called on the government to take urgent action as they are
forced to bury dead in old graves. ‘We ask for other land and urgent actions
because we are forced to bury our dead in old graves.’
Islamic State: Due to the burning of a Koran by Rasmus Paludan, a Danish-Swedish
politician, ISIS publicly called for the slaughter of Christians anywhere, but
especially Europe. According to a Feb. 6 report,
In the last few days, ISIS’s media elements launched an incitement campaign
calling for terrorist attacks against Christians around the world…. [V]ideos and
posts calling on the operatives to carry out attacks around the world,
especially in Europe, were distributed on social media [see here for more on
social media’s role in spreading Islamic radicalization].…. Muslims around the
world are called upon to see the act of burning the Quran as an insult to the
religion of Islam and to ‘shed the blood of the perpetrator.’… According to one
of the posts, the killing of over 20 Christian citizens in a pub in the eastern
Democratic Republic of the Congo on January 23, 2023, and several attacks in
which Mozambican army soldiers were killed recently were in fact reprisals for
the burning of the Quran in Sweden, as ‘Christians everywhere are considered
Paludan’s brothers.’
In another video published on Feb. 1, an Islamic State operative says in fluent
(British) English,
Kill them wherever you meet them. [a verbatim quote of Koran 9:5] If you are a
tradesman, use a nail gun to nail the[ir] heads and crucify them on woodwork. If
you are a truck driver, run over them until their streets are washed with their
filthy blood or pour oil on their houses, while they are sleeping, and set them
on fire, so that the message [not to insult Islam] will be burned into their
heads.
Syria: On Feb. 25, a monument for the 750,000 Assyrian Christians massacred in
the Turkish genocide of WWI was vandalized. (An additional 2.5 million
Christians—1.5 million Armenians and 1 million Greeks—were also slaughtered
during the genocide.) The now desecrated Assyrian monument was originally
erected on Jun. 16, 2019, as both a remembrance of the recent, and link to the
historic, genocide of Christians in Syria at the hands of Muslim terrorists.
According to the report, “No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.”
Uganda: A Muslim man posing as the head of a Christian charity abducted 40
Christian children, which he had planned to sell to the Allied Democratic
Forces, an Islamic terror group operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(see above). Pretending to be a Christian offering free scholarships and other
educational opportunities, he lured the children to and trapped them in a hotel.
After the Christian community learned what was happening, an investigation was
launched, and on Feb. 2, the children were rescued from the hotel, and the
Muslim man and accomplice arrested.
Egypt: On Feb. 27, Coptic Solidarity launched an “online grassroots campaign”
dedicated to reuniting a child with his adoptive Christian family. Nearly five
years earlier, a newborn baby boy, was found abandoned in a church. The priest
entrusted the babe to a childless couple from his congregation. Considering that
they had for nearly 30 years been praying for a child, they joyously embraced
the boy as their own and baptized and named him Shenouda, a popular Coptic name.
For the next four years everything went well. Shenouda became the pride and joy
of his adoptive parents’ lives. Then the Egyptian state learned about this
otherwise happy development and seized the 4-year-old child from his loving
parents’ arms and sent him to an overcrowded and underfed orphanage. There, the
child was “returned” to—that is, forced into—Islam, issued a birth certificate
marked “Muslim” under religion, and stripped of his formerly Christian name and
given an acceptable Muslim one. Because Islam teaches that every human is born
as a sort of prototypical Muslim (until their parents conform them to their own
religion), and because the religious identity of Shenouda’s biological parents
is unknown, the state considers him a Muslim; and entrusting Muslim children to
non-Muslim parents—infidels—is strictly forbidden. Considering, however, that
the child was found in a church, his adoptive parents and their supporters argue
that Shenouda was most likely born to a Christian mother—or at least to a mother
who thought Christians would best know how to raise her unwanted child. Since
Shenouda’s original seizure by the state, in Feb. 2022, the adoptive parents
have only been allowed to see him once, on Dec. 31, 2022. During that meeting,
and “much to their despair,” they found the boy “confused” and “slightly
distant,” said Amal Ibrahim, his adoptive mother:
There was something off about him…. They [the authorities] talk about human
rights, yet they took my son away from me and placed him in an orphanage.
The couple has since appealed to President Sisi. According to Ehab Ramzy, a
Christian member of the parliamentary Constitutional and Legislative Affairs
Committee,
The next trial hearing on March 18 will not only determine Shenouda’s fate, it
will also determine the fate of the entire country, signaling whether Egypt is
on its way to becoming a secular state or a theocratic country, one where Sharia
is imposed not just on Muslims but on all citizens.
(Anyone interested in reuniting the child Shenouda with his adoptive parents can
click here and join the Coptic Solidarity petition to Congress.)
About this Series
The persecution of Christians in the Islamic world has become endemic.
Accordingly, “Muslim Persecution of Christians” was developed in July 2011 to
collate some—by no means all—of the instances of persecution that occur or are
reported each month. It serves two purposes:
1) To document that which the mainstream media does not: the habitual, if not
chronic, persecution of Christians.
2) To show that such persecution is not “random,” but systematic and
interrelated—that it is rooted in a worldview inspired by Islamic Sharia.
Accordingly, whatever the anecdote of persecution, it typically fits under a
specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols;
apostasy, blasphemy, and proselytism laws that criminalize and sometimes punish
with death those who “offend” Islam; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced
conversions to Islam; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya (financial tribute
expected from non-Muslims); overall expectations for Christians to behave like
cowed dhimmis, or second-class, “tolerated” citizens; and simple violence and
murder. Sometimes it is a combination thereof.
Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and
locales—from Morocco in the West, to Indonesia in the East—it should be clear
that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Islamic
Sharia law, or the supremacist culture born of it.