Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 08-09/2023
The Seventh of August 2001 Crime Remembrance Day, and the importance of not forgetting those who committed it, and those who later betrayed and sold it heroes
Elias Bejjani/07 August/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/120902/120902/
It is important for every Free and dignified Lebanese Free Citizen to remember August 07 Crime, and at the same time never turn a blind eye to those who planned and implemented it in a bid to target and terrorize the free and sovereign youth of Lebanon.
It is very important that we do not ally with them, bury our heads in the sand, and hide behind Dhimmitude and taqiyya camouflage cowardice stances.
In summary let the curse of earth and Heaven be upon those who betrayed the Lebanese holy cause and sold it to join the terrorist the Assad's regime and Hezbollah such as Aoun, his son-in-law, and their sheep, while evilly exchanging sovereignty with governing posts.
The Seventh Of August 2001 was a great day to be remembered with pride, hope and faith.
Justice in Lebanon will remain a mirage as long as it is occupied by the terrorist Hezbollah, and governed by local Trojans.

Violence Among Palestinians in Lebanon Spurs Travel Advisories
FDD/August 08 August/2023
Latest Developments
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) joined a growing list of countries on August 6 warning its citizens against traveling to Lebanon in the wake of clashes between Palestinian militant groups in Ayn al-Hilweh, the largest pocket of Palestinians claiming refugee status in the country. The UAE’s announcement follows similar warnings from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The alerts highlight the instability of Lebanon and its Palestinian population, as the country continues to struggle with a lack of a functioning government, a collapsed economy, and control by the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.
Clashes in Ayn al-Hilweh began on July 30 after a failed assassination attempt by unidentified gunmen on a leader of a Palestinian organization sympathetic to hardline Islamists. According to a Fatah source, the following day, Islamists belonging to the Jund al-Sham militant group ambushed and killed Fatah commander Abu Ashraf al-Armoushi and four of his associates. The successful assassination sparked fierce fighting between Fatah and Islamist groups, resulting in more than a dozen deaths and the displacement of thousands of Palestinian residents. Heavy fighting continued until an August 3 ceasefire.
Expert Analysis
“The chaos in Ayn al-Hilweh is a symptom of a much wider problem. Lebanon is a failed state. Between Hezbollah and the Palestinian factions, there are wide swaths of territory that what remains of the government cannot control. Economically, the country is no longer viable, with untold billions of mounting debt. And three years after the port bombing, we can see how rule of law is nonexistent.”
— Jonathan Schanzer, FDD Senior Vice President for Research
“Tehran is desperately searching for ways to respond to Israeli strikes in Syria and thinks it can get Palestinians to respond from Lebanon. Hezbollah has thus received leaders of Islamic Jihad and Hamas and is helping them take over Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. These actions replicate Hamas’ ejection of the Palestinian Authority (PA) from Gaza in 2007 and constitute a preview of what these Islamists aspire to do in the West Bank.”
— Hussain Abdul-Hussain, FDD Research Fellow
School Used as Fortress
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which has artificially perpetuated the Palestinian refugee issue through controversial policies and provides services in the refugee camps, applauded the August 3 ceasefire. However, Dorothea Klaus, director of UNRWA in Lebanon, said last week that because militants used an UNRWA school as a fortress, the damage caused during clashes could delay the start of the academic year for approximately 6,000 children.
Kept Apart from Lebanon
Lebanon is home to 12 refugee camps established following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. While few original refugees remain, the camps’ populations have grown to an estimated 250,000 with second, third, and fourth generation offspring. Palestinians in Lebanon face restrictions on their right to work, own property, or obtain Lebanese citizenship. The camps are policed and governed by Palestinian factions. At Ayn al-Hilweh, the Lebanese Armed Forces controls the movement of people and materials, with checkpoints in a wall surrounding the camp. UNRWA has prolonged the Palestinian refugee crisis by conferring refugee status on multiple generations of Palestinians who are not actual refugees — a departure from UN practice in other conflicts.

Israel threatens to 'return Lebanon to stone age' in any war with Hezbollah
JERUSALEM (Reuters)/Tue, August 8, 2023
Israel threatened on Tuesday to "return Lebanon to the stone age" in any war against Hezbollah, following weeks of friction with the armed Iranian-backed group along the countries' border. "Do not make a mistake. We do not want a war. But we are prepared to protect our civilians, our soldiers and our sovereignty," Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement, his remarks intended for Hezbollah. Such rhetoric has been heard from both sides since the last Israel-Hezbollah war, in 2006. But it has become more pointed since a roadside bombing in Israel in March, which it blamed on an Hezbollah infiltrator. The group did not claim responsibility for the bombing. Recent weeks have seen face-offs between Lebanese civilians, at least one group of Hezbollah operatives and Israeli troops across the fortified frontier.

Israeli minister in fresh threat to 'return Lebanon to Stone Age'
Naharnet/August 8, 2023
Visiting the tense occupied Shebaa Farms region on Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah against “making a mistake.”“You have made mistakes in the past, you have paid very heavy prices. If… an escalation or conflict develops here, we will return Lebanon to the Stone Age. We will not hesitate to use all our power, and erode every inch of Hezbollah and Lebanon if we have to,” said Gallant after touring the area with senior Israeli army officers. “Don’t mistake us, we don’t want war, but we are ready to protect our citizens, our soldiers, and our sovereignty,” Gallant added. Gallant observed the location where Hezbollah recently set up two tents, one of them inside the occupied Shebaa Farms. Gallant also held an assessment with Israeli officers and was updated on “the defensive efforts being made along the border, and of the progress of the construction of the barrier that is currently being carried out,” his office said, referring to plans to replace Israel’s border fence with a taller concrete wall.

US, Qatar to press opposition to 'unite behind army chief nomination'
Naharnet/August 8, 2023
The United States and Qatar are pressing the Lebanese opposition forces to “unite behind the presidential nomination of Army chief General Joseph Aoun,” ad-Diyar newspaper reported on Tuesday. Al-Joumhouria daily meanwhile quoted the ambassador of a major world power as saying that “the September dialogue is considered the last chance for survival for Lebanon.”“French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian will arrive in Beirut (in September) on a third visit for swift consultations with the political parties before sending out official invitations to 15 representatives of the parliamentary blocs for taking part in this dialogue,” the newspaper said. The dialogue “is likely to be held at the headquarters of the French embassy at the Pine Residence and will last for two or three days at the latest,” the daily added.

Berri says September dialogue 'opportunity not to be missed'
Naharnet/August 8, 2023
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri considers the September dialogue -- proposed by French envoy Jean Yves Le Drian -- an opportunity "not to be missed." Berri told al-Joumhouria newspaper, in remarks published Tuesday, that an agreement could be reached through September's dialogue.
"If we agree, a President will definitely be elected but if we don't reach an agreement, we would plunge into a dark abyss, and Lebanon would have to pay heavy additional prices," Berri said. Le Drian, on his second mission to Lebanon, proposed to all those taking part in the process of electing a president to invite them to a meeting in Lebanon in September to achieve a consensus on the challenges and on the priority projects the future president will have to carry out, and consequently the qualities necessary for tackling them. "The goal of the meeting is to create a climate of trust and enable Parliament to meet subsequently amid conditions favourable to the holding of an open ballot, in order to solve the crisis quickly," the French Foreign Ministry said. Berri blamed those who refused a dialogue he had called for to end the presidential crisis. "Had we taken the path of dialogue from the beginning, the presidential crisis would have been behind us by now," Berri said. Mired in a crippling economic crisis since 2019, Lebanon has been governed by a caretaker cabinet for more than a year and without a president for more than nine months. No group has a clear majority in parliament and lawmakers have failed 12 times to elect a new president, amid bitter divisions between the Shiite Duo MPs who back Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh and the opposition backing former finance minister Jihad Azour.

Bukhari: KSA to back Lebanon tourism if Lebanese resolve crisis
Naharnet/August 8, 2023
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari on Monday confirmed that the kingdom’s warning to its citizens to leave Lebanon was linked to the latest deadly clashes in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Helweh. “Saudi Arabia is keen on its citizens wherever they may be,” Bukhari told a delegation from the Renewal for Homeland Movement that was led by Charles Arbid. “Saudi Arabia has been and will be one of the biggest supporters of tourism in Lebanon and the coming period will prove that if the Lebanese reach a solution for their crisis,” Bukhari added. Lebanon's caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said Monday that deadly violence in Ain el-Helweh had abated, in a bid to ease fears after Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states warned citizens against travel to the country. "Security and intelligence services... have no information that the situation could spin out of control and spill over to other camps," the interior minister told reporters. Thirteen people were killed in several days of violence that erupted on July 28 -- the worst in years -- pitting members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement against Islamist militants. Last week, Arab Gulf countries -- some of which have already banned their citizens from traveling to Lebanon -- issued warnings urging their nationals to exercise caution in the country, or emphasizing travel restrictions. The moves caught Lebanese by surprise, coming after a cautious calm returned to Ain el-Helweh, where outbreaks of violence are common.
Saudi Arabia called on citizens to avoid areas where clashes erupted, and to leave Lebanon immediately, recalling a travel ban already in place. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain followed suit, while Qatar, Kuwait and Oman urged their citizens to exercise caution and avoid unsafe areas.
Gulf nations have issued travel warnings over security incidents in Lebanon in the past. Relations between Beirut and Gulf Arab states have at times been strained over the growing regional influence of Lebanon's pro-Iran Hezbollah. Since 2021, Saudis have had to obtain their government's permission before travelling to Lebanon due to strained bilateral ties. Riyadh returned its ambassador to Beirut in April 2022, just over five months after recalling him amid a diplomatic dispute pitting Lebanon against several Gulf monarchies.Riyadh also suspended fruit and vegetable imports from Lebanon in April 2021, saying shipments were being used for drug smuggling and accusing Beirut of inaction.

Thousands of rockets daily: War with Hezbollah might paralyze Israel
Naharnet/August 8, 2023
"The likelihood of another Israel-Lebanon war is as high as ever," Israel Hayom claimed. The Israeli daily said Monday that officials estimate 6,000 missiles launched into Israel in the first days of war and between 1,500-2,000 onward which will lead to the death of approximately 500 civilians and the injury of thousands. They also estimate that "the conflict will not be limited to one arena alone, with the possibility of flare-ups in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as well as more distant threats posed by Iran and its proxies in the region."
The daily reported that security officials are worried about the precision capability of Israel's enemies and the effectiveness of the Iranian drones.Hezbollah and Iran could hit vital Israeli infrastructure, such as power plants and leave Israel without electricity for hours, if not days, the daily said.

Statement from Ministerial meeting urges cooperation between all components to protect Lebanon's formula
LBCI/August 8, 2023
In a statement, the Ministerial Consultative Meeting in Diman announced that all Lebanese are invited "to protect the formula by cementing our collective national identity and working to strengthen unity through diversity, and to refrain from disavowing others."
It added: "These days, we are faced with official and unofficial rhetoric cloaked in the guise of modernity, freedom, and human rights, contradicting the religious and moral values at the core of our psychological, spiritual, and social composition."
"This discourse clearly violates the spirit and text of Articles Nine and Ten of the Lebanese Constitution. The responsibility to confront this rhetoric lies with everyone, without exception, including religious authorities, political, judicial, educational, and media institutions, as well as civil society forces, because we refuse to have our children's present muddled so as not to have their future distorted," it added.
The meeting, attended by Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, concluded with the following points:
Firstly, the urgent need to elect a president to lead the rescue and recovery process, as no work can progress in the absence of the head of state;
Secondly, the call for all political forces to adhere to the Taif Agreement and the charter of coexistence and to abandon anything that may undermine Lebanon's unique formula;
Thirdly, the call for all authorities, educational and media institutions, civil society forces, and the Lebanese people with all their affiliations to cling to the national identity and its general customs, inherited ethics, and religious values, particularly the value of the family and its protection, and to confront ideas that violate the principles that unite the Lebanese;
Fourthly, the call for citizens to engage in a perpetual dialogue among themselves so that each citizen seeks to reassure their partner in the homeland about their beliefs, presence, rights, and active national membership;
Fifthly, sincere cooperation between all Lebanese components to formulate a unified stance on the issue of the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon and to cooperate with the Syrian state and the international community to resolve this matter in a way that preserves Lebanon's unity and identity. The Patriarch renewed his appreciation for the efforts of the Prime Minister and all ministers in navigating through this challenging stage while preserving the constitutional framework.

PM Mikati, Maronite Patriarch meet for crisis dialogue in Diman
LBCI/August 8, 2023
A ministerial consultative meeting was held at the Summer Patriarchal Residence in Diman on Tuesday in a significant diplomatic gathering. The meeting was chaired by Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and attended by Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Maronite Patriarch warmly welcomed the Prime Minister and the attending ministers. He emphasized that the idea of the gathering arose spontaneously, intending it to be an informal session for consultation and dialogue on various public issues, expressing regret that some individuals may have misinterpreted the meeting beyond its actual purpose. He added, "When the French presidential envoy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, visited me for the first time, I told him that whatever he hears does not necessarily reflect the truth." Stating: "We are a parliamentary democratic republic with two presidential candidates, and it is up to the parliamentarians to perform their duties in the voting process. Whether a president is elected or not, we will engage in dialogue and reach an agreement on a third candidate." The Maronite Patriarch expressed regret that the country is heading towards ruin while the state is in conflict. He continued, "Today's meeting is open and fraternal, aiming to discuss matters transparently and everything that needs to be said will be said."In turn, Prime Minister Mikati said, "We agreed to convene this meeting to discuss issues that unite the Lebanese people, foremost among them is respect for the Lebanese formula and the diversity within Lebanon's unity, which we consider a treasure." "All Lebanese share the consensus of preserving the spiritual, moral, and familial Lebanese values," he added. Based on this perspective, he said, "We are puzzled by some interpretations suggesting that it represents a coup against the Taif Agreement. It should be known that the spirit of the Taif Agreement emphasizes dialogue and convergence among the Lebanese." He emphasized, "We are ready to be a bridge of communication between all Lebanese and to engage in dialogue on all matters that unite them. If we cannot move even within the framework of dialogue and convergence, the country will not recover." "The country is without a president, and with a caretaker government and a parliament that does not convene, political disputes have reached their peak," PM Mikati affirmed, saying, "We are willing to meet wherever it takes to be a bridge of dialogue and fraternity among all Lebanese." He further pointed out that their discussions would focus on the Lebanese formula, preservation, and spiritual and moral values.

Ministers discuss in Diman 'societal values, national unity'
Naharnet/August 8, 2023
A consultative ministerial meeting in Diman called Tuesday for expediting the election of a president and for cooperation with Syria and world powers to resolve the refugee crisis. "We call on all Lebanese to protect the Lebanese formula by consolidating our belonging to our inclusive national identity," the ministers said in a statement after the meeting. The ministers also called on all political forces to hold on to the Taef Accord and to the National Pact. Last week, Mikati met with Maronite patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and announced a ministerial meeting at al-Rahi's summer seat. He said the meeting will discuss human values and national unity. Mikati later clarified that the meeting is not a cabinet session "but rather a meeting to consult over the national issues," after several media outlets reported that the Prime Minister had called for a cabinet session in Diman. The Free Patriotic Movement ministers, who claim all cabinet sessions are "unconstitutional" amid a presidential vacuum, boycotted the meeting. "The idea of holding this gathering was spontaneous," al-Rahi said during the meeting. "This is not a cabinet session but a spontaneous meeting for consultation and dialogue on all public issues," he added, stressing that Diman always calls for unity and that it is sad that some have misinterpreted the meeting. In their statement, the ministers also criticized a rhetoric "that contradicts the religious and moral values" ​​of the Lebanese, claiming that this rhetoric is disguised as a propaganda of modernity, freedom and human rights. Religiously diverse Lebanon is one of the Middle East's more liberal countries, and the LGBTQ community has long been visible and outspoken, defying crackdowns on its bars, nightclubs and community centers. But it has continued to face systematic social, economic and legal discrimination. Last month, Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stepped up his attacks against the LGBTQ communities in Lebanon and the region, as he accused some educational institutions and NGOs of "promoting" same-sex relations to children.

High-Level Meeting Discusses Challenges and Solutions for the Judiciary's Effective Functioning
LBCI/August 8, 2023
A meeting was held on Tuesday in the office of Caretaker Minister of Justice Henri Khoury, attended by the President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Souheil Aboud, the President of the State Council, Judge Fadi Elias, the President of the Court of Audit, Judge Mohammad Badran, and the Chairman of the Cooperative Fund of judges, Judge Ali Ibrahim. The challenges and difficulties facing the judiciary were discussed during the meeting, along with urgent solutions. A work plan was also developed to secure the necessary resources for the work, aiming to enable judges to carry out their duties, especially as the new judicial year is about to begin, according to a statement issued by Caretaker Minister of Justice.

Lebanese Army organizes Blue Line tour for representatives of Security Council members
Naharnet/August 8, 2023
The Lebanese Army on Tuesday organized a Blue Line tour for the representatives of the U.N. Security Council members. The Blue Line was drawn by the United Nations between Lebanon and Israel in the wake of the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon in the year 2000. The line remains unmarked for half of its length. The army said the tour aimed to offer explanations about the aforementioned line and the contested border points. Lebanese Army brigadier general Munir Chehade said the tour comes days before the U.N. Security Council renews the annual mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). “The Israelis do not respect the laws and today they violated the territorial waters under the eyes of the international delegations,” Chehade told reporters during the tour. “Today the word demarcation is no longer in use and we will replace it with the phrase ‘border highlighting,’” Chehade added, noting that the international border had been demarcated in 1923 and again through the 1949 Lebanon-Israeli Armistice Agreement. “There are 14 contested points and we call them occupied areas, in addition to the Shebaa Farms,” Chehade said. “The Shebaa Farms are occupied Lebanese territory and we do not acknowledge the Blue Line in them,” he added, while also noting that Lebanon no longer uses the phrase “the northern part of the Ghajar village.”“We have sent a memo to the U.N. saying that the northern part of the Ghajar village has become called the outskirts of the town of al-Mari, because the Ghajar village is Syrian and its constructional expansion has spread to Lebanese territory in the outskirts of the town of al-Mari,” the brigadier general added.

'Let them fire me or shoot me': Mansouri stresses won't fund state without law
Naharnet/August 8, 2023
Acting Central Bank Governor Wassim Mansouri has emphasized that “the decision of halting the funding of the state’s needs is final and irreversible, no matter how much pressures escalates on him from now until the end of the month,” sources close to him said. “Let them fire me or shoot me with a bullet. Only then they would get rid of me and of my firm decision that does not accept bargaining,” the sources quoted Mansouri as saying, in remarks published Tuesday in al-Joumhouria newspaper. According to the sources, Mansouri considers that he is entrusted with the funds of the depositors, which “do not belong to him or to the premier.”“That’s why it is no longer permissible to squander them,” the sources quoted Mansouri as saying. “Those who want to spend from them under the slogan of necessity must obtain a legal cover that guarantees that what’s spent would be recovered within a short time, or else search for someone other than me,” Mansouri added, according to the sources.

Geagea slams 'demonic' Hezbollah-FPM alliance, opposes funding state from BDL
Naharnet/August 8, 2023
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea blamed Tuesday the "demonic alliance" between the Axis of Defiance and the Free Patriotic Movement for the tragic situation in Lebanon, as he criticized the government for borrowing from the Central Bank. "Borrowing from the Central Bank is illegal," Geagea said, dubbing the successive finance ministries a "disaster". Earlier this month, first central bank vice-governor Wassim Mansouri, who took over as BDL's acting governor, urged parliament and the government to cooperate in order to legalize spending during a transitional period before the central bank stops funding the state completely. Mansouri said that the central bank would only lend the government on condition that a law allowing it be passed and that government pay back the loans through a realistic plan. Geagea claimed that the state has enough resources but is misusing them. "The new approach of Mansouri and the vice-governors is sound and I hope that there will be no more lending to the state from the BDL," he said, stressing that the Central Bank reserves are the depositors and the poor's money. "This is your money," Geagea charged.

MP Kassem Hachem to LBCI: The dialogue must be comprehensive and national
LBCI/August 8, 2023
MP Kassem Hachem announced that the conditional dialogue is from the other side, which stipulates the removal of an existing candidate. He questioned, "What distinguishes the invitation of the French envoy to dialogue from that issued by Speaker Nabih Berri long before the names were put forward?" Regarding the required specifications, he pointed out on LBCI's "Nharkom Said" TV show that the Syrian refugee issue is one of the main points, and there are organizational mechanisms to address this issue. He added, "Until now, the details of the person for the presidency have not been discussed, and the dialogue is supposed to be inclusive and national to reach a result, to agree on specifications that may apply to a person, and once we find a quick solution, we will then proceed to the Parliament for the election, and on the list, there are several agreed-upon candidates." He emphasized that it is not possible to elect a President and a Prime Minister without approving the reform laws and the economic plan.

Lebanon Continues Tightening Security Measures, Procedures
Asharq Al Awsat/8 August 2023
The Lebanese authorities continued their efforts to reaffirm their determination to tighten the security situation in the country, following warnings issued by the embassies of Arab countries to their nationals to avoid traveling to Lebanon. Recent battles that took place in a Palestinian refugee camp prompted Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, to call on their citizens to quickly leave Lebanese territory and avoid approaching areas of armed clashes. On Aug. 1, the United Kingdom also updated its travel notice for Lebanon, advising against “all but essential travel” to parts of Lebanon’s south near the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh. Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari, said that the Kingdom’s decision “came as a result of the events of the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp.” “Saudi Arabia has been and will be one of the biggest supporters of tourism in Lebanon, and it will prove this in the future if the Lebanese succeed in solving their crisis,” the ambassador told a delegation from the Renewal for Homeland Movement on Monday. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, for his part, noted that the security situation in Lebanon “does not warrant concern and panic.” His comments came in response to Arab countries’ call on their citizens to leave Lebanese territory quickly. Similarly, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said on Monday that the situation in the Ain Al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon was under control. “The atmosphere has calmed down, and security agencies continue to exert effort to arrest the perpetrators,” the minister told a press conference in Beirut. He added: “There is no compromise on the application of the law,” stressing that Lebanon will not be used as a “platform for sending messages.”

Lebanese farmers demand action after smuggled Syrian onions flood market
Najia Houssari/Arab News/August 08, 2023
Lebanon’s agricultural sector is under severe strain, and farmers are struggling to survive amid an economic crisis
Despite the Lebanese economy’s need for agriculture, farmers say the sector is neglected by the state
BEIRUT: Lebanese farmers have raised concerns over dumping after huge quantities of smuggled Syrian onions appeared on the Lebanese market at prices lower than local offerings. The farmers are demanding that Lebanese customs authorities pursue the smugglers. Ibrahim Tarshishi, head of the Bekaa Farmers Association, told Arab News: “The Lebanese customs cooperated with us and began confiscating the smuggled goods, but the matter will not stop. Soon, Syrian potato products will be smuggled. “The regions of Tripoli and Akkar in northern Lebanon live on vegetables and fruits smuggled from Syria, and no one pursues the smugglers. However, when it comes to flooding the Lebanese market with smuggled Syrian goods, the matter cannot be tolerated.”Lebanon’s agricultural sector is under severe strain, and farmers are struggling to survive amid an economic crisis exacerbated by the collapse of the national currency and a doubling of the cost of production and farm tools since 2019. Farmers are also suffering the effects of a ban on exports to Arab markets that was enacted following a diplomatic crisis with Gulf states. “There are 200 tons of onions a day which are pumped into the Lebanese market at cheap prices,” Tarshishi said. “Vegetable wholesalers get smuggled onions delivered. This is not permissible in our markets, especially since the onion season production is not exported to any country. It is sold where it is produced because countries have become self-sufficient in this product. We have 25,000 tons of onions to sell in Lebanon until April 1. We will not let farmers cry for their hard work, loss and indifference of state officials.”The Lebanese agricultural sector represents 7 percent of gross domestic product and is the third largest sector after services and industry. Agriculture provides an income for about 15 percent of the population, including 250,000 families.
About 60 percent of Lebanon’s land is arable, but only 20 percent is cultivated. There are large areas of agricultural land on which houses and buildings are built, especially in the fertile Bekaa Valley. Despite the Lebanese economy’s need for agriculture, farmers say the sector is neglected by the state, with citizens suffering from high prices of vegetables and fruits as a result. Even before 2019, Lebanese farmers complained of an inability to pay costs, although the state provided them with soft loans and subsidized exports, as well as opened markets, Tarshishi said. Saudi Arabia was also open to Lebanese imports.
But following this year’s harvest, the state is absent, loans are unavailable, markets are closed, farmers’ funds are frozen and smuggling crossings are open, he added. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of farmers in Lebanon have given up investing in the agricultural sector due to a lack of liquidity.
Farmers were previously encouraged to grow soft wheat, which is used to make Arabic bread. The state pledged to buy the wheat from farmers instead of importing it with hard currency. But farmers say that that call was a “big lie.”
Tarshishi said: “There are about 30,000 tons of soft wheat stacked in farmers’ warehouses, with a value of more than $20 million. Farmers do not know how to sell this production. “Lebanese mills refused to buy national wheat because they prefer to buy state-subsidized wheat through the World Bank because the price per kilo is 3,000 Lebanese pounds ($0.20), while the price per kilo of national wheat is 30,000 Lebanese pounds ($2). “Mills preferred cheaper wheat while the state transferred dollars to foreign countries to buy wheat. It is a policy with the utmost irresponsibility.”Farmers in the Bekaa Valley are turning to alternative crops, Tarshishi said. “Because of smuggling and neglect, we started thinking outside of tradition. We started growing dozens of varieties of grapes in large quantities to sell them in traditional and non-traditional markets,” he added.
“We now have markets in Africa, Australia, Brazil and the Near East. As for potatoes, we also moved toward the type that can be frozen to make chips and French fries, and production exceeded 60,000 tons.”In southern Lebanon, according to Tarshishi, “farmers uprooted the citrus trees that the southern coast of Lebanon is famous for and turned to banana cultivation. However, they faced difficulty this year in selling the production.” Markets are also selling lychee fruits farmed in Lebanon after the success of avocado and kiwi cultivation. There are also attempts to cultivate Iranian saffron, sage and thyme.
Saffron cultivation is widespread in Iran, and a number of Lebanese farmers have begun to cultivate the spice in high mountainous areas such as Jabal Al-Rihan and Marjayoun. “It is not an alternative agriculture, but rather an additional one,” said Qassim Hassan, an agricultural engineer. “There is a trend by a generation of new farmers for non-traditional, economically feasible agriculture.” It takes four years to start producing saffron, which can fetch up to $8,000 per kilo. Another alternative crop, sage, is used in the manufacture of medicines and medical products. Farmers export sage to Jordan and the US. Elham Mohammed Lubani, who works in agriculture with her husband Hosni Jaber, said: “Picking the sage plant from the banks of the Litani River and Beaufort Castle is popular. But this year the production was less because of the intense heat wave. “This year, we collected about 180 kilos of this plant, and a merchant comes to the region, collects the crop, and then ships it to Jordan and other countries.”The rain-fed sage is scattered in the valleys near the Litani River, but the plant is dwindling in quantity because of harvesting errors. Other farmers have turned to planting thyme. Hassan said: “Farmers have now turned to blackberry cultivation, and it seems to be a successful experience. Others are cultivating new types of mushrooms. Most of these farmers are of the new generation; university graduates and their parents work in agriculture. Civil associations support them in their projects.”

Hezbollah has reasons for its current pugnacity, beyond internal Israeli fighting
Lazar Berman/The Times Of Israel/August 08/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/120928/120928/
Nasrallah sees opportunities for small gains while Jerusalem is distracted, but there are larger forces pushing the group’s aggressive behavior on the border
Israel is clearly alarmed by a marked change in Hezbollah’s posture along the country’s most combustible border, in the north.
Last Wednesday, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and President Isaac Herzog made separate trips to the Israel-Lebanon line, both seeking to convey a message of resolve in the face of the newly confident and aggressive Shiite army.
Though the photographs released by Herzog’s office — the president and first lady smiling with a relaxed group of soldiers and officers, none of them armed or wearing combat vests — won’t add much to Israel’s deterrence, his words were of a different tenor altogether.
“I want to tell our enemies — especially Hezbollah on the other side of the border — don’t make a mistake,” he said. “The IDF is strong, it is united. It is capable and will protect and defend our sovereignty and the security and well-being of the people of Israel. This is our top priority.”
The photos of Halevi along Israel’s new security barrier showed him armed and grim as he peered northward.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also sought to warn Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. “It’s better for him not to put us to the test,” he said after Nasrallah threatened to respond to any “stupid act” by Israel. Finally, in an interview with an Arabic news site on Sunday, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen warned Nasrallah that “Israel can send Lebanon back to the Stone Age.”
The concerted Israeli messaging effort comes in the wake of a pattern of provocations by the powerful Iran-backed militia. Israel has sought since early June to remove two tents placed by Hezbollah in the contested Mount Dov region, also known as the Shebaa Farms, but only one has so far been dismantled after Israel reportedly sent a message to Hezbollah threatening an armed confrontation if it did not remove the outpost. Nasrallah said his forces would attack Israel if it tries to remove the other one. In March, a man infiltrated from Lebanon and planted an explosive on a highway in northern Israel that seriously wounded a civilian. In a televised speech, Nasrallah said Hezbollah would not be commenting on the bombing at the Megiddo Junction, which is suspected to have been orchestrated by the terror group.
Instead, he said the attack “confused” Israel, and that “our silence is part of the political, media, military, and psychological battle with the enemy.”
There have also been a number of violations of the so-called Blue Line border demarcation over the summer by Lebanese politicians, civilians, and Hezbollah members, drawing warning shots from IDF forces Hezbollah is firing as well. On July 6, an anti-tank missile was fired from Lebanon at the contested village of Ghajar, causing no injuries. The previous month, Hezbollah said it shot down an Israeli drone flying over a village in southern Lebanon.
In April, 34 rockets and several mortar shells were fired into Israel from southern Lebanon, injuring several and damaging buildings. Israel was quick to blame Palestinian groups in Lebanon for the attacks, but experts and Israelis sources were clear that they could not have been carried out without Hezbollah knowledge and consent at the very minimum.
Do protests equal weakness?
On both sides of the border, observers and decision-makers are pointing at Israel’s bitter domestic fight over the government’s divisive judicial overhaul program as the reason for Hezbollah’s increased aggression.
“Everything that is happening in Israel in recent months — the judicial reform, the protest — is seen in their eyes as weakness, which gives them the ability to do more than they’ve done in the past and change the rules of the game,” said Orna Mizrahi, senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies.
Senior intelligence officials reportedly warned Netanyahu in a series of letters that Israel’s enemies, particularly Iran and Hezbollah, sense a historic opportunity to shift the balance of power in the region in their favor, amid deep, unprecedented divisions in Israeli society due to the overhaul plans, which they interpret as weakness.
North of the border, Nasrallah gloated late last month, after the first judicial overhaul bill passed, that Israel’s “trust, awareness and self-confidence have deteriorated into the crisis it is experiencing today.” He said the protests in the wake of the vote marked Israel’s “worst” day since the state’s creation and the country was on the “path to disappearance.”
Hezbollah officials at the highest levels have discussed the upheaval in Israel, and plan to exploit the situation in the future, a Lebanese source told Reuters.
Top Iranian security officials and the Hamas terror group also held a closed-door meeting in July to discuss a response to the societal strife in Israel.
Cohen addressed this perception of Israeli vulnerability directly in his message to Hezbollah on Sunday.
“They think that what is happening gives an indication of a kind of weakness inside Israel, and they are wrong,” the foreign minister said. “These demonstrations express the strength and cohesion of the Israeli state. They should know that the Jewish people have always been distinguished by their internal debates, but in the hour of trial they unite.”
Hezbollah’s aggression isn’t necessarily an indication that it wants war with Israel, according to Michael Harari, Israel’s former ambassador to Cyprus and fellow at the Mitvim Institute.
“The understanding is that Israel isn’t weak enough to open a general war against it, but it’s weak enough — or fighting with itself enough — to possibly make some tactical gains,” he said.
Range of factors
But Israel’s internal fissures aren’t the only incentive for Hezbollah to adopt an aggressive posture.
A European diplomat stressed that there is much more to Hezbollah’s posture than the fight over the judicial overhaul. “It’s part of the picture, but not the whole picture,” he said.
He pointed at Hezbollah launching drones at Israel’s Karish gas field in July 2022, and threatening attacks if Israel proceeded with gas extraction in the disputed area, as the real turning point in Hezbollah’s behavior.
With the terror group’s arsenal improving and expanding, said Mizrahi, there is a feeling among Hezbollah leaders “that they can threaten Israel more.”
The organization continues to build up its missile stockpile, including precision munitions. Hezbollah is believed to possess over 150,000 missiles, with a small but growing number of them able to be guided to specific sites. Israel fears that in a future war the terror group could use a barrage of precision missiles to attack sensitive facilities and overwhelm its air defense array.
There is also the Iranian factor.
Tehran has enjoyed a hot streak of late, and feels it is an opportune time to apply pressure to Israel.
In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia announced they would be restoring their ambassadors for the first time in seven years. And in May, the Arab League voted to reinstate Tehran’s client state Syria.
Russia is also increasingly beholden to Iran, which has become a crucial supplier of drones and missiles for the war in Ukraine.
Now is the time, in Iran’s eyes, to gain some measure of deterrence against Israel, whose attacks on Iranian forces and proxies in Syria have blocked Tehran from turning Syria into another active front against the Jewish state.
The security barrier Israel is constructing on the disputed border with Lebanon is also something Hezbollah feels it must push back against.
“They see it as a provocation by Israel,” said Mizrahi. “It is problematic for them, because it effectively marks a border, and there are disagreements over the border.”
Finally, there are pressures in the domestic arena pushing Hezbollah to confront Israel on the border.
“Their situation is not that comfortable in the Lebanese theater,” said Harari, the former Israeli ambassador. “They are not succeeding in getting their candidate elected as president.”
In June, Hezbollah lawmakers pulled out of presidential voting in parliament after their preferred candidate, Sleiman Frangieh, the scion of a political family close to the ruling Assad dynasty in Syria, trailed his main rival.
In addition, in 2022 Hezbollah’s camp lost the majority it had enjoyed in parliament since 2018.
“There is far more criticism in the Lebanese system toward Hezbollah,” said Mizrahi. “One of Hezbollah’s interests is to show that they are still relevant in the conflict with Israel, that they are still operating as the Defender of Lebanon.”
“The resistance card is not a bad one to play,” she added, “as long as it doesn’t slip out of their hands.”
*Emanuel Fabian contributed to this article.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/hezbollah-has-reasons-for-its-current-pugnacity-beyond-internal-israeli-fighting/

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 08-09/2023
Israel demolishes home of alleged Palestinian attacker, fueling West Bank tensions
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP)/August 8, 2023
Israeli security forces on Tuesday demolished the West Bank home of a Palestinian man accused of carrying out a deadly shooting attack earlier this year, the military said, the latest incursion to fuel tensions in the occupied territory. Israel's decades-old tactic of leveling the family homes of alleged Palestinian assailants has drawn intense criticism from human rights groups, which call it collective punishment — prohibited under international law. Opponents of the policy also raise questions about its efficacy, arguing that leveling the residences of often uninvolved parents, spouses and children of alleged assailants and leaving them homeless only fuels an unrelenting cycle of hatred and bloodshed. Israel defends such home demolitions as a deterrent meant to prevent future attacks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government, which has taken a hard line against the Palestinians, has vowed to ramp up home demolitions of Palestinian attackers as violence spirals in the West Bank. The Israeli military said its forces entered the Askar refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Nablus early Tuesday and demolished the apartment of 49-year-old Abdul Fattah Kharushah, an alleged member of the Hamas militant group who was suspected of shooting and killing two Israeli brothers in the town of Hawara earlier this year. The highway shooting on Feb. 26 that killed the two men — brothers from the Jewish settlement of Har Bracha — had followed a deadly Israeli military raid in Nablus and unleashed the worst outburst of settler violence in decades. Israeli settlers went on a violent rampage in the town of Hawara after the shooting, burning dozens of Palestinian cars and shops and leaving one man dead. Kharushah was later killed during an Israeli military raid on the Jenin refugee camp in March. Young Palestinians burned tires and hurled stones and explosive devices at Israeli forces who stormed into the Askar refugee camp to demolish Kharushah's home, on the third floor of an apartment building, on Tuesday. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that two Palestinians were wounded by bullet shrapnel and others wounded by rubber bullets as Israeli soldiers tried to disperse the crowds. The Israeli military said it was also confronted with Palestinian gunfire in the camp. The incursion comes at a fraught time in the West Bank, as Israeli-Palestinian fighting surges to levels unseen in nearly two decades. Earlier this week, Israeli troops killed three alleged Palestinian militants after a Palestinian gunman shot and killed an Israeli security guard in central Tel Aviv. More than 160 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire this year in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Israel says most killed have been militants, but stone-throwing youths protesting army raids and innocent bystanders have also been killed. At least 26 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis so far this year. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Palestinians seek those territories for their hoped-for independent state.

Why is US sending 3,000 Navy, Marines force to Persian Gulf?
Al Minitor/August 08/2023
WASHINGTON — A contingent of more than 3,000 US Navy personnel and Marines sailed into the Suez Canal on Sunday as the Biden administration weighs options to deter Iran from seizing commercial tanker ships in the Persian Gulf region. The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, along with sailors and Marines of an Amphibious Ready Group led by the USS Bataan and accompanied by the dock landing ship USS Carter Hall, will provide “greater flexibility and maritime capability” to the United States' Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, the Navy announced today. What that means: The Pentagon has remained mum on specifically how it intends to employ the Marines, but their arrival is part of a wider buildup of US forces in the region which defense officials described as a response to Iran’s renewed attempts to seize commercial tankers. The deployment brings additional aircraft, helicopters and amphibious landing craft to join a dozen US F-35s, as well as F-16 and A-10 aircraft and Navy guided-missile destroyers that have already arrived in the region in recent weeks and months to ramp up joint patrols in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has escalated its attempts to seize commercial ships in Gulf waterways in recent months following the US Justice Department’s confiscation of a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, the Suez Rajan, carrying Iranian fuel to China in April. An Iranian navy vessel opened fire on a Chevron-chartered tanker in international waters off the coast of Oman last month after the civilian ship refused orders to stop. Iran’s navy and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have harassed or seized control of at least 20 commercial shipping tankers in the region over the past two years, according to the US 5th Fleet’s numbers. Iran’s moves have further driven a wedge into the United States’ strategic ties with Gulf states, as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates look to reduce their dependency on Washington for defense. “It’s drawn Gulf states closer to Iran,” one American official told Al-Monitor last week. “It sends a signal to regional partners that in the absence of US forces, the US is not serious about security.”Al-Monitor reported last week that senior Defense Department officials have been putting the finishing touches on proposals for wider legal authorities in coordination with the White House to enable the military to intervene more directly to prevent Iran’s seizures of commercial tankers.
Among the military’s requests is authorization to embark the Marines on civilian commercial ships flying foreign flags. The plan, drafted by US Central Command, first requires the consent of regional governments and private companies.
If fully approved by the Biden administration, the broader proposal could leverage the military’s own self-defense authorities to enable US naval and air forces to protect third-party tanker ships from acts of aggression by Iran, Al-Monitor’s sources said. Show of force: Regardless of how the Biden administration decides, the announced deployment of an amphibious-borne Marine Expeditionary Group marks an unsubtle warning to Tehran. “An amphibious assault ship can carry more than two dozen rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, including MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and AV-8B Harrier attack jets in addition to several amphibious landing craft,” the Navy’s 5th Fleet said in a press release on Monday.
“A dock landing ship also supports operations for various rotary-wing aircraft, tactical vehicles and amphibious landing craft,” it read. Marine Expeditionary Units specialize in amphibious landings and “visit, board, search and seizure” (VBSS) operations — or taking control of vessels, typically in cases of smuggling or piracy — among other tasks. “The ARG/MEU can be used to protect shipping,” a former senior US special operations official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not privy to the Pentagon’s planning, told Al-Monitor. But its deployment does not suggest Washington intends to escalate or initiate hostilities with Iranian forces in the Gulf region, the official emphasized, adding that ARG/MEU deployments to the Middle East are not uncommon.
The official added that offensive maritime operations such as hostile ship takeovers are better left to top-tier special operations units authorized directly by the president. “Passive boarding is well within 5th Fleet component capabilities,” the former official added. Stalled diplomacy: The US buildup in the region comes as an October deadline approaches for the expiration of UN sanctions on Iran from the 2015 nuclear deal. The outcome of reported backchannel communications between US and Iranian officials over a potential lesser agreement to dilute Tehran’s enriched stockpiles and work toward a general de-escalation in the region remains unclear. “All of this to me is a dance as both sides are upping the ante ahead of a potential cease-fire,” Ali Vaez, senior director of the Iran project at the International Crisis Group, told Al-Monitor of the military's deployments late last month.
Show of force: Iran’s IRGC held a military exercise on islands disputed with the UAE last week after both Russia and China appeared to side with the Gulf Cooperation Council over Abu Dhabi’s claim to the islands. Washington has been keen to head off Beijing’s moves to portray itself as a diplomatic mediator and source of security support in the region. In March, China took credit for brokering an agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic ties for the first time in seven years. Flashback: Amid a rise in tensions between Iran and the United States in 1995, then-CENTCOM commander Gen. Binford “Binny” Peay ordered the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit to conduct amphibious landing exercises on the coasts of Oman and the UAE. The deterrent backfired, leading Iran to fortify the islands in response after the display was perceived by IRGC officials as a rehearsal for a potential invasion. “The Iran of 2023 is not the Iran of 1983,” the top commander of US forces in the Middle East, Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, told House lawmakers in March. “In fact, Iran today is exponentially more militarily capable than it was even five years ago,” Kurilla said.
Iran fires back: “The US government's military presence in the region has never created security,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani said Monday. “We are deeply convinced that the countries of the Persian Gulf are capable of ensuring their own security,” Kanani was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying. Iran’s Defense Ministry late last month claimed to have unveiled the country’s first mass-produced, long-range naval ballistic missile allegedly capable of destroying carriers. The missile, dubbed the “Abu Mahdi,” was named after Shia militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis who was killed in a US drone strike along with IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.What’s next: The ARG/MEU is expected to arrive in Bahrain this week. The Biden administration has given the Pentagon the green light to discuss with regional counterparts the proposal to place Marines on commercial tankers, Al-Monitor first reported last week. Know more: Al-Monitor exclusively reported that the United States moved to confiscate a second tanker carrying Iranian fuel in the days leading up to Iran’s attempt to harass and potentially seize three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman in early July. But not all of Iran's seizures of tankers in the region are linked to US sanctions enforcement, and many go unreported. "There’s a level of disorganization and randomness in how they do things," one US official said.
Editor's note: This story has updated since initial publication and edited for clarity.

Iran warns of more ship seizures in defiance of US Marines' Gulf deployment
Al Minitor/August 08/2023
In a message of defiance and apparent preparedness for escalation, Iran warned on Monday that it could capture American vessels after the Pentagon beefed up its presence in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
"The Islamic Republic is capable of reciprocating any mischief by the Americans … including through seizure of their vessels in reciprocation," said Brig. Gen. Ramezan Sharif, spokesman for Iran's hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in comments covered by Fars News Agency.
The reaction came one day after the United States sent a 3,000-strong contingent of US Marines and personnel to the Red Sea. Earlier last month, the US military also dispatched F-35, F-16 and A-10 warplanes along with Navy destroyers to the Persian Gulf. The reinforcement, according to US officials, is meant to conduct joint patrols in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway of utmost vitality to the global oil trade. The United States has said the presence is specifically aimed at curbing Iran, which has been "harassing" commercial vessels in the strategic waters. The US Navy has counted 20 cases of harassment, among them attacks or seizures, by the IRGC over the past two years alone, describing Iran as "a clear threat to regional maritime security and the global economy."Tehran has not denied its involvement in most cases, justifying its behavior on the "war on oil smuggling" or acting based on court orders.
"The countries of the region have rightly realized that Iran is turning into a major regional power," the IRGC spokesman added as he addressed a ceremony in the conservative city of Qom. Two weeks ago, in an apparent response to the same US deployments, Iran's Defense Ministry delivered to the IRGC dozens of its first-ever long-range naval ballistic missiles, which were said to be entirely "homemade" and capable of "completely destroying" enemy carriers.  "The security of the Persian Gulf has to be maintained by the littoral states there," the spokesman said in his speech, claiming also that those countries "have come to understand America's weakness and the Islamic Republic's strength in the confrontations of the recent years." One of those countries of the region is the United Arab Emirates, a major rival to the Islamic Republic — one which has been unnerved by ship seizures as well as other maritime tensions blamed on Iranian forces. Despite recent pushes for reconciliation with Abu Dhabi as part of a greater regional thaw, Tehran held military drills only last week — boasting advancements and boosting defense around three small Persian Gulf Islands under its control but at the very core of a decadeslong territorial dispute with the UAE.

Israel's extremist settlers control government as Netanyahu dismisses warnings
Ben Caspit/Al Minitor/August 08/2023
TEL AVIV — The rise in the violence of settlers against West Bank Palestinians reflects the growing powers of far-right Knesset members within the Netanyahu coalition. The radical Jewish parties Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has embraced since forming his government seven months ago are biting the hand that feeds them. Having given them responsibility for national security and settlement expansion, these coalition members and their constituents are sowing discord and chaos in the West Bank, and protecting settlers who wreak them. And Netanyahu? He is mum.
In the latest such incident, Quasi Jamal Matan, a 19-year-old Palestinian resident of the West Bank village of Burqa, was killed Aug. 4 by an Israeli settler who was apparently injured by rocks Palestinians had thrown at him and his friends. Five Palestinians and two Israeli settlers have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the clash. One of the settlers was until recently a parliamentary adviser and spokesperson for Knesset member Limor Son Har-Melech of the far-right Jewish Power party.  After the incident, police allowed two Knesset members — one of them Zvi Sukkot of the Jewish Power faction — to meet the suspect in the Palestinian’s killing, while he was hospitalized. In general, Israeli Knesset members are not allowed to meet with detainees suspected of serious offenses during the initial stages of a police investigation against them. Sukkot's one-on-one meeting with the suspect lasted about 40 minutes.
"This is incredibly outrageous," a senior Israeli security source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. "This is a meeting that could easily lead to evidence tampering and disrupt the police investigation. There was no reason to approve it. This is part of the anarchy that is taking over the rule of law system in Israel."This event is the tip of the iceberg to which the Israeli ship is heading at full speed since the Netanyahu government launched its campaign to weaken the country’s judiciary, prompting a mass pro-democracy movement. Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar recently warned Netanyahu about a significant increase in the extent of Jewish terrorism in the West Bank. According to Bar, Jewish terrorism is one of the factors fueling and increasing Islamic terrorism against the settlers.  "This is a vicious circle of violence and murder," said the senior Israeli security source. "The Palestinians are carrying out revenge attacks for all the settler attacks against them, the situation is deteriorating rapidly and spiraling out of control. It will take us years to put this genie back in the bottle."  While Palestinian terrorism directed against Israeli citizens in the settlements and within sovereign Israeli territory is undoubtedly much more widespread than manifestations of Jewish terrorism against Palestinians, the settlers enjoy the protection of the Israeli military, police and Shin Bet security forces.  The Palestinians living under Israeli control, on the other hand, do not have significant defensive forces of their own and are forced to rely on the Israeli police force in the West Bank that is officially entrusted with their protection. But therein lies the problem, since the Israeli Police is under the purview of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the chair of the Jewish Power party.  “Itamar Ben-Gvir is now taking over the police in general, and the [West Bank] Judea and Samaria district in particular," a senior Israeli law enforcement source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. "The police in the West Bank are completely lax, the district commander is ingratiating himself with the minister, who also represents the extremist settlers.”
This implicit official backing by Ben-Gvir encourages settlers who have set up illegal outposts, often on lands claimed by the Palestinians. “They roam freely among the Palestinian villages looking for revenge and friction. This powder keg will explode in our faces," the law enforcement official said.
Following Ronen Bar’s explicit warning to Netanyahu of an uptick in settler violence, the Shin Bet and the military commander of the West Bank came under vicious attacks by several right-wing lawmakers. Har-Melech, whose husband was murdered in a 2003 West Bank terrorist attack, was quick to harshly criticize the agency, while firebrand Likud party Knesset Minister Tali Gottlieb declared that "the leftist deep state has reached the head of the Shin Bet as well." It took Netanyahu more than a day to issue a statement backing up the Shin Bet chief, who is under his direct command.
"Sometimes, Netanyahu seems not to be there at all … disconnects himself from this dynamite," a senior Likud official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. "He receives warnings not only from the head of the Shin Bet, but also from the army chief of staff and the head of Military Intelligence, but he does nothing about it. It is as if he had been taken prisoner by the far right. The Netanyahu that Israel knew for 15 years used to distance himself as much as he could from such flare-ups." Asked whether Netanyahu was trying to lead Israel into war as a last resort to extricate himself from his political, public and personal troubles, a senior official in the Israeli political system warned that Netanyahu is now focused only on his political survival. "I don't know if he wants war, I do know that he knows the risks and is indifferent to the possibility of a flare-up. This is true not only of the West Bank, but also of the northern front. The original Netanyahu would have done everything possible to calm these fronts a long time ago. The current Netanyahu is doing nothing and allowing his extremist partners to continue to pour gasoline on the entire arena. All that is missing is a match," the official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.

Islamic State attack in Raqqa kills 10 Syrian soldiers, second in a week
Beatrice Farhat/Al Minitor/August 08/2023
BEIRUT — Islamic State militants launched a surprise attack on Syrian government positions in Syria’s northeast Raqqa province on Monday evening, killing at least 10 soldiers and pro-government fighters. The attack, the second in a week by the group, wounded six others, some critically, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The UK-based war monitor, which relies on a broad network of sources on the ground, said IS gunmen attacked positions and checkpoints of the government forces and their allies in Maadan al-Atiq in the eastern countryside of Raqqa. Militants also set fire to military vehicles and houses in the area. Raqqa had served as IS’ de facto capital in Syria when the group captured the province in 2014. In October 2017, the Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by the US-led coalition, expelled the extremist group from its stronghold and took control of the province. Government forces hold small pockets in the south and east of Raqqa. Despite losing its territory, IS continues to operate in Syria’s desert, launching sporadic attacks. Last week, suspected IS militants attacked a military oil convoy in the eastern countryside of Hama, leaving five soldiers dead. Since the start of this year, clashes and attacks by IS in the Syrian desert have killed 379 people, including government soldiers, Kurdish forces and civilians as well as IS militants, according to the observatory. Monday’s attack comes after IS confirmed the death of its leader, Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi, in northwest Syria on Aug. 3. In an undated audio recording shared on the group’s Telegram channel, IS spokesperson Abu Huthaifa al-Ansari said Quraishi was killed in clashes with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an al-Qaeda-linked jihadi group that controls Idlib province. Ansari did not say when Quraishi was killed. In April, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced last April that Turkish intelligence forces killed Quraishi during a raid in Syria’s northern town of Jindires. Quraishi was appointed in November 2022 after his predecessor, Abu Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, was killed in battles in southern Syria. The latter replaced Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who reportedly killed himself during a US operation in the village of Barisha, near the Turkish border, in Idlib province in October 2019.
Car bombing in Damascus
A car bomb went off in the Yusuf al-Azmeh suburb of Damascus Tuesday, according to local police. No casualties have been reported so far. Similar blasts have been reported in the area in the past weeks. In late July, at least six people were killed and 10 others injured when a car bomb exploded near Sayeda Zeinab shrine. The attack came days ahead of Ashura, the holy day where Shiites mark the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson. Days earlier, a bomb planted in a motorcycle exploded near the shrine, wounding two civilians. No group claimed responsibility for the recent attacks. But Sunni extremist groups including IS have made similar attacks on Shiites throughout the country’s civil war. In 2016, IS claimed responsibility for a double suicide attack near the same shrine that killed 134 people, including more than 90 civilians.

UK sanctions entities in Turkey, UAE, Iran for alleged role in Ukraine war
Jack Dutton/Al Minitor/August 08/2023
ANKARA/LONDON — Britain sanctioned more than two dozen targets Tuesday including firms and individuals in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Iran in what London described as the “largest ever UK action” targeting Russia’s access to foreign military supplies for its war against Ukraine.
In a statement, the UK Foreign Ministry said it had sanctioned 22 individuals and businesses outside Russia supporting the country’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as three Russian companies importing electronics vital to Russia’s military equipment used on the battlefield. Two Turkish businesses, Turkik Union and Azu International, were designated for exporting microelectronics “essential” for the Russian military activity in Ukraine. Azu International has already been sanctioned by Ukraine. Al-Monitor has contacted both companies for comment. European and US leaders have repeatedly warned Turkey about local companies helping Russia evade Western sanctions. As part of its self-proclaimed policy of “proactive neutrality,” Ankara has closed the Turkish Straits to Russian military naval vessels and continued to supply critical military equipment to Ukraine, but in stark contrast to most of its allies in the bloc, the NATO member has not joined sanctions against Russia. The United Arab Emirates also has maintained a neutral stance regarding the Ukraine war. Dubai-based Aeromotus Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Trading LLC was also sanctioned by the United Kingdom for its alleged role in supplying drones and drone components to Russia. Al-Monitor has contacted the company for comment. Both Aeromotus and Azu International were sanctioned by the US treasury in April for their alleged role in the 18-month-long conflict. In a statement announcing the sanctions, the UK Foreign Ministry said it was also taking further action to tackle Iran and Belarus’s support for Russia’s military. Iran has supplied Shahed drones that Russia has deployed on Ukraine. The UK sanctions include Iranian individuals and entities involved in the research, development and production of unmanned aerial vehicles for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Tuesday's announcement is not the first time Britain has sanctioned Turkish, UAE and Iranian companies for their alleged role in the Ukraine war. Belarusian military organizations linked to manufacturing military technology for the Belarusian government were also sanctioned Tuesday for facilitating Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A Slovakian and a Swiss national were also sanctioned for their work in Russia’s financial services sector and an attempted arms deal. “Today’s landmark sanctions will further diminish Russia’s arsenal and close the net on supply chains propping up Putin’s now struggling defence industry,” said James Cleverly, the UK foreign minister, in the statement. “There is nowhere for those sustaining Russia’s military machine to hide,” he added. “Alongside our G7 partners, the UK has repeatedly called on third parties to immediately cease providing material support to Russia’s aggression or face severe costs."An investigation by the Jewish Chronicle in June found that British universities have been working with the Iranian government to develop technology that can be used for weapons. Al-Monitor has contacted the UK Foreign Ministry, which has opened a probe into the allegations, for an update.

Heavy clashes grip Sudan capital as war shows no sign of let-up
Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir/Reuters/August 08/2023
Sudan's army on Tuesday intensified efforts to gain ground in the capital Khartoum in some of the heaviest fighting since the start of a conflict with a rival military faction that has caused a growing humanitarian crisis. The army has launched air strikes and heavy artillery since Monday to try to take a bridge across the Nile used by the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to bring reinforcements and weapons from Omdurman to the other two cities that make up the wider capital, Bahri and Khartoum, residents said. The RSF, which occupied much of the capital at the outbreak of fighting in mid-April, responded forcefully, resulting in heavy clashes in residential neighbourhoods and civilian casualties and displacement. Neighbourhood activists in eastern Omdurman said at least nine civilians had been killed. "The situation in Omdurman is terrifying," Nader Abdullah, a 52-year-old resident, told Reuters by phone. "Gunfire, the sound of artillery, and air strikes ... there's bombardment in every direction." The war broke out four years after the overthrow of Omar al-Bashir during a popular uprising, as tensions between the army and the RSF, which jointly staged a coup in 2021, erupted over disagreements about a plan to transition to civilian rule. Both sides have claimed military advances in recent days but there are no signs of a decisive breakthrough. Efforts led by Saudi Arabia and the United States to secure a ceasefire have stalled. More than four million people have been displaced, according to the United Nations, including over 900,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries already grappling with conflict and economic crises.
'WHAT'S LEFT TO WIN?'
The highest number - more than 377,000 - have fled to Chad from the western Sudanese region of Darfur, where witnesses have blamed Arab militias aligned with the RSF for a wave of ethnically targeted attacks against non-Arab groups. Hunger has been spreading and civilian casualties rising. With humanitarian funding and access limited, more than 300 deaths had been recorded between May 15 and July 17 due to measles and malnutrition, mainly among children under five, the U.N. refugee agency said. "As many families have been on the move for weeks – with very little food or medicine – rising malnutrition rates, disease outbreaks and related deaths continue to be observed," UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told a briefing in Geneva. The arrival of seasonal rains has caused displacement in some parts of Sudan and concerns that water-borne diseases will spread further. On top of the fighting, residents in the capital have had to contend with extended power and water cuts, rampant looting by the RSF, the collapse of health services and shortages of food. "Neither side is able to win outright and what we hear them say in the media is the opposite of what's happening on the ground," said Mohamed Usher, a 37-year-old living in southern Khartoum. "What's left in Khartoum for them to win anyway? The institutions are destroyed, the universities, the markets are all destroyed."

Zelenskyy warned Russia that it may be left with no ships if it continues to attack Ukraine's ports
Mia Jankowicz/Business Insider/August 8, 2023
Russia faces losing all its ships if it continues to strike Ukraine's ports, President Zelenskyy said. The attacks have killed civilians, but in recent weeks Ukraine has hit back with sea drones. Though Russia's navy is bigger, Ukraine has made some bruising strikes with exploding naval drones. Russia could find itself without ships by the end of the war if it continues to attack Ukrainian ports, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. "We don't have as many weapons, but if they continue to shoot, they may be left without vessels by the end of the war," Zelenskyy told Argentina's La Nacion newspaper, per CNN's translation. Zelenskyy's comments were published days after Ukrainian exploding sea drones struck a Russian oil tanker and a Russian warship. While Russia's conventional naval power dwarfs Ukraine's, Ukraine has been needling Russia's fleet with maritime drones, and at the end of July unveiled a fast and powerful new model, with its capabilities quickly demonstrated in a strike on the Kerch Bridge. Ukraine's maritime drones are a growing threat to Russia's fleet, being packed with large amounts of explosives, drone technology expert Stephen Wright told Insider earlier this month. And defending against them isn't easy. Putting up defensive floating barriers, as Russia has attempted to do at key ports, can be circumvented by simply blasting through them with more drones, Wright told Insider. In his comments to La Nacion, Zelenskyy argued that Ukraine has the right to import and export goods through the Black Sea, which is being blockaded by Russia. "If Russia continues to dominate the Black Sea and block it with firing missiles, then Ukraine will do the same, which is a fair defense of Ukraine's capabilities," he said, according to CNN's translation. In July, Russia refused to renew a deal brokered with the UN and Turkey to allow a sea corridor for grain to be exported from Ukraine. The UN's Secretary-General António Guterres condemned Russia's withdrawal, saying it would end a "lifeline" for global food security. Since then, Russia has ramped up its attacks on Ukrainian ports, killing some civilians and making one strike just a few hundred yards from the border with Romania, a NATO member. The Kremlin also declared that any vessel traveling through the Black Sea to Ukraine will be "considered to be involved in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of Kyiv." Ukraine made a similar declaration about ships traveling to Russian-controlled ports, and in the interview published Sunday, Zelenskyy vowed to respond to any attacks on Ukraine's civilian populations.

The deadly Lancet suicide drone Putin is using to batter Ukrainian troops
Joe Barnes/The Telegraph/August 8, 2023
A short, sharp jerk of the steering wheel and the 30-tonne howitzer is suddenly careering off the road. Within a matter of seconds, the French-made Caesar 155mm self-propelled cannon came to a stop on its side in an adjacent field. The vehicle’s Ukrainian driver had swerved at the last second to dodge an incoming Russian suicide drone. Its crew may have crawled out with their lives intact, but an hour later the giant howitzer received a direct hit from a second drone, blasting it to pieces. The Lancet, the low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle used in this attack, has become a particular problem for Ukrainian troops along the front lines. “Our intelligence tells us they [Russia] have started investing more in the production of these drones,” Yuriy Sak, an adviser to the Ukrainian defence minister, told The Telegraph. “To understand why they are a concern to us, anything that is capable of damaging our equipment or posing a risk to our troops is a concern to us.”“Without giving the Russians credit, it’s not a bad bit of kit,” the official added. A small, angular grey tube with two sets of x-shaped wings, the Lancet is capable of destroying vehicles many times its size and value. Russian pro-war bloggers have seized on the apparent success the weapon has had in destroying hardware donated to Kyiv by its Western backers, such as Leopard 2 tanks and the French Caesar howitzer. The new version of the single-use Lancet has a range of about 30 miles, with a warhead that detonates on impact. Often working in a pair with a second spotter drone, it is piloted via a joystick, much like a computer game, and has the ability to loiter in the sky until a target exposes itself. They are not known to contain infrared or satellite navigation systems, making them far cruder than the Iranian-made Shaded drones. Its warhead, around one to two kilograms, is relatively small, making it significantly less deadly than an artillery shell or high-precision missile. However, they have become a thorn in the side for Ukrainian artillerymen, with many describing them as one of the main threats on the battlefield. There is no easy way to defend against the drones because of their ability to manoeuvre. “There are a lot of these things, and these things have made a lot of trouble for our forces because we don’t have any weapon like this,” a Ukrainian soldier, who gave his call sign as “Maugly”, said. Lancets fly low and slow, making it harder for the radar systems of traditional air-defence systems to pick up. And then there is the cost, Ukraine does not want to expend missiles worth hundreds of thousands on a weapons system that costs Moscow $35,000 per unit. To defend themselves, some artillery units set up make-shift shields around their guns, often made out of camouflage netting or chicken wire, to catch the drones before they reach their targets. Others set up dug-in shotgunner positions in the hope of blowing the weapons out of the sky before a deadly impact. Russian use of its Lancet drone has been particularly prevalent in the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions, where Ukraine’s armed forces are focusing their most aggressive efforts to claw back territories seized by Moscow. Mr Sak said Kyiv’s Western backers could help with further donations to protect Ukraine’s men on the frontline from the threat posed by the Lancet. The German-made Gepard tank, armed with a pair of anti-aircraft cannons, is one of the weapons that could be best used to take down the drones. “They’re mobile, they can move around quickly and they have a good radar that can be integrated into the line,” the adviser said. In July, Berlin promised to send 45 more of its self-propelled anti-aircraft guns to Kyiv by the end of 2023. The story isn’t the same with an Australian system coveted by Ukraine to protect the skies on the frontline. The Hawkei, a light four-wheel-drive vehicle similar to a Humvee, has recently undergone a conversion to have a version of the sophisticated Nasams American-Norwegian air-defence system fitted to it. Mr Sak said: “The Australian government is really trying to find some excuses not to give them to us, but we are pushing and hope they will.”Electronic warfare jamming equipment could be deployed by Ukraine to incapacitate Lancets by severing the connection between the drone and its pilot. “Modern jamming equipment is a very important aspect of our anti-drone capability,” the official added. “But we’re badly lacking and looking to our allies, and hopefully one day we’ll have more of it.”

After attacking Ukraine wheat exports, Russia faces own shipping challenge
Jonathan Saul and Nigel Hunt/LONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters)/Tue, August 8, 2023Russia's lack of ships and Western grain traders' shrinking appetite for business with Moscow are adding to rising costs of moving Russian wheat, at a time when the war in Ukraine has spilled perilously close to vital Black Sea supply routes.President Vladimir Putin promised to replace Ukrainian grain with Russian shipments to Africa after Moscow in July ended an arrangement that gave Ukraine's food cargo safe passage in the Black Sea, imposing a de-facto blockade on its neighbour and attacking storage facilities, in an escalation of the war.
Ukraine's response, sea-drone attacks on a Russian oil tanker and a warship at its Novorossiysk naval base, next door to a major grain and oil port, has added to these new dangers for transport in the Black Sea. Eduard Zernin, head of Russia's Union of Grain Exporters, cited a potential aggravation of what he called "hidden sanctions" that "may lead to an increase in freight and insurance costs" for Russia. This "will be reflected in the price level of wheat and other grains on the world market", Zernin told Reuters. Even though agriculture exports are not subject to direct European and U.S. sanctions imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Moscow says restrictions placed on banking and Russian individuals are "hidden sanctions" on the food trade. The financial and security risks associated with trading with Russia - compounded by the Black Sea corridor collapse - are driving up costs of freight for Moscow and pushing it toward older and smaller vessels run by less established shipping operators, Reuters reporting based on conversations with 10 marine insurers, traders and shipping companies showed. The situation is raising doubts about whether Russia can keep up a record pace of exports and if not resolved could push global wheat prices higher, the sources said. Already, prior to the expiry of the deal, grain carriers and commodity houses had reduced exposure to Russia. Global commodity houses are no longer helping Russia with the mechanics of trading its grain. Cargill, Louis Dreyfus and Viterra stopped such work on July 1, adding more pressure on Moscow to handle all aspects of grain deals including transport. Cargill has said it would continue to ship grain from Russia's ports. It declined further comment. Dreyfus, Viterra and ADM declined to comment, while another major international group, Bunge, did not respond to a request for comment. "It is not going to be easy for them (Russia)," said one industry executive with knowledge of grains exports. Last year, Russia exported a record volume of wheat on ships chartered from international companies and traders. While exports remain strong, in the past few months it has had to source more of its own freight, increasingly relying on a "shadow fleet" of older vessels typically operated by companies based in Turkey and China, three shipping industry sources said. "There is very little coming out now for international companies", said the executive, who, like other industry sources consulted for this story, asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. "Most of what is coming out is dealt with by Russian traders using (shadow) fleet ships, which international traders would not touch". In a sign of Russia's growing hunt for vessels, its requests for charters doubled to 257 in July compared with the same month last year, according to data from maritime platform Shipfix that collates from hundreds of market participants. The data does not show how many of the requests were fulfilled, or which ship operators were involved. The requests for ships were up 40% from June, and are likely to climb further as the export season gathers pace. Denmark's NORDEN and two other Western shipping groups that declined to be named told Reuters they stopped working with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022.
INSURANCE
Without the Black Sea corridor in place, both Russia and Ukraine warned in July that ships destined for each others ports could be treated as legitimate military targets, which three marine insurance source said was a further blow to Western companies' risk appetite. Insurance for ships heading to Russia's Black Sea ports currently costs tens of thousands of dollars in additional premiums daily, the three sources said, with rates ticking higher following Russia's attacks on Ukraine's other waterways through the Danube in recent days and Kyiv's response. The Black Sea remains a critical area for Russian exports, with other locations more complicated and costly. One shipping source familiar with the matter said even before insurance, ship operators were charging up to $10,000 more daily for Russian cargoes than for cargoes leaving nearby ports in Bulgaria and Romania, as the collapse of the deal and Black Sea escalation weighed. Mike Salthouse, head of external affairs with leading ship insurer NorthStandard, said that ever since the United States and Europe imposed sanctions, some traders and insurers fear the ultimate beneficial owners of Russia's ports and terminals could be connected to designated individuals. "The ownership structure is not readily apparent from routine or even enhanced due diligence," he said, leading to "a level of reluctance with engaging in Russian trades."The industry executive said another risk was if a vessel needed to buy fuel from Russia, a situation the source said could create problems with Western sanctions enforcers, making it harder to then conduct non-Russian business. "It's not easy to flip into the normal trade after that", the executive said. Russia's Black Sea terminals handle about 70% of the country's grain exports. They include the Novorossiisk and Taman ports.
"TRADE BARRIERS"
Despite the tensions, global wheat prices remain well below the peak after Russia's invasion last year triggered fears of a global hunger crisis. The removal of more Ukrainian grain from the world market could add to supply pressure unless Russian exports or large crops from other producers make up the difference. Two sources said the escalation of tensions in the Black Sea was likely to impact Russia's export numbers, and was discouraging shipping companies from bringing vessels to Russian ports, especially newer ships that carry more. In a statement to Reuters, Russia’s agriculture ministry forecast grain exports will fall about 8% during the 2023/24 season from Russian last year's high of 60 million tonnes. It did not give a reason for the drop. Wheat exports will be down a little less, to 44-45 million tons, Zernin said, in line with estimates from the International Grains Council.
SHIP BUILDING
The ministry in December announced a plan to build a fleet of 61 new grain ships, citing "sanctions pressure and the refusal of many international carriers to cooperate with Russia". Russian exporters need 34 grains ships with a carrying capacity of 60,000 tonnes and 27 with capacity of 40,000 tonnes, the ministry said in December. It did not say when they could be built by Russian shipyards. Russia's state-owned agricultural leasing company Rosagroleasing said in March of this year it had placed orders for a fleet of grains ships that it planned to launch within three years. No orders have currently been reported for Russian companies either domestically or internationally, according to data from valuation company VesselsValue. New ships typically take up to three years to build. Many of the Russian operated current fleet of 31 mainly smaller dry bulk carriers are over 30 years old, VesselsValue data showed, making it harder to access some ports with stringent requirements for ships over a certain age. "We don’t see Russia building its own fleet from scratch in the short term in order to meet its immediate needs. The primary focus is going be on chartering from the commercial market," said Victoria Mitchell, analyst with Control Risks consultancy. (Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Nigel Hunt in London, Reuters reporters, additional reporting by Polina Devitt in London and Gus Trompiz in Paris; editing by Frank Jack Daniel)

Tehran Detains Fifth US Citizen
Asharq Al Awsat/8 August 2023
The total of US citizens detained in Iran has increased to five after the arrest of an American woman of Iranian origins, said Iranian extremist newspaper Khorasan. The US woman used to work for NGOs in Afghanistan. The newspaper added that Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani and US National Security Council official Brett McGurk have held Omani-brokered indirect talks that focused on releasing the fifth US citizen. It added that the US suspended a deal to release four US nationals in Iran in return for four Iranian prisoners in the US “until the release of the US woman arrested” over spying charges. Kani paid a visit to Oman last Thursday and held talks with Omani officials. It remained unclear whether he met US officials in Muscat or not. Muscat hosted rounds of indirect talks between Kani and McGurk, reported Iranian and Western officials in June. Iranian officials stated that the Omani-brokered dialogue increases the chances of releasing US nationals detained in Tehran in return for releasing some of Iran’s frozen assets in Iraq and South Korea. “Iran has arrested and detained a fourth US national, further complicating the Biden administration’s efforts to secure an exchange of prisoners and lower tensions with Tehran,” reported the US Semafor news website weeks ago. The arrest of the American citizen is now “a central part of stepped-up negotiations between the two countries” aimed at swapping prisoners, added the website. Later, the Iranian Shargh newspaper reported that the fourth US citizen Shahab Dalili is of Iranian origins. He was arrested in March 2016 and sentenced to ten years in prison.

London: Iranian Regime Poses ‘Significant Threat’ to UK, Allies
Asharq Al Awsat/8 August 2023
The Iranian regime poses a “significant threat” to the UK, Downing Street said, with “direct threats” to dissidents living here. The comments came after it emerged that Home Secretary Suella Braverman believes Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) represents the single biggest threat to national security, according to PA Media. Downing Street said the Government had already taken “strong action” against Tehran but refused to be drawn on whether the IRGC should be banned as a terrorist group, reported dpa news agency. There is a split within the Government over whether to proscribe the organization, with the Foreign Office reportedly reluctant to back the move over fears it would cause lasting diplomatic damage, especially regarding talks to revive the nuclear deal. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I can’t get into speculation around who we may or may not be considering proscribing in the future.”But he said the Government had “a range of tools at our disposal” and would make decisions based on using the most effective measures “to curb Iran’s destabilizing activity”.The Sunday Times published a report unveiling the Home Office's concern over the expansion of IRGC-related activities in the British territory.

Taliban Prepares for ‘Water War’ against Iran
Asharq Al Awsat/8 August 2023
Tension has prevailed over the Iran-Afghanistan borders that span over 900 kilometers upon pressures put by Tehran on the government of “Taliban” regarding the former’s share of water from the Helmand River that flows into Hamun Lake in Iranian Baluchestan province. Iranian Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi stated last week that the whole world is fueling the dispute between Iran and Afghanistan. In mid-May, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi issued a warning to the Taliban: honor Afghanistan’s water-supply agreement or face the consequences. A well-known Taliban figure offered a mocking gift of a 20-liter water container in response and told him to stop making terrifying ultimatums. About a week later, a skirmish erupted on the border, leaving two Iranian guards and one Taliban member dead. The Taliban sent thousands of troops and hundreds of suicide bombers to the area, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg, claiming the group is prepared for war with Iran over a water dispute. After two decades fighting the US, Taliban leaders now find themselves sparring with neighbors as the realities of global warming hit home. The dispute with Iran over depleted water resources is further destabilizing an already volatile region. “The water shortages in the Helmand River basin are a result of climate change as the country heats up and suffers huge excesses of rainfall followed by terrible dry spells,” said experts. “Temperatures in the country are up 1.8C since 1950.”
Iran signed an agreement in 1973 for Afghanistan to supply a stipulated amount of water a year in “normal” climate conditions from the Helmand, a more than 1,000-kilometer waterway that runs from the Afghan Hindu Kush mountains through the country and into Iran. The water from Afghanistan’s longest river is critical for agriculture and consumed by millions of people on both sides of the border, according to Bloomberg. Iran argues the Taliban reduced the water supply since it returned to power and isn’t keeping Afghanistan’s side of the bargain. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a press conference last week that “preliminary agreements are in place” with the government of Taliban over Iran’s rights to water from Helmand, without providing further details. “Take my words seriously,” Raisi, Iran’s president since 2021, said during a visit to Baluchestan, the country’s poorest province, which was hit hard by the water shortage. “I warn the officials and rulers of Afghanistan that they should honor the water rights of the people of Baluchestan.” Taliban spokesmen Zabihullah Mujahid and Bilal Karimi didn’t respond to calls and messages seeking comment.
Mujahid said in May Raisi’s comments were inappropriate and could harm ties. Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi contends the issue only occurred because of drought, and Afghanistan respects the agreement. But despite the call for diplomacy, the Taliban prepared for war. As well as soldiers and suicide bombers, its rare military deployment also included hundreds of military vehicles and weapons left behind by the US, the person said, asking not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the situation. “Both sides can make a case to justify their positions,” said Omar Samad, a senior fellow at Washington-based think-tank the Atlantic Council and former Afghan envoy to Canada and France. He pointed to Afghanistan’s “protracted state of crisis” and Iran’s need for water at a time of drought. If neither wants to resolve the issue through diplomatic channels, it will be “politically irrational and lead to regional destabilization at a time when neither side can afford conflict,” he said. Iranian lawmakers said in June the situation in Baluchestan is so dire that a “humanitarian disaster” will occur if people don’t get access to water, according to local media. More than 10,000 families fled the province’s capital in the last year, according to a report. At least 300 towns and cities in Iran face acute water stress as the planet gets hotter. The Iranian authorities are facing charges of water mismanagement especially regarding the construction of dams. Some 20 million people moved to cities because the land is too dry for farming, according to one academic.

Medical Charity Slams UN Failure to Renew Syria Aid Route
Asharq Al Awsat/8 August 2023
A medical charity on Tuesday deplored the UN's failure to renew a cross-border mechanism that allowed international aid to reach opposition-held northwestern Syria from Türkiye and demanded an urgent solution. "The resolution expired a month ago and there is no solution currently in sight. This is simply deplorable," said Sebastien Gay, head of mission for Doctors Without Border (MSF) in Syria, AFP reported. The UN Security Council's inability to renew "a resolution safeguarding access to vital humanitarian aid for northwestern Syria is inexcusable," the aid group said. More than four million people live in opposition-held areas of northern and northwestern Syria, many of them in overcrowded camps, where they are in desperate need of aid. Through an arrangement that began in 2014, the UN delivered relief to the areas directly through the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Türkiye. But last month, the UN Security Council failed to reach consensus on extending the key aid route. Russia vetoed a nine-month extension then failed to muster enough votes to adopt a six-month extension. "Humanitarian aid has been used as a tool in a political dispute and struggling people in northwestern Syria will pay the price for this failure," Gay said. The Syrian government has said it will allow humanitarian aid to pass through the crossing for another six months but set conditions the UN called "unacceptable". Following a February 6 earthquake that struck both Türkiye and Syria, Damascus agreed to temporarily open two other crossings on the border until August 13. But several international organizations have expressed concern that allowing Damascus control over the flow of aid to opposition-held areas could limit access to those most in need. "The bottom line is that the needs of over four million people have been overlooked, as political negotiations were priorities," Gay added. "MSF urges the member countries of the UN Security Council to find a solution with the utmost urgency that guarantees impartial, non-politicized and sustainable humanitarian access." Civil war broke out in Syria after President Bashar al-Assad's government crushed peaceful protests in 2011. The conflict has killed nearly half a million people and driven half of the country's pre-war population from their homes.

Blinken warns that the Wagner group is trying to "exploit" the coup d 'état in Niger
LBCI/August 8, 2023
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the Wagner Group, a private military company, is working to "exploit" the military coup in Niger, while simultaneously ruling out that Russia or Wagner were behind the coup. The coup on July 26, which ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, received condemnation from several Western countries, including France, the former colonial power in the country. Conversely, neighboring countries supported the coup plotters, including Mali, which hosts Wagner elements on its territory. Blinken stated in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on Tuesday, "I don't think what's happened and what continues to happen in Niger is being incited by Russia or Wagner... but they're trying to exploit it." He added, "Everywhere Wagner has gone, death, destruction, and exploitation have followed." The mercenary group operates in African countries, notably Mali and the Central African Republic, and Western governments and non-governmental organizations accuse it of human rights violations. The group provides services to struggling regimes. In Mali and the Central African Republic, they provide protection to existing authorities and offer military training or even legal advice for constitutional reform. Mali's relationship with Russia has grown closer since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, in which Wagner was heavily involved before the armed uprising against the Russian military leadership in late June. On Monday, a US official warned the leaders of the coup in Niger against emulating neighboring countries in collaborating with Wagner. US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland stated in a press briefing from Niamey that the coup leaders "understand very well the risks to their sovereignty when Wagner is invited" into the country.

Niger coup leaders refuse to let senior US diplomat meet with nation's president
Associated Press/August 8, 2023
A senior U.S. diplomat said coup leaders in Niger refused to allow her to meet Monday with the West African country's democratically elected president, whom she described as under "virtual house arrest."Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland also described the mutinous officers as unreceptive to U.S. pressure to return the country to civilian rule. "They were quite firm about how they want to proceed, and it is not in support of the constitution of Niger," Nuland told reporters. She characterized the conversations as "extremely frank and at times quite difficult."
She spoke after a two-hour meeting in Niger's capital, Niamey, with some leaders of the military takeover of a country that has been a vital counterterrorism partner of the United States. In speaking to junta leaders, Nuland said, she made "absolutely clear the kinds of support that we will legally have to cut off if democracy is not restored." If the U.S. determines that a democratically elected government has been toppled by unconstitutional means, federal law requires a cutoff of most American assistance, particularly military aid. She said she also stressed U.S. concern for the welfare of President Mohamed Bazoum, who she said was being detained with his wife and son. The meeting was with Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou, a U.S.-trained officer, and three of the colonels involved in the takeover. The coup's top leader, former presidential guard head Abdourahamane Tchiani, did not meet with the Americans.In other developments Monday, leaders of West Africa's regional bloc said they would meet later this week to discuss next steps after the junta defied a deadline to reinstate the president. The meeting was scheduled for Thursday in Abuja, the capital of neighboring Nigeria, according to a spokesman for the ECOWAS bloc.Meanwhile, the junta's mutinous soldiers closed the country's airspace and accused foreign powers of preparing an attack.
State television reported the junta's latest actions Sunday night, hours before the deadline set by ECOWAS, which has warned of using military force if Bazoum is not returned to power. A spokesman for the coup leaders, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, noted "the threat of intervention being prepared in a neighboring country," and said Niger's airspace will be closed until further notice. Any attempt to fly over the country will be met with "an energetic and immediate response." The junta also claimed that two central African countries were preparing for an invasion, but did not name them. It called on Niger's population to defend the nation. The coup toppled Bazoum, whose ascendency was Niger's first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France in 1960. The coup also raised questions about the future of the fight against extremism in Africa's Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries have vied for influence. Niger had been seen by the United States and others as the last major counterterrorism partner in the Sahel, south of the Sahara Desert, where groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are expanding their influence.
Also Monday, Mali said it and Burkina Faso, both neighbors of Niger run by military juntas, were sending delegations to Niger to show support. Both countries have said they would consider any intervention in Niger as a declaration of war against them. Regional tensions have mounted since the coup nearly two weeks ago, when mutinous soldiers detained Bazoum and installed Tchiani as head of state. Analysts believe the coup was triggered by a power struggle between Tchiani and the president, who was about to fire him. It was not immediately clear what ECOWAS leaders will do now. The region is divided on a course of action. There was no sign of military forces gathering at Niger's border with Nigeria, the likely entry point by land. Nigeria's Senate has pushed back on the plan to invade, urging Nigeria's president, the bloc's current chair, to explore options other than the use of force. ECOWAS can still move ahead, as final decisions are made by consensus by member states. Guinea and neighboring Algeria, which is not an ECOWAS member, have come out against the use of force. Senegal's government has said it would participate in a military operation if it went ahead, and Ivory Coast has expressed support for the bloc's efforts to restore constitutional order. The junta has asked for help from the Russian mercenary group Wagner, according to Wassim Nasr, a journalist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center. However, Nuland indicated that coup leaders did not seem receptive to welcoming Wagner mercenaries into the country, as has happened with several surrounding unstable West African countries. "I will say that I got the sense from my meetings today that the people who have taken the action here understand very well the risks to their sovereignty when Wagner is invited," Nuland said. The junta is exploiting anti-French sentiments to shore up its support base and has severed security ties with France, which still has 1,500 military personnel in Niger for counterterrorism efforts. On Monday, France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally discouraged any travel to Niger, Burkina Faso or Mali, and called on French nationals to be extremely vigilant. France has suspended almost 500 million euros ($550 million) in aid to Burkina Faso. It's not clear what will happen to the French military presence, or to the 1,100 U.S. military personnel also in Niger. Many people, largely youth, have rallied around the junta, taking to the streets at night to patrol after being urged to guard against foreign intervention. "While they (jihadists) kill our brothers and sisters ... ECOWAS didn't intervene. Is it now that they will intervene?" said Amadou Boukari, a coup supporter at Sunday's rally. "Shame on ECOWAS."

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 08-09/2023
Pakistan: 'Eye-for-an-Eye' Repercussions on Christians from Sweden Burning the Quran
Nasir Saeed/Gatestone Institute/August 8, 2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/120933/120933/
Pakistani Christians find themselves crying silently for peace, understanding, and respect for their religious symbols -- but their cries seem to be falling on deaf ears, both domestically and globally.
This hostility took a horrifying turn when extremist groups threatened to attack churches and Christians, declaring that no Christians would stay safe in Pakistan. These groups even asked other jihadist groups to direct their attacks towards Christians and their places of worship, despite local Christians having no involvement in the incident, and even when they vociferously condemned the Quran's desecration and cannot be held responsible in any way.
The authorities seem unable to effectively guarantee the protection of religious minorities or their sacred symbols. This silence -- real or perceived -- often gets interpreted as tacit acceptance, potentially fuelling further acts of hostility.
This hostility took a horrifying turn when extremist groups threatened to attack churches and Christians, declaring that no Christians would stay safe in Pakistan. These groups even asked other jihadist groups to direct their attacks towards Christians and their places of worship, despite local Christians having no involvement in the incident, and even when they vociferously condemn the desecration of the Quran and cannot be held responsible in any way.
Indeed, it appears that being Christian instead of Muslim may be the real unforgivable offense in the present time.
What is worse is the lacklustre response from the Pakistani government towards these threats against its Christian minority.
The prime minister himself, instead of de-escalating the situation and calming the anger among Muslims, called for a nationwide protest and the observance of "Yume Taqdees" (Sanctity of the Quran).
The prime minister even failed to issue a statement in support of Christians who were helpfully condemning the desecration of the Holy Quran.
Christianity has been an integral part of Pakistan's multi-religious society since its inception The Christian leadership supported Muhammad Ali Jinnah's founding of Pakistan in 1947; he promised equal citizenship rights. Nevertheless, they often find themselves treated as second-class citizens, the target of discrimination, hostility, and violence.... there are dozens of such examples.
Often, discriminatory laws, such as the contentious blasphemy law, have been misused against Christians, further worsening their situation. This law, which mandates harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for offences against religion -- or sometimes even just flimsy, baseless or non-existent accusations of offences -- have frequently been weaponized to target Christians and other religious minorities.
A comprehensive strategy that includes improved security measures for religious minorities and educational campaigns to foster tolerance and mutual respect is needed urgently.
The government of Pakistan needs to uphold its commitment to religious freedom and safeguard all its citizens, as enshrined in its constitution and in line with international covenants....
At this juncture, now is the time for the Pakistani government to reassess its approach toward religious minorities. The first step should be an immediate and unequivocal condemnation of violence and threats against religious minorities, including Christians. This condemnation should not just be a symbolic gesture but should be accompanied by stern legal action against the instigators of such violence. A fundamental component of any democratic country is guaranteeing the safety and security of all citizens, regardless of their religious views.
At the same time, it is necessary for the government to take deliberate steps to promote peace and religious harmony. This can be achieved through the incorporation of religious tolerance and coexistence in the curricula for school and public awareness campaigns. Furthermore, interfaith dialogues can serve as powerful platforms for fostering mutual respect and understanding between various religious groups in Pakistan.
The protection of religious minorities and the promotion of social and religious harmony should not be regarded as optional but as fundamental to the social stability and democratic ethos of Pakistan.
The reverberations of an incident which happened thousands of miles away in Sweden should not disrupt their lives.... The path to lasting peace lies in acknowledging every cry, no matter how silent it may seem.
The discrimination and threats faced by Christians in Pakistan raise serious concerns about religious freedom and tolerance in the country.
In the interconnected, digital world of the 21st-century, an event thousands of miles away can send shockwaves felt in other parts of the world. The recent burning of a Quran in Sweden has had reverberations as far away as Pakistan and a special impact on the already defenceless Christian minority there.
This is not the first time Pakistani Christians have experienced societal prejudice, institutional discrimination, and sporadic violence. These issues are frequently exacerbated whenever similar events take place anywhere in the West. The fallout from the Quran's desecration in Sweden, however, has intensified these conflicts, resulting in an alarming rise in threats and the defilement of Christian symbols, particularly the Cross, symbolising Christianity.
Caught in the crossfire of this international incident, Pakistani Christians find themselves crying silently for peace, understanding, and respect for their religious symbols -- but it seems to be falling on deaf ears, both domestically and globally.
The desecration of the Holy Cross is not just an act of disrespect of their religious sentiments; it also poses a significant threat to their safety and security.
Disappointingly, the lack of an appropriate response from Pakistan's government to these incidents only further exacerbates the situation. The authorities seem unable to effectively guarantee the protection of religious minorities or their sacred symbols. This silence -- real or perceived -- often gets interpreted as tacit acceptance, potentially fuelling further acts of hostility.
This hostility took a horrifying turn when extremist groups threatened to attack churches and Christians, declaring that no Christians would stay safe in Pakistan. These groups even asked other jihadist groups to direct their attacks towards Christians and their places of worship, despite local Christians having no involvement in the incident, and even when they vociferously condemned the desecration of the Quran and cannot be held responsible in any way. Nonetheless, the threats of violence against churches and Christians represent an erroneous and detrimental "eye-for-an-eye" approach to revenge, targeting individuals who may have had nothing at all to do with the original alleged offense – thereby escalating tensions and deepening divisions. Indeed, it appears that being Christian instead of Muslim may be the real unforgivable offense in the present time. The discrimination and threats faced by Christians in Pakistan raise serious concerns about religious freedom and tolerance in the country.
What is worse is the lacklustre response from the Pakistani government towards these threats against its Christian minority. Critics argue that the government, led by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, has failed to protect the Christian community, leaving them vulnerable and fearful. Despite the escalating situation and the visible threat to Christian churches and individuals, the government's efforts to ensure the safety of its Christian citizens appears largely absent.
The prime minister himself, instead of de-escalating the situation and calming the anger among Muslims, called for a nationwide protest and the observance of "Yume Taqdees" (Sanctity of the Quran).
Several Islamic organisations criticised this, arguing that because they have the right to protest, the prime minister should have instead used international diplomatic channels. Islamic groups appear to believe that protesting against the desecration of the Quran is their right. The prime minister, however, should engage in dialogue with the Swedish government.
The prime minister even failed to issue a statement in support of Christians who were helpfully condemning the desecration of the Holy Quran. Support from the prime minster could have been a timely and strategic move to protect the Christians from potentially horrifying attacks by extremists. However, he did not take this action, possibly due to concerns about potential backlash or else just a general reluctance to take a stand on the matter.
Christianity has been an integral part of Pakistan's multi-religious society since its inception The Christian leadership supported Muhammad Ali Jinnah's founding of Pakistan in 1947; he promised equal citizenship rights. Nevertheless, they often find themselves treated as second-class citizens, the target of discrimination, hostility, and violence.
This is not the first time that the Muslim League (N) -- the full name is Muslim League Nawaz, after Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif -- government has shown such carelessness and a lack of action towards threats against the Christian community; there are dozens of such examples. For instance, when Christians were attacked in Gojra in 2009, in the Joseph Colony of Lahore in 2013, and in the assault on the Youhanabad Christian community in 2015, the response of Shahbaz Sharif, the Chief Minister of Punjab at the time, was seen as inadequate. He was elected Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) from Youhanabad, but failed to visit his constituents. If such neglect had occurred from any MP in a Western country, he would have been forced to resign or at least been investigated by a parliamentary committee.
This pattern of inaction by the government creates an environment where religious minorities feel continually insecure and discriminated against.
The basis for such animosity stems from deep-rooted misconceptions, stereotypes, and extremist ideologies. Often, discriminatory laws, such as the contentious blasphemy law, have been misused against Christians, further worsening their situation. This law, which mandates harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for offences against religion -- or sometimes even just flimsy, baseless or non-existent accusations of offences -- have frequently been weaponized to target Christians and other religious minorities.
It is a predicament requires immediate attention. The government of Pakistan needs to uphold its commitment to religious freedom and safeguard all its citizens, as enshrined in its constitution and in line with international covenants such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. A comprehensive strategy that includes improved security measures for religious minorities and educational campaigns to foster tolerance and mutual respect is needed urgently.
The defenseless and vulnerable Pakistani Christians' silent cries for respect and security testify to the challenging situation that religious minorities often face in the wake of such incidents. Reminding the world of its shared responsibility to foster tolerance, respect, and peace is necessary. Recognizing and responding to these silent cries is a step forward in establishing a more understanding and inclusive global society.
In the fight against this religious hatred, civil society and religious leadership also have a vital obligation and play a role. Deep-seated biases against Christians in Pakistan can be challenged and changed by fostering discussion, religious tolerance, and understanding.
At this juncture, now is the time for the Pakistani government to reassess its approach toward religious minorities. The first step should be an immediate and unequivocal condemnation of violence and threats against religious minorities, including Christians. This condemnation should not just be a symbolic gesture but should be accompanied by stern legal action against the instigators of such violence. A fundamental component of any democratic country is guaranteeing the safety and security of all citizens, regardless of their religious views.
At the same time, it is necessary for the government to take deliberate steps to promote peace and religious harmony. This can be achieved through the incorporation of religious tolerance and coexistence in the curricula for school and public awareness campaigns. Furthermore, interfaith dialogues can serve as powerful platforms for fostering mutual respect and understanding between various religious groups in Pakistan.
The consequences of the government neglecting this matter are severe, including the marginalization of religious minorities, societal instability, and a tarnished international reputation.
Therefore, the time for action is now. The government seriously needs to break free from the cycle of indifference and actively embrace an environment of religious tolerance and mutual respect. The protection of religious minorities and the promotion of social and religious harmony should not be regarded as optional but as fundamental to the social stability and democratic ethos of Pakistan.
The silent cry of Pakistani Christians for respect and security is a testament to the challenging situation religious minorities often face in the wake of global incidents. The reverberations of an incident which happened thousands of miles away in Sweden should not disrupt their lives. Let this be a reminder of our shared responsibility to foster tolerance, respect, and peace in our global village. The path to lasting peace lies in acknowledging every cry, no matter how silent it may seem.
**Nasir Saeed is Director of CLAAS-UK -- Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement, an interdenominational organisation working for Christians who are being persecuted because of their faith in Pakistan.
© 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.
Pakistani Christians mourners push stretchers carrying the dead bodies of relatives
**Picture Enclosed/The discrimination and threats faced by Christians in Pakistan raise serious concerns about religious freedom and tolerance in the country. Pictured: Pakistani Christians mourners push stretchers carrying the dead bodies of relatives who were murdered in a drive-by shooting outside a church, in Quetta on April 15, 2018. (Photo by Banaras Khan/AFP via Getty Images)

Virtue of Neutrality: Path to Global Peace Runs Through Saudi Arabia
Yousef Al-Dayni/Asharq Al Awsat/August 08/2023
The city of Jeddah, known in local folklore as the "Mother of Prosperity and Hardship," has witnessed significant successes in Saudi diplomacy and its pioneering role in the Middle East region as a key and effective player with a visionary approach. From this standpoint, the 42 nations hoped to share in its prosperity through the Jeddah talks on Ukrainian crisis.
The crisis is approaching a critical phase, given the results on-ground and the historical impasse. The most consequential repercussions of this situation are its implications for developed nations first and developing nations second, as it could give rise to unprecedented collapse and famine.
Despite numerous obstacles, challenges, and insidious attempts to put the conference’s viability in question, it comes at an important time and is being held in a location of even greater significance. It is being held in a renewed Saudi Arabia, seeing major shifts and recalibrating its posture in the Middle East.
Most notably, Saudi Arabia is more committed to “the virtue of political neutrality” than anyone else. This enhances its ability to explore new solutions for this crisis and bridge divergent perspectives, or at the very least, allow for a reassessment that helps us understand the polarized positions of the two parties. This is especially crucial given the impasse both have seemingly reached, as it is becoming increasingly evident that no side will be able to decide the war and declare victory or realize its objectives.
The virtue of neutrality, which Saudi Arabia and the moderate states of the region have been safeguarding since the Ukrainian crisis began, turned the Kingdom into a target of cheap propaganda. This is compounded by the fact that the concept is fundamentally misunderstood and often mistaken for a cynical approach to conflicts, but nothing could be further from the truth. Real neutrality is the polar opposite of pragmatic and selfish politics, which is glaring in some Western discourses.
Neutrality is founded on independent policies of countries that do not take their cues from the parties to the conflict. The approach to neutrality taken by Spain, Switzerland and Sweden during World War II is one example. Today, Saudi Arabia can take a more objective approach because of how the concept has evolved. Moreover, Saudi Arabia, the moderate countries of the region, and others like India, South Africa and Latin American states have positive relations with both Ukraine and Russia.
They have avoided taking sides or becoming embroiled in the binaries that other countries are paying the price for today. In fact, the countries that have this black-and-white approach have been heavily criticized by their intellectuals and political scientists, and their policies are resented by their populations, whose living conditions have taken a hit. China’s participation in the Jeddah talks made the situation more balanced. It is among the countries closest to Russia and can play a larger role in facilitating settlement. The settlement should not ensure either side a victory but carve a way out of the impasse, especially given the positive statements made by all parties, including China. It praised the talks for “strengthened international consensus” and wants to build on Saudi Arabia’s successes by supporting a third round of peace talks. China’s presence at the Jeddah talks and its absence from those held in Copenhagen are signs of the major shifts in how Middle and Near East countries engage with neutrality and sovereign diplomacy. Russia, in turn, is open to the Jeddah talks and a diplomatic settlement for the Ukrainian crisis. It is ready to engage with serious proposals.
Today, Saudi Arabia is at the forefront of global diplomacy because of its exceptional standing, neutrality, and its vision for peace and the future. Beyond its successes, it has become a model for the Middle East. Hence, the success of the Jeddah meeting is owed to managing how the political process to end the war was managed and the Kingdom’s efforts to enhance global peace and security, reduce risks, and mitigate the repercussions of complex conflicts, especially economically.
To conclude, all roads to a secure Middle East that is open to the world and safe from its most prominent threats pass through Riyadh, where Saudi Arabia is playing a different, pioneering role founded on a more expansive vision for the role of moderate countries and partners in the region. Indeed, these countries share views on sovereignty and accepting differences rather than pursuing competition - another promising development that the “virtue of stability” has engendered.

The Trump Indictment Criminalizes Political Dissent
Daniel Greenfield/Gatestone Institute./August 8, 2023
[T]he Jan 6 indictment by Democrat special counsel Jack Smith criminalizes election challenges. Or at least election challenges against Democrats. And along with that, all political dissent.
This [indictment] is designed to intimidate any Republicans who might seek to challenge the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.
Unsatisfied with indicting the leading GOP primary candidate in order to rig the election, Democrats are criminalizing political opposition before and after the upcoming election.
If contending that a presidential election was stolen is illegal, where is Al Gore's indictment? No Democrats have ever been charged for claiming that George W. Bush was elected by hanging chads, for challenging his election both times in Congress, or for spreading lies and launching investigations for their false claims that Trump had been elected by the Russians....
Challenging elections has been a traditional practice going back over two centuries to the 1800 presidential election. Free nations with open elections are not afraid of election challenges and the Democrats have spent a fortune on their own election challenge efforts. The Biden campaign spent $20 million on over 60 post-election lawsuits in 2020.
Describing publicly conducted election challenges as an effort to "defraud" the United States government turns 18 U.S. Code § 371 into an open-ended tool for suppressing a wide range of political dissent. Treating lobbying or any kind of advocacy as the equivalent of witness tampering weaponizes 18 U.S. Code § 1512 against virtually anyone trying to influence a function of government. Which is to say virtually everyone who is interested in politics.
Smith's indictment will create an unprecedented suppression of the political opposition that will not end with Trump or with the 2024 presidential election. Smith has done nothing less than to take sections of the law and use them to build a criminal infrastructure that can be used to outlaw most political parties and activities on a level with that of Communist China or Russia.
In a Democrat worldview, Trump was making "false claims" about an election that he lost.... But, like so much of politics, that's an opinion, not a fact.
You can indict people for what they do, not for what they believe, and yet Smith obsessively hammers away at what Trump believed because without that, there's no crime. And if there's no crime without a belief, then there was never a crime to begin with..
If lobbying state legislators and searching for alternate electors is a crime, then virtually every single president before 1900 would have been locked up.
[E]very time Democrats lose an election, they start plotting to eliminate the Electoral College and have been seeking to do it through the back door ....
Democrats who rejected the conclusions of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris in 2000, who was then denounced, threatened and parodied, were not put on trial.
Democrats have spent the last two generations criminalizing political dissent. Environmental activists demand that oil and gas companies face fraud charges because they "deny" global warming.
If Smith's Jan 6 indictment succeeds, freedom dies and dissent becomes illegal.
The Jan 6 indictment by special counsel Jack Smith, a longtime Democrat crony, criminalizes election challenges. Or at least election challenges against Democrats. And along with that, all political dissent. Smith has done nothing less than to take sections of the law and use them to build a criminal infrastructure that can be used to outlaw most political parties and activities on a level with that of Communist China or Russia. Pictured: Smith prepares to deliver remarks to the media on August 1, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The serial indictments and investigations of former President Donald Trump are meant to rig the 2024 presidential election, but the latest indictment is unique in rigging even its aftermath.
Previous indictments of the former president had broken all sorts of new legal ground by turning misdemeanors into felonies and deciding that the statute of limitations is just a suggestion, but the Jan 6 indictment by Democrat special counsel Jack Smith criminalizes election challenges.
Or at least election challenges against Democrats. And along with that, all political dissent.
The Jan 6 indictment contends that Trump's election challenges were a crime. What does this latest indictment offer that the previous indictments did not? This one is designed to intimidate any Republicans who might seek to challenge the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.
Unsatisfied with indicting the leading GOP primary candidate in order to rig the election, Democrats are criminalizing political opposition before and after the upcoming election.
The indictment reads more like a Washington Post editorial with its contention that Trump was "determined to remain in power" and so "spread lies" that there had been fraud to "create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger, and erode public faith in the administration of the election."
If contending that a presidential election was stolen is illegal, where is Al Gore's indictment? No Democrats have ever been charged for claiming that George W. Bush was elected by hanging chads, for challenging his election both times in Congress, or for spreading lies and launching investigations for their false claims that Trump had been elected by the Russians, even when they did this in order to "create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger."
When Democrats spread lies about an election, they get book deals and evening slots on MSNBC, and sometimes, like Gore, they even get Oscars and Nobel Peace Prizes.
Challenging elections has been a traditional practice going back over two centuries to the 1800 presidential election. Free nations with open elections are not afraid of election challenges and the Democrats have spent a fortune on their own election challenge efforts. The Biden campaign spent $20 million on over 60 post-election lawsuits in 2020.
Smith, a longtime Democrat crony, won't be indicting Biden or Marc Elias. Instead, he's indicting Trump for such invented crimes as "obstructing and impeding the January 6 congressional proceeding", a "conspiracy against the right to vote" and a conspiracy to "obstruct" the "lawful federal government function by which the results of the presidential election are collected, counted and certified by the federal government."
Describing publicly conducted election challenges as an effort to "defraud" the United States government turns 18 U.S. Code § 371 into an open-ended tool for suppressing a wide range of political dissent. Treating lobbying or any kind of advocacy as the equivalent of witness tampering weaponizes 18 U.S. Code § 1512 against virtually anyone trying to influence a function of government. Which is to say virtually everyone who is interested in politics. And finally, deploying 18 U.S. Code § 241, originally designed to fight the KKK, against Trump and anyone trying to verify legitimate election results makes election fraud into a civil right.
Beyond the malicious abuses of federal law to target a political opponent, Smith's indictment will create an unprecedented suppression of the political opposition that will not end with Trump or with the 2024 presidential election. Smith has done nothing less than to take sections of the law and use them to build a criminal infrastructure that can be used to outlaw most political parties and activities on a level with that of Communist China or Russia.
This was the totalitarian state of affairs that Russiagate had only hinted at but that is reaching its maturity with an indictment that is not merely unconstitutional, but that seeks to replace any kind of open political system with a paranoid surveillance state that ruthlessly stamps out any threat to "democracy" by abusing existing laws to selectively target and imprison political opponents.
And that is what is really at stake here.
The Jan 6 indictment leans heavily on editorializing about the threat to democracy, accusing the former president of "destabilizing lies about election fraud" which "targeted a bedrock function of the federal government" while failing to actually establish why challenging federal functions ought to be a crime. If lobbying state legislators and searching for alternate electors is a crime, then virtually every single president before 1900 would have been locked up. Not to mention aspiring political figures like Alexander Hamilton. And every time Democrats lose an election, they start plotting to eliminate the Electoral College and have been seeking to do it through the back door using comprehensive measures like the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC).
Should the NPVIC and the states participating in it be treated as a criminal conspiracy against a "bedrock function of the federal government"? Smith's indictment has created a precedent.
The indictment repeatedly accuses Trump and his associates of "fraud" on the presumption, self-apparent to Democrats, that Biden had won the election and therefore challenging it is fraudulent. Smith's indictment bases its claims of fraud on his own party's assertions, using rhetoric such as "baseless fraud claims", "sham election investigations" and "false claims of election fraud". All of these are the partisan opinions of the prosecutor rather than the law.
And that is what the indictment comes down to. Is it illegal to disagree with Democrats? If it is, as Smith asserts in his indictment, then all forms of political opposition are also illegal.
Democrats and their media contend that the indictment is apolitical when it is not only the product of political bias, but can only exist as a Democrat political document that has no relevance to a legal system independent of its biases. In a Democrat worldview, Trump was making "false claims" about an election that he lost. But, like so much of politics, that's an opinion, not a fact.
You can indict people for what they do, not for what they believe, and yet Smith obsessively hammers away at what Trump believed because without that, there's no crime. And if there's no crime without a belief, then there was never a crime to begin with.
Smith claims that Trump knowingly made "false claims" because, among other things, the Nevada Secretary of State had posted a "Facts vs. Myths" document. According to the indictment, it's not possible for the President of the United States and the Nevada Secretary of State to disagree, and it is illegal for the former not to bow to the authority of the latter. Democrats who rejected the conclusions of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris in 2000, who was then denounced, threatened and parodied, were not put on trial. The issue is not the relative positions, but the relative politics of Republicans and Democrats.
Democrats have spent the last two generations criminalizing political dissent. Environmental activists demand that oil and gas companies face fraud charges because they "deny" global warming. Police departments face civil rights investigations when they challenge contentions of systemic racism. The Jan 6 indictment is part of a totalitarian program that rejects the idea of political dissent and the centrality of debate within the marketplace of ideas in our system.
This indictment is not just about a threat to a former president, but to the Bill of Rights.
If Smith's Jan 6 indictment succeeds, freedom dies and dissent becomes illegal. To disagree with leftists will no longer just lead to a loss of work or arguments on social media, but arrests, trials and prison sentences. What is at stake here is whether America will survive.
*Daniel Greenfield is a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. This article previously appeared at the Center's Front Page Magazine.
© 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.

National unity and reconciliation as prerequisites for sustainable peace and development in Sudan
Ali Mohamed Ahmed Osman/Arab News/August 08, 2023
Almost four months have elapsed since the Rapid Support Forces rebellion flared in Sudan, resulting in the death, injury or forced displacement of thousands of Sudanese citizens to other Sudanese states or neighboring countries. With the country’s entire infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, water facilities and electricity stations, as well as residential areas in many neighborhoods, either destroyed or looted, the central government’s civil service has been hampered. Meanwhile, in western Darfur, the RSF has committed grave violations that have culminated in a kind of ethnic cleansing.
These horrendous RSF acts have resulted in great suffering and subjugation for the Sudanese, and demand a rapid response after an end to the clashes and the defeat of the rebels. Consequently, the post-rebellion government is entitled to focus on restructuring the country’s social, economic and political fabric, and bringing about national reconciliation, which is not an option at this stage but a necessity for the nation’s survival.
The path toward comprehensive and inclusive national unity and reconciliation necessitates a government-centric approach, encompassing robust community involvement, solid integration and coordination mechanisms among these efforts, and, most importantly, the availability of evaluation tools to effectively monitor their implementation.The lessons learned from the case of Rwanda show that efforts to achieve national unity and reconciliation should be more innovative and rooted in societally integrated approaches, as opposed to several previous peace agreements, particularly the comprehensive peace agreement, which focused its implementation on wealth and power sharing.
Constitutional and legal reforms, as well as socioeconomic welfare programs, are among the most effective methods for achieving inclusive national unity and reconciliation. Contrary to this, the lessons learned from Rwanda have demonstrated that the persistence of certain community attitudes and behaviors, such as conflict (genocide) ideology, ethnic stereotyping, psychological and physical wounds that remain unhealed, poverty, and a lack of restitution policies, will impede the process toward reconciliation and the restoration of human dignity.
The lessons learned from the case of Rwanda show that efforts to achieve national unity and reconciliation should be more innovative and rooted in societally integrated approaches
It is a fact that the events in Rwanda were genocide, which is a distinct circumstance from the situation in Sudan, where an insurgency and an attempted coup were undertaken by the RSF. Nevertheless, the nature of the ensuing violations committed by RSF personnel revealed that the conflict has deep-seated causes, particularly regarding the events in west Darfur, which were influenced by ethnic factors. Furthermore, the looting of normal Sudanese people’s houses reflects the in-depth interest of the perpetrators in retaliation against the rich people of Khartoum, as they claimed.
Another argument that underscores the crucial need for national unity and reconciliation is that the rebellion of the RSF should not be viewed as a separation from the political division and polarization that have characterized Sudan since its independence.
In the beginning, there are a few pressing issues that require immediate resolution. These include providing basic safety and security measures and protecting civilians; promoting mental health and psychosocial well-being among the affected citizens; providing basic services such as water and sanitation, health, and primary education; and restoring core government functions such as basic public administration and public finance. To accomplish this, the essential characteristics of the initial step should place emphasis on the involvement of nongovernmental organizations.
The availability of a platform that will allow Sudanese, especially youth from various political and social groups, to exchange their views on national unity, reconciliation, and other social and development issues in a process of national dialogue is crucial; it is also crucial that such a national dialogue be strengthened if preceded by the voluntary repatriation of the refugees from neighboring countries. The promotion of national unity and reconciliation necessitates the integration of all armed forces, including the remnants of the RSF, into the Sudanese Armed Forces to prevent future occurrences of this rebellion and military coups.
Furthermore, the adoption of national policies and institutions aimed at enhancing national unity and reconciliation in the country is crucial, as are constitutional, legal and educational reforms that promote the same reconciliation objectives. Moreover, to prevent polarization between political ideologies, these efforts will be undertaken by national independent experts’ committees and institutions.
Experiences from all over the world have demonstrated that poverty reduction initiatives are fundamental to any reconciliation efforts, along with other programs designed to protect the most vulnerable groups of people, such as orphans, people living with disabilities, widows, elderly people and the poor.
It is important to note that economic revitalization plays a critical role in reconciliation efforts, as it not only addresses the wounds and divisions of the past, but also lays the foundation for a prosperous and inclusive future. It creates a conducive environment for equal growth and shared benefits by fostering economic opportunities and uplifting vulnerable communities. Economic revitalization improves the material well-being of individuals and communities through job creation, entrepreneurship, and investment in infrastructure. It also fosters social cohesion and bridges the gaps created by historical injustices. Promoting economic equality and giving all individuals a fair chance to succeed are some of the things that promote a society built on trust.
To conclude, it is evident that such mechanisms aiming at fostering national unity and reconciliation would typically be time-consuming and heavily dependent on the international community’s support, be it in financial or technical aspects. Therefore, the significance of international organizations, donors, regional organizations such as the African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as well as Sudan’s neighbors, is paramount in facilitating this transition. The greater the utilization of home-grown ideas, the greater the ownership of these mechanisms will be by the Sudanese people, and consequently, the more successful and sustainable reconciliation process we will achieve.
*Ali Mohamed Ahmed Osman is the Charge d’affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Sudan in Tokyo.

Plight of Afghan women and girls demands urgent global response
Dalia Al-Aqidi/Arab News/August 08, 2023
The aftermath of the embarrassing US withdrawal from Afghanistan has left the country in turmoil, with its citizens, especially women and girls, facing an uncertain and grim future under the oppressive Taliban regime. The hard-line Islamic rulers have a notorious history of brutally suppressing women’s rights, and their resurgence has sparked widespread concern about Afghan women’s safety, freedom and dignity.
The dilemma of Afghan women under the Taliban’s rule demands international attention and urgent action. Severe restrictions on women and girls marked the Taliban’s rule from 1996 to 2001. Women were confined to their homes, denied access to education, and forbidden from working outside their households. Public executions and severe punishments were imposed on those who dared to challenge these oppressive norms.
The mere sight of a woman’s ankle was considered immodest and deserving of punishment. Such atrocities perpetrated against women in the past indicate the grave threats they are currently facing with the Taliban’s return to power. Reports of atrocities against women have started to emerge. Once again, the radical government has imposed severe restrictions on girls’ education, prohibiting those over the age of 12 from attending formal schooling. Additionally, they have virtually eliminated opportunities for girls to work in most professions, severely limiting their economic prospects.
In public spaces, girls are now subject to movement restrictions and can venture out only when accompanied by an adult male relative. In a recent wave of oppression, the Taliban ordered the closure of beauty salons across the country, further curtailing Afghan women’s ability to interact with society and earn a livelihood. This move significantly limited women’s autonomy and economic independence, as beauty salons represented one of the few avenues for them to engage in business activities.
The treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan has become a cause for global concern.
Despite continuous pressure from various international entities, including the US, UN and multiple countries, the Taliban have shown no willingness to make concessions regarding human rights in Afghanistan. This is concerning, especially considering the government continues to receive foreign aid amounting to billions of dollars annually. The lack of progress in improving human rights sends a distressing message about the Taliban’s commitment to upholding fundamental rights and freedoms for all Afghans, especially women.
Last week, the US State Department released a statement expressing profound apprehension over the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and emphasizing the need to continue supporting aid organizations and UN bodies that deliver assistance in accordance with humanitarian principles.
During the diplomatic talks, US officials strongly advocated for the immediate and unconditional release of detained US citizens, highlighting that these detentions hindered any potential positive engagement. It was disclosed in December that two Americans held by the Taliban had been released, but there were indications at the time that more US nationals remained in captivity. However, the identities of these individuals have not been disclosed.
The US representatives also voiced serious concerns about the detentions of individuals, media restrictions and limitations on religious practices within Afghanistan. The State Department further noted that the delegation acknowledged the Taliban’s commitment to preventing Afghanistan from becoming a base for attacks on the US and its allies, acknowledging a reduction in large-scale terrorist attacks targeting Afghan civilians.
Their voices have been silenced as they are barred from participating in public life and politics. The gains made by women over the past two decades have been brutally stripped away, plunging them back into the dark ages of subjugation. The treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan has become a cause for global concern. The international community must unite to safeguard the rights and dignity of Afghan women. However, the nature of the Taliban’s rule poses significant challenges for external intervention.
The group adheres to strict interpretations of Islamic law, often using religion to justify its oppressive actions against women. The lack of a clear and consistent approach from the international community has further encouraged the Taliban, putting the lives of women and girls at greater risk.
The international community must unite to safeguard the rights and dignity of Afghan women.
The consequences of the Taliban’s rule on women’s mental and physical health are profound. The return to repressive policies has led to widespread fear and anxiety among women and girls. Many live in constant terror, uncertain of their fate. Reports of forced marriages, sexual violence and human rights abuses against women have already emerged, creating a climate of fear and despair.
The international community must stand in solidarity with Afghan women and girls. Sanctions and diplomatic pressure should be applied to the Taliban leadership to ensure the protection of women’s rights. The UN and other human rights organizations should closely monitor the situation on the ground and document any violations against women and girls. Safe routes for evacuation and resettlement should be established for those who are at immediate risk.
It is essential to support local groups that have been advocating for women’s rights in Afghanistan for years. These grassroots outfits have an in-depth understanding of the cultural context, and can provide effective aid and support. By empowering these organizations, the international community can amplify their efforts and positively affect Afghan women’s lives.
Every individual must recognize that the future of these oppressed women and girls is at stake. It is not only a matter of human rights but also a reflection of our shared values as a global community. Their fate should be a concern for all, regardless of political affiliations. We must come together to ensure that Afghan women and girls are not abandoned to suffer under the oppressive rule of the Taliban. By standing united, we can help bring hope and a glimmer of light to the lives of those facing the darkest of times in the worn-torn country.
Any efforts to advocate for women’s rights should be approached with sensitivity to Afghanistan’s cultural context while still remaining steadfast in upholding universal human rights principles. Together, we can strive to bring about a brighter future for the women of Afghanistan, and support their right to live in dignity, freedom and equality.
**Dalia Al-Aqidi is a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy. Twitter: @DaliaAlAqidi