Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 10-11/2023
Lebanese Army Deploys in Village after Deadly Shootout
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
Lebanese army troops deployed on Thursday in a Christian village following a deadly shootout there the previous evening between residents and members of the Shiite group Hezbollah. A Hezbollah member and a Christian resident were killed in Wednesday's exchange of fire in the village of Kahaleh, near Beirut, in an incident that began when a Hezbollah truck carrying ammunition turned over while driving through the area. It was the deadliest confrontation between the Iran-backed Hezbollah and Lebanese who oppose it since clashes in Beirut two years ago, further rocking the stability of a country already suffering deep political and economic crises. On Thursday, about 10 army vehicles were deployed around Kahaleh, including at the town's main roundabout near a church whose bell had tolled through the night after the clash. The army was leading efforts to calm the situation, according to representatives of Hezbollah and the Lebanese Forces (LF), a Christian faction that is opposed to Hezbollah and has a political presence in the Kahaleh area. "Tensions were very high last night and they're still high today," Nazih Matta, an LF lawmaker for the Aley region, told Reuters. He said residents did want to have an armed reaction to the clash, but "we're sitting on a ticking time bomb".
Highway flashpoint
Lebanon has been suffering a four-year-long financial collapse that has marked its most destabilizing episode since a 1975-90 civil war. It was caused by decades of corruption and profligate spending by ruling politicians. Hezbollah was founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982. Its arsenal has long been a point of conflict in Lebanon, where its opponents accuse the group of undermining the state. The two sides have accused each other of starting the shootout, which erupted after people gathered around the truck which turned over on a tight bend on the highway linking Beirut to the Bekaa Valley and onwards to Syria. The Hezbollah member killed in the violence, Ahmed Qassas, was given a military funeral in the southern suburbs of Beirut, his coffin draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag. "We will not be dragged into strife, and we will not achieve the goals of those who want to take the country into strife," Hezbollah cleric Ali Fahs said during the funeral. Hezbollah men had been attacked in a "flagrant aggression", he said. The local office of the LF accused gunmen who were accompanying the vehicle of firing at civilians, leading to the death of local man Fadi Bejjani, 64. "This state doesn't belong to us. My dad is gone and nothing will bring him back," his son, Youssef, told Reuters. Mohammad Afif, head of Hezbollah's media office, said the army "played a big role in calming things down" and the ammunition that had been on the truck was in army custody.

Shooting after Hezbollah Truck Overturns Near Lebanese Capital Leaves 2 People Dead
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
Two people were killed in Lebanon on Wednesday in an exchange of fire between Hezbollah members and residents of a Christian village after a truck belonging to the heavily armed Shiite group overturned in the area, security sources said. A member of the Iran-backed Hezbollah and a resident of the mountain village of Kahaleh were killed in the clash, some 12 km (7 miles) southeast of Beirut, the sources said. The sides accused each other of starting the deadly clash. It marked the most serious confrontation between Hezbollah and its Lebanese opponents since deadly clashes in Beirut nearly two years ago, threatening to worsen sectarian tensions as Lebanon is paralyzed by deep political and economic crises. Local lawmakers from the Lebanese Forces, a Christian party opposed to Hezbollah, accused the group of transporting weapons in the truck. Hezbollah said the vehicle was its property and accused "militias" in the area of attacking its crew, saying a man "protecting the truck" was wounded and later died. In a statement, it said an exchange of fire had taken place with "the attacking gunmen". It did not say what was on the truck. The local office of the Lebanese Forces party accused "an armed group" accompanying the vehicle of firing at civilians, leading to the death of a man identified by the sources as a Christian resident of Kahaleh. Fadi Bejjani, 64, was identified as the victim by his son Youssef, who told Reuters the pair had tried to get close to the truck after it flipped over.  "We were a meter away but couldn’t see what was inside the truck. At least three men started shooting at us – two with machine guns and one with a pistol. My dad fell to the ground but there was so much gunfire that we couldn't get to him for three minutes," Bejjani, 39, said. The truck had overturned on a downhill turn near Kahaleh on the main road between Syria's capital Damascus and Beirut. Residents swiftly shut down the road around it. Nazih Matta, a parliamentarian representing the area from the Lebanese Forces party, accused Hezbollah of transporting weapons to Beirut in the truck. "A man from Kahaleh was killed - this is totally unacceptable," Matta said in televised comments. Abdo Abou Khalil, an official from Kahaleh, said residents intended to keep the road around the overturned truck closed. MTV Lebanon and Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed aired earlier footage of men in plainclothes shooting rifles in the street. They later showed Lebanese troops deployed around the lorry at night while a crane worked to remove wooden crates from it. The contents of the truck were not visible, but large groups of residents were still gathered around. Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati spoke to army commander General Joseph Aoun and called for "calm and wisdom" while a formal investigation takes place. Hezbollah, founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, has fought numerous conflicts with Israel and deployed fighters to support President Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian war. Its arsenal has long been a point of conflict in Lebanon, where its opponents accuse the group of undermining the state. Two years ago, seven people were killed - followers of the Hezbollah group and its Shiite ally, the Amal Movement - as they gathered for a demonstration against a judge investigating the 2020 Beirut port explosion.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea at the time denied allegations by both parties that gunmen loyal to his party targeted them with sniper fire.

Sami Gemayel says Lebanon reached 'point of no return' after Kahaleh clashes
Naharnet/August 10, 2023
Kataeb party leader Sami Gemayel said Thursday that the situation is dangerous and unacceptable, after deadly clashes between Hezbollah members and residents of the Christian town of Kahaleh left two dead. "We are no longer ready to coexist with these arms and this armed militia in Lebanon," Gemayel decried. A truck belonging to Hezbollah had overturned on the Kahaleh highway Wednesday and was followed by a shooting during which a Hezbollah member and a Kahaleh resident were killed. "We know that the political power is hijacked and that the army is carrying out orders, but the army must realize that it cannot protect or cover the transfer of arms and militants across all of Lebanon," Gemayel charged. "Protecting Lebanon and the Lebanese is the army's responsibility.""What would have happened if this truck was carrying explosives," he angrily asked. "We cannot continue like this, we've reached the point of no return."

Lebanese army takes Hezbollah munition truck to military post
Associated Press/August 10, 2023
The army moved a truck that had carried Hezbollah munitions from the road where it crashed to a military post early Thursday after clashes at the scene killed two people. The truck overturned on a mountain road near the Lebanese capital in the Christian town of Kahaleh on Wednesday, on the highway that links Beirut to the eastern Bekaa Valley. Lebanese troops immediately cordoned off the truck filled with large boxes, which residents suspected belonged to Hezbollah. Two people died in brief clashes after the truck overturned. "The cargo of the truck has been transported to a military centre, and an investigation has been opened by the competent judicial authorities," it added. The army said its troops had removed the truck at dawn and reopened the Beirut-Damascus road which Kahale residents had blocked in protest. It confirmed the truck held munitions, but its brief statement did not say what the munitions were or who owned them. It did not mention Hezbollah and said an investigation is ongoing over the clashes. However, Hezbollah said in a statement that the truck belonged to them without saying whether it had weapons inside it. It said local gunmen attacked people in the truck, leading to an exchange of fire that fatally wounded one Hezbollah member "who was protecting the truck." Meanwhile, Kahaleh residents in a statement said one resident was killed when armed men opened fire, but did not include any details. Residents tried to stop the army from taking the truck before seeing what was inside it and occasionally scuffled with troops. The army brought in a crane that moved the boxes into an army truck that drove in the direction of Beirut, reportedly heading to the Defense Ministry just a few kilometers away. The army closed the road until they were able to transport the truck at dawn. A funeral is due to be held on Thursday for Ahmad Ali Kassas, the Hezbollah member who was killed in the clashes. Hezbollah supporters posted pictures on social media showing Kassas dressed in military fatigues in Syria, a country at war where Hezbollah has been fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad. In August 2021, angry residents of a mainly Druze village in southern Lebanon stopped a truck carrying a rocket launcher used by Hezbollah in an attack on Israel, accusing the Shiite movement of endangering civilian lives.

Kahale clashes fallout: Funeral of Hezbollah member Ahmad Ali Qassas
LBCI/10 August/2023
Amid heavy gunfire in Beirut’s southern suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold, the funeral of Ahmad Ali Qassas was held on Thursday. Qassas, a Hezbollah member, had fallen in the Kahale clashes on Wednesday evening as three bullets struck him. A truck overturned on a road in the town of Kahale on Wednesday. Thus, the town residents cordoned off the truck filled with large boxes, suspecting it belonged to Hezbollah. However, clashes occurred at the scene, and two people were killed. Furthermore, judicial authorities have opened the investigation. Consequently, a Hezbollah official conveyed the party’s political messages, describing the events in Kahale as a ‘blatant attack.’ Hezbollah also considered that the Kahale incident is now entirely in the hands of the security forces, affirming that it awaits the results of the investigations.

Beyond the bend: Kahaleh's role in shaping modern Lebanese history
LBCI/10 August/2023
At the bend of Kahaleh, numerous events have unfolded since the 1960s, making this town and its residents a subject of discussion in any review of modern Lebanese history, particularly in the context of confrontations with Palestinians and Syrians, culminating in recent events. LBCI's Editor in Chief, Jean Feghali, said: "It has been 53 years, more than half a century, of events happening on the bend of Kahaleh; the common aspects between all these events are that there are two parties: the first being Kahaleh's residents, and the second, either non-Lebanese or Lebanese sympathizing with non-Lebanese." Another factor also influenced these events: the state, which is either non-present or an element in the conflict. On April 10, 1969, at the bend of Kahaleh, its people received the body of Khalil Izz el-Deen al-Jamal, a Lebanese who was killed in the Battle of Karameh in Jordan against the Israelis. However, this image completely flipped on March 25, 1970, as a procession carrying the body of a Palestinian militant headed towards the border with Syria. The procession arrived in front of Kahaleh's church, with its residents participating in the funeral of one of their own.
A dispute escalated, resulting in gunfire that claimed the lives of two Palestinian individuals. On their return, those who had participated in the funeral procession once again insisted on passing through Kahaleh's bend, leading to the killing of seven Palestinian militants.According to Feghali, no one from Kahaleh's residents was killed, only injured. However, instead of arresting the Palestinian shooters, the state arrested those in Kahaleh. On the same day, Bachir Gemayel was abducted by the Palestinians and taken to Tal al-Zaatar, only to be released after hours.
With the outbreak of war on April 13, 1975, Kahaleh endured military attacks during what became known as the "Two-Year War," many of its residents fell as martyrs. The assault on Kahaleh recurred on October 13, 1990, when Syrian forces invaded the region under the control of General Michel Aoun.
Officers and soldiers of the Lebanese Army were executed in Dahr al-Wahsh and Kahaleh, and several civilians were martyred. At the bend of Kahaleh, a significant moment occurred in August 2001 when Patriarch Sfeir visited Al-Jabal. His final stop was Kahaleh, where chants against Syrian guardianship and authority were raised. Feghali said: "During the events of August 7, which happened in Adlieh, and which has already started on August 6, the state also stood against the residents, as it could not handle the slogans that people from and outside Kahaleh raised." Prior to Wednesday's events and the fall of Fadi Bejjani, unknown assailants had assassinated photographer Joe Bejjani. To this day, those involved in this crime have not been revealed.

Ammunition on Hezbollah lorry that overturned in Beirut, Lebanese army says
Member of the militant group and a local resident died as clashes erupted after the accident
Jamie Prentis/The National/10 August/2023
The Lebanese army said that ammunition was found in a lorry belonging to the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah that overturned on Wednesday evening, which led to armed clashes that left two people dead in the mountains overlooking Beirut. Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has called for “calm and wisdom”, as a formal investigation is launched into the death of a Hezbollah member and a local resident during the incident. A Hezbollah source, in a statement to The National, claimed that local gunmen from the town of Kahaleh, a largely Christian area, had opened fire on the overturned vehicle, killing the Hezbollah member who was responsible for escorting it. Fadi Bejjani, 64, a resident of the town, was also killed in the clashes. He was identified by his son Youssef. “We were a metre away but couldn’t see what was inside the lorry. At least three men started shooting at us – two with machine guns and one with a pistol. My dad fell to the ground but there was so much gunfire that we couldn't get to him for three minutes,” Mr Bejjani, 39, told Reuters. Nazih Matta, an MP representing the area for the Lebanese Forces party, said: “A man from Kahaleh was killed – this is totally unacceptable.” The Christian-led Lebanese Forces is the parliament's largest party and a staunch critic of Hezbollah. The Hezbollah source said the vehicle was on the way to the Lebanese capital of Beirut from the Bekaa Valley, an area where the group exerts significant control. The road is the main motorway between the Syrian capital Damascus and Beirut. The source claimed that after the vehicle overturned, and as those responsible for delivering the vehicle were making calls to secure an alternative way to deliver its contents, armed men from the area threw stones and then opened fire. The Lebanese military then moved on the scene and was believed to be preventing access to the area, while a crane was used to remove wooden crates from the lorry. Local TV stations broadcast footage of men in plain clothes firing rifles in the street, and local residents surrounding the lorry. “The Lebanese Army intervened and prevented the gunmen from approaching the lorry,” the Hezbollah source said. The Lebanese Army said the contents of the lorry were taken to a military base. In the early hours of the morning on Thursday, the lorry was removed and traffic reopened on both sides of the road. Hezbollah, a powerful Shiite militia, was the only armed group allowed to keep its arms after the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war. Hezbollah is a sworn enemy of Israel, having engaged in repeated clashes before. One political source opposed to Hezbollah questioned “why anyone needs to transport arms into a peaceful civilian area”, far from the Israeli border in the south. Aside from the Bekaa Valley, Hezbollah also has strongholds in the suburbs of Beirut and in southern Lebanon.

Killing of Senior Lebanese Forces Official in S.Lebanon Deepens Political, Sectarian Tensions
Beirut: Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
The killing of a senior member of the Lebanese Forces in southern Lebanon is threatening to deepen political and sectarian tensions in the country. Elias Hasrouni, 72, was a member of the LF central council and former coordinator of the party in the Bint Jbeil region in the South. He was a resident of the Ain Ebel town near the border with Israel. He had left his house in his car days ago and reported dead soon after, allegedly in an accident. However, videos taken from local surveillance cameras and posted on social media showed that his vehicle was intercepted by two others and led to another area. He was found dead soon after. Ain Ebel is one of four Christian villages in the Bint Jbeil province. It is surrounded by predominantly Shiite villages in a region where Hezbollah wields wide influence. Sources from Ain Ebel told Asharq Al-Awsat that no signs of violence or blood were found on Hasrouni’s body, which had led to the dismissal of claims of foul play. However, suspicions first arose when he left his house at night without informing his family. The man was well-loved in his town, they added. The videos showed that Hasrouni was lured to an area where he was killed, they said. An autopsy revealed that Hasrouni was strangled and dealt a blow to the head and chest with a gun. His ribs were broken and one of his lungs was pierced, which ultimately led to his death. His family has since resorted to the judiciary to find the criminals. The death is threatening the delicate political and sectarian balance in Bint Jbeil, while anger has simmered in the victim’s hometown. Hasrouni’s brother told Al-Jadeed television that the family will put its faith in the judiciary to uncover the truth. “We will not accuse anyone. We live in this area in harmony with all sects and parties,” he added. He stressed that his brother was loved by everyone, regardless of their sects, casting doubt that his murder was politically motivated. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea called for uncovering the perpetrators “as soon as possible” given the tensions in Ain Ebel and the surrounding areas.

Riad Salameh, Lebanon's ex-central bank chief, hit with US sanctions
Elizabeth Hagedorn/Al Monitor/August 10, 2023
WASHINGTON — The US Treasury Department on Thursday announced sanctions on Riad Salameh, accusing Lebanon’s former central bank governor of abusing his position to enrich himself and his inner circle while the country’s economy melted down. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said Salameh, 73, funneled “hundreds of millions of dollars through layered shell companies to invest in European real estate” with the help of his close family members and associates.  Brian Nelson, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Salameh conducted a range of self-enrichment schemes while managing Lebanon’s central bank, Banque du Liban.  “In apparent contravention of Lebanese law, Salameh contributed to Lebanon’s endemic corruption and perpetuated the perception that elites in Lebanon need not abide by the same rules that apply to all Lebanese people,” Nelson said in a statement. Treasury also announced sanctions on four of Salameh’s close associates, including his son Nady, his brother Raja and his assistant Marianne Hoayek. The central bank itself was not targeted. Salameh, who earlier this month stepped down after nearly 30 years as bank chief, is widely blamed in Lebanon for the small Mediterranean country’s economic woes. In 2016, Salameh launched a “financial engineering” scheme to address Lebanon’s liquidity crunch that involved the banking system offering high returns in exchange for US dollars. In an August 2022 report, the World Bank compared it to a Ponzi scheme, a charge Salameh fiercely denied. Salameh is currently under investigation in Lebanon, France and Switzerland for embezzlement of public funds and other financial crimes. In May, Interpol issued a Red Notice against Salameh pursuant to arrest warrants issued by France and Germany. The warrants were delivered to the Lebanese judiciary after the central bank governor failed to appear at a hearing in Paris. Last month, Lebanese Judge Gabi Shaheen ordered the seizure of Salameh’s assets in Lebanon.  The corruption and mismanagement allegations marked a fall from grace for the former Merrill Lynch banker who was once seen as a possible presidential contender. Salameh denied any wrongdoing and told Reuters shortly before his retirement that he had "worked according to the law and respected the legal rights of others” during his decades-long tenure. The US sanctions, which were coordinated with the United Kingdom and Canada, come as Lebanon is experiencing its worst financial and economic crisis since its 1975-90 civil war, with soaring inflation and a currency that has lost more than 90% of its value on the informal market since fall 2019. After years of reckless spending by Lebanon’s political elite, the country defaulted on its debt for the first time in 2020. Mismanagement of funds and capital controls by Lebanese banks have left most citizens unable to access their savings. The dire economic situation was made worse by the massive blast that ripped through Beirut’s port in August 2020 and caused billions of dollars in damage. This breaking story has been updated since first publication.

US, UK, and Canada Sanction Lebanon’s Former Central Bank Governor over Corruption Allegations
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
The United States, United Kingdom, and Canada slapped sanctions Thursday on Lebanon's embattled former central bank governor and a handful of close relatives and associates over allegations of corruption, the US Treasury Department said. Riad Salameh, 73, ended his 30-year tenure on July 31 under a cloud of investigation and blame for his country's historic economic crisis. France, Germany, and Luxembourg are investigating Salameh and close associates over alleged financial crimes, including illicit enrichment and the laundering of $330 million. Paris and Berlin issued Interpol notices on Salameh in May, though Lebanon does not hand over its citizens to foreign countries. “Salameh abused his position of power, likely in violation of Lebanese law, to enrich himself and his associates by funneling hundreds of millions of dollars through layered shell companies to invest in European real estate,” a US Treasury Department statement said. The statement said the US coordinated the sanctions with the UK and Canada and that assets connected to Salameh would be frozen. The US also sanctioned Salameh’s son Nady, brother Raja, close associate Marianne Howayek and “former partner” Anna Kosakova. The UK sanctioned the same list of people except Nady Salameh, and Canada sanctioned only Salameh, his brother and Howayek. Salameh has repeatedly denied allegations of corruption, embezzlement, and illicit enrichment. He insists that his wealth comes from inherited properties, investments and his previous job as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Salameh's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press for comment on the sanctions. US officials said Salameh allegedly hid his identity through Panama shell companies and a trust in Luxembourg in a scheme where he purchased shares in a company his son Nady worked for as an investment advisor. He then sold those shares to a Lebanese bank regulated by the Central Bank, which the US Treasury said was a conflict of interest and likely violated a Lebanese law that banned central bank employees from profiting from private businesses.
Raja has been accused of supporting his brother's embezzlement through a brokerage firm he owns called Forry Associates Ltd, which the US Treasury described as a shell company based in the Virgin Islands. Howayek, meanwhile, was accused of transferring hundreds of millions of dollars to the Salamehs from her bank account, which was “far more” than what could be accounted for with her central bank salary. Nady Salameh was sanctioned as “the publicly registered officer” of companies registered in Luxembourg that purchased high-end real estate worth tens of millions of dollars through subsidiary companies in Belgium and Germany. France-based Kosakova was accused of using funds funneled from Forry to purchase luxury properties in Paris, including apartments in high-end neighborhoods, and an office building on the touristic Champs-Elysées avenue for the central bank as a “continuity of operations” center.
Salameh is also being investigated in Lebanon. The Lebanese judiciary had taken his passports and imposed a travel ban soon after receiving the Interpol notices. Salameh has criticized the European probe and said it was part of a media and political campaign to scapegoat him. Once hailed as Lebanon’s guardian of financial stability, Salameh has been among the officials most blamed for policies that led to the country’s economic crisis, which has decimated the value of the Lebanese pound by around 90% against the US dollar and sparked triple-digit inflation. Lebanon has not appointed a new central bank governor, but a vice governor, Wassim Mansouri, has been named acting governor. The crisis-hit country has also been without a president for almost a year and is run by a caretaker Cabinet with limited functions. “The only way to put Lebanon on the path to much-needed economic recovery is for its leaders to stamp out corruption and implement real reforms,” the UK’s minister of state for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, said in a statement from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announcing the sanctions.

Bullets Hit Lebanese Defense Minister’s Car Near Beirut, No One Hurt
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
Two bullets hit the car of Lebanon’s caretaker defense minister on Thursday as he was driving in a convoy near Beirut, a senior security official said. No one was hurt. In a brief statement, Defense Minister Maurice Sleem confirmed the shooting, which occurred in the Beirut neighborhood of Hazmieh, but did not provide further details. An investigation was underway to find out if the minister was targeted, a senior Lebanese official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. In a separate development in the nearby suburb of Ghobeiry, a funeral was held Thursday for a member of the Hezbollah group killed the previous day when his truck overturned on a mountain road in the Christian town of Kahaleh. The truck was carrying Hezbollah munitions and after it crashed, clashes erupted at the scene. A second person, a resident of Kahaleh, was also killed in the shootout. The man's family claimed he was an innocent passer-by but a poster erected in the town showed him holding an AK-47 rifle. Videos circulating on social media purported to be from Wednesday's fighting showed exchanges of fire between two groups of men in civilian clothing. The Lebanese army said it is investigating. Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters attended the funeral, firing bullets into the air, a traditional gesture to honor fallen troops, and waving Hezbollah flags. The tiny, crisis hit country of Lebanon has seen increasing political tensions between the Iran-backed Hezbollah and Christian parties in recent years. In October 2021, fighting along a former front line — dating back to the 1975-1990 civil war and separating predominantly Muslim and Christian areas of Beirut — killed seven people.

Lebanon: Shots fired at defense minister's car amid rising instability
Adam Lucente/Al Monitor/August 10, 2023
Lebanese Defense Minister Maurice Slim’s vehicle was shot at in Beirut on Thursday in yet another sign of rising tensions in Lebanon in the last 48 hours. Slim’s office said that his vehicle was hit by two bullets but that he is “fine,” Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported. Further details were not immediately available. Local media outlets reported that the incident occurred in the Jisr El Basha area of Beirut. The shooting comes amid rising instability in Lebanon. On Wednesday, two people were killed when a truck carrying ammunition for Hezbollah overturned. The Lebanese army said that a truck loaded with munitions overturned on a highway in Kahaleh, east of Beirut. Two people were subsequently killed in a clash between the vehicle’s escort and locals. The army responded to the scene and transported the truck’s load to a military site before removing the truck and reopening the road, the National News Agency reported. Reuters reported that the clashes occurred between Hezbollah members and residents in the predominantly Christian village. One Hezbollah member and one local were killed, according to the outlet. Hezbollah said that “militiamen” attacked the convoy and sought to take control of the truck, the group’s news outlet Al-Manar reported. The local office of the Christian militia Lebanese Forces accused Hezbollah of firing at civilians, according to Reuters. Video of the incident spread of Lebanese social media on Thursday. Lebanese Forces is a Christian political and military organization led by Samir Geagea. The group is a rival of Hezbollah, and the two fought on opposite sides in the civil war that ended in 1990. Why it matters: The two incidents came at a tense time for Lebanon. The currently is still mired in an economic crisis. On the political front, the parliament has also failed to elect a president since Michel Aoun left office in October. Hezbollah’s candidate, Suleiman Frangieh, is opposed by Lebanese Forces and other Christian groups. The presidency is held by a Christian in Lebanon’s power-sharing system. Hezbollah has a degree of support in Lebanon, but the group's armed activities and high degree of political power are also opposed by many in the country. Tensions between Hezbollah and Israel are also rising. On Tuesday, Israel's defense minister vowed to “return Lebanon to the stone age” in the event of a war with the group. There have been numerous security incidents on the border throughout the summer. The situation escalated after Hezbollah set up tents to house militants along the border in May. Clashes between armed groups are not common in Lebanon. However, in 2021, a shooting at a Hezbollah protest in Beirut left six people dead. Hezbollah blamed the violence on Lebanese Forces.

Bassil says Shiite unity 'not enough' as FPM warns against political exploitation
Naharnet/August 10, 2023
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil said Thursday that the Shiite unity is not enough and that the resistance needs national unity. "Kahale represents for all of us a great symbol of struggle," Bassil said. He added that national unity is needed for the well-being of the country and the resistance, as national unity would give the resistance greater immunity. Bassil also stressed the importance of developing a national defense strategy that would organize the use of arms. Earlier on Thursday, the Free Patriotic Movement said that Kahale's victims fell due to "shortcomings from Hezbollah or the security forces" and warned against "exploitation attempts by politicians and journalists." A truck belonging to Hezbollah had overturned on the Kahaleh highway Wednesday and was followed by clashes during which a Hezbollah member and a Kahaleh resident were killed.

Qabalan addresses Christians, says Shiites won't be 'dragged into strife'
Naharnet/August 10, 2023
Grand Jaafarite Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan on Thursday described Hezbollah member Ahmed Qassas, who was killed in the Kahale clash, as “the martyr of the entire country and one of the country’s protectors.” “He joined the numerous martyrs who protected entire Lebanon and not only a sect. We will not accept that his blood be part of the strife of the demons and we won’t be dragged into the strife that the Americans and Zionists want to ignite,” Qabalan added, in remarks to al-Manar TV. In an earlier message addressed to “the national and spiritual Christian leaders,” Qabalan had warned that “international intelligence agencies are practicing their malicious game, stoking the controlled media and plotting bloodshed and destruction.”“Some are pushing the country to an insane strife and working against the Christian and Islamic interests,” he warned. “Our civil peace is the highest duty… and Lebanon without a resistance would be ruins and a swamp of cemeteries and occupation,” Qabalan added.

Parliament to convene next week as Lebanon faces tense days
Naharnet/August 10, 2023
The parliament bureau convened Thursday to discuss several laws before Speaker Nabih Berri called for a parliament session to be held next Thursday. The MPs also discussed the latest security incidents, Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab said. A Hezbollah member and a Kahaleh resident were killed Wednesday after a deadly clash erupted between Hezbollah members transporting arms in a truck and Kahaleh residents. Earlier on Wednesday, CCTV footage and a forensic doctor’s report said that a veteran Lebanese Forces official has been abducted and killed in his hometown, the southern town of Ain Ebel.
Kataeb Party leader Sami Gemayel said that the identity of those who killed Elias Hasrouni "is clear as the sun" in an apparent reference to Hezbollah. Ain Ebel residents also accused Hezbollah calling the group "the enemy of the interior". Weeks ago, clashes erupted in the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon between members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah group and militants of Islamic groups and left 13 people dead and dozens wounded.

Berri meets with visiting Iranian official
Naharnet/August 10, 2023
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday met in Ain el-Tineh with the head of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, Waheed Jalalzada. The meeting was held in the presence of an accompanying Iranian delegation and Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani.

Report: Hezbollah, FPM mull replacing Franjieh with Naji al-Bustani
Naharnet/August 10, 2023
Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement are discussing the possibility of nominating ex-minister Naji al-Bustani for the presidency instead of Suleiman Franjieh, “the current candidate of the Axis of Defiance,” the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Thursday. “It is known that al-Bustani, a lawyer, is a supporter of the Defiance camp and had represented Brig. Gen. Raymond Azar, one of the four generals who had been detained in the international probe into the 2005 assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri,” the daily said. Moreover, Nidaa al-Watan quoted sources close to Hezbollah as saying that FPM chief Jebran Bassil is “preparing with Hezbollah for a new presidential intersection that requires some time.”Hezbollah and the FPM have been engaged in dialogue for several weeks now, following months of strained relations over the presidential file and the caretaker Cabinet’s powers.

Army detains dozens of smugglers planning to send migrants to Europe
Associated Press/August 10, 2023
Lebanese troops detained dozens of Lebanese and Syrian traffickers in the country's north as they were preparing to send migrants on boats to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea, the army said. The military said 31 Syrians and 15 Lebanese were arrested Tuesday in several coastal towns and villages in northern Lebanon, including Minye, Salaata and Deir Am. The smugglers were getting ready to take "people through illegal ways by sea" and had prepared several boats, the army said. It gave no further details but added that the detainees are being questioned. For years Lebanon had been a country that received refugees from the region but since the small nation's economic meltdown began in October 2019, thousands of Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians have been trying to take the dangerous trip across the Mediterranean to reach Europe in search of stability and opportunities. Alongside 1 million Syrian refugees, Lebanon is also home to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, many living in refugee camps scattered around the country. A boat carrying migrants from Lebanon capsized off Syria's coast in September, leaving at least 94 people dead. It was the deadliest incident involving migrants leaving Lebanon and was followed by a wave of detentions of suspected smugglers.

Lebanon minister calls for banning of 'Barbie' movie
Adam Lucente/Al Monitor/August 10/ 2023
A Lebanese minister on Wednesday railed against the “Barbie” movie, accusing the film of promoting homosexuality, denigrating men's and women’s roles in society, and calling for it to be banned. Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada said the film “promotes homosexuality and sexual transformation.” He also criticized its depiction of gender roles, saying it “challenges the guidance of the father, reduces the role of the mother and mocks it, and questions the necessity of marriage and having a family,” the official National News Agency reported. Mortada called on Lebanese General Security to prohibit the film from being screened in Lebanon, according to the agency. Mortada is an ally of the Shiite Islamist organization Hezbollah. The Interior Ministry, which oversees Lebanese General Security, did not immediately comment on his remarks, according to Reuters. Background: “Barbie” is based on a story involving the eponymous doll produced by the American company Mattel. In the movie, a Barbie living in Barbieland ventures to the “real world” of Los Angeles alongside Beach Ken, the latter being based on the Ken dolls sold alongside Barbie dolls. The film has been widely described as “feminist” and touches on male-female relationships, struggles women go through in society and related topics. The film does not have any outright LGBTQ themes, and much of it focuses on Ken’s romantic feelings for Barbie. Some observers have speculated that the supporting character, Allan, is gay, however. "Barbie" is scheduled to be released in the Gulf this week. In Egypt, it is scheduled to be released on Aug. 31. The film was released in Turkey, Israel and other countries in July. "Barbie" has already surpassed $1 billion in revenue worldwide and generated massive hype. The movie has also prompted discussions in the United States and other Western countries on whether the film is anti-male. Why it matters: LGBTQ people in Lebanon have historically faced less repression than their counterparts in other countries in the region such as Iran and in Gulf countries. However, the community has come under threat in the past year. For example, Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi instructed authorities in June 2022 to ban events geared toward “promoting sexual perversion.” The United Nations warned of “rising hate speech, discrimination and violence” toward LGBTQ people in Lebanon in response, Al-Monitor reported at the time.
In 2017, Lebanon hosted its first Pride parade — the first country in the Arab world to do so. However, the following year, authorities arrested a prominent LGBTQ activist and pressured him to cancel Pride events in Beirut, Human Rights Watch reported. The success of the band Mashrou Leila has also highlighted the situation of LGBTQ people in Lebanon, as lead singer Hamed Sinno identifies as queer. The band called it quits in September of last year, citing harassment and the banning of their concerts in the region. Mortada’s statement also comes amid intensifying anti-LGBTQ sentiment in the wider region. In June, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia banned the Spider-Man movie. The film featured a transgender flag. The same month, Iraqi protesters burned rainbow flags in response to the Quran burning in Sweden. On Wednesday evening, Kuwait's Ministry of Information also announced screening "Barbie" is banned. The ministry said the film "promulgates ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti society," according to the official Kuwait News Agency.

Sweden embassy in Lebanon attacked amid Qur’an row, no casualties
AFP/August 10, 2023
BEIRUT: An assailant threw a Molotov cocktail at Sweden’s embassy in Beirut, causing no casualties, Stockholm’s foreign minister and a diplomatic source said Thursday, amid anger over recent Qur'an desecrations. “We confirm that there was a Molotov cocktail thrown at the facade of our embassy last evening, which did not explode,” a diplomatic source at the embassy said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media. The “perpetrator managed to run away,” the source added. Tensions have flared between Sweden and Muslim countries following several protests involving public desecrations of the Qur'an in Stockholm — including setting pages alight. Multi-confessional Lebanon saw protests at mosques, while the head of the powerful pro-Iran Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah has called for the Swedish ambassador to be expelled. Lebanese security forces had bolstered measures around the embassy in downtown Beirut for fear of attacks. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said “it was sheer luck that no one was injured” in Wednesday’s attack and that staff were safe. “The incident is currently being investigated,” he said in a statement on Thursday, noting that “Lebanese authorities have an obligation under the Vienna Convention to protect diplomatic missions.” Late last month, two Iraqi men set a copy of the Qur'an alight outside the Swedish parliament in Stockholm, in an act similar to others in recent weeks that had drawn widespread condemnation. Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem stomped on the Muslim holy book, set its pages ablaze before slamming it shut, as they did at a protest outside Stockholm’s main mosque in June. The duo also staged a similar protest outside Iraq’s embassy in the Swedish capital on July 20, where they stomped on the religious text. Iraqi protesters had stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice, starting fires within the compound on the second occasion.

Reform or rely on handouts: Lebanon’s stark choice
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/August 10, 2023
Lebanon is facing one of the worst financial crises in the world. It is important to understand the underlying reasons behind the crisis in order to adequately address the country’s financial meltdown and, ultimately, resolve it by tackling the root causes.
How did a country once dubbed the “Switzerland of the Middle East” and whose capital Beirut was called the “Paris of the Middle East” — wind up in financial free-fall, becoming one of the most impoverished nations in the region?
The crisis did not happen over only a few years, but is the result of several decades of economic mismanagement. After the 1975-1990 civil war, the government began borrowing and accumulating debt without having a clear and credible path to pay off what it owed. Excessive borrowing continuously exceeded Lebanon’s economic growth rate. As debt grew disproportionately to the rise in gross domestic product, and as the compounding impact of interest rates made the situation more dire, Lebanon had to spend most of its revenues servicing its debt. Almost half of its earnings on average were spent on interest payments. As a result, without structural reform, it was inevitable the government would default on its debt at some point. And that is what occurred in 2020, when Lebanon defaulted on a $1.2 billion Eurobond — the first state default in the country’s history.
In addition, the Lebanese pound had been pegged to the dollar at 1,500 for more than two decades, making the country partially dependent on dollar reserves. In order to attract money and fund its spending, banks began offering very high interest rates for new deposits of dollars. That started in 1993 when the central bank, Banque du Liban, which was previously led by former Merrill Lynch banker Riad Salameh, introduced the policy of “financial engineering,” offering very high returns to increase deposits of new dollars in banks.
The government’s debt-to-GDP ratio reached 178 percent by the end of 2019, making it the world’s third most indebted country by this measurement.
This kind of policy might have been productive in the short term if the country quickly delivered major structural and economic reforms. But these were never carried out, and Lebanon’s debt continued to surge, becoming one of the highest in the world. The government’s debt-to-GDP ratio reached 178 percent by the end of 2019, making it the world’s third most indebted country by this measurement.  Furthermore, these factors led to fewer people being willing to deposit dollars in banks, and as foreign currency inflows slowed, the pound began to lose value. The trade deficit — much higher amounts of imports in comparison to exports — also contributed to the depreciation of the Lebanese pound. Instead of addressing the underlying issues, the central bank continued to borrow more.
A combination of several of these factors created a public panic, as more people rushed to withdraw their savings from banks; banks ran out of cash and shut their doors. In 2021, the Lebanese pound, officially pegged at 1,500 to the dollar, was trading at a street rate of about 23,000. Two years later, the figure was almost 100,000 to the dollar.
With the economic situation worsening, Lebanese people have become increasingly disaffected with the political establishment, as they witness on a daily basis how financial mismanagement, lack of united leadership, corruption and currency devaluation have blighted their lives and living standards.
Lebanon needs a completely different approach and a new beginning, which means Beirut cannot continue with the same monetary and fiscal policies
Hyperinflation and the plunging Lebanese pound have significantly affected people’s purchasing power. A report by the humanitarian research group Reliefweb in March 2023 said that “82 percent of the Lebanese population live in multidimensional poverty, while social assistance programs are almost nonexistent. Many households in the poorest areas of the country survive without electricity or heating; families lack food, which forces them to reduce their meals to two a day.” More than 1 million Lebanese children have dropped out of school since October 2019, according to the UN. And, for many people, access to electricity and the internet is becoming increasingly difficult. To compound an already volatile situation, the Beirut port blast in August 2020 — one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history — killed over 200 people and injured thousands, destroyed several neighborhoods in the capital, and resulted in billions of dollars of damage. Lebanon needs a completely different approach and a new beginning, which means Beirut cannot continue with the same monetary and fiscal policies. The country has no other option but to deliver major structural reforms in its banking and financial system, as well as its political establishment. Ernesto Ramirez Rigo, head of the International Monetary Fund mission to Lebanon, warned that if the country’s leaders fail to carry out reforms, and keep permitting the “disorderly adjustment” of the economy to persist, Lebanon will be left dependent on handouts from the international community. “Very little investment will come to the economy and to the new sectors that Lebanon needs to develop,” he said. In a nutshell, decades of economic mismanagement have brought the “Switzerland of the Middle East” to the brink of financial meltdown, impoverishment and economic collapse. Lebanon needs a fresh start, which means delivering major structural reforms in its banking and financial system, as well as its political establishment.
**Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

The Lebanese Facing the Moment of Truth
Hanna Saleh/Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
In a normal country, an official like Riad Salameh, whom "The Economist" has labeled "the worst central bank governor in the world," would not have ended his tenure as Lebanon's Central Bank governor to the cheers of associates, who met him in the back door. Salameh, whom the French and German courts have issued arrest warrants against and Interpol issued red notices for, should be prosecuted and disgraced. The Lebanese people have denounced and condemned him, even the Lebanese state prosecution has charged him with crimes that include money laundering, fraud, and embezzlement.
Since the beginning, Salameh has been the shadowy arm of a mafia that has seized the country’s public and private funds. He bankrolled the tyrants, politicians, bankers, and militias responsible for squandering 200 billion dollars in loans and deposits, oversaw a 98 percent devaluation of the Lebanese pound, and destroyed the country's banking sector. Since the Paris I Conference held over two decades ago, Salameh has been covering for a political elite that refuses to implement the reforms they had pledged to make. He undercut the "Lazard" rescue plan following the country’s financial collapse and engineered an illegal "haircut" of 85% of the funds deposited in Lebanese banks, thereby accelerating their evisceration to shield a thieving and bankrupt banking cartel. If law were enforced to even a minimal degree, those accused of and aware of the felony of "probable intent" to kill have been wandering freely on the third anniversary of the war crime that was the Beirut port blast would not have been marked on August 4th, 2023. It is as though we are faced with a deliberate effort to commit the crime again and again on a daily basis. The Lebanese security forces were hindered from implementing the arrest warrants, and the judiciary of the sectarian-quota-based spoil-sharing regime subservient to Hezbollah and the nitrate regime, has hampered the investigation, painted the judicial investigator out to be a traitor, and is now prosecuting him! This relentless drive to govern through fear, by normalizing the crime, concealing the truth, and hindering justice, is a dangerous and major indication that our social values and ethical standards have collapsed. The first week of August was marked by the accumulation of events and evidence that Lebanon has turned into a rogue state. In this state, ethical, legal, and constitutional standards are absent, leaving no accountability or responsibility, and entrenching the "immunities" and system of "impunity"... leaving "Lebanon at the risk of death," as French deputy Guendal Rouiad wrote. He added: "I found a country where its men and women are anxious and sad, and its streets are dark and inhabited by ghosts. The situation is criminal against the Lebanese citizen; it's time to move out of the state of denial in favor of building a modern, stable state."To paint a full picture, we must remember that the president’s seat has been vacant for nine months now, and this vacancy is very much linked to Hezbollah’s project of deracinating Lebanon and changing its identity... Meanwhile, the executive authority has been vacant for 14 months as the caretaker Prime Minister happily clings to his seat, his conscience clear despite the European Parliament openly discussing the financial crimes that Monaco's judiciary has accused him of.
Adding the vacancy in the Governorship of the Lebanese Central Bank, a vacancy in the army leadership begins to loom, as commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces’ term ends on the 10th of January. The Internal Security Forces chief’s term shortly after that. Thus, the bitter moment of truth for Lebanon and the Lebanese is imminent.
The political class, both in government and the opposition, has had an exclusive hold on power since the Taif Agreement was signed 33 years ago. During this time, it has formed sectarian groups, partisan factions, and militias, prioritizing its narrow sectarian interests and foreign allegiances over everything else! Thus, it has lost its viability. It may be shocking to see the country's citizens, who are being trampled on daily, seem to be adapting on the surface, preoccupying themselves with finding medicine and bread rather than the country’s devastating political situation. However, this is a relatively familiar sight.
The circumstances were similar on the eve of October 17, 2019, the day the revolution for dignity erupted and exposed the political regime and its subservience to foreign power. Since then, it has become clear to all that a profound political awareness has begun growing on both sides of the sectarian divide that had split the country between the March 8 and March 14 coalitions. This rising awareness has laid the foundations for ending artificial divisions by shedding light on the real dividing lines in the country. The country is split between the plundered and the plunderers, a majority of over 80 percent below that live beneath the poverty line and are clinging to the country because it is their homeland. They want to safeguard its national fabric and give it back its standing. On the other side is the minority committed to the bank accounts they have opened in safe havens and their allegiance to foreign powers!
Those who cheered for the suppression of the revolution after making accusations of treachery, and were eager to see it end, were taken back by the magnitude of the punitive “post-October" vote in the general elections of May 2022. They will be disappointed again.
Indeed, Lebanon’s citizens have left the waiting room and decided to become political actors in their own right; they have not returned to their enclaves! Despite the mass migration, or rather displacement, the elites, who understand the country and the breakdown of Lebanese society well, are keenly ensuring that citizens are deprived of access to the tools they need to defend their rights. They know how to prevent the country from turning into a space of genuine coexistence, whose contours were drawn by the "October Revolution," through which the people achieved deep reconciliation, left their sectarian divisions behind, and demanded an alternative and a modern state. A different Lebanon that is possible. It cannot remain a "paradise" for the bearers of illegal arms, outlaws, fugitives, and those wanted by Interpol! The need is urgent to allow citizens to regain their security and stability in the face of the tyrants’ plan to annihilate them. Of the $40 billion in assets held by the Central Bank in 2019, less than $9 billion remain today, the mandatory minimum. Some have made a fortune through the collapse, and the financing of the political-banking-militia cartel did not stop. Indeed, they are planning to legislate this financing, claiming that it is "temporary" and that the bankrupt authority will give the money back, which of course means they will continue to plunder until the last cent. Now our gold reserves and state assets are next in line! It is the moment of truth that will launch a peaceful mass resistance movement for justice and the restoration of rights. Unity is the only path to alleviating suffering and deprivation, and allow for accountability and justice... thereby ending the country’s dysfunction and putting Lebanon on the path to recovery!

UN official paints bleak picture of trauma among Palestinians after clashes at camp in Lebanon
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab News/August 10/2023
August 10, 2023
NEW YORK CITY: The armed hostilities between July 30 and Aug. 3 at Ein El-Hilweh, a camp for Palestinian refugees in southern Lebanon, and their aftermath have once again shone a spotlight on the dire circumstances in which the camp residents are living. Dorothy Klaus, director of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, on Thursday described the effects of the violence on the people in the camps as “profound” as she called for an urgent and sustained aid effort. She said that about 400 houses were destroyed during the recent hostilities and hundreds of families were displaced either within the camp or to nearby areas. The fighting also took a toll on vital infrastructure in the camp, including an UNRWA school complex that serves more than 3,000 children. The agency is still having difficulty accessing some parts of the camp, she added.
Ein El-Hilweh is the largest of 12 camps for Palestinian refugees that were established in Lebanon in 1948 after the creation of Israel. Since a 1969 agreement between Lebanese authorities and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the nation’s army has largely avoided entering the camps.
However, in the wake of the recent clashes between rival armed groups in Ein El-Hilweh, which left at least 11 people dead and dozens wounded, some Lebanese officials are calling for the military to take control of the camps.
Ein El-Hilweh, which is home to about 50,000 people, has experienced many bouts of violence over the decades, including interfactional fighting and clashes between Palestinian groups and Lebanese forces. Klaus said that since the latest violence subsided, UNRWA has managed to restore essential services in “about 50 percent of the camp … we’ve been collecting garbage, disinfecting and started removing rubble there.” But she painted a harrowing picture of “trauma and distress” among the residents, including “children having been traumatized, women’s hair having been turned white during the hostilities.”
The trauma experienced by communities of Palestinian refugees is deeply rooted in decades of displacement and conflict, Klaus added. The residents of many refugee camps, including Ain El-Helweh, have endured violent clashes and destruction of property many times, creating an environment in which psychological scars run deep, she said. Traumatic experiences have also contributed to alarmingly high rates of non-communicable diseases, which Klaus attributed to extreme levels of stress among refugees. Relations between camp residents and communities in surrounding areas add to the complexity of the situation, Klaus said as she highlighted the detrimental effects hostilities in camps can have on nearby locations. The city of Saida, for example, suffered economic losses during the recent violence due to shutdowns during the peak summer tourism season, she added.
This in a country that is four years into a devastating economic crisis during which the nation’s currency has lost about 98 percent of its value, gross domestic product has fallen by 40 percent, inflation is in triple digits, and about two-thirds of the central bank’s foreign-currency reserves have been drained, according to the International Monetary Fund. As a result, a large proportion of the population has been pushed into poverty.
This financial crisis has been exacerbated by vested interests among authorities in the country, which have resisted calls for the implementation of crucial economic and political reforms, the IMF said last month, warning that a continued lack of remedial action from authorities could lead the country “down an unpredictable road.” Klaus told Arab News that this very fragile environment further complicates the relationship between Palestinian refugees and their host country, in which their access to employment opportunities is already restricted, along with property-ownership rights, and access to basic services. She said the refugees, who had already been grappling with poverty, have been pushed into increasingly dire circumstances by the economic crisis and approximately 80 percent of them now live in impoverished conditions. “Poverty has already been more than twice the level of what it used to be in the Lebanese population prior to the economic crisis,” Klaus said. “So that means the resilience levels in the Palestinian population in Lebanon have been even less, with the impact of the crisis on employment (being) relegated to sectors which do not offer fixed employment. And Palestinians in Lebanon hardly ever have a regular contract, let alone any form of social security. “So that means about 50 percent of men above the age of 16 are currently unemployed and the remainder have sporadic unemployment, and all of that difficulty is reflected in their income and their ability to sustain themselves.”

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 10-11/2023
US prisoners in Iran moved to house arrest in 'reciprocal release'
Elizabeth Hagedorn/Al Monitor/August 10, 2023
WASHINGTON — Iran and the United States have agreed to each release five prisoners, Iran's mission to the United Nations confirmed to Al-Monitor following the transfer of several US citizens from Evin Prison to house arrest. Their release comes as part of a deal months in the making that would involve Tehran gaining limited access to $6 billion in Iranian assets frozen in South Korea. "As part of a humanitarian cooperation agreement mediated by a third-party government, Iran and the US have agreed to reciprocally release and pardon five prisoners," a spokesperson for the Iranian mission said Thursday. "The transfer of these prisoners to out of prison marks a significant initial step in the implementation of this agreement."Dual nationals Morad Tahbaz, Siamak Namazi and Emad Shargi were moved from Evin Prison in the Iranian capital, Tehran, Thursday to house arrest at a hotel, according to a statement by the Namazi family’s lawyer, Jared Genser. The imprisoned Americans had been held for years on spying charges that the US government and their families said were baseless. Two other dual nationals, whose identities have not been made public at their families' request, are also part of the deal. The release was confirmed by State Department spokesperson Matt Miller Thursday afternoon. “We are relieved to learn that Iranian authorities have released five US citizens — Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, Emad Shargi, and two individuals who at this time wish to remain private — from prison to house arrest. We are in touch with the families of US citizens involved, and we continue to monitor these individuals’ health and welfare closely,” Miller said. “We continue to work diligently to bring these individuals home to their loved ones. They must be allowed to depart Iran and reunite with their loved ones as soon as possible,” he added. Their release from Iranian custody comes more than two years after the United States and Iran began indirect talks over a prisoner swap using interlocutors including Oman, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Qatar. The planned release of Iran’s frozen funds as part of the prisoner deal is politically sensitive in Washington. Republicans charge the transfer of Iranian assets, even if for humanitarian purposes, could fuel further hostage taking. “While I welcome home wrongfully detained Americans, unfreezing $6B in #Iranian assets dangerously further incentivizes hostage taking & provides a windfall for regime aggression,” Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) said in a tweet Thursday. Siamak's brother Babak Namazi confirmed their release from Evin Prison in a statement, saying he would not rest until the Americans are returned home. "While this is a positive change, we will not rest until Siamak and others are back home; we continue to count the days until this can happen," Namazi said. "We have suffered tremendously and indescribably for eight horrific years and wish only to be reunited again as a family.”Neda Sharghi, sister of US citizen Emad Shargi, said in a statement, “I am aware of reports that Emad and the other Americans have been transferred to house arrest in Tehran. My family has faith in the work that President Biden and government officials have undertaken to bring our families home and hope to receive that news soon. Until that point, I hope you can understand that we do not think it will be helpful to comment further.”For months, it appeared the negotiators were nearing an agreement. Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, whose country has long served as a mediator between the United States and Iran, told Al-Monitor in a June 14 interview that the two sides were "close" to reaching a deal on the prisoners. The news comes two days after Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said his country was ready to swap detainees with the United States following “months” of mediation through Qatar and Oman.  Iran is also holding several permanent US residents including retired shipping captain Shahab Dalili and Jamshid Sharmahd, an Iranian-German citizen on death row. Sources with knowledge of the US-Iran negotiations said they were left out of the deal, despite appeals from their families. Rights groups accuse Iran of arresting dual nationals and foreigners to gain leverage for sanctions relief, the unfreezing of assets and other concessions from their home countries. Namazi was the longest-held American prisoner in Iran, having been arrested by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps days after the nuclear accord was reached in July 2015. He was the only American of six not returned home as part of a detainee swap negotiated by the Obama administration in 2016. After more than six years in Iranian custody, Namazi’s father, Baquer Namazi, was freed from house arrest in October so that he could receive urgent medical treatment abroad. Tahbaz, a conservationist and entrepreneur who also holds British citizenship, was jailed in January 2018 along with his colleagues from the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation. In November 2019, Tahbaz was sentenced the following year to 10 years in prison following a closed-door trial.  Shargi and his wife moved from the United States to Iran, their country of birth, in 2017 after their daughters went off to college. After spending eight months in Evin Prison before his release on bail, Shargi was rearrested weeks after Biden's election. The Revolutionary Court informed Shargi that he had been tried in absentia and sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage. This breaking story has been updated since first publication.

Blinken says no sanctions relief for Iran under prisoner deal
AFP/August 11, 2023
WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that the United States would offer no sanctions relief to Iran under a draft deal that would free five Americans. “In any event, in any respect, Iran will not be receiving any sanctions relief,” Blinken told reporters when asked about the expected release of $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds. “Iran’s own funds would be used and transferred to restricted accounts such that the monies can only be used for humanitarian purposes,” he said. Blinken said that the United States has been in contact with the families of five Americans freed from prison to house arrest in an expected first step to their release. “My belief is that this is the beginning of the end of their nightmare, and the nightmare that their families have experienced,” he said. Blinken said he was not aware of other Americans held in Iran.

Iran’s Raisi Vows to Foil ‘Hijab Removal Movement’
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi pledged to foil the movement demanding the removal of the mandatory hijab in the country. He made his remarks a month before the first anniversary of protests that erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini. "I am telling you that the removal of the hijab will definitely come to an end, do not worry," Raisi said Wednesday at a commemoration ceremony for Iranian fighters killed in Iraq and Syria. The president's statements coincide with the enforcement of strict security measures in anticipation of a renewal of the protests, fueled by the death of Amini, a young Kurdish woman, who was on a family visit to Tehran when police arrested her for not abiding by the country’s strict dress code for women. She died in custody, sparking the protests. Following the protests, women defied authorities and more and more have been seen in Tehran and main cities without the hijab. Raisi slammed the removal of the hijab, saying it was part of an “organized movement” and threatening to hold to account those “involved in the enemies’ plot”. An Iranian draft law that would set new penalties for women not wearing a headscarf in public has sparked heated debate. More than 500 protesters were killed in the violent crackdown on the protests in wake of Amini’s death. Over 20,000 people were arrested and seven executed on charges of attacking the security forces. Around 70 members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Basij forces, the police, and the security forces were killed in clashes with demonstrators. Last month, Iran relaunched patrols by the morality police to tackle the growing phenomenon of the hijab removal. Police plan to use smart technology in public places to identify women who don’t wear a headscarf. Authorities have also shut down dozens of restaurants, stores, and other businesses across the country they say were failing to comply with the mandatory headscarf law.

Saudi Arabia, US Enter Strategic Alliance to Establish Local Drone Infrastructure
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
The Saudi Excellence and Ondas' subsidiary Airobotics Ltd signed on Tuesday a Strategic Alliance Agreement to localize Airobotics autonomous drone systems and solutions and provide aerial data solutions to local governmental and commercial entities. Ondas Holding is a leading provider of private industrial wireless networks and commercial drone and automated data solutions. Saudi Excellence and Airobotics plan to jointly establish a local office in Saudi Arabia to localize Airobotics autonomous drone systems and solutions and provide aerial data solutions to local governmental and commercial entities.
The companies will work together to develop and foster an ecosystem of technology and service providers across the Kingdom by employing local staff and working closely with local partners. Following the announcement, Ondas shares increased 20 percent. President of Saudi Excellence Sheikh Abdullah al-Meleihi said the partnership aims to provide sophisticated autonomous drone platforms to government and commercial customers in the Kingdom. He told Asharq Al-Awsat: "There are significant projects in the Saudi market, and as the economy expands and diversifies, demand for next-generation technologies is growing." "Together with Airobotics, we will provide high-value technical solutions while also training Saudi cadres to work in this field." Meleihi indicated that both companies will work together to develop and enhance an ecosystem of technology and service providers across the Kingdom, as the initiative aims to support the vision of Saudi 2030, following the guidance and support of Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. The drone market is growing continuously in all military sectors and security and civil uses, and it is one of the promising sectors in the Middle East region, said Meleihi, noting that Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries to localize the drone industry. He asserted that Excellence plans to start manufacturing this aircraft type in the Kingdom and train Saudi cadres. Moreover, he indicated that China's DJI controls more than 70 percent of the world's drone market, expecting the need to grow from $30.6 billion in 2022 to $55.8 billion by 2030. The Chinese company was formed in 2006 out of a college dorm room by its founder Frank Wang selling flight control components to universities and Chinese electric companies. CEO of Airobotics Meir Kliner expresses his pride in expanding the business in the region to Saudi Arabia and being recognized and chosen by Saudi Excellence as the leading provider of drone infrastructure. Kliner said Vision 2030 and the country's economic transformation are creating significant opportunities for Airobotics in defense and civil markets. "Together with the Saudi Excellence company, we look forward to implementing our state-of-the-art autonomous drone technologies across Saudi Arabia and localizing these efforts for the mutual benefit of our companies and society," said the official.

Iran Says Has Obtained Technology to Build Supersonic Cruise Missile
Asharq Al Awsat/10 August 2023
Iran said on Wednesday it has the technology to build supersonic cruise missile, Iranian state media reported. The announcement comes days after reports on the arrival of over 3,000 US sailors and Marines aboard two US warships in the Red Sea to deter Iran from seizing and harassing merchant ships traveling through the Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz. “The supersonic cruise missile will open a new chapter in Iran’s defense program, as it is extremely difficult to intercept a cruise missile flying at supersonic speeds,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. “The new cruise missile is currently undergoing its tests.”Despite US and European opposition, Iran has said it will further develop its “defensive” missile program. However, Western military analysts say Iran sometimes exaggerates its missile capabilities. Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East, says its weapons are capable of reaching the bases of arch-foes Israel and the United States in the region. Concerns about Iran’s ballistic missiles contributed to then-US President Donald Trump’s decision in 2018 to ditch Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with six major powers and reimpose sanctions on Tehran. Indirect talks between Tehran and US President Joe Biden’s administration to salvage the nuclear deal have stalled since last September. In the latest in a series of attacks on ships in the Gulf since 2019, the US Navy said last month it had intervened to prevent Iran from seizing two commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The Pentagon last month sent additional F-35 and F-16 fighter jets along with a warship to the Middle East in a bid to monitor key waterways in the region following Iran’s seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels.

A Year Ago, an Iranian Woman’s Death Sparked Hijab Protests. Now Businesses Are a New Battleground
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
For months, Iranian authorities did little to enforce the law on women covering their hair but now the country’s theocracy is pushing to make businesses the new battleground over the mandatory headscarf. The effort comes ahead of the first anniversary of nationwide protests that erupted after the Sept. 16 death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country's morality police. A crackdown by security forces that followed saw more than 530 people killed and over 22,000 arrested. These days, with uncovered women a common sight on Tehran streets, authorities have begun raiding companies where women employees or customers have been seen without the headscarf, or hijab. Iran's parliament is discussing a law that would increase punishments on uncovered women and the businesses they frequent. The developments could foment new unrest as parliamentary elections loom next year and the country's economy struggles under the weight of international sanctions imposed over Iran's nuclear program. “If I face penalties and punishment, I will wear the headscarf since I am in a ... prominent position,” said Parvaneh, a doctor who treated protesters injured during demonstrations last year. Like several other women who spoke to The Associated Press, she asked that only her first name be used for fear of reprisals. “But the young people I treated during the protests will not pull back,” she added. For observant Muslim women, the head covering is a sign of piety before God and modesty in front of men outside their families. In Iran, the hijab — and the all-encompassing black chador worn by some — has long been a political symbol as well, particularly after becoming mandatory in the years following the 1979 revolution. After the death of Amini, who was picked up for her allegedly loose headscarf, police were hesitant to strictly enforce the dress code — possibly to avoid even wider demonstrations and displays of defiance. But in recent weeks, the tone has changed. “I’m telling you that this lack of hijab will be definitely put an end to,“ hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi said Wednesday. Authorities have started sending warning text messages to women seen without the veil in cars: around 1 million messages were sent. In time, some 2,000 cars were confiscated and over 4,000 women referred to prosecutors. Next, security forces scoured social media for companies with images of uncovered women in the workplace. One of the offices of Digikala, a hugely popular digital retail websites with more than 40 million active monthly users, was closed. Also briefly shut were the online bookstore Taghcheh and insurance marketplace Azki. The crackdown extended beyond the capital of Tehran. In the northern city of Lahaijan, local health officials ordered hospitals and clinics to stop providing services to uncovered woman. In Damavand, a town some 60 kilometers (40 miles) east of Tehran, prosecutors ordered the arrest of a bank manager and a teller over serving a woman not wearing the hijab. Outdoor café seating is now banned in the northeastern city of Mashhad and hard-liners in Isfahan want to ban the mixed working of men and women in shops. The entertainment industry is also being watched. Police have threatened to shut down film productions that have women without headscarves working behind cameras. Judges also have also sentenced female celebrities convicted of not wearing the veil to work in morgues as a public service, in lieu of prison time. They also have to obtain a mental health certificate from a psychologist before they can go back to their regular jobs. “Instead of addressing people’s legitimate grievances, the regime continues to obsess over the hijab and act as if its very survival depends on whether women dress modestly,” said Haleh Esfandiari, a fellow at the Washington-based Wilson Center and an Iranian-American dual national who was held by Tehran in 2007. A new bill before Iran's parliament could make penalties for women even more serious. It calls for fines of up to 360 million Iranian rials ($720) and prison sentences for women without the headscarf. The draft legislation also calls for more strictly segregating the sexes in schools, parks, hospitals and other locations. It also envisages fines on businesses with female staff and customers who do not wear the hijab with up to three months of their income, while offending celebrities can be banned from leaving the country and performing. The bill would also empower intelligence agencies and the Basij — the all-volunteer force of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard that has violently suppressed nationwide protests in the past — to confront women without hijabs. Hard-liners have long demanded that the Basij enter the fight over the hijab, with some chanting at at Friday prayers in Tehran, “Guard, come to the street, put an end to hijab removal!” But criticism of the proposed bill is already simmering. Ezzeatollah Zarghami, a hard-line former Guard commander and the current minister for cultural heritage, warned that harsh sentences such as the mandatory morgue work “will cause more and significant problems instead of solving the hijab problem.”Iran's Supreme Court overturned a court order impounding an uncovered woman's car for a year and revoking her license, setting a precedent.
Even if it passes, prominent lawyer Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabei described the draft law as meaningless since “the majority of women do not believe in it.” “They will find out that the law is not enforceable,” Tabatabaei said. Meanwhile, politicians known in Iran as reformists have seized on the hijab dispute as they seek to changes Iran's theocracy from within the system. Former President Mohammad Khatami, one of the country's most prominent reformists, has questioned whether enforcing the hijab was “wise and productive.”With hard-liners dominating the parliament and elections coming up in March, the hijab could become a contested topic ahead of the polls. But anti-hijab comments may not be enough as reformists have seen their popularity wane following the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal under then-President Hassan Rouhani, also considered a moderate. On the streets, many Iranian women and girls still forgo the headscarf despite possible consequences. “After hearing about the bill I made my decision — I will go to my school with the full hijab but I encourage my students to remove it whenever it is possible,” said Mojgan, a 37-year-old secondary school teacher. “My students are already ahead of me on that,” she added.

Russia Says 13 Ukrainian Drones Downed Near Crimea and Moscow
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
Russia said on Thursday that it had downed 13 Ukrainian drones seeking to attack the largest city in Russian-annexed Crimea and Moscow. Russia's defense ministry said two drones were hit by air defenses near Sevastopol, the city in Crimea which serves as Russia's Black Sea navy base, and nine more were jammed and crashed into the Black Sea. One drone was shot down as it approached the Russian capital over the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, and another was shot down over the prestigious Odintsovo district of Moscow region, the defense ministry said. "Today... attempts by the Kyiv regime to carry out terrorist attacks with unmanned aerial vehicles were thwarted," the defense ministry said. It said there were no casualties due to the drones. Drone air strikes deep inside Russia have increased since a drone was destroyed over the Kremlin in early May. Civilian areas of the capital were hit later in May and a Moscow business district was targeted twice in three days earlier this month. In recent days, Ukrainian remotely piloted boats, also referred to as drones, have attacked a Russian fuel tanker and a navy base at Russia's Novorossiysk port on the Black Sea. Ukraine typically does not comment on who is behind attacks on Russian territory, although officials have publicly expressed satisfaction over them. The New York Times reported in May that United States intelligence agencies believed Ukrainian spies or military intelligence were behind the drone strike on the Kremlin.

Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Gunman in West Bank Clash
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian militant in a clash in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade armed group said. The Israeli military said that while operating in the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank, the scene of frequent army raids and fatal clashes over the past 15 months, a Palestinian suspect fired at its troops who shot back. The military said "hits were identified" and the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed one man was killed. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed group associated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, claimed the fighter as a member. US-brokered peace talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem broke down in 2014 and show no sign of resumption. Violence has worsened since last year in the West Bank, territory which Israel captured in the 1967 war and where Palestinians have limited self-rule.

Palestinian President Abbas Fires Nearly All Governors in West Bank in Major Upheaval
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas fired most of the governors in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, responding to long-standing demands for a political shake-up as frustration grows with the semi-autonomous Palestinian Authority. Abbas issued a decree dismissing the governors of eight provinces under Palestinian administration in the occupied territory. The upheaval included the restive northern cities of Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarem, the focus of a recent surge in Palestinian militancy that has undermined the authority’s leadership. Only three areas — including Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority — retained their governors. The president’s office said that he would form a committee to suggest replacements. Although the decision is unlikely to have an immediate impact on the ground, experts said it signals Abbas’ recognition of the authority’s deepening unpopularity and his desire to show that he is heeding calls for change in the face of mounting difficulties. "It gives the authority a new face, which is important particularly as the governors are in charge of all security matters," said political analyst Jehad Harb. "But it won’t change anything really. (Abbas) is trying to rebuild some public trust, but it will take much more." Palestinians have not had the chance to vote in national elections since 2006. Abbas’ original four-year term technically ended in 2009. Although governors said they had expected an overhaul for years given growing demands for change, many said Thursday’s decree took them by surprise. Yet none expressed dissent with the decision of the president, who rule has become increasingly autocratic in the past years. "I can understand how fresh blood is important," said Jihad Abu al-Assal, the governor of Jericho and the Jordan Valley. "This is the president’s decisions and even if we don’t understand all the reasons for it, we will comply." The move comes as the secular nationalist Fatah party, which runs the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, grapples with mounting crises — internal and otherwise. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government has imposed numerous sanctions on the authority, expanded settlements on lands Palestinians seek for a future state and overseen Israeli military raids into West Bank cities that Palestinian officials say weaken their control. Powerful ministers in the government have openly called for the collapse of the authority and the annexation of the West Bank. These policies have been accompanied by a surge in vigilante settler violence against Palestinians. Internal tensions have escalated since 2021, when Abbas delayed Palestinian legislative elections in which Fatah was expected to suffer another embarrassing defeat to the Hamas militant group. Hamas wrested control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 — a year after winning Palestinian parliamentary elections. Over the past two years, surging violence in the occupied West Bank has added to the authority’s troubles. The recently emerging ties between Fatah activists and militant groups — particularly in flashpoint cities such as Jenin and Nablus — have rattled the security establishment and underscored internal divisions. Given that the authority maintains security coordination with Israel, Palestinians increasingly see it less as a government than a vehicle for corruption and collaboration. Public services have declined as strikes for better pay among teachers, lawyers and other civil servants cripple key sectors. Abbas’ decree also fired three governors in the Gaza Strip, whose role has remained symbolic since the 2007 Hamas takeover of the enclave.

Anti-Christian violence in Israel spreads from Jerusalem to Haifa
Rina Bassist/Al Mointor/August 10, 2023
Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the Stella Maris monastery in Haifa on Wednesday to express solidarity with the local Christian community in light of repeated attacks at the site by Jewish ultra-Orthodox extremists. “In recent months, we have seen a very serious phenomenon toward the Christian denominations in the Holy Land," said Herzog. "Our brothers and sisters, Christian citizens, who feel attacked in their places of prayer, in their cemeteries, on the streets. I view this phenomenon as extreme and unacceptable in any shape or form. This phenomenon needs to be uprooted, and I am very grateful to the Israel Police and the law enforcement agencies for taking this issue seriously.” For the past three months, dozens of members of the Hassidic Breslow sect have been arriving at the 17th-century monastery, mainly on Sundays, and holding prayers at the entrance. On at least two such occasions, the gathering ended in a brawl between the Hassidim and the Christian worshipers there to attend Sunday services. A few people have been slightly injured. After the altercations erupted, the monastery stationed guards at the site and began erecting a fence to better control the entrance to the site. The Breslow claim that they only want to pray near the site where according to some Jewish traditions the prophet Alisha is buried. Haifa's Christian residents counter that the Hassidim seek confrontation and are purposely staging provocations to that end. The Christians note that there is no long-standing Jewish tradition of praying at the iconic Stella Maris complex. From their perspective, the change in the social climate in Israel since the establishment of the far-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has encouraged incitement against non-Jews. The Christian community fears that the confrontations will destroy the delicate coexistence in the mixed Jewish-Arab city. The leaders of Christian dominations in Israel are deeply concerned about the increasing number of verbal and physical attacks against clergy members and worshipers as well as the desecration of Christian holy sites. The first such attacks took place in Jerusalem at the beginning of this year. According to the Religious Freedom Data Center, at least 30 hate crimes against Christians were recorded in Jerusalem in June and July. These included spitting at Christians and at Christian sites, vandalizing sites, shouting and cursing at pilgrims, blocking passages, refusing service and entering a church to hold Jewish prayers. Some Christians have been attacked with pepper spray. The incidents have targeted different Christian communities, mostly in Jerusalem's Old City. Herzog condemned the attacks in Jerusalem while speaking on July 9 at the annual commemoration ceremony for Theodor Herzl. “I utterly condemn violence, in all its forms, directed by a small and extreme group, towards the holy places of the Christian faith, and against Christian clergy in Israel in general, and in Jerusalem in particular," he said. "This includes spitting, and the desecration of graves and churches. A serious phenomenon that has occurred in the last weeks and months especially." Herzog added, "The State of Israel is committed to putting an end to this phenomenon."

Israel Conditionally Releases Palestinians Detained over Deadly Israeli Settler Raid
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
Israeli authorities conditionally released on Thursday a Palestinian man and three of his sons who had been detained over clashes with Jewish settlers accused of a deadly attack near a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank last week. Following the incident on Friday near Burqa village in the northern West Bank, two Jewish settlers face possible homicide charges after a 19-year-old Palestinian man was shot dead and another wounded in the leg. The incident, the latest in a series of raids by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank over recent months, drew rare sharp condemnation from the United States, which described it as a "terror attack by Israeli extremist settlers". "What happened today was amazing," said Ismail Taweel, a lawyer for the 54-year-old Ammar Asaliyyeh and his three sons, who were released on bail of 2,000 shekels ($539) each after the court dismissed police accusations they hurled rocks and fireworks at a crowd of Jewish settlers. "The police could not convince the court to keep them detained. The court reviewed the evidence and found that it was false," Taweel said. The four, who were handed the court's decision in Hebrew as a soldier translated it to Arabic, were ordered to remain in Burqa until Aug. 17. Residents of Burqa, a village in the northern West Bank which has seen repeated raids by settlers living in six surrounding Jewish settlements, said the incident began when a group of settlers began harassing Palestinian shepherds. According to the residents, an argument broke out and stones were thrown before more settlers arrived, bringing their number to around 150-200. The settlers vandalized homes and torched cars and as the confrontation escalated, a settler opened fire, killing 19-year-old Qusai Maatan.
Rising settler violence
As Israel continues to expand settlements that most countries deem illegal, settler violence has risen. The United Nations recorded 591 settler-related incidents that led to Palestinian casualties, property damage or both in the first six months of 2023, the highest daily average since 2006. Thursday's arraignment hearing in a military court followed proceedings this week in which two settlers were accused of "deliberate or depraved-indifference homicide" with a racist motivation. According to their lawyers, the accused, one of whom is in hospital with a head injury he says was caused by a rock thrown at him, said gunfire was their last resort in self-defense against what he said was hundreds of rock-throwers confronting them. "Their act was to save life, their lives, and other's lives," lawyer Nati Rom said. Israeli military and security officials have warned that the series of attacks on Palestinian villages by Jewish settlers in the West Bank over recent months has placed troops under growing strain and risks undermining national security. Palestinians say such attacks are intended to drive them from their land and accuse authorities of regularly failing to take action to prevent them. "What self-defense?" said Akram Shaawar, a resident of Burqa who said he witnessed Friday's incident. "We are the ones defending our land. They are the ones who mounted an attack on us, who attacked the shepherds," he said. West Bank Palestinians are subject to Israeli military courts where, civil liberties groups say, they are often denied due process of law. As Israeli citizens, the two settlers held in the case have been subject to criminal courts in Jerusalem. The Palestinians and rights groups have pointed to the dual legal systems as an example of Israel practicing apartheid against Palestinians, a claim Israel rejects.

Agreement to Reopen Crossing to Syria’s Northwest Will Safeguard Independent UN Operations, UN Says
Reuters/10 August 2023
The agreement the United Nations reached with Syria to reopen the main border crossing from Türkiye to its opposition-held northwest for six months “safeguards” the independence of UN operations and allows it to provide aid to all parties, the UN said Wednesday. The agreement, which was announced Tuesday night, will reopen the Bab al-Hawa crossing, which had been used for 85% of deliveries to the northwest Idlib region, home to about 4.1 million people. UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the UN is ready to resume operations through Bab al-Hawa as soon as possible but it will take some time to get trucks moving and “I don’t expect anything to happen in the next few days.” The UN-Syria “understanding” on Bab al-Hawa, announced by Haq Tuesday evening, followed his announcement earlier in the day that Syria agreed to keep two other crossings to the northwest, Bab al-Salameh and al-Rai, open for three months until Nov. 13. Haq said Wednesday that Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the understanding on Bab al-Hawa and Syria's extension of authorization to use Bab al-Salameh and al-Rai for three months, and its consent to cross conflict lines at Sarmada and Saraqib, both in the Idlib region, to deliver aid for the next six months. Bab al-Hawa was closed to UN humanitarian operations after the Security Council failed to adopt either of two rival resolutions on July 11 to authorize further deliveries through the crossing. Many people in Idlib have been forced from their homes during Syria's 12-year war, which has killed nearly a half million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. Hundreds of thousands of people in Idlib live in tent settlements and had relied on aid that came through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing. Soon after the Security Council's failure to act, the Syrian government said it would open Bab al-Hawa to the United Nations, but it set unacceptable conditions. Syria had insisted aid deliveries must be done “in full cooperation and coordination with the government,” that the UN would not communicate with “terrorist organizations” and their affiliates, and that the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent would run aid operations. The UN responded that the prohibition on communicating with groups considered “terrorist” by the Syrian government would prevent the UN and partner organizations from engaging with all parties during humanitarian operations. It said in a letter that stipulating aid deliveries must be overseen by the Red Cross or Red Crescent was “neither consistent with the independence of the United Nations nor practical,” since those organizations “are not present in northwest Syria.”Haq said UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths had been engaging with the Syrian government and other parties “to reconcile differences” and ensure the UN’s independence and humanitarian engagement with all parties. Syrian President Bashar Assad opened the two additional crossing points from Türkiye at Bab al-Salameh and al-Rai to increase the flow of assistance to victims of the devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake that ravaged northwestern Syria and southern Türkiye on Feb. 6. Assad extended their operation for three months in May until Aug. 13, and Haq said Tuesday the government informed Griffiths that it would allow the UN to continue using the two crossings until Nov. 13.

Five Turkish Soldiers Killed in Operations in Iraq
Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
Five Turkish soldiers were killed in a clash with militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, Türkiye's defense ministry said on Thursday. The conflict took place in Zap region, where Türkiye has been carrying out a cross-border operation called "Claw-Lock".
Ankara says the offensive is a measure to prevent the PKK from using Iraq as a base to carry out attacks in Türkiye. A Turkish defense ministry official said all five soldiers were killed in the first round of fire by the PKK militants while they were conducting search and scan activity on the field. The PKK has large fortifications around the region, where "the terrain is very tough," but the region will be "cleared up from terrorists" despite attacks, the official added. The PKK, which has bases around northern Iraq, is designated a terrorist group by Türkiye, the United States and European Union. The group launched an insurgency in southeast Türkiye in 1984 in which more than 40,000 people have been killed. As part of the "Operation Claw-Lock," which was launched in April 2022, 586 militants have been "neutralized" to date, Turkish defense ministry also said. "Neutralized" is commonly used by the Turkish military to mean killed.

UN Warns of ‘Greater Fragmentation Risk’ in Sudan
Asharq Al Awsat/10 August 2023
Assistant Secretary-General Martha Ama A. Pobee has warned that the longer the war continues in Sudan, the “greater the risk of fragmentation, foreign interference and erosion of sovereignty.”Pobee said that “more than one hundred days have passed since the eruption of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.”“Clashes between these parties continue in various parts of the country, particularly Khartoum, Bahri, Omdurman, and Darfur, with neither side achieving victory nor making any significant gains,” Pobee said on Wednesday during a security briefing to the Security Council in New York. “Khartoum State remains an epicenter of the conflict, with major combat concentrated around key SAF installations including the Sudanese Armed Forces General Command Headquarters.” Pobee said that “the parties have exacted tremendous suffering on the people of the Darfur region." "The fighting in Darfur continues to reopen the old wounds of ethnic tension of past conflicts in the region. The brutal violence experienced in El Geneina and Sirba are particular examples of this situation. This is deeply worrying and could quickly engulf the country in a prolonged ethnic conflict with regional spillovers," she added. Pobee further welcomed the initiative by Chad “to convene a grouping of Darfurian stakeholders to address the situation in the region” and called for “ensuring the participation of a broad range of stakeholders including armed groups, tribal leaders, civil society, and women’s groups.”
She described the situation in the two Kordofan and the Blue Nile States of Sudan as "fragile", with persistent military actions.
“In North Kordofan, SAF controls El Obeid city while RSF is controlling areas around the city. Since June, the SPLM-North Al Hilu faction has continued to make military advancements in SAF-controlled areas in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.”“While the East is relatively calm, there are indications of active mobilization efforts in support of SAF, with the emergence of mobilization committees and establishment of military training camps. The mobilization is particularly worrisome and risks plunging the East into conflict along ethnic lines, further highlighting the fragility of the region,” she remarked.
“The Northern part of the country remains under Sudanese Armed Forces control,” added Pobee. “The conflict in Sudan continues to have immense repercussions on the country and its people who continue to face unimaginable suffering. The humanitarian and protection needs are rising by the day with no signs of a reprieve.” “The indiscriminate and sometimes targeted attacks on civilians and civilian objects and infrastructure continue, particularly in Khartoum, Darfur, and North Kordofan, as the parties continue to disregard calls to protect civilians and uphold their international human rights and humanitarian law obligations.”“Sexual violence continues to be perpetrated on a large scale, while children continue to be killed or victimized or are at risk of being recruited to fight. The systematic abductions and killings of human rights defenders in Darfur and Khartoum are on the rise. The parties to the conflict must take concrete actions to end and investigate these violations,” said Pobee. She stressed that the UNITAMS and the wider UN "have on several occasions denounced specific egregious violations such as ethnically-motivated attacks in West Darfur, systematic looting and rape, or aerial bombardments, and has named those responsible."“Hostilities in the country must come to an end and perpetrators should be held accountable for crimes committed, including sexual violence.”Welcoming efforts undertaken by the African Union and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), she commended the United States and Saudi Arabia for their role in facilitating negotiations between conflicting parties. “Let me close by reiterating that there needs to be a negotiated solution to end this war as soon as possible. There is no other alternative.”“The longer this war continues, the greater the risk of fragmentation, foreign interference and erosion of sovereignty, and the loss of Sudan’s future, particularly its youth.”

US to Send $200 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine
Reuters/10 August 2023
The Pentagon will provide Ukraine with $200 million in weapons and ammunition to help sustain Kyiv’s counteroffensive as troops on the front lines face significant hurdles against a well-entrenched Russian defense, according to two US officials. This latest package will include missiles for the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the Patriot air defense system, munitions for howitzers and tanks, Javelin rockets, mine-clearing equipment, 12 million rounds of small arms ammunition and demolition munitions, said a US official. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the aid has not yet been publicly announced. The aid comes as the US funding for Ukraine is nearly all spent and the Biden administration is expected to request a new package of supplemental aid from Congress to continue that support. Ukraine has already received more than $43 billion from the US since Russia invaded last year. Those funds have provided weapons systems like howitzers and millions of rounds of ammunition to fight back against the much larger Russian military. Due to the intense and bloody land war there, much of the ammunition and weaponry has already been used up. In eastern areas of the country, intense fighting between the two sides means that along the front line, “multiple changes” in position and control take place within a day, Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, said Wednesday on her official Telegram channel. The Biden administration is funding the Ukraine war effort through two programs. presidential drawdown authority, or PDA, which pulls weapons from existing US stockpiles; and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, or USAI, which funds long-term contracts for larger weapons systems like tanks that need to be either built or modified by defense companies. Both funding tracks run through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. The administration would already be out of PDA money for fiscal year 2023 if the Pentagon had not discovered it made an accounting error by overvaluing previous rounds of weapons systems given to Ukraine. As a result, it has about $6.2 billion left in PDA money to keep support going until Congress approves additional funds. This latest aid package of $200 million is being drawn from that surplus. “We feel confident that we can continue to supply Ukraine with what it needs on the battlefield,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said at a press briefing Tuesday. “I’m just not going to get ahead of anything in terms of any supplemental or any additional requests to Congress.”There is also about $600 million remaining in fiscal year 2023 USAI funds.

Three Dead After Russian Attack on Ukrainian City of Zaporizhzhia
EPA/10 August 2023
Two young women and a man were killed and nine other people were wounded in a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia late on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday. A Reuters reporter at the scene saw emergency workers lifting a body, putting it on a stretcher, and wrapping it into a black body bag. Rescuers sifted through debris and an ambulance was parked near damaged buildings. "Three people dead and nine people injured including an 11-month baby - this is the result of the strike on the regional center," a statement from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office said. "The Russian shell took away the lives of a 43-year-old man and young women who were 19 and 21." Officials said two of the people had been killed on the spot and a woman had died overnight at a hospital. A video posted by Zelenskiy showed smoke rising from burning and badly damaged buildings next to a church. Zaporizhzhia city council secretary Anatoliy Kurtev said the church had been destroyed and about 15 high-rise buildings had been damaged. The authorities received requests from residents of at least 400 apartments to repair smashed windows and damaged balconies.
Pictures posted by city officials on the Telegram messaging app showed several buses and a row of foldable tables and chairs set up outside near damaged buildings where residents and city workers were filling in papers to record the damages. Ukrainian officials have reported a recent increase in the amount of Russian shelling of the Zaporizhzhia region in the south. Zelenskiy's office said the Russian military over the past 24 hours had conducted 82 strikes on 21 villages and towns across the Zaporizhzhia region, using artillery, missiles and drones.
The Ukrainian military launched an offensive on occupying Russian forces in the key Zaporizhzhia region at the start of the summer and reported steady advances in that direction.

White House Says it Is Watching Pakistan Events ‘with Concern’
EPA/10 August 2023
The United States is watching "with concern" events in Pakistan, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told a briefing on Wednesday. Kirby made his remarks after being asked about the situation in Pakistan, where former Prime Minister Imran Khan was recently imprisoned and there has been a spike in militant attacks. "We're obviously concerned about any actions, particularly violent actions, that can contribute to instability in Pakistan or frankly any other country with whom we share a set of common interests when it comes to counterterrorism, so we're watching it with concern," he said.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he would advise the president to dissolve parliament late on Wednesday, setting the stage for a national election as the country grapples with political and economic crises. "Pakistan is a partner, particularly when it comes to the counterterrorism threat in that part of the world. And we have every expectation that they will remain so," Kirby said. The State Department said on Monday that the arrest of Khan, a critic of the United States, was an internal matter and declined to take a position on his legal troubles.

Western Officials: Niger Junta Warned They’d Kill Deposed President after Any Military Intervention
AP/10 August 2023
Western officials say Niger junta threatened to kill deposed president if neighboring countries intervened militarily. Niger’s junta told a top US diplomat that they would kill deposed President Mohamed Bazoum if regional countries attempted any military intervention to restore his rule, two Western officials told The Associated Press. Representatives of the junta told US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland of the threat to Bazoum during her visit to the country this week, a Western military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. A US official confirmed that account, also speaking on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Bazoum was deposed by coup leaders on July 26 and says he is being held hostage at his residence. West African heads of state began meeting Thursday on next steps after the junta defied their deadline to reinstate the nation's deposed president, but analysts say the bloc known as ECOWAS may be running out of options as support fades for a military intervention. Nine of the 11 heads of state expected to attend were present, including the presidents of Senegal, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone. The non-ECOWAS leaders of Mauritania and Burundi also participated in the closed-door meeting in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. “It is crucial that we prioritize diplomatic negotiations and dialogue as the bedrock of our approach,” said Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who currently chairs the bloc, said before the closed part of the meeting. He said leaders must act with a “sense of urgency,” though appeared to retreat from the bloc’s earlier threat to use force. As the crisis drags on there are increasing concerns for Bazum's safety if a peaceful solution is not found.
Niger was seen as the last country in the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert that Western nations could partner with to counter extremist violence linked to al-Qaida and the ISIS group that has killed thousands and displaced millions of people. The international community is scrambling to find a peaceful solution to the country's leadership crisis.
“Let me tell you, any coup that has succeeded beyond 24 hours has come to stay. So, as it is, they are speaking from the point of strength and advantage,” said Oladeinde Ariyo, a security analyst in Nigeria. “So, negotiating with them will have to be on their terms.”On Wednesday, a Nigerian delegation led by the former Emir of Kano, Khalifa Muhammad Sanusi, met the junta’s leader, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani. The former emir was one of few people allowed to meet Tchiani. West Africa's regional bloc has failed to stem past coups throughout the region. Niger is the fourth country in the 15-member state bloc to have experienced a coup in the last three years. The bloc has imposed harsh economic and travel sanctions. But as the junta becomes more entrenched, the options for negotiations are becoming limited, said Andrew Lebovich, a research fellow with the Clingendael Institute. “It’s very difficult to say what might come out of it, but the fact that the initial deadline passed without intervention and that the (junta) has continued to hold a fairly firm line, indicate that they think they can outlast this pressure,” he said. The main parties’ positions are dangerously far apart, according to the International Crisis Group, which said that if dialogue is going to succeed, each side is going to have to make concessions, which they’ve so far refused to do. Since seizing power, the junta has cut ties with France and exploited popular grievances toward its former colonial ruler to shore up its support base. It also has asked for help from the Russian mercenary group Wagner, which operates in a handful of African countries and has been accused of committing human rights abuses. Moscow is using Wagner and other channels of influence to discredit Western nations, asserted Lou Osborn, an investigator with All Eyes on Wagner, a project focusing on the group. Tactics include using social media to spread rumors about Wagner's upcoming arrival to Niger and employing fake accounts to mobilize demonstrations and spread false narratives, Osborn said. “Their objective is not to support the junta or an alternative political approach but to sow discord, create chaos, destabilize,” she said. She pointed to a Telegram post on Wednesday by an alleged Wagner operative, Alexander Ivanov, asserting that France had begun the “mass removal of children” likely to be used for slave labor and sexual exploitation. Neither Russia's government nor Wagner responded to questions. While there's no reason to believe Russia was behind the coup, it will leverage the opportunity to gain a stronger foothold in the region, something Western nations were trying to avoid, Sahel experts say. France and the United States have more than 2,500 military personnel in Niger and along with other European nations have poured hundreds of millions of dollars of military assistance into propping up the country's forces. Much of that aid has now been suspended. Meanwhile, Niger's approximately 25 million people are feeling the impact of the sanctions. Some neighborhoods in the capital, Niamey have little access to electricity and there are frequent power cuts across the city. The country gets up to 90% of its power from Nigeria, which has cut off some of the supply. Since the coup, Hamidou Albade, 48, said he's been unable to run his shop on the outskirts of Niamey because there's been no electricity. He also works as a taxi driver but lost business there, too, because a lot of his foreign clients have left the city. “It's very difficult, I just sit at home doing nothing,” he said. Still, he supports the junta. “We’re suffering now, but I know the junta will find a solution to get out of the crisis,” he said.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 10-11/2023
Paraded Naked and Gang-Raped: The Persecution of Christians in India
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/August 10, 2023
"The viral video captures the harrowing ordeal endured by two Christian women.... [They] were paraded naked while a mob of men molested and beat them mercilessly.... [T]he younger woman, aged only 19, was brutally gang-raped by the enraged mob...." — Report, British Asian Christian Association, May 21, 2023.
"To add to the horror, four police officers reportedly stood by and watched as the frenzied attack unfolded, making no attempt to intervene." — Report, British Asian Christian Association, May 21, 2023.
In the video, the [Hindu] Meitei tribal group can be heard shouting: "If you don't take off your clothes, we'll kill you." — Report, British Asian Christian Association, May 21, 2023.
"In a disturbing twist, the survivors have alleged that the police officers may have actively participated in or facilitated the heinous attack. There are claims that the officers led the women directly to the mob of 800 to 1000 men" — Report, British Asian Christian Association, May 21, 2023.
Several Christians—including a young child—were burned alive by the Hindu tribesmen, according to Morning Star News.
Notably, both the Hindu government and the international press totally sideline the religious identity of both the attackers and the victims, and speak only of "sectarian clashes" between the Meitei (Hindu) and Kuki (Christian).
This is a familiar tactic—as when the Western media talk of Fulani herdsmen clashing with farmers in Nigeria. In reality, the Fulani are Muslims who are engaged in a genocidal jihad on the "farmers," who are Christian.
It would appear that religion — specifically the rise of Hindu nationalism, which views ethnic Indians who are Christians as traitors — is, once again, the ultimate factor fueling clashes....
"Local police throughout India allow Hindu extremist mobs to attack hapless Christians without consequences." — Archbishop Joseph D'Souza of the Anglican Good Shepherd Church of India and President of the All India Christian Council, stream.org, July 21, 2023.
"At this point it is obvious to state that Kuki Christians are under full scale attack by radicalized Hindu groups, and that the police are ignoring this injustice." — thewire.in, July 20, 2023.
The growing persecution of Christians in India has even propelled that nation into being ranked the eleventh-worst country in the world to persecute Christians, according to the World Watch List.
Stripping Christian women naked, and publicly parading and gang raping them is just the start.
The growing persecution of Christians in India has even propelled that nation into being ranked the eleventh-worst country in the world to persecute Christians, according to the World Watch List. Pictured: The remains of a burnt church in the village of Langching, in India's northeastern Manipur State, on May 31, 2023. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
A recent atrocity, caught on video, highlights the horrific situation of Christian minorities in Hindu India.
According to one report:
"The viral video captures the harrowing ordeal endured by two Christian women from Manipur. On May 4, 2023, the women were paraded naked while a mob of men molested and beat them mercilessly. Tragically, the younger woman, aged only 19, was brutally gang-raped by the enraged mob, which included members of the Meitei [Hindu] tribe. To add to the horror, four police officers reportedly stood by and watched as the frenzied attack unfolded, making no attempt to intervene.
"In the video the Meitei tribal group can be heard shouting: 'If you don't take off your clothes, we'll kill you.' The women are then publicly groped, slapped and punched. The women can be heard pleading for mercy as they continually sob and groan in anguish.
"In a disturbing twist, the survivors have alleged that the police officers may have actively participated in or facilitated the heinous attack. There are claims that the officers led the women directly to the mob of 800 to 1000 men or were present during the assault. The tragic violence occurred after the women fled their village to hide in a forest after it had been razed to the ground by the Hindu Meitei. In search of safety, the women and three others encountered the police officers, who offered help but tragically led them into the hands of the violent mob.
"While the mob gang-raped the youngest woman publicly, her brother and father struggled to protect her. In the ensuing violence the two men were killed by the frenzied mob....
"The shocking incident took place amidst escalating ethnic clashes between the Meitei (Hindu) and Kuki (Christian) communities in Manipur."
Riots began after the Meitei people, who are mostly Hindu and form the majority of India's northeastern Manipur State, insisted on receiving the same status and benefits allotted by the government to the historically marginalized minority tribes of the state, one of which is the Christian Kuki (Protestant, mostly Baptists). When push came to shove, rioting erupted between the minority tribes and the majority Meitei, culminating with the Hindus rioting all throughout Manipur. As a result:
"At least 317 church buildings have been destroyed in the violence since May 3, according to local sources. The unrest has claimed more than 160 lives in the state, according to unofficial estimates, with official figures on June 2 putting the figure at 98 dead and 310 people injured; a disproportionate number were Christian tribal people, local sources said."
Several Christians—including a young child—were burned alive by the Hindu tribesmen. "They have no regard for women and children," a local said. "A woman was killed inside the church while she was praying, that's how merciless they are."
From the start of Meitei attacks in early May, the Indian government has been largely silent—speaking up only after the video of the two naked Christian women went viral on July 19. On the following day, July 20, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his "outrage":
"I want to assure the nation, no guilty will be spared. Action will be taken according to the law. What happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven... [M]y heart is filled with pain and anger. The Manipur incident is shameful for any civilised nation. The entire country has been shamed."
As one report notes, however, "The first arrest, 77 days after the incident, was reported today [July 20], a day after the video went viral," and the same day Modi finally acknowledged the magnitude of what had been happening in Manipur.
As a result:
"Criticism has been directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Manipur government for their delayed response to the incident. Only after the graphic video of the attack went viral did the Prime Minister address the issue, raising concerns about possible political motivations behind the belated reaction."
Notably, both the Hindu government and the international press totally sideline the religious identity of both the attackers and the victims, and speak only of "sectarian clashes" between the (Hindu) Meitei and (Christian) Kuki.
This is a familiar tactic — as when the Western media talk of Fulani herdsmen clashing with farmers in Nigeria. In reality, the Fulani are Muslims who are engaged in a genocidal jihad on the "farmers," who are Christian.
It would appear that religion — specifically the rise of Hindu nationalism, which views ethnic Indians who are Christians as traitors — is, once again, the ultimate factor fueling clashes in Manipur. "The mobs after burning churches were hoisting their flag on the top of the churches," a Kuki pastor said of the violence. "It is like they were trying to portray that they have conquered the church — the religious sacred place of our worship."
Similarly, after blaming the Manipur government and police of "complicity" in the "heinous violence," Archbishop Joseph D'Souza of the Anglican Good Shepherd Church of India and President of the All India Christian Council, wrote:
"This is indeed the state of affairs wherever minority Christians have been attacked in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and other states. Local police throughout India allow Hindu extremist mobs to attack hapless Christians without consequences.
"As the news of this violence emerges, the Christian identity of the Kuki population in Manipur fails to make the headlines. But Indian authorities can no longer deny the reality that this is a religious attack, and also a barbaric ethnic cleansing of a people group....
"The Chief Minister of Manipur — who has been sympathetic to the Meitei Hindu extremists — claiming there were hundreds of similar incidents on both sides is greatly misleading. When he speaks of unrest happening on both sides, he fails to mention that the vast majority of the victims are Kuki Christians.
"When the BJP Vice President of the neighboring State of Mizoram resigned, he stated that in his opinion the BJP has become an anti-Christian party. This has brought clearer awareness throughout India, and throughout the world, that the rapes and murders of numerous women, and the burning of homes and churches, clearly represent targeted attacks against Kuki Christians.
"At this point it is obvious to state that Kuki Christians are under full scale attack by radicalized Hindu groups, and that the police are ignoring this injustice. There is no denying the destruction of hundreds of churches, the massive number of displaced Kuki Christians, and the brutal rape of their women."
Or consider the words of Archbishop Dominic Lumon of Imphal:
"The revival of indigenous religion and the emergence of militia groups.... to protect their traditional religion (Sanamahism) and prevent the [supposed] onslaught of Christianity at all cost is a fact not known to many from outside of the State of Manipur. Reports are that Meitei Christians are warned with dire consequences if not returned to their original religion. Some pastors have been indicated not to rebuild the churches. There is systematic silencing of minorities. Is this not another 'Ghar Wapsi'?"
"Ghar Wapsi" means "returning home." It is a reference to the ongoing program undertaken by various Hindu nationalist organizations to "convince" wayward Hindus who may have converted to Christianity or other religions to come "back home" to the state religion of Hinduism.
The growing persecution of Christians in India has even propelled that nation into being ranked the eleventh-worst country in the world to persecute Christians, according to the World Watch List. According to that report:
"[I]n 2023, in some states [in India], it's a scary place to be a Christian.
"In recent years there has been a big increase in Hindutva, an ideology that believes only Hindus are true Indians, and that Christians, Muslims and other religious minorities have 'foreign' roots and must be expelled. Hindu extremists seem able to attack others with impunity, even using extreme violence in some parts of the country.
"Increasing numbers of states are implementing anti-conversion laws, supposedly to stop Hindus being forcibly converted to other religions, but in reality they are often used as an excuse to harass and intimidate Christians who are just doing things like distributing aid or having a private church meeting. These laws do not seem to protect Christians from being coerced back into Hinduism.
"Christians increasingly experience social exclusion in their communities, discrimination in the workplace, and have false accusations and rumours spread about them.
"The Christians most at risk are those who have come to faith from a Hindu background. In some parts of India, many face constant pressure to return to Hinduism, social exclusion, discrimination at work, physical assaults and are sometimes even killed. Church leaders are particularly vulnerable too; being a pastor is one of the riskiest vocations in the country today. Hindu extremists target them, their wives and children with violent attacks to sow fear in the wider Christian community."
The report designates the persecution experienced by Christians in India as "extreme" — the worst category possible. "Extreme" is the same designation used to describe the persecution that occurs in even the top three persecuting nations, North Korea, Somalia, and Yemen, respectively.
Stripping Christian women naked, and publicly parading and gang raping them is just the start.
*Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West, Sword and Scimitar, Crucified Again, and The Al Qaeda Reader, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 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.
**Picture Enclosed: The remains of a burnt church in the village of Langching, in India's northeastern Manipur State, on May 31, 2023. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)

The Two Parallel Tracks of the Palestinian Cause
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/August 10/2023
The contrast between the two sides of the Palestinian cause, domestic and global, has never been as sharp as it is today:
On the one hand, current global support and sympathy for the Palestinian cause are unprecedented, and this is not exclusively a consequence of the very dark days Israel is undergoing. Added to this factor is a more important process that began earlier: the movement against occupation and the settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories is expanding in the West, and across the world, and resentment of Israel’s disregard for international law and its dictates is growing.
Critics of the Jewish state are no longer limited to university students and marginal political parties in the West, nor abhorrent and reprehensible military regimes and police-states across the globe. We can now also find critics in the mainstream parties of democratic countries as well. In turn, the end of traditional media’s stranglehold and the rising influence of social media, have also pushed things in this direction. Moreover, this tendency has been reinforced by a change in cultural mood, as sympathies shift from the strong to the weak, and from the victor to the vanquished...
Thus, Palestinian rights have become an item on the broad humanitarian agenda, as well as becoming among the demands for global justice and equality, though it has also become an item on the list of populist demands that are opposed - with and without justifiable cause - to the West.
On the other hand, the added value that is this support for the Palestinian cause is turning into support for an unrealized utopia, one that there might not be room for on earth or in reality. It is like a gift that has no one to receive it, or pouring water into a sieve.
This hurts a lot, but the abundance and complexity of its sources mean that alleviating this pain takes more than expressing it. Indeed, an ongoing intra-Palestinian civil war that flares up only to die out, then dies out only to flare up again, is being fought on several fronts and locations at varying degrees of intensity. The fact is that ensuring a ceasefire or averting new clashes, rather than seeking a common strategy or any other ambitious objective, has become the actual goal.
The El Alamein talks among the Palestinian factions came to nothing more than “continuing the dialogue,” for which a committee would be formed. This might be the thousandth such committee formed after the thousand previous attempts to “end the division” that never ends.
In contrast to this paralysis, belligerent activity and dynamics climaxed in the Ain el-Hilweh camp in South Lebanon, with Fatah on one side, and “Ansar Allah” and other Islamic organizations with close ties to the Lebanese Hezbollah on the other. In addition to the victims and the mass displacement of camp residents already suffering from terrible living conditions that can only engender despondency, the clashes brought questions of unregulated Palestinian armaments and the camps’ security lying outside the Lebanese state’s jurisdiction back to the fore. As usual, memories of the civil war found a spark to rekindle them in these events, though they are always hypervigilant in Lebanon.
And Jenin itself, as well as other regions and cities in the West Bank, were deeply hit by the tensions between the Palestinian Authority and the militants backed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In fact, many observers warn that the likelihood of an implosion is very high and that it could happen at any moment. As for the “resisting” Gaza Strip, it witnessed mass demonstrations making targeted demands for basic practical improvements to living conditions, which are weighing heavily on an already deeply oppressed population thanks to the Hamas government’s good work.
On top of these schisms crowned by the 16-year-long rupture between the West Bank and Gaza, the aging leaders of the two “states” are totally estranged from the growing youth population and its concerns. Not to mention a hallmark of Palestinian national action, the susceptibility of its demands and causes to proliferate and diverge according to Palestinians’ multiple regions and countries of residence, to say nothing about their divergent allegiances.
It is clear that these problems, which are of course very complex, will not be resolved by the triumphalist tone that Tehran and its Palestinian and Lebanese loyalists are pushing, tirelessly exalting the “immense achievements” of the resistance and navigating storms with paper boats. More than this, this tone adds to these contradictions and presents another indication of their gravity. This is manifested in linking what is left of the Palestinian cause, through this or that faction, to the policies of Tehran and its allies, bearing in mind that this linkage exacerbates the disputes existing present among the Palestinians. This state of affairs is also reflected in embroiling them in issues that are not theirs and certainly do not serve any of their interests.
It is no exaggeration to stipulate that these factors, especially Iran’s involvement, could harm the global coalition built around supporting Palestine and the Palestinians. As a result, and as is the case with all parallel tracks, we find ourselves faced with two lines that will never intersect: one will go on espousing its utopian discourse that pleases the heart, and the second will continue to commit acts of violence, perpetuate civil strife, and espouse its noisy triumphalist rhetoric that bleeds the mind.

New beginnings, old problems: why France is failing in Africa
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/August 10, 2023
France’s relations in Africa have been strained. The setback in Niger jeopardizes the country’s entire positioning in West Africa, both militarily and politically. Unfortunately, for French President Emmanuel Macron, this is not the only place where his administration is facing failure. We might even dare to ask: Is France about to lose North Africa as well? Indeed, relations between France and Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya have been extremely tense.
One significant focus for Macron has been resetting relations with Algeria. The upcoming official visit of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to France is intended to mark a new beginning. Regrettably, Macron has not been able to achieve this so far. This has already come at the cost of excellent relations with Morocco. In his efforts to improve ties with Algiers, the French leader has shifted his historical stance on the Western Sahara, straining his relationship with Morocco. For many, he ended up losing Morocco without gaining Algeria.
This might pinpoint the exact problem with French foreign policy. While seeking a complete reset and departure from the old colonialist perception of France, the policy has not been adequately formulated in terms of military, security and economic strategy. As a result, to most African countries within France’s sphere of influence, it appears to be a weak and unappealing offering. The main issue is that despite uttering words of regret for colonialism, France continues to lecture, rather than engage in meaningful relationships. Furthermore, the balance of power has shifted, largely due to Europe’s unmet energy and raw materials needs.
This sentiment might be gleaned from Tebboune’s statement that his state visit to France is “still maintained,” but depends on the Elysee Palace’s schedule, emphasizing that a “state visit has conditions” and “is not a tourist visit.” The visit, initially scheduled for early May, was postponed to June due to concerns among Algerians that it might be overshadowed by the May 1 demonstrations over highly contested pension reforms in France.
However, the Algerian leader has yet to make the visit, which is intended to solidify improved relations between the two countries following numerous diplomatic crises. Instead, he traveled to Russia in June, where he received a grand reception from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Algiers and Moscow have maintained privileged relations for a long time. Tebboune said: “Our visit to Russia yielded concrete results,” adding that state visits to China, Italy, and Portugal have also been successful.
This illustrates that the approach of giving lessons could have worked in the past when France faced little competition in Africa and North Africa. However, in the present day, it must contend with China and Russia. Make no mistake, significant strides have been made by both countries in recent years. While grappling with the Ukrainian conflict, Russia has been able to strengthen its relations and establish military agreements with many African countries. Meanwhile, China has presented pragmatic and constructive solutions for infrastructure development and trade partnerships. In essence, they are offering a better deal.
It is also no coincidence that a robust communication and activist campaign has emerged in both Africa and France, aimed at breaking away from France’s previous colonialist role. This places even more pressure on Macron. Declarations of a new chapter or reset cannot merely be superficial, but must possess genuine substance.
No one denies the horrendous impact of French colonialism, especially in Algeria, which earned the moniker “Country of the Million Martyrs” due to the loss of life and immense sacrifices made by Algerians during their struggle for independence from French rule. This term acknowledges the countless individuals who died or suffered as a consequence of the violence, repression and conflicts that characterized Algeria’s fight for freedom. In this context, Algerian political forces are determined to assert their new position south of the Mediterranean, and to truly reset and rebalance relations with France and the West at large.
However, there is a specific reason this anti-colonial sentiment is spreading: France and the West are weakening on the international stage, and this serves as a rallying point. This weakening is also prompting a different discourse domestically, as the recent protests show. The progressive left’s agendas are intensifying pressure by advocating a break from institutional aspects of the old world order.
Despite uttering words of regret for colonialism, France continues to lecture, rather than engage in meaningful relationships.
Indeed, France, like the West, is grappling with uncertainty. This might be the most pressing issue, as the debate revolves around the country’s own identity. This agenda is championed by the progressive left, which leverages France’s colonial past to draw parallels with what it perceives as continuing oppression. All of this comes at a time when Europe and the West have less influence over the world’s fate and are even threatened by a new global order.
Tense relations between France and Italy on Libya reveal this state of doubt. The key issue is not positive bilateral relations with their African counterparts, but a fight to access energy. This highlights European weaknesses at a time of alternatives for trade and security partnerships. Indeed, China is offering a much better long-term partnership than Europe.
Can Macron reverse the tide? Can he reset relations with Algeria? This depends on what he can deliver, underscoring the need for a comprehensive reset of an overarching strategic foreign policy that should be inscribed with the EU.
*Khaled Abou Zahr is the founder of Barbicane, a space-focused investment syndication platform. He is CEO of EurabiaMedia and editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.

Growing protest movement is a wake-up call for all Israelis
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/August 10, 2023
In the US, pro-Israeli democracy activists this week asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to meet with protest leaders during his current visit to Israel to better assess the gravity of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul.
Protests sparked by the Netanyahu government’s actions are gaining momentum. People are gathering every day to demand the prime minister step down. The protests, meanwhile, seem to have awakened a new consciousness. Israelis are beginning to sense the danger posed by the settler movement. This is no longer seen as a movement on the fringes, but is perceived by a large faction of Israelis as a clear and present danger, threatening the state and the basic foundations of democracy.
The protesters’ view today is that the fight is between the state of Israel and the settler regime. We are still far away from a large-scale popular movement inside Israel to end its occupation of Palestine. However, we might be witnessing the planting of the seeds for such a movement. Hence, it is time to push the envelope, and this is why the protests should be encouraged. The protests’ potential extends beyond removing Netanyahu or his extremist allies Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich; it is about a change in the Israeli psyche.
Many Israelis are coming to the realization that the settler regime is threatening to take over their country. The settler system can no longer be confined to the West Bank. It is no longer a phenomenon that can be ignored while people enjoy living in a modern state in cities such as Tel Aviv. It is haunting them in their homes. The country is becoming divided along pro and anti-Netanyahu lines. An American friend who is witnessing the turmoil told me that pro-Netanyahu fanatics are blocking the entrance of anti-Netanyahu neighborhoods and kibbutzim. He described the situation as “unstable” and “worrying,” and added that many of his relatives living in Israel are contemplating moving to Europe or the US.
Israelis are beginning to see that they created a monster that is coming back to haunt them. It is no longer an issue concerning only the Palestinians, their freedom, or their dignity, but one that is also affecting the Israeli identity. Also, the Israelis are starting to realize that they are losing international respect. We are starting to talk about Israeli terrorism. The US described the Israeli settler attack in which a Palestinian teenager was killed as terrorism. The last thing Israelis want is the stigma of terrorism.
The settlers do not care if Israel becomes a ghetto. However, mainstream Israelis do not want to live in a ghetto; they want to be accepted and normalized.
Americans are starting to criticize Israel and highlighting Palestinian rights. US Democrat senators Tim Kaine and Chris Van Hollen issued a statement saying that any normalization with Saudi Arabia should be tied to Palestine’s right to statehood, echoing the Kingdom’s long-term demands. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobby group can no longer bring US lawmakers to visit a fantasyland where they see that everything is nice and dandy, and meet hand-picked Palestinians who repeat the AIPAC fairy tale about Israel. No, now Americans are seeing the ugly truth that people such as Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have no shame in spelling out their dangerous objectives.
The protests in Israel and their evolving narrative mark the beginning of a change in the Israeli mindset. Israelis are starting to look in the mirror and ask themselves, who are we? Are we a democracy, or an authoritarian theocracy? As Israelis face this wake-up call, it is time to open the discussion about occupation, and to raise awareness that democracy cannot be sustained in the presence of occupation. Democracy is inherently inclusive and cannot be exclusive to only the Jewish citizens of Israel. That is why the public discourse in Israel, as well as in the US, should focus on how the settler movement, not Hamas or Iran, is the biggest existential threat to the country. It is important to highlight that the activities the new government is engaging in — the settlements, the provocative visits to the Haram Al-Sharif that are compromising the status quo in East Jerusalem — will make any peace talks with the Islamic world impossible. Do Israelis want that? Do they want animosity with the entire Muslim world? Do they want to be accused of terrorism? These are the questions that should be circulated in the Israeli public discourse.
The settlers do not care if Israel becomes a ghetto. However, mainstream Israelis do not want to live in a ghetto; they want to be accepted and normalized. This is where the link between the occupation and the settler threat to the state of Israel is hitting the Israeli psyche. It is a very good turn of events for the Palestinians and for a potential solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Now is the time to relaunch the Arab peace initiative, and to present it as a solution for Israel. It should not be presented solely as a plan that will allow Israelis to live side by side with Palestinians in peace, but as one that will allow Israelis to live in peace in general.
• Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on lobbying. She is president of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II.