Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 12-13/2023
Is Kahale's incident a turning point?
LBCI/August 12, 2023
Will the loud tone of speeches here and there and the verbal war lead to a conflict in the streets that might escalate into turmoil? Some believed that the Kataeb Party, through its officials, went beyond raising the rhetoric after Kahale incident and accused it of exploiting it, especially following the party leader Deputy Sami Gemayel's statement that "the struggle from now on will not be traditional politics but rather an existential and foundational struggle." He mentioned that after Monday, there will be a different discourse. Is there an intention to return to arming people? A Kataeb source said, "This is never our direction, and we do not believe in using weapons to resolve conflicts. Our fundamental disagreement with Hezbollah is because it's an armed party. However, there are peaceful and nonviolent paths that we will adopt to achieve our goals, given Hezbollah's stubbornness and its pursuit of control over the country and its affairs. Moreover, the same source explained, "We will strive, especially from next week, with allied and friendly forces, for various options to strengthen our actions against Hezbollah's weapons, whose fate has been determined by international decisions." "We will also seek to convince other parties of our choice and launch the liberation march in Lebanon," the source stressed. On another note, a Lebanese Forces source pointed out, "While the expression methods might differ slightly between us and the Kataeb, the basic part is shared with them and other sovereign forces. Our escalation against Hezbollah is undoubtedly a political escalation.""Hezbollah must realize after this incident that the Lebanese environment is hostile to its project, which has led Lebanon to emptiness and successive collapses, endangering the security of the Lebanese people," the LF source added. Furthermore, the source indicated, "We want to understand what happened and calm the situation. We never want to lead the country into war. This represents the stance of the Free Patriotic Movement, which considers President Michel Aoun's words to be the finest framework under which we will work." The sources then emphasized that the "Kahale incident will not lead to a rupture between us and Hezbollah, and we will not engage in any alignment. After drawing lessons from it, we will continue to engage in dialogue with them. What happened cannot be overlooked but cannot be dwelled upon either." However, sources from Hezbollah believed that calm served the interests of all parties in the aftermath of the incident, saying, "We are very pleased with what Bishop Abdel Sater's sermon contained, as it contributes to soothing the situation." Additionally, Hezbollah hopes the military judiciary in its investigations will achieve the desired outcome and uphold justice. Hezbollah party is committed to dialogue with most of Lebanon's components, especially the Christian ones. Despite some inappropriate statements – as described – by officials in the Free Patriotic Movement, we have been keen on continuing bilateral communication with them, especially in presidential matters. "Matters are moving towards calming circumstances," Hezbollah stressed.

Kataeb denies intention to take up arms after Kahale incident
Naharnet/12 August 2023
A Kataeb Party source has clarified remarks voiced by party chief Sami Gemayel from the unrest-hit town of Kahale, noting that the Kataeb leader did not call for taking up arms to confront Hezbollah. “We are no longer in traditional political moment and Hezbollah must decided whether or not it wants to live with the rest of the Lebanese under the ceiling of the constitution and equality,” the source told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks published Saturday. Gemayel had announced in a speech from Kahale in the wake of a deadly clash with Hezbollah there that his party is “no longer willing to coexist with an armed militia in Lebanon,” revealing that “practical steps and decisions will be taken.”Denying that Gemayel had meant to say that the party members would take up arms, the source clarified: “Kataeb considers Lebanon to be hijacked and the Lebanese to be hostages in the hands of Hezbollah. All constitutional junctures have also become the hostage of its will and this has been proven through obstruction and the approach of imposition.”“There is no use anymore from all the traditional political debates which are deviating attention from the main problem, which is restoring the decision and state of the Lebanese,” the source said. “We will seek to unify the forces in order to show resilience domestically and internationally, demand the implementation of U.N. resolutions 1559 and 1701, and find a drastic solution for the problem of weapons, because we do not believe in violence as a way to resolve conflicts,” the source added. “The party has a roadmap that it will discuss with the partners in the opposition in order to launch the liberation course,” the source said.

Preliminary audit report slams central bank and Salameh
Agence France Presse/12 August 2023
A preliminary forensic audit of Lebanon's central bank by professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) has painted a damning picture of the institution under long-serving former governor Riad Salameh. Since late 2019, Lebanon has been mired in an economic crisis that the World Bank has dubbed one of the worst in modern times, but officials have largely failed to take action to stem the collapse or implement reforms demanded by creditors. An audit of the central bank has been among the top demands of creditors as Lebanon seeks bailout funds. The financial position of the central bank (BdL) "deteriorated rapidly" between 2015 and 2020, according to a leaked copy of the preliminary report which was seen by AFP. "However, this deterioration was not reported in BdL's balance sheet presented in its annual financial statements, which were prepared using unconventional accounting policies," it said. Those policies allowed the central bank "to overstate assets, equity and profits while understating liabilities," it added. Former governor Salameh, who left his post at the end of last month, is widely viewed as a key culprit in the country's dramatic economic crash. On Thursday, Britain, Canada and the United States announced sweeping sanctions against the 73-year-old, who is also wanted in Europe for alleged financial crimes. Salameh has denied all charges against him. In 2015, he launched so-called financial engineering measures aimed at increasing central bank reserves, in measures that some have compared to a Ponzi scheme. The preliminary audit report said the central bank's "accounting policy in respect of financial engineering was exceptional in the extent of personal, unscrutinized discretion given to the governor to determine accounting estimates," it said, calling the measures "costly".
'Misconduct' -
It recommended "immediate action" to "introduce further governance, oversight and scrutiny measures to mitigate any further risk arising from BdL's misconduct."It also recommended implementing "strong internal controls across BdL's risk taking departments." Salameh is the subject of judicial investigations at home and abroad into allegations including embezzlement. In May, judicial authorities in France and Munich in Germany issued arrest warrants for Salameh over accusations including money laundering and fraud. Lebanon does not extradite its nationals. European investigators have been probing the central bank's ties to Forry Associates Ltd, a British Virgin Islands-registered company that listed Salameh's brother Raja as its beneficiary.The U.S. Treasury said on Thursday that Forry was a "shell company" used "to divert approximately $330 million from transactions involving the BdL.""Salameh and Raja then moved these funds to bank accounts in their own names or the names of other shell companies," the statement said. A&M's preliminary audit report said "there is evidence of the payment of illegitimate commissions during the period totalling $111 million." "This appears to be a continuation of the commission scheme under investigation by Lebanese and international prosecuting authorities," the report said. "We have identified no records to confirm that a service was actually performed to justify the commission payments," it added. A&M had agreed to complete its work in 12 weeks, the preliminary report said, but "the review was in fact completed 49 weeks after mobilization due to the frequent delays in receipt of data."It cited "many challenges in conducting the forensic audit, including that we have not been allowed access on site at BdL, nor have we been permitted to conduct interviews with BdL staff or leadership."

Cyprus repatriated more than 100 Syrian migrants to Lebanon
LBCI/August 12, 2023
The United Nations Refugee Agency expressed its concern today over the return of over 100 Syrians from Cyprus to Lebanon without determining whether they are in need of legal protection or could face deportation to their home country. This statement was relayed by the Lebanese National News Agency from the Associated Press. The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cyprus stated, "Deportation and transportation operations between countries without legal and procedural guarantees for individuals who may require international protection are in violation of international and European law." The UNHCR office indicated that such transportation operations could lead to returning individuals to a country where they may face various risks. Lisa Abu Khaled, spokesperson for the UNHCR office for Lebanon, stated that "the 109 migrants who were returned from Cyprus were mostly deported to Syria after an investigation by the Lebanese army." These 109 migrants had arrived in Cyprus on three separate boats between July 29th and August 2nd before being returned via a vessel under the supervision of the Cypriot police. The Cypriot government mentioned that "these repatriation operations are carried out legally in accordance with the bilateral agreement signed by Nicosia and Lebanon in 2004." Louizos Haji-Ioannou, an official at the Cypriot Ministry of Interior, affirmed that "the agreement obliges Beirut to prevent and halt illegal border crossings and irregular migration of individuals leaving Lebanon." Haji-Ioannou stated, "These individuals have been returned to Lebanon, which is considered safe, where they enjoy the benefits granted to hundreds of thousands of refugees in the country. Under these circumstances, we believe that they do not face any danger, and their choice to sail towards a European Union member state is primarily for clear economic reasons." He added, "Cyprus is by no means involved in repatriating migrants to their home countries and never refuses to assist in case of search and rescue operations to protect lives first and foremost."

"An Insult to Culture": MP Mark Daou Criticizes Minister Mourtada for Opposing Homosexuality Decriminalization Proposal in Lebanon
LBCI/August 12, 2023
As the debate over decriminalizing homosexuality in Lebanon rages on, MP Mark Daou has firmly positioned himself in support, delivering a blistering rebuke to Culture Minister Mohammad Wissam Mourtada who opposes the move. Mourtada, backed by both Amal and Hezbollah, recently came under fire for his call to ban the Barbie movie, citing its incompatibility with Lebanon's societal norms and morals. Furthermore, he criticized the MPs behind the decriminalization draft, suggesting that such a proposal ran counter to religious teachings and societal values. In July 2023, MP Mark Daou, along with several other notable MPs, co-sponsored a legislative proposal to decriminalize homosexuality in Lebanon. The draft law, introduced last month, was supported by MPs including Najat Aoun, Paula Yacoubian, Camille Chamoun, Cynthia Zarazir, George Okais, Adib Abdel Massih, Nada Boustani, and Elias Hankash. Significantly, this initiative has the political backing of a several Change and Independent MPs, Lebanese Forces, Free Patriotic Movement, and the Kataeb party. Responding with fervor, Daou asserted, "It's an insult to culture that this person holds the title of Minister. An insult to the judiciary that he holds a judicial position." He proceeded to label Mourtada as a "Minister of promoting virtue and preventing vice", implying that Mourtada envisions Lebanon as a theocratic state with religion at the helm of its legal system. Highlighting Mourtada's concerns over a "Barbie movie", Daou blasted him for his regressive views. "The Lebanese constitution clearly states in its preamble that Lebanon adheres to international conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in stark contrast to the baseless assertions of the so-called 'Culture Advocate'," Daou pointed out. Drawing attention to articles 7 and 8 of the constitution, Daou underlined that they guarantee equality, personal freedom, and protection under the law for all Lebanese. Moreover, Daou took issue with Mourtada's selective referencing of Saint Paul and advised him to study the broader perspective of the global church. He reminded Mourtada that Pope Francis declared that homosexuality isn't a sin and that the Maronite Church in Lebanon aligns with Rome's teachings. Labeling Mourtada "an insult to culture and justice", Daou called for his widespread boycott, ridiculing his misguided constitutional references and self-righteous claims.

Lebanon army arrests 134 Europe-bound migrants
AFP/August 12, 2023
BEIRUT: The Lebanese army arrested 134 migrants near the northern border with Syria on Saturday after foiling their attempt to take a boat to Europe, it said in a statement. The group of would-be migrants — made up of 130 Syrians and four Lebanese nationals — were taken into custody in the coastal town of Sheikh Zennad, in Akkar province, the army statement said. The army said it also detained “the mastermind behind the operation” who was a Lebanese national. In a separate statement, Lebanese armed forces said they had arrested 150 Syrians who had crossed into Lebanon illegally in another part of Akkar province.
BACKGROUND
Migrants departing from Lebanon head for Europe, with one of the main destinations being Cyprus, only 175 km away. Lebanon is mired in what the World Bank describes as one of the worst economic crises in modern history. The economic collapse has turned the country into a launchpad for migrants, with its own citizens joining Syrian and Palestinian refugees clamoring to leave by taking dangerous sea routes. Authorities say Lebanon currently hosts around two million Syrians, while more than 800,000 are registered with the UN — the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. Migrants departing from Lebanon head for Europe, with one of the main destinations being Cyprus, only 175 km away. In September 2022, at least 100 bodies were recovered after a boat carrying migrants from Lebanon sank off Syria’s coast. In December 2022, two migrants died and around 200 were rescued when their boat sank off Lebanon’s northern coast. The arrests were reported as French authorities said six people died after a migrant boat trying to cross the Channel from France capsized early on Saturday, with another two people possibly missing. Nearly 60 migrants were saved by French and UK rescue boats and brought to French or British shores and search and rescue operations were ongoing, the maritime prefecture said. Local mayor Franck Dhersin said a vast rescue operation had been launched around 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) as dozens of migrant boats tried to make the crossing at the same time. “Several of the boats were facing serious difficulties,” he told Reuters. “Near (the coastal town of) Sangatte they unfortunately found dead bodies.”The Channel between France and Britain is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and currents are strong, making the crossing on small boats dangerous. People smugglers typically overload rickety dinghies, leaving them barely afloat and at risk of being lashed by the waves as they try to reach British shores. Anne Thorel, a volunteer who was on one of the rescue boats, described the migrants’ frantic efforts to bail water out of their sinking vessel using their shoes. “There were too many of them on the (migrant) boat,” she told Reuters by phone as she returned to the shore. Britain’s coast guard said it sent a lifeboat from Dover to assist with the Channel rescue, along with a coast guard rescue team and ambulance staff. A UK Border Force vessel and two lifeboats helped rescue all those on board another small boat in the Channel in a separate incident on Saturday, the British coast guard added. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government has spent the week making announcements about its efforts to reduce the number of asylum seekers, hoping to win support from voters as the ruling Conservative Party trails in opinion polls. UK government figures show that the number of migrant Channel crossings so far this year stands at nearly 16,000.
In November 2021, 27 migrants died when their dinghy deflated as they tried to cross the Channel. The accident was the worst accident on record involving migrants in the narrow seaway separating the two countries.
There are more frequent, deadlier disasters in the Mediterranean, where a charity rescue ship rescued 76 migrants on an overloaded wooden boat on Saturday. More than 22,000 people have died or gone missing in its waters since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration.=

Safeguarding UNIFIL mandate: Lebanon's diplomatic moves amid Israeli pressures
LBCI/August 12, 2023
Lebanon fully realizes that Israel is attempting to impose additional conditions and not maintain what was established a year ago regarding the UNIFIL mission, which is up for renewal at the end of August in the United Nations Security Council. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun preparations through a subtle diplomatic campaign with the five permanent member states of the Council and the other ten countries to ensure Lebanon's support in rejecting any amendments to the tasks of the international forces operating in the south. This also involves dropping the amendments introduced by Tel Aviv with the support of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France last year by passing the clause of freedom of movement for field patrols of the international forces and conducting inspections without prior permission from the Lebanese Army in the southern Litani area. The Foreign Ministry is working on multiple fronts, with the embassies of the fifteen countries in Lebanon and through Lebanese ambassadors in countries with Lebanese missions. And through the permanent mission at the United Nations Security Council to explain Lebanon's stance in rejecting modifications to UNIFIL's tasks. The aim is to find a milder formula than the one adopted last year, seeking to secure the support of China and Russia and avoiding any US veto. This formula does not deviate from the mandatory coordination with the Lebanese Army, and it is described by a diplomatic source as a moderate approach that satisfies Lebanon without provoking Security Council member states. The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not been officially informed about the leaked information regarding Israel's intention to push for expanding UNIFIL's mandate to include Palestinian camps in southern Lebanon. A source within the ministry stated that this is the first time they have heard such statements. Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib will travel to New York on the 22nd of August to begin consultations with the concerned parties nine days before the renewal session. The diplomatic delegation will include two diplomats as well as the Lebanese Government Coordinator with UNIFIL, Brigadier General Mounir Chehade, who accompanied diplomats from the five countries on a tour of the border areas in the south from Naqoura to the occupied Shebaa Farms, exposing Israeli violations in thirteen different areas.
So, will Lebanon succeed in convincing the Security Council to adopt its proposal, or will the pressure from influential countries in the Council lean towards the Israeli side, potentially leading to the dismissal of the proposal?

Lebanese in Niger: Amid tensions, close monitoring and assistance
LBCI/August 12, 2023
Lebanese authorities have been closely monitoring the situation of the Lebanese people in Niger, the African country that is experiencing tensions following the coup there. The Secretary-General of the Higher Relief Commission, Major General Mohammad Khair, confirmed on Saturday that coordination is taking place with the crisis cell composed of the Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Lebanese Embassy in Côte d'Ivoire, which oversees Niger. However, Khair clarified that the Commission has extended invitations to those unable to return to Lebanon, urging them to communicate with the crisis cell for assistance in their return. Moreover, sources told LBCI that there are no exact figures regarding the number of Lebanese people in Niger, but those who remain do not exceed a hundred individuals, primarily concentrated in the capital, Niamey. The sources said they are awaiting either available evacuation flights, mainly due to the closure of the country's borders, or a resolution of the situation to determine whether to leave or stay. Furthermore, the sources mentioned that the crisis cell has not yet received any data about injuries among the Lebanese or the presence of health cases that require rapid evacuation.

Sayyed Nasrallah meets delegation from National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iran parliament
LBCI/August 12, 2023
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah discussed on Saturday with a delegation from the Foreign Policy and National Security Committee of the Iranian Islamic Consultative Assembly in Iran, led by the committee's head, Jalal Zadeh, and several committee members. The meeting was attended by the Iranian Ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani. The discussions revolved around the latest developments and conditions in Lebanon, Palestine, and the region.

Lebanon’s Mufti: Saudi Efforts in Promoting Moderation are Countless, Endless
Asharq Al Awsat/12 August 2023
Grand Mufti of Lebanon Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian has underlined on Friday the importance of the international Islamic conference that will be held in the Holy City of Makkah on August 13. He said the conference will have a major role in enhancing bonds among Islamic nations, highlighting the countless and endless efforts being exerted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in promoting the values of peace, tolerance, moderation and co-existence. Derian’s remarks came in a press statement marking the upcoming international conference to be held under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, SPA said. He also underlined the Kingdom’s efforts in supporting Islamic causes and promoting joint Arab and Islamic action under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince . Titled, “Communication with the Departments of Religious Affairs, Ifta and Sheikhdoms in the World,” the conference is organized in Makkah by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance.The event will be attended by scholars, muftis and heads of Islamic associations and sheikhdoms from 85 countries.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 12-13/2023
Tehran Hinges Release of American Detainees on Transfer of Frozen Funds in South Korea
Asharq Al Awsat/12 August 2023
Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian President's deputy chief of staff for political affairs, said on Friday the exchange of prisoners between Iran and the US will take place simultaneously with the release of Iran's frozen assets in banks in South Korea under the sponsorship of a third country, Qatar. Four Americans were moved out of Tehran’s Evin Prison on Thursday, to house arrest. The fifth American was already under house arrest. The official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted a source familiar with the matter as saying that the agreement demands that Iran release five American prisoners, contingent upon the release of five Iranian prisoners held by the US. The source added that the agreement outlines the release of a substantial sum of approximately six billion dollars from Iranian funds that had been held in South Korea. Furthermore, a significant portion of Iranian assets currently held by Iraq's TBI bank will also be unlocked. The initial steps for the unfreezing of Iranian assets in European financial institutions have already been initiated, added the source. Iranian assets, which were previously held in South Korean won, are set to be converted into euros as part of the arrangement. Following the conversion, the funds will then be routed through a Swiss bank before ultimately being channeled into a Qatari bank account, thereby facilitating Iran's access to them, reported IRNA. The official source highlighted a crucial precondition for the release of the American prisoners – the complete transfer of Iranian funds to Qatar must be accomplished beforehand. The source indicated that the prisoner exchange process is slated to take place in Qatar, subsequent to Iran ensuring its ability to seamlessly repatriate its funds from an Iranian-held account in Qatar. Moreover, the advisor to the Iranian negotiating delegation in the nuclear talks Mohammad Marandi said Tehran will have "full and direct" access to its funds when they are released. Henry Rome, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, described the potential release of the five as a step forward "in the broader US efforts to de-escalate tensions in the absence of a nuclear agreement", adding that the White House "wouldn't have gone through with the deal if it wasn't confident it could withstand whatever political blowback is forthcoming."

Prisoner deal heralds Iran-US thaw, but no nuclear deal seen
Agence France Presse/12 August 2023
Two and a half years into Joe Biden's presidency, and after exhaustive diplomacy with Iran's clerical leadership, his administration has reached a first deal -- to free five detained Americans. The delicate agreement heralds an easing of tensions between the longtime adversaries, and experts and diplomats believe it could bring further, quiet efforts to address concerns including Iran's nuclear work. Few people, however, expect major agreements anytime soon, with the clock ticking to the 2024 US presidential election. "I think both sides have an interest in using this initial agreement as the gateway to get back to dialogue, but not necessarily to a deal," said Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, which promotes conflict resolution. European-led talks collapsed last year on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal, which constrained Iran's contested program in return for promises of sanctions relief but was trashed by former president Donald Trump. Biden himself, in a caught-on-camera encounter at a campaign stop late last year, said the nuclear deal was "dead" in all but name, at a time when the Islamic republic was putting down massive protests led by women.
De-escalation seen -
A source familiar with the negotiations said the prisoner agreement was separate from the nuclear issue. But he also said diplomacy has been effective in lowering the temperature with Iran, pointing to the truce that has held unofficially for more than a year in war-ravaged Yemen, where Huthi rebels are backed by Iran. Attacks by Iranian-linked Shiite militias against US troops have also appeared to subside in Iraq, noted a diplomat from a US ally. "The tensions are still very much there but the two governments are communicating, and that makes a difference," the diplomat said. U.S. and Iranian officials reopened diplomacy in May in indirect meetings arranged by Oman, with some talks exploring measures to cap Iran's nuclear program that stop short of fully restoring the nuclear deal, according to diplomats. "I think the de-escalatory context already exists," said Vaez, who helped outside efforts to bridge gaps to reach the 2015 accord. But he doubted the Biden administration has the appetite on a new nuclear deal with the election season opening. "Any substantive deal with Iran requires significant sanctions relief that will be extremely politically controversial in the US," he said. "On the Iranian side, given the proximity of US election, it doesn't make sense to them strategically to give away most of their leverage not knowing who the next US president is," he said, with Trump or another Republican likely to tear apart any new deal. Republicans have gone on the offensive over the prisoner deal, accusing Biden of enriching a hostile regime. In an agreement that Biden officials insist is not final, South Korea will unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue blocked over US sanctions, with the funds transferred to an account in Qatar for humanitarian purchases. In an initial step, Iran moved five US citizens, one of them arrested nearly eight years ago on spying charges he strongly denies, from prison to a guarded hotel.
Poor sign to Iran protesters?
Holly Dagres, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, agreed that the prisoner deal amounted to "a confidence-building measure and could revive talks over Iran's nuclear program." "But this also signals to Tehran that it can get relief from its hostage-taking model, which may prompt it to continue the status quo given that it can also sell oil due to weakly enforced sanctions," she said. She also questioned the timing of the agreement. September 16 marks one year since death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested by the clerical state's morality police for not wearing the mandatory headscarf. Her death prompted mass demonstrations in one of the biggest challenges to the Islamic republic established after the overthrow of the pro-Western shah in 1979. "Doing a deal with the United States around such a sensitive period is, in essence, communicating to protesters that Washington doesn't care about their plight," Dagres said.

Washington, Tehran Seek Further Negotiations
Washington/Asharq Al Awsat/12 August 2023
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the initial deal to end the suffering of five Iranian-American detainees in Iran does not mean that Iran would be getting any sanctions relief. The five Americans will be allowed to leave Iran after $6 billion of Iranian funds held in South Korea get unfrozen. However, the funds would only be used for humanitarian purposes. This breakthrough follows months of tensions between Iran on one hand and the US and its allies on the other, knowing that the US dispatched military reinforcements to the Gulf region to protect commercial and civilian ships and oil tankers from the increasing Iranian piracy. The deal offered a spark of hope that the two countries might move past the specter of a military confrontation that had long shadowed the relationship, according to The New York Times. Henry Rome, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, described the potential release of the five Iranian Americans as a step forward "for Washington and Tehran’s efforts to lower tensions as they eye a return to formal nuclear negotiations later this year”.Rome added that the Biden administration was unlikely to seek a new nuclear agreement ahead of the 2024 election, given the issue’s political volatility.
Iran may feel the same way, given Mr. Trump’s possible return to the Oval Office. "My belief is that this is the beginning of the end of their nightmare," Blinken said at a press conference in Washington. "There's more work to be done to actually bring them home."White House National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson confirmed that the five were all out of prison and under house arrest, saying they should never have been detained and the White House would have little more to add because talks for their eventual release "remain ongoing and are delicate."
“It’s only a first step and every day they continue to be robbed of their freedom is a day too many,” said the Biden administration’s suspended special envoy on Iran, Robert Malley. “This is welcome news too long in coming. I know my colleagues won’t rest until they all return home.”
The Wall Street Journal said Iran had now diluted a small of the 60 percent enriched uranium and slowed the rate of accumulating new material. The deal comes as Iran and the United States appear to be observing an informal agreement under which Iran has limited its nuclear program and restrained proxy militias in Iraq and Syria to avoid harsh American reprisals. US officials have repeatedly denied that they reached any nuclear “deal” with Iran after indirect talks held in Oman earlier this year. But officials from several countries have described those discussions, and Iran appears to be adhering to an agreement. Its parameters include Iranian enrichment of uranium at purity levels no higher than 60 percent, and no significant attacks on US troops by Iranian proxy forces in Syria and Iraq. Two senior Israeli defense officials said the deal involving the prisoners and the frozen funds is part of the broader understandings reached in Oman. These understandings, according to the officials, are already being implemented on the ground. One senior US military official said that there has been decreased activity by Iran-backed militias in Syria and Iraq against US troops there in recent weeks. One of the Israeli officials added that while Iran has sent military assistance, including potent drones, to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine last year, Moscow would like more than it has received.

Qatari Minister: Iran-US Deal Encompasses Establishment of Banking Channel
12 August 2023/Asharq Al Awsat/12 August 2023
Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed Al Khulaifi stated on Friday that the ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran regarding a prisoner exchange and the release of frozen Iranian funds include the establishment of a banking channel. According to Al Khulaifi, the banking channel would address several agreed-upon matters among the parties, without specifying the nature of these issues. As part of the anticipated agreement, Tehran has relocated five of the detained US nationals from a specialized section within the Revolutionary Guards’ prison in Evin to a hotel under house arrest. This marks the initial step in the agreement. Iranian officials have stipulated that the transfer of frozen Iranian assets in South Korea to foreign bank accounts is a prerequisite for the release of the detainees. In press statements, Al Khulaifi clarified that the agreement was preceded by intensive visits by Qatari officials to both Washington and Tehran. He emphasized that Doha has played a “central and fundamental role” in facilitating negotiations and dialogue between the two parties. Furthermore, Al Khulaifi expressed optimism that this move would be followed by further steps towards reconciliation, affirming that his country will spare no effort in making additional endeavors to bridge the perspectives between the parties. The Qatari official stated his hope that the Washington-Tehran agreement would lead to broader understandings, including a return to the "nuclear deal." Al Khulaifi delivered a written message to Tehran, presenting it to both Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Ahmadian on July 23. He engaged in discussions with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Chief Nuclear Negotiator Ali Baqeri Kani. Qatar hosted the most recent round of talks between Kani and the European Coordinator for Nuclear Negotiations, Enrique Mora, on June 21.

Israel Deports Jewish Iranian Suspected of Spying Attempt with Tissue Box
Asharq Al Awsat/12 August 2023
Israel's intelligence agency Shin Bet said it thwarted an Iranian espionage attempt on Friday when it detained and then deported a Jewish Iranian who flew into the country with a tissue box it said was meant to hide surveillance equipment. The Shin Bet said the man, who has relatives in Israel, admitted in questioning at Ben Gurion Airport that he arrived in the country to spy on Israeli targets for Iranian security operatives. It said the man, who was found with cellphones, power banks and money, was refused entry and deported back to Iran, Reuters said. "This event is part of a broad Iranian effort to establish espionage and terror networks in Israel," the Shin Bet said in a statement. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Asked why the suspect was deported rather than prosecuted, a security official told Reuters that, among the agency's other operative considerations, it believed the man was acting under pressure and was motivated by financial gain. The official added that there was a "low probability" for legal recourse, as the suspect was not an Israeli citizen. Israel and Iran have been locked in a shadow war for decades, with mutual allegations of sabotage and assassination plots. According to the World Jewish Congress, there were some 80,000 Jews in Iran on the eve of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, most of whom have left the country since, but the community is believed to still be the biggest in the Middle East outside Israel.

ISIS Claims Responsibility for an Attack That Killed 20 Syrian Soldiers, Vows to Keep Fighting
AP/12 August 2023
The ISIS group has claimed responsibility for an ambush in eastern Syria that killed at least 20 government soldiers and wounded others, warning that such attacks will continue. ISIS sleeper cells still carry deadly attacks despite their defeat in Syria in 2019. The group once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq where they declared a so-called “caliphate” in 2014. The Friday night statement said ISIS fighters ambushed two army trucks in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor using different kinds of weapons. ISIS claimed that 40 members of the Syrian military were killed and 10 were wounded. Syrian opposition activists said the Thursday night attack on a bus carrying soldiers near the town of Mayadeen killed at least 20 soldiers and wounded others. State media said several soldiers were killed and wounded, without giving a breakdown. “Let the whole world know that our allegiance to our leaders is practiced with deeds and not words,” ISIS said, vowing that their fight will continue “until Doomsday.”Last week, ISIS announced the death in Syria of its little-known leader, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurayshi — who had headed the extremist organization since November — and named his successor. He was the fourth leader to be killed since its founder, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in 2019 by US troops in northwest Syria.

Ukraine Says Two Killed in Russian Shelling of Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia Regions
AFP/12 August 2023
An elderly woman and a police officer were killed early Saturday by Russian shelling on a settlement in Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine and Zaporizhzhia in the south, Ukrainian officials said. "This morning, around 5:10, the enemy fired on Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi village in Kupiansk district. A residential building was damaged. A 73-year-old woman died," Kharkiv governor Oleh Synehubov said on the Telegram messaging app. In a separate attack on Orikhiv town in Zaporizhzhia region, one police officer was killed and 12 people, including four police officers, were injured, interior minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram. He said Russian troops used a guided aerial bomb.Reuters could not independently verify the details of the Ukrainian reports. Eastern parts of Kharkiv region and most of Zaporizhzhia region are directly adjacent to the front line, and Ukrainian forces have reported an increase in Russian attacks there in recent weeks. Kharkiv regional authorities earlier this month announced the mandatory evacuation of civilians from settlements closest to the front line in Kupiansk district. Ukrainian authorities said this week that Russia attacked a "civilian infrastructure object" in Zaporizhzhia on Thursday evening.
Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians during its invasion of Ukraine, which is now in its 18th month and has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, the uprooting of millions and the destruction of Ukrainian towns and cities.

Shippers Warned to Stay Away from Iranian Waters over Seizure Threat as US-Iran Tensions High
AFP /12 August 2023
Western-backed maritime forces in the Middle East on Saturday warned shippers traveling through the strategic Strait of Hormuz to stay as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible to avoid being seized, a stark advisory amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US.
A similar warning went out to shippers earlier this year ahead of Iran seizing two tankers traveling near the strait, the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf through which 20% of the world's oil passes. While Iran and the US now near an apparent deal that would see billions of Iranian assets held in South Korea unfrozen in exchange for the release of five Iranian-Americans detained in Tehran, the warning shows that the tensions remain high at sea. Already, the US is exploring plans to put armed troops on commercial ships in the strait to deter Iran amid a buildup of troops, ships and aircraft in the region. US Navy Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins, a spokesman for the Mideast-based 5th Fleet, acknowledged the warning had been given, but declined to discuss specifics about it. A US-backed maritime group called the International Maritime Security Construct “is notifying regional mariners of appropriate precautions to minimize the risk of seizure based on current regional tensions, which we seek to de-escalate,” Hawkins said. “Vessels are being advised to transit as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible.”Separately, a European Union-led maritime organization watching shipping in the strait “have warned of a possibility of an attack on a merchant vessel of unknown flag in the Strait of Hormuz in the next 12 to 72 hours,” said private intelligence firm Ambrey. “Previously, after a similar warning was issued, a merchant vessel was seized by Iranian authorities under a false pretext,” the firm warned. The EU-led mission, called the European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran through its state media did not acknowledge any new plans to interdict vessels in the strait. Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There has been a wave of attacks on ships attributed to Iran since 2019, following the Trump administration unilaterally withdrawing America from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and re-imposing crushing sanctions on Tehran. Those assaults resumed in late April, when Iran seized a ship carrying oil for Chevron Corp. and another tanker called the Niovi in May. The taking of the two tankers in under a week comes as the Marshall Island-flagged Suez Rajan sits off Houston, likely waiting to offload sanctioned Iranian oil apparently seized by the US. Those seizures led the US military to launch a major deployment in the region, including thousands of Marines and sailors on both the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall, a landing ship. Images released by the Navy showed the Bataan and Carter Hall in the Red Sea on Tuesday.

Russia destroys 20 Ukrainian drones over Crimea
Reuters/August 12, 2023
No casualties and no damage as a result of the attempted attack, defense ministry says Russian forces destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones launched onto the Crimean Peninsula early on Saturday, Russia’s defense ministry said. There were no casualties and no damage as a result of the attempted attack, the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. It said 14 drones were destroyed by air defense systems and six were suppressed by electronic warfare. Reuters could not independently verify the report. It was not immediately clear what was targeted in the reported attacks on the Russian-annexed peninsula. Sergei Kryuchkov, an adviser to the Russia-installed governor of Crimea, said earlier that air defense systems were engaged in repelling air attack in different parts of the peninsula. Crimea transport authorities said on their Telegram channel that traffic on the Crimean Bridge, which links the Black Sea peninsula with the Russian region of Krasnodar, was suspended for about two hours from 1:30 a.m. (2230 GMT). Drone attacks on Russian-controlled territories in Ukraine and deep inside Russia have increased since a drone was destroyed over the Kremlin in early May. Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for the attacks but has said destroying Russia’s military infrastructure is crucial for Kyiv’s counteroffensive. Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, eight years before President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Russia’s neighbor in February last year.

US sanctions Russians on Alfa Group board in response to war in Ukraine
AP/August 12, 2023
WASHINGTON: The US Treasury Department on Friday imposed financial sanctions against four Russians on the board of Alfa Group, one of Russia’s largest conglomerates with interests in oil, natural gas and banking. The sanctions are part of continuing efforts to place restrictions on the economy of Russia and its wealthiest powerbrokers, a response to its invasion last year of Ukraine and the ensuing war. Sanctioned by Treasury are Petr Olegovich Aven, Mikhail Maratovich Fridman, German Borisovich Khan and Alexey Viktorovich Kuzmichev. “Wealthy Russian elites should disabuse themselves of the notion that they can operate business as usual while the Kremlin wages war against the Ukrainian people,” said Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo. “Our international coalition will continue to hold accountable those enabling the unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.”Also sanctioned is the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. The group is involved in the technology sector and has helped Russia counteract other sanctions stemming from the war, the Treasury Department said. All four people were already sanctioned by Australia, Canada, the European Union, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Fridman is a founder of Alfa Group and ranked as one of Russia’s wealthiest tycoons. The group’s Alfa Bank, Russia’s largest nonstate bank, was sanctioned by the EU in March 2022 and Fridman left the board thereafter to try to help the bank skirt sanctions. Aven headed Alfa-Bank until March 2022, but like Fridman left the board after EU sanctions. The sanctions against the individuals would block access to their US properties and financial interests.

Polish Minister Says Reinforcement at Border with Belarus Due to Hostile Rhetoric and Actions
AP/12 August 2023
Poland’s defense minister said Saturday that the country has increased the number of troops protecting its border with Belarus as a deterrent amid "destabilizing" actions by its pro-Russian neighbor. Mariusz Blaszczak met in Jarylowka, in eastern Poland, with some of the troops recently deployed close to the Belarus border. He insisted that the increased military presence is purely a deterrent move, not a hostile act, as Minsk and Moscow are claiming. "There is no doubt that the Belarus regime is cooperating with the Kremlin and that the attacks on the Polish border are intended to destabilize our country," Blaszczak said. Two Belarus military helicopters briefly entered Poland’s airspace last week, a move considered by Warsaw to be a deliberate provocation. Also a pro-government group in Belarus recently alleged that Poland’s politicians, who support Ukraine in its war against Russia’s aggression, were "igniting the fire of war with their actions and rhetoric" and being "driven by the frenzy of chauvinism." Blaszczak said that actions taken by Belarus "pose a threat to our security" and for that reason Poland is building up its "deterrence potential." He said this week that up to 10,000 Polish Army and Territorial Defense troops will be stationed on the border with Belarus. Some will be in active training and patrolling, others on standby. Officials in Moscow repeatedly voice groundless allegations that Poland intends on annexing western regions of Ukraine, and analysts say Poland has become the personification of the "collective enemy of Russia" due to its support for Ukraine and because western military equipment sent to Ukraine goes through Poland. The Kremlin's "main goal is to rattle Warsaw to decrease the military support for Ukraine and force Polish politicians to stay silent and fear provocations from Russia and Belarus," Belarusian independent analyst Valery Karbalevich told The Associated Press. "The Kremlin ramps up the hate towards Poland and ups the ante in the hope that the adversary will get scared, pull back or will react in a different way," Karbalevich said. "Moscow very much doesn’t like that it is Poland that insists on new sanctions, advocates for Kyiv and actively supports Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO." Poland is also concerned about the presence in Belarus of Russian-linked mercenaries and about Middle East and African migrants trying to cross illegally from Belarus. Poland and other countries along NATO’s eastern flank have accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of taking migrants to the border in an act of "hybrid warfare" aimed at creating instability in the West.

Six Dead after Migrant Boat Capsizes in Channel
Reuters/12 August 2023
Six people died after a migrant boat trying to cross the Channel from France capsized early on Saturday, with another two people possibly missing, French authorities said. Nearly 60 migrants were saved by French and UK rescue boats and brought to French or British shores and search and rescue operations were ongoing, the maritime prefecture said. Local mayor Franck Dhersin said a vast rescue operation had been launched around 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) as dozens of migrant boats tried to make the crossing at the same time. "Several of the boats were facing serious difficulties," he told Reuters. "Near (the coastal town of) Sangatte they unfortunately found dead bodies." The Channel between France and Britain is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and currents are strong, making the crossing on small boats dangerous. People smugglers typically overload rickety dinghies, leaving them barely afloat and at risk of being lashed by the waves as they try to reach British shores. Anne Thorel, a volunteer who was on one of the rescue boats, described the migrants' frantic efforts to bail water out of their sinking vessel using their shoes. "There were too many of them on the (migrant) boat," she told Reuters by phone as she returned to the shore. Britain's coastguard said it sent a lifeboat from Dover to assist with the Channel rescue, along with a coastguard rescue team and ambulance staff. A UK Border Force vessel and two lifeboats helped rescue all those on board another small boat in the Channel in a separate incident on Saturday, the British coastguard added. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government has spent the week making announcements about its efforts to reduce the number of asylum seekers, hoping to win support from voters as the ruling Conservative Party trails in opinion polls. UK government figures show that the number of migrant Channel crossings so far this year stands at nearly 16,000. In November 2021, 27 migrants died when their dinghy deflated as they tried to cross the Channel. The accident was the worst accident on record involving migrants in the narrow seaway separating the two countries.
There are more frequent, deadlier disasters in the Mediterranean, where a charity rescue ship rescued 76 migrants on an overloaded wooden boat on Saturday. More than 22,000 people have died or gone missing in its waters since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Sudan’s Lt. Gen. Yasser Al-Atta: RSF Recruits Mercenaries
Wad Madani Sudan/Asharq Al Awsat/12 August
The Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces, Lt. Gen. Yasser Al-Atta, declared that “80% of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been destroyed.” Nevertheless, Al-Atta noted that the RSF continues to recruit mercenaries weekly from certain neighboring Western countries to fight alongside them. According to the prominent army leader, these mercenaries lack experience. Al-Atta further explained that last week, the RSF introduced 6,000 fighters, “whom the army repelled.”RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, generally referred to as Hemedti, wanted to become the ruler of Sudan and diligently pursued that goal, noted Al-Atta. While within the military institution, we discussed with him the modernization of the Sudanese state in line with the aspirations of the Sudanese people during the glorious December revolution, revealed Al-Atta.
However, Hemedti’s affiliations with malevolent international entities and suspicious agendas nurtured the idea in him that he could govern Sudan. Al-Atta, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, pointed out that there are countries that provide weapons to the RSF, with all relevant information available to the military. He emphasized that attaining power in the country should come through free and fair elections, allowing the people to choose their leaders. Regarding the battlefield situation in the war that erupted between the army and the RSF in mid-April, Lt. Gen. Al-Atta stated that “the army has full control over operations on the ground, and its morale is exceptionally high due to the people's support.” He noted that the RSF had transitioned to a phase of repelling attacks from the army. He affirmed that the army achieved significant victories against the RSF in the recent battle of Omdurman, which encompassed five main fronts, dealing them substantial losses. The army had recently issued a statement confirming a wide-ranging sweep operation in Omdurman city that inflicted major losses on the RSF.

Allies of Niger President Overthrown by Military Are Appealing to the US and Others: Save His Life
Reuters/12 August 2023
After nearly three weeks of appealing to the United States and other allies for help restoring Niger’s president to power, friends and supporters of the democratically elected leader are making a simpler plea: Save his life. President Mohamed Bazoum, leader of the last remaining Western-allied democracy across a vast stretch of Africa’s Sahara and Sahel, sits confined with his family in an unlit basement of his presidential compound, cut off from resupplies of food and from electricity and cooking gas by the junta that overthrew him, Niger's ambassador to the United States told The Associated Press. “They are killing him,” said the ambassador, Mamadou Kiari Liman-Tinguiri, a close associate who maintains daily calls with the detained leader. The two have been colleagues for three decades, since the now 63-year-old president was a young philosophy instructor, a teacher’s union leader, and a democracy advocate noted for his eloquence. “The plan of the head of the junta is to starve him to death,” Liman-Tinguiri told the AP in one of his first interviews since mutinous troops allegedly cut off food deliveries to the president, his wife and his 20-year-old son almost a week ago. “This is inhuman, and the world should not tolerate that,” the ambassador said. “It cannot be tolerated in 2023.” Bazoum sits in the dark basement, the ambassador said. He answers the phone when a call comes in that he knows to be his friend or someone else he wants to speak to. The beleaguered president and his ambassador, whom junta members have declared out of a job, talk one or more times a day. Bazoum has not been seen out in public since July 26, when military vehicles blocked the gates to the presidential palace and security forces announced they were taking power. It is not possible to independently determine the president's circumstances. The United States, United Nations and others have expressed repeated concern for what they called Bazoum's deteriorating conditions in detention, and warned the junta they would hold it responsible for the well-being of Bazoum and his family. Separately, Human Rights Watch said Friday it had spoken directly to the detained president and to others in his circle, and received some similar accounts of mistreatment. However, an activist who supports Niger's new military rulers in its communications said the reports of the president's dire state were false. Insa Garba Saidou said he was in contact with some junta members but did not say how he had knowledge of the president's lot.
“Bazoum was lucky he was not taken anywhere,” Saidou said. “He was left in his palace with his phone. Those who did that don’t intend to hurt Bazoum.”Niger's military coup and the plight of its ousted leader have drawn global attention — but not because that kind of turmoil is unusual for West Africa. Niger alone has had about a half-dozen military takeovers since independence in 1960. Niger leaders have suffered in coups before, most notably when a military-installed leader was shot down in 1999 by the same presidential guard unit that instigated the current coup.
Niger's return to reflexive armed takeovers by disgruntled troops is reverberating in the US and internationally for two key reasons. One is because Bazoum came to power in a rare democratic presidential election in the Africa's unstable Sahara and Sahel, in the only peaceful, democratic transfer of power that Niger has managed. The United States alone has invested close to $1 billion in Niger in recent years to support its democracy and deliver aid, in addition to building national forces capable of holding off north and west Africa's al-Qaida- and ISIS-allied armed groups. The US-backed counterterror presence is the second key reason that Niger's coup is resonating. Americans have a 1,100-strong security presence and have built bases in Niger's capital and far north into its main outposts to counter West Africa's armed extremist groups. The Biden administration has yet to call what has happened in Niger a coup, citing laws that would obligate the US to cut many of its military partnerships with the country. Niger's region is dominated by military or military-aligned governments and a growing number of them have entered security partnerships with Russia's Wagner mercenary groups.
The soldiers who ousted Bazoum have announced a ruling structure but said little publicly about their plans. US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland met with Niger's junta members in the capital this week but called them unreceptive to her demands to restore Niger's democracy. “They were quite firm about how they want to proceed, and it is not in support of the constitution of Niger,” Nuland told reporters after. The junta also told Nuland that Bazoum would die if the regional ECOWAS security bloc intervened militarily to restore democracy, US officials told the AP. Late this week, the ambassador shrugged that threat off, saying the junta is already on track to kill Bazoum by trapping his family and him with little more than a shrinking supply of dried rice and no means to cook it. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken several times with the detained president and expressed concern for his and his family's safety. The US says it has cut some aid to the government and paused military cooperation. Blinken has expressed broad support for ECOWAS, whose diplomatic efforts have been spurned by the Niger junta and which has warned of military force as a last resort.
Blinken said in a statement Friday he was “particularly dismayed” that Niger's mutinous soldiers had refused to release Bazoum's family as a goodwill gesture. He gave no details. While the junta adviser Saidou denied that the junta threatened to kill Bazoum if ECOWAS invaded, he said Bazoum's death would be inevitable if that happened. “Even if the high officers of the junta won’t touch Bazoum, if one gun is shot at one of Niger’s borders in order to reinstate Bazoum, I’m sure that there will be soldiers who will put an end to his life,” he said. Bazoum told Human Rights Watch that family members and friends who brought food were being turned away, and that the junta had refused treatment for his young son, who has a heart condition. Bazoum and his undetained allies want regional partners, the US and others to intervene. With Bazoum vulnerable in captivity, neither he nor the ambassadors specify what they want the US and other allies to do. Bazoum is a member of Niger's tiny minority of nomadic Arabs, in a country of varying cultures rich in tradition. Despite his political career, Bazoum has retained his people's devotion to livestock, keeping camels that he dotes on, Liman-Tinguiri said. For all his deprivations, the ambassador said, Bazoum remains in good spirits. “He is a man who is mentally very strong,” he said. “He’s a man of faith.”

UAE President and Iraqi PM discuss bilateral relations
Arab News/August 12, 2023
ABU DHABI: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani discussed bilateral relations and ways to expand them in a phone call on Saturday, the Emirates News Agency reported.  The two leaders reviewed existing areas of cooperation between the UAE and Iraq as well as opportunities for further collaboration. They also exchanged views on a number of regional and international developments and reaffirmed their mutual interest in promoting stability in the region.

Saudi Arabia names non-resident ambassador for Palestinian Territories
Arab News/August 12, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Saturday named a non-resident ambassador for the Palestinian Territories, who will also serve as consul general for Jerusalem. The role will be filled by Nayef Al-Sudairi, the current ambassador to Jordan, according to a social media post from the Saudi Foreign Ministry. Al-Sudairi presented his credentials to Majdi Al-Khalidi, diplomatic affairs advisor to the Palestinian president, at the Palestinian Embassy in Amman. In a video broadcast on Al-Ekhbariya news channel, Al-Sudairi said the appointment represented “an important step” and underscored the desire of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “to strengthen relations with the brothers of the State of Palestine and give it a formal boost in all areas.” Al-Khalidi said he welcomed the appointment and told Palestinian news agency Wafa that it would “contribute to strengthening the strong and solid brotherly relations that bind the two countries and the two brotherly peoples.”

Armenia urges UN to hold meeting on Nagorno-Karabakh crisis
AFP/August 12, 2023
YEREVAN: Armenia on Saturday urged the UN Security Council to hold a crisis meeting on Nagorno-Karabakh, citing a “deteriorating humanitarian situation” after accusing Azerbaijan of blocking supplies to the disputed region. The Caucasus neighbors have been locked in a dispute over the enclave — internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan — since the 1980s and fought two wars over the territory. The second, in 2020, saw the defeat of Armenian forces and significant territorial gains for Azerbaijan. “The Armenian government demands the intervention of the UN Security Council as the main organ for safeguarding global security,” Mher Margaryan, Armenia’s permanent representative to the UN, said in a letter to the body.
BACKGROUND
• For months, Yerevan has accused Baku of stopping traffic through the Lachin corridor — a short, mountainous road linking Armenia to Armenian-populated settlements in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
• In his letter, the official referred to ‘serious shortages’ of food, medicine and fuel in the majority Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan and cuts in electricity and gas supplies. For months, Yerevan has accused Baku of stopping traffic through the Lachin corridor — a short, mountainous road linking Armenia to Armenian-populated settlements in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. In his letter, Margaryan referred to “serious shortages” of food, medicine and fuel in the majority Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan and cuts in electricity and gas supplies. “This situation has led to rising mortality due to several illnesses,” said Margaryan, citing patients suffering from conditions including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. “The population of Nagorno-Karabakh today stands on the edge of a veritable humanitarian catastrophe,” he warned, accusing Azerbaijan of “deliberately creating unbearable living conditions for the population.”That, he wrote, amounted to an “atrocity” designed to force them from their homes. Armenia and international aid groups have meanwhile been warning that the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is dire and deteriorating, with shortages of food, medicines and energy. The two neighbors have been unable to reach a lasting peace settlement despite mediation efforts by the EU, US and Russia.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 12-13/2023
Question: “What is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?”
GotQuestions.org/August 12/2023
Answer: The concept of “blasphemy against the Spirit” is mentioned in Mark 3:22–30 and Matthew 12:22–32. Jesus has just performed a miracle. A demon-possessed man was brought to Jesus, and the Lord cast the demon out, healing the man of blindness and muteness. The eyewitnesses to this exorcism began to wonder if Jesus was indeed the Messiah they had been waiting for. A group of Pharisees, hearing the talk of the Messiah, quickly quashed any budding faith in the crowd: “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons,” they said (Matthew 12:24).
Jesus rebuts the Pharisees with some logical arguments for why He is not casting out demons in the power of Satan (Matthew 12:25–29). Then He speaks of the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: “I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (verses 31–32).
The term blasphemy may be generally defined as “defiant irreverence.” The term can be applied to such sins as cursing God or willfully degrading things relating to God. Blasphemy is also attributing some evil to God or denying Him some good that we should attribute to Him. This particular case of blasphemy, however, is called “the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” in Matthew 12:31. The Pharisees, having witnessed irrefutable proof that Jesus was working miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, claimed instead that the Lord was possessed by a demon (Matthew 12:24). Notice in Mark 3:30 Jesus is very specific about what the Pharisees did to commit blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: “He said this because they were saying, ‘He has an impure spirit.’”
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has to do with accusing Jesus Christ of being demon-possessed instead of Spirit-filled. This particular type of blasphemy cannot be duplicated today. The Pharisees were in a unique moment in history: they had the Law and the Prophets, they had the Holy Spirit stirring their hearts, they had the Son of God Himself standing right in front of them, and they saw with their own eyes the miracles He did. Never before in the history of the world (and never since) had so much divine light been granted to men; if anyone should have recognized Jesus for who He was, it was the Pharisees. Yet they chose defiance. They purposely attributed the work of the Spirit to the devil, even though they knew the truth and had the proof. Jesus declared their willful blindness to be unpardonable. Their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was their final rejection of God’s grace. They had set their course, and God was going to let them sail into perdition unhindered.
Jesus told the crowd that the Pharisees’ blasphemy against the Holy Spirit “will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:32). This is another way of saying that their sin would never be forgiven, ever. Not now, not in eternity. As Mark 3:29 puts it, “They are guilty of an eternal sin.”
The immediate result of the Pharisees’ public rejection of Christ (and God’s rejection of them) is seen in the next chapter. Jesus, for the first time, “told them many things in parables” (Matthew 13:3; cf. Mark 4:2). The disciples were puzzled at Jesus’ change of teaching method, and Jesus explained His use of parables: “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. . . . Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (Matthew 13:11, 13). Jesus began to veil the truth with parables and metaphors as a direct result of the Jewish leaders’ official denunciation of Him.
Again, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit cannot be repeated today, although some people try. Jesus Christ is not on earth—He is seated at the right hand of God. No one can personally witness Jesus performing a miracle and then attribute that power to Satan instead of the Spirit.
The unpardonable sin today is the state of continued unbelief. The Spirit currently convicts the unsaved world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). To resist that conviction and willfully remain unrepentant is to “blaspheme” the Spirit. There is no pardon, either in this age or in the age to come, for a person who rejects the Spirit’s promptings to trust in Jesus Christ and then dies in unbelief. The love of God is evident: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And the choice is clear: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).

Biden Administration Abandoning Israel for Ruling Mullahs of Iran?
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/August 12, 2023
"For the last year and a half, Iran stated clearly that its main strategy is to make the Samaria region [of Israel] another Gaza." The Iranians... are "pouring money and smuggling weapons into the region. They are supporting Hamas and the PIJ [Palestinian Islamic Jihad] and other factions within the Palestinian Authority." — Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi, former deputy commander of the IDF's Gaza Division, Fox News, July 24, 2023.
More than 19 Iranian regime-backed groups that are targeting Israel and US interests in the region meet the U.S. "terror designation criteria, " according to Joe Truzman, in the report, "Iran and its Network of Nineteen Terrorist Organizations on Israel's Borders". The Biden Administration, however, has not added them to the list of foreign terror groups. "Over the last four decades, the Iranian regime has built a network of armed groups on Israel's borders to create instability and foment terrorism. Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and a mosaic of other terrorist organizations receive funding, training and weapons from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Quds Force (IRGC-QF)." — Joe Truzman, "Iran and its Network of Nineteen Terrorist Organizations," fdd.org, 2023.
"Long War Journal has monitored the buildup of Iran-backed terrorist organizations on key fronts: Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria. Israel has worked to limit the growth of these terrorist organizations, but they remain a significant threat on multiple fronts." — Joe Truzman, "Iran and its Network of Nineteen Terrorist Organizations."
What is mind-boggling is that the Biden Administration criticizes Israel but then turns a blind eye to Iran's military buildup near Israel's borders -- all while Iran fires missiles into Israel from Syria, ships ballistic missiles to Israel's self-declared enemy, Hezbollah, and continues to threaten exterminating Israel down the pike. It is mind-boggling that the Biden Administration criticizes Israel but then turns a blind eye to Iran's military buildup near Israel's borders -- all while Iran fires missiles into Israel from Syria, ships ballistic missiles to Israel's self-declared enemy, Hezbollah, and continues to threaten exterminating Israel down the pike. As the Iranian regime continues to sponsor, fund and arm terror groups on the borders of Israel, the Biden Administration is carefully looking the other way.
According to Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi, a former deputy commander of the Israel Defense Forces' Gaza Division, "For the last year and a half, Iran stated clearly that its main strategy is to make the Samaria region another Gaza." The Iranians, he added, are "pouring money and smuggling weapons into the region. They are supporting Hamas and the PIJ [Palestinian Islamic Jihad] and other factions within the Palestinian Authority."
Under the Biden administration, the US sanctions are not hurting Iran's economy any longer or cutting off the flow of funds to Tehran. The ruling mullahs are now producing more oil and selling it at levels close to the pre-sanctions era to countries such as China, which desperately needs more oil, while the Biden administration has cut off US oil exploration. Thanks to the Biden administration's reluctance to enforce US sanctions, the Iranian regime is most likely using the extra revenues to fund and arm terror groups across the Middle East. "Why," the Wall Street Journal's editorial board asked, "does President Biden go out of his way to snub, criticize and give marching orders to the government of Israel?" "At least rhetorically, the President and his Administration treat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his governing coalition worse than they do the ruling mullahs in Iran. The effect of this piling on is for Israelis to see that the U.S. sides with their opposition parties. This is no way to treat a democratically and no way to pursue U.S. interests while Mr. Netanyahu's Likud Party is in power, as it has been for most of the past 25 years."
The Islamist regime of Iran has repeatedly made its policy clear: it wants Israel to be wiped off the map. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who enjoys the final say in all of Iran's domestic and foreign policies, proclaimed to the youths of Iran that they will soon witness the demise of Israel and all of American civilization. This announcement was confirmed on the Supreme Leader's official website.
Khamenei also made Iran's intentions clear while meeting with students in 2019, declaring:
"You young people should be assured that you will witness the demise of the enemies of humanity, meaning the degenerate American civilization, and the demise of Israel".
The commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Hossein Salami, also made the strategy of the Iranian government vehemently clear by stating, "Our strategy is to erase Israel from the global political map. And, it seems that, considering the evil that Israel is doing, it is bringing itself closer to that."In addition, Khamenei posted a Twitter tirade attacking Israel, and stating that "the Zionist regime will perish in the not so far future." More than 19 Iranian regime-backed groups that are targeting Israel and US interests in the region meet the U.S. "terror designation criteria," according to Joe Truzman, in the report, "Iran and its Network of Nineteen Terrorist Organizations on Israel's Borders". The Biden Administration, however, has not added them to the list of foreign terror groups. "Over the last four decades, the Iranian regime has built a network of armed groups on Israel's borders to create instability and foment terrorism. Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and a mosaic of other terrorist organizations receive funding, training and weapons from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Quds Force (IRGC-QF). FDD's Long War Journal has monitored the buildup of Iran-backed terrorist organizations on key fronts: Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria. Israel has worked to limit the growth of these terrorist organizations, but they remain a significant threat on multiple fronts." What is mind-boggling is that the Biden Administration criticizes Israel but then turns a blind eye to Iran's military buildup near Israel's borders -- all while Iran fires missiles into Israel from Syria, ships ballistic missiles to Israel's self-declared enemy, Hezbollah, and continues to threaten exterminating Israel down the pike.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 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.
**Pictured: Members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group parade with their weapons in the Lebanese village of Aaramta, 21 km from the border with Israel, on May 21, 2023. (Photo by Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images)

Is Israel willing to strike Iranian effort to destabilize the North? - analysis
Jonathan Spyer/Jerusalem Post/August 12/2023
جوناثان سباير/جيروزاليم بوست: هل إسرائيل مستعدة لضرب المساعي الإيرانية الهادفة لزعزعة الإستقرار على حدودها الشمالية؟
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/121117/jonathan-spyer-jerusalem-post-%d8%ac%d9%88%d9%86%d8%a7%d8%ab%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%b3%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%8a%d8%b1-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%b2%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d9%85-%d8%a8%d9%88%d8%b3%d8%aa/
BEHIND THE LINES: There is room for asking whether the situation is really as optimal as is often presented
An Israeli airstrike killed four Syrian soldiers in an attack on targets in the Damascus area Sunday night, according to reports in foreign and regional media. The pro-regime SANA news agency confirmed that “Four army personnel were martyred, and four others were injured.”
The Opposition-linked Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), meanwhile, gave a slightly different figure, writing, “Israeli airstrikes targeted, in the early hours of Monday morning, several positions hosting warehouses and military posts of Iranian-backed militias in the vicinity of the area of Damascus International Airport, the area of Demas Airport and the surrounding areas of Al-Keswa to the west of Damascus.” The Observatory also reported that “four regime soldiers” were killed, but added that two other “unidentified persons” also died.
This latest strike is part of an apparent increased tempo of Israeli operations against the Iranian infrastructure in Syria. Again according to SOHR, Monday’s attack was the latest in a total of 22 attacks carried out by Israeli forces against Syria in the course of 2023. The Observatory reports that 79 people have been killed in these attacks, including six members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and three members of Lebanese Hezbollah, as well as 22 IRGC-backed non-Syrian militiamen, and four IRGC-backed Syrian militiamen. The bulk of the remaining casualties were members of the Syrian regime’s security forces.
If SOHR’s figures are accurate, or close to accuracy, this represents a considerable death toll. Israel’s actions this year, of course, are part of a longer campaign. Jerusalem’s “war between wars,” or MABAM in Hebrew, has been prosecuted for over a decade now. Without doubt, it has left a trail of destroyed ordnance, shattered convoys, and dead operatives across Syria. Israeli national security officials past and present appear satisfied with the progress made. Some 80% of what Iran would like to have had in place by now in terms of infrastructure facing Israel has been neutralized, according to one estimate.
Yet there is room for asking whether the situation is really as optimal as is often presented. Specifically, the question is whether the war between wars is addressing the totality of the Iranian project to Israel’s North, or whether, as a result of the undoubted successes in one particular area (the targeting, by air power or occasionally by artillery, based on successful intelligence gathering, of specific Iranian static or moving targets in Syria), Israel has allowed itself to be channeled into only focusing on that area.
IF THE LATTER is the case, it would mean that large and perhaps decisive parts of the Iranian project are being left to themselves, and are growing in strength, with Israel deterred by political or military means from striking at them. The situation is not static, since if Israel is perceived as largely acquiescing to rules of the game imposed by Iran, this will lead to a decline in Israel’s deterrent power, making further aggressive moves by Iranian proxies more likely.
Unfortunately, and despite Israel’s ongoing air campaign, a considerable body of evidence exists in support of this perception. The emerging picture is one in which Iran is operating its various proxies in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon as a single structure, without excessive reference to formal state borders. Israel, meanwhile, because of political and military constraints, is attacking only a limited number of elements within this structure.
Perhaps most significantly, the latest evidence suggests that significant parts of the formal structure of the Assad regime in Syria itself are today operating as fully-fledged elements of the Iranian project.
In the field of arms shipments, for example, the Syrian National Defense Forces, the 4th Armored Division, the Air Force Intelligence Directorate, and elements of the Border Guard all act in cooperation with the IRGC, Lebanese Hezbollah, and the Iraqi Shia militias in the process of shipping arms by land, sea, and air to the various components of the Iranian structure between the Iraq-Iran border and the Mediterranean Sea (and perhaps beyond). The IRGC, that is Iran, is the senior, controlling element in this process.
Recent reports by the Alma Research and Education Center, which focuses on the challenges to Israel’s North, detail how CERS, the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center, has come under direct IRGC and Lebanese Hezbollah control. According to the report, CERS, which employs around 20,000 personnel, is engaged in production and development of advanced weapons systems, including chemical and biological weapons. An additional report from the same source describes the wholesale assimilation of an IRGC-linked militia, the Imam Ali Brigade, into the 4th Division. The report notes that “the 4th Division has evolved into an Iranian proxy, reporting directly to the Quds Force, which conducts direct offensive operations against Israel and American soldiers in Syria.”
In the area of smuggling of the amphetamine-type stimulant Captagon, which has become a crucial source of income for the Iranian-led bloc in this area, a similar level of unification pertains. The drugs are produced in Lebanon and Syria and smuggled across the border from Syria to Jordan. Participating in this process are, once more, the 4th Division and Air Force Intelligence, along with Hezbollah, southern Bedouin tribes such as the al-Nauaimi, who work in close cooperation with Hezbollah, and elements of the Syrian Border Guard trusted by the Iranian element. The IRGC manages the process. Try figuring out from that list where Iran begins and its proxies, including the Syrian regime, end.
THE SMUGGLING routes across the border are known for the transfer of drugs. Might other materials, including weaponry and ammunition also be transported the same way, and by the same networks? It certainly seems plausible. As is well known, the weaponry for the Iran-supported emergent militias of Jenin and Nablus largely enters from Jordan.
A week ago, the Israeli media reported that an “unusual” attempt at smuggling had been intercepted near Ashdot Yaacov in the Jordan Valley. No further information regarding the unusual nature of the attempt has emerged. But it should be noted that weaponry making its way from Jordan into the West Bank, in particular more sophisticated forms of armament, has first to be brought into Jordan.
Iranian project operates across borders
What may be glimpsed from all these examples is that the Iranian project operates across borders, with a clear hierarchy of control, and without regard to the distinctions separating countries, or separating supposedly sovereign governments in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon from the Iranian interest. Israel, by contrast, does respect these distinctions. It leaves Iraq alone, and avoids attacking the Syrian regime (thereby also avoiding attacking the manifold Iranian assets which today exist under the official banner of the regime, as well as those elements of the regime which today work in close cooperation with the IRGC.) Perhaps most serious of all, in Lebanon, Israel accepts a situation of mutual deterrence with Hezbollah, the IRGC’s oldest franchise, and as a consequence, largely leaves it to itself.
The end result of all this, it seems, is a growing confidence and even recklessness on the part of the enemy. This cannot be traced only to the current internal unrest in Israel. Iranian outlets have been talking about the “unification of the fronts” since Ramadan of 2021.
In March, an ominous incident took place in which an operative came from Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon down to Megiddo, carrying a powerful improvised explosive device. In April, 34 rockets were launched from southern Lebanon, with the certain knowledge of Hezbollah. In early July, an anti-tank missile was launched at Ghajar, on Israel’s northern border. This is without reference to the legion of lesser provocations also taking place along the border, including the placing of temporary structures on Israeli soil by Hezbollah.
The continued successes of Israeli air power over Syria are worthy of note. Nevertheless, given the broader realities outlined here, the increasingly urgent question is whether the current dimensions of the war between wars remain adequate for addressing the task at hand, namely, the need to strike at the full fabric of the Iranian effort to Israel’s North, both in order to substantively weaken this effort and to rebuild deterrence against its most forward elements.
Choosing not to decide on this matter is also a choice, namely the choice to acquiesce to the continued Iranian advance.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-754360?fbclid=IwAR0CetC7S_uw-MVOYs7E5gfTVEUhxVTycI2No8K2aOPnKkrPu0wyFTWQegw

Today in History: The Battle of Ascalon
Raymond Ibrahim/August 12/2023
Today in history marks another epic though largely forgotten battle in the long war between Islam and Christendom.
A few weeks after liberating Jerusalem from Muslim control in mid-July 1099, the First Crusaders received their first major challenge: a massive Muslim army, consisting of Egyptians, North Africans, Arabs, sub-Saharan Africans, and Turks, led by al-Afdal Shahanshah (1066-1122), the vizier and effective ruler of Fatimid Egypt, was making its way to besiege Jerusalem and annihilate the insolent Christians once and for all.
Although the Sunni Turks and Shia Fatimids had been at each other’s throats for decades, “fear of the Christians … drew them together.” For Robert the Monk, who tended to see temporal conflicts as reflective of eternal ones, that “writhing serpent,” Satan, had “in his venom” stirred up the “whole of the Orient.”
Rather than taking a defensive posture and barricading Jerusalem, Godfrey de Bouillon, the de facto king of Jerusalem, decided to go out and give battle with his entire army on August 10. Knowing that everything was on the line—and that they were outnumbered by and far from refreshed as the Fatimid army—the knights marched barefoot in the desert heat, carrying a fragment of the True Cross, which had been recovered on May 5 in Jerusalem, while loudly imploring God for aid.
They met and were augmented by the forces of Count Raymond and the two Roberts, the counts of Normandy and Flanders. Altogether the Crusader army consisted of about one thousand knights and ten thousand infantrymen; the Muslim army was as much as five times larger.
On August 11, the Franks, having neared the coastal city of Ascalon, where al-Afdal’s forces were encamped, captured Muslim spies and ascertained the opposing army’s status and layout. With such information, Godfrey decided that a surprise attack was in order. Thus, today in history, at the crack of dawn on August 12, the tired Christian fighters attended mass, partook of communion, and then, once again, rode out to victory or death.
And again, as at Antioch, the much larger and overconfident Muslim army was taken unawares; the vizier was shocked to learn that, instead of abandoning or at least barricading themselves inside Jerusalem, the Christian infidels had actually dared to rush out and intercept him. “Either they have lost their senses,” he exclaimed before his chiefs, “or they love death as much as life.” Either way, “exterminate them from the earth!”
A wild battle ensued and continued for the greater part of the day, though the Christians had the upper-hand. “[W]ith drawn swords in the hands of his followers,” Albert writes, “Godfrey visited severe destruction on the enemy…” Robert of Normandy also distinguished himself in battle, slaughtering the vizier’s own standard bearer; and Raymond “killed innumerable enemies and forced many more to plunge in the sea.” By late afternoon, thousands of Muslims lay dead or dying on the sands outside the walls of Ascalon; the rest fled back to Egypt—even as the Crusaders “pursued the enemies of the Cross of Christ.”
The reader is left to muse on Vizier al-Afdal’s lamentation to Allah and his prophet, reportedly made moments before his army was routed by the Crusaders (as recorded in Robert the Monk’s contemporary account, which was informed by a Muslim deserter):
O Mahommed, our master and protector, where is your strength?… Why have you abandoned your people like this to be mercilessly destroyed and dispersed and killed by a wretchedly poor and ragged people, a people who are the scrapings of other races, the lees, rust and slag of the whole human race…. Are those who have such power really men or are they in fact gods from Hell? Maybe Hell split asunder and let these men spew forth…. If they were really men they would fear death; but as it is they have no fear of returning to the Hell from which they emerged…. O Mahommed, Mahommed…. This is what the Christians say to insult us: that the power of the Crucified One is greater than yours because he is powerful on earth and in heaven. And it certainly seems to be the case now that those who place their trust in him win, whilst those who revere you are defeated…. So whose fault is it that we are reduced to this state? Why should we give you every honor and receive nothing in return? O Jerusalem … if you ever fall into our hands I shall raze you to the ground and completely destroy the Sepulchre of the One buried in you.
Note: This account was excerpted from and is documented in Chapter 1 of Raymond Ibrahim’s Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam.

A War of Breaking Illusions
Faisal Mohamed Saleh/Sudan's former Minister of Information/Asharq Al Awsat/12 August
Claiming that war has its benefits is indecent, especially as it rages on. Indeed, dozens of Sudanese fighting on both sides, and scores of peaceful civilians on both sides, are dying on a daily basis. Every morning, the people count the number of steps that Sudan is taking backward, as its infrastructure, services, industrial and productive capacity, and educational and medical institutions are eviscerated. In light of the havoc being wreaked by this war, such claims become unnecessary and insensitive. Nonetheless, we can say that, amid the devastation, there are lessons to be learned and built upon, about war and its ramifications. The importance of facing up to the hard facts, like those of this war, and the need to see reality for what it is, not what we want it to be. Sudanese society is constantly lauded as a peaceful and tolerant society with an aversion to violence. This image remains ingrained in the minds of the Sudanese, so much so that contradicting this claim is seen as heresy, treachery, and an assault on the nation's values, even though Sudan has been in civil war since 1955, with only brief intervals of peace ensured by short-lived armistices. Even when the truce was not so brief following the Addis Ababa Agreement of 1971, signed with the southern Anyanya rebel movement, it ended around ten years later, when former Sudanese president Jaafar Nimeiri walked back on the agreement he engineered in 1983.
Early on during the rule of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation, in the early 1990s, renowned Sudanese author Tayeb Salih wrote a famous article in his regular column for Al-Majalla magazine. The Sudanese have memorized and continue to repeat the question posed by its title: "Where did these people come from?" With high prose, he discussed the mass human rights violations the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation committed against Sudanese citizens, its wanton repression, and its heinous torture of opponents. The question he chose for his headline is a nod to the idea that their actions deviate from the norms of Sudan and the Sudanese.
Indirectly responding to him, Sudanese thinker and writer Abdullah Bola presented a paper at a human rights conference he called "On the Ghoul’s Genealogy Tree: Why the Ghoul Did not Descend from the Skies." As the title suggests, Bola argued that violence is rooted in Sudanese society and did not fall upon it from the sky, and he explains that confronting them is better than denial.
Indeed, this denial persists to this day, even as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commit atrocities against citizens, looting their property, cars, and homes, as well as assaulting women. Moreover, we have seen several instances of civilians looting factories, shops, and banks en masse. Everyone is trying to push the narrative that foreigners, or the RSF fighters from elsewhere in Africa are behind these actions. More than that, the war government sources called the ongoing conflict between the armed forces and the RSF a "foreign incursion" or a Zionist imperialist plot against Sudan.
The fact of the matter is that the RSF draws most of its fighters from Sudanese tribes, and it had been committing similar atrocities in Darfur, when it was acting on the orders of the previous government. State media and supporters of the government were complicit, saying nothing about these practices. Some army units also committed similar acts, and its human rights violations during the war against the South are well documented.
The Sudanese are similarly shocked by the political economy of war, which the people of the center and the north are witnessing for the first time. True, many positive practices can be seen. For example, many extended families are hosting their kin at home, and local communities are supporting the displaced through centers established in cities across the country. However, in many of the cities that Khartoum’s residents have fled to, rents have soared by over 400 percent, and transportation costs have also skyrocketed at similar rates, while speculation has spiked commodity prices.
Evidently, this is natural and can be seen in any society undergoing conflict, but many Sudanese seem to have taken aback, as these actions contradict the image they have of themselves and of their values. Despite the cruelty and abhorrence of this war, its most important lesson is that we must break whatever illusions we may have about ourselves and others. The war offers nations and peoples an opportunity to look at themselves in the mirror and confront reality, to see themselves in different circumstances, thereby generating an image of society that includes both its positives and negatives. This opportunity must be taken to avoid turning this war into another missed opportunity to learn from history, of which there are many.

Cuts to foreign aid hurt donor countries as well as the recipients
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/August 12, 2023
It is a rare occasion indeed when the source of the most critical verdict on a particular government policy is the minister in charge of the very policy that is found to be falling far short of what is desired and what the government previously committed itself to. Andrew Mitchell, the British minister of state for development and Africa, whose responsibility is to maximize the benefits of the UK’s humanitarian aid — and who is known for not mincing his words — has published a report that reveals the devastating consequences of his own government’s deep cuts to its foreign aid budget. Most worryingly, the report by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office admits that the effects of reducing Official Development Assistance will be severe in all areas of development, but that the worst effects will be on programs for helping women and girls.
It was not so long ago that the UK was regarded as a global development powerhouse. Not any more. It was Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, during his time in charge of the country’s finances when he was chancellor of the exchequer, who reduced Britain’s spending on foreign aid, supposedly as a temporary measure, from 0.7 percent of gross national income to 0.5 percent. This cut represented a saving of about £4 billion ($5.1 billion) a year, which was supposedly to be used to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the domestic economy.
The decision is perhaps understandable, given the pressure on the British economy as a result of the pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis, but still it hardly justifies harming people whose very existence depends on funding for aid programs.
The cuts to British aid mean that since 2020 there have been significant reductions in the numbers of bilateral aid programs, which has hindered the objective of fostering greater equality. The analysis by Foreign Office civil servants reads like an unfolding horror show, in which deaths, devastation and loss of human potential are guaranteed. For example, it seems the UK has, for all intents and purposes, given up on Afghanistan by cutting 76 percent of aid to the country. It is thereby abandoning some of the world’s most vulnerable women and girls, on whom the Taliban has imposed severe restrictions that violate their human rights “and (is) systematically erasing them from public spaces.” The cuts to UK aid now additionally leave them without access to critical services such as health services and education.
In Africa, it is feared thousands of women will die during pregnancy and childbirth as a direct result of the aid cuts, and 200,000 will face the prospect of unsafe abortions.
Opposition to cuts in foreign aid does not mean ignoring the economic difficulties many developed countries are currently facing.
There is something unbearably flippant about decisions to cut foreign aid. After all, those who suffer as a result do not vote in the donor country’s elections, let alone register their views about government policies in opinion polls.
Reducing support for the most vulnerable is probably most popular among Conservative politicians and their supporters in the UK, second only to deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda or incarcerating them on floating detention barges.
But it is a shortsighted policy that lacks vision or any genuine plan; and not only in light of the obvious moral-ethical imperative to help those most in need. Reducing assistance to low-income countries only exacerbates their economic, social and political woes. This can only serve to further destabilize them, which in turn damages our own national interests, including security concerns and the prevention of radicalization. It also hinders our access to natural resources, reduces the chances to trade with economies that are growing instead of shrinking, and affects our ability to jointly address the challenges resulting from climate change and global health issues.
No wonder Sunak’s announcement of the cut in aid funding, made while he was serving in Boris Johnson’s government, was described by five former British prime ministers — John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May, three of whom are Conservatives — as a “strategic mistake.”A target for high-income countries to give at least 0.7 percent of their gross national income in aid was set by the UN General Assembly in 1970. More than 50 years later, only five countries — Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Denmark and the Netherlands — have consistently reached or exceeded this target. The UK achieved the milestone for the first time in 2013, under a statutory obligation to meet it. It remains to be seen whether Sunak’s “temporary” measure, which the Treasury has said will be rescinded by 2028, will turn into a permanent one, although the Labour Party has promised to restore the 0.7 percent obligation upon what currently seems its likely return to power at the next general election, scheduled to be held by January 2025.
Although foreign aid to developing countries is not without negative side effects — and debates about whether or not it creates a culture of dependency, and the misuse of some of the funds leading to corruption, are not invalid — its overall contribution to the well being of both the donor country and the recipients is unquestionably invaluable. If wealthier countries are serious about achieving all, or most, of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals — which include an end to poverty and hunger, the creation of jobs, ensuring health and well being for everybody, universal education, gender equality, and clean water and sanitation for all people — then foreign aid is an absolute necessity. Most importantly, it should not be viewed as charity. In some cases, foreign aid comes with the stipulation that part of the money is spent in the donor country; this strengthens relations between the giver and the recipient but also helps to prevent political instability caused by radicalization and unwanted mass migrations, and the effects these have on donor countries. Opposition to cuts in foreign aid does not mean ignoring the economic difficulties many developed countries are currently facing, or the domestic political implications that many politicians are too afraid to deal with for fear of frightening voters.
However, even when such cuts are temporary measures they nevertheless have immediate and devastating effects on vulnerable people, and it is impossible to simply start aid programs up again later at the point at which they were abandoned. Instead, many projects will be forced to start over from a worse position, among a more distrusting local population. The Foreign Office analysis suggests that in Yemen, for example, the cuts to the UK aid budget mean half a million women and children will no longer receive healthcare, which in many cases will result in death. In South Sudan, the lives of tens of thousands of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition are at risk. Those who survive will miss out on essential vaccinations, which will leave a harmful long-term legacy.
It is inconceivable that out of an annual budget of nearly £1,200 billion, the UK government is unable to find the required sums for lifesaving humanitarian aid. This merely serves to further underline the fact that such policies are typical of a Conservative Party that habitually turns its back on those in the most dire straits, whether they are seeking asylum or need help in their home countries.
It is time for MPs with common sense and a strong moral compass, from all parties, to take a stand and rebel against Sunak’s xenophobic policies that are not only shaming the UK, a country that used to care about the less fortunate, but in the process are compromising the nation’s own interests.
*Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He is a regular contributor to the international written and electronic media. Twitter: @YMekelberg