Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 15-16/2023
Lebanese media outlets deny accusations of instigation in Kahale incident
Najia Houssari/Arab News/August 15, 2023
BEIRUT: In his first media appearance following the Kahale incident, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah blamed the media for what happened, referring to the “incitement of a malicious TV channel,” being responsible for the bloodshed. It is though Nasrallah was referring to MTV, a station backed by the Lebanese Forces party, which he described as “malicious.”On Aug. 10, a Hezbollah truck loaded with ammunition overturned at a curve on the Kahale Road linking Beirut to Bekaa. Clashes subsequently took place between locals who approached to see what had happened and Hezbollah gunmen, leaving a Hezbollah member dead as well as a Kahale resident. The situation was diffused after the Lebanese Armed Forces intervened and political parties called for calm. Kahale is a majority Christian town with strong links with the Free Patriotic Movement, the Kataeb Movement and the Lebanese Forces. An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the military judiciary. Dr. Iman Alaywan, an academic specializing in media ethics, told Arab News that while TV networks had significant power in Lebanon, responsibility for pushing violence ultimately lay with political parties. “TV channels still have an influence in our Arab countries. The TV is no longer a mere screen at home, but it took the form of breaking news on our phones, on X and on Facebook. Some people post the news on social media, which increased the influence of the TV,” she said.
Alaywan added that “in a country that has no rules, the influence of social media and media outlets … becomes more dangerous, especially (as) most media outlets in Lebanon have political affiliations. “During the Kahale incident, people would go on air without any regulations required by the channels’ administrations. The National Audiovisual Media Council didn’t do anything, knowing that if it had done something, a political party would’ve accused it of defending Hezbollah and vice versa.”Alaywan continued that “at the push of a button, the involved parties put an end to the repercussions of the incident, meaning that accusing media outlets of incitement isn’t true.”She explained: “The media plays a role but it is not a driver. It is certain that people are already against the illegal weapons, but the media cannot increase this tension on its own, meaning that it cannot push people to carry their weapons and take to the streets. Political parties do that.” Meanwhile Nasrallah rejected claims made in Nidaa Al-Watan newspaper that the ammunition on the overturned truck was bound for a Palestinian refugee camp as “silly.”Bechara Charbel, editor-in-chief of the newspaper, told Arab News: “We published the news, just like we publish any other news that we receive, and Palestinian forces denied it.” He added: “What Nasrallah did by accusing media outlets of inciting the Kahale incident is rejected, as it is impossible for the media to be the reason behind what happened. There are facts and material elements behind the incident. It involved a truck, weapons and shooting, and the media can never cause strife. Of course, the media’s perspective may be different than Hezbollah’s and this is normal, but accusing it of strife is something illogical.
“We should look into the real reason why people gathered at the location of the accident. The same thing happened during the Tayouneh clash last year and in the town of Chouaya, where people protested against a rocket launcher that passed through their village. Protesting is the result of a continuous and prolonged situation.”One political observer told Arab News Nasrallah’s accusations against the media were “an attempt to hide behind the army and the judiciary, close the case, turn the page on the clash, stop talking about the truck file and close it once and for all.”Nasrallah’s accusations were also rejected by senior political figures. Former President Michel Sleiman said “the free media is being accused.”He added: “Those who have a brave opinion are accused of espionage, backstabbing, malice and incitement, but oppression is rejected.”The Lebanese Forces said holding some media outlets accountable for what happened in Kahale was “slanderous and untruthful.”The party added: “Media outlets follow up the event, and what caused the Kahale incident was the presence of a truck loaded with weapons and ammunition and surrounded by armed members, prompting an understandable reaction by the residents. Then, all media outlets rushed to cover the incident. This is the work nature of free journalism, unless Nasrallah wants to turn Lebanon into another North Korea.” The Journalists for Freedom Association said Nasrallah’s remarks were “an unacceptable encroachment on media work and an implicit threat indicating improper intentions.” The association added: “Are journalists required to ignore the incidents and not report facts to avoid being accused of inflicting tensions and committing sinful acts, instead of holding the real perpetrators accountable?”It also expressed concern over “the recurrent phenomenon of attacking the free and responsible Lebanese media, which has been among the first to practice freedom of expression and defend public freedoms,” and called for “the protection of the media message,” adding that “the press has always been a fourth authority and this shouldn’t be forgotten.”

Patriarch al-Rahi affirms the importance of judicial justice in Qornet El Sawda incident
LBCI/August 15/ 2023
On the occasion of the passing of a month since the Qornet El Sawda incident, in which Haitham and Malek Tawk lost their lives, a mass was held at the Saint Saba Cathedral in Bsharri. The service was presided over by the Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, who affirmed that a judicial justice free from any political interference and any religious, sectarian, or doctrinal "coloration" is the backbone of a nation's life and the safeguard of citizens' rights and duties.

French letter to MPs requesting written answer to next president's specifications
LBCI/August 15/ 2023
In a recent development, French sources have confirmed that as part of the initiatives undertaken by French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, Lebanese parliamentary blocs and Change MPs have received a communication through the French embassy in Beirut.
This communication seeks a written response regarding the agenda the upcoming president is expected to operate under and the qualifications the future president should possess to execute these agendas effectively. The communication urged the parliamentary blocs and MPs to address this request before the end of September. Sources have indicated that the purpose behind requesting written responses is to ensure a higher level of commitment from the political forces represented in the parliament. Notably, the French side intends to gather and compile the responses into a summary, which will serve as the basis for discussions with the political forces present in the parliament.

Report: Paris asks MPs to give answers regarding presidential file
Naharnet/August 15/ 2023
Parliament has received an envelope from the French embassy in Beirut, MTV reported on Tuesday. The envelope contained requests that MPs “answer questions regarding their stances on the presidential file before the end of September,” the TV network said.
French special presidential envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian is scheduled to return to Lebanon in September.

Countdown to September: French embassy's letter to Lebanese MPs sets stage for presidential discussions
LBCI/August 15/ 2023
With just 15 days remaining before September, which some have described as a "presidential month," the presidential file is again in motion as French Presidential envoy Le Drian returns to Beirut. As part of Le Drian's mission, the French Embassy in Beirut dispatched letters to the leaders of parliamentary blocs and MPs through the Lebanese Parliament, containing a set of points the French side expects the MPs to address. According to LBCI's sources, these points include the agenda of the incoming president, their action plan, and the desired qualifications of the future president. The focus is on the vision of each MP and bloc without delving into names. French sources confirmed to LBCI that the embassy had informed the MPs about these letters about a week ago, urging them to submit their written responses before the end of August, allowing the French envoy to review them and establish a comprehensive outlook before his return to Beirut for discussions. Moreover, the French sources noted that these questions were formulated after the envoy's initial consultations with Lebanese officials. The request for written responses aims to secure a more significant commitment from the political forces represented in the Parliament. On Wednesday, MPs are expected to receive the French letter to review it after distribution by the General Secretariat of the Lebanese Parliament. Meanwhile, most MPs refrain from commenting on the matter, opting to await full disclosure and decision-making upon complete review. Upon receipt of the French document, consultations will begin within the parliamentary blocs, as confirmed by more than one MP to LBCI. The responses of the MPs are as important as the questions themselves for the French side. These responses will significantly facilitate the work of the French envoy and his upcoming consultative tour in September.

Former BDL Governor's bank accounts secrecy exposed: Leaked decision alters Salameh's fate
LBCI/August 15/ 2023
The decision by the Special Investigation Committee, led by the acting Governor of the Banque du Liban (BDL), Wassim Mansouri, came under secrecy.However, it was leaked on the same day of its preparation. Following four days of US and Western sanctions against former BDL Governor Riad Salameh, the Special Investigation Committee was compelled to take action after the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) included Salameh on its sanctions list. The committee unanimously resolved to freeze the accounts of Salameh, whether held directly or indirectly, as well as the accounts of Nady, his brother Raja, his advisor Mariane Howayek, and his Ukrainian friend Anna Kozakova. Additionally, the committee decided to lift the secrecy on these accounts for judicial review. The decision was communicated through the committee's Secretary-General, Abdel Hafiz Mansour, to banks and financial institutions in Lebanon for implementation. It was also transmitted to the Public Prosecutor's Office and the High Banking Authority. This decision implies that Salameh and his associates can no longer access their accounts, and their banking cards will be frozen in compliance with US sanctions, except salary-related accounts. What are the following stages of this decision? Banks must lift the secrecy on the mentioned individuals' accounts, even if closed and report the results to the BDL. If the Special Investigation Committee suspects any dubious sources of funds or money laundering, it will seize the account.
Subsequently, the Public Prosecutor's Office will be requested to seize movable and immovable assets the account holder owns. The Public Prosecutor's Office will conduct the necessary investigations, and in case of proven guilt and conviction, the seized funds will be confiscated for the benefit of the Lebanese state. In case of acquittal, the frozen funds can be released for disposal. Therefore, banks bear a responsibility in this regard. If they fail to report any suspicion of money laundering, the individual in question could face imprisonment for up to a year. If any individual is found to be complicit, they could face imprisonment from three to seven years. In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that Riad Salameh is expected to appear before the judiciary in Beirut on August 29 to discuss Judge Charbel Abou Samra's decision regarding the investigation case known as "Forry."
Will it be approved, or will a warrant for his arrest be issued?

A school year in question: Will Lebanon's school gates open or remain closed?
LBCI/August 15/ 2023
A school year in question: Will Lebanon's school gates open or remain closed?
With just a few weeks left until the scheduled opening of school gates for students to embark on their new academic year, uncertainty looms over whether these gates will swing open or remain closed. Like the overcast skies in Lebanon, the image of the upcoming school year is similarly hazy.
The Education Ministry is technically prepared to launch the new academic year; in logistical terms, official schools are also relatively prepared. Approximately $14 million has been distributed to the funds of these schools as part of a supporting initiative. However, the teachers are not fully ready to start the new year. The association of teachers in official primary education has staunchly advocated against opening official schools unless specific issues are addressed. These issues include salary corrections within the budget, ensuring that teacher salaries do not fall below $600, and obligating donor countries, as per the government and Education Ministry, to provide incentives of no less than $250 for teachers working both morning and afternoon shifts, settling previous dues owed to teachers and schools, and restoring cooperative contributions of state employees to their last value. These are just some of the demands being voiced. The Education Minister has promptly sought the opinions of representatives from the educational sector to document their demands for presentation in the upcoming government session. This document will specifically encompass the needs of various academic sectors from primary to secondary and vocational levels. The minister will again urge the government to allocate additional budgets from international donor agencies to ensure teacher income and incentives. According to educational sources, this document will prioritize two fundamental rights for teachers: a sufficient salary and healthcare coverage.Data indicates that the start of the new academic year might be delayed, at least for official schools, where registration was initially supposed to begin on September 5th. However, it will likely be postponed until the conclusion of the second round of official exams and the formulation of solutions for the school year's challenges. For private schools, their academic year is set to begin on schedule. Educational sources have confirmed to LBCI that tuition fees for private schools will also be subject to government assessment, aiming to establish regulations for fee increases. A committee of representatives from educational institutions, teachers, and parent committees will work to set these standards for tuition fees, though it has not yet convened. As the government session approaches, the fate of the new school year remains uncertain, leaving the final decision on opening school doors to the "last minute."

Foreign Ministry denounces terrorist attack in Shiraz: Aims to destabilize Iran
MTV/15 Aug 2023
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement today condemning the "terrorist attack on the shrine of Shah Charag in Shiraz, Iran," expressing its regret for "four civilian casualties and the injury of a number of others."The Ministry offered the government and people of Iran its "deepest condolences, especially to the families of the victims," ​​wishing "a speedy recovery for the injured." It deemed that "this criminal act, for which ISIS claimed responsibility, aims to destabilize Iran," emphasizing "the importance and necessity of coordinating regional and international efforts to combat and eliminate terrorism."

Labneh scandal: Investigations uncover non-compliant dairy products in Lebanon
LBCI/August 15/ 2023
Some varieties of dairy products sold in the market are not up to standard and are packaged to trick and harm consumers. The focus of our investigation was in northern Lebanon. In some shops and supermarkets, the phenomenon of selling labneh (strained yogurt) in white plastic containers without any nutritional information on the packaging has emerged. These products are often labeled as "local" and sold at relatively low prices. We traced the source of this labneh and the facilities producing it, leading us to purchase samples directly. Some claim it is locally produced, while others suggest it is made from powdered milk. On our journey, we also acquired samples of various cheeses.From there, we proceeded directly to the laboratory to determine the contents of these unknown dairy products and cheeses and to assess their adherence to standards. The samples were transported and preserved through refrigeration. However, the test results on the labneh samples were quite revealing. They indicated that the labneh was made from a mixture of animal fat, vegetable oil, and starch.Microbiological tests on the labneh samples also revealed that these products did not meet the required specifications, and the analysis results did not align with the limits set by Lebanese standards. Similarly, the cheese samples underwent testing, revealing inconsistencies with Lebanese standards. It is important to note that these results were obtained from just three samples in the market, and there may be other varieties of non-compliant dairy products and cheeses. The Economy Ministry and the judiciary are taking action by immediately withdrawing these products from the market, suspending the implicated facilities, and preventing the display of similar items without clear ingredient listings. Given the current administrative challenges within the state, municipal health departments must take on a role in ensuring constant supervision to prevent consumer deception and safeguard public health. Exploiting citizens' need for affordable products should cease immediately.

New book reveals brutal toll of Lebanon's Great Famine
Syed Hamad Ali/The National/August 15/2023
كتاب جديد يكشف الخسائر الفادحة لمجاعة لبنان الكبرى/سيد حمد علي/ ذا ناشيونال / 15 آب / 2023
The famine of 1915-1918 has seen a resurgence of interest in recent years, and is the subject of Dublin writer Tylor Brand's book
In central Beirut stands an eight-metre tall painted steel sculpture of a tree, built by the artist Yazan Halwani in remembrance of the Great Famine of Mount Lebanon, which lasted from 1915 to 1918. Unveiled in 2018, the Memory Tree's branches are covered in Arabic calligraphy, quoting poets and writers who lived through the First World War calamity, including Kahlil Gibran and Tawfiq Yusuf Awwad.
Lebanon is today suffering multiple tragedies, from Beirut’s port explosion of August 2020 – one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in human history – to a crippling financial crisis that has depleted savings and significantly devalued the Lebanese pound.
As difficult as it is to imagine, the century-old famine was even more severe than these current troubles - having wiped out a sizeable portion of the population and forced countless to migrate. Since its centenary a few years ago, there has been a resurgence in interest relating to the famine, reinforced perhaps by the country’s continuing issues. The latest to examine the subject is Tylor Brand’s Famine Worlds: Life at the Edge of Suffering in Lebanon’s Great War.
The reasons behind the deadly famine were complex, having taken place under an unpopular Ottoman governor, Jamal Pasha, when the region faced a maritime blockade by Allied powers to prevent the supply of food. Furthermore, there was an invasion of locusts. Brand, an assistant professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Trinity College, Dublin, is less interested in the causes and politics behind the famine, and more in “how people experienced the crises”.
Brand previously resided in Beirut for six years, where he first began research into the famine at the American University of Beirut. While digging around historic accounts from that period, a more modern tragedy began to unfold as Syrian refugees poured in.
Navigating the streets of modern-day Beirut, Brand recognised his own “compassion fatigue” towards Syrian refugees in the writing of authors describing the famine a century ago: “I saw their avoidance strategies in my own rerouted journeys through the city, which over time began to favour streets where I would be less likely to encounter certain persistent child beggars and shoeshine boys.”
Later, while talking about the portrayal of death during the famine, he narrates the experience of American professor Edward Nickoley. While resting at home one day in 1917, Nickoley heard the “agonised moans” of a starving boy outside, which leaves him “emotionally conflicted” as he is held back from helping by an intangible fear.
He finally falls asleep without going out to help: “He woke the next morning to the sight of a cart loading a corpse where the boy had been. Nickoley did not act, and as a consequence, the collectors of the dead were forced to.”
The number who perished from the famine is not known for certain. According to one source, 200,000 died in Lebanon, though other estimates vary. Brand cautions against writers reducing suffering to a statistic, which he says inadvertently converts each individual life to a tiny fraction of a percentage: “While death understandably remains the morbid standard by which famines are measured, to overemphasise death skews our understanding of famine to the extreme, worst cases at their final, irreparable end.”
There is a chapter dedicated to survival tactics during the famine, such as adding wild herbs and roots to supplement normal diet, while those who were destitute “combed the trash heaps for potato and citrus peels, cactus pads, scraps of bone and gristle, melon rinds, rotten food and other nominally edible, if mostly indigestible, material.” Migration was another route towards survival, from rural to urban zones, swelling the populations of large towns and cities like Beirut, Tripoli and Zahle, “despite the obvious suffering in the streets”.
Famine Worlds is a meticulously researched account that will appeal to those with a scholarly interest in the historical Levant. However, its academic tone and forensic examination of the famine era is geared to a specific readership. Those looking for a populist reading on the topic will have to look elsewhere.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 15-16/2023
Blast hits munitions depot northeast of Damascus
Agence France Presse/August 15/ 2023
A blast hit a munitions depot northeast of the Syrian capital Tuesday causing casualties, a war monitor said, two days after a similar explosion hit warehouses belonging to pro-Iran groups. The morning blast struck a depot containing "missiles and ammunition" in an area northeast of Damascus that is "dominated by Lebanon's Hezbollah", the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Britain-based monitor, which has a wide network of sources inside Syria, reported an unspecified number of casualties in the blast near the town of Al-Ruhaiba. The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear. Syrian state media did not immediately report the blast, which came just two days after the Observatory reported explosions at missile warehouses held by pro-Iran groups in a mountainous area west of the capital. "We don't know if it was from an air strike or ground operation," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman had told AFP on Sunday. During more than a decade of war in Syria, neighboring Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on Syrian territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters, as well as Syrian army positions. Israel rarely comments on strikes it carries out on targets in Syria, but it has repeatedly said it will not allow its arch foe Iran to expand its presence. With Iranian as well as Russian support, the government of President Bashar al-Assad has clawed back much of the territory it lost to rebels early in the conflict, which broke out in 2011 and has pulled in foreign powers and global jihadists. The war has killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions and battered the country's infrastructure and industry.

Egypt, Jordan and Abbas slam Israel, say it's fueling violence against Palestinians
Associated Press/August 15/ 2023
The leaders of Egypt and Jordan, and the Palestinian president have slammed Israel, saying it was fueling chaos and violence in east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank as bloodshed surges between Israel and Palestinians.The condemnation came at the end of a three-way summit in the northern Egyptian city of el-Alamein that brought together Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The three accused Israel of a number of violations against Palestinians, including what they said were incursions by Israeli soldiers at a contested holy site in east Jerusalem and illegally withholding Palestinian money. The site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is the holiest site in Judaism. Today, it is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam. The competing claims lie at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel's government did not immediately respond to the statement from the summit. The past months have seen one of the deadliest periods in years in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. More than 160 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire this year in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Palestinians have killed 29 people on the Israeli side during that time. Israel's new ultra nationalist government, formed last December, has adopted a hard-line approach to the Palestinians. In January, it decided to withhold $39 million from the Palestinian Authority and transfer the funds instead to a compensation program for the families of Israeli victims of Palestinian militant attacks. During violent flare ups, Egypt, which was the first Arab country to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, has regularly acted as a peace broker between the two sides. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Palestinians seek those territories for their hoped-for independent state.

Israeli raid in occupied West Bank kills 2 Palestinians
Associated Press/August 15/ 2023
Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinians, including a 16-year-old, in a raid in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Palestinian health officials said. The Israeli military said troops came under fire and shot back. Israel has been carrying out near-nightly raids in the West Bank since last year in response to a spate of Palestinian attacks, what has fueled tensions in the region and sent the death toll soaring. The violence comes amid a spike in attacks on Palestinians by radical Jewish settlers, continued settlement expansion and as Israel is led by a government composed of ultranationalist settlement supporters. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified those killed as Qusay al-Walaji, 16, and Mohammed Nujoom, 25. The statement added that the raid took place in the Jericho area, which has seen heavy fighting over the last 16 months. The Israeli military said in its statement that Palestinians opened fire at forces operating in the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp near Jericho and the forces fired back. Israeli-Palestinian violence in the West Bank has surged to levels unseen in nearly two decades, with more than 170 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the start of 2023, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Israel says most of those killed have been militants, but stone-throwing youths protesting the raids and others not involved in the confrontations have also been killed. At least 27 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis during that time. Israel says the raids are essential to dismantle militant networks and thwart future attacks. The Palestinians see the violence as a natural response to 56 years of occupation, including stepped-up settlement construction by Israel's government and increased violence by Jewish settlers. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Palestinians seek those territories for their hoped-for independent state.

Israel may uproot ancient Christian mosaic near Armageddon. Where it could go next sparks outcry
TEL MEGIDDO, Israel (AP)/Tue, August 15, 2023
An ancient Christian mosaic bearing an early reference to Jesus as God is at the center of a controversy that has riled archaeologists: Should the centuries-old decorated floor, which is near what's believed to be the site of the prophesied Armageddon, be uprooted and loaned to a U.S. museum that has been criticized for past acquisition practices? Israeli officials are considering just that. The proposed loan to the Museum of the Bible in Washington also underscores the deepening ties between Israel and evangelical Christians in the U.S, whom Israel has come to count on for political support, tourism dollars and other benefits. The Megiddo Mosaic is from what is believed to be the world's earliest Christian prayer hall that was located in a Roman-era village in northern Israel. It was discovered by Israeli archaeologists in 2005 during a salvage excavation conducted as part of the planned expansion of an Israeli prison. The prison sits at a historic crossroads a mile south of Tel Megiddo on the cusp of the wide, flat Jezreel Valley. The compound is ringed by a white steel fence topped with barbed wire and is used for the detention of Palestinian security inmates. Across a field strewn with cow-dung and potsherds, the palm-crowned site of a Bronze and Iron Age city and ancient battles is where some Christians believe a conclusive battle between good and evil will transpire at the end of days: Armageddon. For some Christians, particularly evangelicals, this will be the backdrop of the long-anticipated climax at the Second Coming, when divine wrath will obliterate those who oppose God's kingdom; it serves as the focus of their hopes for ultimate justice. The Israel Antiquities Authority said that it will decide about the move in the coming weeks, following consultations with an advisory body.
“There’s an entire process that academics and archaeologists are involved with,” said IAA director Eli Eskozido. The organization said that moving the mosaic from its original location was the best way to protect it from upcoming construction at the prison.
Jeffrey Kloha, the Museum of the Bible’s chief curatorial officer, said a decision on the loan would be made solely by the IAA. The museum “of course would welcome the opportunity to educate our thousands of visitors on important pieces of history such as this mosaic,” he told The Associated Press via email. Several archaeologists and academics have voiced vociferous objections to the notion of removing the Megiddo Mosaic from where it was found — and all the more so to exhibit it at the Museum of the Bible. Cavan Concannon, a religion professor at the University of Southern California, said the museum acts as a “right-wing Christian nationalist Bible machine” with links to “other institutions that promote white evangelical, Christian nationalism, Christian Zionist forms.”“My worry is that this mosaic will lose its actual historical context and be given an ideological context that continues to help the museum tell its story,” he said. Others balk at the thought of moving the mosaic at all before academic study is complete.
“It is seriously premature to move that mosaic," said Matthew Adams, director of the Center for the Mediterranean World, an non-profit archaeological research institute, who is involved in digs at Tel Megiddo and the abutting Roman legionary camp of Legio. Asked about criticisms of the Washington museum’s practices, Kloha said, “Major museums and distinguished institutions committed to preserving history have had to grapple with cultural heritage issues, particularly in recent years.” “To be clear: Museum of the Bible is proud to have proactively launched research and a thorough review of items in its collections,” he added. “The museum initiated returns where appropriate to countries of origin without obligation to do so and encourages other institutions to do the same.”Based on other finds found in the dig and the style of the letters in the inscriptions, IAA archaeologists have dated the mosaic floor to the third century — before the Roman Empire officially converted to Christianity and when adherents were still persecuted. Nonetheless, one of the donors who paid to decorate the ancient house of worship was a centurion serving in the adjacent Roman legionary camp. The mosaic bears Greek inscriptions, among them an offering “To God Jesus Christ.”
Since opening its doors in 2017, the Museum of the Bible has faced criticism over its collecting practices and for promoting an evangelical Christian political agenda. In 2018, it had to repatriate an ancient Mesopotamian tablet looted from Iraq and admit that several of the Dead Sea Scroll fragments in its collection were modern forgeries. American authorities also seized thousands of clay tablets and other looted antiquities from the museum’s founder, Hobby Lobby president and evangelical Christian Steve Green, and returned them to Iraq. The mosaic loan would reinforce ties between Israel and the museum. The museum sponsors two archaeological digs in Israel, has a gallery curated by the IAA. Kloha said the museum also is planning a lecture series featuring IAA archaeologists. Evangelical Christians, whose ranks have been growing worldwide, have become some of Israel's most fervent supporters, donating large sums of money and visiting the country as tourists and pilgrims. In the U.S., they also lobby politicians in Congress in support of Israel. Evangelicals, who make up more than a third of the world's estimated 2 billion Christians, say their affinity for Israel stems from Christianity’s Jewish roots.
Some view the founding of Israel as fulfilling biblical prophecy, ushering in an anticipated Messianic age when Jesus will return and Jews will either accept Christianity or die. That tenet has generated unease among some Israelis, but politicians have embraced evangelical support for the state nonetheless.
Since its discovery, the mosaic has remained buried beneath the grounds of the Megiddo Prison. But in recent years the Israeli government has started advancing a multi-year plan to move the prison from its current location and develop a tourist site around the mosaic.
The Tel Megiddo archaeological site is already a major attraction for evangelical Christians visiting the Holy Land. Busloads of pilgrims stop on their way to or from the Galilee to see the ruins of a biblical city and pray at the site where they believe the apocalypse will take place. Neither the IAA nor the museum would discuss the exact terms of the loan proposal, but Eskozido suggested something similar to the decade-long global tour of a Roman mosaic found in the central Israeli city of Lod until Israel had completed a museum to house it. Experts remain skeptical of uprooting the mosaic. “Once you take any artifact outside of its archaeological context, it loses something, it loses a sense of the space and the environment in which it was first excavated,” said Candida Moss, a theology professor at University of Birmingham who co-wrote a book about the Museum of the Bible. Rafi Greenberg, a professor of archaeology at Tel Aviv University, said the proposal smacked of colonialism, where historically dominant powers have extracted archaeological discoveries from colonies. “Even if Israel doesn’t ever recognize itself as being a colony, it is actually behaving like one, which I find odd,” he said. Greenberg said that archaeological finds “should stay where they are and not be uprooted and taken abroad to a different country and basically appropriated by a foreign power.”

The rouble’s collapse could finally bring down Putin
Matthew Lynn/The Telegraph/August 15, 2023
The long-awaited Ukrainian offensive has stalled. Only a small proportion of occupied territory has been reclaimed. Western leaders may soon begin to lose interest in a war that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and the “coup” launched by renegade mercenaries appears to have fizzled out. Viewed from the Kremlin, perhaps the war may look like one Vladimir Putin can endure, even if the possibility of an easy victory has long since passed. But there is one big problem. The rouble is in freefall. History tells us that a financial collapse can often act as a catalyst for wider political and military implosion. Putin is in far deeper trouble than it might seem. Even with additional Western weapons and training, Ukraine’s armed forces have struggled to punch through the heavily fortified Russian lines. Without much air cover, it is incredibly difficult. And with the end of the summer approaching, there is little sign of a substantial breach. The infamous Ukrainian “rasputitsa”, or “mud season”, will soon be upon us, with heavy rain turning the ground into marshy bog. By winter, the Ukrainian forces may have made little progress. The conflict is one of attrition, steadily turning into another brutal, First World War-style battle fought along trenches stretching for hundreds of miles. Putin may well believe he can win by playing the long game, that time is on his side. He has more conscripts to call on, a military-industrial complex that can deliver the weapons his generals need, and the prospect of wavering Western resolve. In the United States, by far the largest supplier of money and weapons to Kyiv, a fraught Presidential election could mean the war gets pushed to one side. All Russia has to do is hold its nerve, and it could yet prevail. Here’s the problem, however. The Russian currency is in freefall. On Monday it dropped below the psychologically important 100 to the dollar rate, its lowest level since the immediate aftermath of the invasion. The rouble has fallen by 25pc against the dollar so far this year, and by 23pc against the Chinese renminbi. The latter is surely its most important trading partner right now. Meanwhile, the budget deficit has soared as the cost of the war soars. The trade balance is slipping out of control as exports plummet. Even worse, there are also signs of infighting among the Russian policy establishment, with Putin’s economic adviser Maxim Oreshkin blaming the central bank for the steady decline in the currency. The bank has warned it might have to raise the cost of money to defend the exchange rate. Open rows between the government and the monetary authorities are rarely a sign that things are going well, and will only undermine confidence in the currency any further. Measured over the last decade, the rouble has lost half its value, with rapid decline this year. The Russian economy is gradually atrophying. It may have come at a huge price, and the toll on industry and government budgets has been huge, but Europe is managing to wean itself off Russian gas. Its most lucrative export and its largest market has been closed off. India and China may still be buying Russian energy, but not in the same quantities, and not at the same prices. The impact of sanctions is finally starting to bite.
A few Western companies, perhaps most notably Unilever, may still be operating in Russia, but most have now left, and their assets have been seized either by the state, or sold off cheaply to “friends” of the regime. Putin’s gangster system dominated by his cronies, and a few compliant oligarchs, can do “robber capitalism”, but they are incapable of the real deal, and there is no space for genuine entrepreneurs to move into the space vacated by global multinationals. At the same time, China – Putin’s major global ally – is facing strong economic headwinds. It is slipping into deflation following months of weak consumer spending. Growth is undershooting expectations, while youth unemployment has ballooned. This is not the moment to be propping up Russia. If anything, President Xi will surely be content to turn the country into a subservient supplier of raw materials to the Chinese economic machine. Add it all up, and one point is clear. It has taken a while. But the Kremlin is starting to feel real financial pressure for the first time since its troops marched into Ukraine last year. History tells us that an economic collapse can trigger a domino effect. The German hyper-inflation of the 1920s dominates the history books, but prices were already rising at an annualised rate of 50pc-plus through 1918 as the Kaiser’s government printed money on a vast scale to pay for the war. The cost of the war in Vietnam took such a toll on even the vast resources of the US that the Bretton Woods system collapsed and President Nixon was forced to finally sever the last link between the dollar and gold. It may well be the same in Russia. Its economy may have long defied the doomsayers, with the IMF predicting in January that it would grow this year, and core inflation falling drastically from an all-time high of 20.37pc in April 2022. But the collapsing value of the rouble is a warning sign that Putin cannot afford to ignore. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.

Sweden grants $300 million worth of ammunition and spare parts to Ukraine
AFP/August 15, 2023
The Swedish government announced on Tuesday that it will provide Ukraine with ammunition and spare parts worth over $300 million. Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson stated that the military assistance package, the thirteenth of its kind to Ukraine, will include ammunition and spare parts for weapon systems previously donated by Stockholm to Kyiv. The value of this aid package is approximately 3.4 billion Swedish Krona (313 million dollars). The ammunition and parts are intended for infantry fighting vehicles of the "CV-90" model, "Archers" artillery systems, and "Leopard 2" tanks. The package also includes mine-clearing equipment and ammunition for air defense systems. Johnson emphasized that these provisions are crucial to prevent Russia from gaining aerial superiority in Ukraine. In January, Sweden announced its plan to send 50 of its armored combat vehicles to Ukraine. It also committed to sending "Archers" artillery systems and anti-tank guided munitions "NLAW." The following month, it revealed its intention to send around 10 "Leopard 2" tanks, along with "Iris-T" and "Hawk" air defense missile systems. Johnson told reporters, "During the spring and winter, we have sent substantial equipment packages, multiple systems. We are now making sure that Ukrainians can use them for long-term operational success." The government aims to hold a parliamentary vote on the package on Thursday, potentially allowing it to move forward on Friday. Shortly after the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Sweden abandoned its policy of not supplying weapons to countries at war, pledging thousands of anti-tank weapons of the "AT4" model. The combined value of the first twelve military assistance packages is estimated at around 17 billion Swedish Krona (1.6 billion dollars). The Scandinavian nation has also contributed about 5.2 billion Krona in humanitarian and civilian aid.

Officials Reveal Dreaded Russian Plot Against New Target in Europe
Shannon Vavra/The Daily Beast/August 15, 2023
While Poland sends thousands of more troops and combat helicopters to its border with Belarus to head off a possible conflict with Russia’s Wagner Group, a more insidious threat is rankling top Polish officials, The Daily Beast has learned. The Kremlin has kicked its influence arm targeting Poland into high gear in recent days, with Russian and Belarusian operatives and officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin himself, pushing propaganda at Polish society with messages that stoke skepticism about supporting Ukraine, a Polish official told The Daily Beast in an exclusive interview.
The warning that Russia is working to destabilize Polish politics coincides with Warsaw setting its election date this week for Oct. 15. As the thinking goes, the Russian influence operation appears aimed at exacerbating divisions among Polish people and stirring up rifts in society in advance of elections, all while weakening Polish support for Kyiv as Russia continues its war in Ukraine. “Popular support for Ukraine is very high in Poland for a society. It’s almost unanimous when it comes to our view of conflict, who is the bad guy, who really is responsible for everything that is going on, and why we have to take care of the Ukrainian refugees,” the official said. But “there is also some element in Polish society that is rather skeptical... I think the Russians might believe that this kind of messaging might appeal to the skeptical audience in the runup to the elections.”
While a majority of Polish society supports helping Ukraine in its fight to stave off a Russian takeover, there are pockets that are less enthusiastic about the amount of help going towards the Ukrainian cause. Approximately 65 percent of Poles want Warsaw to keep supporting Ukraine, while roughly 34 percent want Poland to be neutral, according to survey results from a May-June poll from the Centre for East European and International Studies released early this month.But the portion of those surveyed who said they support helping Ukraine has dwindled in recent months, dropping nearly 20 points from 83 percent support in the same survey last year.
Reuters/Alina Smutko
Russia sought to dampen Western support for aid to Ukraine since the early months of the war. According to multiple intelligence memoranda obtained by The Daily Beast last year, the Kremlin has been waging an online operation aimed at cratering Western support and boosting Moscow’s war effort.
For Ukraine and the security of Europe, the stakes of the sweeping Russian influence operation in Poland are high: Poland has served as a hub for funneling Western aid to Ukraine. That has been key to countering Russian aggression, which makes it an obvious target for Moscow to go after.
The End Times
One of Russia’s primary goals for influence schemes targeting Poland is to dissolve popular support for Ukraine in Poland, Givi Gigitashvili, a researcher focused on the Caucasus and Eastern Europe at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, told The Daily Beast.
The various prongs of the Kremlin-Belarus influence operation include multiple social media platforms, blunt statements from leadership in both Moscow and Minsk, and hybrid cloak-and-dagger operations meant to stoke political turmoil in Poland. The issue of Poland hosting Ukrainian refugees has been top-of-mind for the Kremlin’s influence operation. A slew of Polish-language Telegram channels with telltale signs of a coordinated Kremlin operation have been focused on amplifying anti-Ukrainian refugee and pro-Kremlin sentiment in Poland in recent weeks, Gigitashvili told The Daily Beast. With channel names like “News of the End Times” and “The last Frontier of the Republic of Poland — Q POLSKA,” the posts are focused on painting Russians as heroes and liberators, while casting the refugees as somehow aggressive. One post identified as part of the network accuses the refugees of getting “everything for free,” while Poles have to work hard to earn money. They are “trying to capitalize on some of the existing vulnerabilities, or let's say sentiments, in the society, like for instance… if Poland should continue accepting more refugees,” Gigitashvili said. People hold banners and Ukrainian flags as they take part in a March for Victory as they move from Krakow’s Main Square to the Russia’s Consulate on Feb. 24, 2023 in Krakow, Poland. Other prongs of the influence operation are more blatant. The chairman of the State Duma of Russia alleged that Poland is growing tired of helping “insatiable” Ukraine counter Russia this week.
“In the West, there is growing fatigue with both him and the insatiable Kyiv regime. His ingratitude has become a dominant theme in European politics. This is openly stated at the official level, not only in Britain but also in Poland,” Vyacheslav Volodin said. “The fate of Washington and Brussels puppets always ends the same way – they are disposed of. Zelensky is next in line.” And while some of the ongoing Russian influence operation appears aimed at weakening Warsaw’s support for Ukraine and stirring up pressure on Polish lawmakers running for office, the Russian operation harbors aims to amplify divisions more broadly in Poland as well, to create general instability, particularly as elections approach, according to the Polish official. “We have to see it also in the context of the Polish political situation, we’ll have parliamentary elections in about two months, October 15. And both Lukashenko and Putin are clearly aware of that,” the official said.
Flashpoint
Some goals of the ongoing Russian influence operation appear aimed at creating a general environment and understanding that leans into a prolonged, ever-present conflict or possibility of conflict, making way for possible mobilizations, according to Warsaw.
Tensions have flared between Poland and Belarus in recent days, after Russian Wagner mercenaries funneled into Belarus following a failed mutiny in Russia. And with the lines of command between Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin blurrier than ever before, concerns have grown in recent days that the two leaders might allow or lean on Wagner fighters to provoke or attack Poland. Wagner fighters in the last several days have marched closer and closer to Poland’s border, training with Belarusian soldiers, according to Warsaw. Earlier last week, Belarusian helicopters violated Polish airspace, earning a swift response from Poland, which sent combat helicopters to the border and redeployed troops from the west of the country to prepare for possible Belarusian or Wagner aggression. Poland’s prime minister warned early this week that Wagner troops are headed towards the Suwalki Gap, a territory between Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave, threatening to create yet another military flashpoint in Europe. But the apparent influence plot isn’t just about on-the-ground movements, and also relies on a messaging component from Minsk, according to the Polish official who spoke with The Daily Beast. Lukashenko has hinted in recent days, for instance, that Wagner mercenaries are preparing to head towards Warsaw and Rzeszow, with some news outlets reporting he delivered the assessment in a “joking” tone. But making stuff up about Poland and possible confrontations is a classic move on the part of Lukashenko and Putin to spin a false narrative, the Polish official warned. “There is this perennial topic in Russia, that has to do with this alleged desire by Poland to retake western Belarus. So they use Poland as a scapegoat,” the Polish official said, adding it is necessary to take what Lukashenko says with a massive grain of salt. “Lukashenko surely uses our country to mobilize his political base in Belarus and to show his people that there is this real threat from Poland.” In another turn, Putin warned in recent days that Russia will soon “remind” Poland that its western territories were a gift from Russia, by his telling. Other narratives that Russia may latch onto moving forward include false claims that Poland has been seeking to occupy Ukraine, claims Warsaw has said are false and aimed at roping in additional countries into war or placing the blame on the West for the war in Ukraine. As the thinking in Warsaw goes, these kinds of territorial messages are coordinated in Russia and Belarus to foment tension in Poland. And after spreading rhetoric about possible provocations, Belarus and Russia are currently working to discredit Polish authorities that are attempting to simmer tensions, according to Warsaw. “The operation of destabilizing the Polish border, controlled and organized by Belarussian and Russian security services, is constantly accompanied by disinformation and manipulation aimed at discrediting structures defending the integrity of the Polish territory,” Deputy Minister-Coordinator of Special Services Stanisław Żaryn said Thursday.
The propaganda is aimed at getting Warsaw to give up its efforts to defend the border, Żaryn said. “Propaganda pressure exerted by Belarus and Russia in the context of the artificial route of illegal migration to Poland is intended to put pressure against PL and to inspire susceptible groups in Poland to force the Polish Government to give up defending our border,” he said, referring to Polish government officials’ concerns that part of the Belarusian and Russian destabilization campaign includes an effort to force a migrant crisis on Poland.
Polish soldiers walk after a news conference, a week before the National Army Day Parade, at Wesola military base in Warsaw, Poland, Aug. 8, 2023. The accusations harken back to Belarus’ 2021 efforts to send migrants and refugees from the Middle East to Poland to stir up pressures in Warsaw.
The sweeping influence operation against Poland isn’t just coming from inside Belarus and Russia, though. Polish authorities have been working to wrap up a Russian espionage network in Poland that has been focused on propaganda, authorities say. The investigation is ongoing, The Daily Beast has learned.
“It’s not the first and surely not the last case of Russian espionage or Belarusian espionage in Poland,” the Polish official told The Daily Beast. Poland’s Internal Security Agency arrested two Russian citizens for distributing Wagner propaganda in Krakow and Warsaw last week, the agency announced Monday. In Moscow, the two men had prepared “over 3,000 propaganda materials promoting Wagner Group,” the Internal Security Agency said Monday. They were communicating with their handlers on a regular basis, and were expected to be paid 500,000 Russian rubles—about US$5,000—according to Polish authorities. Last week, posters that claimed to be Wagner recruitment posters with QR codes appeared in Warsaw, according to posts on Twitter or X. It was not immediately clear if they were legitimately from Wagner or from other actors trying to stir fear inside the country about Wagner mercenaries infiltrating Poland. Wagner Mercs May Soon ‘Infiltrate’ Poland, PM Warns
While the Russian influence operation is sweeping, it appears to be ineffective and sloppy so far, and the majority of Poles likely will not be swayed toward pro-Kremlin narratives, said Gigitashvili. But the influence network in Poland is not poised to wind down anytime soon, and instead, looks to be growing.
“The number of these actors who are acting on behalf of the Kremlin or Belarus is growing in Poland, unfortunately,” Gigitashvili said. Moving forward, Belarusian or Russian actors working to destabilize Poland will likely resort to hack-and-leak operations, Gigitashvili predicted—some of which have already taken place. Hackers working for a Minsk- and Moscow-aligned team researchers call “Ghostwriter” hacked into lawmakers’ emails and leaked documents and emails.“We should expect cyber-attacks. We may also expect hack-and-leak operations… Election interference is a long game.”

US would welcome any Iranian steps to slow nuclear program: Blinken
Reuters/August 15, 2023
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday he could not confirm a report that Iran slowed its pace of amassing near-weapons-grade enriched uranium but would welcome any Iranian steps to de-escalate its “growing nuclear threat.”
Blinken also told reporters that Iran moving US detainees into house arrest was not related to any other aspect of US policy toward Iran, which he said reflected a strategy of deterrence, pressure and diplomacy. On Thursday, sources said Iran may free five detained US citizens as part of a deal to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian funds in South Korea. Iran allowed four detained US citizens to move into house arrest from prison. A fifth was already under home confinement. The Wall Street Journal on Friday reported Iran had significantly slowed the pace at which it was accumulating near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and diluted some of its stockpile, moves that could help ease tensions with the US and revive broader talks over Iran’s nuclear program. “Of course, we would welcome any steps that Iran takes to actually deescalate the growing nuclear threat that it has posed since the United States got out of the Iran nuclear deal,” Blinken told a news conference, alluding to former US President Donald Trump’s 2018 abandonment of that agreement. Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and six major powers, Iran had agreed to curb its nuclear program to make it harder for it to obtain an atomic weapon — an ambition it denies — in return for relief from US, European Union and United Nations sanctions.

UK should admit role in Iran coup: Ex-FM
Arab News/August 15, 2023
David Owen: ‘By admitting we were wrong … we make reforms a little more likely’
LONDON: A former British foreign secretary has urged the government to admit the UK’s leading role in ousting Iran’s last democratically elected leader in 1953, The Guardian reported on Tuesday. “There are good reasons for acknowledging the UK’s role with the US in overthrowing democratic developments,” David Owen, who was foreign secretary from 1977 to 1979, told the newspaper. “By admitting we were wrong and damaged steps that were developing towards a democratic Iran, we make reforms a little more likely. “Women’s powerful arguments for reform are being heard and respected because they are true to a political spirit that has a long history in Iran. “The British would help their cause and make it more likely to succeed and not be brushed aside if we admitted past errors in 1953.”The release of declassified CIA material a decade ago revealed that the ousting of elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosadegh, 70 years ago this week, was a joint CIA-MI6 plot pushed for by the UK’s then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill after Mosadegh nationalized British oil interests. But the UK has retained its stance of not commenting on intelligence operations, a fact that the makers of a new film charting the coup attribute for their failure to find a distributor. Taghi Amirani, director of “Coup 53,” said: “We’ve had the most bizarre and sinister attempts at supressing both the contents of the film and its chances of getting distribution in many twisted incidents worthy of (John) le Carre.”Richard Norton-Taylor, author of a book about UK intelligence and the media, described Britain’s silence over its involvement in the coup as “sad and absurd” given the US admission.

The Taliban are entrenched in Afghanistan after 2 years of rule. Women and girls pay the price
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)/August 15/ 2023
The Taliban have settled in as rulers of Afghanistan, two years after they seized power as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from the country following two decades of war. The Taliban face no significant opposition that could topple them. They have avoided internal divisions by falling in line behind their ideologically unbending leader. They have kept a struggling economy afloat, in part by holding investment talks with capital-rich regional countries, even as the international community withholds formal recognition. They have improved domestic security through crackdowns on armed groups such as the Islamic State, and say they are fighting corruption and opium production. But it’s their slew of bans on Afghan girls and women that dominated the Taliban’s second year in charge. They barred them from parks, gyms, universities, and jobs at nongovernmental groups and the United Nations – all in the space of a few months – allegedly because they weren’t wearing proper hijab — the Islamic head covering — or violated gender segregation rules. These orders followed a previous ban, issued in the first year of Taliban rule, on girls going to school beyond sixth grade.
Here is a closer look at Taliban rule and where they are headed.
WHY DID THEY EXCLUDE WOMEN FROM HIGHER EDUCATION, MOST JOBS AND PUBLIC SPACES?
The Taliban say they are committed to implementing their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, in Afghanistan. This leaves no space for anything they think is foreign or secular, such as women working or studying. It’s what drove them in the late 1990s, when they first seized power in Afghanistan, and it propels them now, ever since they took control again on Aug. 15, 2021. Their supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has praised the changes imposed since the takeover, claiming life improved for Afghan women after foreign troops left and the hijab became mandatory again.
WHAT WAS THE RESPONSE TO THESE BANS?
Foreign governments, rights groups, and global bodies condemned the restrictions. The U.N. said they were a major obstacle to the Taliban gaining international recognition as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Overseas aid is drying up as major donors stop their funding, pulled in different directions by other crises and worried their money might fall into Taliban hands. The lack of funds, as well as the exclusion of Afghan women from delivering essential humanitarian services, is hitting the population hard, pushing more people into poverty.
WHAT ARE LIVING CONDITIONS LIKE IN AFGHANISTAN?
Nearly 80% of the previous, Western-backed Afghan government’s budget came from the international community. That money — now largely cut off — financed hospitals, schools, factories and government ministries. The COVID-19 pandemic, medical shortages, climate change and malnutrition have made life more desperate for Afghans. Aid agencies have stepped into the breach to provide basic services like health care. Afghanistan is struggling with its third consecutive year of drought-like conditions, the ongoing collapse in families’ income, and restrictions on international banking. It’s also still suffering from decades of war and natural disasters.
HOW IS THE ECONOMY DOING?
The World Bank said last month that the local currency, the afghani, gained value against major currencies. Customers can withdraw more money from individual deposits made before August 2021 and most civil servants are being paid. The World Bank described revenue collection as “healthy” and said most basic items remained available, although demand is low. The Taliban have held investment talks with countries in the region, including China and Kazakhstan. They want sanctions removed and billions of dollars in frozen funds to be released, saying these measures will alleviate the suffering of Afghans. But the international community will only take such steps once the Taliban take certain actions, including lifting restrictions on women and girls.
HOW LIKELY ARE THE TALIBAN TO CHANGE DIRECTION?
It's largely up to the Taliban leader, Akhundzada. The cleric counts like-minded government ministers and Islamic scholars among his circle. He is behind the decrees on women and girls. His edicts, framed in the language of Islamic law, are absolute. The bans will only be lifted if Akhundzada orders it. Some Taliban figures have spoken out against the way decisions are made, and there has been disagreement about the bans on women and girls. But the Taliban’s chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid slammed these reports as propaganda. “The secret of their success is that they are united,” Abdul Salam Zaeef, who served as the Taliban envoy to Pakistan when they ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s, said. “If someone expresses his opinion or his thoughts, it doesn't mean someone is against the leadership or will go to another side," said Zaeef who spent several years at the Guantanamo Bay detention center after the 2001 U.S. invasion. "Disagreements are put in front of the emir (Akhundzada) and he decides. They follow his word.”
WHAT ABOUT INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION?
Aid officials say the Taliban view recognition as an entitlement, not something to be negotiated. The officials also cite high-level meetings with powerful states like China and Russia as signs that the Taliban are building bilateral relations in their own way. Qatar’s prime minister met Akhundzada in the southwestern Afghan city of Kandahar in June, the first-such publicly known meeting between the supreme leader and a foreign official. Even though the Taliban are officially isolated on the global stage, they appear to have enough interactions and engagement for ties with countries to inch toward normalization. Cooperation with the Taliban on narcotics, refugees and counter-terrorism is of interest globally, including to the West. Countries like China, Russia and neighboring Pakistan want an end to sanctions. “The political interactions are such that no country in the region is thinking of bringing Afghanistan under their power or control,” said Zaeef. He said the Taliban's foreign outreach is hampered by blacklists preventing officials from traveling, and by lacking common ground with the rest of the world.
WHAT OPPOSITION IS THERE TO THE TALIBAN?
There’s no armed or political opposition with enough domestic or foreign support to topple the Taliban. A fighting force resisting Taliban rule from the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul is being violently purged. Public protests are rare. The Islamic State has struck high-profile targets in deadly bombings, including two government ministries, but the militants lack fighters, money and other resources to wage a major offensive against the Taliban.

Niger junta says open to talks as Putin, US stress peace
Reuters/August 16, 2023
NIAMEY: Niger’s junta on Tuesday said that it was open to talks to resolve a regional crisis caused by last month’s military coup, while Russia and the United States called for a peaceful resolution. Western powers and democratic African governments have called for the coup leaders to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, who they have detained since July 26, but the military leaders have refused and rejected attempts at negotiation. West African army chiefs will meet on Thursday and Friday in Ghana to prepare for a possible military intervention, which the main regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has threatened to launch if diplomacy fails. Any military intervention could further destabilize the impoverished Sahel, where an insurgency by groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State has displaced millions over the past decade and fueled a hunger crisis.
“We are in a process of transition. We have explained the ins and outs, reiterated our willingness to remain open and to talk to all parties, but we have insisted on the need for the country to be independent,” said Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, who was appointed prime minister by the military last week.
He spoke after a trip to meet Chad’s President Mahamat Deby, who staged his own coup in 2021. Niger’s takeover is the seventh in West and Central Africa in three years. The coup and its aftermath have sucked in international powers with strategic interests in the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Mali’s military leader about the recent coup in neighboring Niger on Tuesday, a call likely to cause concern among Western governments that fear growing Russian influence in West Africa’s Sahel region. Putin “stressed the importance of a peaceful resolution of the situation for a more stable Sahel,” Mali’s interim President Assimi Goita said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said US President Joe Biden’s administration was committed to a diplomatic resolution, and said Niger was a partner it did not want to lose.
Singh declined to call the takeover a coup but said it “certainly looks like an attempted coup.”Meanwhile, ECOWAS has the support of Central Africa’s regional bloc ECCAS in efforts to overturn Niger’s coup and restore constitutional order, Nigerian President and ECOWAS Chairman Bola Tinubu said on Tuesday. “I understand the fear of our people on any form of military action. We are working to keep the sanctions in place and we are following them to the letter,” he said in a statement. Russian influence in West Africa has grown while the West’s has waned since a string of coups began. Military leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso have kicked out troops from former colonial power France and strengthened ties with Moscow. In Mali, the army government also brought in mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group, who have been accused of executing civilians and committing other grave human rights abuses.
Under Bazoum, Niger remained a Western ally. The US, France, Germany and Italy have troops stationed there under agreements with the now-deposed civilian government. Putin has called for a return to constitutional order in Niger, while Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin welcomed the army takeover and offered his services. Support for Russia has appeared to surge in Niger since the coup, with junta supporters waving Russian flags at rallies and calling for France to disengage. Niger’s coup leaders have revoked a raft of military agreements with France, although Paris shrugged this off by saying that it did not recognize them as legitimate authorities.

Sudan war ‘out of control,’ says UN
Arab News/August 15, 2023
JEDDAH: More than million people have fled Sudan to neighboring states and those who remain are running out of food and dying from lack of healthcare, the UN and humanitarian groups said on Tuesday. In a joint appeal, the heads of 20 global organisations said more than six million Sudanese people were “one step away from famine.”Four months of fighting between the Sudanese regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces havedevastated the capital Khartoum and threatened to plunge Sudan into a protracted civil war. “Time is running out for farmers to plant the crops that will feed them and their neighbors. Medical supplies are scarce. The situation is spiralling out of control,” UN agencies said. The war has forced 1,017,449 people to cross from Sudan into neighboring countries, many already struggling with the impact of conflicts or economic crises, and those displaced within Sudan are estimated to number 3,433,025. The millions who remain have faced rampant looting and long cuts in power, communications and water supplies. “The remains of many of those killed have not been collected, identified or buried but the UN estimates that more than 4,000 have been killed,” said Elizabeth Throssell, spokesperson for the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Swaths of the country have been suffering from an electricity blackout since Sunday that has also taken mobile networks offline. Seasonal rain that increases the risk of water-borne diseases has destroyed or damaged the homes of up to 13,500 people.
The UN voiced particular concern for women and girls caught up in the conflict, amid “shocking incidents of sexual violence, including rape.”Laila Baker of the UN Population Fund said: “We’ve seen an increase of more than 900 percent in the conflict areas of gender-based violence. Those women are incredibly at risk.” The victims of such violence, who in a number of cases end up pregnant, find themselves with little or no access to assistance and care, she said. UN rights chief Volker Turk said his office had received credible reports of 32 incidents of sexual violence against 73 victims. “This includes at least 28 incidents of rape. Men in RSF uniform were implicated in at least 19 incidents as perpetrators. The actual number of cases is probably much higher.” The aid agencies decried the lackluster international response to the Sudan crisis, with two appeals for aid just over 27 percent funded. “Please change that,” they said. “There is no excuse for waiting.”

UN human rights chief warns Sudan chaos ripe for exploitation, calls for end to impunity to violence
Arab News/August 15, 2023
NEW YORK: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has expressed grave concerns that other “opportunistic” armed groups and militias could exploit the current instability in Sudan, underlined by impunity, to escalate violence even further. Turk decried the “disastrous, senseless” war “borne out of a wanton drive for power” that has ravaged the country, resulting in thousands of deaths, the destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, and vital services, widespread displacement, and sexual violence that may amount to war crimes. As the ongoing conflict enters its fifth month, Turk said his office has strong grounds to believe that the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces have committed grave violations of international law, and must be held accountable. The regions worst affected by the fighting include Khartoum and its environs, El Obeid in North Kordofan and areas of the Darfur region, particularly West Darfur, where civilians have been attacked based on their ethnicity. While the exact death toll remains elusive due to intense fighting and challenges in collecting and identifying remains, the UN estimates that more than 4,000 people have so far been killed, including hundreds of civilians, 28 humanitarian and health workers, and 435 children. The actual number of casualties is likely to be much higher. “Many civilians were reportedly killed in the Khartoum area as they resisted attempts by the RSF to loot their houses or rape female family members,” Turk said, adding that others fell victim to crossfire or shelling that hit their homes.West Darfur’s El Geneina people were killed both inside their homes and as they were attempting to flee on the road to Chad.
The rise in sexual violence is equally alarming, said Turk.
He said: “My office has also received credible reports of 32 incidents of sexual violence against 73 victims as of Aug. 2. This includes at least 28 incidents of rape. Men in RSF uniform were implicated in at least 19 incidents as perpetrators. The actual number of cases is likely much higher.”
Turk has repeatedly urged officials in Sudan to issue clear instructions to all those under their command that there is zero tolerance for sexual violence. Beyond violence, both parties in Sudan have arbitrarily detained hundreds and held them incommunicado, with more than 500 political activists and human rights defenders, including 24 women, missing. These detainees often endure maltreatment and, in some instances, torture. The toll of the conflict also manifests in economic collapse, food insecurity, and a crumbling healthcare system, said Turk. Over 20.3 million people face food insecurity, with 700,000 children at risk of malnutrition. The Sudanese health system is on the brink of collapse, as 100 out of 130 hospitals in Khartoum have ceased operation. Human displacement also continues with over 4 million people displaced due to the ongoing conflict. The dire living conditions in refugee camps and internally displaced persons sites exacerbate vulnerabilities, especially for women and girls susceptible to sexual abuse, according to Turk. The UN human rights chief said: “The parties to the conflict must immediately stop the fighting, resume political talks, (and) comply with their legal obligations under international humanitarian law. “They must investigate all the violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law that have occurred during the conflict (and) hold those responsible accountable. “I also urge the international community to increase political and economic pressure on the parties to the conflict to stop immediately the fighting, and increase financial support for humanitarian agencies responding to the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict, including displacement and refugee crises.”

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 15-16/2023
US president bets on ‘Bidenomics’ in reelection bid
Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/August 15, 2023
This summer, US President Joe Biden and his advisers have started promoting “Bidenomics” as a key message in his reelection campaign. It is unclear if the concept will gain traction among voters; if it does, it presents both opportunity and risk for Biden.
Bidenomics is a relatively new term that few Americans so far understand. To some extent, it is a grab bag of economic goodies — Biden’s efforts to claim credit for anything good in the economy. That is hardly unusual, as most presidents try to claim credit for economic progress while trying to avoid blame for economic problems.
However, the concept of Bidenomics is starting to take shape. Biden and his team have repeatedly emphasized building the economy “from the middle out and the bottom up.” This is a direct and intentional rejection of the classic Republican idea of trickle-down economics.
Republican economic policy has often assumed that easing regulations and taxes on wealthy Americans and large corporations will help drive investment in the broader economy and thus eventually benefit the middle and lower classes. The Trump administration’s major legislative achievement — reforming the tax system — is an example, as the largest and most permanent tax cuts went to corporations and wealthy individuals.
Democrats have long criticized this economic approach and Bidenomics explicitly takes a different approach. It is focused on using government investment in infrastructure, research and development, and expanding the social safety net in order to boost economic growth, including both public and private investment. Biden is willing to increase taxes on large corporations and the wealthy to help fund public investment, while avoiding tax increases for the middle class.
Most presidents try to claim credit for economic progress while trying to avoid blame for economic problems
Bidenomics focuses public investment on areas that the president sees as crucial to generating economic growth that benefits most Americans. Key areas include infrastructure, semiconductors and clean energy. The White House has taken steps to try to ensure that much of that investment stays within the US, hoping to increase manufacturing jobs for Americans and reduce the country’s dependence on foreign supply chains.
Other key elements of Bidenomics include “empowering workers” through public investment in various types of education and strengthening unions, as well as steps to boost competition, including boosting efforts to enforce antitrust rules.
Biden also took a lesson from his time as vice president, when the US was trying to recover from the Great Recession. He believes that the government should have acted more quickly and with more money to fuel the recovery. In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, he preferred to go big, including additional stimulus through the American Rescue Plan. Despite warnings that such measures could contribute to inflation, Biden chose to use fiscal tools to fuel recovery while leaving monetary measures to control inflation to the Fed.
Biden and his team believe that Bidenomics worked. Since the pandemic, the US has experienced faster economic recovery than its peer economies. In the second quarter of this year, gross domestic product growth was 2.4 percent, exceeding many expectations. The inflation rate has declined and core inflation is lower than in most other advanced economies. Unemployment is about 3.5 percent, a historically low rate. The economy continues to create new jobs. Crucially, wages began to rise faster than prices in the spring for the first time in two years. The White House argues that key legislative accomplishments — notably, the 2021 American Rescue Plan, the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act — have played major roles in driving economic and job growth.
Biden chose to use fiscal tools to fuel recovery while leaving monetary measures to control inflation to the Fed
There is a lot of truth in Biden’s claims about economic progress, but there is also exaggeration and selective use of data, as is typical. Republicans criticize Biden’s claims and economic policies, arguing that his policies expand government’s role in the economy and fuel inflation.
However, what will really shape the 2024 election is how voters feel about the economy. The accuracy of statistics and economic claims has little to do with electoral outcomes, while public perceptions play a major role. Voters are not as driven by their wallets as many political analysts claim, but it is one important factor. Inflation is often the most poignant economic problem for voters; although the annual inflation rate has declined to 3.2 percent, Americans were shocked by the highest inflation in decades — hitting 9.1 percent in 2022 — and still feel the effects of higher prices.
The experience of inflation and other factors has led to very low approval ratings for Biden’s management of the economy. Some polls have shown a gradual improvement in public perceptions of the economy, but approval of Biden’s economic management remained around 37 percent in recent polls. A recent CNN poll also found that 51 percent of Americans believe the economy is getting worse. While economic indicators clearly suggest an improving economy with many positive elements, some of that improvement is recent and many Americans are not yet feeling it. Democrats also have to fight against a long-standing perception among many Americans that Republicans perform better on economic issues.
By promoting Bidenomics, the president is placing a big bet on economic outcomes, even though any president has limited control over the economy. If Americans feel significantly better about the economy by November 2024, Bidenomics could play a major role in helping Biden win reelection. However, if Americans’ attitudes toward the economy do not improve — let alone if they worsen — the Republican Party will be sure to benefit.
**Kerry Boyd Anderson is a writer and political risk consultant with more than 18 years of experience as a professional analyst of international security issues and Middle East political and business risk. Her previous positions include deputy director for advisory with Oxford Analytica. Twitter: @KBAresearch

After Jeddah summit, Ukraine’s peace formula only way forward, says Kyiv’s FM Dmytro Kuleba
Noor Nugali/Arab News/August 15, 2023
Ukraine’s top diplomat says the world is moving towards a global peace summit
Commends Saudi Arabia’s “constructive role in international politics”
Says the Global South has suffered as a result of Russian aggression
RIYADH: The world is moving closer to a peace summit, but an end to the conflict with Russia can only be achieved if Ukraine’s peace plan is adhered to, Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian minister of foreign affairs, has told Arab News.
In an exclusive interview, conducted via Zoom, Kuleba said it was “premature” to discuss specific locations or dates for a global summit, but said the dialogue is moving in the right direction — provided the Ukrainian peace formula is implemented.
Senior officials from 42 countries met in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah on August 5 and 6 in an attempt to draft key principles on ending war with Russia. The summit followed a similar forum in Copenhagen, Denmark, earlier this summer.
“Following the meeting in Jeddah, I can conclude that we’re definitely moving in that direction at a good pace and this is going to happen,” Kuleba said. “We are working hard with Saudi Arabia and other countries involved in arranging this summit, proposed by Ukraine.
“And the deliverable of this summit is very clear — that the peace formula of Ukraine, which is a comprehensive way to solve the conflict, will deliver, and all of the issues covered by this peace formula will begin to be implemented.
“This is the only way forward based on the UN Charter and international law.”
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, has said he is hopeful that the diplomatic initiative will lead to a peace summit of world leaders in the autumn to endorse the principles, based on his own 10-point formula for a settlement.
He first presented the blueprint at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last November.
“Following the meeting in Jeddah, I can conclude that we’re definitely moving in that direction at a good pace and this is going to happen,” Kuleba said. (SPA)
It covered nuclear safety, food and energy security, the release of prisoners, the restoration of territory, the cessation of hostilities, accountability for war crimes, environmental safety, the prevention of future aggression, and confirmation of war’s end.
Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, recently commented that while Moscow appreciates “mediating and humanitarian initiatives” by friends of Russia, she reiterated her country’s rejection of Ukraine’s “peace formula.”
“By promoting Zelensky’s formula, the Kyiv regime and the West are attempting to belittle the great importance of peace initiatives proposed by other countries and to monopolize the right to their advancement,” she told a press conference last week.
The recently concluded Jeddah meeting ended without a closing press conference or an official Saudi statement. However, the Kingdom has to date maintained its desire to serve as a neutral intermediary between Russia and Ukraine.
At the Copenhagen meeting in June, Ukraine’s demand that all Russian troops withdraw before peace talks could start was seen by some participating countries as an unrealistic demand.
Russia, which controls swathes of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk, has said any negotiations need to take into account the “new territorial realities.”
Asked whether this means the positions of the two nations are irreconcilable, Kuleba said Ukraine had “truth” on its side.
“From all perspectives, legal and political and economic and also historical, Russia must respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders,” he said.
“Its borders were recognized by Russia, as well as by the rest of the world, including Saudi Arabia and other countries. So the difference between our position and the position of Russia is that our position is legitimate and the Russian position is illegitimate.
Assistant Editor in Chief of Arab News Noor Nugali spoke with Ukraine’s Dmytro Kuleba in an exclusive interview. (AN photo)
“And the truth in this case is on our side. So why should we not be pursuing the truth?”
Commenting on the Jeddah summit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had said “any attempt to promote a peaceful settlement deserves a positive evaluation.”
Asked whether this was a sign that Russia might be open to alternative avenues to peace, Kuleba said Kyiv does not trust Moscow’s words — only actions.
“I think it would be premature and naive to make any conclusions from one comment of the spokesperson of President Putin,” said Kuleba.
“On different occasions, not only him but also other senior Russian officials have stated that the Russian aggression against Ukraine will continue until Russia meets the objectives of this aggression.
“So, we do not trust Russian words. We want to see specific Russian actions and deeds on the ground to draw a conclusion that they are willing to restore peace. As of now, this does not seem to be the case.”
Arab News reached out to the Russian Embassy for comment, but was unsuccessful.
Kuleba acknowledged the prominent role Saudi Arabia has played in efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis, starting from the prisoner swap it brokered in September 2022 to Zelensky’s address to the Arab League in Jeddah in May this year and, most recently, as the host of this month’s summit.
“I believe Saudi Arabia has been playing a very constructive role in the matters related to the Russian aggression against Ukraine,” he said.
"When Russia unlawfully attacked Ukraine and installed the blockade of Ukrainian sea export of grain. This was illegal and unlawful, by definition,” Kuleba said. (AP)
“We understand that your leadership has recognized an opportunity for Saudi Arabia to play a truly global, constructive role in international politics.
“And I can only commend the vision and the leadership of your country in these matters because to solve global problems, you need global ambition. Saudi Arabia has clearly demonstrated that it has the ambition.
“As a result, it has also demonstrated it has the capacity to deliver, which can only be welcomed and commended.”
Ukrainian officials have lately shifted their diplomatic emphasis toward building support beyond Kyiv’s core Western backers by reaching out to the countries of the Global South.
Commenting on why Ukraine suddenly views the Global South as such an important constituency, Kuleba said many of these nations had suffered as a result of Russia’s aggression.
“Although the Russian aggression against Ukraine takes place in Europe, it has global repercussions and it’s the countries of the Middle East, of Asia, of Africa, of South America, who feel the consequences of the Russian aggression,” said Kuleba.
“This is why it is important to have all of these countries on board in a joint effort to end this conflict, to ease pressure on our economies, on global food security and, of course, to restore respect for international law, which is in everyone’s interest.”
Asked whether he believes nations like Turkiye, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil and even China have sufficient incentives or influence to convince the Kremlin to change course, Kuleba said it would be a gradual process, but one that is moving in the right direction.
“If I look at the list of the countries who took part in the similar meeting of national security advisers and representatives of foreign ministries in Copenhagen slightly more than a month ago, and then at the follow-up meeting in Jeddah, I see that the number of countries participating is growing — including China, who joined the format for the first time — which speaks for the very simple fact that they do see value and their incentive is growing,” he said.
“It doesn’t happen in a day but the overall dynamics of this process is positive. And I would like to once again thank Saudi Arabia for playing a very constructive role in helping other countries to join the process and to realize their interests in this process.”
Kuleba said it was the collective voice of the Global South, as opposed to individual nations, that would ultimately bring Russia to the table.
(Saudi Arabia) has the capacity to deliver, which can only be welcomed and commended, Kuleba said. (AFP)
“If you take China, they enjoy a special relationship with Russia,” he said. “If you take Turkiye, they have a very deep relationship with Russia. If you take Saudi Arabia, you can say the same.
“So, perhaps every country acting on its own doesn’t have a sufficient amount of energy that could make Russia change its position. But if you take all of these countries together, the cumulative effect on Russia can be a game changer.
“And that is the purpose, to bring together everyone who is willing to change the situation for the good. Because together we can stop this war, we can implement a peace formula and restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity, in the interests of the entire international community.”
There are nevertheless concerns among countries of the Global South about jeopardizing ties with Russia by siding with Ukraine. Indeed, even NATO itself seems unsure of how far to go in antagonizing Russia, refusing to offer a clear path for Ukraine to join the military alliance.
“I think these are two separate tracks,” said Kuleba. “Ukraine is steadily moving toward its integration into the EU and NATO for economic and security reasons. This is a very natural choice for our country, given our history and geography.
“Countries of the Global South have lost a lot as a result of the Russian aggression against our country. But this has nothing to do with our aspirations to become members of the EU or NATO.
“What countries of Asia, Africa, Middle East and South America want to see are stable global food markets, prospects of trade with Ukraine, and tapping the full potential of education for their students in Ukraine. All of these functioned perfectly before Russia attacked.
“So, I don’t have the impression that the countries of the world see the situation through the prism of Ukraine’s regional interests, which are about close integration with the EU and NATO.”
Ukraine appears to view Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July as an issue with which it could possibly rally support from the Global South.
Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s top grain exporters. The grain deal was brokered by the UN and Turkiye in July 2022 to help combat a global food crisis that had been worsened by the invasion.
Ukraine’s army is attempting to regain swathes of territory, including Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk, which Russia now controls. (AP)
Russia said not enough grain had reached poor countries under the terms of the deal — a claim disputed by the UN. Moscow also felt that the part of the deal allowing for greater Russian agricultural exports was not being honored by the West owing to sanctions.
Responding to the Kremlin’s argument, Kuleba said Russia has no right to demand preferential terms amid a crisis of its own making.
“We have to go back to February 2022, when Russia unlawfully attacked Ukraine and installed the blockade of Ukrainian sea export of grain. This was illegal and unlawful, by definition,” he said.
“So, when Russia tries to bargain something for itself as a result of its own illegal actions, we cannot talk about accommodating Russia’s legitimate concerns and interests under these circumstances.
“Russia created the problem, and it has to make every effort to solve this problem, instead of trying to keep the blockade of Ukrainian ports, and while trying to secure its own interests in global affairs. This is just not how it works.
“If this kind of Russian behavior is tolerated, then other actors across the globe will be tempted to follow suit, to create problems and then try to solve these problems at the expense of others instead of just removing the initial reason — the fundamental reason for the problems that we all are facing.”
• Noor Nugali is the assistant editor in chief of Arab News

Palestinians: Prime Minister Shtayyeh's Straight-Faced Lies to Official US Delegations
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute./August 15, 2023
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has shown that he can include two lies in one short sentence.
During the meeting [with a US Democratic delegation], Shtayyeh blamed Israel for the fact that the Palestinians have not held general elections for nearly two decades. He also accused Israel of "attempting to combat the Palestinian democracy." Shtayyeh's remarks, reported by the Palestinians' official news agency Wafa, show that Palestinian leaders apparently think that many foreigners, especially Americans, are stupid enough to believe anything that comes out of their mouths.
Shtayyeh lied both when he claimed that Israel was responsible for obstructing Palestinian elections and that Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip enjoy democracy.
"The truth is Abbas canceled the elections because all credible public opinion polls showed that this month's legislative vote would have decimated the ruling clique of his Fatah party and ushered in a whole new politician configuration. This would have seen Abbas's rivals Marwan Barghouti and Nasser Al-Qidwah emerge as the new leaders of Fatah. If this scenario were to occur, a whole class of millionaires who turned the Palestinian struggle into a lucrative industry, generously funded by 'donor countries,' was at risk of losing everything. .... There is nothing that Abbas can say or do at this point to restore the people's confidence in his authority. Arguably, he never had their confidence in the first place. By canceling the elections, he has crossed a red line, thus placing himself and a few others around him as enemies of the Palestinian people, their democratic aspirations, and their hope for a better future." — Ramzy Baroud, editor of The Palestine Chronicle and author of five books,, arabnews.com, May 3, 2021.
So, evidently Abbas's decision to call off the elections really did have nothing to do with Israel. It was mainly the result of Abbas's totally justified fear that his divided Fatah faction would once again be trounced by Hamas.
Yet, Shtayyeh seems unwilling to allow the facts to get in the way of his straight-faced lies. In the past two years, Shtayyeh has been repeating his lie, that the elections were canceled because of Israel, on almost a weekly basis. He has repeated this lie to virtually every foreign dignitary or delegation he meets with, including, recently, the US Democratic Congressional delegation.
About Shtayyeh's other lie that he keeps repeating, that Palestinians have democracy, one does not need to be an expert on Palestinian affairs to know that unfortunately the Palestinians are actually controlled by two undemocratic, repressive regimes: the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Shtayyeh, it seems, also forgot to tell the Congressional members who came to see him... that the Palestinians do not have either a free and independent media or a functioning parliament.
Shtayyeh further forgot to tell his visitors that his own Palestinian Authority government was viciously cracking down on Palestinian journalists, human rights activists, political opponents and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the West Bank. The same holds true for the Gaza Strip, where Hamas has also been targeting human rights workers, peaceful protesters, journalists and political activists.
In the past few years, Palestinians have taken to the streets to protest Palestinian corruption and repression.
In 2019, thousands of Palestinians demonstrated in Ramallah to protest the Palestinian Social Security Institution and the impending tax hikes required to fund it. Palestinians also took to the streets to blast the killing of the heroic human rights activist, Nizar Banat, beaten to death by Palestinian security officers in June 2021.
The demonstrators shouted slogans calling for the Palestinian president to step down and demanding justice for the slain human rights activist: "Oh Abbas, take your dogs and go away!" "The people want regime change", "Down with the [Palestinian Authority] military rule," and "Shame, shame, the Palestinian Authority assassinated Nizar Banat."
While talking about Palestinian "democracy," did Shtayyeh bother to tell his American guests that a majority of the Palestinians do not criticize the Palestinian Authority and Hamas for fear of their lives, especially after the "example" that was made of Nizar Banat?
Did Shtayyeh bother to tell the US Congressional delegation and other foreigners who ask to visit Ramallah that, according to recent public opinion polls, a vast majority of the Palestinians believe there is corruption in institutions controlled by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas?
Recently, the Palestinian Coalition for Accountability and Integrity published a report naming officials close to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of suspected of involvement in financial corruption. Last year, even then Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde criticized corruption in the Palestinian Authority. Saying that widespread corruption was hindering Swedish economic aid to the Palestinians, she emphasized serious hesitation about Swedish economic support.
The Palestinians, who every day see a democracy in Israel -- for more than seven decades -- can only dream of having one like it.
Palestinian leaders such as Shtayyeh are accustomed to lying to foreigners, whom they view as ignorant and gullible. Many of these foreigners are also blinded by their hatred for Israel and Jews to the point that they are willing to swallow the lies offered with smiles by Palestinian officials.
Those who visit Ramallah and fail to challenge the lies they hear only reaffirm the disrespectful view these leaders have of them. Worse, those visitors are also complicit in the campaign of disinformation and brainwashing that has long been waged by these Palestinian leaders with the aim of vilifying Israel, demonizing Jews and above all, cruelly suppressing their own people.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh lied to a visiting US Democratic Congressional delegation both when he claimed that Israel was responsible for obstructing Palestinian elections and that Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip enjoy democracy. Shtayyeh's remarks show that Palestinian leaders apparently think that many foreigners, especially Americans, are stupid enough to believe anything that comes out of their mouths. Pictured: Shtayyeh speaks at the Assembly of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on February 18, 2023. (Photo by Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images)
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has shown that he can include two lies in one short sentence. On August 8, he met with a visiting US Democratic Congressional delegation in his office in Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinians where he and his boss, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, live and work.
During the meeting, Shtayyeh blamed Israel for the fact that the Palestinians have not held general elections for nearly two decades. He also accused Israel of "attempting to combat the Palestinian democracy." Shtayyeh's remarks, reported by the Palestinians' official news agency Wafa, show that Palestinian leaders apparently think that many foreigners, especially Americans, are stupid enough to believe anything that comes out of their mouths.
Shtayyeh lied both when he claimed that Israel was responsible for obstructing Palestinian elections and that Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip enjoy democracy.
True, the Palestinians have not been able to hold general elections since 2006. Yet, the claim that it is Israel's fault is an outright lie. The real reason that Palestinians have not been able to hold parliamentary and presidential elections is the ongoing power struggle between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, the Iranian-backed Islamist movement ruling the Gaza Strip.
The last Palestinian parliamentary election was in January 2006, when Hamas won a majority of the seats of the parliament, known as the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The Hamas victory triggered a power struggle with the Palestinian Authority, whose leaders seemed never to accept the results of the vote. This power struggle reached its peak in the summer of 2007, when Hamas overthrew the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and seized control of the entire Gaza Strip. Dozens of Palestinians were killed during the Hamas coup. Some were dragged into the streets and shot; others were thrown from rooftops of tall buildings. Mohammed Sweirki, a Palestinian Authority security officer, was kidnapped and hurled from the 15th floor of a building. A few hours later, in apparent retaliation, Hamas member Abu Kainas was thrown from the roof of a 12-story building.
Since then, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have signed several "reconciliation" agreements that included holding new general elections. Yet, due to the ongoing rivalry between the two parties, none of these agreements has ever been implemented.
In May 2011, the Palestinian Authority's ruling Fatah faction and Hamas agreed to name members of the Palestinian Central Election Commission to prepare for the long-overdue elections. They also agreed on the nomination of no more than 12 judges to be members of the Palestinian Electoral Court. According to the deal, the general elections were supposed to be held after one year (in 2012).
In 2017, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas signed another agreement to hold a general election by the end of 2018. Nevertheless, because of the continued dispute between the two sides, that agreement, too, never materialized.
In 2021, Mahmoud Abbas, after yet another agreement between his Palestinian Authority and Hamas, finally proclaimed the dates for elections: May 22 and July 30.
Less than a month before the vote, however, Abbas announced his decision to call off the general election under the pretext that Israel had not certified whether it would allow Arab residents of Jerusalem to cast their ballots. Palestinian and Arab political analysts, though, said the real reason Abbas cancelled the elections was because he had lost control over his own Fatah faction and feared it would again lose to Hamas.
The claim that Israel did not allow Arabs in Jerusalem to participate in the elections is false. Israel, regrettably, never issued an official statement on the issue. Even if Israel had prohibited the Arabs residents of Jerusalem from participating in the elections, the decision would have affected only a few thousand voters.
According to protocols that Israel and the Palestinians signed as part of the Oslo Accords, a symbolic total of 6,300 Arab voters are allowed to cast their ballots in Jerusalem itself. The remaining 150,000 Arab voters from Jerusalem are able to cast ballots at polling stations on the outskirts of the city, in a process that does not require a green light from Israel. This is precisely what happened during the 2006 parliamentary and 2005 presidential elections.
Hugh Lovatt, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Affairs, wrote in May 2021:
"By indefinitely postponing the first elections in 15 years, [Abbas] has missed an important opportunity to put Palestine back on path towards national reunification and accountable leadership. He is increasing the political fragmentation and authoritarianism that has marked Palestinian politics since the last elections...
"Since the launch of the electoral process, there had been speculation that Abbas would ultimately call it off if he felt his hold on power slipping. Ironically, this threat came not from Islamist Hamas, but from within his own Fatah party."
Indeed, reports that Abbas would cancel the elections appeared days before he announced his decision. "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is seriously considering postponing the May 22 parliamentary election and could announce the move within days," the US-based Axios news website reported 10 days before the announcement. "Abbas and his close aides are concerned they could lose the election and strengthen Hamas. Israel and the Biden Administration privately share those concerns."
Ramzy Baroud, editor of The Palestine Chronicle, is one of many Arab and Palestinian political analysts who have accused Abbas of using the issue of Jerusalem as an excuse to cancel the election:
"The truth is Abbas canceled the elections because all credible public opinion polls showed that this month's legislative vote would have decimated the ruling clique of his Fatah party and ushered in a whole new political configuration. This would have seen Abbas's rivals Marwan Barghouti and Nasser Al-Qidwah emerge as the new leaders of Fatah. If this scenario were to occur, a whole class of millionaires who turned the Palestinian struggle into a lucrative industry, generously funded by 'donor countries,' was at risk of losing everything....
"There is nothing that Abbas can say or do at this point to restore the people's confidence in his authority. Arguably, he never had their confidence in the first place. By canceling the elections, he has crossed a red line, thus placing himself and a few others around him as enemies of the Palestinian people, their democratic aspirations, and their hope for a better future."
So, evidently Abbas's decision to call off the elections really did have nothing to do with Israel. It was mainly the result of Abbas's totally justified fear that his divided Fatah faction would once again be trounced by Hamas.
Yet, Shtayyeh seems unwilling to allow the facts to get in the way of his straight-faced lies. In the past two years, Shtayyeh has been repeating his lie, that the elections were canceled because of Israel, on almost a weekly basis. He has repeated this lie to virtually every foreign dignitary or delegation he meets with, including, recently, the US Democratic Congressional delegation.
About Shtayyeh's other lie that he keeps repeating, that Palestinians have democracy, one does not need to be an expert on Palestinian affairs to know that unfortunately the Palestinians are actually controlled by two undemocratic, repressive regimes: the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Shtayyeh, it seems, also forgot to tell the Congressional members who came to see him in his office that the Palestinians do not have either a free and independent media or a functioning parliament. The Palestinian parliament was dissolved by Abbas in 2018.
Until then, it had been paralyzed due to the power struggle between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.
Shtayyeh further forgot to tell his visitors that his own Palestinian Authority government was viciously cracking down on Palestinian journalists, human rights activists, political opponents and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the West Bank. The same holds true for the Gaza Strip, where Hamas has also been targeting human rights workers, peaceful protesters, journalists and political activists.
When Shtayyeh, the Palestinian prime minister, tells foreign guests that Israel is "combating the Palestinian democracy," he can probably get away with his lies to Westerners, but the Palestinians are too smart to see through his lies. In the past few years, Palestinians have taken to the streets to protest Palestinian corruption and repression.
In 2019, thousands of Palestinians demonstrated in Ramallah to protest the Palestinian Social Security Institution and the impending tax hikes required to fund it. Palestinians also took to the streets to blast the killing of the heroic human rights activist, Nizar Banat, beaten to death by Palestinian security officers in June 2021.
The demonstrators shouted slogans calling for the Palestinian president to step down and demanding justice for the slain human rights activist: "Oh Abbas, take your dogs and go away!" "The people want regime change", "Down with the [Palestinian Authority] military rule," and "Shame, shame, the Palestinian Authority assassinated Nizar Banat."
While talking about Palestinian "democracy," did Shtayyeh bother to tell his American guests that a majority of the Palestinians do not criticize the Palestinian Authority and Hamas for fear of their lives, especially after the "example" that was made of Nizar Banat? Just a few weeks ago, Shtayyeh's security forces arrested yet another Palestinian journalist, Aqil Awawdeh, for social media posts that were critical of political arrests made by the Palestinian Authority.
Did Shtayyeh bother to tell the US Congressional delegation and other foreigners who ask to visit Ramallah that, according to recent public opinion polls, a vast majority of the Palestinians believe there is corruption in institutions controlled by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas?
Recently, the Palestinian Coalition for Accountability and Integrity published a report naming officials close to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of suspected of involvement in financial corruption. Last year, even then Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde criticized corruption in the Palestinian Authority. Saying that widespread corruption was hindering Swedish economic aid to the Palestinians, she emphasized serious hesitation about Swedish economic support.
The Palestinians, who every day see a democracy in Israel -- for more than seven decades -- can only dream of having one like it.
Palestinian leaders such as Shtayyeh are accustomed to lying to foreigners, whom they view as ignorant and gullible. Many of these foreigners are also blinded by their hatred for Israel and Jews to the point that they are willing to swallow the lies offered with smiles by Palestinian officials.
Those who visit Ramallah and fail to challenge the lies they hear only reaffirm the disrespectful view these leaders have of them. Worse, those visitors are also complicit in the campaign of disinformation and brainwashing that has long been waged by these Palestinian leaders with the aim of vilifying Israel, demonizing Jews and above all, cruelly suppressing their own people.
*Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East.
© 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.

Saudi Arabia’s Nuclear “Asks”: What Do They Want, What Might They Get?
Simon Henderson, David Schenker/The Washington Institute./Aug 15, 2023
Riyadh’s reported price for peace with Israel includes a civil nuclear program, but any such deal will require Washington to carefully balance multiple diplomatic, legal, and proliferation concerns.
According to accounts of recent off-the-record comments by Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (aka MbS), the kingdom wants three main things in return for a potential normalization agreement with Israel: U.S. security guarantees, access to top-shelf American military equipment and technology, and support for a domestic civil nuclear program. The third “ask” may be the most challenging for Washington, since it includes access to uranium enrichment technology that can be used to produce a nuclear explosive.
Saudi Weaponization Assurances?
The most recent iteration of such a deal would create a “Nuclear Aramco,” mimicking the historical involvement of U.S. oil companies in the 1930s that eventually led to the Saudis wholly owning the world’s largest oil company. Riyadh reportedly suggested this idea to U.S. officials in part to reduce their concerns about potential weaponization.
Yet Washington also surely recalls the crown prince’s nuclear remarks in a 2018 interview with 60 Minutes: “Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible.” Some might dismiss this as an impromptu comment rather than a statement of policy, but the interview was prerecorded and came amid an important trip to Washington—his first after being named heir to the throne. Moreover, his uncle, the late King Abdullah, gave the same message to U.S. special envoy Dennis Ross in 2009. And as recently as last December, Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told a conference in Dubai, “If Iran gets an operational nuclear weapon, all bets are off.”
What Exactly Does Riyadh Want?
Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the crown prince’s half-brother, gave an indication of the kingdom’s specific thinking this January, telling a local mining conference that Riyadh wants “the entire nuclear fuel cycle, which involves the production of yellowcake, low-enriched uranium, and the manufacturing of nuclear fuel both for our national use and of course for export.” The potentially troublesome phrase “entire nuclear fuel cycle” implies that the kingdom wants to reprocess spent fuel, which can generate explosive plutonium as a side product.
In the end, MbS is highly unlikely to accept any agreement that gives the kingdom less than what Washington conceded to Iran in the 2015 nuclear accord. Indeed, U.S.-Saudi discussions on the matter have centered on Iran’s regional policies and its huge enrichment program, which is supposedly intended to fuel civil reactors but has also been clearly identified as a military program. Most observers believe Tehran is now on the cusp of being a nuclear-armed state—if it so chose, it could quickly enrich its large stockpile of fissile material to produce as many as five nuclear bombs, though it may need months or even years to perfect the requisite implosion mechanism, missile warhead, or other delivery system.
Saudi Arabia’s current nuclear plans include the proposed construction of two civil power reactors, pruned back from the sixteen reactors proposed in 2013. According to Riyadh’s logic, using its recently discovered indigenous uranium deposits to fuel new reactors and generate electricity would enable it to export most of its oil, which remains the cheapest in the world to produce and is still necessary to fund the kingdom’s transition to a greener, more diversified economy in the coming decades. Yet the size and quality of its uranium reserves are questionable. In April, Bloomberg reported that Saudi “exploration yielded only ‘severely uneconomic’ deposits so far”—an assessment based on an in-depth uranium report by the Nuclear Energy Agency and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Moreover, U.S. officials have already expressed concerns about the kingdom’s previously reported steps toward nuclearization. On August 4, 2020, the Wall Street Journal cited unnamed officials who asserted that China had built a facility in the Saudi desert to convert uranium ore into yellowcake, an intermediate stage before enrichment. The next day, the New York Times also cited unnamed sources in reporting that two buildings near Riyadh could be undeclared “nuclear facilities.”
If the kingdom has already built enrichment facilities, where did it acquire the necessary technology? Well-placed Western officials concede that Saudi Arabia was the fourth, unpublicized customer of A. Q. Khan, the late Pakistani nuclear scientist and proliferator who sold centrifuge equipment to Iran, Libya, and North Korea. Khan retired in 2001, suggesting that his activities with the kingdom happened more than twenty years ago.
U.S. Options
Given that the situation with Iran provides the overall context for U.S.-Saudi nuclear deliberations, any technical advance by Tehran could change everything overnight. If the status quo persists, however, the current ambiguity surrounding the scope of Iran’s capabilities and potential U.S. dealmaking could provide opportunities for diplomacy with Riyadh.
Grandfathering in existing Saudi facilities may be one way forward. Moreover, Prince Abdulaziz stated in January that “the kingdom intends to utilize its national uranium resources, including in joint ventures with willing partners in accordance with international commitments and transparency standards.” Although this seems to run against the idea of the United States directly monitoring Saudi activities as part of a “Nuclear Aramco,” it does imply an unspecified role for the Vienna-based IAEA, the world’s top nuclear watchdog. Currently, the kingdom has a low-level agreement with the IAEA but has not signed the “Additional Protocol,” which allows for intrusive inspections. One way to boost U.S. confidence in a “Nuclear Aramco” scenario would be for Riyadh to submit to more rigorous and continuous IAEA inspections, as more than 140 countries have done under the Additional Protocol.
Another consideration is Israel, whose government has not yet articulated an authoritative, unified view on a potential Saudi nuclear power program. In June, Energy Minister Israel Katz voiced opposition to such a program at the United Nations. During an interview a few months later, however, National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi downplayed the potential risks. Notably, Israel opposed Jordan’s proposal to build a nuclear energy plant in 2009 due to safety concerns. A reactor on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast—distant from Iran but in range of missile fire from Tehran’s Houthi partners in Yemen—would no doubt generate similar fears.
Saudi enrichment demands place the Biden administration in a difficult position as well. Washington has long proscribed enrichment when negotiating civil nuclear cooperation with regional states. For instance, it convinced the United Arab Emirates to abjure the practice and opposed Jordanian ambitions to pursue commercial enrichment. Indeed, the U.S. legal framework for civil nuclear cooperation—Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, under which Washington has signed agreements with twenty-three countries—explicitly prohibits enrichment and reprocessing.
Yet there have been exceptions, most notably India. And earlier this year, the United States included enrichment in the civil nuclear agreement it signed with Britain, Canada, France, and Japan, in a deal intended to insulate allies from sanctions against Russia, the world’s leading provider of civil nuclear fuel. The game-changing regional possibilities of Israeli-Saudi peace—coupled with concerns that Riyadh might look elsewhere for its nuclear program if Washington does not help, which would mean fewer safeguards—could push the Biden administration toward a more flexible outlook on enrichment.
Even as it encourages normalization between Riyadh and Jerusalem, Washington is probably trying to balance policies that constrain Iran, preserve U.S. diplomatic options, and address Middle East proliferation concerns—namely, the likelihood that further Iranian nuclear advances will prompt other regional countries to actively pursue their own military nuclear alternatives. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE are widely believed to have the technological base for such efforts or access to it, while Russia, China, and perhaps even France may oblige with additional help (e.g., Paris signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with Riyadh in July).
***Simon Henderson is the Baker Fellow and director of the Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy at The Washington Institute. David Schenker is the Institute’s Taube Senior Fellow and director of its Rubin Program on Arab Politics.
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/saudi-arabias-nuclear-asks-what-do-they-want-what-might-they-get

Closing Washington’s China Gap with Middle East Partners
Michael Singh/The Washington Institute./Aug 15, 2023
For the first time in decades, America’s top strategic priority diverges from that of its key regional partners, but Washington can close the gap by increasing their understanding of China and removing the blinders from their threat perceptions.
As U.S. policymakers have focused more on competition with China in recent years, their concerns over Middle East relations with Beijing have grown as well. This has contributed to a vicious cycle—growing Chinese influence and ambitions around the world result in decreased American attention to the Middle East, which in turn incentivizes U.S. regional partners to deepen their ties with Beijing, which in turn increases tensions with Washington and leads some to conclude that the Middle East is a lost cause. Underlying this dynamic are frequent suspicions of bad faith. Washington worries that its partners are cynically using China ties as leverage to extract favors from the United States or, worse, that they share an authoritarian affinity with Beijing; for their part, regional partners worry that Washington is either unreliable or so focused on domestic politics that it no longer ascribes strategic value to its Middle East relationships.
What these assumptions often neglect are two more fundamental differences. First, the parties differ substantially in the threat they perceive from Beijing. From the U.S. perspective, there is no greater threat than China’s growing economic and military might and revisionist intentions. Yet Middle Eastern partners perceive only minor threats from China, if any. They are far more likely to see Beijing as a valuable trading partner and a benign, even helpful, political partner and occasional great-power counterweight, especially when faced with inconvenient U.S. demands. These differences mean that for the first time in decades, Washington and its regional partners sharply diverge on what they consider their primary national security threat.
Second, both sides differ in their capacity to understand China. In the modern era, Beijing has had little meaningful engagement in the Middle East, while regional elites have spent relatively little time there compared to other international capitals. Compounding this unfamiliarity is the scarce analytical capacity of most Middle Eastern governments. Even Israel, the most capable regional intelligence ally, naturally directs most of its analytical resources toward what it considers its top threats (e.g., Iran and terrorism). This gap in understanding only widened over the past few years as the United States directed more of its resources toward the Indo-Pacific and China underwent historic political change, from dramatically concentrating domestic power to embracing a more ambitious foreign policy. The speed of these shifts has left Middle Eastern partners struggling to keep up.
Closing the Gap
Given these differences, America’s numerous warnings about Chinese technology, military activities, diplomatic initiatives, and other matters tend to be received skeptically in the region. In many cases, partners view these messages as requests for favors to the United States with little connection to their own interests or priorities; in other cases, they believe they are being asked to act against their interests and essentially choose between Washington and Beijing. More cynically, U.S. requests have created leverage for partners to play the two great powers off one another in hopes of extracting maximal benefits from both.
Compounding these difficulties is the fact that American concerns about China often straddle the boundaries of foreign policy, economics, and technology in ways that conversations about Iran, terrorism, and other traditional Middle East topics do not. This can place U.S. officials at a disadvantage, as they tend to be more specialized portfolio-wise than their regional counterparts (especially in the Persian Gulf) and may therefore know less about broader trade or technology matters—or even about U.S. policy on these global issues. In such cases, Middle Eastern officials will not hesitate to draw on their deeper knowledge to point out hypocrisy or double standards when rebuffing Washington’s requests.
Attempting to close these analytical and policy gaps is a tall order and may prove quixotic in some respects. The increase in Middle East ties with Beijing stems not just from Washington pursuing the right or wrong policies, but also from deeper tectonic shifts that are unlikely to abate in the foreseeable future: namely, China’s growing (and the West’s declining) demand for oil, Beijing’s determination to play a diplomatic and security role in the region, and the decreasing importance of Middle Eastern conflicts in Washington’s national security strategy. Yet none of this should dissuade U.S. policymakers from doing what they can to reach a better mutual understanding with regional partners on the China challenge.
Policy Recommendations
In light of all these factors, the U.S. government should take the following steps:
Doctor, heal thyself. First and foremost, the State Department should reconsider its recent “China watcher” model at U.S. embassies in the Middle East, under which officers with specialized training are designated to handle issues related to great power competition. This program was based on the “Iran watcher” program of the early 2000s, but unlike that relatively narrow portfolio, China competition has come to dominate U.S. national security strategy and should be treated accordingly. All American diplomats overseas need to understand the key tenets of U.S. policy toward Beijing and have at least a basic grounding in Washington’s concerns about trade, technology, and related matters—particularly the steps that have been taken to restrict Chinese trade and investment. Some of this training is already taking place, but it must be accelerated and greatly expanded.
Creating a China knowledge network. The U.S. intelligence community should partner with allies in the Indo-Pacific (e.g., Japan and Australia) to train their Middle Eastern counterparts—especially in the Gulf—on China analysis. This training should not focus specifically on Beijing’s policy in the region, but rather on broader issues such as China’s civil-military fusion, recent domestic changes, and problematic activities worldwide (e.g., espionage, cyberattacks, influence operations, technology transfer). The ultimate purpose should be to cultivate a network of China experts in Middle Eastern governments and provide them with the tools and data to vet China-related risks to their national interests, while keeping relevant channels open so they can turn to their U.S. counterparts when needed. To make this initiative less provocative to Beijing—and, by extension, more likely to elicit regional participation—the training should also focus on other global challenges such as Russia and Iran.
Replicate the U.S.-Israel Strategic Technology Dialogue. In September 2022, Washington and Jerusalem launched a bilateral “Strategic High-Level Dialogue on Technology.” Led by two countries’ national security advisors, the interagency group’s mandate covers clean energy technology, pandemic preparedness, artificial intelligence, and other tech issues. Although China was not mentioned in statements announcing the group’s initial meeting or latest talks, it was undoubtedly what spurred the dialogue’s creation, as U.S. concerns over Israeli tech cooperation with Beijing had become a significant irritant in the relationship. The United States should consider replicating this model with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and perhaps Qatar. Although their tech sectors are not as well-developed as Israel’s, all three are investing heavily on this front and have partnered extensively with Beijing in ways concerning to Washington. If the bilateral dialogues prove viable and successful, Washington should consider combining them into a multilateral framework.
Reframe threat perceptions. Despite demarche after demarche, even America’s closest partners in the Middle East simply do not see China as a threat to their interests (apart from the friction that their Chinese ties are creating with Washington, perhaps). This is not to say they are blindly trusting of Beijing’s intentions, merely that they do not view its actions as threatening. In fact, they see China’s desire to be more active in the Middle East as an opportunity, whether in terms of attracting trade and investment or balancing their dependence on the United States.
Yet this threat perception is deeply mistaken. For example, if China attempts to take Taiwan by force or other methods, the resulting crisis would likely entail enormous disruptions in global trade that wreak severe economic damage in the Middle East. Even short of that drastic scenario, Beijing could weaponize its economic leverage over the region at any time for political purposes, as it has already attempted to do against Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and others. Chinese cooperation with Iran remains deeply problematic as well—despite Beijing’s efforts to frame it in positive terms (e.g., the recent Iran-Saudi rapprochement), such activity has helped shield Tehran from economic and diplomatic isolation while enhancing the threat it poses to neighbors.
U.S. officials should emphasize these threats rather than rehashing messages about democracy vs. autocracy or risks to the international order, which do not resonate among most U.S. partners in the Middle East. Much like China, the majority of these partners see themselves as rising powers who have not been accorded their fair share of global influence.
In addition to pointing out threats, U.S. officials should work with regional partners on initiatives that appeal to them while still tacitly countering Beijing. For example, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have the capital to rival Chinese investments in infrastructure and mineral extraction in the developing world and could benefit from Western partnership in this regard. Failing that, they may wind up facilitating Beijing’s strategy by pursuing such opportunities with Chinese partners, which are proffered more readily at present.
*Michael Singh is the managing director and Lane-Swig Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and interim director of its Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East.
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/closing-washingtons-china-gap-middle-east-partners

Massive Campaign Promoting Spanish Translation Of Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei's Memoir – Iran's Latest Strategy For Spreading Its Islamic Revolution In Latin America
 Emmanuel Cadieux/MEMRI/August 15, 2023 |
Since its founding, the revolutionary regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran has made massive efforts to export the principles of its Islamic Revolution to the world at large. In the Middle East and Africa, this exporting of the revolution has been carried out by means of proxies such as Hizbullah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, the Shi'ite militias in Iraq, and Shi'ite clerics in Nigeria, all of which Iran provides with financial, political and organizational assistance so that they can gradually undermine local politics and establish local support bases.
In Latin America, Iran has employed a similar strategy. Recognizing Latin America's geostrategic significance as the U.S.'s "backyard," it has sought to export the revolution across the region through the influence of local Shi'ite clerics and political leaders who seek to gradually infiltrate local politics and garner countrywide support for anti-U.S. positions.[1]
These passionate pro-Iran leaders often collaborate with leftist politicians to promote the view that Iran's and Latin America's struggles are one and the same – that is, against the arrogant Western powers who oppress the free nations through moral degradation, economic slavery, and territorial colonization. To this end, the Iranian regime and its protégé Hizbullah have also traditionally used accounts on various social media platforms, including HispanTV,[2] Al-Mayadeen Español,[3] and Al-ManarTV en Español,[4] as well as Khamenei.ir,[5] Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's official accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Through these, they address local audiences in their own languages. In this way, Iran has sought to continue recruiting local operatives whom Iran hopes will realize, through sufficient exposure to the core values of the Islamic Revolution, that it is only through collaboration with the Islamic Republic of Iran that their Latin American nations will regain their political and economic sovereignty – which, in their view, is under threat from all Western powers.
In 2023, Iran's latest attempts to indoctrinate such Latin American operatives largely focused on promoting the book Celda No. 14 (Cell No. 14), the Spanish translation of the memoir of Supreme Leader Khamenei. The book, originally written by Khamenei in Arabic and subsequently translated into Farsi and Spanish,[6] is Khamenei's memoir of his imprisonment and exile in Iran prior to the triumph of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The book has been massively promoted at multiple international bookfairs across Latin America, including in Cuba, Venezuela, and Colombia, and represents the Iranian regime's latest attempt at igniting the revolutionary spark in the region – this time through cultural and literary exchange.
Celda No. 14 ("Cell No. 14") – Khamenei's Memoir
On May 10, 2023, the Iranian cultural center Centro de Intercambio Cultural Latinoamericano[7] launched the official Spanish translation of Khamenei's memoir Celda No. 14 at a ceremony. The title refers to one of the cells where Khamenei was imprisoned in during the Shah-era in Iran prior to the Islamic Revolution.
The book was the fruit of collaboration between Lighthouse International Publications and ONG Shahid Soleimani; the latter is a nonprofit organization sponsored by the Iranian Embassy in Bogota, Colombia.[8]
The publishing house Lighthouse International Publications – in Farsi, Fanoos Daryaei[9] – belongs to Khamenei,[10] and its Spanish-language Colombia branch, El Faro Internacional, is run by alumni of Al-Mustafa International University in Qom, Iran,[11] which is widely known to be one of the Iranian regime's main tools for indoctrinating foreign clerics. El Faro Internacional is also part of Islam Oriente, a website run by Al-Mustafa University and headed by Mohsen Rabbani. Rabbani is one of the Iranian nationals implicated in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.[12]
Other works published by El Faro Internacional include the book Mi Tío Soleimani ("My Uncle Soleimani"), which glorifies the late IRGC Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani as a role model worthy of imitation. Both Celda No. 14 and Mi Tío Soleimani can be purchased from Amazon,[13] and the Spanish audio of Celda No. 14 is available through the Centro de Intercambio Cultural Latinoamericano website.[14]
The International Fair Of Iranian-Venezuelan Culture And Friendship, Caracas, March 4-12, 2023
The launch of Celda No. 14 was held as part of the first International Fair of Iranian-Venezuelan Culture and Friendship (#FICA2023),[15] in the Plaza de los Museos de Bellas Artes in Caracas March 4-12, 2023.[16] The fair comprised multiple booths featuring a wide range of activities, including an exhibit of Iranian handicrafts,[17] an Iranian gastronomic experience,[18] free medical attention,[19] and a hijab workshop for women.[20]
Attended by thousands of Venezuelans,[21] the fair also presented and promoted Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei and the late Qods Force commander Soleimani as peaceful, justice-seeking leaders comparable to Malcom X, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela.[22]
The Centro de Intercambio Cultural Latinoamericano, which hosted the fair, belongs to the Iranian Embassy in Venezuela[23] and is dedicated to spreading Islamic knowledge in Venezuela and Latin America. The center is directed by José Nassar, in conjunction with Sheikh Ahmad Saleh,[24] a Lebanese sheikh who studied at Mustafa University in Qom[25] and who was also the fair's director.[26] The fair was also cohosted by the Iranian propaganda news channel Segundo Paso and by the Editorial Internacional El Faro and El color de la Resistencia, which are other pro-Iran organizations.[27] According to the Iranian Cultural Center, the fair was the "first edition" of many to come.[28]
Senior Officials Attend Launch Of Celda No. 14
The launch of Celda No. 14 at the fair was presided over by Iranian Ambassador to Venezuela Hojjat Soltani, Iranian Culture Minister Mahdi Esmaili,[29] and Venezuelan Culture Minister Ernesto Villegas Poljak.[30] Other senior officials present at the launch ceremony included Venezuelan National Assembly Vice President Pedro Infante,[31] Mexican Ambassador to Venezuela Polo de Gyves,[32] and other Iranian officials.
Also at the book launch, Poljak and Esmaili drew attention to a message from Supreme Leader Khamenei to "all Spanish-speaking people of the world."[33] The message, in Farsi in Khamenei's handwriting, was included in Spanish translation in the introduction of the book. It reads: "In the name of God, the most gracious and most merciful, I will be very pleased if through this book a bridge is established with my dear Spanish-speaking readers. This text is but a small part of my anecdotes. How beautiful is the fact that we, you and all the nations that seek justice, can get to know each other better and join forces! I pray to God that you succeed and have a prosperous life."
The launch of the book was also announced on Khamenei's official Twitter accounts in Spanish[34] and Farsi,[35] as well as by other local and Iranian news outlets.[36
Notably, in an interview with Khamenei's website Khamenei.ir, Venezuelan Culture Minister Poljak called Celda No. 14 an "atomic book." Asked why, he said: "Today I remembered that when [the late Venezuelan president] Commander [Hugo] Chavez first read that Iran and Venezuela were being accused of hiding an atomic [nuclear power] plant in a bicycle factory in Venezuela for military purposes, he decided to ridicule that imperialist campaign by dubbing the bicycles 'atomic bicycles.' This book is thus also an 'atomic book,' because what can be more dangerous to imperialism and the global arrogance [i.e. the U.S.] than a nation that reads, and [whose] people are increasingly aware of the cultural diversity and complexity of the history of our humanity? In this [particular] case, the Venezuelan people, armed with the knowledge of the Iranian reality... are now better informed and less susceptible to manipulation. In this way, it [the book] has an atomic effect on the conscience of our people."[37] The minister's reference to the book as "atomic" was later widely quoted on Twitter. [38]
Minister Poljak was also asked by in the interview about his opinion on the impact the book could have on the people of Venezuela and on the rest of the Latin American countries. To this, Poljak replied: "It should have a multiplier effect... This book will, in all certainty, draw the attention of other Latin American countries, who will demand access to this work – [a work] that brings us closer to a fundamental universal culture of humanity [i.e. Iranian culture]. So we are very happy to be able to host the global launch of this work in Venezuela; I am sure [it] will be widely requested, read, and discussed, and will enter the mind and heart of Spanish-speaking readers."[39]
In turn, Iranian Culture Minister Esmaili stressed "resistance against arrogance" as "one of the cultural fields between the two countries which can pave the way for holding cultural and resistance festivals," including the translation and publication of books. In this way, Esmaili expressed his hope that the reopening of Iran's cultural attaché office in Venezuela would help advance the establishment and celebration of such important "joint cultural days and weeks" in the two countries.[40]
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto also met with Esmaili. Minister Gil Pinto said that in the meeting both had reiterated "the need to build a joint agenda to make culture and history a safe way to combat campaigns that threaten the truth of our peoples."[41] Additionally, Minister Esmaili tweeted about the meeting: "The government and people of this country, despite the vast plots of American colonialism, are moving forward with resistance. In Venezuela, the love for and interest in Iranian culture and the leader of the revolution is exemplary..."[42]
Minister Gil Pinto also said that Khamenei's memoir "will be used as a guide to fight against the enemy and a symbol of resistance."[43] He then tweeted about the work meeting that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was holding at the time with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.[44]
The day before the book launch, on March 9, 2023, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Alfred Nazareth (Freddy Náñez)[45] also met with Iranian Culture Minister Esmaili. According to the Venezuelan and Iranian governments, at the meeting the ministers highlighted the need to develop greater media ties between the two countries in order to fight "fake news" and "media terrorism," and also emphasized the need for "disseminating, through a common agenda, the culture and history of both nations, as an antidote to biased propaganda that seeks to stigmatize their peoples."[46]
Two days later, in an interview with Khamenei.ir, Náñez called Khamenei's fight "an inspiration to stand up and defend the homeland."[47] The interview was tweeted by Jameneí Multimedia, one of Supreme Leader Khamenei's official Spanish-language news outlets.
Under Minister Náñez’s leadership, the Venezuelan Communications and Information Ministry[50] is notorious for celebrating the late Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani. On March 11, 2023, the ministry marked Soleimani's birthday, tweeting a quote by him: "We are not like the Americans, we do not abandon our friends." The ministry added: "[Celebrating the] birth of a fighter against imperialism. Hero!"[51] The tweet was tweeted twice more by the ministry, and each was retweeted an average of 2,000 times by the account's followers.[52]
In "Salaam Ya Mahdi" Song At The Fair, Children Ask The Mahdi – The Shi'ite Messianic Figure – To Choose Them As "His Soldiers," Vow To "Fulfill His Promise"
Another important activity held at the fair was a performance of the Spanish version of the song "Salaam Ya Mahdi,"[53] by children belonging to Venezuela's Lebanese community. In Shi'a Islam, the Mahdi, a messianic figure in the form of a political and spiritual leader, will come during the end times to fight the Shi'ites' enemies – i.e. the West and the Sunnis – and establish peace and justice with his Islamic governance of the world. According to scholars, these Shi'ite messianic expectations are the true driving force behind Iran's Islamic regime, because the power of the ayatollahs in Iran resides in the popular belief that they can "contact the Mahdi."[54]
A video of the song "Salaam Ya Mahdi" was first released in October 2022, by Sheikh Ahmad Saleh, the Lebanese sheikh who studied at Mustafa University in Qom and who was the director of the fair, on his Facebook page. In that video, the children sing in Spanish and Arabic, asking the Mahdi to choose them as "his soldiers" and vowing to "fulfill his promise."[55]
They sing: "I am small but I follow the path of Karbala Mahulai, I am small, but I carry the blood of Ashura Mahulai. I'm small, but I have overcome, like no one else will. Labayka ya Mahdi [I am here, oh Mahdi!] – I am a soldier and I come out of loyalty to fight. I am here, oh Mahdi – for you [I have] suffered with my tears, my Lord. I am here, oh Mahdi – I swear by my parents that my soul is for you. When you see us and we see you, I promise not to disappoint my religion; I promise to follow your guidance, Maulahi; I promise to love God in my prayer. Defend the... Quran, it is my oath."[56]
According to the video's credits, the children are members of the Children's and Youth Choir of the Iranian Cultural Center, and Sheikh Ahmad Saleh was in charge of the Spanish adaptation of the song as well as the general direction of the music video.
The song is the Spanish adaptation of the Iranian revolutionary song "Salam Farmande,"[57] a Shi'ite ode to the Mahdi, in which children call for his return and ask him to make them his soldiers. A number of videos of the song in different languages were released in the Western hemisphere – in Canada (in Arabic, French, and English),[58] Venezuela (Spanish and Arabic),[59] and Brazil (Portuguese and Arabic).[60] In almost every version, the children are in military formation, as though ready for battle.
Celda No. 14 In Colombia
The Iranian Embassy in Bogota, Colombia also held a similar book launch, at the International Book Fair of Bogota, April 18-May 2, 2023. The Bogota fair is one of the world's leading book fairs. Celda No. 14 was promoted for the entire duration of the fair, at the booth of the Iranian Embassy in the international pavilion. The official launch, held in one of the fair's grand halls, was held April 23.[61]
A few days later, on April 28, a similar launch was held in Colombia's Congress, before over 200 prominent Colombian politicians and cultural figures.[62] The event was broadcast live by various Iranian state-owned propaganda media outlets, such as IRNA Español,[63] HispanTV,[64] and PressTV.[65]
Other launch ceremonies took place April 30 at the National Library of Colombia[66] in Bogota; May 4 at the National Library in the city of Cali;[67] and May 6 in the meeting hall of the Bucaramanga Trade Federation in Bucaramanga. This last was attended by the president and students of the University of Santander, the special representative of Santander's governor, and the representative of the Mercosur trade organization.[68]
Two months after the book's launch in Caracas, Lighthouse International Publications announced that it would be publishing a third edition.[69]
The massive support for the book achieved by Iran by means of its aggressive publicity campaign at international book fairs, universities, and even the Colombian Congress is a reason for great concern, as it is evidence of Latin America's continued openness to revolutionary ideology.
* Emmanuel Cadieux is a Research Fellow at MEMRI.
[1] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 1517, The Organization For The Liberation Of Argentina (OLA) – Building Support For The Iranian Regime And Hizbullah, July 1, 2020 and MEMRI JTTM report Brazilian Shi'ite Cleric Rodrigo Jalloul Supports Iranian Regime, Disseminates Its Ideology In Brazil – And Recently Announced Intention To Run For São Paulo City Councilor, September 1, 2020. Another example of an aspiring political leader Iran hopes to use to gradually infiltrate local politics and garner countrywide support for anti-U.S. positions is Marlon Cantillo, former director of the Iranian cultural center Casa Cultural Islámica Ahlul Bayt in Bogota, who ran for the Colombian senate in 2022. Cantillo, aka "Ibrahim Hussein," studied at Al-Mustafa International University in Qom, Iran, an institution widely known to be one of the regime's main instruments for the indoctrination of foreign clerics.
[2] Hispantv.com; Facebook.com/Hispantvprogramas (125,000 followers); Facebook.com/nexolatino (26,000 followers); Facebook.com/hispantv.buendiaal (21,000 followers); Facebook.com/DocumentalesHispanTV (19,000 followers); Instagram.com/hispan_tv?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA; Twitter.com/Nexo_Latino; Youtube.com/@nexolatino; https://t.me/HispanTVcanal.
[3] Twitter.com/almayadeen_es, Facebook.com/videos.almayadeen.es, Instagram.com/almayadeenenespanol?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==, Youtube.com/channel/UCip9Q0ZxDwXSlMmjFAZFCKw, T.me/almayadeenespanol.
[4] Spanish.almanar.com.lb/, /T.me/almanarnewsSP, Twitter.com/AlmanarSpanish.
[5] Spanish.khamenei.ir. Twitter.com/es_Khamenei, Twitter.com/JameneiM, Instagram.com/es_khamenei?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==, Facebook.com/Khamenei.Es.
[6] According to Tehran Times, the Arabic version was unveiled by Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah at a February 2019 ceremony in Beirut marking the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Tehrantimes.com/news/484085/Spanish-edition-of-Leader-s-autobiography-Cell-No-14-introduced, April 28, 2023.
[7] The cultural center was previously known as the Centro de Intercambio Cultural Iraní Latinoamericano, (Iranian-Latinoamerican Cultural Exchange Center). The "Iranian" was later omitted, apparently to ease concerns. @islamenvzla, Twitter.com/islamenvzla; @ islamenvenezuela, Instagram.com/islamenvenezuela?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==; Facebook.com/islamenvzla/,
Facebook.com/cicil.paraiso, Facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069715009048; Islamenvenezuela.com; Cicilvenezuela @ gmail.com ; +58 212-4727428, Av. Urbaneja entre calle 5 y 4, Qta San Rafael Urb La Paz El Paraiso, Caracas, Capital District, Venezuela.
[8] The Shahid Soleimani nonprofit organization was established in December 2020 as an initiative to "resume the path opened by Qassem Soleimani and many other martyrs of the Islamic Revolution in Iran." It describes Soleimani as having participated in "important social and humanitarian projects" and as having played a "key role in strengthening peace in the Middle East." It states that it holds activities including intercultural and interfaith dialogue, and provides food and school supplies to children and young adults impacted by "poverty and inequality."
[9] @ FanoosDaryaei, Twitter.com/FanoosDaryaei; @fanoosdaryaei_pub, Instagram.com/fanoosdaryaei_pub?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==.
[10] https://twitter.com/m_m_esmaeili/status/1634530619521638401, March 11, 2023.
[11] Instagram profiles: @ almustafa_open_university.en, Instagram.com/almustafa_open_university.en?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== , @ al_mustafa_open_university, Instagram.com/al_mustafa_open_university?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== , @ almustafavirtual, Instagram.com/almustafavirtual?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== .
[12] Fdd.org/analysis/2021/01/25/iran-commemorates-death-of-qassem-soleimani, January 25, 2021.
[13] Amazon.com/dp/B0C8X7VWD4?ref_=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_A8S0F8RQ6KJJYKY1B1DA
Amazon.com/t%C3%ADo-Soleimani-Spanish-Muhammad-Yaberi-ebook/dp/B08R376PV5.
[14] Segundopaso.es/service/fica.
[15] In Spanish, "Feria Internacional de la cultura y la amistad iraní-venezolana."
[16] Twitter.com/RahMasood1400/status/1632973238065037313?s=20, March 7, 2023.
[17] Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1634398640079794176?s=20, March 10, 2023.
[18] Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1634855618640003072?s=20, March 12, 2023.
[19] Twitter.com/RahMasood1400/status/1632338787417112576?s=20, March 5, 2023, Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1632790714768556032?s=20, March 6, 2023, Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1632878493628235776?s=20, March 6, 2023,Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1633213246965522434?s=20, March 7, 2023,Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1633156773287718935?s=20, March 7, 2023.
[20] Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1633559290593132547?s=20, March 8, 2023, Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1633104824127442945?s=20, March 7, 2023, Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1633617192842416128?s=20, March 8, 2023, Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1633644406556225536?s=20, March 8, 2023.
[21] Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1633239919140253697?s=20, March 7, 2023,
Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1633473545509453827?s=20, March 8, 2023,
Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1634516248301039616?s=20, March 11, 2023.
[22] Twitter.com/RahMasood1400/status/1632338787417112576?s=20, March 5, 2023,
Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1632735683407237122?s=20, March 6, 2023.
[23] Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1037727080845385728?s=20, September 6, 2018.
[24] Facebook.com/3ahikazzahra2, on Instagram, @ amed_saleh_313, Instagram.com/amed_saleh_313?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=. Sheikh Ahmad Saleh teaches at CICL Caracas: Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1446530698865778733?s=20, October 8, 2021, Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1436424061001867278?s=20, September 10, 2021, Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1430952253662416902?s=20, August 26, 2021.
[25] Facebook.com/3ahikazzahra2.
[26] Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1632187384761655300?s=20, March 4, 2023.
[27] Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1631656262147481601?s=20, March 3, 2023.
[28] Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1630363249488142340?s=20, February 27, 2023, Twitter.com/Eiranencaracas/status/1631830734179561473?s=20, March 3, 2023.
[29] @tm_m_esmaeili, Twitter.com/m_m_esmaeili, Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1634222567803289600?s=20, March 10, 2023.
[30] Twitter.com/VillegasPoljak, on Instagram @ ernestovillegaspoljak, Instagram.com/ernestovillegaspoljak?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== , Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1634386171164868608?s=20, March 10, 2023, Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1634655829700882433?s=20, March 11, 2023, Twitter.com/VillegasPoljak/status/1634345177337741317?s=20, March 10, 2023, Twitter.com/VillegasPoljak/status/1634344251088576513?s=20, March 10, 2023.
[31] @ pinfantea, Twitter.com/pinfantea?lang=en, Twitter.com/RahMasood1400/status/1632338787417112576?s=20, March 5, 2023.
[32] Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1635125349544763393?s=20, March 12, 2023, Twitter.com/FanoosDaryaei/status/1635188169611288577?s=20, March 13, 2023.
[33] English.khamenei.ir/photo/9580/Ceremony-for-release-of-Leader-s-book-in-Spanish, March 11, 2023.
[34] Twitter.com/es_Khamenei/status/1634300808513695744?s=20, March 10, 2023, Twitter.com/JameneiM/status/1633600558115299329?s=20, March 8, 2023, Twitter.com/Khamenei_m/status/1634668035003801600?s=20, March 11, 2023.
[35] Twitter.com/Khamenei_fa/status/1634326237920342019?s=20, March 10, 2023, Twitter.com/JameneiM/status/1634344043877392386?s=20, March 10, 2023.
[36] Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1633939643769946112?s=20, March 9, 2023, Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1631855126456553474?s=20, March 3, 2023, Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1631445116274483200?s=20, March 2, 2023, Twitter.com/islamenvzla/status/1633939643769946112?s=20, March 9, 2023, Twitter.com/IraninCuba/status/1634390897688301568?s=20, March 10, 2023, Twitter.com/Tasnimnews_Fa/status/1633756254903361537?s=20, March 9, 2023.
[37] Twitter.com/JameneiM/status/1634581282347786241?s=20, March 11, 2023.
[38] Twitter.com/Soheil_asaad/status/1634425041830965249?s=20, March 11, 2023, Twitter.com/Elahetahmasebi1/status/1635251031369187328?s=20, March 13, 2023.
[39] Twitter.com/JameneiM/status/1634581282347786241?s=20, March 11, 2023.
[40] Twitter.com/Iran_GOV/status/1634443828517040128?s=20, March 11, 2023.
[41] Twitter.com/yvangil/status/1634312075638915072?s=20, March 10, 2023, Twitter.com/CancilleriaVE/status/1634375395565789184?s=20, March 10, 2023.
[42] Twitter.com/m_m_esmaeili/status/1634530616258461702?s=20, March 11, 2023, Twitter.com/Iran_GOV/status/1634067787600523264?s=20, March 10, 2023.
[43] Twitter.com/Iran_GOV/status/1634438679518232580?s=20, March 11, 2023.
[44] Twitter.com/luchaalmada/status/1621650277299257351?s=20, February 3, 2023.
[45] @ luchaalmada, Twitter.com/luchaalmada; on Instagram, @ luchaalmada15, Instagram.com/luchaalmada15?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==. In addition to Minister of Communications and Information, Alfred Nazareth is also Vice President of Communication, Culture and Tourism of Venezuela.
[46] Mppre.gob.ve/2023/03/09/vicepresidente-nanez-sostuvo-encuentro-ministro-cultura-iran/, March 9, 2023.
Twitter.com/Iran_GOV/status/1634432486485655552?s=20, March 11, 2023.
[47] Twitter.com/JameneiM/status/1634562045503782912?s=20, March 11, 2023.
[48] Twitter.com/yvangil/status/1634007759073996806?s=20, March 9, 2023.
Twitter.com/CancilleriaVE/status/1634002613778653184?s=20, March 9, 2023.
[49] Twitter.com/JameneiM/status/1634562045503782912?s=20, March 11, 2023.
[50] In Spanish: Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Comunicación e Información (MIPPCI); on Twitter, @ Mippcivzla, Twitter.com/Mippcivzla; on Instagram, @ mippcivzla, Instagram.com/mippcivzla?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
[51] Twitter.com/Mippcivzla/status/1634615173737594880?s=20, March 11, 2023.
[52] Twitter.com/Mippcivzla/status/1634630272061952000?s=20, March 11, 2023, Twitter.com/Mippcivzla/status/1634405711366045701?s=20, March 10, 2023.
[53] Twitter.com/MBoliviano2023/status/1633829327845593090?s=20, March 9, 2023, Twitter.com/FanoosDaryaei/status/1634151135329107971?s=20, March 10, 2023, Twitter.com/Tasnimnews_Fa/status/1633756254903361537?s=20, March 9, 2023.
[54] Ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3304024,00.html, February 1, 2008. Moshe Sharon is a world-renowned expert on Islam often considered to be Israel's greatest Middle East scholar.
[55] Facebook.com/100002066630557/videos/638601017605781/, October 21, 2022.
[56] Youtube.com/watch?v=rupIpiSBfJw, October 21, 2022.
[57] Youtube.com/watch?v=unE5md_Euk8, Aprik 15, 2022.
[58] Youtube.com/watch?v=AYIxndqkiRc, October 16, 2022.
[59] Youtube.com/watch?v=rupIpiSBfJw, October 21, 2022.
[60] Youtube.com/watch?v=vAbES7lWZP0, September 10, 2022.
[61] Instagram.com/p/CrZz2QeOPCc/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==, April 23, 2023; Instagram.com/p/CrcjhcIO5fH/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==, April 24, 2023, Instagram.com/reel/CrUdW-PNVwa/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==, April 21, 2023, Instagram.com/p/CrOpOk6O4mA/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==, April 19, 2023, Instagram.com/p/CrL-pdsuxf-/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==, April 18, 2023, Instagram.com/p/CrrxKZjOFGY/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==, April 30, 2023.
[62]Irna.ir/news/85094910, Twitter.com/PressTV/status/1651879108786151424?s=20, April 28, 2023, Twitter.com/FanoosDaryaei/status/1651850712865812480?s=20, April 28, 2023.
[63] Twitter.com/irna_es/status/1651916031785422849?s=20, April 28, 2023.
[64] Twitter.com/Nexo_Latino/status/1652141254048620551?s=20, Apr 28, 2023.
[65] Twitter.com/PressTV/status/1651879108786151424?s=20, Apr 28, 2023.
[66] Twitter.com/FanoosDaryaei/status/1652658747460780037?s=20, Apr 30, 2023.
[67] Twitter.com/FanoosDaryaei/status/1652330432124313601?s=20, Apr 29, 2023, Twitter.com/FanoosDaryaei/status/1654134933512650752?s=20, May 4, 2023.
[68] Twitter.com/FanoosDaryaei/status/1654913951325356032?s=20, May 6, 2023.
[69] Twitter.com/FanoosDaryaei/status/1654908942655291392?s=20, May 6, 2023.