Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 19-20/2023
Summoning citizens from Al-Kehali town for interrogation over the crime committed by Hezbollah against their families and town is strongly condemned
Elias Bejjani/August 19/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/121402/121402/
Indeed, the popular proverb, “the murdered was satisfied, but the murderer was not”, precisely describes the judicial felony committed yesterday by the “Lebanese army intelligence”, who summoned four citizens from the town of Kehali, for interrogation in regards to the armed and terrorist invasion that their town and citizens were subjected to by the terrorist Hezbollah.
This summoning took place while the murderer who assassinated the martyr Fadi Bejjani in his own town, and in front of his house, was publicly welcomed in the town Al-Hermel, with an armed parade without any judicial intervention. In addition, the Hezbollah members who committed the Kehali invasion and crime are free without even interrogation them.
A press release that was issued yesterday by the municipality of Kehali, rejected the discretionary summons and said, “The interrogation should not begin with the unarmed Kehali citizens who were present at the time of the incident, but MUST instead focus on the armed group that opened fire with machine guns on the Kehali citizens to intimidate them, which the martyr Fadi Bejjani tried to stop, and who was shot dead by armed civilians, where the evidence are shown in audios and videos.” The statement stressed that “the interrogation is a duty to achieve justice, but it must start from another place, so that the victim is not equal to the aggressor.”
In the same context, dozens of statements, tweets, and stances were issued by activists, politicians, and political parties rejecting and denouncing this blatant unfair judicial bias.
In conclusion, there will be no justice in Lebanon without equality between all the Lebanese. In this same realm, its Kehali’s right to refuse the “Army Intelligence summoning”, before arresting and charging the killers of the martyr Fadi Bejjani.
Meanwhile, full solidarity with the unified stance of the honorable and heroic people of Kehali is a patriotic obligation for every sovereign, free and independent Lebanese who demands and honors justice and equality.

Lebanese state media say Syrian man suspected of deadly bombing committed suicide to avoid detention
BEIRUT (AP)/August 19, 2023
A Syrian citizen suspected of being behind a deadly bombing that killed and wounded dozens near the capital, Damascus, last month committed suicide when gunmen tried to detain him in Lebanon where he fled, state-run National News Agency reported Saturday.
The agency identified the man as Wissam Dalla and said that he entered Lebanon illegally and was staying with relatives in a southern suburb of Beirut — a stronghold of the militant group Hezbollah — where he was planning another “terrorist attack.” The 23-year-old man jumped from the 7th floor of the building where he was staying late Friday night and later succumbed to his wounds in hospital. NNA did not report on who tried to detain Dalla but other media outlets said they were members of Hezbollah, adding that the dead man was suspected of links to the extremist Islamic State organization.
On July 28, a motorcycle planted with explosives detonated in the Damascus suburb of Sayida Zeinab near a Shiite Muslim shrine killing at least six people and wounding dozens a day before the solemn holy day of Ashoura. The neighborhood is named after the shrine for Sayida Zeinab, the granddaughter of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.

Suspect in bloody attack in Syria dies in Beirut – Lebanese media
Reuters/August 19/2023
BEIRUT: A Syrian youth suspected of carrying out an attack that killed at least six people in Damascus in July died after he threw himself from a building during a raid in Beirut, Lebanese media and a security source said on Saturday. nThe 23-year-old from Syria’s Al-Tal region entered Lebanon illegally and settled with his relatives in Al-Salam, a southern suburb of Beirut, the security source said. “Members of Hezbollah group raided the site, and when he learned that his whereabouts had been discovered, he threw himself from the seventh floor and was taken to St. George Hospital, where he died,” the source said. The source added that two of his relatives were detained. Syrian state media said on July 27 that a bomb planted in a vehicle exploded outside the Sayeda Zeinab shrine city south of the capital Damascus, killing several people and wounding others. On the following day, the Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack.

Anti-corruption Shiite cleric accuses Hezbollah and Amal of trying to silence him
Associated Press/August 19/2023
A Lebanese Shiite cleric who has angered politicians and religious leaders in Lebanon and Iraq has said that groups including Lebanon's Hezbollah are trying to silence voices of dissent within the sect — including his own. Sheikh Yasser Auda has developed a reputation on social media in recent years for his criticism of corruption in Iraq and Lebanon. He has also spoken out against the use of violence against opponents of Iran-backed groups in the two crisis-hit countries. He vowed in an interview with The Associated Press not to bow down even if it costs him is life. His comments came two days after a department within the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council of Lebanon, the country's top Shiite religious authority, issued a statement naming 15 clerics whom it said are not qualified to provide religious guidance. Auda was at the top of the list and was almost stripped of his religious status. But the council later issued a statement saying that the position of the General Directorate for Religious Advocacy did not represent its point of view. "I don't recognize the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council of Lebanon," Auda said in the sitting room of his modest apartment in Beirut's predominantly Shiite southern suburb of Mreijeh. Auda said he rejects "corruption by politicians who are protected by religious authorities," in an apparent reference to the council. He blamed the divisions within the council regarding the statement about him being unqualified to provide religious guidance to competition among clerics who hope to head the council one day. One of Auda's harshest comments to go viral on social media, which angered Lebanese as well as Iraqi politicians, came in a speech late last month. "Whoever defends, even with one word, any legislator, Cabinet minister or a leader in Lebanon or Iraq is a liar, corrupt and a partner with them," he said. "This speech was spread in Iraq and angered politicians and profiteers, especially Shiites," Auda said, wondering how the oil-wealthy country could have a crumbling infrastructure and many of its citizens living in poverty. He also blasted some of the religious leaders in the Hawza, the religious seminary of the Iraqi Shiite holy city of Najaf, angering some influential figures in the city that is home to one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines. An Iraqi official in Baghdad told the AP that some of the religious leaders in Najaf requested that Auda be prevented from making public statements. Another official said some senior members of Iran-backed groups and some politicians sent complaints to Beirut through Hezbollah's representative in Iraq, Sheikh Mohammed Kawtharani, demanding that Auda be sidelined. Both Iraqi officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about religious-related matters. Hezbollah denies any interference in Auda's case, saying the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council of Lebanon is in charge. Auda said there is huge pressure on him in Lebanon from Hezbollah and the Amal Movement of powerful Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. He referred to the two groups as the "Shiite Duo" whom he said "strictly prohibit any criticism." Auda backed the anti-corruption protests that broke out in Iraq and Lebanon in 2019 that were both mostly put down by Iran-backed Shiite groups in Iraq and Amal and Hezbollah in Lebanon. "The Shiite Duo don't like me because I accuse them of mismanagement, failure and for taking part in corruption in the country by signing on all laws that wasted public money," he said, referring to decades of corruption and mismanagement that threw Lebanon in its worst economic crisis in its modern history. Auda described the latest attacks against him, including the General Directorate for Religious Advocacy statement, as "moral killing, a killing that lacks a bullet." Asked if he fears for his life, Auda said he's not scared to die. "I am ready to pay the price but don't hurt my family. I don't want more than that," he said.

Syrian suspected of involvement in blast near Damascus dies after ‘throwing himself' from building near Beirut
AFP/August 19/2023
Hezbollah announced that a Syrian individual died on Friday night after throwing himself from a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut, pursued by elements of the party on suspicion of his involvement in the explosion near the Sayyida Zaynab shrine south of Damascus last month. In a statement issued by the party's media office on Saturday, "Information reached the relevant authorities in Hezbollah about a Syrian person sneaking into Lebanon, who was responsible for the explosion that occurred in the Sayyida Zaynab area" last month. The statement added, "Fearing his initiation of any security action, he was pursued, and when he learned that his whereabouts were exposed, he threw himself from the seventh floor" and passed away after being transferred to the hospital. No statement or comment has been issued by the Lebanese security agencies concerned, while a security source confirmed to Agence France-Presse on Saturday that the security agencies did not play any role in the operation. Hezbollah's statement indicated that the Syrian individual, born in the year 2000, settled with his relatives in the area of Hay Al Selloum, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the suburbs and a stronghold of Hezbollah, after infiltrating from a bordering Syrian town. Agence France-Presse was not able to verify the identity of the suspect or the validity of the accusations against him from an independent source. Six people were killed and more than twenty others were injured on July 27 due to an explosive device explosion in the Sayyida Zaynab area south of Damascus, according to the Syrian Interior Ministry. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack the next day, near the highly significant religious site for the Shia.

Power Struggle over Fuel Ships: Financial, Technical, and Political Dimensions
LBCI/August 19/2023
The tug-of-war returns to the fuel ships for electricity. Its apparent dimensions are financial and technical, but are there political backgrounds to the issue? Under the decrees approved at the beginning of the year for a value of $300 million, the Ministry of Energy requested the purchase of a quantity of gas oil as part of the plan to revitalize the electricity sector and increase power supply hours. Sources say they obtained the necessary approvals, including opening a documentary credit for $58 million by the Ministry of Finance. Therefore, a quantity of 66,000 tons was purchased after a transparent tender with the approval of the Public Procurement Authority, which was awarded to Coral Energy DMCC. Half of the quantity has been sent on a ship that arrived at the Zahranieh shore, opposite the power plant, and is awaiting unloading after the signing of the documentary credit. Therefore, the required approval for payment of $29 million is needed after six months from today. Sources from the Ministry of Energy indicate that what they are doing is legal, and there is a remaining amount of $107 million from the $300 million loan approved by the government. What they want is to disburse a portion of it. If that is refused, they suggest transferring the amount allocated to Electricité du Liban in Lebanese pounds from its account at the central bank to dollars for payment to the ship, which exceeds $40 million. But why purchase additional fuel when the Zahranieh and Deir Ammar tanks are full? Ministry sources respond that implementing the plan requires increasing power supply hours, which is what they do. In addition to Iraqi fuel, other sources approved by the government must be utilized. Furthermore, revenues are increasing, and financial balance is being achieved. So, why complicate matters? The ministry understands the new central bank governor's goals. Still, it wants to proceed with what was agreed upon during Salameh's tenure. If he wants to adopt a new approach, he should start it after implementing what was agreed upon. According to central bank sources, converting the funds in the electricity account from Lebanese pounds to dollars would hurt the national currency and the exchange market. In that case, the state, the electricity establishment, and even state employees would lose. While the sources reiterate that monetary stability is their primary goal, any attempt to convert part of the electricity funds into dollars should be based on this premise. The central bank is eager to cooperate within the available possibilities and among the government's priorities and does not want any dispute with anyone. It was expected that the Minister of Energy would return to the ministerial electricity committee before making any decision, government circles say. Did he do that, and if he did, did he consider how to secure financing without putting any pressure on the pound? This matter is no less important than the first. In any case, the ministerial electricity committee will meet on Monday and discuss each incident.

Taymour Jumblatt Warns Against Continuing Obstructive Atmospheres, Urges Consensus amid Burdened Crises
LBCI/August 19/2023
Progressive Socialist Party leader and Member of Parliament Taymour Jumblatt warned on Saturday against "the dangers of continuing in the prevailing obstructive atmosphere, the political impasse of dialogue, the boycott of legislative sessions, and the creation of obstacles, amid crises burdened with political, presidential, financial, and social repercussions."Jumblatt emphasized that "what is needed is to halt settling political scores at the expense of the nation, to prevent the series of collapses, and to begin to reach a sound consensus on managing our internal crisis." "We should explore objective approaches to produce the awaited solutions, especially including the presidency and the remaining political components, as well as addressing economic and social issues. Each of us has their political stance that should not, under any circumstances, disregard the citizen's interests and sufferings," he added. The MP reiterated his call to "put an end to the progressive vacuum in the Military Council, especially the position of the Chief of Staff, who alone, under the Defense Law, is entitled to assume the powers of the Army Commander in case of a vacancy, no one else."

Nasrallah meets Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister Shoushtari
LBCI/August 19/2023
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah received Mehdi Shoushtari, the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in the presence of the Iranian Ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani. During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, as well as ongoing political communications at the regional level.

Caretaker Minister Stresses Importance of Vital Services for Lebanon's Infrastructure
LBCI/August 19/2023
Caretaker Minister of Public Works Ali Hammieh announced on Saturday in a statement that "during the Cabinet meeting, it was emphasized that providing electricity to the airport and the port of Beirut is a red line that can never be overlooked, as they are vital arteries for the country." "The same applies to road maintenance, which is essential for public and traffic safety, and it's impossible to achieve with zero allocations," he added.

MP Salim Aoun to LBCI: Without dialogue, reaching an intersection is not possible
LBCI/August 19/2023
Member of the "Strong Lebanon" Bloc, MP Salim Aoun, stated that without dialogue, reaching an intersection is not possible. In an interview on LBCI's "Nharkom Said" TV show, he said, "We do not align ourselves with one team against another, and in the end, a solution must be reached. Being rigid in one's stance does not solve the problem."He added: "What can we do more than that we disagreed with our political ally and went to those with whom we disagree with many political choices and intersected with them?"
MP Salim Aoun considered that "the Free Patriotic Movement is the last to bear the responsibility for the current situation we suffer from today."Regarding the letter of the French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, he said: "What Le Drian requested, we have done previously, and we will present the list of presidential priorities again."

Thriving tourism: Lebanon welcomes over a million visitors
LBCI/August 19/2023
In a speech congratulating the municipality of Ehmej, Caretaker Tourism Minister Walid Nassar affirmed that Lebanon possesses all the elements that allow us to live in this country, invest in it, and work towards its economic and financial development, confirming that the number of arrivals to Lebanon has reached one million and 350 visitors, with 30 percent of them being foreigners. Praising their strong determination and efforts to organize this significant artistic festival despite all the challenges this year, in its 10th edition, he pointed out that "With Ehmej, the Ministry of Tourism concludes the major festivals of this year, which have reached 132 festivals since July 1, 2023." He emphasized the importance of implementing administrative decentralization, which contributes to the development of regions and fosters private sector confidence to invest in each area, knowing that the taxes and fees paid will circulate within the same region. He stated, "Despite the poor economic and living conditions we are experiencing in this country, from airport problems, infrastructure, electricity, and in telecommunications sector, the Lebanese love life and reject surrender." He added that the Lebanese diaspora has a strong attachment to their motherland and decided to return this summer to their homeland, the land of their ancestors, attending numerous tourism festivals held in Lebanon. He announced that the Ministry of Tourism decided to honor Georges Wassouf at the festival as part of celebrating prominent Lebanese artists. This decision stems from the belief that eminent artists should be observed during their lifetimes, at the peak of their contributions, not posthumously.Afterward, Nassar presented an honorary shield to Wassouf, appreciating "his exceptional talent that contributed to supporting the tourism sector."Nassar also received an honorary shield from the municipality's president and the head of the "Ehmej Development Association."The Ehmej Festival 2023 continues until Sunday evening, with the artist Nassif Zeytoun performing on Saturday night and the final night featuring artists Hisham El Hajj and Moeen Shreif. It is worth noting that Georges Wassouf ignited the stage and the stands, drawing a crowd of five thousand people with his songs performed alongside his musical ensemble. The festival was held under the patronage and presence of the Minister of Tourism.

Lebanon among 5 most water-stressed countries in the world
Associated Press/August 19/2023
A new study reveals that 25 countries, home to a quarter of the world's population, are facing extremely high water stress. Most are located in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. Repeated droughts around the world are depleting water tables and leading to water stress, in other words, demand for water is outstripping available resources. And the situation is not about to improve. By 2050, almost 60% of the world's population could be facing extremely high water stress for at least one month of the year. Such are the alarming findings of the World Resources Institute (WRI), which recently published data from its Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, detailing the countries most at risk of water shortages. It names the five most water-stressed countries as Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon and Oman. "The water stress in these countries is mostly driven by low supply, paired with demand from domestic, agricultural and industrial use," the WRI notes.A total of 25 countries, home to a quarter of the world's population, are currently exposed to extremely high annual water stress, meaning that more than 80% of their renewable water reserves are being used for irrigation, livestock farming, industry and domestic needs. By way of comparison, a country facing "extreme water stress" uses at least 80% of its available supply, while a country facing "high water stress" withdraws 40% of its reserves. According to the report, the regions where populations are most severely impacted are North Africa and the Middle East (83%), followed by South Asia (74%)."Across the world, demand for water is exceeding what’s available," warns the WRI. The organization adds that global demand "has more than doubled since 1960." While growing populations and industries have largely contributed to increasing water stress, the WRI identifies additional causes, such as "lack of investment in water infrastructure, unsustainable water use policies or increased variability due to climate change."

Two decades since bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad: It’s time to walk the talk on protecting humanitarian workers - WHD Op-ed by USG Martin...
NNA/August 19/2023
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, delivered the following address marking World Humanitarian Day: "This World Humanitarian Day, we commemorate 20 years since that murderous day when terrorists detonated a suicide bomb outside the United Nations headquarters in the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, on 19 August 2003. As the late UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said at the time, it was one of the darkest days in the history of the United Nations. It still is.
For me, World Humanitarian Day will always be an occasion of mixed, and still raw, emotion. Among those killed that day was Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was serving as Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to Iraq. Sergio was my friend, and my daughter’s godfather.
Sergio was devoted to the United Nations. He joined the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in 1969 not long after leaving university, and he spent the rest of his tragically curtailed life with the UN in increasingly senior positions. I first worked with him in 1996, when he served briefly as UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Great Lakes Region, and I served as his deputy before taking over the role. But I really got to know him when we moved to New York together in 1998 to set up the new Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) – he as the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and I, again, as his deputy.
We became close, bound together by a common passion for the realities of humanitarian dilemmas in the field and how to resolve them. Like many of our best, Sergio’s passion was grounded in a devotion to the UN Charter, a copy of which he always carried. He had a strength of world view that made his advocacy, and indeed his oratory, all the more effective. We also became close personally, and I am still proud that my daughter was his godchild. It was this synthesis of personal trust and professional partnership with Sergio that made his passing so traumatic but also so formative for me, as for so many others. His example inspires me as I now carry out the role he held all those years ago. The suddenness and finality of Sergio’s loss shocked me deeply. It brought me abruptly face-to-face with our mortality, despite my many years of working in war zones. I grieve him to this day.
In total, 22 people were killed that day and more than 100 injured. A good number of them were UN personnel. Many of them were Iraqis. But what united them all was a mission to assist Iraq to recover and rebuild as a country.
I know what this commemoration must mean to the families, friends and colleagues of the people affected that day, and of all those people killed, injured or kidnapped in pursuit of the humanitarian cause since then. And I know what it means to the humanitarian community and the wider UN community – the loss of one of us is a loss to us all. I feel your grief and pain.
I also feel anger. Anger that those responsible for the Canal Hotel bombing, and for the majority of attacks on humanitarian workers since then – and indeed for attacks on health workers and civilians in conflict – have never been held accountable. Anger that year after year, humanitarian workers continue to be the target of intentional attacks and are being killed, injured and kidnapped in the course of their work; there were more than 400 aid worker victims last year, the majority of whom were national staff. Impunity for these crimes is a terrible scar on our collective conscience. Pious words do not make a difference, actions make a difference. It is time we walk the talk on upholding international humanitarian law and tackling impunity for violations.
But my overwhelming feeling this and every World Humanitarian Day is a deep sense of pride. Pride to have worked with people like Sergio. And pride to be part of an organization and a community that continue to dedicate their lives to helping more people than ever around the world in their time of need, despite the risks and dangers. This World Humanitarian Day, I pay tribute to Sergio and to all those who lost their lives and were injured in the Canal Hotel bombing 20 years ago. I pay tribute to all those who have been killed, injured and kidnapped in the course of their service to the humanitarian cause. And I pay tribute to all those who continue to serve the hundreds of millions of people in need around the world, no matter who, no matter where and no matter what.  As Emergency Relief Coordinator and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, my pledge to humanitarians on World Humanitarian Day is this: We will continue to advocate for your safety and security as you continue your vital work; we will provide systematic and predictable leadership on safe humanitarian access; we will continue to call for accountability for breaches of international humanitarian law; and we will do our best to take care of you when you need support. We cannot bring back those taken from us. But we can honour their memories by doing everything possible to support those continuing their work."
------ Press Release

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 19-20/2023
Evacuation of a city in Canada due to fires
AFP/August 19, 2023
The violent fires raging in Canada forced the authorities to evacuate thousands of people from the north and west of the country, as firefighters continued today, Saturday, to fight fires that are rare in terms of their severity, according to "AFP". "At least 19,000 people have been evacuated from Yellowknife in the past 48 hours," said Environment Minister for the Northwest Territories, of which Yellowknife is the capital, Shane Thompson. "Nearly the entire city has been evacuated." He explained that 15,000 people fled by land, and 3,800 people were evacuated by air, while at least 300 firefighters were called in to fight the fire in one of the largest moves of equipment in the very isolated region in the far north of Canada.

Suspected Palestinian shooting attack at West Bank car wash kills 2 Israelis
BALATA REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP)/August 19, 2023
Two Israelis were killed in a suspected Palestinian shooting attack on a car wash in a volatile stretch of the occupied West Bank on Saturday, the latest outburst of violence to rock the region. The Israeli military said it was searching for suspects and setting up roadblocks near the town of Hawara, a flashpoint area in the northern West Bank, which has seen repeated shooting attacks as well as a rampage by Jewish West Bank settlers who torched Palestinian property. The shooting attack came after Palestinian official media said a 19-year-old Palestinian died of his wounds following an Israeli military raid into the West Bank on Wednesday. The deaths are part of a relentless spiral of violence that has fueled the worst fighting between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank nearly two decades. Nearly 180 Palestinians have been killed since the start of this year and some 29 people have been killed by Palestinian attacks against Israelis during that time, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Israeli paramedics said that when they arrived at the scene, two Israeli males, aged 60 and 29, were found unconscious at the car wash in Hawara with gunshot wounds. Videos circulating online from the car wash showed Israeli soldiers walking across a large pool of blood to help move two bodies on stretchers to awaiting ambulances.
Several Israelis have been killed in Hawara in the current round of fighting and the death of two brothers, residents of a nearby settlement, set off a rampage by settlers through the town in February. They torched dozens of cars and homes in some of the worst settler violence in decades. Similar settler mob violence has taken place elsewhere in the West Bank since. Palestinian militant groups praised the shooting attack, with Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine posting statements online congratulating the perpetrators. Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif Al-Qanou called the attack a “heroic shooting operation.” But the groups stopped short of claiming responsibility for the attack. In the death of the Palestinian on Saturday, according to Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, Mohammad Abu Asab, 19, was shot in the head on Wednesday during an Israeli army incursion into the Balata refugee camp near the northern West Bank city of Nablus. It cited medical officials. The Israeli military said in its statement Wednesday that a commando unit raided Balata seeking to destroy an underground weapons factory when a gunfight erupted. Wafa reported that during the fighting, Abu Asab was shot in the head and then taken to the Rafidia hospital in Nablus where he later died from his wounds. Palestinian health officials did not immediately confirm the death. It was not immediately clear if Abu Asab was affiliated with a militant group and he wasn't immediately claimed as a member by any group.
Israel has been staging near-nightly raids since last spring in response to a spate of deadly Palestinian attacks. Israel says the raids are meant 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 east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians seek the territories for their hoped-for independent state. ___
McNeil contributed from Jerusalem.

Tensions between rivals ease as Iran's FM meets Saudi crown prince
Associated Press/August 19, 2023
Iran's foreign minister met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of his visit to the kingdom, a sign of how the two countries are trying to ease tensions after years of turmoil. Images of Iran's top diplomat, Hossein Amirabdollahian, sitting with Prince Mohammed would have been unthinkable only months earlier, as the longtime rivals have been engaged in what officials in both Tehran and Riyadh have viewed as a proxy conflict across the wider Middle East. The prince even went as far as to compare Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Adolf Hitler at one point in 2017.
But since reaching a Chinese-mediated détente in March, Iran and Saudi Arabia have moved toward reopening diplomatic missions in each other's countries. Saudi King Salman has even invited Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line protégé of Khamenei, to visit the kingdom as well. Challenges remain, however, particularly over Iran's advancing nuclear program, the Saudi-led war in Yemen and security across the region's waterways. Meanwhile, the U.S. is still trying to finalize a deal with Iran to free detained American citizens in exchange for the release of billions of dollars frozen in South Korea, while also bolstering its troop presence in the Persian Gulf. Saudi state television aired images of Prince Mohammed sitting with Amirabdollahian in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. The state-run Saudi Press Agency offered few substantive details of their conversation, saying merely that they reviewed relations and "future opportunities for cooperation." In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Amirabdollahian said the two men talked for 90 minutes at their meeting in Jeddah. "Honest, open, useful and fruitful talks based on neighborly policy," the foreign minister wrote in his post. "Through the wills of heads of the two countries, sustainable bilateral ties in all fields have persisted. We agree on 'security and development for all' in the region." Amirabdollahian arrived Thursday in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, for meetings with his counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan. The kingdom broke ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts there. Saudi Arabia had executed a prominent Shiite cleric with 46 others days earlier, triggering the demonstrations. The kingdom also initially backed rebels trying to overthrow the Iranian-backed president of Syria, Bashar Assad, while also opposing the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Since the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers in 2018, Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks. Those assaults include one targeting the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry in 2019, temporarily halving the kingdom's crude production.
But after the coronavirus pandemic and the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Gulf Arab nations including Saudi Arabia have begun reassessing how to manage relations with Iran. Prince Mohammed as well wants a peaceful Middle East with stable oil prices to fuel his own grand development plans for the kingdom costing billions of dollars. In March, the kingdom and Iran reached an agreement in China to reopen embassies. Before Amirabdollahian's visit, the last Iranian foreign minister to visit Saudi Arabia on a public trip was Mohammad Javad Zarif, who traveled to the kingdom in 2015 to offer condolences for the death of King Abdullah. The visit comes as Saudi Arabia is still struggling to withdraw itself from its yearslong war in Yemen against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who hold the capital, Sanaa. Amirabdollahian's visit coincides with a new visit by Omani mediators there to try to reach a peace agreement.

UN condemns the "heinous" Russian bombing of the Ukrainian city of Chernigov
NNA/August 192023
Today, the United Nations condemned the "heinous" Russian attack that targeted civilians in the center of the city of Chernigov, in northern Ukraine, leaving at least seven dead and 110 injured, according to local authorities. "It is outrageous to attack the main square of a large city in the morning, while people are strolling, and some go to church to celebrate a religious event," said Donise Brown, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine.

Zelensky announces that he is visiting Sweden for talks with the government and royal family
NNA/August 192023 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on the "X" platform (formerly Twitter) that he had arrived in Sweden for "conversations" with Prime Minister Olaf Christson, the royal family and with representatives of the country's political parties, according to "AFP".
Zelensky wrote, "Olina (First Lady) and I have arrived in Sweden," explaining that he will meet the prime minister and the royal family, and that the "conversations" will deal with "partnership, defense cooperation, integration into the European Union, and common Euro-Atlantic security."

Seven killed, 90 wounded in Russian missile strike on Ukrainian city of Chernihiv
Reuters/August 192023
CHERIHIV: Seven people including a 6-year-old child were killed and 90 wounded when a Russian missile struck a central square in the historic northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, the interior ministry said on Saturday. People had been on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday when the strike took place, the ministry said, adding 12 of the wounded were children and 10 were police officers. “A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theater,” President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was on a working visit to Sweden, posted on Telegram. “An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss,” he added. A short video accompanying Zelensky’s post showed debris scattered across a square in front of the regional drama theater, where parked cars were heavily damaged. The video also briefly showed a body slouched inside a car. Chernihiv is a city of leafy boulevards and centuries-old churches about 145 km (90 miles) north of the capital Kyiv. The interior ministry said the roof of the drama theater had been destroyed in the strike. Russia has attacked Ukrainian cities far from the front line with missiles and drones as part of the invasion it launched in February last year. Kyiv’s air force said early on Saturday the Ukrainian military had shot down 15 out of 17 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Moscow in an overnight strike.

Japan, China allocate $2m to UNRWA
Arab News/August 19/2023
LONDON: Japan and China have allocated a total of $2 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. Japan contributed $1 million on Friday to help rebuild health services in the wake of an Israeli Security Forces operation in Jenin refugee camp in July. The UNRWA health center, the primary healthcare facility in the camp, was badly damaged in the operation and is no longer operational. The aid will enable the agency to develop and operate a temporary health center in and around the camp for refugees, as well as providing mental health and psychological support.
“This emergency response is a gesture of Japan’s support for Palestinian refugees in Jenin camp in critical humanitarian need for sanitation, health and response to unexploded ordnance,” Japan’s Ambassador to Palestine, Nakashima Yoichi, said. “I would like to express our deep sympathy and solidarity with the people who suffered from the recent Israeli Security Forces operation, and our wishes for a speedy recovery to those injured and affected, directly or indirectly, by the situation.”Meanwhile, China donated $1 million to UNRWA on Wednesday, which will benefit 5,300 Palestine refugee children in five schools across the Gaza Strip. China’s Ambassador to Palestine, Zeng Jixin, said: “For over 70 years, UNRWA has played an irreplaceable and vital role in alleviating the humanitarian plight of Palestinian refugees by providing them with critical relief and protection. “China fully recognizes and highly commends the work of UNRWA and has been providing assistance within our capacity to support UNRWA in fulfilling its mandate. “This year, China contributed $ 1 million to UNRWA, which is a concrete measure to implement President Xi Jinping’s three-point proposal for the settlement of the Palestinian question. “China is ready to work with the international community and make positive contributions to the early achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question and the realization of lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity in the Middle East.”

Egyptian President Pardons Prominent Opposition Figure Ahmed Douma After Years of Imprisonment
LBCI/August 19/2023
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has issued a presidential pardon for prominent opposition figure Ahmed Douma, who has been imprisoned since 2013. Douma was sentenced in 2019 to 15 years in prison after being convicted of "gathering and attacking government buildings." Egyptian lawyer and member of the Presidential Pardon Committee, Tarek Al Awady, wrote on his Facebook account on Saturday that the "President of the Republic, using his constitutional powers, issued Presidential Decree No. 348 for the year 2023, granting amnesty to some of those who were sentenced with final judgments, including Ahmed Saad Douma."Prominent human rights lawyer Khaled Ali also posted a short video on social media from outside Badr city prison (east of Cairo) on Saturday, saying, "At Badr prison, waiting for Douma's release."Commenting on the news, Hossam Bahgat, the director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, told Agence France-Presse (AFP), "This is very welcome news because Douma... is among the most difficult cases of political activists and human rights defenders disliked by the regime."

Turkish Cypriot forces assault Cyprus peacekeepers
Agence France Presse/August 19/2023
Turkish Cypriot forces were accused of assaulting U.N. peacekeepers as they attempted to block the construction of a controversial road in the buffer zone dividing Cyprus, drawing international condemnation. The confrontation occurred in Pyla, an ethnically mixed village in the U.N.-patrolled area between the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus in the south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot statelet in the north. Video widely shared on social media showed bulldozers pushing away U.N.-marked SUVs, cement barriers and razor wire as well as a posse of Turkish Cypriot police forcing back peacekeepers in blue berets. AFP could not immediately independently verify the footage. The U.N. mission said its peacekeepers were assaulted as they tried to block the "unauthorized construction work" near Pyla, the only village where Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots live side by side. "The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus condemns the assaults against U.N. peacekeepers and damage to U.N. vehicles by personnel from the Turkish Cypriot side this morning," UNFICYP said. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the U.N. chief "stresses that threats to the safety of U.N. peacekeepers and damage to U.N. property are unacceptable and may constitute serious crimes under international law," said Stephane Dujarric. European Union member Cyprus denounced what it called "organized incidents caused by the Turkish occupying forces... and the unacceptable attack against British and Slovak members of the U.N. peacekeeping force." The EU also condemned the incident, as well as Britain, France and the United States, who in a joint statement expressed "serious concern at the launch of unauthorized construction" of the road. The authorities in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, who say the road project is aimed at easing the plight of its people, dismissed the U.N. mission's allegations as "baseless.""Our expectation from UNFICYP... is to review its biased stance, put an immediate end to its physical interferences and blockage efforts" of the roadworks, the TRNC said in a statement.
'Faits accomplis' -
An official said Turkish Cypriot police and military in plain clothes had punched a peacekeeper and assaulted a dozen others by "pushing them back violently." A tractor was used to drag a U.N. vehicle out of the way and major damage had been caused to three vehicles, said the official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity. In its statement, the U.N. mission urged the Turkish Cypriot side to "respect the mission's mandated authority inside the U.N. buffer zone, refrain from any actions that could escalate tensions further, and withdraw all personnel and machinery from the U.N. buffer zone immediately."UNFICYP said it was determined to block any construction work and would remain in the area. "The mission is monitoring the situation closely and remains committed to ensuring calm and stability are maintained in the area," it said. Cyprus government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis accused the Turkish side of trying to create new "faits accomplis" at Pyla by constructing a road connecting the "occupied village of Arsos with a forward illegal military outpost." The spokesman described the Turkish road project as "an attempt at a very serious violation of the status quo."
'Humanitarian objective' -
The Turkish Cypriot authorities said the road project had a "humanitarian objective" that was "aimed at providing ease of access to TRNC territory for our citizens living in the village of Pile." They said that despite this, the U.N. peacekeepers had "physically assaulted... our road construction teams as well as our police, who are present in the area only to provide safety. This stance displayed by UNFICYP is unacceptable." Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish forces occupied its northern third in response to a military coup sponsored by the junta then in power in Greece. The statehood of the republic Turkish Cypriot leaders proclaimed in 1983 is recognized only by Ankara. Efforts to reunify Cyprus have been at a standstill since the last round of U.N.-backed talks collapsed in 2017. Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, a protege of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has urged the international community to "acknowledge the existence" of two states in Cyprus. His calls for a two-state solution have been rejected by the Greek Cypriot leadership of the Republic of Cyprus who say they still want a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation in line with successive U.N. peace plans.

China stages war games in 'stern warning' to Taiwan
Agence France Presse/August 19/2023
China held air and sea drills around Taiwan on Saturday, in what it said was a "stern warning" after the island's vice president visited the United States. William Lai -- the frontrunner in Taiwan's presidential election next year and a vocal opponent of Beijing's claims to the island -- returned Friday from a trip to Paraguay, during which he stopped in New York and San Francisco. China has reacted angrily to the U.S. stops, and on Saturday reiterated that Lai was a "troublemaker" while vowing to take "resolute measures... to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity". The People's Liberation Army "launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around the island of Taiwan" on Saturday, military spokesperson Shi Yi said, according to state media outlet Xinhua. Taiwan said 42 warplanes had entered its air defence zone since 9 am (0100 GMT), and eight Chinese vessels cooperated in the exercises. Twenty-six of the warplanes involved crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, the island's ministry of defence said in a statement. Xinhua said the drills were carried out "in the waters and airspace to the north and southwest of Taiwan Island" to test the PLA's ability "to seize control of air and sea spaces" and fight "in real combat conditions". They were also intended to serve as "a stern warning to the collusion of 'Taiwan independence' separatists with foreign elements and their provocations", it added. A social media video published by the PLA on Saturday showed soldiers in fatigues sprinting through a military facility and fighter jets soaring above clouds, set to action movie-style music. Taiwan said it strongly condemned "such irrational and provocative behaviour" and that it would dispatch "appropriate forces" to respond "with practical actions". "Conducting a military exercise this time under a pretext not only does not help the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but also highlights (China's) militaristic mentality," Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence said.
'New provocative move' -
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has pledged to take it one day, by force if necessary. It launched major military exercises after Nancy Pelosi, then House speaker, visited Taiwan last year and later when President Tsai Ing-wen transited through the United States. However, Sifu Ou at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research told AFP he thought "the scale of PLA exercise (this time) will be moderate." "It will put pressure on Taiwan and not cause negative effects that will help William Lai," Ou said. Taiwan's foreign minister Joseph Wu accused China of trying to interfere with Taiwan's presidential elections in January. "The PRC has made it clear it wants to shape Taiwan's coming national election," Wu wrote on social media. "Well, it's up to our citizens to decide, not the bully next door." When China previously launched military exercises around Taiwan during an election year, they were seen as helping candidates from Lai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is largely regarded as pro-Washington. The United States had called for calm over Lai's visit, which it described as routine travel. Lai stopped in New York and returned via San Francisco en route to and from Paraguay, one of the dwindling number of nations that diplomatically recognises Taipei. But on Saturday, an official from the Communist Party's Taiwan Work Office "strongly condemned" Lai's trip, calling it a "new provocative move" by the DPP, "to further collude with the United States," Xinhua said. At a lunch in New York during the trip, Lai vowed "to resist annexation" and continue to uphold the core tenets of Tsai's administration. Lai has been far more outspoken about independence than Tsai, to whom Beijing is already hostile as she refuses its view that Taiwan is a part of China. At a summit on Friday, the leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea said they opposed China's "dangerous and aggressive behavior" asserting maritime claims in the Indo-Pacific region. "We reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community," it said.

Libya unity govt. tells protesters no foreign base planned
Agence France Presse/August 19/2023
Libya's U.N.-recognized unity government has dismissed accusations it had promised part of Al-Khoms to its ally Turkey as a naval base after days of protests in the port city. "What is being said about the state ceding or authorizing the use of the maritime port of Al-Khoms as a foreign naval base is incorrect and without foundation," government spokesman Mohamed Hamuda said in a dockside visit, accompanied by top naval and port officials. His comments followed days of protests in the city 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Tripoli, during which access roads to the docks have been blocked with burning tires.
Calling on residents to exercise restraint, Hamuda warned that anyone who harmed the public interest would face prosecution. Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah "attaches great importance" to the port, one of the busiest in Libya, and has plans to expand it to boost foreign trade, the spokesman said.
Libya has seen more than a decade of stop-start conflict since a NATO-backed revolt toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, with a myriad of militias forming opposing alliances backed by foreign powers. Turkey has been the key supporter of Dbeibah's Tripoli-based government which vies for authority with another in the east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

Canadian woman sentenced to 22 years for 2020 ricin letter to Trump
Associated Press/August 19/2023
A Canadian woman has been sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison in Washington in the mailing of a threatening letter containing the poison ricin to then-President Donald Trump at the White House. Pascale Ferrier, 56, had pleaded guilty to violating biological weapons prohibitions in letters sent to Trump and to police officials in Texas, where she had been jailed for several weeks in 2019. Her defense attorney Eugene Ohm said Ferrier has no criminal record prior to that and is an "inordinately intelligent" French immigrant who had earned a master's degree in engineering and raised two children as a single parent.
But in September 2020, prosecutors said Ferrier made the ricin at home in Quebec and mailed the potentially deadly poison derived from processing castor beans to Trump with a letter that referred to him as "The Ugly Tyrant Clown" and read in part: "If it doesn't work, I'll find better recipe for another poison, or I might use my gun when I'll be able to come. Enjoy! FREE REBEL SPIRIT." The letter from Pascale Ferrier, which also told Trump "give up and remove your application for this election," was intercepted at a mail sorting facility in September 2020, before it could reach the White House.
She was arrested trying to enter a border crossing in Buffalo, New York, carrying a gun, a knife and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, authorities said. Investigators also found eight similar letters to law enforcement officials in charge of a Texas jail where she was held after she refused to leave a park area as it closed. In a winding speech, Ferrier told the judge that she considers herself a "peaceful and genuinely kind person," but gets angry about problems like unfairness, abuses of power and "stupid rules." She spoke about feeling like she had done little to support her values while her children were young, and considered herself to be an "activist" rather than a "terrorist." She expressed little remorse but said, "I want to find peaceful means to achieve my goals," she said. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich handed down the 262-month sentence outlined in a plea agreement with prosecutors, which also would expel Ferrier from the country once she is released and require her to be under supervised release for life if she ever returns. The judge noted a "real disconnect" between the Canadian grandmother who has worked toward another degree while behind bars and the crimes Ferrier pleaded guilty to. She pushed back on Ferrier's framing of her actions. "That isn't really activism," she said. "I hope you have no desire to continue on this path."Prosecutor Michael Friedman said the sentence was an "appropriately harsh punishment" that sends a clear message. "There is absolutely no place for politically motivated violence in the United States of America," he said. "There is no excuse for threatening public officials or targeting our public servants."
A Canadian woman has been sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison in Washington in the mailing of a threatening letter containing the poison ricin to then-President Donald Trump at the White House. Pascale Ferrier, 56, had pleaded guilty to violating biological weapons prohibitions in letters sent to Trump and to police officials in Texas, where she had been jailed for several weeks in 2019. Her defense attorney Eugene Ohm said Ferrier has no criminal record prior to that and is an "inordinately intelligent" French immigrant who had earned a master's degree in engineering and raised two children as a single parent.
But in September 2020, prosecutors said Ferrier made the ricin at home in Quebec and mailed the potentially deadly poison derived from processing castor beans to Trump with a letter that referred to him as "The Ugly Tyrant Clown" and read in part: "If it doesn't work, I'll find better recipe for another poison, or I might use my gun when I'll be able to come. Enjoy! FREE REBEL SPIRIT." The letter from Pascale Ferrier, which also told Trump "give up and remove your application for this election," was intercepted at a mail sorting facility in September 2020, before it could reach the White House.
She was arrested trying to enter a border crossing in Buffalo, New York, carrying a gun, a knife and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, authorities said. Investigators also found eight similar letters to law enforcement officials in charge of a Texas jail where she was held after she refused to leave a park area as it closed. In a winding speech, Ferrier told the judge that she considers herself a "peaceful and genuinely kind person," but gets angry about problems like unfairness, abuses of power and "stupid rules." She spoke about feeling like she had done little to support her values while her children were young, and considered herself to be an "activist" rather than a "terrorist." She expressed little remorse but said, "I want to find peaceful means to achieve my goals," she said. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich handed down the 262-month sentence outlined in a plea agreement with prosecutors, which also would expel Ferrier from the country once she is released and require her to be under supervised release for life if she ever returns. The judge noted a "real disconnect" between the Canadian grandmother who has worked toward another degree while behind bars and the crimes Ferrier pleaded guilty to. She pushed back on Ferrier's framing of her actions. "That isn't really activism," she said. "I hope you have no desire to continue on this path." Prosecutor Michael Friedman said the sentence was an "appropriately harsh punishment" that sends a clear message. "There is absolutely no place for politically motivated violence in the United States of America," he said. "There is no excuse for threatening public officials or targeting our public servants."

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 19-20/2023
Biden Administration Funding Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program, Incentivizing Terror
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/August 19, 2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/121414/121414/
The Biden Administration has destabilized the Middle East, launched a potential international nuclear arms race, incentivized global terrorism, increased American taxpayers' funding both sides of the Ukraine war, crushed even further a people fighting for their freedom and appeased yet another rogue regime -- after Afghanistan, China and Venezuela – this time one that the US State Department itself has called the "top state sponsor of terrorism," Iran, all in one week.
The Biden Administration reached a deal with the Iranian regime behind closed doors on August 10, in which the United States agreed to pay $6 billion dollars and release a handful of Iranian nationals who are serving prison sentences in the US, in exchange for the release of five Iranian-Americans imprisoned in Iran – more than a billion dollars per head.
Worse, more billions apparently, is waiting in the wings.
More importantly, "That [the deal] will encourage hostage diplomacy among our foes is the least of the problems." — Richard Goldberg, former White House Security Official, thedispatch.com, August 15, 2023.
For a start, the Biden Administration, seemingly to avoid congressional oversight and a potential veto, essentially nullified the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 that requires Congressional approval of any Iran deal, and got away with it.
Moreover, as Goldberg notes, the price for Russia releasing Wall Street Journal's Evan Gershkovich probably just went up, not to mention the extremely real danger of what China, based on its new laws that say might well be tempted to do to visiting American business leaders, or just any American outside wandering around outside the US. According to Voice of America, the new "anti-espionage" law, "relying on espionage organizations and their agents," as well as the unauthorized obtaining of "documents, data, materials, and items related to national security and interests" can constitute a spying offense.
China's new law also states that it has the right to "to take corresponding countermeasures and restrictive measures" against acts that violate international law and norms and that "endanger China's sovereignty, security and development" – apparently meaning that a crime is anything the Communist Chinese government says it is.
The Obama administration shipped $400 million in an unmarked plane to Iran for the release of four Iranian-American prisoners. "Predictably," Goldberg noted, "Iran took more hostages in the months and years thereafter, believing it could get an even better price from a future U.S. president."
All this just so the Biden Administration will not have Iran introducing its nuclear weapons breakout while Biden is still in office, especially before an election. After that, thanks to the Biden Administration, unlimited nuclear weapons will presumably be a global free-for-all.
The Biden Administration has destabilized the Middle East, launched a potential international nuclear arms race, incentivized global terrorism, increased American taxpayers' funding both sides of the Ukraine war, crushed even further a people fighting for their freedom and appeased yet another rogue regime -- after Afghanistan, China and Venezuela – this time one that the US State Department itself has called the "top state sponsor of terrorism," Iran, all in one week.
The Biden Administration reached a deal with the Iranian regime behind closed doors on August 10, in which the United States agreed to pay $6 billion dollars and release a handful of Iranian nationals who are serving prison sentences in the US, in exchange for the release of five Iranian-Americans imprisoned in Iran – more than a billion dollars per head.
Worse, more billions, apparently, are waiting in the wings. According to former White House Security Official Richard Goldberg:
"At least $16 billion has now been made available to Iran without any congressional input—and more might be on the way. Another $6.7 billion is reportedly moving to Iran via the International Monetary Fund Special Drawing Rights... and reportedly ... another $3 billion of regime assets frozen in Tokyo. India and China...."
Appeasing terrorists, as we all know, only incentivizes them, and breeds more terrorism and hostage-taking; it seems to be an endless, deliciously profitable jobs and extortion program for the Iranian regime and all terrorists.
"Releasing $6 billion to the butchers in Tehran just so American hostages can go to a different type of prison is a terrible deal," former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pointed out. "Iran shouldn't profit from holding Americans hostage."
Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jim Risch noted:
"While I welcome home wrongfully detained Americans, unfreezing $6B in #Iranian assets dangerously further incentivizes hostage taking & provides a windfall for regime aggression. The Biden Admin must punish those who use Americans as political pawns and work to end this practice."
More importantly, as Goldberg also pointed out: "That [the deal] will encourage hostage diplomacy among our foes is the least of the problems."
For a start, the Biden Administration, seemingly to avoid congressional oversight and a potential veto, essentially nullified the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 that requires Congressional approval of any Iran deal, and got away with it. According to Goldberg:
"That the White House announced this deal during the August congressional recess was no coincidence.... President Biden has successfully evaded the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, which requires him to notify Congress of any agreement with Iran related to its nuclear program before lifting sanctions."
Moreover, as Goldberg notes, the price for Russia releasing Wall Street Journal's Evan Gershkovich probably just went up, not to mention the extremely real danger of what China, based on its new laws that say might well be tempted to do to visiting American business leaders, or just any American outside wandering around outside the US. According to Voice of America, the new "anti-espionage" law, "relying on espionage organizations and their agents," as well as the unauthorized obtaining of "documents, data, materials, and items related to national security and interests" can constitute a spying offense.
China's new law also states that it has the right to "to take corresponding countermeasures and restrictive measures" against acts that violate international law and norms and that "endanger China's sovereignty, security and development" – apparently meaning that a crime is anything the Communist Chinese government says it is.
In addition, Saudi Arabia now feels forced to demand nuclear know-how too, and as Goldberg suggests, Turkey and Egypt are sure to follow. It would be so much easier and less costly for the for the security of the world, he states, for the international community and the United Nations to require their "snap-back option," demanding that Iran to go back to zero uranium enrichment. No enrichment, no nuclear weapons.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is listed as a terrorist organization by the US State Department, will most likely be the first beneficiaries of any extra revenues and Biden's $6 billion gift. The Iranian regime will likely use additional funds to deliver weapons to Russia and strengthen its military. Increased revenues will also allow the IRGC and Khamenei to crack down more easily on any domestic unrest against their government. The other priority of Iran's regime is to "export the revolution" and military domination. Targets include Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Latin America, and to empower its militia and terror groups.
Even though Iran is a party to the International Convention Against the Taking of Hostages, the regime has long taken foreign hostages as pawns to extract economic concessions and achieve geopolitical and financial gains. The Obama administration shipped $400 million in an unmarked plane to Iran for the release of four Iranian-American prisoners. "Predictably," Goldberg noted, "Iran took more hostages in the months and years thereafter, believing it could get an even better price from a future U.S. president."
The extent to which the Biden administration is willing to go in order to appease the ruling mullahs of the Iranian regime boggles the mind.
All this just so the Biden Administration will not have Iran introducing its nuclear weapons breakout while Biden is still in office, especially before an election. After that, thanks to the Biden Administration, unlimited nuclear weapons will presumably be a global free-for-all.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 2023 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19906/biden-iran-nuclear-weapons

Question: “How were people saved before Jesus died for our sins?”
GotQuestions.org/August 19/2023
Answer: Since the fall of man, the basis of salvation has always been the death of Christ. No one, either prior to the cross or since the cross, would ever be saved without that one pivotal event in the history of the world. Christ’s death paid the penalty for past sins of Old Testament saints and future sins of New Testament saints.
The requirement for salvation has always been faith. The object of one’s faith for salvation has always been God. The psalmist wrote, “Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 2:12). Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham believed God and that was enough for God to credit it to him for righteousness (see also Romans 4:3-8). The Old Testament sacrificial system did not take away sin, as Hebrews 10:1-10 clearly teaches. It did, however, point to the day when the Son of God would shed His blood for the sinful human race.
What has changed through the ages is the content of a believer’s faith. God’s requirement of what must be believed is based on the amount of revelation He has given mankind up to that time. This is called progressive revelation. Adam believed the promise God gave in Genesis 3:15 that the Seed of the woman would conquer Satan. Adam believed Him, demonstrated by the name he gave Eve (v. 20) and the Lord indicated His acceptance immediately by covering them with coats of skin (v. 21). At that point that is all Adam knew, but he believed it.
Abraham believed God according to the promises and new revelation God gave him in Genesis 12 and 15. Prior to Moses, no Scripture was written, but mankind was responsible for what God had revealed. Throughout the Old Testament, believers came to salvation because they believed that God would someday take care of their sin problem. Today, we look back, believing that He has already taken care of our sins on the cross (John 3:16; Hebrews 9:28).
What about believers in Christ’s day, prior to the cross and resurrection? What did they believe? Did they understand the full picture of Christ dying on a cross for their sins? Late in His ministry, “Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21-22). What was the reaction of His disciples to this message? “Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’” Peter and the other disciples did not know the full truth, yet they were saved because they believed that God would take care of their sin problem. They didn’t exactly know how He would accomplish that, any more than Adam, Abraham, Moses, or David knew how, but they believed God.
Today, we have more revelation than the people living before the resurrection of Christ; we know the full picture. “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe” (Hebrews 1:1-2). Our salvation is still based on the death of Christ, our faith is still the requirement for salvation, and the object of our faith is still God. Today, for us, the content of our faith is that Jesus Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Turkiye-Syria normalization is no bed of roses
Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/August 20/2023
The Russia-led Turkiye-Syria normalization process stands as the most critical diplomatic initiative in the Middle East after the Chinese-brokered Saudi Arabia-Iran normalization attempt. Although Damascus has engaged in efforts to normalize its relations with several Arab countries, Turkiye is a tough nut to crack as the path to rapprochement is full of mines for both sides. The Turkish-Syrian engagement started last year thanks to Russian mediation. Following several intelligence-level contacts between the two countries, the first high-ranking engagement between Ankara and Damascus took place in December, when the Turkish, Russian and Syrian defense ministers met. This normalization process took center stage a few weeks before the critical Turkish elections held in May. After a second meeting between the defense ministers — this time Iran was also included — in April, the first official meeting at the diplomatic level took place in May. For the first time since 2011, the Turkish and Syrian foreign ministers met in a summit that was held in Moscow to create a roadmap for Turkish-Syrian normalization.
During those two months, there was also strong pressure from Moscow to hold a meeting at the presidential level; however, the conditions on the ground were not ready for such negotiations at the table. This pushed Moscow to return to the defense-intelligence channel between the two countries, as it was crystal clear there were serious points of divergence between Ankara and Damascus related to the Turkish military presence in Syria, the fight against terrorism and the return of refugees.
Amid the slow pace of the Russian-initiated Turkish-Syrian rapprochement process, Damascus has recently escalated its harsh rhetoric toward Ankara, putting the process into a state of limbo. Syrian President Bashar Assad made it clear in an interview last week that the Turkiye-Syria normalization process had lost the momentum it gained before the May elections. Assad also rejected any meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, arguing that he aims to use the normalization talks to legitimize the Turkish presence in Syria.
Amid the slow pace of the rapprochement process, Damascus has recently escalated its harsh rhetoric.
Ankara immediately — using the same tone — responded to Assad’s remarks, refusing any Turkish military withdrawal from the northern part of the war-torn country before securing its own national security.
In the meantime, the Syrian foreign minister, who recently attended a meeting in Cairo, reportedly asked for the support of the Arab countries against Turkiye. However, as Ankara has mended its relations with the Arab states, Syria’s request is unlikely to receive any positive responses. Moreover, having some tangible outcomes from the Turkish-Syrian normalization process is what the region’s countries seek, rather than any escalations between the two neighbors.
The harsh rhetoric from the Syrian side is not only an indication of Damascus’ reluctance to mend ties with Ankara, but is also a sign of weakening Russian influence on Assad. In addition, the gradual acceptance of the Assad regime’s return to the Arab fold has given it the confidence to not make any concessions in the talks with Ankara, but rather drag its feet until the conditions turn in its favor. Damascus’ messages not only show a lack of trust in the process, but also that it aims to turn the process into a bargain, in which it hopes for the upper hand.
To proceed along the path of normalization, there are several variables that shape Turkiye and Syria’s motivations, which are both economic and political/security-based.
The driving force behind Ankara’s approach is the aim to find tangible relief from the refugee burden. The repatriation of Syrian refugees was one of the pledges made by the Turkish leadership after the election victory. The solution for this issue is closely tied to the normalization process between Ankara and Damascus, but also the support of the regional states. In the past few weeks, Turkiye has increased the number of deportations, but there is still no concrete plan.
The driving force behind Ankara’s approach is the aim to find tangible relief from the refugee burden.
A second pressing issue for Turkiye is the Kurdish terrorism threat emanating from the northern part of Syria. This issue was the driving force behind Ankara’s deviation from its initial policy of seeking a change in the Syrian leadership. Turkiye’s current concern is that, if it withdraws from the areas it secured from the terrorist elements, Kurdish militias might take control again, posing a serious security threat to the Turkish state. Ankara wants an effective and specific mechanism to combat terrorism and this is only possible when its concerns are addressed by the Syrian regime, as well as by the US and Russia.
The US military last week deployed more reinforcements to its bases in northern Syria, in areas currently occupied by the Kurdish People’s Defense Units, which is considered a terrorist group by Ankara but which Washington describes as “partner forces.” Within this context, Ankara refuses to withdraw its troops because neither Washington nor Damascus are addressing its security concerns. The third pressing issue for Ankara is to maintain the delicate relationship it has with Moscow, which is the key actor in settling on a draft roadmap for Turkiye and Syria. Given the closeness in Turkish-Russian ties and Russia’s influence over the Syrian regime, it was presumed that the course of the Turkiye-Syria detente would run in parallel to the rapid normalization efforts between Syria and the Arab states. However, this long-touted rapprochement has several variables and actors that put the interests of the two sides into conflict.
The rapprochement path is not a bed of roses but rather a minefield, and the status quo is fragile. So, despite Russian pressure and in light of the conditions set by each side, the Turkish-Syrian normalization is unlikely to proceed at a rapid pace, at least at the political level, although the security level is expected to continue.
*Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkiye’s relations with the Middle East. Twitter: @SinemCngz

Crown prince’s UK visit will benefit both kingdoms
Alistair Burt/Arab News/August 20/2023
Well-sourced leaks emerged from the British government late last week that an invitation to visit the UK had been offered to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman following a phone call between him and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday.
There is little doubt that the visit will attract much divided comment, but let us be clear from the outset that such an opportunity is very much in the interest of the UK, and is the right call by Sunak and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.
First, the Kingdom is demonstrably changing. The UK needs to understand this even more, and be engaged with it, and it is impossible to do so without the highest-level relationship with the principal driver of change, the crown prince.
To those in the UK unfamiliar with the present-day region, the pace of change might be difficult to grasp. It was well summed up in Thomas Friedman’s keynote article for The New York Times in June, contrasting today’s Saudi Arabia and Israel. “If you have not been to Saudi Arabia in the last five years, you may as well not have been there at all,” he wrote. From the changing role of women in the workforce — 19 percent in 2018 to 37 percent now — and the liberalizing of social gatherings, to the technology required to shift from a carbon economy and deliver Vision 2030, not just an inventory is required but also an understanding of the pathway and ideological milestones, including the hurdles.
UK business and sport has been ahead of the curve, from NEOM as a destination for some of Britain’s most innovative companies to the Premier League and Newcastle United. It is not surprising that Downing Street recognizes this and wants to explore much more than a free trade deal.
Second, the region is changing fast. The gradual breaking down of a post-war order, from the time of debates in the UK about “East of Suez” to more recent US responses to events in Syria or attacks emanating from Yemen, has altered perceptions of alliances and regional politics. The result has been a more self-assertive Gulf, not always easy partners, even with each other, as the rift in the GCC demonstrated, but appreciating that decisions about mutual security increasingly lie in their own hands to negotiate and maintain.
Good relationships are multi-faceted, and the best involve frankness in recognizing differences and challenges.
The UK has vital interests to protect, particularly in trade and defense, so for us not to be engaged with the regional power that is Saudi Arabia would be foolish. Equally, while regional diplomacy might no longer look over its shoulder to the UK as it once did, having the ear of a UN Security Council member, with its diplomatic, intelligence and military reach, suggests both sides will gain from sharing ideas about “where next?”
What will emerge from the talks with Iran, or with Israel? The UK has a profound interest in both. As a nuclear power and signatory to the Iran deal, the UK will support decreasing tension between Tehran and Riyadh, but will understandably be interested in the terms. On Israel, the UK should welcome the opportunity to draw decades of enmity to a close, and build a new economy in the region that fully and openly includes Israel. But it should also, from its wealth of history, do all it can to highlight the immense opportunity to close the painful chapter on Palestinian injustice, emphasizing that any “normalization” should galvanize all parties to finally deliver Palestinian statehood, and Israeli security and peace, for too many who have suffered for too long.
Third, the world is changing fast. States no longer need to measure themselves against the will of the West. There are others knocking at the door of our long-term friends, and it should no longer be a surprise to us that it is perfectly reasonable for them to act in their own interests, as we have always done. There are many reasons why all our friends in the Gulf, with whom we have stood close under many threats in the past, should continue to do so. But we need to be aware that China, Russia and other competitors will lose no time pursuing avenues should the UK not do so.
Good relationships are multi-faceted, and the best involve frankness in recognizing differences and challenges, as well as embracing mutual opportunity. The crown prince’s visit will not ignore human rights issues, under the long shadow of Jamal Khashoggi, on which the UK has been forceful, and those involved in the visit should expect this. But history, in not forgetting, also provides opportunities for a reset to face contemporary challenges, not least climate change and potential catastrophe.
There is no influence without engagement — onlookers should hope for, and encourage, a mutually successful visit.
*Alistair Burt is a former UK Member of Parliament who has twice held ministerial positions in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office — as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State from 2010 to 2013 and as Minister of State for the Middle East from 2017 to 2019. Twitter: @AlistairBurtUK

Assad’s wait-and-see tactics will come back to haunt him
Faisal Al Yafai/The Arab Weekly/August 19/2023
While the wait-and-see game worked so well in pushing the Arab League to normalise, an extensive period without repairing the Syrian-Turkey relationship will end up damaging Damascus – and perhaps even permanently altering the geography of Syria.
Given the warm welcome Bashar Al Assad received at the Arab League just three months ago, one might have expected rather warmer words from Syria’s president about the state of Arab relations in a rare interview last week. But no: “Maybe it’s the way we think,” he said, “But we don’t come up with practical solutions … we prefer to give speeches, press releases and meetings.” It was unrealistic, he said, to expect that there would be economic results from the return to the Arab fold in mere months. If that was his view of the members of the Arab League, it’s unsurprising that his view of the man whose troops occupy parts of his country would be much worse. “Erdogan’s goal is to fabricate an excuse for a Turkish invasion in Syria,” he said, pouring cold water on the suggestion that the two leaders might meet.
Along the pathway of a return to some semblance of normal diplomatic relations – to say nothing of “normality” within Syria, which is still many years away – the next logical step after rejoining the Arab League would be for Syria to resume relations with Turkey.
Yet that step is much harder than the previous one. As much as Turkey may want a rapprochement, Syria is in no rush, as demonstrated by Assad’s dismissive words.
Yet while the wait-and-see game worked so well in pushing the Arab League to normalise, an extensive period without repairing the Syrian-Turkey relationship will end up damaging Damascus – and perhaps even permanently altering the geography of Syria. For now, time is firmly on Assad’s side. Prior to the Turkish election in May, Erdogan was keen on some progress, because it could then be presented to the Turkish electorate as potential steps toward resolving the crisis of Syrian migrants, millions of whom are refugees in Turkish cities and towns.
Yet for Assad, Erdogan, despite his desire to improve ties, is actually the lesser of the possible interlocutors. Erdogan’s main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), ran on a firmly anti-Syrian platform, pledging to normalise relations with Damascus quickly and send Syrians home.
When even the ostensibly more liberal Turkish opposition is openly campaigning to send Syrians home, there is little necessity for Assad to negotiate. He can simply wait for a change of politician in Ankara, or for the pressure to build on Erdogan, and his negotiating hand grows stronger. The pressure of millions of Syrians on Turkish soil is his strongest card. Erdogan knows this, which is why he has been more vocal in wanting to meet Assad than the other way around. Yet his red line is the same one that Assad raised in the interview, and which Erdogan reiterated last month: no withdrawal of Turkish troops.
For now, the major issue is that Ankara does not yet have an end game that Assad can accept. Erdogan’s big idea of resettling Syrian refugees along the Syrian side of the border, protected by Turkish troops, had the twin benefits of easing the pressure on Turkish cities caused by millions of migrants, as well as pushing Syrian Kurdish militants away from the border.
But it had one major flaw: it was dependent on the Assad regime’s tacit acceptance. And while the Syrians saw no benefit in attacking those enclaves for many years, when it comes to diplomatic recognition, accepting these enclaves is proving a sticking point.
Partly, of course, that has to do with a refusal to accept foreign troops – but partly it is also about accepting a precedent of allowing Turkish troops, which will then make it harder to get rid of the American troops still protecting the Kurdish areas. Turkey is now locked into that outcome, or something very similar to it. However, it is precisely for that reason why the Assad regime should find an accommodation with Ankara now. Because the Turkish occupation, as hard as it is to dislodge now, will only become harder over time.
The Syrian refugee crisis is a major political issue in Turkey, to the extent that it was a major topic in the presidential election. With Erdogan in power for perhaps five more years, it is unthinkable that he would allow the issue to fester for so long that it becomes a wedge issue again. That means that a solution might be found in the next few years, one that Ankara might seek to impose on Damascus. And with relations with Russia changing so much over the Ukraine war, it is possible circumstances may mean that Moscow, Assad’s main international supporter, goes along with it.
This may be hypothetical for the moment, but the main leverage the Assad regime has over Turkey are Syrian bodies and time. Damascus can always halt the return of refugees, or make life so hard they don’t wish to return, leaving Ankara with the problem. If, however, Turkey finds a solution to the refugee issue, that would flip the time leverage: then every year that passes would entrench the Turkish solution.
With the Arab League, Assad merely had to wait, and the consequences of the Syrian Captagon drug trade would eventually create the conditions for a rapprochement. But with Turkey, those conditions already exist. A delay of a year or two might be possible, but the longer Damascus waits, the more likely it will be that Ankara imposes a solution. And then the Turkish occupation will prove much harder for Damascus to end.