English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For January 16/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2023/english.january16.23.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
If any want to become my followers, let them
deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 16/24-28: “Then Jesus
told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny
themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save
their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their
life? Or what will they give in return for their life? ‘For the Son of Man is to
come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone
for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will
not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on January 15-16/2023
Lebanon's national and sovereign image was embodied in the courageous
stances adopted by Jbeil Emam Ahmed Laqees's, in advocating with faith and love
for William Noun's case./Elias Bejjani/January 15/2023
Sheikh Laqees warns: You will see additional anger.
Al-Rahi: Noon's arrest showed that judiciary has become tool for vengeance
Bishop Aoudi to the honorable officials and judges: Stop the immoral abuse of
the families of the suffering victims and the unprofessional transgression of
the law, and impose justice
Makhzoumi at a dinner in honor of "Global Political Exchange Foundation": The
Lebanese are waiting for an end to the situation, with the support of...
Al-Murtada: Let us all move in the spirit of fearing God, overcome the
barricades of sectarian fear
Murad criticizes political class, warns of educational sector's collapse
Abiad to inaugurate new surgery departments at Al-Zahraa Hospital tomorrow
Energy Minister to hold press conference tomorrow to explain latest
developments, present an initiative
Minister Hajj Hassan from Baalbek: For a national dialogue, the gateway of which
is electing a president
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on January 15-16/2023
UK urged to expel Iranian diplomats over ‘shocking’ execution
UK to reassess Iran nuclear deal after dual national’s execution
NATO: More Heavy Weapons for Ukraine 'in the Near Future'
As Russia tries to grow its army, a mobilized soldier recounts horror of
Makiivka attack
Qatar, France discuss Syrian humanitarian cooperation
Iraq PM backs continued US troop presence
Iran, Syria set to renew long-term agreement, Raisi to visit Damascus
Turkish offensive in Syria ‘possible any time,’ says Erdogan aide
Palestinians say Israeli troops kill man in West Bank
Netanyahu moving ahead on legal overhaul despite outcry
Where are the Gulf Arab tourists? Israel's hopes fall short
Titles For The
Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on January 15-16/2023
Iran must be punished for supplying weapons to Houthis/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab
News/January 15, 2023
It is vital for Europe that Ukraine prevails/Col. Taras Dzuba/Arab News/January
15, 2023
Mysterious assassination may shake Erdogan’s coalition partner/Yasar Yakis/Arab
News/January 15, 2023
Destroying American Democracy - An Inside Job/Pete Hoekstra/Gatestone
Institute/January 15/2023
Egypt And Saudi Arabia…an Important Statement/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday,
15 January, 2023
on January 14-15/2023
Lebanon's national and sovereign image was embodied in the courageous
stances adopted by Jbeil Emam Ahmed Laqees's, in advocating with faith and love
for William Noun's case.
Elias Bejjani/January
15/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/114955/elias-bejjani-lebanons-national-and-sovereign-image-was-embodied-in-the-courageous-stances-adopted-by-jbeil-emam-ahmed-laqeess-in-advocating-with-faith-and-love-for-william-nouns-case/
The heresy of arresting William Noun, unequivocally demonstrated the resounding
failure of the enemies of Lebanon, the message of love, history, identity,
peace, sanctity and coexistence.
Failure, disappointment, and brokenness were the harvest of all the mercenaries,
the occupation forces, the haters, the Trojans, the temple merchants, the
scribes, the Pharisees, the stone ages' officials, and the thugs of the fake
hypocritical resistance and liberation merchants.
The scandal of the arbitrary and illegal detention of William Noun, confirmed
and proved to Lebanon's internal and foreign enemies, that they can never ever
hold on to subjugating the Lebanese people, or maintain their bloody and evil
occupation.
Noun's case must be a lesson to Lebanon's enemies and occupiers, that all their
criminality, terrorism, theft and arrogance will not achieve their satanic
plans.
In this patriotic, courageous, and faith-context, comes the role of f the city
of Jbeil's, Emam, Ahmed Al-Laqees.
Laqees's sympathy and support for Noun's cause, was patriotic, remarkable,
encouraging and extremely positive, in the scene of the popular crowds that rose
up to defend William Noun's rights and freedom.
Emam Al-Laqees was sincerely at the side of Noun's mother, father, family and
beloved ones.
Emam Al Laqees bravely and with a spirit of patriotism, emerged as a religious
role model in defending freedom of opinion, and in the adherence obligation to
law, justice and human rights.
There is no doubt, that with the devotion of honorable, patriotic and courageous
Lebanese, of the caliber, education and devotion of Imam Laqees, with efforts of
many other free people, with God’s blessings, the determination, faith
perseverance of the Lebanese from all denominations and walks of life, Lebanon
will be victorious and shall definitely very soon return to its historical
bright status, which is an oasis of freedom, love, democracy, coexistence, and
common living.
Heartily felt Greetings of respect and appreciation to the honorable, Imam Ahmed
Laqees.
Sheikh Laqees warns: You will see additional
anger.
MTV/January 14/2023
The imam of Jubail, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Laqees, said from the house of William
Noun's uncle, Father George Soma: "If the Friday scenario is repeated on Monday,
you will see additional anger, and the issue is national, not personal. Sadly we
have begun to talk about a national issue that separates the Lebanon that we
want, the Lebanon of the state, and the Lebanon of chaos and explosions.We will
not get bored, we will not tire, and we will continue to bear witness to the
truth in our Friday sermons.
Al-Rahi: Noon's arrest showed that judiciary
has become tool for vengeance
Naharnet/January 15/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/114980/%d9%81%d9%8a%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%88-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%82%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%b3-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b0%d9%8a-%d8%aa%d8%b1%d8%a3%d8%b3%d9%87-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d8%b7%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%83-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b1%d8%a7-3/
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Boutros al-Rahi, on Sunday, strongly
condemned the arrest of prominent port blast case activist William Noon, saying
his detention proved that the judiciary “has become a tool for vengeance, malice
and hatred and that security agencies are carrying out police state practices.”
“Aren’t they ashamed of themselves after they requested the arrest of William
Noon, the search of his house and his imprisonment, not caring for his tragedies
and the tragedies of his family?” al-Rahi said in his Sunday Mass sermon.
Turning to the presidential file, the Patriarch called on lawmakers to “stop
destroying the country and its institutions and impoverishing citizens” and
instead to “elect a president according to the constitution.” The new president
“must come to give, not to take,” he added. “It is shameful that Arab and
foreign countries are holding meetings and consulting in order to help Lebanon
and elect a president while parliament is preventing voting, hiding behind the
heresy of securing a prior agreement on the president,” al-Rahi went on to say.
“They are stabbing our democratic parliamentary system in the heart,” the
patriarch decried.
Bishop Aoudi to the honorable officials and judges: Stop
the immoral abuse of the families of the suffering victims and the
unprofessional transgression of the law, and impose justice
LCCC/NNA/January 15/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/114980/%d9%81%d9%8a%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%88-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%82%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%b3-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b0%d9%8a-%d8%aa%d8%b1%d8%a3%d8%b3%d9%87-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d8%b7%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%83-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b1%d8%a7-3/
In his today's homely Bishop Aoudi said: While Christ the God hears the cries of
people who descended to take their image, we find the officials of our country
arrogant over their own kind, and appoint themselves as rulers above humans, who
judge according to what suits them, deafening their ears to the cries of the
hungry, the sighs of mothers, the crying of children and the groans of the sick.
The sound of an explosion that shook the capital and the whole world did not
reach their ears, and what shook their consciences, so they did not move a
finger, but rather strived to obstruct the disclosure of the truth, and we still
see them being exposed to the families of the victims, working to silence
mouths, blur the truth and silence the voice of justice.
He continued: "What happened yesterday in terms of the arrest of a young man
asking to know the truth about the bombing that killed his brother and his
comrades, and the assault of the military forces on the protesters against his
arrest, including a priest, is unacceptable and condemned. Is he aware of the
anger of the young man who uttered words emanating from a wounded heart?" And he
broke glass in the Palace of Justice, saying that a large part of the capital
had been destroyed, and that hundreds of its people had their bodies torn to
pieces, and thousands of wounded and disabled people were left behind in the
sinful bombing? Their rush to pursue and arrest the perpetrators? Instead of
punishing the perpetrators, here they are exercising their authority over the
families of the victims and taking revenge on the abused. What a miserable
authority that empowers the weak, even if he has a right, and fills the
criminal, the perpetrator, and the corrupt, either in collusion with him or out
of fear of him. It is the duty of the political, military and security leaders
to defend the oppressed. In the face of the oppressor, and it is the duty of
judges to rule in the name of the people, not against the people. Therefore, I
appeal to the conscience of every official and every honest and honorable judge
to stop this immoral abuse of the suffering families of the victims, and this
unprofessional transgression of the law. Wa justice. As for those obstructing
investigations and fugitives from justice, if they succeed in escaping from the
justice of the earth, how will they escape from the justice of heaven?”
And he asked: "Who will hold accountable those who disrupt justice, those who
transgress state borders, those who deprive citizens of electricity, and those
who impose fines and burdens on a bankrupt state? Who will punish the corrupt,
the oppressors, the thieves of people's money, the bombers of the capital and
the killers of its people? Who will restore the soul to the victims? If one of
the victims of the disaster was the son of someone." Did the rebels against the
judiciary remain silent or act recklessly? He who does not care about his
destroyed capital and the physical and psychological wounds of its people, will
he care about the fate of the country and the people's money? We need officials
who do not distract themselves, but work to devise a plan based on a clear
vision that rebuilds the state and rid it of The sins of this class that ruled
it for decades and dominated its people, quarreled with each other, shared its
bounties, and took over all its wealth.We need a head of the state and new blood
to revive the body of this worn out country, and adopt new methods based on
integrity and science, and adopt accountability, accountability and punishment
in Anyone who violates the constitution or underestimates the state, its
prestige and sovereignty, or dares to interfere in the work of the judiciary or
extends a hand to public money, we need great figures who rule with justice,
take great positions and produce great solutions.
He concluded, "We called today to imitate the blatant faith of the ten lepers
together, because the cry of pain emanating from deep faith in a single Savior,
the Lord Jesus, can bring salvation to all. Our call is to thank God for
everything like the tenth leper, and not to forget to return to God, because
salvation is with Him alone. Let us place our hearts above and let us give
thanks to the Lord, because “from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
To Him be glory forever, Amen” (Romans 11:36).
Makhzoumi at a dinner in honor of "Global
Political Exchange Foundation": The Lebanese are waiting for an end to the
situation, with the support of...
NNA/January 15, 2023
Head of the "National Dialogue" Party, MP Fouad Makhzoumi, and his wife, Mrs.
May, hosted a dinner banquet in their home in honor of a large delegation from
the "Global Political Exchange Foundation", on the sidelines of the 21st Beirut
Exchange Conference.
The dinner was attended by CNN journalist Brent Sadler, MP Makhzoumi's team and
a number of businessmen and media professionals, with various local, regional
and international developments featuring high during sideline discussions.
In his welcoming speech, Makhzoumi said: "Today, the international community is
required to put more pressure on electing a president for the republic, and
implementing the reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund," stressing
that "the situation in the country is constantly deteriorating, and it is
necessary to put an end to procrastination and wasting of time." He continued,
"The Lebanese are awaiting an end to these difficult situations, with the
support of the international community, leading to the election of a president
for the republic, and the formation of an effective government that possesses a
comprehensive reform and rescue plan that gradually puts an end to their
suffering and crises, and is capable of coordinating with the international
community and restoring Lebanon's presence on the map of successful countries."
Al-Murtada: Let us all move in the spirit of fearing God,
overcome the barricades of sectarian fear
NNA/January 15, 2023
Caretaker Minister of Culture, Judge Muhammad Wissam al-Murtada, said in a
statement on Sunday, "The fear of God makes us carry the burden of working
together...to cooperate to find ways out of our constitutional crises and to
find solutions that secure people's salvation from their suffering...People are
aching with pain, their groaning reached the ears of the sky, and did not reach
the ears of many on earth...."He added: "They talk about rights, powers, and the
rights of sects... Only awareness, mercy, love, and the fear of God among people
can build a homeland for us; otherwise our fate will all be on the side of the
road!"
Murad criticizes political class, warns of educational
sector's collapse
NNA/January 15, 2023
In his delivered speech during a ceremony commemorating the late Jamal Abdel-Nasser,
MP Hassan Murad accused “the political class and those who must find solutions
in Lebanon of bankruptcy,” stressing that they “are waiting to steal what the
World Bank will give them, in addition to withdrawing what is left in people’s
pockets after stealing their savings!"Murad warned, "of a major national
catastrophe represented in the collapse of the educational sector, which, if it
occurs, will have huge repercussions, and entire generations will pay for
it."With regard to the western Bekaa region and the severe power cuts, the MP ,
Murad pointed to the unfair distribution of electricity in said region, blaming
"allies and adversaries alike."
Abiad to inaugurate new surgery departments at Al-Zahraa
Hospital tomorrow
NNA/January 15, 2023
Caretaker Minister of Public Health, Firas Abiad, is scheduled to inaugurate the
new departments of Advanced Bariatric Surgery - Orthopedic Surgery at Al-Zahraa
Hospital in Bir Hassan - Beirut, at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow, Monday.
Energy Minister to hold press conference tomorrow to
explain latest developments, present an initiative
NNA/January 15, 2023
Caretaker Minister of Energy and Water, Dr. Walid Fayyad, will hold a press
conference at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow, Monday, at the Ministry of Energy, during
which he will explain the latest developments in the electricity issue and
present an initiative in this regard.
Minister Hajj Hassan from Baalbek: For a national dialogue, the gateway of which
is electing a president
NNA/January 15, 2023
Caretaker Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Hajj Hassan, highlighted the dire need
for dialogue at this critical stage in the country, noting that the election of
a president of the republic would be the national gateway for this dialogue. His
words came in his delivered address during a book signing ceremony organized by
the "Baalbek Cultural Council" in its center in Baalbek. "We believe that we are
in the era of the dialogue of civilizations, which depends on the logic of
understanding and the logic of reason," he said. "In politics, we must approach
matters from the beautiful logic of culture, and when we talk about the dialogue
of civilizations and write volumes and rant about the dialogue of civilizations,
and that we are advocates of such dialogue, we must commit ourselves internally
to dialogue away from arrogance at the table, until we are able to emulate
people's torments," Hajj Hassan added. "Today, there is no electricity in the
country, and we are facing a real complex crisis, so we must all call for a real
dialogue, and start the dialogue from its national gateway until we reach every
detail," he asserted. "I firmly believe that now is the real moment when all the
political parties in the country can be worthy of this homeland, and that they
will be able, God willing, to save it in the near future, starting with the
election of a President of the Republic, up to an authentic government, and then
working to resolve all social and economic dossier and more...," Hajj Hassan
affirmed.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on January 15-16/2023
UK urged to expel Iranian
diplomats over ‘shocking’ execution
Arab News/January 15, 2023
LONDON: The UK must expel Iranian diplomats in response to the execution of a
British-Iranian dual national, a relative of the deceased has told the Daily
Telegraph. Alireza Akbari, a former Iranian deputy defense minister, was charged
with spying for Britain before his death. He said he had endured 3,500 hours of
brutal torture before confessing to the charges, leading to his hanging on
Saturday. The 61-year-old served in the reformist administration of former
President Mohammad Khatami between 1997 and 2005. Akbari left Iran for the UK in
2008 after facing harassment by the country’s new hard-line regime led by
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In 2009, Akbari was arrested while visiting Iran on charges
of espionage. His nephew Ramin Forghani told the Telegraph that his uncle’s
execution “could not go unanswered” and that the UK’s minimum response should be
the expulsion of Iranian diplomats. The British government urged Iran to abandon
Akbari’s planned execution but to no avail. “I’d just woken up when I saw the
news. I don’t know what to say. It’s terrible. It’s shocking,” said Forghani.
“It wasn’t unexpected from this regime but I think we were all expecting them to
change their minds like they did with Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, but it wasn’t
to be. “On the diplomatic front, considering that a Briton has been executed
despite the calls for his release by Whitehall, the least response would be to
expel the staff and recall the British (diplomats). “I appreciate what the
British government did but they’re dealing with an unsavory regime that has no
regard for human life. “I hope there will be consequences diplomatically from
the British government and this does not remain unanswered.”The UK government on
Saturday said it was placing sanctions on Iran’s prosecutor general and
temporarily recalling its Ambassador in Tehran Simon Shercliff. But British
officials have yet to make a decision on the status of Iran’s diplomats in
London. Forghani denied the charges leveled against Akbari, saying his uncle was
a “patriot” who “did all he could to help the country,” including playing a key
role in bringing an end to the Iran-Iraq War.
“It would be (unthinkable) for him to try to do anything in any shape or form to
jeopardize the country or the regime,” Forghani told Sky News. “I can’t think of
his character being somebody that would try to do anything against the country.
That’s just not digestible.
“I do believe it is a political game. The regime does anything it can,
unfortunately, to suppress the population, but also to distract the global
perspective to what is happening to the people in the country.” Forghani told
the Telegraph: “Akbari was a good man who was devoted to his family. Brutal
regimes do this to good people and unfortunately this was one of those cases. “I
have fond memories of him visiting us pretty much every Iranian New Year
regardless of his work schedule. He was kind to me when I was growing up. I
remember his smiles. “As I got older, he could see that I was not a supporter of
the regime but regardless of that, because we were family members, he was always
kind to me. “He was always smiling. He would always try to help anybody as much
as he could, family or friends, and that’s the memory that I will continue to
have of him.” UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described Akbari’s execution as
“appalling,” while Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the British
government’s “disgust” had led to the summoning of Iran’s charge d’affaires to
the Foreign Office.
UK to reassess Iran nuclear deal after dual
national’s execution
Arab News/January 15, 2023
LONDON: Britain is reassessing its backing of the Iran nuclear deal after Tehran
executed a British Iranian dual national, drawing strong condemnation from
Western governments. Alireza Akbari, 61, was hanged after being convicted of
“corruption on earth and harming the country’s internal and external security by
passing on intelligence.” When or where the execution took place is unknown. The
execution has led to a huge escalation in tensions between the West and Iran,
which were already running high over Tehran’s crackdown on protests over the
death in custody of Mahsa Amini and the regime’s military support for Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine. The UK has been a key player in talks on reviving the
nuclear deal, which placed significant restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in
exchange for sanctions relief. Senior government sources said that the
“landscape” has changed significantly since the negotiation process began and as
such Britain is now reviewing its options regarding future involvement in
reviving the deal, The Sunday Telegraph reported. They said the relationship
with Tehran has been under pressure in recent months because of the regime’s
harsh repression of anti-government protests. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said
that he was “appalled” by the execution. “This was a callous and cowardly act,
carried out by a barbaric regime with no respect for the human rights of their
own people,” Sunak said. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly warned that the
execution would not go unchallenged, before announcing sanctions on Iran’s
prosecutor general to underline Britain’s “disgust.” Britain said it would
summon Tehran’s envoy and in response, Iran summoned the British ambassador to
protest against what it described as “unconventional interventions.”France’s
Foreign Ministry also condemned the execution “in the strongest terms” and said
that the killing “cannot go unanswered.” President Emmanuel Macron denounced
Akbari’s execution as a “heinous and barbaric act.” Tehran has been accused of
using the talks as cover to ramp up work on its nuclear program with a view to
obtaining a bomb — a charge that it denies.
NATO: More Heavy Weapons for Ukraine 'in the
Near Future'
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 15 January, 2023
Ukraine can expect more deliveries of heavy weapons from Western countries soon,
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with German media
on Sunday. Kyiv has long pushed for heavier weaponry, including tanks, but
Western nations have been reluctant, citing fears of becoming drawn into the war
or provoking Russia. "The recent pledges for heavy warfare equipment are
important -- and I expect more in the near future," Stoltenberg told the
Handelsblatt daily. The comments come ahead of a meeting this week of the
Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which coordinates arms supplies to Kyiv, at
Ramstein Air Base in Germany. "We are in a decisive phase of the war," AFP
quoted Stoltenberg as saying. "Therefore, it is important that we provide
Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win."Since the invasion, the Ukrainians
have built momentum and Western nations have been expanding the range of weapons
being provided. Earlier this month, France, Germany and the United States
respectively promised French AMX-10 RC light tanks, 40 German Marder infantry
vehicles, and 50 Bradley fighting vehicles. However, pressure is growing on the
allies to go further and agree to the delivery of battle tanks. British Prime
Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday pledged to provide 14 Challenger 2 tanks to
Ukraine, making it the first Western country to supply the heavy tanks Kyiv has
been calling for. Stoltenberg said Russian President Vladimir Putin had made a
mistake by attacking Ukraine. "He overestimated the strength of his own armed
forces. We see their missteps, their lack of morale, the leadership problems,
the poor equipment," he said. But the Russians "have demonstrated that they are
prepared to take heavy losses to achieve their goals".
As Russia tries to grow its army, a mobilized soldier
recounts horror of Makiivka attack
CBC/January 15, 2023
On New Year's Day, when at least four HIMARS rockets slammed into a school
building in Eastern Ukraine housing hundreds of newly drafted Russian soldiers,
it was another group of newly mobilized young men stationed nearby who got the
call to help with the grim task of digging through the rubble and remains.One
Russian soldier told CBC News that he and others in his group were ordered to
search for the severely injured and the dead, but sometimes found only body
parts.
"There are way more than 100 people (dead)," he said in a message to CBC News.
"I can't even describe to you what I saw."
The soldier, who CBC News agreed not to name for his personal safety, first
spoke to online Russian news site Verstka about what he believes is Russia's
attempt to cover up how many died in the attack in Makiivka, Ukraine.
Russian officials say 89 were killed, including the regiment's deputy commander.
Ukraine has said it believes the true toll is likely 400. "There is not just war
here," the young man said. "But an information war. "The deadly attack comes as
Russia is nearly a year into its war on Ukraine and has announced plans to beef
up its military by adding hundreds of thousands of troops. While a timeline for
that move is unclear, Russian officials have signalled that the country will
soon raise the upper age limit for conscription. They insist that Russia isn't
about to embark on another unpopular round of mobilization, even as Ukrainian
officials speculate that an announcement could come any day. The soldier,
stationed near Makiivka, messaged CBC News over the course of a week and
expressed confusion, stress and mistrust of his commanders, who he accused of
frequently being drunk.
He said they would frequently ask the soldiers for money, saying it was needed
for important equipment. The soldier said he has only been in Ukraine for six
weeks, and was drafted outside his home in the Russian republic of
Bashkortostan, which lies more than 1,200 kilometres east of Moscow. In order to
help verify his story, he shared a copy of his identity documents and draft
papers. He says he regrets not immediately heading for the border like the
hundreds of thousands of other Russian men who flocked to Georgia, Finland and
Kazakhstan in an effort to escape the draft.
The soldier doesn't have an international passport and has a wife and young
daughter at home. At the beginning of the conversation, the soldier sounded
defiant and spoke about how he would rather be sent to jail than to the front.
But days later, his tone was more resigned, and he spoke about the potential
consequences of deserting."There are many of us who do not want to fight,
including me, but we do not know what to do, he wrote.
"There's no way out."
On Jan. 4, when Russian Lt.-Gen. Sergei Sevryukov announced that 89 soldiers had
been killed in the rocket strike, he blamed the soldiers themselves for
inadvertently giving away their location by using their cell phones, which
Sevryukov said was banned.
The soldier described that accusation as "bullshit," saying his peers and
commanders frequently used their phones with local SIMs to call home. While they
were told not to use them, he understood that was because they didn't want them
taking any photos or posting videos complaining about the conditions.
In recent months, videos have been posted to social media platforms of newly
drafted soldiers showing off their inadequate equipment and lack of training.
After weeks of controversy around the country's "partial mobilization" campaign,
Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Oct. 28, that 300,000 had
been called up and mobilization was over. But there was never an official
decree, and some say there are reports of men continuing to receive draft papers
ordering them to report to an enlistment office.
"Mobilization is still underway," said Boris Bondarev, a former diplomat who
quit his post at Russia's UN mission in Geneva last May in protest over what he
called Russia's "aggressive war."
In an online statement posted after his resignation, Bondarev called the war
"not only a crime against the Ukrainian people," but also "the most serious
crime against the people of Russia."
He dismissed speculation by Ukrainian officials who have stated that they
believe the Russian government will start calling men up en masse starting in
mid-January. He says he doesn't think the government needs to announce a new
round of mobilization because the defence ministry can just continue drafting
people on a "daily basis," particularly from Russia's remote, poorer regions.
"Russia has one great advantage over Ukraine and over the West," Bondarev told
CBC during a zoom interview from Geneva.
"Russian officials don't count the losses ... they don't think about
casualties."The last time Russia's defence minister publicly acknowledged the
number of soldiers killed in Ukraine was early last fall, when he said nearly
6,000 had died.
Ukraine and Western officials believe that is a dramatic under-estimate.
Bondarev says the Kremlin believes it can weather any loss of life because it
has framed the war as an "existential" fight. He says his 75-year-old father,
who has disowned him because of his anti-war stance, strongly supports what
Russia still calls its "special military operation."His father went down to the
draft office in the fall because he wanted to sign up to fight in Ukraine,
Bondarev said, but he was turned away because of his age.
Raising conscription age
This week, the chairman of Russia's parliamentary defence committee said that
the country could raise the upper age limit for conscription from 27 to 30 ahead
of this year's spring draft. He said there is also a plan to raise the lower age
limit from 18 to 21, but that change might not happen for another three years.
Ekaterina Schulmann, a Russian political scientist who is currently a fellow
with the Berlin-based Robert Bosch Academy, says she believes there will be
increasing pressure on conscripts to sign military contracts and make up the
force that will be sent into Ukraine.
She says this "hidden kind of mobilization" will be the most likely way for the
military to compensate for the ongoing losses and keep sending men to the front.
Schulmann says she believes the Russian government will do everything it can to
avoid what happened in the fall when hundreds of thousands of men fled Russia to
escape the draft, and there were what she describes as "rocketing levels of
anxiety" throughout the country. Back in Eastern Ukraine, the soldier who spoke
with CBC News said he and his group were waiting for orders to be sent to the
front. Whenever he hears bombing, he says he tries to run and hide. He wants to
raise his daughter and live a normal life, he said, instead of "rotting away"
for an unclear reason. "Right now I feel like a live corpse," he said. "I have
no feelings. "
Qatar, France discuss Syrian humanitarian
cooperation
Arab News/January 15, 2023
DOHA: Qatar and France are discussing joint cooperation in humanitarian and
development aid for Syria, Qatar News Agency reported on Sunday. Talks were held
between officials from Doha’s Foreign Ministry, Fund for Development, Education
Above All Foundation and Qatar Charity, and French Special Envoy for Syria
Brigitte Curmi, who is visiting the country. The meeting was also attended by
French Ambassador to Qatar Jean-Baptiste Faivre.
Iraq PM backs continued US troop presence
AFP/January 15, 2023
BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani defended the open-ended
presence of US and other foreign troops in his country, in an interview
published Sunday. “We think that we need the foreign forces,” Sudani told The
Wall Street Journal in his first US interview since taking office in October. US
and NATO forces have been training Iraqi soldiers on how to fight the Daesh
group. “Elimination of Daesh needs some more time,” Sudani added. His comments
are significant because the parties that back him and control parliament are
aligned with pro-Iranian factions and very hostile to the United States. Iraq
also depends on Iran for natural gas and electricity. The United States has
about 2,000 troops stationed in Iraq to train and advise Iraqi forces. NATO has
several hundred troops there, also in a non-combat role. Sudani said Iraq wants
to have good relations with both the United States and Iran. “We strive for
that,” he said. “I don’t see this as an impossible matter, to see Iraq have a
good relationship with Iran and the US.” Sudani also faces a populace hit hard
by an economic crisis and eager for a better life. His visit to Tehran in late
November was marked by promises of stronger cooperation on economic and security
matters. In the interview published Sunday, Sudani made clear he wants to get
along with the United States, which is locked in confrontation with Iran. He
said he would like to send a high-level delegation to Washington soon, perhaps
as a prelude to meeting with President Joe Biden.
Iran, Syria set to renew long-term agreement,
Raisi to visit Damascus
The Arab Weekly/January 15/2023
Syria and key ally Iran agreed Saturday to renew an economic strategic
arrangement between the two countries as Damascus prepares to welcome Iran’s
president in the near future. Since Syria’s uprising turned into civil conflict
in 2011, Tehran has sent thousands of Iran-backed fighters to help President
Bashar Assad stay in power amid fighting that killed hundreds of thousands of
civilians and displaced millions. Iran has also been a critical economic
lifeline for Syria, delivering fuel and credit lines worth billions of dollars
to help Damascus offset crippling Western-led sanctions. Syria’s economy across
both government and opposition-held areas has hit an all-time low over the past
decade, with spiraling inflation, a currency plunge, and rampant power cuts.
Syria and Iran signed almost a dozen economic deals in 2019 as part of the
long-term strategic economic agreement to bolster their commercial ties. Iranian
Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who met in Damascus with Assad and his
Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, did not set a date on where or when the
signing of the extension will take place. “Tehran and Damascus will continue to
cooperate in all matters, especially with energy,” Amirabdollahian said at a
news conference following the meetings. Mekdad echoed similar sentiments, adding
that developments in the “coming days” will further bolster them. “We explored
ways to expand economic and commercial ties and enhance cooperation to confront
the illegal Western coercive economic measures imposed on both countries,”
Mekdad said. Israel is concerned about Iran’s influence in Syria and has
conducted hundreds of airstrikes in recent years inside government-controlled
parts of the country. Israel rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations,
but has said it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon’s
Hezbollah, which has provided thousands of fighters to support Assad’s forces.
Iranian support to Syria has suffered from Tehran’s loss of oil revenue as a
result of US sanctions. But such support remains a key factor that would keep
Damascus in Iran’s orbit as the Assad regime negotiates conditions for
normalisaton with Turkey.
Turkish offensive in Syria ‘possible any time,’ says Erdogan aide
Arab News/January 15, 2023
JEDDAH: A new Turkish ground offensive in Syria is “possible any time,” a top
aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, despite a
Moscow-brokered rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara. The Kremlin is trying
to end more than a decade of hostility between the neighbors that began when
Turkiye backed rebel efforts to topple President Bashar Assad at the start of
the Syrian civil war. Turkiye has since also launched a series of incursions
into northern Syria, most of them targeting Kurdish forces it views as “terrorists.”Erdogan’s
foreign policy adviser Ibrahim Kalin said the Russian push for peace did not
mean Turkiye was abandoning the option of launching a new campaign that Ankara
has been warning might happen for months. “A ground operation is possible any
time, depending on the level of threats we receive,” Kalin told reporters.
“Turkiye never targets the Syrian state or Syrian civilians.”His comments came
two days after Assad said future talks with Ankara should aim for “the end of
occupation” by Turkiye of parts of Syria. Turkiye has military bases in northern
Syria and also backs some local militias fighting against the regime. Erdogan,
who called Assad a “terrorist” in 2017, has opened up to the idea of meeting the
Syrian leader ahead of Turkiye’s general election, now expected in May. Kalin
said the two sides will hold a “series of meetings” in preparation for a
possible presidential summit. Meanwhile, the administration of US President Joe
Biden has told Congress it is preparing the potential $20 billion sale of F-16
fighter jets to Turkiye, sparking an imme- diate objection from a senior US
lawmaker who has long opposed the deal. “As I have repeatedly made clear, I
strongly oppose the Biden admin- istration’s proposed sale of new F-16 aircraft
to Turkiye,” Sen. Bob Menendez, Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, said.
Palestinians say Israeli troops kill man in
West Bank
AP/January 15, 2023
JERUSALEM: Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian man in the occupied West
Bank on Sunday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, the latest death in a
monthslong spiral of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. The
circumstances behind the death were not immediately clear. Israeli media
reported the man was carrying a knife and attempted to stab the soldiers who
were standing guard near a Jewish settlement. The Palestinian Health Ministry
identified the man as Ahmad Kahla, 45. The Israeli military had no immediate
comment. Tensions have been surging for months in the occupied territory, where
the Israeli military has been staging nightly arrest raids since last spring.
The raids were prompted by a wave of Palestinian attacks against Israelis that
killed 19 people, while another 10 Israelis were killed in a second string of
attacks later last year. Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in
the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 2022, according to figures by the Israeli
rights group B’Tselem, making it the deadliest year since 2004. Since the start
of this year, 13 Palestinians have been killed, according to a tally by The
Associated Press. Israel says most of the dead were militants. But Palestinian
stone-throwers, youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in
confrontations also have been killed. Israel says the raids are meant to
dismantle militant networks and thwart future attacks. The Palestinians see them
as further entrenchment of Israel’s open-ended, 55-year occupation of lands they
seek for their future independent state. Israel captured the West Bank in the
1967 Mideast war, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, territories the
Palestinians want for their hoped-for state. Israel has since settled 500,000
people in about 130 settlements across the West Bank, which the Palestinians and
much of the international community view as an obstacle to peace.
Netanyahu moving ahead on legal overhaul
despite outcry
AP/January 15, 2023
rt and politicize the appointment of judges
TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday his government
plans to charge ahead with an overhaul of the country's judicial system, despite
fierce criticism from top legal officials and protests against the changes that
drew tens of thousands of people.
Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, has made the legal changes the
centerpiece of his new government's agenda and the surging opposition to them is
presenting an early challenge for the Israeli leader. Opponents say the changes
could help Netanyahu evade conviction in his corruption trial, or make the court
case disappear altogether. The overhaul would weaken the power of the Supreme
Court, granting legislators the ability to pass laws the court has struck down
with a simple majority, as well as give the government greater power over the
appointment of judges and limit the independence of government legal advisers.
The proposed changes have sparked an outcry from the Supreme Court's top
justice, who in rare criticism called the overhaul an “unbridled attack on the
justice system.” The country's attorney general has also spoken out against the
plan, as have many of her predecessors, and tens of thousands protested the
proposed changes in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Despite the opposition, Netanyahu told
a meeting of his Cabinet that voters cast their ballots in November elections in
support of his campaign promise to overhaul the justice system.
“We will complete legislating the reforms in a way that will correct what needs
correcting, will totally protect individual rights and will restore the public's
faith in the justice system that so much requires this reform,” Netanyahu said.
A poll released Sunday painted a more complex picture. The survey found that 58%
of Israelis believe the Supreme Court should have the power to overturn laws
passed by parliament if they conflict with democratic principles. The survey,
conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute in October, just before the
election, questioned 1,092 people and had a margin of error of 2.8%. The poll
was part of the nonpartisan institute's annual “Israeli Democracy Index.” The
same survey, however, found that public trust by Israeli Jews in the Supreme
Court fell to 42% last year, down from a multiyear average of 59.5%. Trust in
parliament was just 18.5%, it said. Levels of trust were slightly lower among
the country's Arab minority. There have been calls in the past to reform
Israel’s justice system, which was given greater clout in the 1990s and has been
seen since by critics as being too interventionist in the process of lawmaking.
But the sweeping changes sought by Netanyahu’s justice minister have raised an
alarm among opponents who see them as a death knell to Israel’s system of checks
and balances and in turn, its democratic fundamentals. Netanyahu and his allies
see the changes as a way to ease the process of governance and recalibrate what
they say is an imbalance between the country's executive and judicial
branches.The proposed changes, tabled weeks after the government was sworn in,
have exposed how deeply polarized Israeli society is, torn between preserving
the country's liberal and democratic ideals or shifting away from them. They
have also shown how quickly the country's government, its most right-wing ever,
is intent on advancing its policies, many of which have sparked criticism,
including from unexpected quarters. Netanyahu heads a government of
ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties who at times in the past have seen
their agendas thwarted by Supreme Court decisions or unfavorable counsel by
government legal advisers. That prompted them to make sure the legal changes
were a top priority during negotiations to form the government. Netanyahu, eager
to return to power under the shadow of his corruption trial, appeared to be
generous to his partners in the talks.
Among those concessions was a promise to make Avi Maoz, head of a small,
radical, religious ultranationalist party who has repeatedly spouted anti-LGBTQ
rhetoric, in charge of certain educational programs. The Cabinet approved the
pledge Sunday, despite an outcry from mayors and Israeli parents when it was
initially discussed. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, who normally wields a
largely symbolic role, has stepped in to bridge the divide over the judicial
changes. In a statement, Herzog said he was working to avert “a historic
constitutional crisis" in a series of meetings with political figures. Hundreds
of people protested outside his residence in Jerusalem on Saturday. Netanyahu
has claimed the overhaul will be carried out cautiously and with parliamentary
oversight.
Where are the Gulf Arab tourists? Israel's hopes fall short
JERUSALEM (AP)/Sun, January 15, 2023
When Israel struck an agreement with the United Arab Emirates to open diplomatic
ties in 2020, it brought an electrifying sense of achievement to a country long
ostracized in the Middle East. Officials insisted that Israel’s new ties with
the UAE, and soon after with Bahrain, would go beyond governments and become
society-wide pacts, stoking mass tourism and friendly exchanges between people
long at odds.
But over two years since the breakthrough accords, the expected flood of Gulf
Arab tourists to Israel has been little more than a trickle. Although more than
half a million Israelis have flocked to oil-rich Abu Dhabi and
skyscraper-studded Dubai, just 1,600 Emirati citizens have visited Israel since
it lifted coronavirus travel restrictions last year, the Israeli Tourism
Ministry told The Associated Press.
The ministry does not know how many Bahrainis have visited Israel because, it
said, “the numbers are too small.”“It’s still a very weird and sensitive
situation,” said Morsi Hija, head of the forum for Arabic-speaking tour guides
in Israel. “The Emiratis feel like they’ve done something wrong in coming
here.”The lack of Emirati and Bahraini tourists reflects Israel’s long-standing
image problem in the Arab world and reveals the limits of the Abraham Accords,
experts say.
Even as bilateral trade between Israel and the UAE has exploded from $11.2
million in 2019 to $1.2 billion last year, the popularity of the agreements in
the UAE and Bahrain has plummeted since the deals were signed, according to a
survey by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, an American think tank.
In the UAE, support fell to 25% from 47% in the last two years. In Bahrain, just
20% of the population supports the deal, down from 45% in 2020. In that time,
Israel and Gaza militants fought a devastating war and violence in the occupied
West Bank surged to its highest levels in years. Israeli officials say Gulf Arab
tourism to Israel is a missing piece that would move the agreements beyond
security and diplomatic ties. Tourist visits from Egypt and Jordan, the first
two countries to reach peace with Israel, also are virtually nonexistent.
“We need to encourage (Emiratis) to come for the first time. It's an important
mission,” Amir Hayek, Israeli ambassador to the UAE, told the AP. “We need to
promote tourism so people will know each other and understand each
other.”Israeli tourism officials flew to the UAE last month in a marketing push
to spread the word that Israel is a safe and attractive destination. The
ministry said it's now pitching Tel Aviv — Israel’s commercial and entertainment
hub — as a big draw for Emiratis. Tour agents say that so far, betting on
Jerusalem has backfired. The turmoil of the contested city has turned off
Emiratis and Bahrainis, some of whom have faced backlash from Palestinians who
see normalization as a betrayal of their cause. The Palestinian struggle for
independence from Israel enjoys broad support across the Arab world. “There’s
still a lot of hesitation coming from the Arab world,” said Dan Feferman,
director of Sharaka, a group that promotes people-to-people exchanges between
Israel and the Arab world. “They expect (Israel) to be a conflict zone, they
expect to be discriminated against.”
Feferman also cited Israel’s tight coronavirus restrictions that were in place
for 2021 and for part of 2022, as well as the lack of waivers for visas for
Bahrainis, as factors limiting tourism from the Gulf region.
He said he felt the trips left his visitors with a positive impression of
Israel. Yet after leading two groups of Bahrainis and Emiratis to Israel,
Sharaka shifted its focus away from the Gulf visits.
When a group of Emirati and Bahraini social media influencers in 2020 visited
the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, the third-holiest site in Islam, they were spat on
and pelted with shoes in Jerusalem's Old City, said Hija, their tour guide. When
another group of Emirati officials visited the flashpoint site accompanied by
Israeli police, they drew the ire of the grand mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh
Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, who issued a religious edict against Emiratis visiting
the mosque under Israeli supervision.
Most Emiratis and Bahrainis who have visited Israel say they forgo their
national dress and headscarves in order not to attract attention.
The Islamic Waqf, which administers the mosque, declined to answer questions
about the number of Emirati and Bahraini visitors and their treatment at the
compound. Palestinian rage against Emiratis is not confined to the sacred
esplanade. Emirati citizens visiting and studying in Israel say they face
frequent death threats and online attacks.
“Not everyone can handle the pressure,” said Sumaiiah Almehiri, a 31-year-old
Emirati from Dubai studying to be a nurse at the University of Haifa. “I didn't
give into the threats, but fear is preventing a lot of Emiratis from going.”The
fear of anti-Arab racism in Israel can also drive Gulf Arabs away. Israeli
police mistakenly arrested two Emirati tourists in Tel Aviv last summer while
hunting for a criminal who carried out a drive-by shooting. Some Emiratis have
complained on social media about drawing unwanted scrutiny from security
officials at Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport. “If you bring them here and don’t
treat them in a sensitive way, they’ll never come back and tell all their
friends to stay away,” Hija said. Benjamin Netanyahu, who returned for a sixth
term as prime minister last week, has pledged to strengthen agreements with
Bahrain, Morocco, the UAE and Sudan. Formal ties with Sudan remain elusive in
the wake of a military coup and in the absence of a parliament to ratify its
U.S.-brokered normalization deal with Israel.
As a chief architect of the accords, Netanyahu also hopes to expand the circle
of countries and reach a similar deal with Saudi Arabia.
Yet experts fear his new government — the most ultranationalist and religiously
conservative in Israel’s history — could further deter Gulf Arab tourists and
even jeopardize the agreements. His government has vowed to expand West Bank
settlements and pledged to annex the entire territory, a step that was put on
hold as a condition of the initial agreement with the UAE. “We have a reason to
be worried about any deterioration in relations,” said Moran Zaga, an expert in
Gulf Arab states at the University of Haifa in Israel. So far, Gulf Arab
governments have offered no reason for concern. The Emirati ambassador was
photographed warmly embracing Itamar Ben-Gvir, one of the coalition's most
radical members, at a national day celebration last month. And over the weekend,
the UAE's leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, called Netanyahu to
congratulate him and invite him to visit.
It's a different story among those who are not in the officialdom. “I hope that
Netanyahu and those with him will not set foot on the land of the Emirates,”
Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a prominent Emirati political scientist, wrote on Twitter.
“I think it is appropriate to freeze the Abraham Accords temporarily."
The Latest LCCC English analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on January 15-16/2023
Iran must be punished for supplying weapons to Houthis
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/January 15, 2023
The Iranian regime has been facing ongoing protests for four months now due to
its citizens’ economic, political, religious and social grievances against the
theocratic establishment. Nevertheless, this has not compelled the authorities
to address the people’s demands. And, in spite of the serious domestic crisis it
is encountering, the regime has also not halted or cut down on its illegal
smuggling of weapons to its proxies.
The Iranian regime uses several methods to smuggle weapons, including ships and
commercial airlines. Last week, a shipment of more than 2,100 Iranian assault
rifles bound for the Houthis was intercepted by the US Navy within international
waters in the Gulf of Oman. The shipment was destined for Yemen, based on a
statement from the US military. “The illegal flow of weapons from Iran through
international waterways has a destabilizing effect on the region,” said Gen.
Michael Erik Kurilla, the commander of US Central Command.
In November, the US Navy also intercepted a “large quantity” of explosive
material in the Gulf of Oman that was heading toward Yemen. A statement from US
Naval Forces Central Command reported: “On Nov. 8, US 5th Fleet intercepted a
fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman smuggling lethal aid, including a large
quantity of explosive material, from Iran to Yemen.”
The Iranian regime appears to have ratcheted up its efforts to illegally supply
weapons to terrorist groups and its proxies, particularly the Houthis. When it
comes to smuggling and supplying the Houthis with weapons, the Iranian regime is
generally involved in four major actions. First is the supply, sale or transfer
of short-range ballistic missiles known as Burkan-2H. Second is the supply of
field storage tanks, which are utilized for storing liquid bipropellant
oxidizers that can be used in the development of ballistic missiles. Third is
the supply of unmanned aerial vehicles, such as the Ababil-T and Qasef-1. And
fourth is the provision of ballistic missile technology. It is important to
point out that the Iranian regime’s actions are in direct violation of UN
Security Council Resolution 2216, which imposed an arms embargo on Yemen’s
Houthi rebels. Even the UN has previously disclosed: “The panel has now
identified strong indicators of the supply of arms-related material manufactured
in, or emanating from, Iran.”As long as the Houthis, or any other of Iran’s
proxies or militia groups, advance the ideological, geopolitical and parochial
interests of the Iranian regime, Tehran appears determined to not let them run
out of weapons or ammunition. This ought to offer insights into the tactics and
long-term strategies of the Iranian-trained and armed proxies across the region.
Their plans and agendas seem to be built on four pillars: Destabilization, which
will allow Iran to benefit from the chaos; conflict; assassinations; and the
rejection of any solution that has Sunni or Western origins.
It is also worth noting that the conflict in Yemen means more to the Tehran
regime than merely taunting its Gulf rivals. Instead, it appears to be an
ideological endeavor aimed at uniting the Muslim world under its own Islamist
rule, which sees any attempts at peace as merely delaying the process.
The regime appears to have ratcheted up its efforts to illegally supply weapons
to terrorist groups and its proxies. The Houthi militia, which Iran consistently
and illegally supplies weapons to, “works closely” with Al-Qaeda and Daesh,
according to a Yemeni government intelligence report. In addition, it commits
crimes against humanity. Since 2015, it has reportedly killed or injured more
than 17,500 civilians, while it also recruits, injures and kills children,
according to Human Rights Watch.
The Houthis, by the same token, also use land mines. Human Rights Watch stated
in its World Report 2020: “Houthi-planted land mines across Yemen continue to
harm civilians and their livelihoods … Since January 2018, at least 140
civilians, including 19 children, have been killed by land mines in just the
Hodeidah and Taiz governorates.” The Iranian-backed Houthis also routinely
resort to various methods of torture. According to Human Rights Watch: “Former
detainees described Houthi officers beating them with iron rods and rifles and
being hung from walls with their arms shackled behind them … The (Abductees’
Mothers Association) reported that there are 3,478 disappearance cases, at least
128 of those kidnapped have been killed.”In a nutshell, the Iranian regime
continues to illegally smuggle weapons to the Houthis. It is time for the
international community to hold the Iranian leaders accountable for violating
UNSC Resolution 2216 and sponsoring terrorism.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist.
Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh
It is vital for Europe that Ukraine prevails
Col. Taras Dzuba/Arab News/January 15, 2023
It is a well-known fact that climatic conditions affect the pace of hostilities,
and they affect both sides. The winner is always the one that is more ready to
act in these climatic conditions.
We can say straight away that the winter months in the Ukraine-Russia war will
be challenging from a military point of view. Low temperatures, limited duration
of daylight, the need to create proper conditions for the presence of military
personnel, the increased load on medical services and units typical for this
time of year, etc., are added to the high dynamics of fire strikes. The
combination of these factors reduces the pace of active offensive actions, but
Ukraine has two significant advantages. The first is that we protect our
homeland from the invaders, i.e., we fight on our territory with the full
support of our population. The second is the real and effective support of the
international community. As for the enemy’s actions, we expect a possible
continuation of missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine, in particular on
civilian infrastructure.
The success of the Russian occupying forces on the battlefield is unlikely.
Still, they can continue offensive actions to fulfill the orders of their
military-political leadership, which does not count on losses and often does not
recognize the realities of war.
We are preparing for any possible scenario and will do everything to liberate
the territory of Ukraine from the occupiers, regardless of the season, weather
conditions or anything else.
It is essential to understand the motivation of the opposing sides to assess the
chances of one side or the other. We are preparing for any possible scenario and
will do everything to liberate the territory of Ukraine from the occupiers.
If we do not repeat the cliches of official Russian propaganda, which even the
most ardent supporters of Vladimir Putin already doubt, the main motives of the
servicemen of the Russian occupation army are the fear of disobeying orders and
the desire to improve their material condition at the expense of participating
in the war. Some of them are still hoping for a “trophy.”
We have a completely different motivation. The armed enemy came to our land with
one goal — to take away everything we have: Our lives, our territory and our
homes. That is, we have no choice. Win or die. This is the main thing that
determines our chances. For Ukraine, this is a patriotic, people’s war.
In other words, if the enemy believes that some “special military operation” is
being conducted there, then for our people it is a real war and victory is
necessary for the complete liberation of our temporarily occupied territories
and the creation of guarantees for a future peaceful life. These guarantees of
peace are necessary not only for Ukraine today. Having unleashed aggression
against Ukraine, Russia continues to deepen regional instability in Europe. This
in turn will have negative consequences for the security architecture that
developed in the world after the Second World War, the collapse of the Soviet
Union and several regional conflicts in Asia and the Middle East.
Also read: Is the world heading toward order or disorder?
Based on this, it can be said that we have the chances necessary for victory
over the enemy. No matter how difficult it is for us. Currently, Ukraine’s
economy and armed forces receive assistance from many countries in Europe and
the world. Our state is very grateful to its partners for their humanitarian,
military and economic aid. The amount of assistance depends significantly on the
partner countries and their capabilities. If we talk about quantitative
indicators, the total military aid provided or planned for Ukraine by allies in
2022 was €41.3 billion ($44.7 billion).
The decision was made last month regarding another package of military aid to
Ukraine from the US of $275 million. This includes aid for energy
infrastructure, military support (including the training of specialists on the
territory of other states) and humanitarian assistance. In addition, at least
another $800 million has been earmarked in the US defense budget to support
Ukraine in 2023.
Aid to Ukraine for 2023 of €18 billion from the EU has also been announced.
However, one should not get attached to these quantitative indicators. Aid to
Ukraine is directly proportional to the level of the Russian military threat to
European regional and international security. If this level of threat increases,
then, accordingly, we expect an increase in the amount of aid. Yes, of course,
we are concerned about the level of international support for Ukraine in
repelling Russian armed aggression, the prompt restoration of critical
infrastructure facilities, the restoration and development of Ukraine after the
end of hostilities, and the bringing to international criminal responsibility of
all war criminals.
As for the possible weakening of the global economy this year, this issue is
quite debatable. It is right to wait until after this week’s World Economic
Forum in Davos. We can already say that, for example, last year was difficult
for European countries, but almost all nations were able to find alternative
sources to Russian energy and implement effective energy-saving programs. Green
energy received another push for development. Not to mention strengthening the
role of defense-industrial complexes by most countries of the world.
Last year was difficult for European countries, but almost all nations were able
to find alternatives to Russian energy.
The consequences caused by the war, primarily economic, are felt by the citizens
of countries all over the world and we are clearly aware that, the longer the
armed aggression continues, the more resources it will require. At the same
time, drawing historical parallels, it should be noted that if the civilized
countries “leave” Ukraine as a victim for the aggressor as “pacification,” then
they will merely postpone a more global conflict that will be provoked, as
happened in Europe in the last century.
In response to all international initiatives to end the conflict and return to
negotiations, Ukraine clearly states its position. We are ready for
negotiations. And we always were ready. But only to negotiations that will
actually end the war and provide security guarantees. This is a key condition
officially presented to the international community, in particular to the
aggressor state, by the president of Ukraine in the form of a 10-step program.
We are ready for such negotiations.
Regarding the attempt to take a pause in the war in order to accumulate
resources, prepare mobilized reserves and then resume aggression, we do not
consider this as a proposal to end the war and, accordingly, it is unacceptable
for Ukraine.
There is only one possible scenario — liberation of the whole territory of
Ukraine. How will it be done?
Perhaps Putin will show a gesture of goodwill to the whole world and permanently
withdraw his troops from the territory of Ukraine and refrain from further
aggressive actions.
Perhaps the international community will find effective mechanisms to transfer
the war to the political dimension.
It is quite possible that the declared lend-lease for Ukraine will work at full
strength and we will have enough means to end this war with the victory of
Ukraine.
In any case, there are plans of the military command to conduct operations to
liberate the territories, and these plans will be implemented.
We can see that Europe has never been so united as it is today. The processes
taking place around our state give a clear understanding that there is an urgent
need to ensure the security of European countries bordering the Russian
Federation. We see signals coming from countries that are part of the NATO
alliance. Europe has a common security model and resources, which provides an
opportunity to respond to the threat in a timely manner and provide a decent
response to the Russian aggressor and stop the advance of Russian troops.
And today, both for Ukraine and for Europe, there is simply no other choice than
to hold out and win this war. Russia will not stop; therefore, if Ukraine does
not restrain its aggression, an immediate military threat will arise for the
countries of Europe.
After Feb. 24, 2022, the entire civilized world realized that the security model
that existed for more than 70 years is no longer there.
There is a certain fatigue in world public opinion from the war, but any
significant changes are possible only as a result of significant changes in the
state of the war itself. Changes that will allow not only Ukraine, but also the
international community, to consider itself safe.
*Col. Taras Dzuba has more than 30 years’ experience in the Armed Forces of
Ukraine.
This article first appeared in Asharq. It is part of a series titled “2023: A
year of difficult questions.”
Mysterious assassination may shake Erdogan’s
coalition partner
Yasar Yakis/Arab News/January 15, 2023
Sinan Ates, an illustrious member of Turkiye’s Nationalist Movement Party, known
as the MHP, was assassinated on Dec. 30 in broad daylight in central Ankara.
Ates was an associate professor at the Hacettepe University in Ankara. In 2019
and 2020, he served as the chairman of a movement associated with the MHP that
is wrongly translated into English as “Nationalist Hearts” (Ulku Ocaklari) and
may also be translated as “Home of the Idealists.” This organization was
sometimes used as a breeding ground for adherents of the party, while at other
times it was its backyard. Independent from his title and previous positions,
Ates was a well-respected and appreciated person both in the MHP and in circles
outside his party.
While all opposition parties strongly condemned this flagrant assassination, the
coalition partners of the government kept silent for several days. Neither
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor Devlet Bahceli, the chairman of the MHP,
which is a member of Erdogan’s government, uttered a single word for days after
the assassination. Only six days after the incident did the chairman of the
local branch of the ruling AKP party pay a visit to the family to offer
condolences. The family said: “The AKP chairman conveyed to us President
Erdogan’s greetings and told us to push it as far as it goes.” Bahceli spoke for
the first time 10 days after the incident and blamed everyone except himself.
This background suggests that the assassination was a surprise for Erdogan and
he could not immediately figure out all the consequences of the incident.
Thirteen people have been arrested so far, among them two plainclothes police
officers. They were reportedly the ones who gave a lift to the hitman, who
traveled all the way from Istanbul to Ankara to carry out the assassination.
Most of the arrested suspects have turned out to be drug addicts. The coalition
partners want to give the impression that the shooting was not an organized
crime, but an accidental occurrence.
There is almost nothing consistent in the entire exercise.
The policemen claimed that they wanted to make a “sprint” to Ankara (a distance
of 440 km) to enjoy themselves. A man (the hitman) had asked to join them,
saying that he had to go to Ankara and he proposed sharing the cost of travel,
so the policemen agreed to give him a lift. The hitman turned out to be a
convicted murderer who had managed to remain at large for several years. Core
members of the party are circumspect, but they may know who the mastermind is.
The MHP community has a tradition of solving its problems within the family, but
it may refrain from exposing all of its dirty linen in public.
One of the alleged culprits said they did not intend to kill Ates but to
frighten him because he had refused to help with a case in the High Court. One
of the easiest ways to discredit someone in Turkiye is to claim that he has been
connected with the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is in self-imposed exile
in the US. In line with this practice, Ates has also been accused of having
connections with Gulen, but such a claim does not easily hold out. On the
contrary, when he was chairman of the so-called Nationalist Hearts, he managed
to exonerate several members of the clan and secure their release from prison.
This unfortunate event coincided with the forthcoming national elections in
Turkiye, which are scheduled to be held in a few months’ time. Erdogan’s AKP is
far short of the winning range. The president is in dire need of every single
vote. The MHP’s support was the only meaningful backing that he could count on.
Now, if the MHP disintegrates as a result of Ates’ assassination, Erdogan may
face greater risks.
If the MHP disintegrates as a result of Ates’ assassination, the Turkish
president may face greater risks.
A bigger calamity may fall on the MHP. The Bursa branch of the party — where
Ates was operating — is already in turmoil and looking for a scapegoat. As a
skillful politician, Erdogan may still find a way to manage the situation within
his own party, but the future looks bleaker for the MHP. This party had already
been exposed to harsh criticisms from Meral Aksener’s IYI (Good) Party. One of
the biggest winners of this situation may, therefore, be Aksener. The incident
also promises more revelations because of its sensitivities.
If Erdogan manages to maintain Bahceli’s support until the elections, he may not
rely on him afterwards. The MHP will probably emerge from this incident
seriously bruised, if not shattered. Whether Erdogan will be able to emerge
unscathed is difficult to tell.
*Yasar Yakis is a former foreign minister of Turkiye and founding member of the
ruling AK Party. Twitter: @yakis_yasar
Destroying American Democracy - An Inside Job
Pete Hoekstra/Gatestone Institute/January 15/2023
Just last week it was revealed that the FBI again withheld pertinent information
from the American public, for past two months, until after the November 8, 2022
federal election.
The combination of a politically weaponized Intelligence Community, operating
hand-in-hand with organizations that are main gateways for information to
millions of Americans, is a serious threat to American democracy and the
integrity of our elections.
Let us just briefly look at the steep slope of lying, deceit and corruption that
has seeped into the leadership of the U.S. Intelligence Community.
Having... false information -- some of which the FBI actually altered -- in the
public domain was evidently intended to damage Trump.
Today we know that the "Russia hoax" was a lie.... the information in the
"Steele dossier" was false -- and the FBI had known it was from the start.
For almost two years, the authenticity of the material found on Hunter Biden's
laptop was questioned. Today, its authenticity has been verified; the
information is real and damning. As summarized by the New York Post: "Yes that
letter from the Dirty 51 had all the classic earmarks of a disinformation
operation, all right – one designed to ensure Joe Biden won the presidency. And
it was essentially a CIA operation, considering 43 of the 51 signatories were
former CIA."
One final example of the Intelligence Community involving itself in domestic
politics comes from the recent release of the Twitter files.... Tweet #17
states, "executives were also clearly liaising with federal enforcement and
intelligence agencies about moderation of election-related content." Finally,
the FBI paid Twitter $3.5 million reportedly to "handle requests from the
bureau."
The FBI, DHS and the ODNI had literally had set up shop at Twitter.
Can our government, law enforcement, and the Intelligence Community still be
trusted?
Have those federal government agencies literally weaponized law enforcement and
intelligence against political opponents in the U.S.?
Has more than one solitary person -- former FBI attorney Kevin Clinemith, for
altering an email -- been held accountable for these egregious abuses of power?
Who authorized the cozy relationship between law enforcement, the intelligence
community with twitter?
Who in these government agencies reviewed and approved of the output and
decisions coming from these joint efforts?
Who has the records, notes and decisions that emanated from these groups?
It is clear that our law enforcement community needs to be investigated, but
most importantly we need to investigate how our Intelligence Community has
evolved from having literally a non-existent relationship with speech in America
to being inside the room determining what speech is allowed.
There... needs to be a significant investigation by an outside, non-government
group to understand how far this massive government overreach into free speech
and election manipulation went. Clearly the government has been influencing what
we get to see and hear. It needs to stop -- now -- before our democracy is
destroyed.
Can our government, law enforcement, and the Intelligence Community still be
trusted? Have those federal agencies weaponized law enforcement and intelligence
against political opponents in the U.S.? Today we know that the "Russia hoax"
was a lie. The information in the "Steele dossier" was false -- and the FBI knew
it was from the start. Pictured: Former British intelligence officer Christopher
Steele arrives at the High Court in London on July 24, 2020, to attend a
defamation trial brought against him by Russian entrepreneur Alexej Gubarev in
connection with the "Steele dossier".
Over the last few years, there has been much written about the destruction of
American democracy. Frequently the threat has been of alleged interference in
U.S. elections by Russia, China or other state actors. Government agencies, the
name of election integrity, were assigned to identify and disrupt these foreign
intrusions. As more and more information is revealed about these agencies, it
seems that America's Intelligence Community participated in these activities
domestically, and in a way that poses a grave threat to both election integrity
and American democracy.
Just last week it was revealed that the FBI again withheld pertinent information
from the American public, for past two months, until after the November 8, 2022
federal election. As with the Bureau's reported cover-up of evidence
influence-peddling reportedly found on Hunter Biden's laptop, agents knew, since
November 2, 2022, about at least some of the three sets of classified material
that illegally found their way into the garage and library of President Joe
Biden and into the Penn Biden Center think tank at the University of
Pennsylvania -- to which anonymous members of the Chinese Communist Party have
donated $54.6 million.
Their existence only became known this week, after the newly elected
Republican-majority House of Representatives announced that it would hold
hearings on "how the [Justice] department handled investigations into classified
materials found at former President Donald Trump's Florida home and those found
at President Joe Biden's office in a Washington think tank bearing his name and
his Delaware home..."
In addition, the recent release of the "Twitter Files" has raised at least two
major concerns regarding actions by the Intelligence Community. The first is
that the wall of separation between the Intelligence Community and the U.S.
media has not only sprung a leak, it has totally collapsed. The report that
officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) met
weekly with Twitter executives to coordinate information is totally
inappropriate. Would officials from the ODNI review, affirm or label certain
sets of information as false? When ODNI was created, no one intended its
officials to have a role in these types of discussions.
It also appears that intelligence officials in recent years have politically
weaponized intelligence. The combination of a politically weaponized
Intelligence Community, operating hand-in-hand with organizations that are the
main gateways for information to millions of Americans, poses a serious threat
to American democracy and the integrity of our elections.
Let us just briefly look at the steep slope of lying, deceit and corruption that
has seeped into the leadership of the U.S. Intelligence Community.
First, there are not enough words to praise our Intelligence Community and the
men and women who risk their lives to keep America safe. These are the
rank-and-file professionals that form the core of the Intelligence Community.
Most are dedicated to the mission of gathering the necessary information to
protect our nation. Their leaders have a responsibility to serve these
individuals. Too often, however, as the current array of whistleblowers
indicates, those leaders have let these individuals down.
Imagine their reaction in 2013 when, in response to a question from Senator Ron
Wyden to then-Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper about
whether the National Security Agency (NSA) collects "any type of data on
millions, or hundreds of millions of Americans," Clapper answered, "No sir, not
wittingly." Clapper, who had been given the question the previous day, was asked
after the hearing if he wanted to amend the answer, and declined. It was shortly
thereafter that a massive NSA program containing millions of pieces of
Americans' data was revealed. Clapper was caught in a huge lie -- to U.S.
Senator Wyden and the American people.
On January 12, 2017, CNN reported that President-elect Donald Trump had been
briefed by DNI Clapper, FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Brennan, and
NSA Director Michael Rogers. The topic: "Russian operatives claim to have
compromising personal and financial information about Donald Trump." It was
intended to inform the President-elect that these allegations "are circulating
among intelligence agencies, senior members of Congress, and other government
officials in Washington." The briefing also touched on other major allegations
they claimed were "circulating."
Having this false information -- some of which the FBI actually altered -- in
the public domain was evidently intended to damage Trump. The Russian "hoax"
allegations would haunt and damage the Trump presidency for almost two years.
Clapper himself stated:
"I express my profound dismay at the leaks that have been appearing in the press
... they are extremely corrosive and damaging to our national security."
Clapper also released a statement that neither he nor anyone else in the
Intelligence Community were responsible for the leaks. How did this highly
classified information, then, get into the public domain?
A House Republican investigation provides the answer. Clapper denied leaking the
dossier but admitted to discussing the dossier with CNN correspondent Jake
Tapper and perhaps other journalists in early January 2017. Later in 2017,
Clapper would go on to join CNN as a "national security" contributor and CNN
would receive an award for its reporting at the White House Correspondents'
dinner.
Today we know that the "Russia hoax" was a lie. After a 22-month investigation,
no evidence of collusion between any element of the Trump campaign and Russia
was uncovered. The supposedly compromising evidence had never existed; the
information in the "Steele dossier" was false -- and the FBI had known it was
from the start. The entire fabrication had been an attempt to attack and
politically weaken Trump.
In October 2020, shortly before the elections 51 former intelligence
professionals had even signed a joint letter stating that the Hunter Biden
laptop had "has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation."
They stated that their national security experience made them "deeply suspicious
that the Russian government played a significant role in this case." They went
on:
"If we are right, this is Russia trying to influence how Americans vote in this
election, and we strongly believe that Americans need to be aware of this."
The New York Times raised questions about the authenticity of the materials
found on the laptop. Bill Evanina, the National Counterintelligence and Security
Center Director, had indicated in August that Russia was trying to denigrate the
Biden campaign. All these manufactured "facts" were apparently intended to
create circumstances where reasonable people would have to conclude that the
Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation.
Signatories of the 2020 letter included Clapper, Brennan, Michael Hayden, Jeremy
Bash and David Buckley. Clapper and Brennan are familiar names. They were
involved in the January 2017 briefing to President Donald Trump on the fake
Steele dossier. Jeremy Bash and David Buckley are worth mentioning because they
continue to play significant roles in domestic and national security areas in
the U.S. government. Buckley was the majority staff director on the House Select
Committee investigating January 6th. Bash has been named to co-chair a
government commission to review the war in Afghanistan.
The fraudulent efforts by the U.S. government, Clapper, Brennan and the 49
others -- along with Hillary Clinton, her campaign committee, the Democratic
National Committee and the suppression of the media and social media (here and
here) -- to influence the public unfortunately met with some success. For almost
two years, the authenticity of the material found on Hunter Biden's laptop was
questioned. Today, its authenticity has been verified; the information is real
and damning. As summarized by the New York Post:
"Yes that letter from the Dirty 51 had all the classic earmarks of a
disinformation operation, all right – one designed to ensure Joe Biden won the
presidency. And it was essentially a CIA operation, considering 43 of the 51
signatories were former CIA."
One final example of the Intelligence Community involving itself in domestic
politics comes from the recent release of the "Twitter Files." According to
tweet #20 of the third tranche released:
"This post about the Hunter Biden laptop situation shows that Roth not only met
weekly with the FBI and DHS, but with the Office of the Director of National
Intelligence."
Tweet #17 states: "executives were also clearly liaising with federal
enforcement and intelligence agencies about moderation of election-related
content."
Finally, the FBI paid Twitter $3.5 million reportedly to "handle requests from
the bureau."
We now know what happened. Twitter suppressed discussion of the Hunter Biden
laptop story and suppressed conservative messaging, while at the same time it
appears the FBI, DHS and the ODNI had literally had set up shop at Twitter.
The American people should be outraged. This level of collaboration between
federal law enforcement and a private sector company on controlling speech is
terrifying. Having our Intelligence Community, which is supposed to be focused
on foreign intelligence collection, involved is even more terrifying.
DNI James Clapper lying to the American people in 2013 about government
surveillance of them, the promoting of the Russian hoax theory in 2017 by CIA
Director Brennan, DNI Clapper, FBI Director Comey and others, the suppression of
the Hunter Biden laptop story by 51 former intelligence professionals, and the
close working arrangement between the FBI, DHS and the ODNI in 2020-2022 raises
a staggering series of questions:
Can our government, law enforcement, and the Intelligence Community still be
trusted?
Have those federal government agencies literally weaponized law enforcement and
intelligence against political opponents in the U.S.?
Has more than one solitary person -- former FBI attorney Kevin Clinemith, for
altering an email -- been held accountable for these egregious abuses of power?
Why wasn't there a more powerful response from the Intelligence Community and
the law enforcement community about the disinformation from the 51 former
intelligence professionals?
Who authorized the cozy relationship between law enforcement, the intelligence
community with Twitter?
Who in these government agencies reviewed and approved of the output and
decisions coming from these joint efforts?
Were political appointees in the review loop?
Who has the records, notes and decisions that emanated from these groups?
It is clear that our law enforcement community needs to be investigated, but
most importantly we need to investigate how our Intelligence Community has
evolved from having literally a non-existent relationship with speech in America
to being inside the room determining what speech is allowed.
There also needs to be a significant investigation by an outside, non-government
group to understand how far this massive government overreach into free speech
and election manipulation went. Clearly the government has been influencing what
we get to see and hear. It needs to stop -- now -- before our democracy is
destroyed.
**Peter Hoekstra was US Ambassador to the Netherlands during the Trump
administration. He served 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives
representing the second district of Michigan and served as Chairman and Ranking
member of the House Intelligence Committee. He is currently a Distinguished
Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 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.
Egypt And Saudi Arabia…an Important Statement
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 15
January, 2023
On Thursday, an important statement was issued by Egypt and Saudi Arabia after
the meeting of the follow-up and political consultation committee, which is
headed by Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his
Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry. Several important points were made in the
statement. I will present them in details here and offer brief commentary given
the significance of the stances that, unfortunately, did not receive the media
coverage needed. Among the main issues addressed is the two countries’ stable
position on the Palestinian cause and their position on Iran and Syria, as well
as everything tied to the Egyptian- Saudi security framework, Iraq, Yemen,
Libya, and Sudan. Despite the latest statements about an Egyptian-Iranian
rapprochement. The statement was made “in light of the central position both
countries occupy in the Arab world and the region.”
Both sides stressed their “rejection of any attempts by regional powers to
interfere in the domestic affairs of Arab countries or to threaten their
stability and undermine the interests of their people, be it through tools of
sectarian and ethnic incitement, terrorism and terrorist groups, or visions of
expansion.”
The two sides also stressed “the need for Iran to fully respect its commitments
to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which prevents it
from acquiring nuclear weapons, and the global efforts to ensure the
peacefulness of its nuclear program.” In addition, the countries pledged to
“support Arab efforts to compel Iran to comply with international principles of
non-interference in the Arab states’ affairs, adhere to the norms regarding
neighboring countries, and allow the region avoid all of its destabilizing
activities, including its support for armed militias and its threats to maritime
navigation and global trade.”And “the two sides condemned attempts to meddle
with the security and safety of navigation in the Arab Gulf, the Bab el-Mandeb
Strait, and the Red Sea.” They also emphasized “the importance of supporting
Iraq so it once again can occupy its natural position as one of the pillars of
stability in the Arab region,” as well as underlining their “rejection of all
forms of external interference in Iraq’s affairs.”With regard to Syria, the two
parties agreed on “the need to support the preservation of Syria’s independence
and territorial integrity, as well as combating terrorism, facilitating the
return of refugees and displaced persons, and reaching a political solution to
the current crisis in line with Security Council Resolution No. 2254.”
They also stressed “the need to move forward with the political process through
Syrian-Syrian negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations envoy to
Syria, allowing for the emergence of a framework for a political solution.” This
refers to a political solution that does not legitimize Assad but offers
political solutions to save Syria and the Syrian people.
This is a clear and precise statement. It answers several points that have been
obscured by what I call “news-washing,” be it about relations with Iran, its
spheres of influence, or even its occupation of the region, from Syria to
Lebanon and from Iraq to Yemen. This is especially significant given that the
Iranian minister of foreign affairs has claimed, from Beirut, that he hopes to
continue negotiations with Saudi Arabia and restore relations, almost the tenth
statement in less than six months. No one wants absolute enmity with Iran. This
does not mean that there ought to be negotiations that grant the Mullah regime
the legitimacy it lost at home. Instead, we need negotiations on particular
issues, which allow us to eliminate security risks, support stability, and
growth, and bring an end to Iran’s interference in Arab affairs. Thus, the
Saudi-Egyptian statement is consequential. It serves as a reminder of the
positions that Riyadh and Cairo have taken on pressing issues, and it indicates
ongoing coordination that is required for the region and is crucial for its
stability.