Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 12-13/2023
Lebanon seeks to determine land border with Israel
ynetnews/July 12/2023
Lebanon's Foreign Minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, recently launched talks with foreign ministers from countries currently serving on the United Nations Security Council in order to begin a process for setting the country’s land border with Israel, mimicing the methed used to solve the maritime border issue. Lebanese television channel MTV reported on the move on Tuesday. The minister suggested the idea to the UNIFIL commander in Lebanon during a trilateral meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, according to the report. Bou Habib told the channel that "there are many issues with Israel regarding the border, and therefore we believe that delineating the border is the best solution.” “It’s a serious initiative – there are 13 points on which we disagree, seven of which are already practically resolved, and the remaining six can be negotiated. The main dispute is between the Blue Line and the 1949 Armistice Line," he said. Bou Habib added that "this can solve the issue of Hezbollah tents and northern Ghajar as well as other problems, so that each side knows its border limits and acts accordingly."The report added that Israel responded to the initiative through the UN and indicated that it has no current interest in pursuing it. The minister emphasized that "this idea is serious and can be a solution, but the move isn’t one meant to normalize relations." Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is expected to give a speech on Wednesday, which was planned in advance as part of an annual event, where he may address the issue of Hezbollah’s tents and the terror organization's accusations that Israel annexed the village of Ghajar. Standing at the center of the struggle between Hezbollah and Israel is the allegation that Israel controls the northern territory of the Ghajar village in the Golan Heights, a territory that, according to a UN decision from 2000, belongs to Lebanon. Almost a year ago, a new border fence was completed by Ghajar’s municipality, alongside a new wall. However, Hezbollah accuses the IDF of carrying out the work to occupy the Lebanese part of the village. Alongside tensions surrounding Ghajar, friction between Israel and Hezbollah continues on another issue: The terrorist organization established two tents about three months ago in Israeli territory on Mount Dov, near the Lebanese border, and dismantled one of them about a week ago. However, the number of people staying in the tent site didn’t change – between six to eight armed individuals – and they all congregated in the remaining tent. On Tuesday, Amos Hochstein, U.S. President Joe Biden’s special envoy, arrived in Israel against the backdrop of tensions on the northern border. Hochstein arrived in the country discreetly and met secretly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi. Soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade took a photo under the arch at the entrance of the Jenin refugee camp, similar to a recent photo taken by members of terror groups; the IDF will examine why the troop took a photo in hostile territory in the middle of an operation

Lebanon demands full demarcation of border with Israel
MEM/July 12/2023
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has informed the UN that his country "demands a full demarcation of its southern border with Israel." Mikati told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Lebanese government is working "diligently" to solve the "tents crisis" through diplomatic channels, adding that, "We told the UN that we are ready for a full drawing of the entire southern border."In response to Israel's demands presented by the UN Head of Mission and Force Commander Aroldo Lazaro, the newspaper referred to Lebanese sources who called on Israel to withdraw its forces from contested areas on the border. "Lazaro was informed that instead of searching for the two tents, let him begin a process of complete demarcation of the land borders," one source was reported as saying. Israel has called on Lebanon through international envoys, to remove the two tents erected by Hezbollah. Lebanon's response was that the two tents are located on Lebanese territory. Diplomatic and security efforts have intensified recently to ease tension resulting from the new Israeli measures in Ghajar village in south-east Lebanon, and from the tents set up by Hezbollah in the disputed Shebaa Farms area. After Israeli media outlets reported that Hezbollah had removed one of the tents, security sources said, "This information is incorrect. The tents are still there." Israel is the only UN member state which has never declared where its borders lie. It continues to occupy Lebanese, Syrian and, especially, Palestinian land with the intention of creating what Zionists call "Greater Israel".

US Proposes Israeli Concession for Removal of Illegal Hezbollah Outpost in Israeli Territory
Jewish Press/July 12/2023
Washington recently proposed that Jerusalem halt construction on a security barrier in a village on the Israel-Lebanon border in exchange for the removal of an illegal Hezbollah terrorist outpost set up on the Israeli side of the Blue Line, Channel 11 reported on Monday. In doing so, the United States was repeating a Lebanese demand made on July 10 during a Beirut meeting between Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz. “We discussed the security situations in the south and they [UNIFIL] relayed to us the Israeli side’s demand that the tent be removed. Our response was that we want them to retreat from northern Ghajar, which is considered Lebanese territory,” Bou Habib told Lebanese media. Ghajar, an Alawite village, is divided by the U.N.-delineated Blue Line. Its residents hold Israeli citizenship and many in the northern portion also have Lebanese passports. Prime Minister Mikati also told the UNIFIL commander that Lebanon is ready to permanently fix the boundaries of its southern border. “We told the U.N. that we are ready for a full drawing of the entire southern border,” Mikati told the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat. Tensions have been high along the border since Hezbollah pitched two tents in early April a few meters on the Israeli side of the Blue Line in the Mount Dov region. The position, located across from an Israeli military base, was reportedly manned by three to eight armed terrorists. While the area isn’t home to any Israeli civilian communities, it’s one in which the IDF operates continuously to thwart Hezbollah incursions into Israeli territory. Israel hopes to resolve the issue quietly, as does Lebanon. “We are working diligently to resolve the tent issue diplomatically,” said Mikati. It was reported on July 2 that Hezbollah had removed one of the tents. A day prior, a Lebanese Parliament member for Hezbollah, Mohammad Raad, expressed defiance in a message to Israel, saying, “If you don’t want war, shut up and walk back [the demand to remove the outpost].”
According to Channel 11, the remaining tent has become a symbol for Hezbollah, and Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, who allegedly didn’t initially know about the tents, is trying to take advantage of Israel’s desire to end the issue peacefully. Ongoing border issues with Lebanon, brought on by Hezbollah aggression, continue despite Israel’s signing of a U.S.-mediated maritime border deal with Lebanon on Oct. 27, 2022. On July 5, several Hezbollah terrorists and dozens of armed Lebanese army soldiers briefly entered Israeli territory. The incident occurred in the area of Menara, a kibbutz adjacent to the Lebanese border in the Upper Galilee region, while the IDF was carrying out work on the border area. The Hezbollah operatives and uniformed Lebanese soldiers reportedly stayed on the Israeli side of the border for about 20 minutes. The IDF attempted to resolve the issue via liaising with UNIFIL. A day later, the Israeli military carried out strikes against a missile launch site in southern Lebanon after rockets were fired toward Israeli territory. It is believed that the missiles were fired by Palestinian factions and not by Hezbollah. Israel’s Foreign Ministry revealed in May that Hezbollah has in the past year constructed at least 27 military posts along the Blue Line. The posts were built under the guise of Green without Borders, a Hezbollah-affiliated organization that poses as an environmental NGO. Hezbollah launched the project in parallel to Israel’s construction of a fortified perimeter fence along the 140 kilometer (90 mile) border. According to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, the terrorist group is forbidden from operating near the frontier.

How is Lebanon functioning amid leadership vacuum?
Jamie Prentis/The National/July 12/2023
Many of Lebanon's senior state positions are empty or headed by temporary chiefs
Lebanon is a country of vacancies and caretakers, with no president for nearly eight months, a caretaker prime minister and cabinet, an acting head of General Security, and with the three-decade term of embattled central bank governor Riad Salameh expiring this month – and no permanent successor announced. And it gets worse. The term of General Joseph Aoun, commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, expires next January. In such a vacancy, the Chief of Staff would take on acting powers – but that position remains empty amid a dispute over the powers that the caretaker cabinet holds. Lebanon has been entrenched in a crippling economic crisis since 2019 – one of the worst in modern history, according to the World Bank – which has plunged most of the population into poverty. The collapse has been blamed on decades of mismanagement and corruption by Lebanese elites, including some of those in power today. The local currency has lost around 98 per cent of its value against the dollar on the parallel market, the most used and accurate reflection of the exchange rate.
Sliding towards the abyss
“The answer could be that, while there is a semblance of normality, Lebanon seems to be continuing to function despite all these vacancies; the cold hard truth is that the abnormal is becoming the new normal,” said Karim Bitar, a professor of International Relations at Saint Joseph University in Beirut. “It’s an old cliche, but once again Lebanon is dancing on a volcano and we are on the verge of a fully fledged state collapse. Many significant state institutions are no longer working at all, civil servants are no longer showing up.”So, given the economic crisis and with the vacancies building up, how is Lebanon functioning – if it even is at all? On the surface, it’s because when the terms of the heads of major institutions end, typically their deputy steps up to become the acting chief. When the term of Abbas Ibrahim, the influential head of the General Security intelligence agency, expired this year, his deputy Elias Baissari stepped in on a temporary basis. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati says central bank governor Mr Salameh’s term will not be extended, nor a successor announced when the bank chief's term expires this month. That means the most senior vice governor will step in on an acting basis. That’s despite the four deputy bank chiefs threatening to resign if no successor is named. By not appointing a successor or extending Mr Salameh’s term, Mr Mikati is also able to avoid questions about overstepping his mandate. The central bank governor is seen as close to Mr Mikati and powerful parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri. Carlos Ghosn enjoys new way of life in LebanonCarlos Ghosn enjoys new way of life in Lebanon
Mr Mikati and former president Michel Aoun failed to agree on the make up of the new Cabinet before the latter's term ended in October 2022. This has led to an unprecedented governance vacuum. In the absence of a president – a common occurrence given the deep divisions in the 128-seat parliament tasked with electing the next head of state – the Cabinet takes on presidential powers. But Mr Mikati and his ministers have caretaker status, meaning they are severely stripped of their powers. Some ministers close to the Free Patriotic Movement – founded by Mr Aoun – have boycotted Cabinet meetings, arguing they are unconstitutional. Typically, the president appoints the central bank governor, but there is no president or fully empowered government – an unprecedented situation in the post-civil war era. “It’s quite complex,” says a source from the Lebanese Forces, the party with the most seats in parliament. Mr Mikati has repeatedly urged the bitterly divided parliament to elect a new president – something it has failed to come close to 12 times – in order to begin the recovery process. But perhaps the real question is whether Lebanon is functioning at all. On the surface, depending on where you go, it may not always be easy to see the financial devastation.
'Inevitable collapse'
It is the peak of summer in Lebanon and the restaurants, beaches, bars and motorways are packed – often by the large diaspora working outside the country, or those based in the country with a strong financial position and access to dollars, despite the collapse. Mr Bitar refers to this as a “micro-society” that lives in a bubble. But such a scene hides the reality for the majority of the population amid the economic crisis. The public sector has virtually collapsed as salaries fail to keep up with rampant inflation, leaving widespread shortages of basic essentials, including clean water, electricity and medicines. Banks have introduced informal capital control laws, depriving depositors of their life savings. Remittances, estimated at around $7 billion annually, are a vital lifeline. “Despite all these signs that everything is OK, restaurants are being fully booked, there are traffic jams all over the city… this only hides a painful truth, which is that Lebanon is becoming dysfunctional, and that the political establishment is using delaying tactics, gaining time and basically trying to delay the inevitable collapse," said Mr Bitar.

Five-nation group on Lebanon to meet Monday in Doha
Naharnet/July 12/2023
The five-nation group on Lebanon, which comprises the U.S., France, KSA, Qatar and Egypt, will meet Monday in Doha, media reports said. French envoy Jean Yves Le Drian, Ambassador of France to Qatar Jean-Baptiste Faivre, a representative of U.S. diplomat Barbara Leaf, Saudi royal envoy Nizar al-Aloula and Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid al-Boukhari will attend the meeting, ad-Diyar newspaper reported Wednesday. It added that France will be in contact with Iran regarding the meeting's developments. "Monday's meeting is pivotal," MP Marwan Hmadeh said. He added that Le Drian will carry the group's ideas, "and not a purely French proposal" as he returns to Lebanon in mid-July. Meanwhile, al-Jadeed reported that the meeting will mainly discuss the chances of success of a third-man solution through an internationally sponsored consensual dialogue.

Hochstein holds talks in Israel on border row, may visit Beirut
Naharnet /July 12/2023
U.S. Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security Amos Hochstein held talks Tuesday in Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli National Security Council chief Tzachi Hanegbi, Israeli and Lebanese media reports said. “The discussions tackled a number of topics, including the tensions between Israel and Hezbollah and the efforts to reach a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” the reports said. Al-Akhbar newspaper meanwhile reported that “Western countries have informed Lebanon that Israel is willing to engage in talks over land border demarcation despite its previous objection.” In Beirut, diplomatic sources said “Lebanon has received information that Hochstein might visit Beirut soon to continue the efforts,” al-Akhbar reported, although Lebanese official sources said that “the Americans have not yet engaged in any official communication with the officials in Lebanon in this regard.” Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib for his part said that “the proposal for the demarcation of the southern border is serious,” noting that delineation is “the solution for the various disputes on the southern border and it is not normalization.”“There are 13 disputed points on the border with Israel – seven of which are agreed on and six represent points of contention,” Bou Habib added. The Nidaa al-Watan newspaper meanwhile reported that Hochstein’s visit to Israel had been preceded by “U.S. contacts in both Lebanon and the United States.” “In Lebanon, U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea held a series of talks with the officials and visited a former security official who is still maintaining his role in a number of files, including following up on the implementation of the maritime demarcation steps. And on the sidelines of his latest visit to the U.S., Central Bank First Vice Governor Wassim Mansouri met with Hochstein, which means that this meeting was held with a designation from Speaker Nabih Berri, who has been following up on maritime border demarcation,” the daily said.
The Army Command has meanwhile started preparing the files of land border demarcation so that they be ready when the time for the demarcation process comes, the newspaper said.

Three injured in Al Boustane village as Israeli side throws bomb
LBCI/July 12/2023
Three young men were injured in Al Boustane village as a result of a bomb thrown by the Israeli side. The spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, took to Twitter to provide an update on the incident at the Israeli-Lebanese border. Adraee tweeted, "a number of suspects approached the security fence earlier today at the border with Lebanon and attempted to breach it in the area of the security barrier. They were immediately detected by the Israeli army and measures were taken to repel them." Adraee further mentioned that the identities of the suspects remain unknown, emphasizing that the Israeli army will continue its efforts to prevent any violation of Israel's sovereignty and any interference with the border fence.

Boundaries and barriers: Unraveling the Ghajar issue and Lebanon's land demarcation debate
LBCI/July 12/2023
In his press statement, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati spoke about Lebanon's readiness to carry out the complete demarcation of all its southern borders while affirming that the town of Ghajar is Lebanese according to the recognition of the United Nations. These remarks have raised eyebrows among concerned parties involved in the border issue. Their response was: Regarding the southern borders with the occupied territories, specifically in Ghajar, it is impossible to talk about indirect negotiations for the demarcation of the land borders with Israel due to various considerations.
In 2000, the northern part of Ghajar was liberated after Israel's withdrawal, and the Blue Line was drawn. At that point, Israel acknowledged that this part belonged to Lebanon and that there was no dispute over it. The United Nations has confirmed this fact within the framework of the Blue Line.
In 2006, Israel reoccupied the northern part of the town, and international forces withdrew from it. In recent months, Israel has begun encroaching on the northern part of Ghajar by constructing a barbed wire fence and a separation wall.
Lebanon objected to the recent actions, considering them as perpetuating the occupation of a known land with clear borders that are not subject to dispute. Therefore, it is impossible to discuss land demarcation negotiations with Israel, particularly in Ghajar. How the issue was presented has raised questions from concerned parties about the purpose of discussing demarcation at a time when the goal is for Israel to withdraw from the northern part of Ghajar. While it is not understood why negotiations through the United Nations are being mentioned, as Lebanon does not need it, these parties have wondered about the reasons for linking the Ghajar issue and the wall being built by Israel on the one hand, with the issue of Hezbollah's tents and Israeli activities in Shebaa Farms on the other hand, as they are two different issues with different field and negotiation approaches.

Israeli grenade wounds 3 Hezbollah members near Lebanon-Israel border
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/July 12/2023
Israeli fire wounded three members of Hezbollah on Wednesday near the border with Israel, a security source in southern Lebanon said. The incident comes amid tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border area, a stronghold of Hezbollah and the site of sporadic skirmishes. "Three Hezbollah members were wounded by Israeli fire near the border," the source told AFP, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media. Three other sources with knowledge of the incident also said Hezbollah members had been wounded. One said a sound grenade was fired and that three members were "lightly" hurt. The Israeli army said in a statement that "a number of suspects approached the northern security fence with Lebanon and attempted to sabotage the security fence in the area." "Soldiers immediately spotted the suspects and used means to distance them," the army said, adding that "the identity of the suspects is unknown." An AFP correspondent said the incident took place near the village of al-Bustan. The Israeli military released footage it said was of the incident showing several people approaching the fence before an apparent blast caused them to run away. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the army “deterred activists with nonlethal means.”“Anyone who tries us will get an answer,” Gallant said. "We have a lot to do and we will know how to do what is needed at the right time," he added. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which acts as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel, said it was "aware of disturbing reports about an incident along the Blue Line." "The situation is extremely sensitive. We urge everyone to cease any action that may lead to escalation of any kind," it said in a statement. Israel and Hezbollah fought a devastating war in 2006 after the group captured two Israeli soldiers. UNIFIL was set up in 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces after they invaded Lebanon in reprisal for a Palestinian attack. The U.N. mission was beefed up in response to the devastating 2006 conflict, and operates in the south near the border. Lebanon and Israel are technically at war.
Wednesday's incident comes less than a week after the Israeli army struck southern Lebanon following an anti-tank missile launch from its northern neighbor. The missile exploded in the border area between the two foes.
That same day, Hezbollah had denounced Israel for building a concrete wall around the town of Ghajar. The Blue Line cuts through Ghajar, formally placing its northern part in Lebanon and its southern part in the Israeli-occupied and annexed Golan Heights. The foreign ministry on Tuesday said Lebanon would file a complaint with the United Nations Security Council over Israel's "annexation" of the north of Ghajar. In June, Hezbollah said it shot down an Israeli drone that had flown into Lebanon's southern airspace. In April, Israel's military said soldiers had shot down a drone that entered its airspace from Lebanon, a day after a barrage of rockets was fired into Israel.

Bassil says border negotiations within president's power
Naharnet /July 12/2023
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil dubbed Wednesday what has been said about land border demarcation with Israel as a flagrant constitutional violation. Bassil said he was surprised when the Lebanese government told the United Nations that Lebanon is ready to demarcate its southern borders along the Blue Line. "Border negotiations are within the President's powers," Bassil said. He added that Lebanon's borders are already demarcated and internationally recognized by the Paulet–Newcombe Agreement and the U.N. Security Council Resolution 425. "We will not cede any of Lebanon's land and talking about negotiations on our land borders is a violation of the constitution and a suspicious act," Bassil said. Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib had said Tuesday that “the proposal for the demarcation of the southern border is serious,” noting that delineation is “the solution for the various disputes on the southern border and it is not normalization.”“There are 13 disputed points on the border with Israel – seven of which are agreed on and six represent points of contention,” Bou Habib added.

Salameh appears before Judge Abu Samra for questioning
Associated PressNaharnet/July 12/2023
Central Bank governor Riad Salameh, his brother Raja, and his assistant Marianne Howayek showed up Wednesday for an interrogation session at the Justice Palace before Judge Charbel Abu Samra. Salameh is part of the Lebanese political class widely blamed for a crushing economic crisis that began in late 2019 and which the World Bank has dubbed one of the worst in recent history. Earlier this month, a French court upheld the freezing of his assets, rejecting his appeal to have them released. Several European countries are investigating Salameh and his associates over myriad alleged financial crimes, including illicit enrichment and laundering of $330 million. A French investigative judge on May 16 issued an international arrest warrant, or Interpol red notice, for the 72-year-old Salameh after he failed to show up in Paris for questioning. France, Germany and Luxembourg in March 2022 froze more than $130 million in assets linked to the investigation. The European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, or Eurojust, said at the time that the investigation targets five suspects accused of money laundering. Salameh, who has repeatedly denied charges of corruption had requested that his assets be unfrozen. On Tuesday, a French appeals court rejected his appeal, saying that his assets will remain frozen, according to an official close to the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The central governor has repeatedly said that he made his wealth from his years working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, inherited properties and investments. He said he would only resign if convicted of a crime.
A Lebanese judge representing the Lebanese state earlier this year charged Salameh, his brother Raja and associate Marianne Hoayek with corruption. Two week ago, Hoayek was questioned in France and she signed a document pledging not to return to work at the central bank and not to have any contacts with the Salameh brothers and paid a 1.5 million-euro ($1.63 million) bail, Lebanese judicial officials said. During her questioning, Hoayek denied charges of corruption saying that most of her money were inherited from her father. Salameh and his brother Raja didn't go to France for questioning.
During a visit to Lebanon in March, a European delegation questioned Salameh about the Lebanese central bank’s assets and investments outside the country, a Paris apartment — which the governor owns — and his brother’s brokerage firm. Reports have circulated that the Lebanese central bank had hired Forry Associates Ltd., a brokerage firm owned by Raja, to handle government bond sales from which the firm received $330 million in commissions. Riad Salameh, a Lebanese-French citizen, has held his post for almost 30 years, but says he intends to step down after his current term ends at the end of July.
Once hailed as the guardian of Lebanon’s financial stability, Salameh since has been heavily blamed for Lebanon’s financial meltdown. Many say he precipitated the nearly four-year economic crisis, which has plunged three-quarters of Lebanon’s population of 6 million into poverty.

Report: German judiciary asks to raid Lebanon's central bank
Naharnet /July 12/2023
The German judiciary has asked Lebanon to “obtain files and documents related to the accounts of the central bank governor and his brother and assistant from inside the central bank,” media reports said. “Lebanon’s State Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oueidat received over the past hours a memo from the German side through the Lebanese Justice Ministry, requesting that it (German side) be allowed to raid the central bank and seize files and documents related to the accounts of Riad Salameh and his brother and assistant,” a senior judicial official told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. The German side “clearly expressed its desire to carry out a sudden and quick raid with the accompaniment of security forces and the participation of Lebanese judges, as part of the assistance that Lebanon is offering to the European judiciary,” the official said, noting that “the German request represents a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and an attack on the immunity of state institutions.” Oueidat “referred the German memo to Beirut First Examining Magistrate Charbel Abu Samra, seeing as the latter is the one in charge of enforcing European judicial writs,” the official added, pointing out that “the examining magistrate’s response to the German request will not be delayed.” Once hailed as the guardian of the country's financial stability, Salameh has been accused of amassing a fortune during some three decades in the post.
He is wanted by France and Germany in connection with alleged financial irregularities, but Lebanon does not extradite its citizens. Salameh has been the subject of judicial investigations both at home and abroad into allegations including embezzlement, money laundering, fraud and illicit enrichment. He denies the accusations.

Sarraf to testify in France after his port case 'information' ignored in Lebanon
Naharnet/July 12/2023
Former defense minister Yacoub Sarraf announced Wednesday that he will testify before the French judiciary on August 3 in the Beirut port blast case, after Lebanese judges refused to hear his testimony in Lebanon. “Expect a big surprise during the coming weeks!!!” Sarraf had tweeted on July 5. Sarraf served as defense minister from 2016 to 2018. He had repeatedly urged the case’s former investigative judge, Fadi Sawwan, to hear what he had to say. “The same matter was repeated with Judge Tarek Bitar, who met with Sarraf and received from him a file containing information and documents related to the explosion, but he also did not listen to him as a witness, before it turned out later that he had shelved the file,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday. “On January 12, Sarraf sent a memo to Justice Minister Henri Khoury and on January 17 he sent another memo to State Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oueidat, reiterating that he has information that might benefit the investigation into the port crime,” the daily said. Sarraf also “sent a memo to French Ambassador to Lebanon Anne Grillo on March 6, 2023, putting himself at the disposal of the French investigation,” al-Akhbar added. “He sent another memo to French investigative judges Marie-Christine Idiart and Nicolas Aubertin on June 6, 2023, asking them to hear him as a witness in the investigation that they are conducting into the port blast, with Aubertin answering his request on July 3 and inviting him to appear in French court on August 3 to deliver his testimony,” the daily said.

Lebanese efforts to curb drug smuggling and resume Arab exports gain momentum
LBCI/July 12/2023
Lebanon has been facing significant challenges in its export industry, particularly in the agricultural sector, due to the impact of drug smuggling operations that have disrupted trade routes to the Arabian Gulf. According to Bilal Houchaimi, more than 1,400 trucks have been parked for 3-4 years, highlighting the severe consequences of this issue. To address the adverse effects on truck owners, who operate refrigerator vehicles and have been disproportionately affected by the ban on Lebanese exports to the Gulf, the Syndicate of Refrigerator Truck Owners has taken proactive measures. They have provided a scanner device and established a new inspection and loading warehouse at the border crossing point.This step aims to reinforce Lebanese efforts to combat smuggling and resume exports to Arab countries, which is vital for sustaining the country's agricultural sector—the economy's lifeblood.

Minister Bou Habib holds discussions with French and British Ambassadors on UNIFIL and political developments
LBCI/July 12/2023
Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Abdallah Bou Habib discussed political developments with the French Ambassador to Lebanon, Anne Grillo.
The meeting aims to address the renewal of the International Emergency Force operating in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) next month. In addition, Minister Bou Habib met with British Ambassador Hamish Cowell to discuss bilateral relations and the renewal of UNIFIL.

Lebanese journalist Dima Sadek given one-year prison sentence for defamation
The National/July 12, 2023
Political parties condemn ruling and say it makes freedom of expression a criminal offence
Prominent Lebanese journalist Dima Sadek has been sentenced to a year in prison by a Beirut judge after the leader of one of the country’s largest political parties accused her of defamation and slander. Sadek, who plans to appeal, was also ordered to pay 110 million Lebanese pounds (about $1,200 on the parallel market) to the Free Patriotic Movement led by Gebran Bassil. Mr Bassil filed his lawsuit in 2020 after Ms Sadek described FPM supporters as “Nazi-like” and racist after an attack, in the coastal town of Jounieh, on two men from the northern city of Tripoli. Jounieh is a predominantly Christian town while Tripoli is a largely Sunni Muslim city. The FPM is one of the largest Christian-led political parties in Lebanon. Sadek said that one of the men who was attacked was forced to say “Aoun is your God and the God of Tripoli”, in reference to FPM founder Michel Aoun, president of Lebanon at the time. Upon filing the lawsuit, Mr Bassil, who is Mr Aoun’s son-in-law, condemned “the publication of a video, falsely attributed to the FPM, including incitement to hatred and racism, which could give rise to a sectarian conflict”. Sadek said the sentence handed down by Judge Rosine Hujaili set “a very dangerous precedent for the freedom of journalism, media and expression in Lebanon”. The sentence was condemned by independent MPs and some Lebanese political parties, particularly those traditionally opposed to the FPM. Amnesty International criticised what it described as the act of “criminalising freedom of expression”.
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/2023/07/12/lebanese-journalist-dima-sadek-given-one-year-prison-sentence-for-defamation/

Analysts say Qatar meeting ‘unlikely’ to break Lebanon’s political deadlock
Asmahan Qarjouli/Doha News/July 12/2023
While authorities have yet to confirm the rumoured talks in Doha, analysts have tapped in to discuss how Qatar can be of assistance to crises-stricken Lebanon. Lebanon’s political deadlock continues to persist more than halfway into the year, due to a prolonged presidential vacuum and a deteriorating economic situation, with the country’s post-1975 civil war political divide and endemic corruption further compounding the situation.
Lebanon has failed to elect a president a total of 12 times since former President Michel Aoun left office in October last year. However, hope for progress emerged in February after a “Quintet Meeting” -a group consisting of five parties including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United States, and France – first convened in Paris.
Despite the initial spark of hope, the Lebanese parliament has been unable to fill the presidential post in its most recent attempt in June.
Qatari envoy to return to Lebanon following initial ‘exploratory’ visit: reports
However, attention shifted towards Qatar on Monday with Lebanese media speculating on plans for another round of the Quintet Meeting, this time in Doha. While authorities have yet to confirm the rumoured talks, analysts have tapped in to discuss how Doha can be of assistance to crises-stricken Lebanon. Speaking to Doha News, experts said Qatar can help promote dialogue between Lebanon’s divided parties, but the path for economic recovery remains an uphill task that would require “meaningful” reforms in Lebanon. “What Qatar can do is facilitate the talks between internal and external actors, however, the path to economic recovery in Lebanon should be by adopting meaningful economic reforms,” Joe Macaron, an independent consultant and research analyst, virtually told Doha News.
Qatari efforts in Lebanon
In April, Qatar’s Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed Al Khulaifi met with Lebanese officials from different parties in Beirut as part of an “exploratory visit” amid the ongoing crisis.
The Gulf state had also previously played a significant role in Lebanon, most notably in 2008 when it held talks that resulted in an agreement between the Lebanese government and Hezbollah.
Those meetings followed an 18-month political crisis which raised fears over yet another deadly civil war that could potentially bring forth similar scenes from 1975-1990. The 2008 talks had led to an agreement that stipulated parties would decide on an electoral law, with General Michel Suleiman being named as the country’s president at the time.
Macaron offered more bleak expectations for the reported Quintet meeting in Qatar, saying it “is not expected to break the impasse” given that no recent movements in Lebanon have pointed towards any developments or progress to elect a president. Qatar dismisses ‘inappropriate’ claims on Lebanon president preference News on this week’s alleged meeting was first reported by Nidaa al-Watan, which cited diplomatic sources privy to the matter. According to the report, Qatar had extended an invitation to the other Quintet members for the talks though it said the date is “subject to consultation”.
A meeting on the matter also took place on Tuesday in Lebanon between Qatar’s Ambassador to Beirut Ibrahim Al Sahlawi and outgoing Saudi envoy to the country Walid Bukhari, LBC reported.
The sources added that one of the responses to the Qatari invitation suggested pushing the date from Thursday to next week, 17 July, due to “no enthusiasm” from the French side on the date. Paris’ reported reaction comes amid ongoing efforts by French Presidential Envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian to find a light at the end of the tunnel for Lebanon’s multi-faceted crises.
France has reportedly suggested holding the meeting in September instead to provide the French envoy with ample time “to complete his efforts in Lebanon”, the report said.
“Sources pointed out two opinions in France regarding consultations on the presidential deadline. The first confines the consultations to the presidential deadline. In contrast, the second expands them to include the presidency, dialogue, reforms, and work programmes,” the report added.
Le-Drian is reportedly heading back to Beirut next week after a previous visit in June, but there is a lack of optimism towards a breakthrough, Lebanese media reported on Tuesday.
Divergent stances and multiple candidates
Since the start of the year, potential candidates have emerged, including Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, seen by Lebanese media as the “preferred” candidate by Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Dr. Majed Al Ansari dismissed such claims and said “it is inappropriate to talk about the existence of an external party that has a preferred candidate” in Lebanon.
Can ‘convenor of dialogue’ Qatar break Lebanon’s deadlock again?
“What Qatar and the Arab countries can offer regarding the Lebanese crisis is to support the Lebanese to reach a consensus that will lead Lebanon out of its current crisis,” Dr. Al Ansari said, as quoted by Al Araby Al Jadeed in April.
Last month, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani stressed that “the solution is in the hands of the Lebanese and not any other country.”
The current inability to elect a president in Lebanon is not now and is in fact reminiscent of previous such occasions in Beirut’s recent history.
The presidential position was vacant between November 2007 and May 2008, during the Lebanese civil war between 1988 and 1989, and between May 2014 until October 2016.”The latest delay has been widely attributed to differences over Hezbollah-backed, Christian politician Suleiman Frangieh, whose grandfather served as Lebanon’s president from 1970-1976.
“The primary obstacle to electing a president has been the discord over the candidacy of Frangieh, which is delaying the election process until a consensus candidate emerges[…]the remaining parliamentary blocs are searching for an alternative candidate that would eventually be accepted by Hezbollah,” Macaron said. Hezbollah and its allied parties, notably the Amal Movement, stepped out of June’s electoral session after prominent Christian parties placed the name of the International Monetary Fund official and former Finance Minister Jihad Azour on the table. Azour had won 59 votes out of 128 parliament’s seats whereas Frangieh received 51 votes. According to Lebanese media, the French side is no longer involved in the proposal to nominate Frangieh. “So far, Paris’ efforts have been able to reach a breakthrough, most notably after encouraging a deal that would elect Frangieh. France has, however, recalibrated its approach after the recent Le Drian’s visit, but it remains unlikely to be impactful given the limited French influence in Lebanon,” Macaron explained. Lebanon society is fragmented into Shia Muslims, Sunni Muslims, Druze, Maronites and other Christian sects. A number of social segments had engaged in a brutal civil war in 1975 that lasted for 15 years. To date, the people of Lebanon believe the war has left a lasting impact on the country and has plagued its political ranks for years, leading to widespread corruption and self-serving interests among the ruling elite.
For four years, Lebanon’s economy has been facing its worst downfall since the civil war with the Lebanese Lira losing more than 90% of its value to the US dollar. In 2019, mass protests broke out in Beirut due to the lack of basic resources. Calls from millions of demonstrators demanding the ouster of the ruling elite echoed across the capital’s Martyrs’ Square. The situation has further deteriorated since the Covid-19 outbreak and devastating 2020 Beirut blast. As the crisis continues, analysts have attributed the latest delays in elections to Lebanon’s fragile political system.
“Presidential elections typically last long in Lebanon due to the confessional and dysfunctional nature of the political system. There is no end in sight in the immediate future, but ultimately a consensus candidate would emerge,” Macaron noted.

Nasrallah says Shebaa tent aimed at highlighting occupation of Ghajar, other areas
Naharnet/July 12/2023
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday said that his party has erected a tent in the occupied Shebaa Farms to stir debate inside and outside the country over Israel's occupation of the northern part of the Ghajar village and other border points, urging a decisive Lebanese stance.
“Israel built the fence in Ghajar before the two tents were erected. One of the two tents is in an undisputed area and the other is behind the withdrawal line,” Nasrallah said, in a televised address marking the anniversary of the 2006 war with Israel.
“By placing a tent in the Shebaa Farms, we are placing a tent in Lebanese territory, and the international mediations started after the tent was erected,” Nasrallah noted. Nasrallah also warned that Hezbollah’s fighters have instructions to act should Israel target the tent. Apparently responding to remarks by Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil, Nasrallah stressed that “what's happening now is not a demarcation of the land border,” adding that “Israel must end its occupation of the border points.”“The Lebanese stance on Ghajar must be decisive and this is Lebanese territory and the efforts of the state and the resistance will be integrated,” Hezbollah’s leader went on to say. Turning to domestic issues, Nasrallah said his party does not want to “abolish the Taif Accord” nor to secure “tripartite power-sharing,” noting that “the rumors that are being spread are aimed at creating a sectarian atmosphere.”
“The advocates of sovereignty are the ones talking about federalism and about changing Lebanon’s structure,” he said. As for the presidential file, Nasrallah said his party does not want “constitutional guarantees,” seeing as its “real guarantee” lies in “the president as a person.”“We had confidence in General Michel Aoun personally and we trusted him because he is honest and does not betray,” Nasrallah said. “Over the past six years, we felt that the back of the resistance was secure and would not be stabbed,” he added.
“We have not supported Suleiman Franjieh before communicating with the FPM and we have not nominated him to impose him on Christians but rather because he is one of the top Maronite leaders in the country,” Nasrallah said, stressing that “dialogue should not be conditional.”
“We are a large segment of the Lebanese people and we have the right to add a condition to the characteristics of the president,” he said. “It is true that we will come to the dialogue table with a single name, Suleiman Franjieh, but we will engage in discussions,” Nasrallah added.
He also reassured that Hezbollah “will not use the force of the resistance to impose anything inside the country,” revealing that some FPM activists had wanted Hezbollah to “impose General Michel Aoun as president” following the May 7, 2008 clashes.
“There can be no solution in Lebanon except through agreeing with each other and when there is readiness for dialogue we will be ready to take part in it at any time and in any place,” Nasrallah added, noting that Hezbollah is awaiting the proposals that will be carried by French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian during his upcoming visit to Lebanon. “Our choice is partnership and cooperation because Lebanon can only survive like this,” Nasrallah stressed.

Lebanese MP And Former Justice Minister General (Ret.) Ashraf Rifi: Lebanon Is Like Vichy France Under Nazi Occupation; When France Was Liberated, Vichy Generals Were Tried And Executed
MEMRI/OTV (Lebanon)/July 12/2023
Lebanese MP and former Justice Minister General (Ret.) Ashraf Rifi said in a June 5, 2023 show on OTV (Lebanon) that Lebanon is similar to Nazi-occupied France during WWII. He said that once General de Gaulle's army liberated France, they put the Vichy generals on trial and executed them. Rifi added that "every occupier creates a puppet regime" and the "people who support the freedom and sovereignty of their country [...] ultimately execute [the traitors]."
Ashraf Rifi: "I compare Lebanon to France during World War II.
"The Nazis invaded France. General Pétain formed the Vichy government, under the pretext of being realistic, protecting the homeland, and what have you. He collaborated with the Nazis, but, in fact, became a tool of the occupiers.
"Along came General de Gaulle and the Free French officers. They left France, cooperated with the Allies, and when they liberated France, they placed the Vichy generals on trial for treason, and they executed them, with the exception of General Pétain, who [was spared] because of his service in World War I. They left him to spend the rest of his life in prison.
"This is why I draw the comparison. Every occupier creates a puppet regime, in an attempt to prevent a revolt against it. As you probably know, in every independence there are martyrs, because there are people who support the freedom and sovereignty of their country, and this is why these people ultimately execute [the traitors]."

New Era in Lebanese Sports
Najwa Yassine/Diwan-Carnegie/July 12/2023
With every triumph, the Lebanon women’s national basketball team advances gender equality.
Lebanon is witnessing a new era in sports, thanks to the increased visibility of women. Traditionally, sports have been dominated by men, but the emergence of Lebanese women as formidable athletes is challenging entrenched beliefs regarding gender roles. In the process, it is opening doors for male-female equality in the sporting world.
The rise to prominence of the Lebanese women’s national basketball team attests to this progress. Indeed, the team’s groundbreaking achievements highlight the increasing empowerment of women in sports. In 2021, Lebanon showcased their prowess by winning the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Women’s Asia Cup, Division B. They stormed past host nation Jordan with a resounding score of 80–40, securing their place in Division A for 2023. And in a recent classification game for the Asia Cup, Lebanon proved that they were deserving of their newfound place in the top division. Thanks to a last-minute basket by point guard Rebecca Akl, who scored an impressive 27 points overall, Lebanon achieved a two-point victory against heavily favored Chinese Taipei, Taiwan’s national basketball team.
None of this should come as a surprise. Women athletes in Lebanon—including the members of the national basketball team—train with the same level of commitment and intensity as their male counterparts. They push themselves to the limit and endure exhausting physical training, painstakingly honing their skills all the while. The hours they spend in the gym, on the field, or on the court are proof of their passion and pursuit of excellence.
Despite their effort and dedication, however, Lebanese sportswomen often face a battle in terms of recognition and visibility. They encounter obstacles that can restrict their opportunities and hinder their progress. From gender biases to societal expectations, women athletes navigate a complex landscape in which their achievements are sometimes underappreciated or entirely overlooked. By surmounting these hurdles and excelling in traditionally male-dominated sports, amateur and professional sportswomen help to empower Lebanese girls to pursue their athletic passions without fear or hesitation.
Yet achievements without sufficient exposure will have limited reach. This is why the media is important. Television, more than any other medium, enhances athletes’ visibility and helps to combat stereotypes, whether racial or gender-based. Perhaps it can do for sportswomen in Lebanon and the Arab world what it did for African American athletes in the United States.
We may soon find out. Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI), one of Lebanon’s main television stations, has acquired exclusive broadcasting rights in the country for major international and continental championships until 2025 through an agreement with FIBA. As part of its preparations for a busy season during the second half of this year, LBCI launched a campaign in June to rally support for three of the country’s teams headed for international competitions abroad: the women’s national team at the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in Australia; the Lebanese men’s Under-19 team at the FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Hungary; and the men’s national team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.
Like all team sports, basketball is a collaborative effort. Nonetheless, as demonstrated by Akl through her on-court heroics, sometimes an individual stands out. And if the individual in question can also make a name for herself off the court, the spotlight will shine on her even more brightly. Such is the case with Mona Yaacoub.
Yaacoub’s journey as a player began as a point guard for the women’s basketball team fielded by Lebanese sports club Antranik. These days, she plays the same position for Homenetmen Bourj Hammoud, racking up points and assists. Yet Yaacoub has also made an impact off the court, given her work in television; she serves as a commentator and anchor at LBCI Sports, lending her expertise and enthusiasm to the world of sports journalism.
Yaacoub brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role. As a player herself, she understands the game and can provide unique insights during live broadcasts. Moreover, in watching Yaacoub, young girls may be inspired to pursue careers in sports journalism and broadcasting. Her presence on the screen sends a powerful message that women have a rightful place in sports media and deserve equal opportunities to contribute their voices and perspectives.
However heartening the successes of increasing numbers of Lebanese women in sports and sports journalism or broadcasting, it is crucial to recognize that myriad challenges remain. For example, in Lebanon and many other countries, there is a significant gender disparity when it comes to coaching positions, particularly in male-dominated sports. Having women coaches brings unique perspectives, experiences, and leadership styles to the realm of sports. Their presence promotes an inclusive environment that values diversity and equal opportunities.Additionally, financing is imperative for the growth of women’s sports and the success of Lebanese teams in international competitions. The Lebanese Basketball Federation has shown support for the national women’s team, recognizing its potential and commitment. And the team has picked up a few sponsors. Yet there remains a pressing need for additional financial support and continued investment, both in terms of infrastructure and career opportunities, to sustain whatever momentum has been achieved and to ensure that future generations of sportswomen can thrive.Ultimately, the future trajectory of women’s professional sports in Lebanon is uncertain, and any progress will depend on several factors. Some of these lie beyond the control of Lebanese sportswomen. Others, however, fall within their realm of influence. For example, should the women’s national basketball team—which is having an extraordinary run—secure a spot in the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, this would be unprecedented in its history. Moreover, such an achievement would raise the profile of Lebanese women’s sports in general and might even herald the beginning of true gender equality in Lebanon.
*Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 12-13/2023
G7 vows long-term arms supplies to help Ukraine defeat Russia
Agence France Presse/July 12/2023
G7 nations on Wednesday pledged to offer "enduring" military support to Ukraine to help it fight Russia's invading forces and stop any repeat of the war once it ends. "We will each work with Ukraine on specific, bilateral, long-term security commitments and arrangements towards ensuring a sustainable force capable of defending Ukraine now and deterring Russian aggression in the future," the G7 said in a statement obtained by AFP.

NATO to back Ukraine against Russia — but not to extend membership
Associated Press/July 12/2023
NATO leaders gathered Wednesday to launch a highly symbolic new forum for ties with Ukraine, after committing to provide the country with more military assistance for fighting Russia but only vague assurances of future membership.
U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts will sit down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the new NATO-Ukraine Council, a permanent body where the 31 allies and Ukraine will sit as equals and be able to call crisis talks. The setting is part of NATO's effort to bring Ukraine as close as possible to the military alliance without actually joining it. On Tuesday, the leaders said that Ukraine can join "when allies agree and conditions are met."
The ambiguous outcome reflects the challenges of reaching consensus among the alliance's current members while the war continues, and has left Zelensky disappointed. His mood may improve when security commitments for a post-war Ukraine are unveiled by the Group of Seven nations. "We have to stay outside of this war but be able to support Ukraine. We managed that very delicate balancing act for the last 17 months. It's to the benefit of everyone that we maintain that balancing act," Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said as he arrived for the summit. Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, whose country lies on NATO's eastern flank and has a long, troubled history with Russia, said he would have preferred more for Ukraine. "There will always be a difference of flavor of how fast you would want to go. But… at the end of it, what everyone gets, including Ukraine, and what Moscow sees is we are all very united," he said. Although Zelensky is attending the summit's final day in Vilnius, he has been sharply critical of what he described as NATO's "absurd" reluctance to set a timeline for his country's acceptance into the alliance. In essence, Western countries are willing to keep sending weapons to help Ukraine do the job that NATO was designed to do — hold the line against a Russian invasion — but not allow Ukraine to join its ranks and benefit from its security while war rages on. Zelensky said in a Tuesday speech in a town square in Vilnius that he had faith in NATO, but that he would "like this faith to become confidence, confidence in the decisions that we deserve, all of us, every soldier, every citizen, every mother, every child."
"Is that too much to ask?" he added.
Symbols of support for Ukraine are common around the city, where the country's blue-and-yellow flags hang from buildings and are pasted inside windows. One sign cursed Russian President Vladimir Putin. Another urged NATO leaders to "hurry up" their assistance for Ukraine. However, there's been more caution inside the summit itself, especially from Biden, who has explicitly said he doesn't think Ukraine is ready to join NATO. There are concerns that the country's democracy is unstable and its corruption remains too deeply rooted. Under Article 5 of the NATO charter, members are obligated to defend each other from attack, which could swiftly draw the U.S. and other nations into direct fighting with Russia. However, defining an end to hostilities is no easy task. Officials have declined to define the goal, which could suggest a negotiated ceasefire or Ukraine reclaiming all occupied territory. Either way, Putin would essentially have veto power over Ukraine's NATO membership by prolonging the conflict. Wednesday's commitments will include a new G7 framework that would provide for Ukraine's long-term security. The British foreign ministry said the G7 would "set out how allies will support Ukraine over the coming years to end the war and deter and respond to any future attack. It is the first time that this many countries have agreed a comprehensive long-term security arrangement of this kind with another country."
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement that supporting Ukraine's "progress on the pathway to NATO membership, coupled with formal, multilateral, and bilateral agreements and the overwhelming support of NATO members will send a strong signal to President Putin and return peace to Europe."
Although international summits are often tightly scripted, this one has seesawed between conflict and compromise. At first leaders appeared to be deadlocked over Sweden's bid for membership in the alliance. However, Turkey unexpectedly agreed to drop its objections the night before the summit formally began. The deal led to boasts of success from leaders who were eager for a display of solidarity in Vilnius. "This summit is already historic before it has started," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.
Erdogan has not commented publicly on the deal over Sweden's membership, even during a Tuesday evening meeting with Biden where Biden referenced "the agreement you reached yesterday." However, Erdogan appeared eager to develop his relationship with Biden. The Turkish president has been seeking advanced American fighter jets and a path toward membership in the European Union. The White House has expressed support for both, but publicly insisted that the issues were not related to Sweden's membership in NATO.

Ukraine says shot down 11 Russian drones in second night of attacks
Agence France Presse/July 12/2023
Ukraine said Wednesday it had shot down 11 Russian drones overnight in a second consecutive night of attacks on the capital Kyiv, as NATO leaders prepared to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Vilnius.
"A total of 15 kamikaze drones were involved in the strike. Eleven of them were destroyed in the areas of responsibility of the Centre and East air commands," Ukraine's air force said on social media. The statement did not say if other drones were shot down in other parts of Ukraine. Igor Taburets, governor of Cherkasy region in central Ukraine, said two people were hospitalised with burns after a drone hit a non-residential building, sparking a fire. "Cherkasy was on alert for more than three and a half hours," he said. Kyiv military authorities said there was also a drone attack on the capital but did not say how many drones were involved. "All enemy targets in the airspace around Kyiv were detected and destroyed," it said on social media, adding that there were no reports of victims or damage. The air raid alert in Kyiv lasted for more than two hours. On the first day of the NATO summit on Tuesday, Ukraine said Russian attack drones had targeted grain facilities at a southern port in the Odesa region. The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday it had downed a total of 26 Russian attack drones in the latest barrage.

Iran's president begins rare visit to Africa 'to promote economic diplomacy'
Associated Press/July 12/2023
Iran's president has begun a rare visit to Africa as the country, which is under heavy U.S. economic sanctions, seeks to deepen partnerships around the world.
President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Kenya on Wednesday is the first to the African continent by an Iranian leader in more than a decade. He is also expected to visit Uganda and Zimbabwe and meet with the presidents there.
Africa is a "continent of opportunities" and a great platform for Iranian products, Raisi told journalists in a briefing. He didn't take questions. "None of us is satisfied with the current volume of trade," he said.
Iran's leader specifically mentioned Africa's mineral resources and Iran's petrochemical experience, but the five memoranda of understanding signed on Wednesday by the Islamic Republic and Kenya appeared not to address either one. Instead, they addressed information, communication and technology; fisheries; animal health and livestock production and investment promotion. Kenyan President William Ruto called Iran a "critical strategic partner" and "global innovation powerhouse." He expressed interest in expanding Kenya's agricultural exports to Iran and Central Asia well beyond tea.
Iran also intends to set up a manufacturing plant for Iranian vehicles in Kenya's port city of Mombasa, Ruto said, Raisi's Africa visit is meant to "promote economic diplomacy, strengthen political relations with friendly and aligned countries, and diversify the export destinations," Iran's foreign ministry said in a statement upon his arrival. Last month, Iran's leader made his first visit to Latin America, stopping in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties in a major diplomatic breakthrough. Iran is in a growing standoff with Western nations over its nuclear program, which has made major advances in the five years since then-U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew his country from an international agreement that restricted it. Trump also restored sanctions on Iran that have contributed to a severe economic crisis. The U.S. last month accused Iran of providing Russia with materials to build a drone manufacturing plant as Moscow seeks weaponry for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Iran has said it provided drones to Russia before the start of the war but not since. Kenya is East Africa's economic hub and an ally of the U.S., with President Joe Biden's wife, Jill, visiting the country early this year. Last year, the U.S. and Kenya signed a memorandum of understanding on "strategic civil nuclear cooperation." Kenya has expressed interest in using nuclear power for energy production. A U.S. Embassy spokesman did not immediately respond to questions about the Iranian leader's visit. Under Ruto, Kenya is struggling with debt and rising cost of living, with more protests expected on Wednesday in the capital, Nairobi, and elsewhere. Few details have been released about the Iranian leader's visit to Uganda and Zimbabwe. Last month, the U.S. imposed visa restrictions on some officials in Uganda after the passage of a widely criticized anti-LGBTQ+ law. Zimbabwe, like Iran, is under U.S. sanctions.

Abbas vows to rebuild Jenin camp after deadly Israeli raid
Associated Press/July 12/2023
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited the occupied West Bank's Jenin refugee camp Wednesday in the wake of a devastating Israeli offensive last week, marking his first visit to the camp since 2005.
The visit came at a time of seething discontent with Palestinians in the West Bank for Abbas and the Palestinian Authority, the autonomous government which administers parts of the West Bank but whose forces have largely lost control over several militant strongholds in the region — including Jenin.
The 87-year-old president is widely seen as out of touch with the public and rarely ventures outside of his Ramallah headquarters, making Wednesday's visit notable. The Palestinian leader's visit to the Jenin refugee camp came a week after Israel launched a massive two-day military operation there, the largest in the West Bank in nearly two decades, that killed at least 12 Palestinians, forced thousands to flee their homes and left large swaths of the camp in ruins. An Israeli soldier was also killed in the operation, which the Israeli army said was necessary to crack down on Palestinian militant groups following a spate of recent attacks. Abbas arrived in Jenin aboard a Jordanian helicopter on Wednesday afternoon. Thousands clustered around his heavy security detail, and children chased his motorcade as it moved along the streets. He visited a freshly-dug cemetery, where he laid a wreath at the graves of those killed in last week's operation, before speaking to a tightly-packed crowd.
"Jenin camp is the icon of struggle, steadfastness and challenge," said Abbas. He pledged the reconstruction of the camp would begin immediately. "I say to everyone near and far, this country is safe and its authority will remain one... we must get rid of the occupation and we say to them: leave us, we are here to stay."Abbas's leadership has come under criticism over rampant corruption in the Palestinian Authority and the lack of any progress toward independence. Just 17% of Palestinians are satisfied with Abbas' leadership and 80% want him to resign, according to a Palestinian public opinion poll in June.
The Palestinian Authority has long drawn resentment for its security cooperation with Israel, which allows its security forces to crack down on rival militant groups such as Hamas, but the Jenin raid further degraded its reputation among many Palestinians. U.S. President Joe Biden said in an interview with CNN this week that "the Palestinian Authority has lost its credibility" among Palestinians and has "created a vacuum for extremism" in the West Bank. Abbas's visit came after a statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's office that his government would take steps to strengthen the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, but gave no specifics about what steps it would take. Since taking office in December, several ultranationalist ministers in Netanyahu's government have called for the Palestinian Authority to be disbanded. Netanyahu heads one of the most hard-line governments in Israel's history, made up of ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox factions along with his ruling Likud party. Over the last year, Israel has conducted stepped-up raids into Palestinian areas in response to deadly Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis over the past year. More than 150 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of the year, while at least 26 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis.

Aid groups in northwest Syria fear worse conditions if aid from Turkey stops
Associated Press/July 12/2023
Youssef al-Ramadan says he always feels guilty for having to put his wife and three children to work in order to survive — and now they might not be able to get by since international aid could stop flowing from Turkey.
Standing outside his tent in a displacement camp in northern Idlib, he is worried that their income might not be sufficient to make ends meet if the United Nations Security Council cannot renew a humanitarian border crossing that has been a critical lifeline for him and some 4.1 million people in Syria's rebel-held northwest. The vast majority live in poverty and rely on aid to survive.
On Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council failed to renew the Bab al-Hawa border crossing into opposition-held northwestern Syria from Turkey.
Russia, a key political and military ally of President Bashar Assad, vetoed a compromise resolution presented by Brazil and Switzerland that would renew the crossing's mandate for nine months. With the exception of China's abstention, it was voted in favor by the majority of member states, and had the backing of humanitarian agencies and the U.N. Secretary General. Moscow's rival resolution, which would renew the mandate for six months with additional requirements, failed to get the minimum of nine votes in favor, with only China giving its support. Like many others in Idlib, al-Ramadan was internally displaced due to the ongoing conflict, now in its 13th year. He says he cannot go back to his hometown south of the province, because he alleges that the Syrian government and Russia confiscated his home and farmland.
"They took our land and our homes, and now they want to cut off the border crossing," he told The Associated Press. "I'm barely able to survive with Bab al-Hawa open, so what happens if it closes?"
Syria is still dealing with the impact of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in February that rocked Turkey and northern Syria in both government and opposition held areas, killing over 50,000 people.
The Security Council initially authorized aid deliveries in 2014 from Turkey, Iraq and Jordan through four crossing points into opposition-held areas in Syria. Over the years, Russia, backed by China, had reduced the authorized crossings to just Bab al-Hawa from Turkey, and the mandates from a year to six months. Russia alleges that militant groups in Idlib are taking the aid and preventing it from reaching families in need. Moscow and Beijing have been calling to phase out the U.N. cross-border mandate and instead route through Damascus, but Syrians in the northwest enclave say they are skeptical of the push.
The Syrian Response Coordination Group, a relief group active in northwestern Syria, slammed the Security Council's five permanent members — France, United States, United Kingdom, Russia, and China — for what they called "strongly irresponsible actions" and "clear disregard for the fate of millions of civilians in Syria." International humanitarian organizations decried Russia's veto.
"It defies reason and principle, that Security Council members would vote to not maintain all avenues of aid access for vulnerable Syrians at this time," International Rescue Committee President David Miliband said in a statement.
Dr. Munzer Khalil, Idlib health director, told The Associated Press that he fears severe public health consequences if the Security Council cannot renew the crossing's mandate, because many health facilities relying on U.N. aid will face shortages of critical medical supplies and equipment, including vaccines for children. The recent earthquake that hit the region emphasizes "the urgency of addressing the inequitable access to aid in northwest Syria and allocating resources for both long-term and immediate recovery initiatives," Khalil said.

Iraq moves toward easing its energy crisis with $27B TotalEnergies deal
Associated Press/July 12/2023
A multibillion-dollar agreement signed with France's TotalEnergies could help resolve Iraq's longstanding electricity crisis, attract international investors and reduce its reliance on gas imports from neighboring Iran, a point of tension with Washington. The $27 billion agreement signed in Baghdad on Monday after years of negotiation marks the largest foreign investment in Iraq's history. It could even help combat climate change by reducing oil flares, and relieve some of the stress on Iraq's dwindling waterways through a new desalination plant.
But that's only if the parties implementing the agreement can overcome the endemic corruption and political instability that has undermined Iraq's oil sector for more than two decades.
The Gas Growth Integrated Project focuses on bolstering the country's oil-rich but underdeveloped Basra province. TotalEnergies would take on a 45% stake in the Basra Oil Company, with Iraq holding 30% and Qatar's state-owned petroleum company taking the other 25%.
It would recover natural gas from three oil fields and use it to generate electricity. Because Iraq lacks the necessary infrastructure, that gas is currently being burned off into the atmosphere. The World Bank estimates Iraq flares around 16 billion cubic meters of gas per day.
The project also includes the construction of a seawater treatment plant that would relieve the pressure on Iraq's water resources, and a solar power plant to be built with Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power that would supply the local grid.
Iraq is an OPEC member with some of the world's largest oil reserves. But its electricity grid has suffered from decades of mismanagement and damage from various conflicts. Power outages are common, especially in the scorching summer months, forcing many Iraqis to rely on diesel generators or suffer through temperatures that exceed 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). Iraq also relies heavily on gas imports from Iran, with which it has had close ties since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The U.S. has been forced to grant some exceptions to the sanctions it maintains on Iran over that country's disputed nuclear program. Budgetary shortfalls and surging demand have meanwhile forced Iran to reduce the supply in recent years, compounding Iraq's woes and fueling violent protests.
Iraq's energy problems stem from its troubled politics.
The power-sharing arrangement set up in the wake of the U.S.-led invasion divides the state and its institutions along religious and ethnic lines. Sectarian-based political parties bicker over ministries, install loyalists at top positions and dispense public sector jobs to their supporters. The system breeds widespread corruption, inefficiency and political gridlock. ExxonMobile, which saw a similar multi-project deal fall through after years of negotiations, announced in 2021 that it would be selling its shares from the West Qurna 1 oil field. London-based BP is spinning off development of the Rumaila field, Iraq's largest.
Iraq signed an initial contract with TotalEnergies in 2021, but political disputes delayed the final signing for another two years. TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné nevertheless struck an upbeat tone at the signing ceremony, saying the agreement would boost Iraq's economy and create jobs, with Iraqis making up at least 80% of the project's workforce.
"It's a very strong signal, not only to TotalEnergies to encourage to invest, but also to all other foreign investment," he said in a statement. The company did not respond to several requests for additional comment.
The state-run Iraqi News Agency said work would begin "in a matter of days," with the Oil Ministry expecting tangible results in three years. Oil Ministry spokesman Assim Jihad said the ministry has been trying to launch such projects for over a decade but was held back by political gridlock, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war against the Islamic State extremist group, which at one point controlled much of northern and western Iraq. "Now there is political will to speed up implementing these kinds of projects," he said. Bachar El-Halabi, an energy markets analyst at London-based Argus, says the megaproject "gives the country a breather" after recent years saw some oil majors pull out of Iraq. "This should, in theory, help decrease Iraq's dependency on Iranian gas imports, which remains a sticky point between Baghdad and Washington," he said.
Marc Ayoub, an energy policy expert at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, a Washington-based think tank, said the project could face challenges down the line. "The political climate in Iraq is sensitive and could change at any moment," he said. The size of the project, and the involvement of a major multi-national company, means "there would be less room for corruption," he added. "But you never know. There's always risk."

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 12-13/2023
Today in History: King Richard Rocks Saladin’s World
Raymond Ibrahim/July 12/2023
Following the decisive battle of Hattin in 1187, Sultan Saladin went on to conquer Jerusalem and most other Christian kingdoms, including coastal Acre. Elated by his success, he vowed not only to eliminate all Crusaders from the Holy Land, but to invade Europe and “pursue the Franks there, so as to free the earth of anyone who does not believe in Allah, or die in the attempt.”
Before long, however, and due to its strategic location, Acre became the rallying point for the remaining Crusaders. If only they could reclaim it, they could reconsolidate their power base and spread out again, including to Jerusalem. So they laid it to siege in the summer of 1189. Famine, plague, and pestilence harried the Crusaders and countless thousands died while the Muslims continued to hold out in Acre.
The mood changed in the summer of 1191, when Philip II of France and especially Richard I of England—the Lionheart, whom most Crusaders looked to as the natural leader—arrived with their men to aid in the siege.
Richard immediately ordered the construction of more war moveable towers; more ditches around Acre were filled, thereby allowing these new engines of war to encroach upon and bombard the city; and defensive trenches were dug around the Crusaders’ camp, to prevent sorties from Saladin’s marauding troops. Soon all the engines of war rained down death dealing destruction. Massive boulders—some aflame and setting anything inside Acre not built of stone ablaze—rocked the city. After the battle of Hattin, Saladin had ordered the ritual massacre of the military orders of the Knights Templars and Hospitallers. Now their brothers-in-arms made their presence felt: “the Templars’ stonethrower wreaked impressive devastation,” wrote a contemporary, “while the Hospitallers’ also never ceased hurling, to the terror of the Turks.”
In the words of Muslim chronicler Ibn al-Athir, after Richard’s arrival, “The damage they did to the Muslims increased greatly. The king was the outstanding man of his time for bravery, cunning, steadfastness and endurance. In him the Muslims were tried by an unparalleled disaster.”
Before long, however, Muslim spies “reported the great fatigue they [the Crusaders] endured on account of all the various tasks they had constantly to put up with since the arrival of the accursed king of England. Then the latter fell seriously ill and was on the verge of death.”
More robust than most men, even Richard had succumbed to the pestilent camp and contracted a form of scurvy which caused hair and fingernails to fall out, and in extreme cases, blindness. Even so, he continued inciting his men to war from the sickbed.
A contemporary chronicle offers a snapshot of these times:
King Richard’s stonethrowers hurled constantly by day and night…. [O]ne of them killed twelve men with a single stone. That stone was sent for Saladin to see, with messengers who said that the diabolical king of England had…[come] to punish the Saracens. Nothing could withstand their blows; everything was crushed or reduced to dust. Yet the king was confined to bed suffering from a severe fever, completely wretched because he saw the Turks insolently challenging and attacking our people with increasing frequency but he could not engage them in battle because he was ill.
This, the chronicler adds, is what truly “burned” him up—for Richard “suffered more torture from the insolent Turkish raids than from the burning fever.”
All this time Saladin had also been resorting to terror tactics, for he “enrolled 300 robbers from amongst the thieving Bedouin to infiltrate the enemy.” Baha’ al-Din explains how, after a day of exhaustive fighting, these cutthroats would slip into the Crusader camp during the thick of night. The common soldier would be rudely awoken “by a dagger which was held at his throat.” He and his belongings would then be spirited away or, if he resisted, slaughtered on the spot.
In time, Richard, though still sick, had become even more sick of his impotence. He ordered his moveable tower hauled into “the ditch outside the city wall”; he then “had himself carried out” on his sick bed and placed near his “most skilled crossbowmen” under the tower. The wounded warrior-king did this “to discourage the Saracens with his presence and encourage his own people to fight. There he used his crossbow, with which he was skilled, and killed many.”
Meanwhile, “the Christians’ stonethrowers kept up a constant battering of the walls, day and night.” Acre was holding on by a thread. Although the Christian chronicler praised the martial spirit of its Turkish garrison—they were “fit and ready for anything” and “certainly not inferior to our people”—by now many desperate Muslims “hurled themselves from the walls at night in a desperate attempt to escape.” On being captured, a “great many of them begged to be given the sacrament of the Christian baptism,” though, as the chronicle observes, “they asked for this more as a means of escape.”
Finally, on today’s date, July 12, 1191, “the Franks—Allah curse them!—conquered the city of Acre,” writes Ibn al-Athir, nearly two years since the siege first began.
**This article was abstracted from Ibrahim’s new book, Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood against Islam, which features a chapter on Richard Lionheart.

Do Not Let China Attack America from America
Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/July 12, 2023
It is way past time to end the ability of the Chinese regime to conduct political warfare against the United States from American soil. America's defense begins with closing down the America ChangLe Association.
American presidents for decades have known that China's diplomats and agents were violating American sovereignty and did either nothing or virtually nothing to stop these activities. Therefore, China's Communists naturally thought they could get away with even more blatant conduct.
Americans may think they are at peace, but the Communist Party believes it is locked in an existential struggle with America. People's Daily, speaking for the Party, declared a "people's war" on the United States in May 2019. The Chinese regime has been conducting "unrestricted warfare" against America for decades.
"While it is fair to say that the CCP prefers to win this war without fighting, it is more accurate to say that the CCP intends to win without us fighting back. Through political warfare, the CCP disarms us intellectually and psychologically as it co-opts, corrupts, and ultimately controls key American elites, particularly political and foreign policy decision makers." — Kerry Gershaneck, NATO fellow for Hybrid Threats, to Gatestone Institute, July 11, 2023.
Beijing has almost certainly purchased most of the Biden family. In March, a spokesperson for Hunter Biden's legal team admitted that Hunter had received "good faith seed funds" from an energy company in China. That was essentially an admission of bribery... no Chinese business in these circumstances would pay seed money.
In addition to the Bidens, China has purchased hundreds — if not thousands — of politicians, academics, businesspeople and law enforcement officials at the federal, state, and municipal levels.
How do we know this?
"The Chinese Communist Party uses three color-coded 'political-interference tactics' to gain influence over American citizens at home as well as those who naively travel to China. Blue refers to sophisticated cyberattacks on target computers, smartphones, and hotel rooms for possible blackmail. Gold refers to bribes, while yellow means 'honey pots,' sexual seduction." — Charles Burton, of the Ottawa-based Macdonald-Laurier Institute, to Gatestone Institute, July 10, 2023.
China's agents work out of, among other places, Beijing's four consulates and large Washington, D.C. embassy as well as nine or so police stations, many state banks and enterprises, Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms, and organizations such as the Chinese Students and Scholars Association. China's regime, over the course of decades, has penetrated just about every organization of influence in the United States.
The United States faces a challenge it is now seriously underestimating.
What should the United States do in the face of such challenge? The regime uses every point of contact to destroy America, so America needs to sever every point of contact with the regime.
Americans cannot afford to leave any Communist Party member or any Chinese saboteur, agent, official, banker, or corporate officer in America. There should be no Chinese consulates in the U.S., and the embassy staff of hundreds should be cut down to the ambassador, his personal staff, and family.
Extreme? By no means. Why should we ever allow China to attack America from America?
It is way past time to end the ability of the Chinese regime to conduct political warfare against the United States from American soil. (Image source: iStock)
The America ChangLe Association in Manhattan's Chinatown, which closed down after an FBI raid last year, has just reopened with a grand ceremony celebrating... July 4! This is China's new form of political warfare, brazen in the extreme.
It is way past time to end the ability of the Chinese regime to conduct political warfare against the United States from American soil. America's defense begins with closing down the America ChangLe Association.
On April 17, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrests that day of two individuals for "conspiring to act as agents" of the People's Republic of China and obstructing justice. The pair — "Harry" Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping — had "worked together to establish the first overseas police station in the United States" for the Fuzhou branch of China's Ministry of Public Security.
The branch was a "clandestine police station" operated under the cover of the America ChangLe Association in Manhattan's Chinatown. The facility that closed last fall, after an FBI raid, had been operated by the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China.
China's actions were outrageous — but Americans should be asking why did the Chinese regime think it could, without permission, establish a police station on American soil?
The answer is: American presidents for decades have known that China's diplomats and agents were violating American sovereignty and did either nothing or virtually nothing to stop these activities. Therefore, China's Communists naturally thought they could get away with even more blatant conduct.
It is good that the FBI closed down the Chinatown police station, but as Radio Free Asia reports, that station was "a mere sliver of Beijing's U.S. harassment push."
For one thing, the United Front Work Department, one of the regime's "magic weapons" — operates "Overseas Chinese Service Centers" in other cities. The Daily Caller News Foundation reports that these OCSCs, as they are known, are located in San Francisco, Houston, Omaha, St. Paul, Salt Lake City, St. Louis, and Charlotte. The New York Post believes there are other Chinese police stations in New York and Los Angeles.
The United Front Work Department, the Party's organ to interface with foreign organizations and individuals, often functions as an intelligence service, especially when it operates with the intelligence operations of the People's Liberation Army, another Party organ, and the Chinese central government. The closed New York police station was used as a base targeting those legally in the United States.
Americans may think they are at peace, but the Communist Party believes it is locked in an existential struggle with America. People's Daily, speaking for the Party, declared a "people's war" on the United States in May 2019. The Chinese regime has been conducting "unrestricted warfare" against America for decades.
"Communist China's primary means of defeating America is political warfare," Kerry Gershaneck, a NATO fellow for Hybrid Threats, told Gatestone. "While it is fair to say that the CCP prefers to win this war without fighting, it is more accurate to say that the CCP intends to win without us fighting back. Through political warfare, the CCP disarms us intellectually and psychologically as it co-opts, corrupts, and ultimately controls key American elites, particularly political and foreign policy decision makers."
The Communist Party's political warfare campaign is comprehensive and effective. Beijing has almost certainly purchased most of the Biden family. In March, a spokesperson for Hunter Biden's legal team admitted that Hunter had received "good faith seed funds" from an energy company in China. That was essentially an admission of bribery because, in the absence of corruption, no Chinese business in these circumstances would pay seed money.
The Chinese certainly think Biden has been purchased. In November 2020, Renmin University's Di Dongsheng gave a lecture publicized widely inside China. Di claimed that China, with Biden in the Oval Office, would control outcomes at the highest levels in Washington. He argued that China could make offers that could not be refused and that every American could be bought with cash.
Di got his biggest laugh when he mentioned two words: "Hunter Biden."
In addition to the Bidens, China has purchased hundreds — if not thousands — of politicians, academics, businesspeople and law enforcement officials at the federal, state, and municipal levels.
How do we know this? China's Ministry of State Security first contacted Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Ca.) not when he was serving on the House Intelligence Committee — where he would be of great value to Beijing — but when he was on the city council of Dublin City, California. Swalwell could not have been the only aspiring politician that Beijing had been grooming then.
Swalwell was enticed by the sweet Christine Fang, now known to be a Ministry of State Security agent. "The Chinese Communist Party uses three color-coded 'political-interference tactics' to gain influence over American citizens at home as well as those who naively travel to China," Charles Burton of the Ottawa-based Macdonald-Laurier Institute tells this publication. "Blue refers to sophisticated cyberattacks on target computers, smartphones, and hotel rooms for possible blackmail. Gold refers to bribes, while yellow means 'honey pots,' sexual seduction."
As Burton, a former Canadian diplomat in Beijing, points out, these color-coded tactics "are part of a sophisticated engagement coordinated by the agents of the Communist Party's massive United Front Work Department working under diplomatic cover at China's embassies and consulates."
China's agents work out of, among other places, Beijing's four consulates and large Washington, D.C. embassy as well as nine or so police stations, many state banks and enterprises, Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms, and organizations such as the Chinese Students and Scholars Association. China's regime, over the course of decades, has penetrated just about every organization of influence in the United States.
The United States faces a challenge it is now underestimating. As Gershaneck, also author of Political Warfare: Strategies for Combating China's Plan to 'Win Without Fighting, warns, "Today, with its modern technology and massive political, military, and economic power, the political warfare of the People's Republic of China presents a totalitarian challenge unprecedented in human history."
What should the United States do in the face of such challenge? The regime uses every point of contact to destroy America, so America needs to sever every point of contact with the regime.
Americans cannot afford to leave any Communist Party member or any Chinese saboteur, agent, official, banker, or corporate officer in America. There should be no Chinese consulates in the U.S., and the embassy staff of hundreds should be cut down to the ambassador, his personal staff, and family.
Extreme? By no means. Why should we ever allow China to attack America from America?
*Gordon G. Chang is the author of The Coming Collapse of China, a Gatestone Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board.
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