Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 19-20/2023
Le Drian Delays Return to Beirut to Complete Consultations
Beirut: Thaer Abbas/Asharq Al Awsat/July 19/2023
The quintet for Lebanon has not drawn up a roadmap to resolve the crisis over the country’s presidential elections, revealed western diplomatic sources to Asharq Al-Awsat. The quintet, which includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, France and the United States, met in Doha this week to tackle the political impasse in Lebanon. Instead of presenting a roadmap, the members of the quintet, which included French Presidential Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian, are waiting on Lebanese leaders to demonstrate a “clear will” to resolve the crisis in a way that appeases all parties. The gatherers in Doha opted to focus on the post-election phase when a roadmap to end the political crisis would be put in place. The roadmap would steer clear of the idea of striking a deal over the presidency and position of prime minister. Such deals usually meant that the president would be loyal to one political camp and the PM loyal to its rival. The gatherers did not name any preferred presidential candidate, while Le Drian did mention head of the Marada movement Suleiman Franjieh, the nominee backed by the Hezbollah party. The Doha meeting put a halt to the French drive to hold dialogue among Lebanese parties and led to Le Drian postponing a trip to Lebanon. French sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the envoy will first hold consultations with members of the quintet before heading to Beirut. Le Drian was hoping to arrange dialogue between representatives of political leaders, but the proposal was shot down by other quintet members because they believe it will not be productive. The gatherers in Doha had kicked off their meeting with an assessment of the meetings Le Drian held with Lebanese officials during his recent trip to Lebanon. A great divide is separating the Lebanese parties, concluded the gatherers, noting that Hezbollah is still attached to Franjieh’s nomination and refuses to negotiate on naming another candidate. In return, the party pledged to “cooperate greatly” in other areas, namely in choosing a prime minister, on the formation of a government and on major appointments in state institutions. The party’s position was met with disappointment from a number of quintet members, prompting them to propose that sanctions be imposed on sides that are hindering a solution to the political impasse. After discussions, it was agreed that the quintet would threaten to take “measures” against the obstructors when it meets again. Asharq Al-Awsat learned that the quintet will meet again in France in September. The sources said the quintet agreed to intensify and expand coordination between its members.

Israeli airstrikes target 'Hezbollah warehouses' near Damascus
Agence France Presse/July 19/2023
Israeli airstrikes early Wednesday near Syria's capital Damascus killed three fighters loyal to President Bashar al-Assad's regime and wounded four others, a war monitor said. Syrian state news agency SANA earlier reported two soldiers had been wounded in the overnight strikes. It quoted a military source as saying the bombing targeted "certain positions in the vicinity of Damascus."The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the targets included warehouses used by Lebanon's Hezbollah. The non-government monitoring group, which has a vast network of sources in the war-torn country, said the strikes also targeted positions of the Syrian army's elite Fourth Division near the airport in the town of Dimas. One Syrian pro-regime fighter and two foreign, Iran-affiliated combattants were killed in the strikes, the Observatory said. SANA earlier said most of the missiles had been intercepted by Syrian air defense systems, while the Observatory reported the raid had caused fires. During more than a decade of war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army positions. While Israel rarely comments on the strikes it carries out on Syria, it has repeatedly said it will not allow its archfoe Iran to expand its footprint there. Tehran has sent military "advisers" to support the Syrian army during the war, which has claimed more than 500,000 lives. Some of those Iranians stationed in Syria have been killed in Israeli strikes. According to the Syrian Observatory, Israel in early July carried out airstrikes targeting Hezbollah sites near the government-held city of Homs, killing a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Israeli strikes also targeted a Syrian air defense base in Tartus province, the war monitor said, reporting at least 20 Israeli raids so far this year.

Le Drian meets Saudi FM after Doha talks on Lebanon
Naharnet/July 19/2023
French special presidential envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian has met in Jeddah with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, a day after representatives of France, Saudi Arabia, the U.S., Qatar and Egypt met in Doha to discuss the Lebanese file. A statement carried by Saudi news agency SPA said the conferees discussed “the bilateral ties between the kingdom and France, means to intensify joint coordination in several fields, and the latest developments of the Lebanese file.”In a statement issued after the Doha meeting, the five-nation group on Lebanon had threatened “measures” against the Lebanese parties who are “blocking progress” in the stalled presidential election file, calling for a new president who “embodies integrity, unites the nation, puts the interests of the country first, prioritizes the well-being of its citizens, and forms a broad and inclusive coalition to implement essential economic reforms.”

Pro-Hezbollah paper says Doha statement returns crisis to square one
Naharnet/July 19/2023
A statement issued by the U.S., France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt after a meeting in Doha has returned Lebanon’s presidential crisis to “square one,” the pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper said on Wednesday. “The presidential vacuum will now protract indefinitely,” the daily said in a headline. “Ten months after New York’s tripartite statement, the Doha statement came on Monday to return the crisis in Lebanon to square one, putting it anew before new months of the crisis and returning Paris to Arab and Western constants,” al-Akhbar added. In a statement issued after the Doha meeting, the five-nation group on Lebanon had threatened “measures” against the Lebanese parties who are “blocking progress” in the stalled presidential election file, calling for a new president who “embodies integrity, unites the nation, puts the interests of the country first, prioritizes the well-being of its citizens, and forms a broad and inclusive coalition to implement essential economic reforms.”

Geagea calls for swift action on presidential crisis in Lebanon
LBCI/July 19/2023
Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces Party, said on Wednesday that the stance of Lebanon's friends, who met in Doha within the framework of the Quintet Committee last Monday, has become evident. The statement issued by the committee emphasized adherence to the Lebanese constitution, international resolutions, Arab League decisions, and Lebanon's sovereign and reform priorities for any presidential and political authority. This effectively nullified the attempts of some internal factions, especially those aligned with the resistance axis, to rely on the support of Lebanon's friends, either to elect a resistance-aligned candidate or gain illegitimate gains in order to end their obstruction of the presidential elections. Geagea stated in the statement, "It has also become evident that all of Lebanon's friends who gathered in Doha last Monday are firmly convinced that the solution to the presidential crisis is clear and straightforward: the parliamentary blocs and members should shoulder their responsibilities and proceed to elect a president for the Republic, as stipulated in the Lebanese constitution. The constitutional mechanisms should be allowed to follow their natural course, starting with the election of a new president, appointing a prime minister, and forming the next government." He added, "It has also become evident that Lebanon's friends have a strategic orientation towards the necessity of establishing a functioning state in Lebanon, with its strategic decisions made internally, and the implementation of all international resolutions."From this perspective, Geagea urged the forces of the resistance axis to stop wasting valuable time for the Lebanese people by betting on the element of time to change the dynamics, considering that this factor is no longer feasible. He called on Speaker Nabih Berri to quickly convene a series of presidential election sessions, leading to the election of a president for the country. Geagea emphasized that the resistance axis bears the responsibility for all the poverty, disasters, and migration that the Lebanese people are currently suffering, and it will bear even greater responsibility for every day it continues to obstruct the presidential elections.

Navigating the Dollar landscape: Lebanon's reserves and the new platform ahead
LBCI/July 19/2023
To safeguard what remains of Lebanon's mandatory reserve, the four governor's deputies are reiterating their rejection of further expenditures from the $9 billion fund. This reserve, the remains of depositor funds, is being drained at $200 million monthly for state financing, including salaries, wages, and covering losses in the banking sector. Sources from the governor's deputies state that if the government wishes to continue spending from this reserve, it must enact legislation for borrowing and take responsibility for this legislation and spending. They emphasize that the government has no authority to utilize these funds as they belong to depositors. These sources expect that the parliament will not proceed with such legislation. Consequently, the governor's deputies, particularly the First Deputy Governor, Wassim Mansouri, will only make decisions to halt payments and intervention in the dollar market, aligning with the policy they have pursued since taking office. This policy entails informing the governor of their refusal to continue spending from the reserve without adopting authorized legislation. Sources close to the First Deputy Governor, Wassim Mansouri, state that besides preserving the remaining reserve, he aims to protect the most marginalized groups in society, particularly public sector employees receiving their salaries in Lebanese lira. If the authorities adopt a law that permits the Central Bank of Lebanon to continue financing the state without further depleting the reserve through salaries and wages, public sector workers will receive a fixed amount in US dollars for a specific period and at a fixed exchange rate. This move would be synchronized with the start of the reform process. Subsequently, the authorities could gradually transition from the current Sayrafa platform to a new one. There may be an interim stage where both platforms operate simultaneously before ultimately shifting to the new platform, which allows banks to buy and sell dollars while setting their exchange rates. However, the operation of this new platform would be accompanied by Central Bank circulars, such as requiring imported dollars to be sold solely through this platform instead of the black market.

Quintet group's meeting on Lebanon: Discussions and constructive dialogue
LBCI/July 19/2023
The meeting of the Quintet group concerning Lebanon remained a focal point of follow-up. In the first relevant meeting related to the Doha gathering, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faysal bin Farhan met with French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian in the presence of the advisor to the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, Nizar al-Alawla. They discussed the latest developments in the Lebanese file. It's worth noting that the French Ambassador to the Kingdom, who attended the meeting, tweeted, "constructive dialogue on ways to resolve the political crisis in Lebanon and assist the Lebanese people in facing the worst humanitarian crisis in its history.

TotalEnergies and Lebanese authorities collaborate for oil and gas exploration in Block 9
LBCI/July 19/2023
On Wednesday, the caretaker Public Works and Transport Minister, Dr. Ali Hamieh, held a meeting in his office at the ministry with the Director General of Exploration and Production at TotalEnergies, Romain de la Martinière.
The meeting was attended by the Director-General of the Beirut Port Investment and Management Committee, Omar Itani, the Director-General of Civil Aviation, Fadi El Hassan, and two members of the Petroleum Administration, Gaby Daaboul and Wassim Al Zahabi. The discussions focused on the final touches of the negotiations that have been ongoing between the ministry and TotalEnergies, particularly regarding the procedures, facilitations, and logistical matters that the Beirut Port and the airport will provide during the period of exploration for oil and gas in Block 9.
During the meeting, Hamieh emphasized that "the port and the airport are fully prepared and ready to support the company's operations throughout the implementation period of drilling activities in Block 9." In response, de la Martinière stated, "cooperation has been a hallmark of the previous phase between the company and the ministry, as well as with the relevant administrations at the Beirut Port and the airport. This positive collaboration will be reflected in the successful launch of the previously planned drilling operations."

Government's Budget project under scrutiny: Quorum issues and political tensions
LBCI/July 19/2023
At three o'clock in the afternoon on Monday, the Cabinet is supposed to convene in open sessions to discuss the budget project. The ministers have yet to receive a copy of the project, which they are supposed to review at least 48 hours before the session's scheduled time. The attendance of at least two-thirds of the Council members, which is 16 ministers, is required for the session to be valid.
Will the quorum be met?
The old situation will remain unchanged. The ministers who ensured the quorum in previous sessions, some of which dealt with less important matters than the budget, are expected to attend. Their attendance is based on the belief that the budget is a top priority to ensure financial and constitutional stability. Therefore, the government must discuss the project as it is related to its legislative responsibilities in Parliament. As for the Christian ministers who previously boycotted the sessions due to their perceived lack of constitutionality, specifically, those affiliated with the Free Patriotic Movement: Henri Khoury, Hector Hajjar, Walid Fayyad, and Abdallah Bou Habib, who have remained committed to the boycott so far, it seems that their stance has not changed, as nothing has changed in the state's governance, as emphasized by high-ranking sources in the movement. They consider the government's actions to be a violation of the constitution, law, partnership, and the position of the President. The quorum is secured if the Caretaker Minister of Tourism, Walid Nassar, is present, along with the ministers from Amal, Hezbollah, and the PSP, in addition to the Christian and Muslim ministers affiliated with Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati's team. The budget study will fall under their responsibility. Caretaker Minister of the Displaced Issam Charafeddine will attend after proposing the discussion of an item outside the agenda, which is related to appointing a head of the delegation that will visit Syria after the Foreign Minister's resignation, aiming to accelerate the signing of a protocol between Lebanon and Syria and expedite the mechanism for the return of refugees. However, the quorum will remain secure if Charafeddine leaves the session due to the item of the ministerial committee's presidency not being raised outside the agenda. The open discussions on the budget will open a new chapter in the political disputes, which are likely to extend further amidst the presidential vacuum.

Refugee data dispute: Syrian refugee crisis sparks dialogue with the EU
LBCI/July 19/2023
In the process of formulating the working mechanism for the ministerial committee and ministerial delegation tasked with coordinating with Syrian authorities on the refugee file, Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib has taken diplomatic steps to lay the groundwork for this dialogue. The dialogue addresses the Syrian refugee crisis on two fronts - one with Syrian authorities and the other with the West, particularly the European Union. In his efforts, Minister Bou Habib has been in contact with the Syrian Chargé d'Affaires in Lebanon to coordinate potential dialogue steps.
According to LBCI, there is an agreement to form a joint delegation from both countries, specifically from their foreign ministries, to meet either in Lebanon if the Syrian delegation decides to visit or in Syria if Minister Bou Habib leads a delegation from his ministry there. The agenda of the agreed-upon discussions includes the European Union's decision regarding the return of refugees and the exchange of information and coordination between the two countries, especially in light of the recent incident where a Lebanese boat carrying around 150 refugees arrived in Cyprus. The refugees remain stranded there as Cyprus refuses to keep them on its territory, while Lebanon denies their return. Regarding Europe, sources from the Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that the Foreign Minister's message to the European Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, in response to the EU's decision to keep the refugees in Lebanon, is an invitation to engage in dialogue on managing the refugee file by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Lebanon, taking into consideration Lebanese reservations, and reaffirming Lebanon's stance on their return. While awaiting a response and as refugee data has not yet been submitted, LBCI has learned that the measures previously taken by the Foreign Affairs Ministry against UNHCR and its affiliated organizations in Lebanon will continue. This includes the suspension of entry visas to Lebanon and the processing of any transactions or residency applications for their employees. Additionally, the ban on importing tents, supplies, and materials intended for the refugees into the country will persist as long as UNHCR refuses to share refugee data with the Lebanese General Security and cooperate with Lebanese authorities.

Oman's mediation efforts and constructive dialogue with Iran: Fostering peace and cooperation
LBCI/July 19/2023
Oman has been actively involved in mediating numerous conflicts, adhering to the principle of impartiality and seeking to convey what it believes to be beneficial to both parties. As stated by an Omani official, their approach is focused on fostering dialogue and alleviating tensions. During the latest round of Omani efforts in mediating, Omani Foreign Minister, Badr al Busaidi, met with his Iranian counterpart, Hussein Amir Abdollahian, in Tehran. al Busaidi described the consultations as fruitful and substantial. The discussions between the two sides covered Iran's initiative regarding a meeting of the Gulf Eight countries and the situation in Yemen. Abdollahian emphasized the importance of these talks and Iran's commitment to developing relations with neighboring countries based on mutual respect and resolving issues through dialogue. Furthermore, Oman discussed Iran's latest efforts to lift the imposed sanctions and the ongoing efforts led by Muscat to resume nuclear negotiations. The Iranian minister expressed appreciation for Oman's constructive and effective endeavors in bridging differences and achieving progress in lifting sanctions. The situation in Yemen was also addressed, with a strong emphasis on how dialogues concerning Yemen would lead to lasting peace. The meeting also touched upon the implementation of agreements between the two countries, given the significant increase in trade between Iran and Oman over the past two years, reaching 2.5 times its previous volume. The Joint Economic Committee between Iran and Oman is set to convene soon, aiming to enhance cooperation in various fields and at different levels. Finally, Abdollahian expressed his rejection of the joint statement issued by the meeting of Gulf and Russian foreign ministers in Moscow concerning the three islands. Iran claims these islands as part of its territory, while the UAE considers them occupied. The participants in the Moscow meeting expressed support for peaceful efforts, including the UAE's initiative, to reach a peaceful resolution for the issue of the three islands.

Bou Habib addresses a letter to Borrell denouncing European Parliament's decision: Constitutes a threat to Lebanon's continued existence as an entity
NNA/July 19/2023
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdallah Bou Habib, addressed a letter to the Vice-President of the European Commission, Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, in which he denounced the European Parliament's decision issued on 12/07/2023, related to the file of the displaced Syrians and other matters. In his letter, Bou Habib stressed "the need to launch a constructive and comprehensive dialogue between Lebanon and the European Union on all files, especially the Syrian displacement dossier, which has begun to pose a threat not only to the Lebanese social structure and economic stability but also to the continued existence of Lebanon as an entity." Bou Habib also expressed "Lebanon's adherence to its rights and responsibilities in facilitating the safe and dignified return of the displaced Syrians to their homes, particularly to safe areas, in line with the principles of the international law, and in a manner that does not contradict with the Lebanese constitution which states that Lebanon is not a country of asylum." He highlighted "the need for the international community to address the causes of Syrian displacement, as stated in the European Parliament's decision, and to accelerate early recovery, including securing basic infrastructure and social services in Syria, in order to facilitate the return of the displaced." Bou Habib reaffirmed Lebanon's readiness to launch a dialogue with the European Union aimed at drawing up a road map for the safe and dignified return of the displaced Syrians to their country. Finally, Bou Habib encouraged the formation of a comprehensive administrative advisory mission affiliated with the European Union Council to look into the emergency needs of the Lebanese public sector and the provision of basic services, hoping to "launch a comprehensive and constructive Lebanese-European dialogue covering all fields, particularly the sensitive issue of the displaced."

Geagea says resistance axis to blame for Lebanese people's suffering
NNA/July 19/2023
Lebanese Forces Party Chief, Samir Geagea, indicated, in an issued statement on Wednesday, that "the position of the friends of Lebanon who met in Doha last Monday within the framework of the five-party committee has become firm and clear, which appeared in a statement based on the Lebanese constitution, international resolutions, decisions of the Arab League, and the Lebanese sovereign and reform priority for any president and political authority."He added: "This statement has completely dropped the attempt of some of those on the inside, especially the opposition axis, to bet on the position of Lebanon's friends either to elect the opposition candidate or to extract illegitimate gains, in order to end their obstruction of the presidential elections.""Additionally, it has also become evident that all of Lebanon's friends who met in Doha last Monday are firmly convinced that the solution to the presidential crisis is clear and simple, namely that the parliamentary blocs and officials assume their responsibilities and elect a president for the republic as stipulated in the Lebanese constitution, leaving the constitutional mechanisms to take their natural course, starting with the election of a new president for the country, passing through the appointment of a prime minister, far-leading to the formation of the future government," Geagea underscored. He also highlighted the firm conviction of the need for establishing an actual state in Lebanon, whose strategic decision will be within the state and that all international resolutions will be implemented.
The LF Chief went on, "We call on the opposition forces to stop wasting precious time on the Lebanese by betting on the time factor and seeking to change the equations, given that this factor has become futile...Therefore, we call on House Speaker Nabih Berri to quickly call for a presidential elections session, to be held in successive rounds leading to the election of the President of the Republic.""The axis of resistance bears responsibility for all the suffering of the Lebanese people at the present time in terms of poverty, disasters, and emigration, and this axis will bear greater and greater responsibility for every day that it continues to disrupt the presidential elections," Geagea concluded.

Delegations from 16 Arab countries to partake in opening ceremony of "Beirut Capital of Arab Youth 2023"
NNA/July 19/2023
The Organizing Committee of "Beirut, Capital of Arab Youth 2023" announced that it has begun to receive youth delegations from 16 Arab countries to participate in its opening ceremony scheduled for 5:30 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, within the first activity of the "Capital" that will be launched on the same day, namely the Arab Youth Forum for Empowerment. Economic and social. In addition to the Arab participants, 12 young women and men from Lebanon will partake, bringing the total active participants in the forum organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and UNICEF to 58. The forum's work will start at the Hilton Metropolitan Hotel tomorrow morning with a speech by the President of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab Ministers of Youth and Sports, Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Ashraf Sobhi; a speech by the Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Minister Haifa Abu Ghazaleh; a word by UNICEF and an address by the Lebanese Minister of Youth and Sports, George Kallas. The intensive work of the forum continues for two days, coupled with touristic visits to the cities of Byblos and Baalbek.

Hamieh meets with "Total" General Director, says Beirut's port & airport fully prepared to keep pace with implementation period of drilling...
NNA/July 19/2023
Caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamieh, held a meeting today with the Director General of Exploration and Production at "Total" Company, Romain de la Martiniere, in the presence of the Director General of the Committee for the Administration and Investment of the Port of Beirut, Omar Itani, the Director General for Civil Aviation, Fadi Al-Hassan, and members of the Board of Directors of the Petroleum Sector Authority, Gaby Daaboul and Wissam Al-Dhahabi. The meeting tackled the final touches related to the discussions between the Public Works Ministry and “Total” Company in terms of procedures, facilities and logistics that will be provided by the port of Beirut and the airport during the period of oil and gas exploration in Block No. 9. Hamieh stressed during the meeting that "the Beirut port and airport have become fully prepared and ready to keep pace with the company's work throughout the entire period of executing drilling activities in Block No. 9." In turn, de la Martiniere affirmed "cooperation was a feature of the previous stage between the company and the ministry, as well as with the concerned departments at Beirut port and the airport, which will reflect positively on the start of previously planned drilling operations."

Arab League Assistant Secretary-General confirms League's keenness on supporting any outstanding achievement on Lebanese soil
NNA/July 19/2023
Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and Head of the Social Affairs Sector, Ambassador Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, affirmed today that the League "is keen on supporting any distinguished achievement on Lebanon's territory because of its special place in the heart of every Arab." Abu-Ghazaleh added - in a statement to the "National News Agency" upon her arrival in Beirut today - that she carries a message from Arab League Secretary-General, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, to the participants in the launch of the activities of the "Beirut, Capital of Arab Youth for the year 2023", expressing his well-wishes for the success of this distinguished event which is organized by the Lebanese Ministry of Youth and Sports and scheduled to begin tomorrow in Beirut in the presence of delegations from 15 Arab countries. The Assistant Secretary-General said she was happy to be partaking in the launching of activities tomorrow, hoping that "Beirut's hosting of this event will be a strong addition to joint Arab action in the field of supporting and developing youth skills."

Private owners light Beirut streets after state switches off
Arab News/July 19/2023
Business chief issues ‘ghost town’ warning amid economic collapse
Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi: ‘Beirut loves light and will remain in the light’
BEIRUT: Beirut Municipality is using electricity provided by private generator owners to restore lighting to city streets plunged into darkness by Lebanon’s crippling economic crisis. Street lighting returned to the heart of the capital on Tuesday night, a move that came after one business leader warned the capital had become a “ghost town.” “Beirut loves light and will remain in the light,” Bassam Mawlawi, the interior minister, said in response to the initiative.
“Lighting Beirut helps stabilize security and helps the security services do their job better.”Electricity supply in Lebanon has become increasingly erratic over the past three years due to the economic and financial crisis in the country.
In recent months, power has been limited to three or four hours over a 24-hour period, leaving the streets of central Beirut, and its shops, restaurants and cafes, almost empty. Passers-by have also been exposed to danger because of an increase in theft and pickpocketing amid the economic downturn.
Nicolas Chammas, head of the Beirut Traders Association, told Arab News: “Downtown Beirut has been afflicted by the economic collapse, the pandemic and the Beirut port explosion, which led to its transformation into a ghost town.”
He said the initiative to restore lighting to city streets is a “very good step” and shows that Beirut has not been abandoned even if the state fails in its duties.
“It also has a symbolic reflection that will have its repercussions in all regions, as the people who abandoned the heart of the city will return, and the owners of restaurants, cafes and shops will be encouraged to reinvest in the area,” Chammas said. Beirut Gov. Marwan Abboud issued a communique in March 2023 requesting all owners of private electric generators in the city to light streets surrounding locations where the generators are concentrated.
Abboud said the owners of private generators use state electricity poles for supply and, in return, must offer street lighting as a “national responsibility to preserve the rights of the residents of Beirut and the rights of the municipality, based on the necessities of the public interest and the requirements of public safety.”
According to Chammas, only about 20 percent of the institutions and businesses in downtown Beirut are currently operating, while many others have left the area, especially after the port explosion three years ago.
One owner of an abandoned shop in the city center estimated it would cost more than $1 million to redevelop the site as a luxury restaurant. “Unless we are sure that the city has recovered and that we can trust it, neither I nor anyone else will make any costly investment,” he said. Signs of decay in the heart of the capital are not limited to the dark streets. A municipality official, who preferred anonymity, said: “The municipality’s condition is appalling. It was the richest municipality in Lebanon, but now it cannot attract any contractor to restore the potholes or clean the walls of the slogans and insults written by the protesters because the state deals in Lebanese pounds, which have lost value, and not in the dollar.” Lighting, road and traffic signal maintenance contracts have not been renewed for years. Beirut Municipality previously announced a tender for a project to maintain the lighting of Beirut’s streets and tunnels, but there were no bids. Consequently, according to the source, “contracts are no longer profitable amid the inability to import needed raw materials in dollars and the municipality’s inability to pay except in the local currency. If we want to pay (the costs) according to the market exchange rate, there will be no money left in the municipality’s treasury.” Meanwhile, thieves are stealing manhole covers, and even electricity cables and copper wire, adding to the strain on city infrastructure.
The private sector role in relighting Beirut’s streets has already introduced to other neighborhoods. As part of the “Light Your Street” initiative, Beirut Arab University illuminated areas around its campus in cooperation with the Rebirth Beirut Association and Medco Company, under the slogan “From Our Energy to Our Region.”The nonprofit Makhzoumi Foundation has contributed to lighting many main streets in Beirut using solar energy. According to Chammas, Lebanon’s tourism sector has flourished this summer thanks to expatriates as well as tourists from Egypt, Iraq and Jordan. However, visitor numbers from the Gulf remain low because tourists no longer frequent downtown Beirut as before and are focusing on other attractions in Lebanon. The Arab Youth Forum for Economic and Social Empowerment will be inaugurated on Thursday in Beirut, the capital’s first Arab activity this year.

Shiite Fascism is Totalitarianism, the Threats to Churches in the Middle East
Charles Elias Chartouni/July 19/2023
The resumption of repression against women in Iran, the consolidation of State terrorism and regional expansionism, and the “Gleichschaltungpolitik” whereby the Islamist ideology claims control over society and politics in the respective countries where it prevails, is a structural feature which characterizes the annexation politics followed throughout the Middle East (Anschlusspolitik).The latest confiscation of the Chaldean Church endowments in Irak, and the insinuations towards the Churches in Lebanon are not benign indicators, and elicit firm reactions on the part of domestic Churches and the Vatican. The attempts at creating countervailing Church platforms in Lebanon, the manipulation of the Middle East Council of Churches, and the annihilation of the Churches canonical and operational platforms in Irak and Syria partakes of the Islamic Worldview, and the totalitarian purview of a political religion which claims control over society and politics, subverts the notions of Publicness and Privateness, and denies the pluralistic nature of social orders, be it from a normative or sociological standpoints.
The Chaldean Patriarch, Louis Sako, as a sign of protest, left the Patriarchal see in Baghdad to a monastery in Kurdistan, the Churches in Lebanon, strong of their autonomy, did not react to the encroachment and pursued the politics of accommodation, as a bypass to the confrontational path deliberately set by the Shiite clerical and political establishment. What is intriguing is the brazen claim to the theological legitimacy of the Churches, the undermining of their moral and political autonomy and the overt security threats. The detracted moral and political autonomy of the Iraqi and Syrian Churches is a historical political legacy which characterizes Islamic and Arab countries, belies the hoax of systemic political reforms in Irak, unveils the state of political and moral subordination in Iran, Irak and Syria, and highlights the attempt at destroying the historical, political and moral autonomy of Lebanese Christianity.
The deliberate and systematic unraveling of Lebanese Statehood is no coincidence, and far from being a self contained political process, targets the basic civil and political liberties bequeathed by Lebanese history and it’s normative subtexts. The challenge, far from being, a peripheral political event questions the country’s national selfhood, societal texture, normative repertoire, Constitutional Statehood and existential security. There is need to alert the international community by expanding the scope of the political problematic, the Human Rights issues at stake, and the international order foundations. Shiite Fascism is a replica to the threats created by al Qaeda and ISIS, with one major difference, its State infrastructure and power politics are the levers of a destabilization strategy that endures over time.
The Iranian Islamic Regime and its political narrative are openly questioned by a disgruntled Iranian population, its legitimacy is in a shambles, and the convoluted contradictions have already paved the way for its destruction. The delusions prompted by the Iranian-Saudi negotiations are quite misleading insofar as Human Rights improvements, democratization prospects, peaceful and equitable conflict resolution in the Middle East, they are mere expedients based on self interested calculations with no further considerations. Totalitarian regimes are to be defeated if we were to spare ourselves the travails of political theodicies, their dehumanization narratives, and crimes against humanity.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 19-20/2023
Israel strikes wound two Syrian soldiers: state media
AFP/July 19, 2023
DAMASCUS: Israel carried out air strikes near Syria’s capital of Damascus, wounding two Syrian soldiers, Syrian state news agency SANA said early Wednesday. “At around 00:25 at dawn, the Israeli enemy carried out an air assault with missile bursts from the north of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting certain positions in the vicinity of Damascus,” SANA said, citing a military source. “The aggression wounded two soldiers and caused material damage,” the agency said, adding that most of the missiles had been intercepted by Syrian air defense systems. The strikes targeted military positions near the airport in the town of Dimas as well as the Beirut-Damascus highway west of the capital, where elite members of the Syrian army are stationed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor. The NGO, which has a vast network of sources in the war-torn country, said the strikes also targeted warehouses belonging to the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militant group. The incident was the 20th Israeli raid so far this year, the Observatory said. Earlier this month, Israel carried out air strikes near the government-held city of Homs, SANA said. During more than a decade of war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army positions. While Israel rarely comments on the strikes it carries out on Syria, it has repeatedly said it will not allow its archfoe Iran to expand its footprint there.

Casualties in Syria after suspected Israeli airstrike
Al Monitor/July 19/2023
A suspected Israeli airstrike in Syria led to casualties on Wednesday as regional tensions continue to flare up. Syria’s official news agency, SANA, reported that Israel fired missiles toward targets near Damascus at around 12:25 a.m. local time, causing material damage. SANA said two soldiers were injured, though another report by the outlet said two soldiers were killed. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights NGO reported that the strikes destroyed military and logistics equipment used by Iran-backed militias near al-Dimass and al-Saboura west of Damascus. Two non-Syrian members of an unspecified Iran-backed group were killed, along with one Syrian soldier. Lebanon’s Hezbollah has a presence in the targeted areas, according to the observatory. Background: Israel is suspected of carrying out regular military strikes throughout Syria, though Israel usually does not confirm this. On July 2, Syria said Israeli airstrikes near the central city of Homs caused material damage. A suspected Israeli missile attack also injured a Syrian soldier in June. The strikes target both the Syrian military and its Iran-backed allies, including the Lebanese military organization Hezbollah. Why it matters: Though such strikes are common, Wednesday’s attack comes at a particularly tense time between Israel and its neighbors. Last week, three Hezbollah members were injured in an explosion near the Israel-Lebanon border. This followed a dispute between Israel and Hezbollah over the border town of Ghajjar. Meanwhile, Israeli settler violence against Palestinians, Israeli military raids, and Palestinian attacks on Israeli forces and civilians are continuing in the West Bank. Al-Monitor’s Ben Caspit wrote last month that the Israeli government is at risk of losing control of both the situation in the Palestinian territory and on the Lebanese border.

Morocco king invites Israel’s Netanyahu for visit following Western Sahara recognition
Al Monitor/July 19/2023
The Moroccan King Mohammed VI has invited Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the country, just days after Israel recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. The Israeli prime minister office confirmed the invitation in a statement on Wednesday evening."The invitation was extended in a warm personal letter in which the king thanked the State of Israel for its willingness to recognize the Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.”It added: “King Mohammed VI wrote to the prime minister that 'the visit will open new possibilities to strengthen relations between our two countries.'” The statement further said that following the invitation, Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita agreed to coordinate a near-future date for the visit. Relations between the two countries were renewed in 2020 in the framework of the Abraham Accords normalizing ties between Israel and Arab countries. At the time, the Trump administration agreed to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, but Israeli recognition was not part of the deal.  Since then, bilateral ties have expanded in a variety of fields such as diplomacy, trade, security, technology, culture and more. Cooperation on security (arms sales, intelligence and military cooperation) has especially increased in the past two years following the signature of a security cooperation agreement in November 2021. The first Israeli military attache to Morocco was appointed earlier this week. That being said, the two countries have not yet opened full-scale embassies, but rather interest offices. The announcement of Netanyahu on Monday on the Israeli recognition generated speculation over a reciprocity move on the Moroccan side.  Israel has been hoping for Rabat to upgrade its office in Tel Aviv to a full-scale embassy. Another issue is the advancement of the Negev Forum for regional development, initiated last year by then-Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, bringing together the United States, Israel, the Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. The next ministerial meeting should have taken place in Morocco but was postponed several times because of Israeli tensions with the Palestinians and also apparently because of the Moroccan request to hold it at the city of Dakhla in Western Sahara. In addition, Netanyahu was always pinning his hopes on such an invite — a visit that is expected to be widely applauded by thousands of Israelis of Moroccan origin. After the signing of the Abraham Accords, Netanyahu invited the king to visit Israel, but the visit never took place. Israel and Morocco had maintained unofficial ties even before the normalization of diplomatic relations in 2020. Late Prime Minister [President] Shimon Peres visited Morocco already in 1986 and met with the King Hassan II. In 2003, then-Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom visited Morocco, meeting with King Mohammed VI. Since the signing of the Abraham accords, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid visited Rabat in 2021, officially inaugurating Israel’s representation in the Moroccan capital. The Knesset’s Speaker Amir Ohana, of Moroccan origin, traveled to Rabat last June.

Biden pledges Iran 'never acquires nuclear weapon' as he hosts Israel’s Herzog
Al Monitor/July 19/2023
Meeting with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog at the White House on Tuesday, President Joe Biden pledged that Iran will never achieve nuclear weapons, noting that the US commitment to Israel’s security is "ironclad." The president also expressed his love for the State of Israel. "As I told Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu yesterday, America’s commitment to Israel is firm and is ironclad, and we are committed as well to ensure that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons, so we have a lot to talk about," said Biden. He also called the alliance between the two countries "simply unbreakable." Biden then addressed several joint achievements of the United States and Israel over the last year, including the maritime border agreement between Israel and Lebanon, the opening of a flight route over Saudi skies, and bringing together Israelis and Palestinians at the Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh summits. The US president did not address in his opening remarks the judicial overhaul plan advanced by the Netanyahu government, which he and other American officials have criticized over the past few weeks. Opponents of the plan staged on Tuesday a "day of resistance," demonstrating across the country and in front of the American Embassy and blocking some train stations. For the moment, the talks between the sides championed by Herzog have not yielded a compromise. Pro-democracy demonstrators protested in Washington upon Herzog’s arrival. Addressing recent tensions between Washington and Israeli government over the judicial overhaul and over Netanyahu’s settlement construction policies, Herzog said, "I was pleased to hear about your conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu in which you focused on our ironclad military and security cooperation, because there are some enemies of ours that sometimes mistake the fact that we may have some differences impacting our unbreakable bond." Herzog told Biden that while he will be addressing Congress on Wednesday, his heart and soul will be in Israel "in the heated debate that we are going through as a society.""It is a heated debate, but it is also a virtue and a tribute to the greatness of Israeli democracy," he added. After their meeting, Herzog told reporters that Biden loves Israel, seeks peace and is committed to Israel’s security.  The Israeli president arrived in Washington on Tuesday to meet with President Biden. After his meeting with the president, he is set to meet with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. On Wednesday, he is expected to address a special joint session of the House, marking Israel’s 75th birthday. On Thursday, he is set to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and leaders of the American Jewish community. Israeli media has been reporting on Netanyahu perceiving the invitation of Herzog as means to legitimize avoiding inviting him for a meeting with Biden. Netanyahu took office some seven months ago. The absence of such an invitation to the White House has been seen in Jerusalem as a signal on the part of the Biden administration against the Israeli government’s policies. The phone call between Biden and Netanyahu Monday evening, only hours before Herzog’s departure to the United States, should calm some of these tensions. That being said, it is unclear if Biden intends to meet Netanyahu at the White House or in New York at the margins of the UN General Assembly this fall.

Herzog: Iran Nuclear Threat Among Topics at Meeting with Biden
Asharq Al Awsat/Asharq Al Awsat/19 July 2023
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he and US President Biden discussed issues ranging from Iran's nuclear threat to Israel's internal situation at their White House meeting on Tuesday. "We discussed thus many issues, including the Iranian nuclear threat," Herzog said after the meeting. "And naturally, we also discussed the internal issues in Israel, how important they are to the world, of course, where they stem from." Sitting by Biden's side at the start of their Oval Office meeting on Tuesday, Herzog told Biden that Israel's democracy remains “sound, strong” and “resilient” while acknowledging the country is going through a fractious moment. Herzog's visit comes a day after Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone and invited him to meet in the US this fall, although the president expressed reservations about several of the Netanyahu hard-right coalition's policies.
Netanyahu’s government is pushing forward with judicial changes that have sparked widespread protest in Israel and he has authorized the construction of thousands of new housing units in the West Bank. “We are going through pains. We are going through heated debates,” Herzog said. “We have gone through challenging moments. But I truly, truly believe and I say to you Mr. President, as I’ve said it as head of state to the people of Israel, we should always seek to find amicable consensus, and I agree with you on that as well.”During his US visit, Herzog is also to meet Vice President Kamala Harris and congressional leaders. On Wednesday he will become the second Israeli president, after his father Chaim Herzog, to address Congress. His speech will mark Israel’s celebration of its 75th year of independence.

Herzog to address US lawmakers amid anti-Israel tensions
Agence France Presse/19 July 2023
The U.S. Congress prepared to welcome Israeli President Isaac Herzog Wednesday for a speech celebrating 75 years of Israeli independence, as a row over anti-Semitism highlighted fissures in Democratic Party support for the Middle Eastern ally. Herzog holds a largely ceremonial role and is far less controversial than Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but President Joe Biden's party has nevertheless been convulsed by infighting over the visit. A handful of congressional Democrats are longstanding critics of the conservative-leaning Israeli government, accusing it of disenfranchising Palestinians, and have vowed to skip the joint meeting of the Senate and House. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy brought a measure to the floor Tuesday condemning anti-Semitism and affirming support for Israel in a rebuke of leading Democrat Pramila Jayapal, who sparked an angry backlash from her own party by calling Israel a "racist state."She retracted under intense pressure from Democratic colleagues and apologized, saying she did not believe "the idea of Israel as a nation is racist," but Republicans still called for her removal as chair of the leftist Progressive Caucus. Forty-three House Democrats reacted to Jayapal's remarks with a statement saying they would "never allow anti-Zionist voices that embolden anti-Semitism to undermine and disrupt the strongly bipartisan consensus supporting the US-Israel relationship that has existed for decades." Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, called Herzog a "rare symbol of unity in a polarized society" in a speech on the House floor. "Without question, the Democratic Party, my Democratic Party, supports the long-term viability of the Jewish state and knows its true character and importance," he said.
On the defensive -
Republicans were themselves forced onto the back foot on the issue of anti-Semitism on Tuesday as Democrats urged McCarthy in a letter to withdraw an invitation to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to testify before Congress. The longshot Democratic presidential candidate is due to appear on Wednesday before a House panel investigating alleged government censorship of conservatives. But he sparked a firestorm of controversy at the weekend with comments suggesting that Covid-19 had been "ethnically targeted" to spare Jews and Asians. The group of House Democrats said allowing Kennedy to testify only served to "legitimize his antisemitic and anti-Asian views" -- even likening him to Adolf Hitler. Members of the Kennedy family rushed to condemn the candidate -- an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist who is more popular among conservatives than Democrats -- and the White House called his remarks "vile."McCarthy -- who visited Israel in May and was the first speaker to address the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, since Georgia Republican Newt Gingrich in 1998 -- said he disagreed with Kennedy's comments but rejected the request. "I don't think censoring somebody is actually the answer here," he said. The high-profile Herzog visit is seen as a chance for Washington to underline its backing for one of the United States' closest and most consequential alliances. Biden hosted his counterpart in the Oval Office on Tuesday, where the pair discussed Netanyahu's divisive push to reform the court system and expand Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territories. In a phone call Monday, Biden invited Netanyahu to meet in the United States for the first time since the prime minister returned to power. After his appearance before Congress, Herzog is due to address the bipartisan Abraham Accords Caucus, which was set up last year to celebrate steps toward normalization in Israeli relations with the Arab states.

Shadow of Netanyahu hangs over Biden’s White House meeting with Israeli president
The Arab Weekly/July 19/2023
The warm welcome extended by US President Joe Biden to visiting Israeli President Isaac Herzog could not conceal tensions in US Israeli relations over Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s contentious push to reform the court system and expand Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.
In opening remarks, Biden flagged Washington’s determination to prevent Iran from ever getting a nuclear weapon and also discussed regional diplomatic thaws that have seen Israel and Arab countries expand normalisation. At an Oval Office meeting, Biden told Herzog that the two countries had been working together to bring more stability and integration to the Middle East. “A lot of hard work. We’ve got a lot more to do, but there’s progress,” he said. The White House said Biden and Herzog consulted on issues including “enhanced coordination” to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and Iran’s defence partnership with Russia. It said Biden restated his commitment to maintaining a path toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stressing the need for additional measures to improve the security and economic situation in the West Bank.Herzog tried to put the best face on Israeli politics despite the hugely divisive controversy over judicial reform. “It’s a heated debate but it is also a virtue and a tribute to the greatness of Israeli democracy,” he said. But clouding the Israeli president’s presence was the shadow of the leader with the real power in Israel, Netanyahu. Relations between Netanyahu and the Biden administration have been rocky ever since he made his political comeback at the head of a coalition of hard-right and ultra-Orthodox parties in December. A few lawmakers in Biden’s Democratic Party have even said they are considering boycotting Herzog’s Wednesday address to Congress in protest. On the eve of Herzog’s visit, Biden eased tensions somewhat by speaking with Netanyahu and agreeing to meet him later this year in the US. It will be the first such meeting since Netanyahu returned to office late last year. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday that the meeting will be closer to the end of this year, perhaps “in the fall”, which would around the time of the UN General Assembly session in New York. In Monday’s phone call, Netanyahu told Biden that the judicial bill would be passed next week and that he intended to “reach wide public support for the rest of the reform during the summer recess,” his office said. But his words did not dispel the US president’s wariness about Netanyahu’s policies. According to a US readout of the call, Biden “expressed concern about continued Jewish settlement growth” and “stressed the need to take measures to maintain the viability” of a future Palestinian state alongside Israel. Earlier this month, Biden told CNN in an interview that Netanyahu presides over “one of the most extremist … cabinets that I’ve seen.” Kirby cautioned that the agreement by Biden to meet Netanyahu did not mean “that we have less concerns over these judicial reforms, or less concerns over some of the extremist activities and behaviours by some members of the Netanyahu cabinet.”“Those concerns are still valid. They’re disturbing,” he said.

Israel’s Parliament to Vote on Ratifying Supreme Court Bill Next Week
Asharq Al Awsat/19 July 2023
Israel's parliament will hold final votes next week on a highly-disputed bill that would limit the Supreme Court's power, according to a Knesset statement on Wednesday. The proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition has sparked mass-protests nationwide and concern among foreign allies for Israel's democratic health. Netanyahu has sought sweeping changes to the judiciary since returning to power late last year atop a religious-nationalist government. Since the uproar, many of them have been delayed. The bill scheduled for discussion and ratification on Sunday and Monday would curb the Supreme Court's ability to void government and minister decisions or appointments by stripping the judges of the power to deem such decisions "unreasonable."Proponents of the change say the Supreme Court has become too interventionist and that the change will facilitate effective governance.
Opponents say it will weaken the Supreme Court, which in a country that has no constitution and a one-chamber parliament that is dominated by the government - has a critical role in protecting civil rights and liberties. Washington has urged Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges he denies, to seek consensus on judicial reforms.

Iran declares 'efficient deterrence' against any military strike
Al Monitor/July 19/2023
Iran's top officer said on Tuesday that his country has gained sufficient military prowess to make its foes forego the option of a military strike against the Islamic Republic. "It's been years since they have stopped talking about the military option," said the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, in an interview with Tasnim news agency. Enumerating "criminal" foes, including the United States and Israel, Bagheri said they have also come to the conclusion that "a ground battle against the Islamic Republic will be doomed in failure." Despite engaging in on-and-off diplomacy with Tehran over the past decade, the United States has warned that "everything remains on the table" in its treatment of threats posed by the Islamic Republic's nuclear and missile programs. Iran's No. 1 foe, Israel, has been more open in such rhetoric, threatening to strike specific Iranian nuclear sites. "We have achieved sustainable and efficient deterrence," the Iranian commander claimed, repeating a notion based on which Iran has attempted to justify its military activities. Most notably, when it comes to ballistic missiles and combat drones, Tehran says the projectiles and aircraft are developed for "deterrent" purposes. The argument, however, has failed to convince Western adversaries, who fear such advancements are a growing menace to stability in an already restive Middle East. Israel and the United States have also been irked watching Tehran forge military alliances with its regional partners. As recently as March, Iran held a joint exercise with Russia and China in the Gulf of Oman, where a leading Iranian naval destroyer appeared to be rubbing shoulders with its Chinese and Russian peers, the Nanning and Admiral Gorshkov. The hard-line commander made the comments after overseeing artillery and reconnaissance equipment at a military base run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran's northwest. "We are closely watching the enemies," he said, boasting about Iranian forces being "at the pinnacle of their preparedness at borders as well as in extra-territorial operations." Last month in the same region, the IRGC engaged in a weeklong operation targeting exiled Kurdish militants based in the rugged mountains of neighboring Iraqi Kurdistan. Tehran alleges that those groups are linked to Israel and are adding fuel to the unrest that engulfed Iran after the death in police custody of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in September 2022. Despite outright condemnation from both Baghdad and Erbil, Iran has on multiple occasions bombed the Kurdish opposition's bases well inside Iraqi soil with deadly missile and drone strikes since then, and has not taken off the table the threat of a ground incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan to oust those groups. Only last week, Bagheri issued an ultimatum to Iraqi authorities, asking them to "disarm" the Iranian Kurdish opposition by Aug. 20. Otherwise, he warned, "We will take the matter into our own hands with even tougher action."

Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Dissent
FDD/19 july/2023
Latest Developments
Iran has intensified its crackdown on dissent, Reuters reported on July 18. “Journalists, lawyers, activists, human rights advocates and students have been arrested, summoned or faced other measures in a campaign that one activist described as ‘instilling fear and intimidation,’” Reuters stated. The phenomenon includes the resumption of public patrols by Iran’s morality police to enforce the country’s dress code, including the mandatory hijab, or headscarf. The latest round of nationwide protests began in September 2022 after the morality police killed 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly. According to Reuters, the new crackdown aims to deter further mass protests as Iran nears the first anniversary of Amini’s death.
Expert Analysis
“Iran’s Islamist police state never went away. The Islamic Republic’s apparatus of repression continues to pose an outsized threat to Iranians who have been protesting over basic rights related to freedom of dress, speech, and political association.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD Senior Fellow
“Since 2017, there has been a structural shift in Iran’s political discourse from reform to revolution, and the country has witnessed three major widespread uprisings, with smaller waves in between. Data from the past 10 months show that while the intensity of protests has receded since November 2022, the protests in the country are still ongoing. The opposition has called for protests around the anniversary of Masha Amini’s murder in September, and in response, the regime is increasing its pressure to prevent another wave of uprising.” — Saeed Ghasseminejad, FDD Senior Iran and Financial Economics Advisor
The Morality Police Return
Several months after the protests began, Tehran withdrew the morality police in an apparent concession to demonstrators and international critics. However, Tehran’s campaign against hijab law violators never formally ended, with the regime installing surveillance cameras across Iran to monitor women’s dress. Still, the police’s return indicates that Tehran not only feels newly emboldened to intensify its repression but also fears that inaction would spur further unrest among the Iranian people.
Protests Persist
According to FDD tracking data, a total of at least 3,843 protests have occurred in Iran since September 2022, including some 133 in July 2023 thus far. During these demonstrations, Iranian security forces have killed at least 634 protesters and arrested 21,535. The uprising’s persistence despite a bloody crackdown by the regime suggests that Tehran faces a long-term threat to its survival that it cannot deflect solely with force.

UAE, Turkiye cooperate on climate change
Arab News/July 19, 2023
DUBAI: The UAE and Turkiye have launched a series of initiatives aimed at combating climate change and promoting environmental sustainability. The two countries inked a number of agreements and memorandums of understanding to further their cooperation in climate and environmental-related issues, Emirates News Agency reported on Wednesday. In particular, 13 cooperation agreements focusing on climate action and agriculture were signed during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit in February 2022. Emirati companies are making significant investments in environmental development projects, WAM reported. Abu Dhabi-based International Holding Company, through its subsidiary International Energy Holding, has acquired a 50 percent share in Turkish renewable energy company Kalyon Enerji for $490 million. The move aims to expand IHC’s clean energy portfolio. It will supports renewable energy projects such as a photovoltaic power plant project in the Karapinar Region, a wind project in Nigde and a solar project in Gaziantep. Turkiye, in collaboration with the UAE and other countries, has established various targets for 2023 to push global climate action. To counteract climate change and its implications, measures will be taken in a variety of sectors, including trade, transportation, agriculture and manufacturing. To promote green efforts, Turkiye is also implementing projects such as carbon-free airports, green railway stations powered by solar and wind energy, and an electric car plant.

Turkey and UAE ink $50 billion in trade deals during Erdogan visit
Al Monitor/July 19/2023
DUBAI/ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday with his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and established a high-level strategic council in addition to agreements worth $50 billion between the two countries, capping a three-day Gulf tour. The agreements, estimated at $50.7 billion, are in addition to the trade deal first signed in March valued at $40 billion. It aims to diversify the UAE-Turkey Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, according to the state-owned Emirates News Agency. The deals also cover investments, space and defense development, and energy and natural resource projects. The two countries also agreed to establish a Joint Economic and Trade Commission. Other agreements from the visit include consensus on extradition rules and legal cooperation on civil and commercial matters.
Sheikh Mohammed said he held “fruitful” talks with the Turkish president on Wednesday. “The UAE and Turkiye remain committed to fostering regional stability, growth and sustainable economic development,” he wrote on Twitter.
A statement from the Turkish presidency's communication office echoed a similar line. “We will raise our relations to the level of strategic partnership through the memorandum of understanding we will sign,” the statement said, adding that the two countries would hold a trade and investment forum in Istanbul in the fall. It was Erdogan's first regional visit since he was reelected in May, aiming to revive his country’s economy, which is being crippled by a foreign currency crisis. The Turkish president was accompanied by a large Cabinet delegation, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Defense Minister Yasar Guler, as well as nearly 200 business people. Turkey’s Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek and Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan joined Erdogan in Doha on Tuesday evening after concluding their meetings on the sidelines of the G-20 finance ministers’ summit in New Delhi. The two officials are accompanied Erdogan in Abu Dhabi. Following years of antagonism, Turkish-Emirati ties have improved greatly since 2021 as part of Turkey’s charm offensive to restore relations with former regional rivals, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel. The push was largely aimed at drawing foreign funds as Turkey grapples with challenging economic times. Erdogan and Sheikh Mohammed have met four times in the last three years. The sheikh was the first state head who paid a working visit to Turkey after Erdogan's inauguration in June. Total non-oil trade between the UAE and Turkey reached $19 billion in 2022, increasing 40% from the year before and 112% from 2020 to 2021, according to the state-owned Emirates News Agency. In March, Turkey signed a $40 billion trade agreement with the UAE, its sixth-largest trading partner, over five years. The agreement, which was ratified by Abu Dhabi in May after Erdogan’s reelection, is set to also boost UAE exports to Turkey by 21.7%. Between January and May 2023, Turkey’s exports to the UAE increased by 24% from the same period last year, reaching $2.5 billion, while imports increased by 162% to $4.1 billion. Erdogan’s tour comes as Turkey marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with both the UAE and Qatar. During his visit to Qatar on Tuesday, Ankara and Doha released a joint declaration signed by Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan and his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, pledging to strengthen ties in all areas.  During the tour, Turkey also secured five deals with Saudi Arabia, including one involving Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar, according to official sources.

UN Agency Slashes Cash Aid to Syrian Refugees in Jordan
Asharq Al Awsat/19 July 2023
The United Nations food agency said Tuesday it will reduce monthly cash aid for 120,000 Syrian refugees living in two camps in Jordan because of what it described as an “unprecedented funding crisis.”Jordan is a country of 11 million people and hosts some 1.3 million refugees from Syria. Most of them live in towns and cities across the kingdom, while several tens of thousands have settled in two camps — Zaatari and Azraq. Starting in August, the monthly cash allowance for camp residents will be reduced from $32 to $21, the World Food Program said. Jordanian officials have warned that the kingdom cannot fill the gap left by international donors. The announcement by the World Food Program comes after the agency said last week it would gradually cut off 50,000 refugees in Jordan from its assistance altogether. The program had initially covered 465,000 refugees. “As funding dries up, our hands are tied,” said Alberto Correia Mendes, the WFP representative for Jordan. The agency said that even with the current cuts, it still faces a funding shortfall of some $41 million and may have to impose additional measures. Funding cuts have also impacted millions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Türkiye, where anti-refugee rhetoric and calls for mass deportations have surged in light of economic and political turmoil.

Damascus Slams Paris, Accuses it of Having ‘Destructive Role
Damascus: Asharq Al Awsat/19 July 2023
The Syrian government has strongly condemned the visit of a French Foreign Ministry delegation to Kurdish-controlled areas in northeast Syria. “Syria condemns in the strongest terms the illegitimate entry of a delegation from French Foreign Ministry into Syrian territory,” a Foreign Ministry statement said Tuesday. Last week, a French delegation headed by Stephane Romatet visited the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and met Kurdish leaders. The visit was mainly related to the issue of returning the families of ISIS militants carrying the French nationality. A total of 169 children and 57 women have been brought back to France since ISIS lost all its territory in 2019. The delegation also discussed the mechanism of supporting local communities in northeastern Syria and the security conditions in the camps that house thousands of local and foreign ISIS families, as well as the heavy burden borne by the local administrations. A Syrian Foreign Ministry source said Tuesday that the visit of the French delegation is a flagrant violation of the most basic international laws and norms. It added that the delegation’s meeting with the separatist organizations, in reference to the Kurdish Autonomous Administration and the Syrian Democratic Forces, “constitutes a flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and reveals the destructive role and the extreme French hostility to Syria.” The visit also reveals “France’s full partnership in aggression against Syria through its support for terrorist groups and separatist militias,” the source said. It added that Syria reminds the French government that “the fight against terrorism is to be in cooperation with the Syrian state that faced this terrorism, but not in cooperation with the separatist organizations that formed a cover for the French government and are united by one goal, which is hostility to Syria and its people, and violation of its sovereignty and undermining its territorial integrity.”The source concluded by saying that Syria calls on the international community to condemn the “reckless acts” of the French government and demands it to respect international legitimacy and laws. Early this month, France repatriated 10 women and 25 children on the fourth and last state-organized flight, which followed international pressure on countries to take back their nationals who travelled to territory controlled by ISIS from 2014-2019. On July 4, the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office said that of the 10 women aged 23 to 40, seven have been arrested over pending warrants. The others were to appear before an investigating judge. The prosecutor said there is a 17-year-old girl among the minors for whom there was a search warrant. Thousands of people, including ISIS suspects and family members from 60 countries, are currently detained in the camps of a-Hol and Roj, run by Kurds in northeast Syria, and in Iraqi prisons. The French women had voluntarily gone to territories across Syria and Iraq then controlled by ISIS. They were captured when the group was ousted from its self-declared “caliphate” in 2019. In France, any adult who went to the Iraq-Syria zone and remained there is subject to legal proceedings. A total of 16 women and 35 children were brought back to France during the first repatriation operation a year ago, followed in October by the return of 15 women and 40 children, AFP had reported.

Russian Fighter Jet flies Close to US Warplane over Syria
Asharq Al Awsat/July 19/2023
A Russian fighter jet flew very close to a US surveillance aircraft over Syria, forcing it to go through the turbulent wake and putting the lives of the four American crew members in danger, US officials have said. The officials said the incident, which happened just before noon on Sunday, was a significant escalation in what has been a string of encounters between US and Russian aircraft in Syria in recent weeks. The intercept by the Russian Su-35 impeded the US crew’s ability to safely operate their MC-12 aircraft, the officials said, calling it a new level of unsafe behavior that could result in an accident or loss of life, AP reported. In recent weeks, Russian fighter jets have repeatedly harassed US unmanned MQ-9 drones, but the latest incident raised alarms because it endangered American lives. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of a military operation, would not say how close the Russian jet got to the US warplane. The MC-12, which is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft routinely used by special operations forces, was doing surveillance in support of operations against ISIS groups in Syria, the officials said. On multiple occasions in the past two weeks, Russian fighter jets flew dangerously close to MQ-9 Reapers, setting off flares and forcing the drones to take evasive maneuvers. The US is considering a number of military options to address the increasing Russian aggression in the skies over Syria, which complicated efforts to strike an ISIS group leader earlier this month, according to a senior defense official. The US was eventually able to launch a strike and kill the militant. The official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, declined to detail the options under consideration, but said the US will not cede any territory and will continue to fly in the western part of the country on anti-ISIS missions. The Russian military activity, which has increased in frequency and aggression since March, stems from growing cooperation and coordination between Moscow, Tehran and the Syrian government to try to pressure the US to leave Syria. There are about 900 US forces in the country, and others move in and out to conduct missions targeting ISIS militants.

Ukraine says conducted 'successful operation' as Crimea fights fire
Agence France Presse/July 19/2023
Ukraine said Wednesday its forces had carried out a successful operation in the Russian-annexed Crimea peninsula after authorities there said a fire at a military facility prompted mass civilian evacuations. "A successful operation was conducted on occupied Crimea. The enemy conceals the extent of the damage and the number of losses in manpower," Kylylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, said in a statement.

EU Faces Call to Continue Ukrainian Grain Imports Ban in Central Europe
Asharq Al Awsat/July 19/2023
Five central European countries want a European Union ban on Ukrainian grains imports to be extended at least until the end of the year, ministers said on Wednesday, with Poland threatening to keep borders closed if Brussels does not agree. The EU in May allowed Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, while permitting transit of such cargoes for export elsewhere. The ban is set to end on September 15. The countries include some of Kyiv's staunchest diplomatic supporters in its war against Moscow, but they say inflows of Ukrainian grain have hurt their farming sectors. Solidarity with Ukraine is important but national grain markets must be protected, Slovakia's agriculture minister said after a meeting of central European agriculture ministers in Warsaw. The collapse of a deal allowing Black Sea exports from Ukraine this week could lead to increased grains flows and bottlenecks, the countries fear. Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said the five countries signed a common declaration regarding the extension of the ban until at least the end of the year, which they will present in talks with the European Commission.
"But also in the agreement is our joint declaration that we are very open to transit," Telus said, adding the EU should also consider long-term legal and infrastructural solutions as the issue of Ukrainian food exports would last for years. The ministers have indicated they would also like an option where countries could individually ask the EU to add products to the ban list. Poland will not lift the ban on September 15 even if the EU does not agree on its extension, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said. Hungarian minister of Agriculture Istvan Nagy said that if there was no such agreement, Budapest would use "all measures to prevent further suffering of Hungarian farmers".

Russia launches second night of strikes on Ukraine's Odesa
Agence France Presse/July 19/2023
Russia launched strikes on Ukraine's southern Odesa region, the local governor said early Wednesday, the second consecutive night of attacks on the area since Moscow pulled out of a grain export deal. Oleg Kiper said there had been a "massive attack," without providing details.He asked residents to stay in shelters. Ukraine's air force said it had detected the launch of Kalibr missiles from the Black Sea, without giving details. A video posted on social media purporting to show the aftermath of a strike showed a multi-story apartment building with several windows blown out and shards of glass on the street. AFP was unable to verify the video. Air alerts were issued for more than a dozen regions across Ukraine. On Tuesday a Russian strike damaged facilities at the port city of Odesa after Moscow pulled out of an agreement facilitating the safe shipment of grain from Ukraine. The Kremlin later issued a veiled warning over the future of grain exports via the Black Sea, claiming Kyiv was using the export corridor "for combat purposes."

Ukraine Setting up Temporary Shipping Route after Russia Exit
Asharq Al Awsat/July 19/2023
Ukraine is setting up a temporary shipping route to maintain grain shipments after Russia quit a deal allowing Ukrainian exports via a UN-backed safe corridor in the Black Sea, Kyiv said on Wednesday. Russia attacked Ukraine's Black Sea Odesa port for the second consecutive night on Tuesday after quitting the deal on Monday, which included Moscow revoking guarantees for safe navigation. In an official letter dated July 18 submitted to UN shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Ukraine on Wednesday said it had "decided to establish on a temporary basis a recommended maritime route". "Its goal is to facilitate the unblocking of international shipping in the north-western part of the Black Sea," Vasyl Shkurakov, Ukraine's acting minister for communities, territories and infrastructure development, said in the letter. Ukraine added in the letter that it would establish shipping traffic routes close to the waters around Chornomorsk, Odesa, Pivdennyi, the three Ukrainian ports that were part of the corridor, leading up to the territorial waters and the exclusive maritime economic zone of Romania. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said the Black Sea grain deal could continue without Russian participation, and Ukraine is working on options to keep its commitments on food supplies. There are a "number of ideas being floated" to help get Ukrainian and Russian grain and fertilizer to global markets, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Ukraine added in the letter to the IMO that it had created a "mechanism" to provide "guarantees of compensation for damage" to charterers, ship operators and owners of vessels "caused as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation". It said this would be offered while the commercial ships were in Ukraine's territorial waters or when such vessels were heading to or from the country's open sea ports for cargo transportation. Nevertheless, since Russia's move to exit the deal, insurers have been reviewing their appetite to cover ships into Ukraine. A cargo insurance facility that provided cover for shipments via the previous corridor deal has been suspended, the policy's broker Marsh told Reuters on Tuesday. Norwegian shipping insurance group DNK, which provides war risk policies, told Reuters on Wednesday it was currently unable to provide cover for Ukraine as the grain corridor deal was suspended. Additional war risk insurance premiums, which are charged when entering the Black Sea area, need to be renewed every seven days. They already cost thousands of dollars and are expected to go up, while shipowners could prove reluctant to allow their vessels to enter a war zone without Russia's agreement. There is also the risk of floating mines. "In this situation, going in now each underwriter will want to take responsibility for their own position, their own rates and their own underwriting," an insurance industry source said. "It will come down to if the premium is sufficiently large and the risk is deemed bearable."

Russia’s Prigozhin: No More Fighting in Ukraine but Prepare for Africa
Asharq Al Awsat/July 19/2023
Russia's mutinous mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was shown in a video on Wednesday welcoming his fighters to Belarus, telling them they would take no further part in the Ukraine war for now but ordering them to gather their strength for Africa. Wagner's failed June 23-24 mutiny has been interpreted by the West as a challenge to President Vladimir Putin's rule that illustrates the weakness of the 70-year-old Kremlin chief and the strain of the Ukraine war on the Russian state. The footage, reposted by his press service on Telegram, is the first video evidence of Prigozhin's whereabouts since the night of the mutiny. In the video, the authenticity of which Reuters could not immediately verify, a man whose voice and Russian sounded like Prigozhin's, is heard welcoming his men. The video was reposted by his press service on Telegram. "Welcome lads... Welcome to Belarusian soil," Prigozhin said. "We fought honorably," said Prigozhin. "You have done a great deal for Russia. What is going on at the front is a disgrace that we do not need to get involved in." Putin initially said he would crush the mutiny, comparing it to the wartime turmoil that ushered in the revolutions of 1917, but hours later a deal was clinched to allow Prigozhin and some of his fighters to go to Belarus. Since Prigozhin was last seen leaving the Russian city of Rostov on June 24, mystery has surrounded his fate after he was cast as a traitor by Putin. It is also unclear what Wagner, which Prigozhin said had 25,000 men, would do next.
The video was shot after night had fallen, though it was possible to discern what looked like Prigozhin's profile and a group of men.
'Welcome to hell'
Since a deal was struck to end the mutiny, the Kremlin has sought to project calm, with Putin chairing a variety of meetings, meeting crowds in Dagestan and even discussing quantum computing and artificial intelligence. Russian officials dismiss Western interpretations of the mutiny and say the West should not concern itself with such "scrapes". The video posted on Wednesday showed Prigozhin receiving a Wagner black flag, decorated with the motto "Blood, honor, Motherland, Courage", from their camp in southern Russia. Belarus said last week that Wagner fighters were instructing its soldiers at a military range southeast of Minsk. Prigozhin says in the video that his men should behave well towards the locals and orders them to train the Belarusian army and gather their strength for a "new journey to Africa.""And perhaps we will return to the SMO (special military operation in Ukraine) at some point, when we are sure that we will not be forced to shame ourselves," Prigozhin said. Wagner was founded by Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, a former special forces officer in Russia's GRU military intelligence, as a way for Russia to get involved in wars in countries including Syria, Libya and Mali with full deniability. Wagner helped Russia annex Crimea in 2014, fought ISIS militants in Syria, operated in the Central African Republic and Mali and took the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut for Russia earlier this year with considerable losses on both sides. Prigozhin had said his mutiny was not aimed at toppling Putin but at settling scores with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. After Prigozhin's speech, a man identified as Utkin, then spoke to the men. "This is not the end. This is just the beginning of the biggest work in the world that will be carried out very soon," Utkin said in Russian. He then switched to English: "And welcome to hell!"

Five ISIS Members Killed in Iraqi Airstrike in Kirkuk
Baghdad: Hamza Mustafa/Asharq Al Awsat/July 19/2023
Five ISIS terrorists were killed during a swift air raid in Kirkuk (250 kilometers north of Baghdad), revealed an Iraqi military statement on Tuesday. Additionally, two other individuals were apprehended in the same city through a well-executed ambush, the statement added. “The intelligence personnel of the Counter-Terrorism Bureau have, after relentless efforts, successfully identified the group responsible for the terrorist attack that targeted a military convoy on the road connecting the Mullah Abdullah and Riyad districts in Kirkuk,” continued the statement. The terrorist attack had resulted in the death and injury of several Iraqi security forces. “In a daring raid, we successfully crushed five members of the terrorist group, seizing their weapons and equipment to serve as a lesson to the remnants of ISIS,” continued the statement. “Our operations target the remnants of the terrorist gangs of ISIS, employing tactics that align with the nature and methods of the threat,” it affirmed. In a related development, the Federal Intelligence and Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Interior announced on Tuesday the arrest of “two terrorists” who were operating within the so-called “Diwan of Soldiers and Islamic Police” in Kirkuk. “Based on accurate intelligence, the agency’s units in Kirkuk province successfully apprehended two wanted individuals” according to the Anti-Terrorism Law, read a statement by the Agency. The arrest happened after “tracking and luring the outlaws into a well-planned ambush,” with the suspects confessing to their affiliation to ISIS as part of the so-called “Diwan of Soldiers and Islamic Police.”They admitted to receiving training and financial support in exchange for carrying out terrorist activities. The suspects also confessed to “participating in combat operations against the security forces, notably in the liberation battles and the battles in Qat Alas, Al-Ajeel, and Al-Ajilat.” The statement indicated that “their confessions were documented, and they were referred to the relevant authorities to receive just punishment.”

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 19-20/2023
Pakistan: Third Blasphemy Case in a Month, Christians Fear for Safety
Nasir Saeed/Gatestone Institute./July 19, 2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/120287/nasir-saeed-gatestone-institute-pakistan-third-blasphemy-case-in-a-month-christians-fear-for-safety/
Mohd Abdul Gaffar, a retired Pakistan Air Force officer from Green Town, reported that as he was returning home after morning prayers... he discovered a small pamphlet containing blasphemous content on the boundary wall of his house. The contents of the pamphlet were highly disrespectful towards Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and other revered figures. The pamphlet also contained derogatory comments against the holy Quran and even praised the recent burning of a Quran in Sweden.
Past incidents include those... where several people were murdered, some burned alive, while dozens of Christians are still languishing in prison, awaiting their fate. It is worth noting that all those accused of committing blasphemy (who were not murdered by lynch mobs) were eventually proven innocent in court and freed.
It is believed that, regrettably, certain individuals in Pakistan are exploiting the incident of the Quran burning in Sweden as an excuse to fuel the flames of hatred and seek revenge against local Christians, who are peaceful, believe in respect for all religions, and have no connection to the Swedish incident.
It is crucial for the Pakistani government to take necessary steps to stop the ongoing misuse of the Penal Code's blasphemy sections against Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan.
Another blasphemy incident has occurred in Pakistan, leaving local Christians deeply concerned for their safety. It is believed that, certain individuals in Pakistan are exploiting the incident of the Quran burning in Sweden as an excuse to fuel the flames of hatred and seek revenge against local Christians, who are peaceful, believe in respect for all religions, and have no connection to the Swedish incident. Pictured: Thousands of people at a rally in Karachi, demanding the execution of Asia Bibi, on November 21, 2018. Bibi, a Christian woman, spent 8 years on death row because of a false accusation of blasphemy, before being released and exiled. (Photo by Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty Images)
Another blasphemy incident has occurred in Pakistan, in the district of Sargodha on July 16, sending shockwaves throughout the country. This disturbing incident has ignited unrest in the area, leaving local Christians deeply concerned for their safety.
Mohd Abdul Gaffar, a retired Pakistan Air Force officer from Green Town, reported that as he was returning home after morning prayers with the imam of the local mosque and two friends, he discovered a small pamphlet containing blasphemous content on the boundary wall of his house. The contents of the pamphlet were highly disrespectful towards Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and other revered figures. The pamphlet also contained derogatory comments against the holy Quran and even praised the recent burning of a Quran in Sweden. Disturbing sketches targeting revered personalities were found as well.
News of the incident spread rapidly in the area, drawing people from far and wide to gather at the location. Outraged, the crowd expressed their anger and frustration, demanding severe punishment for the blasphemer who created the pamphlet, chanting the slogan, "the punishment for insulting the Prophet is the separation of the head from the body," as the only suitable punishment for blasphemy.
Tensions continued to escalate, roads were blocked, and the community demanded swift action and the registration of a case against the alleged blasphemer. Soon afterwards, the police arrived to calm down the crowd and bring the situation under control. In compliance with the Muslim community's demand, a First Information Report was filed against unknown individuals under the blasphemy sections of the Penal Code: 295A, 295B, 295c, and 298A.
There are several Christian towns in the neighbouring areas, with a Christian population of approximately 4,000-5,000. Although the police intervention prevented an immediate attack on Christians, fear still permeates the Christian community. This incident marks the third case of blasphemy in the Sargodha district.
The identity of the perpetrator behind the recent incident remains unknown, although some Muslims believe Christians are responsible.
In response, the police decided to maintain a presence in the area to prevent potential attacks on Christians.
There is an escalating situation in Pakistan, particularly in Sargodha, where this blasphemy incident took place. Haroon Shahzad, a Christian man from the village of Chak No. 49, was previously released on bail, but recently had his bail revoked due to objectionable content on his Facebook feed. Furthermore, in the village of Chak No. 98, in the same district, another Christian man, Zaki Masih, was charged under Penal Code section 295A, for allegedly posting blasphemous content.
The situation of the unknown identity of the perpetrator in this latest blasphemy case is cause for alarm, and it is unfortunate that fingers are being pointed towards Christians.
Local Christians are fully aware of the severe consequences associated with such acts.
Past incidents include those in Shanti Nagar, Joseph Colony, Gojra, and Korain, where several people were murdered, some burned alive, while dozens of Christians are still languishing in prison, awaiting their fate. It is worth noting that all those accused of committing blasphemy (who were not murdered by lynch mobs) were eventually proven innocent in court and freed.
In response to the recent incident of the burning of a Quran in Sweden, Pakistani Christians have unequivocally condemned the act and consistently stood in solidarity with their Muslim brethren.
It is believed that, regrettably, certain individuals in Pakistan are exploiting the incident of the Quran burning in Sweden as an excuse to fuel the flames of hatred and seek revenge against local Christians, who are peaceful, believe in respect for all religions, and have no connection to the Swedish incident.
The infamous case of Rimsha Masih reminder us how local imam Hafiz Mohammed Khalid Chishti fabricated false accusations against Christians with the intention of driving them out of their communities.
The deepening situation raises significant concerns, necessitating a serious response from the government to restore peace and harmony in the country. It is crucial for the Pakistani government to take necessary steps to stop the ongoing misuse of the Penal Code's blasphemy sections against Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan.
The Penal Code's blasphemy sections:
295-A: Deliberate and malicious acts Intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting Its religion or religious beliefs: Whoever, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the 'religious feelings of any class of the citizens of Pakistan, by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representations insults the religion or the religious beliefs of that class, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, or with fine, or with both.
295-B: Defiling, etc., of Holy Qur'an: Whoever wilfully defiles, damages or desecrates a copy of the Holy Qur'an or of an extract therefrom or uses it in any derogatory manner or for any unlawful purpose shall be punishable with imprisonment for life.
295-C: Use of derogatory remarks, etc., in respect of the Holy Prophet: Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.
In 1990, Pakistan's Federal Shariah Court ruled that the death penalty should be mandatory.
In section 298-A of Pakistan Penal Code, the punishment against the person who disrespects the wives, family and Companions of Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H), imprisonment of with minimum three years period along with a nominal penalty, while this is a bailable charge.
*Nasir Saeed is Director of CLAAS-UK -- Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement, an interdenominational organisation working for Christians who are being persecuted because of their faith in Pakistan. CLAAS works for religious freedom, to stop persecution of Christians in Pakistan because of blasphemy and other discriminatory laws, raise awareness, disseminate information and highlight the plight of Christians on an international level. CLAAS provides free legal aid to victims of religious intolerance in Pakistan, as well as shelter and financial support for the victims and their families.
© 2023 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19816/pakistan-blasphemy-case

EU’s pioneering green credentials face two-pronged attack
Andrew Hammond/Arab News/July 19/2023
The philosophical roots of modern-day environmentalism can be traced back at least as far as the 19th century, to thinkers such as the US naturalist Henry David Thoreau. It was in North America too that green politics first took significant root, as conservation movements were founded, such as the Sierra Club in 1892, helping influence public and private sector leaders like President Theodore Roosevelt.
However, it is Europe that has in recent years been at the center of key sustainability megatrends. For instance, the EU was the first power in the world to introduce — in 2005 — a large-scale carbon trading system, which has helped set the policy agenda for many other governments around the world, from the Asia-Pacific to the Americas.
This trajectory has only intensified since the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There is growing momentum behind the European Green Deal project, with more than 50 major sustainability initiatives rolled out since the signature policy agenda was announced in 2019 by the Ursula von der Leyen-led European Commission.
As the EU seeks to become the world’s first major player to be climate-neutral — its target is by 2050 — its positioning at the forefront of such green agendas is helping to create a pathway for policy innovation, especially around the growing urgency of the energy transition. This is creating new incentives to transform the bloc into a more resource-efficient and competitive economy.
One cornerstone of the EU’s green strategy is its taxonomy for sustainable activities — a sustainable finance framework and an important market transparency tool in which Europe is yet again a pioneer and world leader. The taxonomy helps direct investments toward the economic activities most needed for the transition, in line with the European Green Deal’s objectives. In short, it is a classification system that defines criteria for economic activities that are aligned with a net-zero trajectory by 2050 and broader environmental goals other than climate.
The EU taxonomy allows financial and non-financial companies to share a common definition of economic activities that can be considered environmentally sustainable. In this way, it plays an important role in helping the 27 EU member nations to scale up sustainable investment by creating security for investors, protecting private investors from greenwashing, helping companies become more climate-friendly and mitigating market fragmentation.
Yet, while the European Commission continues to double down on this sustainability pathway, there is growing domestic and international discontent. On the latter, as the EU increasingly evolves into a global regulatory superpower, there is significant international concern about elements of its green agenda, including the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which is part of the latest phase of reform to the EU’s carbon trading system.
The adjustment mechanism relates to imports of products in carbon-intensive industries. The goal is to prevent greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts being offset by increasing emissions outside EU borders through the relocation of production to non-EU countries, where policies applied to fight climate change are less ambitious, or increased imports of carbon-intensive products.
The EU is facing a huge election year in 2024, when the cost-of-living crisis may take center stage.
China, whose bilateral trade with the EU was in the magnitude of $850 billion in 2022, is one of the biggest critics of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, with Beijing arguing that it is inconsistent with international trade principles and rules. It asserts that this mechanism will discriminate against imported products and limit market access, especially from developing World Trade Organization member nations.
However, discontent within the EU regarding the bloc’s green agenda has captured more headlines recently. The timing of this backlash reflects not just the challenging economic landscape Europe has faced since the pandemic and the outbreak of the Ukraine war, including high inflation. In addition, the bloc is facing a huge election year in 2024 with the European Parliament ballots, in which the cost-of-living crisis may take center stage.
One of the initial big signs of green discontent came earlier this year, when Germany, the EU’s largest economy, delayed a deal to ban new internal combustion engines in the EU by 2035. Then the other traditional twin motor of the bloc, France, called for a pause on EU environmental regulation, saying that now is the time for the EU to implement existing rules before adopting new ones.
French President Emmanuel Macron has been particularly concerned by America’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, fearing it will expose European firms to unfair competition from North America, not to mention from developing countries that have significantly lower environmental standards. Other national leaders have also expressed concerns, including in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Romania, Ireland and Poland.
Most recently, green discontent has focused on the EU’s nature restoration law, which will require member states to introduce measures restoring nature on a fifth of their land and sea by 2030. The intent is to reverse the decline of Europe’s natural habitats, more than four-fifths of which are deemed as being in poor health. The right-of-center European People’s Party, the largest body of lawmakers in the European Parliament, opposes the measure, asserting that it will endanger food security and undermine the economics of the agricultural sector. After a big lobbying campaign, the proposal was only narrowly adopted by the legislature earlier this month, by 336 votes to 300.
The EU may, therefore, be at a key pivot point with its green strategy. The domestic political backlash may significantly subside if the bloc enjoys a new period of sustained economic growth after the 2024 election cycle. However, international criticism of key supranational elements of this agenda, such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, may only grow if the bloc’s influence as a regulatory superpower continues to increase.
• Andrew Hammond is an Associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.

Algeria’s conflicting visions
Saber Blidi/The Arab Weekly/July 19/2023
Between the optimism displayed by the official news agency’s dispatches with its praise of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s “victories and achievements,” and the figures revealed by the energy sector officials, Algeria is putting out two contradictory narratives. One paints a rosy picture and a brilliant future for the country, while the other warns of an insurmountable impasse looming on the horizon.
Algeria set out an historic budget for the current year. But its president did not find anything to inaugurate this last Independence Day except a 140-bed government hospital and a medium-size seawater desalination plant. This was the natural result of the direction set by the government, when it allocated 70 percent of the budget to cover planned increases in salaries, retirement pensions and unemployment benefits. The remaining 30 percent went to infrastructure projects, which represented the extent of government investments.
In Algeria, presidents have always engaged in showmanship on national events and holidays to prove their importance and popularity. To be fair, past inaugurations included national and local projects that were remarkable, as a result of the investments that the state allocated in various sectors, which were aimed to meet the needs of the population and improve public services. But this time, President Tebboune did not find anything major to inaugurate since his election. This was an indication of the state’s lacklustre record managing the economy and sparking a development dynamic.
The official news agency, with its words of praise for the Teboune era, led us to expect resounding surprises and giant projects. But in the end the president could only announce a 2,000 kilometre railway project linking the north to the south of the country. This rail link was actually pledged by Tebboune three years ago, as the cornerstone of an economic and social project that extends far deep into Africa.
The president, since his arrival at El Mouradia Palace at the end of 2019, has made sure social needs and the citizens’ purchasing power were taken care of through a series of increases in salaries and pensions and the introduction of benefits for the unemployed. However, he has not struck a balance between the requirements of social justice on the one hand and the revitalisation of the economy and creation of wealth on the other. Therefore, there has been a decline in the pace of public investments needed to create jobs and added-value growth.
The news agency acknowledged that Algeria’s population will reach 60 million by the year 2030. This only confirmed how serious the upcoming challenges are. This demographic figure highlights the growing need in terms of food, electricity, water, health, education, housing and jobs. Ignoring this reality will only hurl the country towards an unprecedented crisis.
If successive governments have until now enjoyed sufficient energy revenues to cover social expenditures and various other needs, then what Sonatrach officials have revealed to us is reason for real concern about the country’s future. Algeria could be eventually exiting OPEC as it becomes a non-oil exporting nation while domestic energy demands grow.
No one denies the authorities’ efforts aimed at diversifying sources of revenue outside the oil and gas sector. Such revenues are estimated at about $7 billion and could reach $13 billion in the near term. But the seven years that separate Algeria from 2030 will quickly elapse. The country will have to meet the needs of 60 million people. How will these people be housed? How will their education and health bills be paid, if the rentier revenues shrink and the real economic income is not enough?
Someone might say that the pessimistic scenarios are the reflection of negative and defeatist thoughts, if not plain hostility and denial of the “victories and achievements” of the country. Algeria, one can say, has reason to be ambitious, especially since it is a leading producer of shale gas and boasts a mining sector that can play an important role in the country’s economic dynamic. But that will be just mortgaging the state once again and putting it once more on the track of the rentier economy and depleting resources.
Despite the messages of praise and flattery that portrayed him as a national hero and a saviour of the nation, the late President Abdelaziz Bouteflika ended up the way everyone knows. Those who today promote the narrative of “new Algeria” will probably leave Tebboune’s alone if the sand shifts from under his feet. Then, they will move on to marketing someone else.

Calling Erdogan’s bluff on NATO
Henri J Barkey/The Arab Weekly/July 19/2023
The debate over Sweden’s accession to NATO may be over, but Erdogan’s self-serving brinkmanship will only continue.
Last week, on the eve of NATO’s summit in Vilnius, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan finally ended his opposition to Sweden’s membership. After months of brinkmanship and threats, Erdogan realised that his poker hand was relatively weak. Save for Hungary, other NATO states had become exasperated with his theatrics.
Erdogan parlayed his resistance, first to the membership bids of both Finland and Sweden, and later just to Sweden, to re-election this spring. Erdogan controls domestic sources of information in Turkey; appearing to strong-arm the West is a popular political ploy.
But Erdogan is also interested in playing a larger role in global politics. He has an inflated view of himself and of Turkey, imagines that he can single-handedly remake the global balance of power and believes that forcing others to negotiate with him will enhance his credentials.
In rationalising his opposition, Erdogan accused the Swedes of harbouring “terrorists” who sought asylum from his authoritarian regime. The problem is that for Erdogan, every opponent of his government is a terrorist. He has eviscerated the notion of the rule of law in Turkey, from finance and human rights to freedom of the press and day-to-day societal choices.
Without an independent judicial system, it is impossible to determine whether Turkey’s extradition requests have legal merit. At one point, the Turks even demanded that a sitting member of the Swedish parliament, who happens to be of Iranian-Kurdish origin, be handed over.
Most of his requests were those no democratic country could agree to. Rather than heed the president’s demands, the Swedes agreed only to extradite a drug dealer and tighten rules regarding fundraising for Kurdish groups directly affiliated with counterparts in Turkey.
Erdogan does not understand that Turkey’s position is hypocritical when it comes to requesting the extradition of criminals. Swedes had made several requests to Ankara to arrest and start extradition procedures for fugitives, drug dealers and suspected murderers who have sought refuge in Turkey. Turkey refused these entreaties on account that the suspects now were Turkish citizens, having achieved this feat by literally buying their residency status.
Turkey was not always the troublemaker of NATO. Erdogan was influential in the early years of his presidency when he sought to establish a moderate, liberal order at home and improve relations with allies and neighbours alike. But as he consolidated power he became a populist-authoritarian leader with no tolerance for dissent. Surrounded by sycophants, he has become accustomed to getting his way at home, no matter the issue.
His real problem, and the reason he had to end his Swedish opposition, is that he is facing an enormous economic crisis, much of it his own doing. He espouses unorthodox policies that have sent inflation through the roof. To avoid calamity, Turkey will need vast amounts of financial help, aid with its current account deficit, direct foreign investment and improved market access for its manufacturing sector exports. This is the kind of support only Turkey’s allies can provide.
Before consenting to Sweden’s NATO membership, Erdogan tried to turn the tables: he set as a precondition that the European Union agree to reopen accession negotiations of its own with Turkey. This is a non-starter, and he knows it. But posing the question could prompt the EU to consider deepening its customs agreement with Ankara, a move that would undoubtedly help Turkish exports.
Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO General Secretary, did express support for Turkey’s EU accession. Of course, the endorsement is essentially meaningless, given that Stoltenberg is not an EU official. Yet Erdogan will still seek to spin this as a concession to Turkish demands.
Erdogan also wants the Biden administration to approve the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara. The administration, which supports the idea in principle, made it clear that as long as Erdogan blocked Sweden’s NATO bid, the sale would not fly in the US Congress, where some leaders were already upset at Turkey’s threatening overflights of Greek islands in the Aegean and other abrasive tactics in the region.
The Turkish Air Force needs F-16s because it lost its chance at acquiring more advanced F-35s on account of another case of obstinate Erdogan decision-making: the purchase of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems. The president authorised this move despite warnings from Washington and NATO that the systems rendered the F-35 susceptible to Russian espionage and are incompatible with alliance equipment.
The Biden administration has managed this latest crisis exceptionally well; it was patient and kept its powder dry. It probably bemoans the many hours it wasted dealing with this issue when other, more pressing ones got short shrift.
Unfortunately, this is the world of dealing with populist authoritarians. Erdogan is not the only one and he will be back. He indicated that he would submit the Swedish accession legislation to the Turkish parliament in October after the end of the summer recess. In other words, the Turkish president has plenty of time to try to up the ante, make other demands, or complain that the rest of Turkey’s allies are not living up to the deal’s conditions.
The debate over Sweden’s accession to NATO may be over, but Erdogan’s self-serving brinkmanship will only continue.

Saudi Arabia and Türkiye and the First Round
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al Awsat/July 19/2023
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who chose Saudi Arabia as the first leg of his first tour of the region since his re-election for a third term in May.
Asharq Al-Awsat's headline of the visit read “Tour of Investment and Stability.” Will the tour only impact the economy? Presumably, no. We must note that the rhetoric in our region has changed due to Saudi initiatives. Now, the rhetoric is dominated by interests and building bridges. This demands political rapprochement that should be bound by interests, not ideology. The Turkish president visited Saudi Arabia after Ankara had resolved disputes with Gulf countries, specifically with the Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. It is also resolving its disputes with Egypt. So, rapprochement must follow.
Ankara is underscoring this rapprochement. Erdogan wants Turkish companies to play a role in building major projects in Saudi Arabia as the Kingdom pursues its Vision 2030. This demands the language of interests, not empty words.
This will reflect positively on the entire region. We know there are destructive groups that are eyeing Erdogan’s visit to Saudi Arabia and the rapprochement with Egypt. However, there are also small and major investors that are monitoring the rapprochement.
For the business sector, and even small investors, prioritizing the language of interests and economic cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye are more important than the crisis in Ukraine or even the Turkish or Saudi stance on Syria.
Everyone, especially Saudi Arabia, is thinking from an economic angle. Putting it simply, the thought process should be: What can I gain and how will that impact me?
This is good because the Saudis are not operating according to ideological or expansionist interests. I am talking here about the citizen and investor, while the Saudi leadership, according to its Vision 2030, has committed itself to the path of reform and economic investment that demand building bridges with everyone. So, Erdogan’s visit to Saudi Arabia is significant and different than previous ones. Today, Riyadh and Ankara know each other very well. They may have had differences in all files, but now their relations are on the right path.
This path is investment and prioritizing interests. This is necessary for our region, while one has to be wary of repeating past mistakes. The region doesn’t have the luxury of wasting time or investing in past investments.
This clearly means that our region doesn’t have the luxury of investing in groups and movements and running after slogans. If one doesn’t believe me, it’s enough to look around the region and the number of its failed states or states on the brink of collapse.
The Saudi-Turkish relationship is important and it must be based on the language of interests that would set the pace of the changes in our turbulent region, where disputes can erupt out of nothing.

Saudi Arabia and the Central Asian States… Promising Opportunities
Dr. Mohammed bin Saqr al-Sulami/Asharq Al Awsat/July 19/2023
For the first time, Jeddah is hosting a summit between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Central Asian states. Observers expect this summit to engender significant agreements and a qualitative shift in relations between these two blocs, whose geography, economy, culture, and history make them global heavyweights. I have visited several Central Asian countries over the past three years, establishing numerous research and academic partnerships between the Rasanah Institute and several research institutions. We have also forged strong relationships with universities and academic institutions that conduct research on Middle Eastern, Arab, and regional issues. Amid obvious global competition over this region, building new kinds of relationships with the Central Asian countries has become a pressing need for Saudi Arabia. On these visits, we sensed that the governments and people of these nations are keen on fortifying ties with the Kingdom on all fronts. They all spoke of their trust in the Kingdom, and some of these countries are undergoing radical shifts, becoming more open to the outside world and implementing substantial political, economic, and social reforms, as well as emphasizing moderation and religious tolerance. These developments make partnerships with Gulf countries more likely to succeed than others.
I met several influential figures on my visits to these countries, and all of them stressed their nations' willingness to reinforce ties with the Kingdom. They are also determined to seize new opportunities for economic and trade cooperation with Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has invested heavily in these countries, allocating approximately 45 billion riyals across five different sectors in Uzbekistan alone. In my opinion, there will be even greater investment opportunities in the future, both in Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries.
For this reason, Saudi businessmen and investment funds may need to make serious assessments of the markets and investment climates of those countries. Central Asian countries have fertile agricultural lands and stunning natural beauty that could make them suitable tourist destinations for Saudi tourists. They are also home to substantial natural resources that have not been exploited due to inadequate infrastructure and a lack of resources. Moreover, the Saudi market could be a suitable destination for agricultural products coming from those countries.
As is well-known, economic ties and trade can be gateways to political partnerships and approximating perspectives and stances. The fact that Saudi Arabia is absent from the cultural and intellectual scene in these countries should be seriously addressed, with historical, cultural, and intellectual stereotypical images of Saudi Arabia shared by the elites of Central Asian countries corrected to better reflect reality and dispel prejudiced ideas. Thus, the Kingdom should think about establishing a cultural committee and an economic/commercial committee to visit those countries, holding talks and organizing workshops with their intellectual elites and business leaders. This pivotal step should be accompanied by Saudi cultural events; even if they are modest at first, such events could give rise to major opportunities for the Kingdom and help it realize the goals of Vision 2030.
Making use of Saudi Arabia's soft power, with all its tools, will be crucial for presenting an accurate picture of the Kingdom's capabilities and potential. Soft power could also help build the Kingdom's relationships with many countries by allowing them to build their view of the Kingdom on accurate information rather than the distorted image of the Kingdom aimed at tarnishing its image, aspirations, history, and culture.