Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 18-19/2023
Iran, Saudi Arabia move further toward reconciliation
Agence France Presse/Sun, June 18, 2023
Iran and Saudi Arabia have taken a further step to seal their reconciliation as Riyadh's top diplomat made a landmark visit to the Islamic republic following a seven-year rupture. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan held talks with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian focusing on regional security. He later met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and was due to hand him an invitation "to visit the kingdom soon."Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia severed relations with Shiite-led Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in the northwestern city of Mashhad were attacked during protests over Riyadh's execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr But the two countries agreed in March to mend ties and reopen their respective embassies, in a Chinese-brokered deal that has shifted regional relations. On June 6, Iran reopened its embassy and consulate in Saudi Arabia and the kingdom is expected to reopen its diplomatic mission in Tehran "soon", Prince Faisal said. "I would like to point out the importance of cooperation between our two countries concerning the regional security, especially the security of maritime navigation and waterways," Prince Faisal said at a joint news conference with Amir-Abdollahian. The Iranian foreign minister told reporters they had discussed ways of bolstering cooperation in the fields of security, economy, tourism and transportation. But Amir-Abdollahian stressed Iran's view that "regional security will be ensured by regional actors only" without external interference. "Our relations are based on a clear foundation of full and mutual respect for independence, sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs," Prince Faisal added. He later met Raisi and they "reviewed bilateral relations and ways to enhance and develop them in various fields", the Saudi foreign ministry said in a tweet. Raisi, in a statement from his office, said there were "no obstacles" to developing ties with Muslim countries, stressing that "regional problems and troubles can be dealt with" through cooperation and dialogue "without foreign interference". Prince Faisal was the first Saudi foreign minister to visit Iran since 2006 when the late Saudi top diplomat Prince Saudi al-Faisal made a trip to Tehran.
Iran Arab ties
Since restoring ties, Saudi Arabia has pushed for a peace deal with Iran-backed Huthi rebels and also championed the return last month of key Iran ally Syria to the Arab fold. Saturday's meeting between the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers was not the first for the two top diplomats. Prince Faisal and Amir-Abdollahian had met in Beijing in April, where they both vowed to promote regional security and stability. The same month, a Saudi delegation visited Iran to discuss reopening its diplomatic missions, Riyadh's foreign ministry said at the time. While Iran reopened its embassy in Saudi Arabia, the reopening of the Saudi embassy in Tehran has been delayed due to the poor condition of the building which was damaged during the 2016 protests. Pending the completion of the work, Saudi diplomats will be working from a luxury hotel in Tehran, according to media reports. After the landmark deal with the Saudi kingdom, Iran has moved to cementing or restoring ties with neighbouring Arab countries. In April, Iran named an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates nearly eight years after his predecessor left. The move came after Iran welcomed an Emirati ambassador last September ending a six-year absence after the UAE had cut the level of its diplomatic representation in 2016. Iran has also said it would welcome restoring diplomatic ties with Bahrain to end a seven-year rupture. And at the end of May, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he would welcome a resumption of relations with Egypt which have been cut since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Saudi crown prince to attend Kingdom’s official reception for Expo 2030 bid
Arab News/June 18, 2023
RIYADH: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will participate in Saudi Arabia’s official reception to present its candidacy to host Expo 2030, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The reception for representatives of 179 member countries of the Bureau International des Expositions, which organizes the expo, will be held on Monday in Paris. The ceremony is an important part of the nomination procedure for countries to host the expo. Saudi Arabia aims to showcase Riyadh’s readiness and plans to host the global event. Voting will take place in November to choose the host city.
The reception, which is being held by the Royal Commission for the City of Riyadh, includes an exhibition that showcases the cultural depth of the Kingdom and its capital. The exhibition will take visitors through a virtual journey in Riyadh in 2030, starting with arriving at King Salman International Airport and then a tour of the most prominent landmarks such as the Sports Boulevard, King Salman Park, Diriyah Gate and Qiddiya. The reception will be attended by a high-ranking Saudi delegation, members of the international diplomatic corps based in Paris, ambassadors of countries accredited to UNESCO, representatives of major participating entities and projects, representatives of member states of the Bureau International des Expositions, and senior French government and private sector officials.

Kuwait forms new government headed by Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Sabah
Arab News/June 18, 2023
RIYADH: Kuwait formed a new government headed by Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Sunday, Kuwait News Agency reported. Saad Al-Barrak was named as the new oil minister in the government that includes 15 ministers. A new defense minister, Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, was also appointed.

Israeli government gives settler minister control over West Bank settlement planning
JERUSALEM (AP)/Sun, June 18, 2023
Israel's government on Sunday granted a pro-settlement firebrand authority over planning in the occupied West Bank and lifted red tape on the settlement housing approval process, Israeli media reported. The changes make it easier for Israel to expand its settlements on land the Palestinians seek as the heartland of their future state, at a time when hopes for peace are more distant than ever. The measure was approved by the government on Sunday as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf, who is in charge of Middle East affairs, was set to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders during a weeklong visit to the region. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli government’s decision and called upon the international community to pressure Israel “to take the necessary practical steps to force the Israeli government to stop its illegal unilateral measures.”The government gave Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich control over planning in West Bank settlements, a condition he had made to join the government. The authority over planning in the territory, which is under a 56-year military occupation, is traditionally the purview of the country's defense minister. Smotrich is also a minister within the Defense Ministry. The decision also removes the need for approvals from the political echelon throughout the planning process, requiring only one initial approval. Critics say that not only normalizes construction in the West Bank, making it nearly as simple as building anywhere in Israel proper. They also say it lifts government oversight over sensitive building plans that can spark international outrage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office declined to comment on the government's decision. Israel's Peace Now anti-settlement watchdog group criticized the decision for “disregarding security and political considerations and perpetuating de facto annexation in the West Bank.” The change comes as an Israeli planning committee said it was planning to bring for approval some 4,500 West Bank housing units when it meets next week. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and in the decades since has built dozens of settlements that are now home to more than 500,000 Jewish settlers living alongside around 2.5 million Palestinians. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians. The Palestinians seek the territory, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, for a future independent state. Hussein al-Sheikh, a top Palestinian leader, said the Palestinian AUthority would boycott a joint economic meeting that was scheduled for Monday.

Netanyahu says he's opposed to any interim US-Iran deal on nuclear program
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP)/Sun, June 18, 2023
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he opposes any interim agreement reportedly being negotiated between the U.S. and Iran over its nuclear program. Netanyahu spoke after reports in Israeli media said understandings are being reached between Washington and Tehran that would seek to hold back Iran's nuclear program somewhat, in exchange for some sanctions relief. The reports could not be independently confirmed and the U.S. has publicly denied any such deal. Netanyahu said Israel had informed the U.S. that “the most limited understandings, what are termed ‘mini-agreements’, do not – in our view – serve the goal and we are opposed to them as well.”Israeli officials believe some understandings have already been reached limiting enrichment and that some funds have already been unfrozen. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a confidential diplomatic assessment. The Israeli news site Walla last week reported that under the emerging understandings Iran would limit its uranium enrichment to 60% in exchange for sanctions relief. The site also said the sides were discussing reciprocal prisoner releases. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said last week “there is no deal," adding that the reports were untrue. In its report, Walla said Netanyahu had revealed details of the agreement at a recent parliamentary committee meeting. The U.S. and Israel share intelligence and a prime focus of the countries' interactions is Iran and its nuclear program. Netanyahu vehemently opposed the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers brokered by the Obama administration that sought to rein in Iran's nuclear program. He was a major supporter of President Donald Trump's 2018 decision to withdraw from the deal, which left it in shambles. Iran says its program is meant for civilian purposes. Israel considers a nuclear Iran as a major threat, citing its calls for Israel’s destruction and its support for anti-Israel militant groups across the region. Israel says it does not rule out military action to prevent Iran from making a nuclear weapon.

Intel to Build Israeli Plant in Latest Chip Diversification Move
(Bloomberg)/Sun, June 18, 2023
Intel Corp. has agreed in principle to build a new manufacturing plant in Israel in the latest move by the US semiconductor giant to diversify its production sources. The preliminary deal was announced by Israel’s finance ministry and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. Intel Israel confirmed the company’s “intention to expand manufacturing capacity in Israel,” where it is already active, but didn’t specify the terms or provide other details. The facility will be for wafer fabrication, a segment in which Israel is already one of Intel’s four major providers, according to a person familiar with the plans who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. While Netanyahu put the value of the deal at $25 billion, which he said was the largest foreign investment in Israel and an “expression of confidence” in the nation’s economy, the person familiar said the total included a previous, $10 billion investment announced in 2021. According to Israeli officials, the project will add thousands of jobs to the almost 12,000 workers now employed by Intel in the country. The new plant — to join an existing one in Kiryat Gat, south of Tel Aviv — is slated to begin operations by 2027 and remain active until at least 2035, the ministry said. As part of the agreement, Intel will pay a 7.5% tax rate in Israel instead of the 5% it pays now. Sunday’s announcement caps a busy time for the chip industry. Intel on Friday announced a $4.6 billion chip facility in Wroclaw, Poland. Its competitor, Micron Technology Inc., is close to an agreement to commit at least $1 billion toward setting up a semiconductor packaging factory in India, Bloomberg News reported the same day, citing people familiar with the matter. The development plans highlight the global race to diversify supplies of critical components amid US tensions with China. Companies are also taking advantage of subsidies from foreign governments eager to make sure the supply of chips in their own territories is safe and attracts jobs. As part of the agreement with Israel, Intel is likely to be eligible for a significant government grant representing 12.8% of its total investment. Intel has been operating in Israel since 1974, and has R&D centers in Haifa, Jerusalem, Yakum and Petah Tikva, as well as an existing factory in Kiryat Gat, which the company calls its “most advanced manufacturing facility.” Intel’s Jerusalem facility is the global development center for Mobileye, its autonomous driving unit. Santa Clara, California-based Intel said its intention to expand “is driven by our commitment to meeting future manufacturing needs and supporting Intel’s IDM 2.0 strategy, and we appreciate the continued support of the Israeli government.”The strategy, unveiled in 2021, was touted as an “evolution of Intel’s integrated device manufacturing model” that would see the company become a provider of foundry capacity in the US and Europe, as well as an expanded use of external foundries for some of its products.

Blinken on rare Beijing visit in bid to lower temperature
Agence France Presse/Sun, June 18, 2023
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday began the highest-level trip by a U.S. official to China in nearly five years as the two powers looked to notch down the temperature in an escalating rivalry. Both sides have voiced guarded hope of improving communication and preventing conflict, with the world's two largest economies at odds on an array of issues from trade to technology and regional security.Officials though have played down hopes of a major breakthrough during Blinken's two days in Beijing. Blinken was originally scheduled to visit in February but abruptly scrapped his plans as the United States protested -- and later shot down -- what it said was a Chinese spy balloon flying over its soil. U.S. President Joe Biden played down the balloon episode as Blinken was heading to China, saying: "I don't think the leadership knew where it was and knew what was in it and knew what was going on."
"I think it was more embarrassing than it was intentional," Biden told reporters Saturday. Biden said he hoped to again meet President Xi Jinping after their lengthy and strikingly cordial meeting in November on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Bali, where they agreed on Blinken's visit.
"I'm hoping that, over the next several months, I'll be meeting with Xi again and talking about legitimate differences we have but also how there's areas we can get along," Biden said. The two leaders are likely to attend the next G20 summit, in September in New Delhi, and Xi is invited to travel to San Francisco in November when the United States hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Blinken will see top Chinese officials including over a banquet at the state guesthouse in the ancient Diaoyutai gardens. He has said he would seek to avoid "miscalculations" and to "responsibly manage" relations with the country identified by US policymakers across party lines as the greatest challenge to Washington's global primacy."Intense competition requires sustained diplomacy to ensure that competition does not veer into confrontation or conflict," Blinken said Friday in Washington.
- Array of disputes -
The United States and China are at odds over a slew of issues including trade, technology and Taiwan. Beijing has not ruled out seizing Taiwan by force and has conducted military drills twice since August near the self-governing democracy, in response to top US lawmakers' actions. Ahead of Blinken's visit, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the United States needed to "respect China's core concerns" and "give up the illusion of dealing with China 'from a position of strength'". Beijing has been especially irritated by Biden's restrictions on the export of high-end semiconductors to China, with the United States both fearing their military application and eager to prevent the communist state from dominating next-generation technologies. In a rising domestic priority for the United States, Blinken is expected to press China to curb precursor chemicals sent to Latin America to produce fentanyl, the powerful painkiller behind an addiction pandemic that kills tens of thousands of Americans a year. "We're going to discuss this issue directly, and we're going to be looking for steps to reduce the scale of the problem," said a US official travelling with Blinken. Washington has also lashed China over human rights, with Blinken's visit the first by a cabinet member since the United States formally accused Beijing of genocide against the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority.
Keeping allies close -
As part of the Biden administration's focus on keeping allies close, Blinken spoke by telephone with his counterparts from both Japan and South Korea during his 20-hour trans-Pacific journey. Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, travelled to Tokyo for separate three-way meetings involving Japan and both South Korea and the Philippines.In recent months the United States has reached deals on troop deployments in southern Japan and the northern Philippines, both strategically close to Taiwan. Blinken before departure also met in Washington with his counterpart from ally Singapore, who voiced hope that the United States would stay as a power but also find ways to coexist with a rising China. Blinken's "trip is essential, but not sufficient", Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said. "There are fundamental differences in outlook, in values. And it takes time for mutual respect and strategic trust to be built in."Blinken is the first top U.S. diplomat to visit Beijing since a stop in 2018 by his predecessor Mike Pompeo, who later championed no-holds-barred confrontation with China in the final years of Donald Trump's presidency. The Biden administration has gone further than Trump in some areas, notably semiconductors, but has remained open to cooperation in limited areas such as climate. Experts say China sees more predictability with Biden than with Trump, who is running for president again next year. Danny Russel, the top diplomat on East Asia during Barack Obama's second term, doubted Blinken's brief trip would resolve fundamental differences. "But his visit may well restart badly needed face-to-face dialogue and send a signal that both countries are moving from angry rhetoric at the press podium to sober discussions behind closed doors."

Emmanuel Macron has no right to serve as Nato kingmaker
Telegraph View/Sun, June 18, 2023
Only a few years ago, Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, was declaring Nato “brain dead”. More recently, he has focused on his pet project, the European Political Community – and effectively broken with the US by making overtures of friendship toward China. Yet now that the role of Nato secretary general is up for grabs, Mr Macron has apparently decided he has the right to serve as its kingmaker. He is seeking to quash the appointment of Ben Wallace, Britain’s Defence Secretary, to head the alliance. This intervention not only smacks of petty vengeance over Brexit, but seems particularly ill-judged given Europe’s experience since Vladimir Putin launched his appalling war against Ukraine. As an independent power, Britain has led from the front during the crisis, galvanising the West to stand firm against Russian aggression. Europe has all too often been left to play catch-up, while Mr Macron’s resolve has been particularly weak. Nor is that a new state of affairs. The UK has long been the second largest contributor to Nato after the US. For all the cuts to our armed forces, we are still the strongest military power in Europe by some measures. Apparently, Mr Macron is insisting on a candidate from the EU to replace Jens Stoltenberg at the helm of Nato. If Mr Macron is determined to block Mr Wallace from getting the job on such baldly protectionist grounds, he should consider that not all Nato members may be so impressed with the available options. With the alliance’s focus firmly on its eastern flank, can Paris’s favoured nominee really expect to be as respected in Poland or its neighbours as a British candidate?

Russia reports fierce fighting as African peace mission leaves empty-handed
Reuters/Sun, June 18, 2023
Russia reported fierce fighting on Sunday on three sections of the front line in Ukraine, a day after hosting an African peace mission that failed to spark enthusiasm from either Moscow or Kyiv. A Russian-installed official said Ukraine had recaptured Piatykhatky, a village in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, and were entrenching themselves there while coming under fire from Russian artillery. "The enemy's 'wave-like' offensives yielded results, despite enormous losses," the official, Vladimir Rogov, said on the Telegram messaging app. Russia's defence ministry made no mention of Piatykhatky in its daily update, in which it said its forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks in three sections of the 1,000 km (600 mile) front line. A separate statement from Russia's Vostok group of forces said Ukraine had failed to take the settlement. Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports. There was no comment from Ukraine, which last week said it had recaptured another nearby settlement, Lobkove, and a string of villages further east, in Donetsk region, at the start of its long-awaited counteroffensive. Ukrainian officials have imposed an information blackout to help operational security, but say that Russia has suffered much greater losses than Ukraine has during its new assault. A regional official said Ukrainian forces had destroyed a major Russian ammunition dump in occupied Kherson region, part of a weeks-long effort by Kyiv to wreak havoc with Russian supply lines. British defence intelligence said heavy fighting in recent days had been focused on Zaporizhzhia, western Donetsk and around Bakhmut, which Russian mercenaries captured last month after the longest battle of the war. "In all these areas, Ukraine continues to pursue offensive operations and has made small advances," it said on Twitter. Russian defence operations had been "relatively effective in the south", with both sides suffering heavy casualties, the assessment said. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who rarely comments on the course of the war, made two unusually detailed interventions last week in which he derided the Ukrainian push and said Kyiv's forces had "no chance" despite being newly equipped with Western tanks. His comments appeared intended to reassure Russians at a crucial juncture, nearly 16 months into the conflict, as Ukraine seeks to break months of virtual stalemate and take back the 18% of its territory that remains under Russian control.
PEACE MISSION
At talks in St Petersburg on Saturday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa presented Putin with a 10-point peace initiative from seven African countries and told him the time had come for Russia and Ukraine to start negotiations to end the war. Putin responded by rattling off a string of familiar accusations denied by Ukraine and the West and saying it was Kyiv, not Moscow, that was refusing to talk. He thanked Ramaphosa for his "noble mission". Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying Putin had shown interest in the plan but it would be "difficult to realise". In Kyiv the previous day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had told the African delegation - the first since the start of the war to hold separate face-to-face talks with both leaders on their peace initiative - that allowing negotiations now would just "freeze the war" and the suffering of the Ukrainian people. The vast gulf between the two sides was further underlined when Putin used a flagship economic forum on Friday to slur Zelenskiy personally and to restate the objectives of "demilitarising" and "denazifying" Ukraine that he set out on day one of the war, and which Kyiv and the West reject as a false pretext for invasion. However, Ramaphosa sought to cast the trip to Ukraine and Russia in a positive light, tweeting on Sunday that the "Africa Peace Initiative has been impactful and its ultimate success will be measured on the objective, which is stopping the war".
He said the Africans would keep talking to both Putin and Zelenskiy and would brief U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on their efforts so far.
MONTHS OF DESTRUCTION
The war has destroyed Ukrainian towns and cities, forced millions of people to flee their homes and taken heavy but undisclosed casualties among both armies, as well as killing thousands of Ukrainian civilians. Each side accused the other of blowing up a huge Ukrainian dam on June 6 and flooding large tracts of the war zone. In the Russian-controlled town of Hola Prystan, Reuters filmed volunteers pumping out water from flooded homes on Saturday and distributing bread and drinking water. "Not one person in the world will be punished for this torture we're going through, for this terrible catastrophe," said Tamara, a 78-year-old retired nurse. "That's what frustrates me. That no one will be punished for that. And I'd like it if at least one person was put (on trial) and punished for everything. So the whole world could see."

Russia can't really fight Ukraine at night because Moscow's military is so broke and degraded it can't afford night-vision gear for its troops, war expert says
Business Insider/Chris Panella/Sun, June 18, 2023
Russia can't afford expensive night-vision technology to fight Ukrainian forces at night.
A war expert told Insider that Ukraine has the advantage in nighttime operations.
Kyiv's soldiers make the most of Western-provided night-vision capabilities.
Ukraine has the advantage in the dark and is able to launch nighttime assault against Russian forces thanks to Western-provided equipment — which includes everything from night-vision goggles and scopes to drones equipped with thermal imaging.
Beyond equipment, another thing that gives Ukraine an edge in nighttime operations is Russia's inability to do the same due to lack of resources or planning. An expert told Insider that, at the end of the day, Russia just can't afford to equip its forces with expensive night-vision capabilities.
"The Russian military is pretty well known for lacking some of these higher-end capabilities, even before the war and even before the military was stressed and degraded," said George Barros, a geospatial intelligence team lead and Russia analyst with The Institute for the Study of War.
"These pieces of equipment are quite expensive," Barros added. "Some of these individual helmet-mounted night-vision goggles retail for tens of thousands of dollars for a single unit." And it's not just these nighttime warfighting capabilities that Russian forces lack. The average soldier is poorly equipped when it comes to weapons, armor, and combat technology. Russian troops have described being sent into battle with rusted, Soviet-era weapons that jam. "It's difficult to see how the Russian Ministry of Defense could be able to afford to regularly equip its average infantry with really expensive night-vision goggles or other kinds of similar optics when they can't afford regular optics for most of these troops, let along proper body armor and proper training," Barros said. While some night-vision technology has been "proliferated throughout specialized Russian units," he told Insider, the common soldier just isn't getting anything close to the coveted scopes and goggles. And with corruption running rampant in the Russian armed forces, some groups that get access to higher-end equipment like night-vision systems likely hoard them, Barros noted. To address certain equipment and technology shortages, Russia sometimes relies on crowdfunding campaigns. Milbloggers and nationalist groups source the money from Russian civilians and put it towards important battlefield assets. In those campaigns, Barros said, he's rarely seen night-vision optics being funded. "They're crowdfunding for things like drones and medical equipment," he explained. Instead of night-vision goggles, it's "basic optics" like daylight scopes, sights, and range finders. Ukraine has access to a variety of night-vision systems, including thermal and infrared vision technology, and nighttime assault assets thanks to supplies from the West. Tanks, such as German-made Leopards Ukraine has fielded as part of its counteroffensive operations, have thermal and night-vision optics that also help Ukrainian forces launch nighttime assaults. Russian sources have reported that those technologies are boosting Kyiv's abilities to operate at night, according to ISW. They've also seen an increase in Ukrainian forces launching nighttime raids during the early days of the counteroffensive. One Russian occupation official in Zaporizhzhia said night assaults allow Ukraine to use its capabilities even more successfully, ISW said.
Barros said that from a campaign design perspective, Ukraine is using that tactical advantage to its benefit. "There's been combat footage and reports about Ukrainian night raids that have been fairly successful because of these capabilities," he told Insider. There are plenty of benefits to attacking Russian forces at night, especially if they're unprepared to fight back effectively. For instance, it might be more difficult for Moscow's forces to bring in air support or hold defenses, and it might be easier for Ukraine to go undetected while attacking and advancing under the cover of darkness.
While the full extent to which Ukraine is able and Russia is unable to conduct nighttime operations is unclear, Kyiv is definitely leveraging the tools it's been given and making the most of its opportunity here. "Whenever we enable the Ukrainians to exploit a tactical or operational edge, they're really good at it," Barros said. "Every single system that we sent them, they make good use of it." He added that these situations highlight the need for Western nations to continue investing in Ukraine. They have, Barros said, really "demonstrated that if we want the Ukrainians to do well, we need to actually give them the systems and the capabilities that can help them do that."

Ukrainian forces take control of Piatykhatky village on Zaporizhzhia front - Russian-installed official
(Reuters)/Sun, June 18, 2023
A Russian-installed official acknowledged on Sunday that Ukraine had recaptured a village in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, its second gain on that front since it launched its counter-offensive earlier this month. The official, Vladimir Rogov, said Ukrainian forces had taken the settlement of Piatykhatky and were entrenching themselves there while coming under fire from Russian artillery. "The enemy's 'wave-like' offensives yielded results, despite enormous losses," Rogov said on the Telegram messaging app. Heavy fighting continues in the area, he added. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, and Reuters could not independently confirm the situation on the battlefield. Russia says it is inflicting heavy losses on Kyiv's forces and President Vladimir Putin said last week that Ukraine had "no chance" of success in the counter-offensive. Ukraine said last week it had regained control of about 100 square km (38 square miles) of territory in just over a week, recapturing a string of villages in Donetsk region to the east. Ukraine said on June 12 it had taken control of Lobkove, a village adjacent to Piatykhatky in Zaporizhzhia region.

New truce between Sudan's warring generals takes effect
Agence France Presse/Sun, June 18, 2023
A fresh ceasefire took effect in Sudan on Sunday after intense fighting that saw deadly air strikes in Khartoum and an exodus of wounded over the border into Chad. The army, commanded by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has since April 15 been battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), headed by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, after the two fell out in a power struggle. Multiple truces have been agreed and broken during the conflict, including after the United States slapped sanctions on both generals following the collapse of a previous ceasefire attempt at the end of May. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and United States of America announce the agreement of representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a ceasefire throughout Sudan for a period of 72 hours," a Saudi foreign ministry statement said late Saturday. The ceasefire was to take effect at 6:00 am (0400 GMT) on Sunday, the mediators said, adding the two sides had agreed to refrain from attacks and allow freedom of movement and the delivery of humanitarian aid. One hour into the truce, witnesses in Khartoum said the situation was "calm". "We want a full ceasefire," Sami Omar, who lives in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, told AFP. "A truce is not sufficient for us to return to our lives. They may stop fighting, but the RSF will not leave the homes (they occupy) and passing through checkpoints is just as difficult." Both sides had pledged to respect the truce in separate statements on Saturday night. The army said "despite our commitment to the ceasefire, we will respond decisively to any violations the rebels commit" during the ceasefire. RSF vowed to "honour our commitment to a comprehensive cessation of hostilities... with the primary aim of facilitating the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance to civilians".
Intensifying air strikes
Before the latest truce, witnesses said air strikes had intensified in the capital in the past few days. On Saturday, warplanes struck residential districts of Khartoum, killing "17 civilians, including five children", according to a citizens' support committee. AFP was unable to independently confirm the figures. Residents had earlier reported air strikes around the city's southern Yarmouk district -- home to a weapons manufacturing and arms depot complex where the RSF claimed "full control" in early June. Since battles began, the death toll across the country has topped 2,000, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project said. A record 25 million people -- more than half Sudan's population -- need aid, the United Nations says.
'Ominous reminder'
Hundreds of kilometres (miles) west of Khartoum, as many as 1,100 people have been killed in the West Darfur state capital of El Geneina, according to the US State Department. Medics in Chad said Saturday they were overwhelmed by the hundreds of wounded fleeing Sudan's Darfur region, which has become an increasing focus of global concern. The dead have included West Darfur governor Khamis Abdullah Abakar, killed after he criticised the paramilitaries in a Wednesday television interview. The RSF denied responsibility. "We are overwhelmed in the operating theatre. We urgently need more beds and more staff," said Seybou Diarra, a physician and project coordinator for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Adre, Chad. More than 600 patients, most with gunshot wounds, arrived at the facility over a three-day period -- more than half of them on Friday, it said. Claire Nicolet, MSF's head of emergency programmes, cited "reports of intensifying and large-scale attacks this week". According to the International Organization for Migration, at least 149,000 people have fled from Darfur into Chad. They are among the roughly 2.2 million people uprooted nationwide by the fighting, which has forced more than 528,000 to seek refuge in neighbouring countries, the IOM said. On Thursday, the US State Department attributed the atrocities in Darfur "primarily" to the RSF and said the violence and alleged rights violations were an "ominous reminder" of the region's previous genocide. A years-long war in Darfur began in 2003 with a rebel uprising that prompted then-strongman Omar al-Bashir to unleash the Janjaweed militia, whose actions led to international charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The RSF have their origins in the Janjaweed.

Start of truce period brings lull in fighting to Sudan's capital
DUBAI (Reuters)/Sun, June 18, 2023
The start of a 72-hour ceasefire aimed at calming more than two months of conflict between rival Sudanese military factions brought a lull in clashes in Khartoum early on Sunday following battles and air strikes overnight, residents said. Sudan's army and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to refrain from attacks and from seeking military advantage during the ceasefire period, which started at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT), as well as allowing for delivery of aid, Saudi and U.S. mediators said. Several previous truces have failed to stop the fighting. The power struggle between the two sides has turned the capital into a war zone plagued by looting, led to outbursts of fighting in other regions, and triggered a sharp escalation of violence in Darfur in western Sudan. In the hours before the truce period began witnesses reported clashes and air strikes in several areas of Khartoum and Omdurman, one of two adjoining cities that make up the wider capital at the confluence of the River Nile. "The situation in Khartoum is calm, especially because last night there were air strikes and it was terrifying," 49-year-old resident Salaheldin Ahmed told Reuters by phone on Sunday morning, expressing hope that the truce could be the "beginning of the end" of the war. "We are tired," he said. "Enough of war, death and looting." Previous ceasefires brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States at talks in Jeddah have allowed for the delivery of some humanitarian aid as fighting has subsided, but both sides have repeatedly violated the agreements.
The conflict, which erupted over disputes about a plan for a transition to elections under a civilian government four years after long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir was overthrown during a popular uprising, has intensified since early June. On Monday, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Nations are hosting a donors conference in Geneva that aims to attract pledges of funding for humanitarian relief in Sudan. The U.N. says more than half the population of 49 million now needs humanitarian assistance within Sudan, requiring some $3 billion in funding until the end of the year. It has also appealed for nearly $500 million for the refugee crisis caused by the conflict. More than 500,000 people have fled into countries neighbouring Sudan, in addition to nearly 1.7 million who have been internally displaced.

Pope meets once again with the congregation in St. Peter's Square following his surgery
NNA/June 18, 2023
After undergoing surgery at the beginning of this month, Pope Francis held Sunday prayers of evangelism in front of thousands of worshipers who gathered in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican this morning. The Pope thanked the faithful for their messages to him while he was in the hospital, according to "Agence France-Presse"."I would like to express my gratitude for the affection, concern and friendship," he said, addressing the crowds that greeted him with applause, stressing that "this humanitarian support provided me with great help and great consolation."Once again, the Supreme Pontiff expressed his "great sorrow and pain" over the sinking of a dilapidated boat a few days ago, off the coast of Greece, with hundreds of migrants on board, in a disaster that killed at least 78 people, while many are still missing

Putin: Authorities are stimulating the industrial sector to develop drones
NNA/June 18, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced, during the closed part of the meeting with military correspondents, that "the Russian authorities are concerned with developing the production of drones and aerial drones inside the country," according to "Novosti" agency. President Putin said, during his response to the request of the military correspondent, Yevgeny Poddubny, to provide more incentives for the military industry to be more interested in developing unmanned aircraft, that "the Russian Federation authorities are working at the present time to stimulate the military industries to design and develop unmanned aircraft." It is noteworthy that the Russian army, with great success, used many air marches during the special military operation, including the "Lancet" model.

Tunisian Foreign Ministry condemns storming of its ambassador's residence in Khartoum
NNA//June 18, 2023
The Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned today, Sunday, armed groups storming the residence of the Tunisian ambassador in Khartoum, calling for "the perpetrators to be held accountable," according to "Russia Today" news agency.
In an issued statement, the Foreign Ministry said, "Tunisia strongly condemns the armed groups' raiding of the residence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia in Khartoum, looting his property and tampering with its contents, in a grave violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and a flagrant breach of the inviolability of the headquarters of diplomatic missions."The statement called for tracking down the perpetrators and holding them accountable.Meanwhile, the Tunisian Foreign Ministry expressed "its full support for all regional and international efforts aimed at stabilizing the armistice and returning to dialogue to get out of the crisis."

Russia concludes an agreement to attract tourists from Iran
NNA/June 18, 2023
The Russian development company "KAVKAZ.RF" has concluded a memorandum of understanding with Iran to develop and promote tourism between both countries, particularly to attract Iranian tourists to Russia. According to "Russia Today", the document was concluded within the framework of the activities of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which witnessed wide participation despite foreign restrictions. Andrei Yumchanev, the general manager of the development company, "Kafkaz RF", revealed the objectives of the agreement, and said in an interview with RT on the sidelines of his participation in the forum: "Iran is a strategic partner for us for a number of reasons. First, they are our friends and we want to develop our investments with them. Secondly, by taking into account the regional proximity and cultural features in the Caucasus, we take this as a special Caucasian platform for tangible interaction.' He added yhat one of the simplest ideas that we seek to develop is the development of tourism exchange between both countries.

Guterres meets with Secretary-General of Muslim World League following his initiative of "Building Bridges of Understanding and Peace between East...
NNA/June 18, 2023
United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, received, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, the President of the Association of Muslim Scholars, Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, following the initiative: “Building Bridges of Understanding and Peace between East and West” that he launched from the United Nations Headquarters, with the participation of the United Nations Presidency and its General Secretariat, the High Representative of the Alliance of Civilizations, and in the presence of senior international, religious, political and intellectual leaders. The meeting witnessed a discussion of issues of common interest between the League and the United Nations, and the enhancement of prospects for bilateral cooperation in this regard, in particular the discussion of the outputs and programs of the "Building Bridges of Understanding and Peace between East and West" initiative and the mechanisms for activating them. This comes after the great momentum gained by the launch of the initiative, as it witnessed interaction from international leaders and religious, intellectual and academic scholars who declared in their speeches on the United Nations platform the urgent importance of this initiative, and their full support for expanding its scope as part of the international institutional activity pivotal to the peace of our world and the harmony of its societies. They also highlighted the importance of activating its ideas on the ground, including the call for launching a global day for the Alliance of Civilizations between East and West.

Al-Sisi receives a senior Sudanese delegation: Priority is to a permanent ceasefire and the start of dialogue
NNA/June 18, 2023
Today, Sunday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received Vice-President of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Malik Agar, accompanied by a high-ranking delegation, in the presence of the head of the General Intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, according to "Russia Today". The official spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency, Counselor Ahmed Fahmy, stated that Sisi listened during the meeting to a presentation of the developments of the situation in Sudan, as the Vice-President of the Sovereignty Council explained the course of efforts aimed at settling the crisis in a manner that preserves the unity and cohesion of the state, as well as ways of cooperation and coordination to deliver humanitarian aid and provide relief.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 18-19/2023
Happy Founding Fathers' Day
Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/June 18, 2023
Across the country one hopes that Father's Day will be observed in good cheer, with family gathered 'round, sharing memories, honoring generations, and reflecting on lives well lived.
But our nation has had "Fathers" as well. (With no intention to slight our nation's "Mothers"). Historians have labeled these pioneering patriots "Fathers of our country," who risked lives and fortune to create a nation founded in liberty and forged in the struggle for independence.
Since then, America has faced any number of existential challenges, from economic depression to global war. Today, we face a political schism that is unprecedented and our enemies are hoping that we fail the test of greatness once exemplified by our Founding Fathers.
Those enemies will be profoundly disappointed for we are a country whose citizens are strong, resolute, and committed to a shared future. We do so by embracing our heritage, often taking strength from the words of brilliant authors and poets such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who penned "The Building of the Ship."
His words were written years before the Civil War, a ringing reminder that we are a great nation in search of common ground. On Father's Day, it is fitting and appropriate to read at least a portion of it and reflect on the original Fathers of our country and the legacy they have entrusted to us.
The Building of the Ship
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"Build me straight, O worthy Master!
Stanch and strong, a goodly vessel,
That shall laugh at all disaster,
And with wave and whirlwind wrestle!"
Thou, too, sail on, O Ship of State!
Sail on, O Union, strong and great!
Humanity with all its fears,
With all the hopes of future years,
Is hanging breathless on thy fate!
We know what Master laid thy keel,
What Workmen wrought thy ribs of steel,
Who made each mast, and sail, and rope,
What anvils rang, what hammers beat,
In what a forge and what a heat
Were shaped the anchors of thy hope!
Fear not each sudden sound and shock,
'T is of the wave and not the rock;
'T is but the flapping of the sail,
And not a rent made by the gale!
In spite of rock and tempest's roar,
In spite of false lights on the shore,
Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea!
Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee,
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears,
Our faith triumphant o'er our fears,
Are all with thee, — are all with thee!
*Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
© 2023 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

France: Submission to Islamism Quickly Gaining Ground
Guy Millière/Gatestone Institute./June 18, 2023
Samuel Paty, a high school teacher [was] savagely beheaded on October 16, 2020 in... the suburbs of Paris where he taught...
The list of 14 people [indicted] does not include the murderer, Abdullakh Anzorov: he was shot dead by police.
[A]ll investigations show [that teachers] are afraid and practice self-censorship. For 10 years, teachers have not taught about the Holocaust. They have also given up on addressing the subjects that led to Paty's murder: secularism, tolerance and the right to criticize religions.
Throughout France, Muslim students openly threaten teachers by telling them that they are "risking a Samuel Paty". Many topics can no longer be addressed.... In biology class, discussing evolution or Charles Darwin is... unsafe.
Teachers have been resigning in increasing numbers, and recruiting new ones has become a problem.
Recently, anthropologist Florence Bergeaud-Backler in a book called Le frérisme et ses Réseaux, l'Enquête ("The Brotherhood and its Networks: The Survey"), explained in detail the way the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist movements in France use social media networks and mosques to incite Muslim children and adolescents to challenge the education provided in high schools to push the French educational system to submit to their vision of Islam.
The French authorities are aware of what is happening, but do nothing. Apparently, government officials are afraid, too, and do not want to take any risks. They know that more than 750 no-go zones exist in the country, and that riots frequently erupt... Most ended in violence by young people from no-go zones who burned cars and looted shops.
Macron's proposed law, called the "Law confirming respect for the principles of the Republic", has since been rewritten. All references to Islam and Islamism have been removed from the text. Passed on August 24, 2021, it does currently not contain any measure likely to combat the Islamist danger. A paragraph speaks of the need to "protect teachers", but teachers are still not protected. The Islamist movements in French high schools continue to exist.
About 400,000 legal immigrants arrive in France from the Muslim world every year, according to the latest informati0on available. These do not include the thousands who arrive illegally.
A study in September 2020 showed that 74% of French Muslims under the age of 25 placed Sharia above the laws of the republic.... Another study published a year later showed that two-thirds of Muslim high school students also placed Sharia above the laws of the Republic. The same survey showed that 9% of young Muslims said they "share the motivations" of Paty's murderer.
No teacher from the high school where Paty taught supported him: instead, they distanced themselves from him. Some accused him of putting them in danger. The Ministry of Education also blamed him, for having offended the sensibilities of Muslim students.
The police took note of the threats but offered Paty no protection. Even though Anzorov's name was in a police database, and even though the police and Paty's colleagues knew he was threatened, Anzorov was able to spend hours in front of the high school where Paty taught. Anzorov spoke with students and asked them to point out Paty when the school day was over and the teachers were going home. Anzorov chased Paty through the streets, stabbed him, slit his throat, beheaded him, photographed himself next to the severed head, and posted the photos on social media networks around the world.
"Sleepwalking leaders must wake up.... Otherwise, the French will have no choice but submission or civil war..." — Ivan Rioufol, columnist, Le Figaro, October22, 2020.
Samuel Paty, a high school teacher, was beheaded on October 16, 2020 in the Paris suburb where he taught. Throughout France, Muslim students openly threaten teachers by telling them that they are "risking a Samuel Paty". Many topics can no longer be addressed in a classroom. Saying that the earth is round has become dangerous: many Muslim students say that Islam teaches that the earth is flat. Discussing evolution or Charles Darwin is equally unsafe. Pictured: Bois-d'Aulne College in Conflans-Saint-Honorine, where Paty was murdered. (Photo by Bertrand Guay/AFP via Getty Images)
May 16, 2023. The French examining magistrates in charge of the case of the murder of Samuel Paty, a high school teacher savagely beheaded on October 16, 2020 in Conflans Sainte Honorine, a small city in the suburbs of Paris where he taught, reveal the list of those they have decided to indict.
The list of 14 people does not include the murderer, Abdullakh Anzorov: he was shot dead by police. Prior to Paty's murder, his name was in the database of the Central Office for the Fight against Crime, but he had not been placed under police surveillance. He was a Chechen Muslim, age 18, with refugee status in France, and had sought to join Islamic terrorist organizations in the Middle East. Two young French radicalized Muslims, Azim Epsirkhanov and Naïm Boudaoud, had accompanied him to a store where he bought a hunting knife to cut off his victim's head. Both men told the investigators that they knew what Abdullakh Anzorov wanted to do and that they approved of it. They are being prosecuted for "criminal association". Their prison sentence will not exceed 10 years; they will be eligible for release after seven or eight years -- dismayingly little.
Two other men, indicted for "incitement to murder," are Brahim Chnina, the father of Zohra, a schoolgirl who lied about what Samuel Paty had said in a class on secularism and tolerance, and Abdelhakim Sefrioui, a man who posted videos on social networks that showed Chnina calling to kill Paty.
Chnina admitted to investigators not only that his daughter had lied, but that she had told him she had not even attended Paty's class. Even though Chnina quickly learned that his daughter had invented the story, he nevertheless continued to spread her lie. He had instigated the murder of a teacher while knowing that his accusation was based on a falsehood. Brahim Chnina and Abdelhakim Sefrioui will probably receive relatively light prison sentences, four to five years at most. Priscilla Mangel, a young woman who converted to Islam, is also being prosecuted for incitement to murder: she had posted messages on social networks saying, "Anyone who insults the Prophet deserves death" and pointing to Paty.
Several Muslim adolescents, aged 14 and 15 when they studied at the high school where Paty taught, admitted to having pointed out Paty to Abdullah Anzorov while knowing that Anzorov wanted to kill him. According to the investigators, none of them expressed any remorse. They are being prosecuted for "non-denunciation of a criminal" – failing to expose an imminent crime. They risk no punishment, just reprimands and the obligation to take courses teaching secularism and tolerance -- exactly what Paty had taught.
Two trials will take place in 2024, one for the adults, the other for the minors.
The shock is the lightness of the penalties for murder. The French justice system is extremely lenient: for being directly complicit in a premeditated murder, or inciting people to commit murder, an adult will spend a few years in prison; if you are 14 or 15, merely simple reprimands and compulsory courses. Being in a police database does not require monitoring by police services or cause anyone to lose his refugee status.
Five days after Paty was murdered, French President Emmanuel Macron paid a solemn tribute to him: "Samuel Paty was killed because the Islamists want our future and they know that with quiet heroes like him, they will never have it".
Since then, Islamism has gained ground in France, particularly in high schools. Teachers today are not "quiet heroes": all investigations show they are afraid, and practice self-censorship. For 10 years, teachers have not taught about the Holocaust. They have also given up on addressing the subjects that led to Paty's murder: secularism, tolerance and the right to criticize religions.
Throughout France, Muslim students openly threaten teachers by telling them that they are "risking a Samuel Paty". In a recent book, Ces petits renoncements qui tuent ("These little disavowals that kill"), journalist Carine Azzopardi gave the floor to a teacher who describes his own experience as well as that of many of his colleagues. Many topics can no longer be addressed in a classroom. In geography lessons, saying that the earth is round has become dangerous: many Muslim students say that Islam teaches that the earth is flat. In biology class, discussing evolution or Charles Darwin is equally unsafe.
Teachers have been resigning in increasing numbers, and recruiting new ones has become a problem. The number of people registered for the annual French high school teacher recruitment exam has fallen by more than 30% from January 2008 to January 2020. In the autumn of 2022, thousands of high school teaching positions were vacant; the French government had to recruit people who lacked the required diplomas.
Recently, anthropologist Florence Bergeaud-Backler in a book called Le frérisme et ses Réseaux, l'Enquête ("The Brotherhood and its Networks: The Survey"), explained in detail the way the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist movements in France use social media networks and mosques to incite Muslim children and adolescents to challenge the education provided in high schools to push the French educational system to submit to their vision of Islam.
The French authorities are aware of what is happening, but do nothing. Apparently, government officials are afraid, too, and do not want to take any risks. They know that more than 750 no-go zones exist in the country, and that riots frequently erupt. Demonstrations against the government's pension reform took place throughout the spring of 2023 in the main cities of the country. Most ended in violence by young people from no-go zones who burned cars and looted shops.
On September 29, 2020, two weeks before Paty's murder, Macron gave a speech in which he denounced the rise of the Islamist threat as well as the emergence of entirely Muslim neighborhoods that separate themselves from the rest of French society. He said he wanted the National Assembly to pass a law to combat what he called "Islamic separatism". French Muslim organizations immediately protested.
In several Muslim countries, demonstrations against France also sprang up. Macron quickly sent Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to Cairo to meet Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of the al-Azhar Mosque, presumably to find a way to calm the situation down. After the meeting, Le Drian announced that he was eager both to clear up any misunderstandings, and that France was imbued with a "profound respect" for the Muslim religion.
Macron's proposed law, called the "Law confirming respect for the principles of the Republic", has since been rewritten. All references to Islam and Islamism have been removed from the text. Passed on August 24, 2021, it does currently not contain any measure likely to combat the Islamist danger. A paragraph speaks of the need to "protect teachers", but teachers are still not protected. The Islamist movements in French high schools continue to exist.
During the 2022presidential election , only one candidate, Éric Zemmour, spoke of the vulnerable situation in which the country now finds itself -- the increasingly disturbing Islamic pressure in French educational institutions and the threats that weigh on teachers. He spoke of the Muslim neighborhoods in France from which non-Muslim have fled and where police no longer go. He spoke of the escalating number of attacks by gangs of young Muslims on non-Muslims. He denounced the laxity of French justice towards murderers and terrorists, and said that if nothing changes, there will undoubtedly be other teachers murdered. He received seven percent of the vote.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon -- a far-left candidate who, in November 2019, was one of the organizers of a "march against Islamophobia" that ended with shouts of "Allahu Akbar!" ("Allah is the greatest!") -- received the support of the main French Islamic organizations and 21.95% of the vote. He won more than 34% of the vote among voters aged 18 to 24, and 69% of the vote of French Muslims.
The proportion of Muslims within the French population continues to grow. About 400,000 legal immigrants arrive in France from the Muslim world every year, according to the latest informati0on available. These do not include the thousands who arrive illegally. In 2016, France's population consisted of 8.8% Muslims and was the main Muslim country in Europe.
A Pew Research Center study in 2017 showed that, taking into account immigration and the birth rate, the number of Muslims in France would double to about 18% by 2050 -- possibly even higher. Polls show that French Muslims are integrating less and less, and that non-integration is particularly high among young Muslims. A study in September 2020 showed that 74% of French Muslims under the age of 25 placed Sharia above the laws of the republic. The figure for Muslims over the age of 35 was considerably lower: 25%. Another study published a year later showed that two-thirds of Muslim high school students also placed Sharia above the laws of the Republic. The same survey showed that 9% of young Muslims said they "share the motivations" of Paty's murderer.
A recently published book by journalist Stephane Simon, Les derniers jours de Samuel Paty ("The Last Days of Samuel Paty"), provides insights into the decaying situation overtaking France. Simon conducted an investigation detailing everything that happened during the eleven days between the moment Paty taught a class on secularism and the moment he was murdered. No teacher from the high school where he taught supported him: instead, they distanced themselves from him. Some accused him of putting them in danger. The Ministry of Education also blamed him, for having offended the sensibilities of Muslim students.
The police took note of the threats but offered Paty no protection. Even though Anzorov's name was in a police database, and even though the police and Paty's colleagues knew he was threatened, Anzorov was able to spend hours in front of the high school where Paty taught. Anzorov spoke with students and asked them to point out Paty when the school day was over and the teachers were going home. Anzorov chased Paty through the streets, stabbed him, slit his throat, beheaded him, photographed himself next to the severed head, and posted the photos on social media networks around the world.
Almost an hour went by between when Anzorov murdered Paty and when he was shot dead by the police officers trying to arrest him. Motorists passed by the body and the head of Samuel Paty but no one reacted, no one called the police.
The day of his murder, Paty had placed a hammer in his satchel to defend himself in the event of an attack, but he did not have time to use it. Messages calling for the death of Samuel Paty had begun to circulate on social media from the evening of October 16, 2020, and continued with impunity until the day he was murdered.
Six days after the beheading, columnist Ivan Rioufol wrote:
"Sleepwalking leaders must wake up to unleashed Islam. Otherwise, the French will have no choice but submission or civil war: those who refuse to comply with the prohibitions of Islamofascism will only be able to count on their own forces to resist."
He could write the same warning today.
*Dr. Guy Millière, a professor at the University of Paris, is the author of 27 books on France and Europe.
© 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.

Vlad’s ‘Night Attack’ on the Ottomans: How the Legend of Dracula Was Born
Raymond Ibrahim /PJ Media/June 18/2023
Today — or rather, tonight — in history, Vlad the Impaler launched a midnight raid against Muslim invaders that would cause his name to live on forever as Dracula, the terror of the night.
The year was 1462. Ottoman sultan Muhammad II (or “Mehmet”) had demanded tribute, by way of gold and Romanian boys, to serve as his slave soldiers (janissaries). Vlad III Dracula — better known as Vlad Țepeș, or the “Impaler” — the ruler of Wallachia (in modern-day Romania) responded by sending the Muslim emissaries back to Muhammad with their turbans nailed onto their heads.
So it would be war. Muhammad mobilized one of the largest Ottoman armies in history, according to some estimates — between 150,000 and 300,000 — and invaded Wallachia, terrorizing all and sundry and engaging in unspeakable atrocities, especially against women and children. With only some 30,000 men — many of them peasants whose “armor” consisted of sheep’s wool, their weapons axes, scythes, and hammers — Vlad was forced to resort to guerilla tactics. Though he launched several successful sorties against the Islamic invaders, these barely made a dent in the Ottoman force, which consisted of “Allahu Akbar”-hollering jihadists “as numerous as the stars in the sky,” to quote an early source.
Knowing that he could never defeat the invaders, Vlad decided to do the next best thing: decapitate the head of this vast Islamic snake ravaging his country. In an effort to demoralize and disband the Turks, Vlad decided to assassinate the sultan.
Thus, on the pitch black night of June 17, 1462, somewhere near the foothills of the Carpathian mountains, where Muhammad and his vast Turkish host were encamped and asleep, Vlad, with anywhere between two thousand and seven thousand horsemen, violently blitzed into the lion’s den in search of the sultan’s head.
According to the testimony of one of his riders, “moving as quick as lightning in all directions,” Vlad “butchered large numbers of Turks” during his mad hunt for Muhammad. In the darkness and din of war, the sultan, startled and confused like the rest, “fled from the camp” in a panic. The same source says this midnight visitation of horror lasted for six hours, ending just before dawn. It was only then, when Vlad had retreated to his mountain stronghold, that the sultan was “brought back almost by force.” As for Dracula, “No one dared pursue him, since he had caused such terror and turmoil.”
Due to its spectacular and unprecedented nature, contemporaries wrote a fair bit about this daring run, known in the sources only as Dracula’s “Night Attack.” “At first,” writes the contemporary chronicler, Chalkokondyles, “there was great terror in the camp, as the sultan’s men believed that some large foreign army had attacked them, coming from abroad; they believed that they were utterly doomed, and were reduced to great fear and trembling.” He explains how Vlad appeared to them as one with great authority, riding in tight, phalanx formation “with torches and horns, to signal the attack.”
[Thus] the Turks became very terrified and were paralyzed, each staying where his tent was pitched…. He charged first against the sultan’s Porte [personal encampment]. But they missed [it] and fell instead upon the tents of the viziers, namely of Mahmud and Ishak. A great battle was fought there and they killed camels, mules, and pack animals [to immobilize the Ottomans]. As they were fighting in an orderly and compact group, they suffered no losses worth mentioning.… Then they turned and charged [again] against the sultan’s Porte, but they found the sultan’s men deployed outside [it]. They fought there briefly, then turned to the camp’s market, plundered it, and killed anyone who stood in their way. With the approach of dawn, Vlad withdrew from the camp, having lost very few men that night.
Relying on Ottoman accounts, Hollywood would later capitalize on this Night Attack. According to chronicler Sa‘d al-Din,
On a dark night, his [Vlad’s] heart full of wickedness and accompanied by his Infidel army, he flew like a black cloud toward the army of the wise Sultan, attacking him. … At midnight, the army of Wallachia started like a torrent toward the Imperial camp and made their way on horseback into the middle of the triumphant army.
The 2014 movie Dracula Untold especially relies on this account, as it has a scene of Vlad — who by then is a blood-sucking denizen of the night — literally flying like a black cloud and terrorizing the Ottoman army.
The Night Attack remains one of the most desperate and heroic “military episodes in the history of the Ottomans,” writes historian Nicolae Iorga, for “until then there did not occur in Turkish history so bold an attack against the person of the sultan himself.” Back in his mountain hideout following his history-making sortie, “Dracula himself began to look over those who had returned with him from that battle,” says the Old Russian Chronicle, adding: “to the man who was wounded in the chest he would give great honor and accolades, but the man who was wounded in the back, that man he would have impaled on a stake through the anus, saying, ‘You’re not a man, but a woman.’”
As for Muhammad, to save face and sate his rage, with the crack of dawn the sultan ordered his men to hunt down as many Wallachians as possible. Thousands of destitute men were hauled before him and ritually slaughtered. Their heads were “cut off to nourish swords,” writes Tursun Beg, who was there and offered the following explanation: “This is why, as the Koran says, the powerful sword must fall upon them and split them in two: 3,700 Infidels were brought to the Sultan alive and then cut in two.”
The war would continue with an even more terrifying conclusion.
*This article was abstracted from Raymond Ibrahim’s recent book, Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam (which includes a chapter on Vlad).

Refugees should be seen as an opportunity, not a burden
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/June 18, 2023
This year’s Refugee Week, which aims to celebrate and honor refugees across the world, runs from June 19-25. World Refugee Day also takes place every year on June 20. This is a good time to raise awareness about refugees and examine the important issues that impact refugee diasporas across the world.
Countries often choose a different theme for Refugee Week every year. In the UK, the theme for this year is “Compassion,” while “Finding Freedom” is the theme assigned to this year’s Refugee Week in Australia.
First of all, it is important to point out the courage and strength that it takes to flee one’s home and attempt to find a safe and secure place for one’s family, particularly children and the elderly. Being forced to abandon the place where one has lived, studied and grown up, being forced to leave friends and relatives behind and to start a new life in a foreign place is traumatic; to survive and thrive in a new home needs extraordinary courage, faith and strength.
If refugees are successfully resettled in a new country, they then face other significant challenges, including language barriers and difficulties accessing medicine and healthcare services, finding suitable housing, adjusting to a new culture, rules and norms, and finding work, as well as prejudice and racism.
Unfortunately, only a fraction of the world’s refugees are able to settle in a new country. As one refugee from Iraq, Ahmed Badr, who is now interim director of the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship and adjunct assistant professor of public policy at Wesleyan University, said: “My family and I became refugees in 2006, leaving Baghdad and moving to Syria, which was taking in refugees at the time. After over a year of interviews, we received a phone call: We had four one-way tickets to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We were incredibly lucky. Only 2 percent of all refugees are resettled to a new country, and the average time an individual spends in the refugee camp is over a decade.”
It is worth noting that half of the refugees around the world are children. In total, a staggering number — 108.4 million individuals — were displaced across the world at the end of 2022, according to a report released this month by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. This is the highest number since the Second World War.
There are several reasons why refugees decide to flee their homes. The most important factors are violence, conflict, war and fear of persecution, which can take different forms, such as religious, racial or political, as well as prejudice against certain social groups. For example, many refugees currently come from Syria. Since 2011, Syria has witnessed the second-deadliest conflict of the 21st century — after the Second Congo War — and the worst humanitarian crisis in a generation. The Syrian civil war has resulted in an estimated 600,000 deaths, while almost 14 million people, equivalent to more than half of the Syrian population, have been displaced by the conflict.
A staggering number — 108.4 million individuals — were displaced across the world at the end of 2022.
Other countries from where many refugees originate include Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and Sudan. The current conflict in Sudan has caused a massive displacement, with more than 1 million people having fled their homes to seek safety, mostly elsewhere within Sudan, but a significant number have also left the country as refugees.
Some other reasons behind people leaving their homes and crossing borders include natural disasters, starvation and a lack of water and food.
One of the issues to address is that the overwhelming majority of refugees (about 85 percent) are hosted in developing countries. Refugees can have a significant impact on the social, economic, political and even environmental landscapes of host countries. The hosts tend to face political and economic strain if they are not prepared for the situation. Problems arise when host countries do not have the resources or are not economically and socially prepared to deal with a huge influx of refugees.
As a result, it is important that developed nations offer assistance. With effective investments and integration, refugees can be a great asset that stimulate their host country’s economy and promote productivity. As Amnesty International stated: “Wealthier countries aren’t doing nearly enough to share the cost of protecting people who have left everything behind. Appeals for humanitarian assistance for refugees are consistently — and often severely — underfunded. In short, the world urgently needs a new, global plan based on genuine international cooperation and a meaningful and fair sharing of responsibilities.”
Finally, as we mark this important week, let us conclude with the words of Warsan Shire, a poet who was born in Kenya to Somali parents and now lives in London. She was named the inaugural Young Poet Laureate for London in 2013. In “Home,” she wrote: “No one leaves home unless, home is the mouth of a shark; you only run for the border, when you see the whole city running as well … You have to understand, that no one puts their children in a boat, unless the water is safer than the land; no one burns their palms, under trains, beneath carriages; no one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck, feeding on newspaper unless the miles traveled, means something more than journey. No one crawls under fences, no one wants to be beaten, pitied. No one chooses refugee camps, or strip searches where, your body is left aching, or prison.”
In a nutshell, refugees around the world face many challenges to find a new and safe home. It is essential for developed countries to do more to address the refugee crisis. Refugees should not be viewed as a burden, but an opportunity.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist.
Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s important visit to France
Fahad M. Al-Ruwaily/Arab News/June 18, 2023
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman began an important official visit to France last week, with a program filled with many events. On Friday, the crown prince held an expanded meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, which I had the honor of attending. It included several ministers and senior officials from both countries, who reviewed the historical and strategic relations between the two countries and ways to develop them in all fields — in a way that serves the interests of both countries and their friendly peoples. They also exchanged views on international and regional developments, along with ways to coordinate joint efforts in this regard.
It is certain that this visit will have significant outcomes and will provide additional impetus to the strengthening of cooperation and partnership between the two countries. It is also an important opportunity to hold consultations and coordinate joint action to face growing challenges and risks to people globally — with the ongoing Ukrainian crisis undoubtedly being the most prominent example. During his consultations with several heads of state, the crown prince affirmed the Kingdom’s support for all diplomatic and mediation efforts aimed at ending the crisis, resolving it politically and restoring security and stability.
The crown prince had also met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Jeddah last month during the latter’s visit to the Kingdom. The Ukraine leader participated in some of the activities of the Arab League Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia, during which he exchanged views with Arab leaders on the crisis and proposals for a diplomatic solution.
In February, Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited Kyiv, where a memorandum of understanding was signed to implement a joint cooperation program to provide humanitarian aid and relief packages valued at $400 million for the Ukrainian people. This was part of an agreement previously announced by the Kingdom following the phone call between the crown prince and President Zelensky in October 2022. Two cooperation agreements valued at $10 million were also signed by the King Salman Center for Humanitarian Aid and Relief in April 2022, with the World Health Organization and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, to provide Ukrainian refugees in neighboring countries with shelter and medical assistance.
Bilateral relations between France and the Kingdom are growing and developing. The two countries have a strong partnership based on a great friendship and cooperation in various political, security, economic and cultural fields. Trade between the two countries grew significantly in 2022, rising by 74 percent compared to the previous year, to over €10.7 billion ($11.7 billion), according to data issued by the French Ministry of Finance and Economy. These statistics are also supported by the data of the Saudi Foreign Trade Authority.
There is still room to deepen and consolidate ties, particularly since the Kingdom is undergoing significant transformation with its giga-projects and broad development as part of the Vision 2030 plan. This plan is built on the foundations of human development, sustainability and environmental protection, as well as social and economic stability. This undoubtedly provides more opportunity to enhance cooperation with France in science and other fields. This includes ensuring greater localization of industries, boosting transfers of technology, the further development of a knowledge-based society, increasing the training of people, adopting renewable and clean-energy initiatives, and further pacts in the water and agricultural sectors.
This is the crown prince’s second trip to France, with the first taking place in July 2022, and after the visit of President Macron to the Kingdom in December 2021. These visits confirm the exceptional personal relations between the two countries’ leaders and their people.
The crown prince was invited by Macron to participate in the important political summit that France will host on Thursday and Friday, titled “Building a New Consensus for a More Inclusive International Financial System.” A select group of people — including 45 prominent heads of state and government, the secretary-general of the UN and the heads and general secretaries of other leading international organizations and funds — will participate in the summit. The event, through its numerous seminars and roundtables, aims to hold constructive discussions and seek international solidarity on the difficulties facing the world in terms of financing and sustainable development, which are linked to climate change.
In addition to the aforementioned, the crown prince and his accompanying delegation will participate in a third event of great importance to the Kingdom, which is the Conference of the States Parties to the Bureau International des Expositions’ Convention. Saudi Arabia is one of the leading candidates to host the World Expo 2030 exhibition, in Riyadh. The crown prince will also oversee the reception and exhibition that is taking place on Monday. The Kingdom has so far received widespread support from many friendly countries, with France at the forefront. During the crown prince’s visit to France last July, Paris officially announced its support for the Kingdom’s candidacy.
Last year, when Saudi Arabia announced its candidacy to host Expo 2030, which is the largest such event in the world, I was honored to participate in the reception of the verification team, Mission d’Enquete, appointed by the general secretariat of the Bureau International des Expositions in Paris. The verification team, which included the bureau’s secretary-general and several international experts, visited Riyadh in March to determine its eligibility to host the event. It concluded its weeklong visit by lauding the extensive human and developmental renaissance taking place under the umbrella of the Kingdom’s much-praised Vision 2030 strategic plan. In its report, the team confirmed the readiness of Riyadh and its ability to host and organize Expo 2030, which is expected to record more than 40 million visits.
There is a great deal of similarity between French and Saudi citizens in their appreciation of history, the arts and culture.
Of course, Riyadh’s hosting of Expo 2030 would ensure greater cooperation between the Kingdom and France on various economic, cultural and technical levels. It would also promote rapprochement and understanding between the Kingdom’s people and the global community, especially French citizens. There is a great deal of similarity between French and Saudi citizens in their appreciation of history, the arts and culture.
Some of my friends have asked me if I face any challenges or obstacles in my role as Saudi ambassador to France. I have replied that, thankfully, I have not encountered any. However, there are sometimes hurdles that result from a lack of knowledge, a lack of information or, in some cases, prejudice. There are still some people on the French side who are not fully aware of the Kingdom’s culture, history and the long-standing traditions of its people. The same thing can be said about the trade and business sectors, with some French nationals unaware of the Kingdom’s huge capabilities.
Saudi Arabia, it must be emphasized to these people, enjoys significant political and economic stability, has good human resources, competent young experts and modern infrastructure, as well as natural and mineral resources. In addition, its geographical position makes it an ideal location for the development of a vibrant commercial hub, for the Gulf, Middle East and globally. It is located between three of the world’s continents — Asia, Africa and Europe — and overlooks some of the most important international maritime routes for the transport of sources of energy, goods and services.
Similarly, there is still a lack of understanding among Saudi businessmen and investors with regard to the huge potential of France, especially in technology, digital industries, innovation, artificial intelligence, human resources development, the pharmaceutical sector, renewable and clean energy production, water treatment, space sciences and aviation.
Although ties have improved significantly in recent years, additional cooperation is needed between government bodies, the private sector and commercial and civil authorities in order to get to the desired level. The visit of the crown prince will undoubtedly assist in this regard because he is accompanied by a high-level delegation consisting of several ministers — foreign affairs, culture, finance, investment, industry and transport — as well as senior officials, including the head of the Public Investment Fund. An expanded Saudi-French Business Council forum will be held during the visit, constituting a good opportunity for the two sides to boost ties. An exhibition has been organized in Paris that will provide French visitors, diplomats and delegates with an overview of the Kingdom’s past and glorious present, its beautiful capital, Riyadh, and the extensive human and developmental renaissance currently underway.
As for the French side, numerous initiatives have been launched, the latest being the Gulf Vision 2023 conference that took place on June 13-14 under the auspices of President Macron in the grand conference hall at the French Ministry of Finance and Economy’s headquarters. It focused on trade and economic exchange between France, the Kingdom and the other GCC countries. I was honored to take part in the conference, which also saw the participation of Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar AlKhorayef, along with a high-level official Saudi delegation.
The event was also attended by French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and Minister of Foreign Trade Olivier Becht. The Saudi private sector was represented at the conference by the head and senior members of the Saudi-French Business Council, while the French private sector was represented by the head and members of Business France. At the end of the conference, and in light of the initiative’s success, the attendees agreed to turn the conference into an annual event.
I am honored, as the Saudi ambassador to France, along with my team at the embassy, consulates and affiliated offices, to be expending considerable effort to enhance cooperation between the two countries, through periodic events and forums, in consultation with the relevant bodies in both nations.
Everyone is undoubtedly looking forward to the outcomes of this important visit and the success it will achieve, much like that of the crown prince’s previous visits. A promising future beckons — one of mutually beneficial ties between the peoples of these two great nations.
Fahad M. Al-Ruwaily is Saudi Arabia's ambassador to France. Twitter: @Fahadalrwaily