Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 19-20/2023
Vision 2030 drives historic change as French-Saudi Investment Forum showcases booming bilateral trade and cross investments
LBCI/Mon, June 19, 2023
The relationship between Saudi Arabia and France is witnessing significant growth in opportunities in different areas, including tourism, technology, and clean energy. The French-Saudi Investment Forum, which kicked off on June 19, addresses the significant issues in different sectors to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. The partnership between both countries is undergoing a historic change following the launch of Vision 2030, with France being one of the top investors, investing approximately €15 billion. The French-Saudi Investment Forum in Paris brings together Saudi Arabian and French government officials and private-sector businesses to focus on the progress made in carrying out economic development plans. Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid al-Falih expressed his gratitude to France's Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad, Olivier Becht, for extending an invitation to the Saudi delegation to visit France, particularly Paris. Al-Falih's visit to France comes six months after Becht's visit to Saudi Arabia, during which they had productive meetings and explored the significant cultural, heritage, and tourism destination of AlUla. During his remarks, al-Falih thanked Business France for partnering with Invest Saudi to organize the forum and the Saudi French Business Council, recognizing their 20th anniversary. The gathering timing coincides with the visit of His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman to France, which al-Falih sees as symbolic. Al-Falih highlighted the upcoming summit for a new global financial pact and the General Assembly for Expo 2030, where Saudi Arabia aspires to secure the candidacy to host the Expo. He emphasized that the accomplishments of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia's ambitious National Transformation Program, will bear the imprints of French-Saudi partnerships. The minister pointed out that 2026 will mark the celebration of 100 years of diplomatic relations between France and Saudi Arabia, underscoring the long-standing ties between the two nations. Al-Falih expressed confidence in the ability of both countries to realize their aspirations under their respective leaderships.
He also drew attention to France's economic prowess, highlighting its position as the world's seventh-largest economy and the European Union's preferred Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) destination. He revealed that bilateral trade between the two countries reached 11 billion euros in 2022, representing a remarkable year-on-year growth of 47 percent. France is the third-largest foreign investor in Saudi Arabia, with investments amounting to approximately 15 billion euros. French companies operating in Saudi Arabia have expanded by 43 percent since 2020, with over 110 companies actively present. Speaking on Saudi Arabia's economic performance at the midway point of Vision 2030, al-Falih emphasized impressive milestones. The nation's GDP has grown by two-thirds, non-oil revenues have surged by 120 percent, and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has quadrupled. Notably, unemployment has dropped to 8 percent, and women's participation in the workforce has more than doubled, showcasing the country's progress.
Al-Falih outlined several sectors of the Saudi economy primed for joint investments, including tourism, the digital economy, mobility and transportation, aviation and aerospace, energy, and finance.  He highlighted successful collaborations between Saudi Arabia and French companies such as Alstom, Airbus, and Figeac Aero across various sectors.  The minister also mentioned Saudi Aramco's plans to construct the world's largest blue hydrogen system and the world's largest green hydrogen plant at NEOM, a mega-project on the Red Sea coast.  Furthermore, he congratulated Saudi Aramco and TotalEnergies on their recent announcement of the final investment decision for the Amiral petrochemical joint venture project. Al-Falih acknowledged the investment made by French banks, including BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole, Natixis, and Credit Mutuel, in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) financing. In closing, al-Falih expressed his gratitude to the hosts and attendees of the event and extended an invitation for all to seize the abundant opportunities available in Saudi Arabia. In turn, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad, Olivier Becht, delivered a speech at the French-Saudi Investment Forum, expressing gratitude towards the Saudi Ministry of Investment, ADF International, and other contributing institutions for making the event possible. In his address, Becht highlighted the recent success of the Vision Golfe Forum, which he sees as a symbol of the growing commercial ties between France and the Gulf region, particularly Saudi Arabia. Underscoring the significance of this event, Becht expressed his hope for the Vision Golfe Forum to become a regular gathering for business communities, emphasizing its potential to foster stronger connections between the two regions.
He also reiterated that Saudi Arabia stands as France's most important trading partner in the Gulf region, a sentiment echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Both France and Saudi Arabia share a common goal of strengthening bilateral ties in all dimensions. Notably, the economic relations between the two countries have flourished, with trade reaching a record level of nearly 11 billion euros in 2022, effectively overcoming the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on bilateral trade. Moreover, cross-investments have played a significant role, with Saudi Arabia serving as a prominent destination for French direct investments within the Gulf region. Presently, over 130 French companies are operating in Saudi Arabia. However, the relationship between France and Saudi Arabia extends beyond economic matters. It encompasses diplomatic coordination, regional security, energy and climate change, academia, and culture. The ongoing dialogue between the two nations is evident through official meetings and ministerial visits. The two countries have enjoyed fruitful cooperation, particularly in the transport and energy sectors.
As both France and Saudi Arabia face global challenges such as energy, climate change, and digital transition, significant investments are required.  In their capacity as G20 nations, they share a responsibility to contribute to the fight against climate change. An upcoming milestone in this effort is the New Global Financial Pact summit in Paris, which will be co-chaired by the French President and Crown Prince. This summit holds great importance as sustainable cities stand as a major objective of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 program, presenting partnership opportunities between France and Saudi Arabia. France possesses an advanced ecosystem in sustainable cities, making it well-positioned to offer an integrated solution. Furthermore, France plays a unique role in supporting Saudi authorities in the development of their cultural, historical, and natural heritage. The two countries are striving to bring their entrepreneurial ecosystems closer together, fostering a positive dynamic. Saudi investments in strategic sectors within France, such as technology, are deemed essential. Meanwhile, France's own program, France 2030, focuses on innovation and energy transition, prioritizing investments in decarbonized hydrogen, the decarbonization of industries, electric mobility, and new technologies. In 2022, France ranked as Europe's leading country for foreign investment projects for the third consecutive year.  France would warmly welcome the establishment of an office for the Public Investment Fund in Paris, demonstrating the alignment of visions between the two countries and the unparalleled opportunities to enhance mutual investments while sharing expertise and knowledge. Becht concluded his address by reaffirming his commitment to supporting projects that will benefit both nations.

Canada sanctions judges of Iran's Revolutionary Courts over human-rights violations
The Canadian Press/Mon, June 19, 2023
Canada has levied sanctions against seven Iranian officials, citing their role in gross and systematic human-rights violations in the country's criminal justice system. Global Affairs Canada says Iran's Revolutionary Courts are notorious for issuing death sentences and harsh prison terms following sham trials relying on evidence gathered under torture. It is the twelfth package of sanctions imposed by Canada against the Iranian regime since October, following widespread protests calling on Tehran to respect human rights and freedom. The measures prohibit dealings with the listed individuals, effectively freezing any assets they might have in Canada. Individuals listed in response to gross and systematic violations of human rights are also inadmissible to Canada under federal immigration law. Canada has sanctioned a total of 163 Iranian individuals and 192 entities. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2023.

Iranian protesters remain defiant in the face of violent and brutal regime oppression
The Conversation/Mon, June 19, 2023
The vibrant, brave and unyielding voice of dissent remains strong in Iran despite months of brutal repression by the clerical regime.
The “women, life, freedom” movement is an insistent call for change that is meeting the Islamic Republic head-on with resilient defiance. Even as violence curbs the outward signs of protest, the movement is very much alive, boldly innovating to challenge the regime. The government, desperately holding on to its dwindling authority, continues its ruthless crackdown, employing a politics of fear to maintain a shaky status quo. It is predictably fighting back with all the grim weapons at its disposal. For more than four decades, Iran has made liberal use of the death penalty. After China, Iran has the highest number of executions in the world.But since the protests began after a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, was murdered by the morality police last September for wearing her hijab “improperly”, there has been a worrying surge in executions. In the first five months of 2023, the Islamic Republic executed more than 300 people, 142 in May alone. Accused death penalty prisoners rarely get a fair trial, in clear breach of international law. The principal method of execution in Iran is hanging, mainly in private, although the regime knows the chilling effect of killing their condemned in public. In December, protester Majidreza Rahnavard was hanged publicly in Mashhad while a group of people looked on.
Iranian activist Majidreza Rahnavard.
Majidreza Rahnavard was executed in December 2022, convicted with Amnesty International. Despite the regime’s claim that half of this year’s executions were linked to narcotics-related offences, death penalties disproportionately target ethnic and religious minorities who have faced significant repression over the past four decades. The Islamic Republic uses state-sponsored murder to maintain a climate of fear. For months, millions of Iranians have woken up scared to check the news on their phones, fearing to hear about another young protester executed.
State-sponsored rape
In recent months, there have also been many reports about the use of rape against male and female detainees, a long-used tactic in the Islamic Republic’s prisons. Recently, the former director of the notorious Evin prison, Hossein Mortazavi, acknowledged that in the 1980s, female prisoners who were still virgins were forcibly married to jailers before execution. Clerics believed that if virgin girls were executed, they would go straight to heaven. So, they raped them in the form of forced marriage so that they would not die virgins. Various testimonies shed light on the sexual violence directed against those detained since the beginning of the uprising. Horrific practices like this may exacerbate the Islamic Republic’s crisis of legitimacy, but it can also make people think twice before taking to the streets.
Mass arrests, many still in jail
Nearly 30,000 people were reportedly detained for protesting, political activities or expressing opinions in the 12 months to the end of March.Iran’s head of the judiciary announced on March 13 that 22,000 detainees had been “pardoned” and released in the previous six months. But he didn’t comment on the fate of at least 7,000 prisoners who remained in some of the most notorious prisons in the Middle East. There has been very little news about influential detainees, including rapper Toomaj Salehi, who was arrested in October 2021. On November 26 2022, Toomaj’s family expressed deep concern for his life, indicating that he had been tried in a closed-door proceeding. The following day, Iranian media disclosed that Salehi was indicted with “corruption on Earth,” a charge that could potentially result in a death sentence.
Hardline approach failing to deter protest
Iran’s hardline supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has branded the protesters as “traitors” and rejected calls for constitutional reform, dismissing them as the demands of his “enemies”. In January he appointed the infamous former Revolutionary Guard commander Ahmadreza Radan as the country’s new police chief to increase the crackdown on protests. Radan has been blacklisted by the US and EU over rights abuses. But despite the brutal repression, the women, life, freedom protests continue. “Too many young lives have been lost in the past few months for us to go back to how things were before,” one woman told the BBC recently. Social movements often use symbols to maintain their existence and relevance, particularly in oppressive political contexts. In Iran, removing headscarves has become one of the most important acts of resistance against a regime that still maintains versions of “morality policing” to confront women who do not wear a “proper” hijab. Despite the regime’s pressure and the uncompromising supreme leader, many women defy the state and continue to return to the streets without the hijab, regardless of the consequences. The streets are now filled with facial recognition cameras to identify women who defy the regime, but there is no sign of stepping back by the women. There are also many instances of nonviolent resistance through music, dance and arts. Videos are circulating showing men and women spontaneously performing music and dancing in public. Women dancing in public is a red line for the Islamic Republic, yet they do it. Most social media platforms are blocked by the regime, But many Iranians use censorship-bypassing technology (virtual private networks or VPNs) to go online to express dissent, boost solidarity and share inspiration. Despite all odds, the strength and resilience of the women, life, freedom movement continues to challenge the regime at every step with nonviolent resistance and cultural expression. The movement’s refusal to back down, despite the increasing severity of the regime’s actions, demonstrates a remarkable resilience. The time bomb for the Islamic Republic is the young population, many of whom are setting themselves in direct opposition to the Islamist regime in calling for change. Indeed, change is something an overwhelming majority of Iranians say they want, according to polling conducted last year. And the resilience of the women, life, freedom protesters shows they are not afraid to put their lives on the line to fight for it. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Afshin Shahi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

5 Palestinians at least killed, 45 wounded as Israel deploys helicopters in West Bank
Associated Press/Mon, June 19, 2023
Israeli helicopter gunships struck targets Monday in the occupied West Bank as a gunbattle raged in the city of Jenin between Israeli troops and militants, killing four Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy, officials said. The violence marked a rare use of Israeli airpower in the territory. During the clashes, Palestinian militants detonated a roadside bomb next to an Israeli military vehicle. At least 45 Palestinians were wounded, five seriously. The Israeli military said seven members of the paramilitary border police and the army suffered light and moderate wounds. The escalation was the latest in more than a year of near-daily violence that has wracked the West Bank. The Israeli military said troops came under a "massive exchange of fire" during an arrest raid in Jenin and shot back at Palestinian gunmen. "As the security forces exited the city, a military vehicle was hit by an explosive device, damaging the vehicle," the army said, adding that helicopters "opened fire toward the gunmen in order to assist in extraction of the forces." Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said that hours after the initial firefight, the army had flooded the area with troops in order to extract personnel pinned down in five disabled vehicles at the scene, describing it as an "evacuation" operation. "We're bringing in heavy equipment to get these vehicles out," Hecht told reporters.
The militants' use of a roadside bomb in the West Bank was "very unusual and dramatic," Hecht said, adding that it may affect future military strategy in the territory. Unconfirmed amateur video footage from Jenin appeared to show a roadside explosive targeting an Israeli armored vehicle. Another video posted online appeared to show Israeli military helicopter launching a rocket during the ongoing army operation. The Israeli military rarely uses aircraft in its operations in the occupied West Bank. Israeli media reported that it was the first use of an attack helicopter in the territory since the Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified those killed as Khaled Asasa, 21, Qassam Abu Sariya, 29, Qais Jabarin, 21, and 15-year-old Ahmed Saqr, and said at least five others remained in serious condition after being wounded in the shootout. Hussein al-Shekh, a senior Palestinian official, accused Israel of waging "a fierce and open war" against the Palestinian people and said President Mahmoud Abbas would make "unprecedented decisions" in an upcoming emergency meeting. Egypt's Foreign Ministry condemned what it called Israel's "continued escalation against the Palestinians," saying it only further inflamed the situation and undermined efforts to reduce regional tensions. Israel and the Palestinians have been gripped by months of violence, focused mainly in the West Bank, where some 124 Palestinians have been killed this year. The city of Jenin has been a hotbed of Palestinian militancy.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians seek those territories for a future independent state. Israel has been staging near-nightly raids in the West Bank in response to a spasm of Palestinian violence early last year. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have surged during that time. Israel says most of the dead were militants, but stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in confrontations have also been killed. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed at least 20 people this year.

Syrian leaders, Congolese rebels hit with UK sanctions
Agence France Presse/Mon, June 19, 2023
The UK on Monday announced new sanctions against Syria's defence minister and its head of the armed forces, as part of new curbs targeting conflict-related sexual violence. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said Ali Mahmoud Abbas and Abdel Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim would be subject to asset freezes and travel bans. Abbas has a "commanding role of the Syrian military and armed forces, who have systematically used rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence against civilians", it said. Ibrahim, who is chief of the general staff of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces, "has been involved in the repression of the Syrian population through commanding military forces where there has been systematic use of rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence".Alongside the Syrian pair, the FCDO slapped a similar ban on two rebel leaders from the restive eastern Democratic Republic of Congo -- Desire Londroma Ndjukpa and William Yakutumba. Ndjukpa heads the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) militia while Yakutumba, an army deserter, is leader of the armed Mai-Mai Yakutumba rebel group. Both groups have used rape and mass rape, breaking international humanitarian law, the FCDO said. "Threats of sexual violence as a weapon in conflict must stop and survivors must be supported to come forward," said junior foreign minister Tariq Ahmad. "These sanctions send a clear signal to perpetrators that the UK will hold you accountable for your horrendous crimes."

UN calls on Middle East and European nations to raise money for the humanitarian crisis in Sudan
CAIRO (AP)/Mon, June 19, 2023
— The United Nations called on countries in the Middle East and Europe on Monday to ramp up aid efforts in Sudan to address the deepening humanitarian crisis.
Sudan has been rocked by fighting for more than two months as the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces battle for control of the country. Sudan’s Health Ministry said Saturday that more than 3,000 have been killed in the conflict, which has decimated the country's fragile infrastructure and sparked ethnic violence in the western Darfur region. “The scale and speed of Sudan’s descent into death and destruction is unprecedented,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said at the opening of a U.N.-sponsored meeting co-hosted by Egypt, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the African Union in the Swiss city of Geneva. Guterres said the organization’s emergency aid program launched after the war broke out on April 15 has received less than 17% of the required $3 billion in aid. As the meeting progressed, numerous state representatives pledged further contributions. Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said that the Gulf kingdom would be giving $50 million to the program. Katja Keul, minister of state at Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, said that Berlin would pledge 200 million euros (nearly $219 million) of humanitarian assistance to Sudan and the region. Speaking by a web link, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power said that Washington would be donating an additional $171 million in aid to Sudan. The U.N.’s top humanitarian official, Martin Griffiths, said that the United Nations would inject a further $22 million into the program. It remained unclear if Saudi Arabia and Egypt, two of the conflict’s key mediators, would provide further financial contributions to the humanitarian initiative. Around 24.7 million people, more than half of Sudan's population, are in need of humanitarian assistance, the U.N. says. More than 2.2 million people have fled their homes to safer areas elsewhere in Sudan or crossed into neighboring countries, according to the latest U.N. figures. On Sunday morning, the country's warring forces began a three-day cease-fire, brokered by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. It's the ninth truce since the conflict began, although most have foundered.
The conflict has turned the capital, Khartoum, and other urban areas into battlefields. The paramilitary force, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, has occupied people’s houses and other civilian properties, according to residents and activists. The army, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, has staged repeated airstrikes in densely populated civilian areas. The province of West Darfur has experienced some of the worst violence. with tens of thousands of residents fleeing to neighboring Chad. The Rapid Support Forces and affiliated Arab militias have repeatedly attacked the province's capital, Genena, targeting the non-Arab Masalit community, rights groups say. The province's former governor, Khamis Abdalla Abkar, a Masalit, was abducted and killed last week after he appeared in a televised interview and accused the Arab militias and the paramilitary force of attacking Genena. The U.N. and Sudan's military blamed the Rapid Support Forces for the killing. It has denied that. Last week, Griffiths described the situation in West Darfur as a “humanitarian calamity.”

UN complains Russia won't let aid workers into area of Ukraine dam collapse
Associated Press/Mon, June 19, 2023
The Kremlin's spokesman said Monday that U.N. aid workers who want to visit areas ravaged by the recent Kakhova dam collapse in southern Ukraine can't go there because fighting in the war makes it unsafe. The United Nations rebuked Moscow on Sunday for allegedly denying aid workers access to Russia-occupied areas where residents are stranded amid "devastating destruction." The U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, said in a statement that her staff were engaging with both Kyiv and Moscow, which control different parts of the area, in a bid to reach civilians in need. They face a shortage of drinking water and food and a lack of power. Brown urged Russian authorities "to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law" and let them in. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn't explicitly admit that Russia had blocked U.N. access, but told a conference call with reporters that Ukrainian attacks made a visit too risky. "There has been constant shelling, constant provocations, civilian facilities and the civilian population have come under fire, people have died, so it's really difficult to ensure their security," Peskov said. His comments came amid varying accounts by survivors of the quality of assistance that Russia is providing in areas it controls. The dam lies on the Dnieper River, which forms the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces on the eastern and western banks, respectively. Many evacuees and residents accuse Russian authorities of doing little or nothing to help. Some civilians said that evacuees were sometimes forced to present Russian passports if they wanted to leave. On the Ukrainian side, rescuers are braving Russian snipers as they rush to ferry Ukrainians out of Russia-occupied flood zones. Exclusive drone photos and information obtained by The Associated Press indicate that Moscow had the means, motive and opportunity to blow up the dam, which was under Russian control, earlier this month. The explosion occurred as Ukraine mustered for a counteroffensive. Kyiv's forces have intensified attacks along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line recently. Some analysts saw the dam breach as a Russian effort to thwart Ukraine's counteroffensive in the Kherson region. The U.K. Defense Ministry said Monday that Russia has recently redeployed several thousand troops from the banks of the Dnieper to buttress its positions in the Zaporizhzhia and Bakhmut sectors, which reportedly have seen heavy fighting. The move "likely reflects Russia's perception that a major Ukrainian attack across the Dnieper is now less likely" following the dam's collapse, the ministry said in a tweet. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said that Kyiv's forces have liberated a total of eight settlements in the course of two weeks on the Berdyansk and Melitopol axes of their counteroffensive in the country's southeast. Ukrainian forces have advanced up to seven kilometers (four miles) into territory previously held by Russia, she said. It wasn't possible to independently verify battlefield claims by either side. Ukrainian forces may have put their counteroffensive operations on hold as they review their tactics, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank. It noted that Kyiv "has not yet committed the majority of its available forces to counteroffensive operations and has not yet launched its main effort." Russia attacked south and southeast Ukraine overnight with cruise missiles and self-exploding drones, Ukraine's air force reported Monday. Four Kalibr missiles and four Iranian-made Shahed drones were shot down, it said. According to regional officials, the southern province of Odesa and the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region were targeted by the attack. No casualties or damage were immediately reported.

Both sides suffer heavy casualties as Ukraine strikes back against Russia
Associated Press/Mon, June 19, 2023
Russia and Ukraine are suffering high numbers of military casualties as Ukraine fights to dislodge the Kremlin's forces from occupied areas in the early stages of its counteroffensive, British officials said Sunday. Russian losses are probably at their highest level since the peak of the battle for Bakhmut in March, U.K. military officials said in their regular assessment. According to British intelligence, the most intense fighting has centered on the southeastern Zaporizhzhia province, around Bakhmut and further west in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk province. While the update reported that Ukraine was on the offensive in these areas and had "made small advances," it said that Russian forces were conducting "relatively effective defensive operations" in Ukraine's south. The Ukrainian military said in a regular update Sunday morning that over the previous 24 hours Russia had carried out 43 airstrikes, four missile strikes and 51 attacks from multiple rocket launchers. According to the statement by the General Staff, Russia continues to concentrate its efforts on offensive operations in Ukraine's industrial east, focusing attacks around Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka and Lyman in Donetsk province, with 26 combat clashes taking place.
Donetsk regional Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said that two civilians were killed, with a further three wounded in the past day. Ukrainian officials said Russian forces also launched airstrikes on other regions of the east and south of the country. One civilian was killed and four more wounded in Kherson province as a result of Russia's attacks, said regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin, while Zaporizhzhia regional Gov. Yurii Malashko said one person was wounded in Russian attacks that hit 20 settlements in the province. Vladimir Rogov, an official with the Moscow-appointed administration in the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region, said Sunday that Ukrainian forces had taken control of the village of Piatykhatky on the Zaporizhzhia battlefront. Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson of the regional government in the southwestern Odesa province, said Ukrainian forces destroyed a "very significant" ammunition depot near the Russian-occupied port city of Henichesk in nearby Kherson province. "Our armed forces dealt a good blow in the morning," Bratchuk said in a video message on Sunday morning, posted to his Telegram channel. Western analysts and military officials have cautioned that Ukraine's counteroffensive to dislodge the Kremlin's forces from occupied areas, using Western-supplied advanced weapons in attacks along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, could last a long time. A group of African leaders carried out a self-styled "peace mission" to both Ukraine and Russia in recent days to try to help end their nearly 16-month-old war, but the visit ended on Saturday with no immediate signs of progress.
In other developments:
— Volodymyr Artyukh, the governor of Ukraine's northern Sumy region, which borders Russia, said a father and his son were killed by Russian shelling of the village of Bilopilya. Across the border, Ukrainian shelling hit three villages in Russia's Kursk region, said its governor Roman Starovoit.
— The death toll from flooding following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam has risen to 16 in Ukrainian-held territory, Ukraine's interior ministry said late Saturday, while Russian officials said 29 people died in territories controlled by Moscow. Massive flooding from the destruction of the dam on June 6 devastated towns along the lower Dnieper River in Kherson province, a front line in the war. Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of causing the breach.
— As the deadline for all Russian volunteer formations to sign contracts with Russia's Defense Ministry approaches, widely seen as targeting Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Wagner leader and regular Kremlin critic Yevgeny Prigozhin said Sunday that 32,000 former prisoners had returned home after the end of their contracts with Wagner in Ukraine. According to Prigozhin, 83 crimes were committed by those who had returned home, which he claimed was "80 times less" than the number committed by those released from prison over the same period without having served with Wagner.
Prigozhin toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising pardons if they survived a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner. In an interview last month, Prigozhin said he had recruited 50,000 convicts, about 10,000 of whom were killed in Bakhmut.

Blinken, Xi pledge to stabilize deteriorating ties
Associated Press/Mon, June 19, 2023
The United States and China have pledged to stabilize their badly deteriorated ties during a critical visit to Beijing by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi pronounced himself satisfied with progress made during talks in Beijing. But, Blinken told media, China refused to resume military to military communications, a U.S. priority. It remains to be seen whether the two countries can resolve their most important disagreements, many of which have international financial, security and stability implications. The two sides expressed a willingness to hold more talks, but there was little indication that either is prepared to bend from its positions on issues including trade, Taiwan, human rights conditions in China and Hong Kong, Chinese military assertiveness in the South China Sea, and Russia's war in Ukraine. Blinken said later that the U.S. set limited objectives for the trip, and achieved them. Blinken added that he had raised the issue of military to military communications "repeatedly.""It is absolutely vital that we have these kinds of communications," he said. "This is something we're going to keep working on." The U.S. has said that, since 2021, China has declined or failed to respond to over a dozen requests from the Department of Defense for top-level dialogues. According to a transcript of the meeting with Blinken, Xi pronounced himself pleased with the outcome of Blinken's earlier meetings with two top Chinese diplomats, and said the two countries had agreed to resume a program of understandings that he and President Joe Biden agreed to at a meeting in Bali last year. "The Chinese side has made our position clear, and the two sides have agreed to follow through the common understandings President Biden and I had reached in Bali," Xi said. That agenda had been thrown into jeopardy in recent months, notably after the U.S. shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon over its airspace in February, and amid escalated military activity in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. Combined with disputes over human rights, trade and opiate production, the list of problem areas is daunting.
But Xi suggested the worst could be over.
"The two sides have also made progress and reached agreement on some specific issues," Xi said without elaborating, according to a transcript of the remarks released by the State Department. "This is very good." "I hope that through this visit, Mr. Secretary, you will make more positive contributions to stabilizing China-U.S. relations," Xi added. In his remarks to Xi during the 35-minute session at the Great Hall of the People, which was not announced until an hour before it started, Blinken said "the United States and China have an obligation and responsibility to manage our relationship."
"The United States is committed to doing that," Blinken said. "It's in the interest of the United States, in the interests of China, and in the interest of the world." Blinken described his earlier discussions with senior Chinese officials as "candid and constructive." Despite his presence in China, Blinken and other U.S. officials had played down the prospects for any significant breakthroughs on the most vexing issues facing the planet's two largest economies. Instead, these officials have emphasized the importance of the two countries establishing and maintaining better lines of communication.
Blinken is the highest-level U.S. official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office, and the first secretary of state to make the trip in five years. His visit is expected to usher in a new round of visits by senior U.S. and Chinese officials, possibly including a meeting between Xi and Biden in the coming months. Blinken met earlier Monday with China's top diplomat Wang Yi for about three hours, according to a U.S. official. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in a statement that Blinken's visit "coincides with a critical juncture in China-U.S. relations, and it is necessary to make a choice between dialogue or confrontation, cooperation or conflict," and blamed the "U.S. side's erroneous perception of China, leading to incorrect policies towards China" for the current "low point" in relations. It said the U.S. had a responsibility to halt "the spiraling decline of China-U.S. relations to push it back to a healthy and stable track" and that Wang had "demanded that the U.S. stop hyping up the 'China threat theory,' lift illegal unilateral sanctions against China, abandon suppression of China's technological development, and refrain from arbitrary interference in China's internal affairs." The State Department said Blinken "underscored the importance of responsibly managing the competition between the United States and the PRC through open channels of communication to ensure competition does not veer into conflict." In the first round of talks on Sunday, Blinken met for nearly six hours with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, after which both countries said they had agreed to continue high-level discussions. However, there was no sign that any of the most fractious issues between them were closer to resolution. Both the U.S. and China said Qin had accepted an invitation from Blinken to visit Washington but Beijing made clear that "the China-U.S. relationship is at the lowest point since its establishment." That sentiment is widely shared by U.S. officials. Blinken's visit comes after his initial plans to travel to China were postponed in February after the shootdown of a Chinese surveillance balloon over the U.S.
A snub by the Chinese leader would have been a major setback to the effort to restore and maintain communications at senior levels. And Biden said over the weekend that he hoped to be able to meet with Xi in the coming months to take up the plethora of differences that divide them.
In his meetings on Sunday, Blinken also pressed the Chinese to release detained American citizens and to take steps to curb the production and export of fentanyl precursors that are fueling the opioid crisis in the United States. Xi had offered a hint of a possible willingness to reduce tensions on Friday, saying in a meeting with Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates that the United States and China can cooperate to "benefit our two countries."
Since the cancellation of Blinken's trip in February, there have been some high-level engagements. CIA chief William Burns traveled to China in May, while China's commerce minister traveled to the U.S. And Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Wang Yi in Vienna in May. But those have been punctuated by bursts of angry rhetoric from both countries over the Taiwan Strait, their broader intentions in the Indo-Pacific, China's refusal to condemn Russia for its war against Ukraine, and U.S. allegations from Washington that Beijing is attempting to boost its worldwide surveillance capabilities, including in Cuba. And, earlier this month, China's defense minister rebuffed a request from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for a meeting on the sidelines of a security symposium in Singapore, a sign of continuing discontent.

Tunisia security guard stabbed outside Brazil embassy
Agence France Presse/Mon, June 19, 2023
An attacker stabbed a security guard on Monday outside Brazil's embassy in Tunis before being shot and arrested, the Tunisian interior ministry said. The guard "was wounded by a sharp object" wielded "by a person he was questioning over the reason for his presence in the perimeter of the embassy", the ministry said in a statement. Security forces fired at the suspect, wounding him in the leg, before taking him into custody, the statement added, without indicating a motive for the attack. Authorities have not identified the man, who was taken to hospital for treatment. There was no immediate information on the guard's condition, but local media reported he too was hospitalized. The North African country suffered a string of deadly jihadist attacks after its 2011 revolt which toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and sparked the Arab Spring uprisings across the region. Tunisian authorities say they have made significant progress in the fight against violent extremist groups in recent years. However, a deadly mass shooting hit the Tunisian resort island of Djerba last month. The gunman, a police officer, killed three other officers and two Jewish worshippers, most of them outside a synagogue, before being shot dead himself by police.

Troubled Kuwait swears in fifth government in a year
Agence France Presse/Mon, June 19, 2023
Kuwait's fifth government in less than one year took the oath of office Monday after elections returned an opposition-controlled parliament, setting the stage for further political turmoil in the oil-rich emirate. Four royals are among the 15-strong cabinet, which is appointed by the ruling Al-Sabah family and has a history of clashes with the Gulf's only elected national assembly with powers to hold government to account. Kuwait is one of the world's biggest oil producers but decades of political instability, including seven general election cycles in just over a decade, have spooked investors and stymied economic reforms. Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the son of Kuwait's 85-year-old emir, is now presiding over his fifth cabinet since he was appointed last August. "Positive and constructive cooperation with parliament and all members of society will be at the heart of the government's work," he told the swearing-in ceremony. Saad Al-Barrak comes in as oil minister, and Public Works Minister Amani Bougammaz, the only woman in the cabinet, is one of nine people to retain their positions. Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the sports powerbroker and former International Olympic Committee member who in 2021 was convicted of forgery in a Swiss court, returns as defense minister and deputy prime minister. This month's legislative elections were held after the constitutional court had annulled the results of the previous polls held in September, also won by the opposition. In the new parliament, which is due to meet for the first time on Tuesday, opposition figures including Islamists, independents and the assembly's lone woman hold 29 of the 50 seats. Kuwait, which borders Saudi Arabia and Iraq, is home to seven percent of the world's crude reserves. It has little debt and one of the strongest sovereign wealth funds worldwide. However, it suffers from constant stand-offs between elected lawmakers and cabinets installed by the ruling family, which maintains a strong grip over political life despite a parliamentary system in place since 1962.

UAE, Qatar reopen embassies after yearslong rift
Associated Press/Mon, June 19, 2023
The United Arab Emirates and Qatar have announced the reopening of their embassies on Monday following a yearslong rift over Qatar's support of Islamist groups. The two countries issued statements saying the Qatari Embassy in Abu Dhabi and a Qatari Consulate in Dubai, as well as an Emirati Embassy in Qatar's capital, Doha, had resumed operations. The statements did not say if ambassadors were in place or if the missions were open to the public. The two countries' foreign ministers spoke by phone to congratulate one another on the reopening of the diplomatic missions, Qatar said. The UAE joined Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt in imposing a boycott and blockade of Qatar in 2017 over its support for Islamist groups across the Middle East that gained power immediately after the Arab Spring protests. The other Arab countries in the Persian Gulf view such groups as terrorists — including Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, which won free and fair elections. The unprecedented diplomatic crisis among the normally friendly Gulf Arab countries initially sparked fears of armed conflict. But Qatar's gas riches, and close ties to Turkey and Iran, largely insulated it from the economic sanctions, and relations slowly thawed. The boycott was officially lifted in January 2021. Late last year, Qatar welcomed visiting leaders from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE as it hosted soccer's World Cup.

Crime within Palestinian minority reaches new heights under Netanyahu's govt.
Associated Press/Mon, June 19, 2023
A relentless wave of violent crime within Israel's Palestinian minority is turning cities and towns into bloody battlefields, exasperating a community feeling increasingly forsaken by Israeli authorities. Anger over the mounting insecurity is directed at Israel's government and its ultranationalist minister in charge of police, Itamar Ben-Gvir. Critics say that with his history of anti-Arab rhetoric, he cannot be trusted to combat the rising scourge. The skyrocketing violence lays bare the deep inequities in Israeli society, with Arabs facing years of discrimination that activists say laid the groundwork for the unabating bloodshed. More than 100 people have been killed in violent crime in Arab communities this year, nearly three times higher than at the same time last year, according to the Abraham Initiatives, a group that promotes Jewish-Arab coexistence and safe communities. It also is more than three times the murder rate in the majority Jewish sector, according to official figures, despite Arabs making up just a fifth of the country's population of 9.7 million. Authorities say they are trying their best. But activists see a direct link between the soaring figures and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. The coalition, which includes ultranationalist factions with anti-Arab hues, took office in late December. The head of one of those parties, Jewish Power's Ben-Gvir, has made racist remarks and before entering politics was convicted of incitement to violence and support for a Jewish terror group. As national security minister, he now oversees the country's police force. "Will a person who is busy making racist comments against Arabs protect them," said Thabet Abu Rass, co-director of the Abraham Initiatives. "We are citizens of this country. We deserve to feel secure like anyone else in this country. And that is his responsibility."Israel's Palestinian minority, which makes up 20% of the country's population, has been convulsed by violent crime in recent years involving criminal gangs and family disputes. Activists say Israeli authorities have historically ignored deadly crime among Arabs, doing little to deter violence or hold criminals to account. They say that sense has deepened under the current government. Of the 100 or so people killed this year, police have brought charges in just over 10 cases, according to Abu Rass.Ben-Gvir has pledged to serve all Israelis. But the community views his past remarks and perceived neglect of the crisis as a sign that the government isn't looking out for them. Earlier this month, five people were killed when a gunman opened fire at a car wash near the biblical city of Nazareth, and the shooter is not known to have been caught. In April, the bodyguard for the mayor of an Arab city was shot and killed outside the mayor's home.
Women and children have not been spared, among them an 18-year-old killed recently who had reportedly received threats over her sexual orientation. Two toddler siblings and their mother were allegedly killed by their father in May. Shootings are so common in some places that residents fear leaving their homes, not only to avoid getting hurt but also to make sure they don't accidentally become witnesses to a crime and fall into the killers' sights. "We leave the house, we're scared. The kids are at school, I am afraid for them. I am always thinking 'will my son return home or not?'" said Mirvat Saleh, 48, a plant and flower vendor at a market in Lod, a mixed Arab-Jewish city in central Israel rife with violence. Under Ben-Gvir's leadership, critics say the police is in disarray, with a crisis in confidence within the ranks, including spats between the minister and the police chief, and a series of departures by top officers, including the head of the unit fighting crime in the Arab population. Ben-Gvir says he is dealing with manpower shortages that have been complicated by weekly mass protests against a government plan to overhaul the judiciary that need securing. "The police chief and I are working hard," Ben-Gvir said after the five people were killed near Nazareth. "We are trying to address the root problems."
Ben-Gvir, whose office did not respond to requests for comment, has pushed for the establishment of a new " national guard," which he says will increase community policing. Critics say the guard, which would report directly to Ben-Gvir, would amount to a personal militia for the minister. Netanyahu says his governments have over the years poured resources into fighting crime. Now, he has met with Arab leaders and pledged to crack down, established a committee to try to tackle the crime and even promised to enlist the Shin Bet domestic security agency. "We are determined to restore law and order in the face of this violent crime. We will do whatever is necessary," Netanyahu said. The security agency, whose main work is to keep tabs on Palestinian militants, has been wary of using its spying tools on Israeli citizens in the past. Israeli media have reported its leaders expressing similar concerns now.
While successive governments have struggled to contain the violence, critics say the tone under Netanyahu's current coalition has ruptured trust. One lawmaker from Ben-Gvir's party livestreamed himself making slurs at Arab legislators in parliament. The Netanyahu-appointed police chief reportedly said it was the "nature" and "mentality" of Arabs to kill. Involving the Shin Bet, which is deeply mistrusted by Palestinian citizens, is another sign of the tone deafness, critics say.
The crime is rooted in deeper underlying issues that have plagued the community for decades, activists say. Israeli Arab citizens are descendants of Palestinians who remained within the borders of what became Israel in 1948. Members of the community have reached the highest echelons of government, business and other fields. But while they tend to be better off than their Palestinian brethren in the West Bank and Gaza, Israel's Palestinian citizens are generally poorer and less educated than Jews and have long faced neglect or discrimination in policing, public services and housing.
Those societal issues fuel the violence, said Wisal Raed, who focuses on crime in the Arab population at Sikkuy-Aufoq, a group that advocates for equality between Arabs and Jews. She said a historic lack of access to bank loans drives many to turn to crime families for capital, entangling themselves in potentially dangerous business. She also pointed to a crisis of space in Palestinian communities, where land is hard to come by, not only for housing, but even parking spots because of planning challenges sometimes stymied by the state. Issues like those ramp up already simmering disputes that descend into violent feuds. "If the government continues to neglect these spheres, even if the police does what needs to be done," she said, "the root problem won't be dealt with."

Israel to move ahead on judicial overhaul plan after talks crumble
Associated Press/Mon, June 19, 2023
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his government intends to move ahead on contentious plans to change the country's judicial system after talks aimed at finding a compromise solution appeared to be crumbling. The government's plans to overhaul the judiciary plunged Israel into one of its worst domestic crises ever earlier this year. Negotiations between the government and opposition parties somewhat alleviated the crisis with attempts to find a middle ground over proposed changes to the country's justice system. Those talks were jolted last week over a crisis surrounding the powerful regular committee responsible for picking the country's judges. Opposition leaders said negotiations were frozen until the committee is formed. At a meeting of his Cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu said the opposition hadn't been negotiating in good faith and that his government would move ahead cautiously on the overhaul. "This week, we will begin the practical steps. We will do them in a measured way, responsibly, but in accordance with the mandate we received to make corrections to the justice system," he said. Netanyahu put the overhaul on hold in March after mass protests erupted in opposition to it. The decision to move ahead is likely to flare tensions and fuel the protest movement that has continued to demonstrate each Saturday, despite the plan being paused. Protest leaders said they were ready for another round of demonstrations that would make sure "every attempt to harm Israel's democratic justice system will fail."
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, whose party had been negotiating with Netanyahu, said moving ahead unilaterally on the plan "will critically harm the economy, endanger security and rip the Israeli people to shreds."Netanyahu's government, composed of ultranationalist and ultra-religious parties, faced harsh opposition to the overhaul plan when it was announced earlier this year. Leading economists, top legal officials and former defense officials warned of dangerous consequences to the country's future. Even Israel's chief international ally, the U.S., expressed concern.
The government says the plan is necessary to restore power to elected officials and weaken, what it says, is an interventionist Supreme Court. Critics say the plan would upend Israel's delicate system of checks and balances and push the country toward authoritarianism. Netanyahu backed down after mass spontaneous protests erupted and a general strike was called for after he fired his defense minister who dissented from the plan over widespread threats by military reservists to not show up for duty if the overhaul was approved. The committee for appointing judges — which, among other things, approves the makeup of the Supreme Court — has been a central battleground in the overhaul plan. Both the governing coalition and the opposition traditionally are represented on the nine-member committee. But proponents of the overhaul had demanded that the coalition control both positions, drawing accusations that Netanyahu and his allies were trying to stack the judiciary with cronies. Last week, the Parliament appointed the opposition representative to the committee but the second vacancy was not filled, prompting a delay to when the committee can resume its work. Each side accused the other of blowing up the talks with the results of the committee appointments.

N. Korea calls failed satellite launch 'most serious' shortcoming, vows 2nd launch
Associated Press/Mon, June 19, 2023
Top North Korean officials vowed to push for a second attempt to launch a spy satellite as they called their country's first, and failed, launch last month "the most serious" shortcoming this year and harshly criticized those responsible, state media reported Monday. In late May, a North Korean rocket carrying a military reconnaissance satellite crashed soon after liftoff, posing a setback to leader Kim Jong Un's push to acquire a space-based surveillance system to better monitor the United States and South Korea. The failed launch and North Korean efforts to modernize its weapons arsenal were discussed extensively at a three-day ruling party meeting that ended Sunday, with the presence of Kim and other top officials. A lengthy Korean Central News Agency dispatch on the meeting didn't clearly say who spoke, but said a report to the meeting "bitterly criticized the officials who irresponsibly conducted the preparations for (the) satellite launch." The report set forth tasks for officials and scientists to learn the lessons of the failed launch, find what caused the rocket's crash and make a successful launch in a short span of time, KCNA said. It didn't say exactly when North Korea might attempt a second launch. But South Korea's spy agency earlier told lawmakers that it would take likely take "more than several weeks" for North Korea to determine what went wrong in the failed launch. North Korea monitoring groups haven't reported any purges or dismissals of scientists or others involved in the failed launch.
A spy satellite is among several high-tech military assets Kim has publicly vowed to acquire to cope with what he calls U.S.-led hostility. Other weapons systems Kim wants to possess are a multi-warhead missile, a nuclear submarine, a solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile and a hypersonic missile. Since the start of 2022, North Korea has carried out more than 100 missile tests, some of which were related to developing a spy satellite and other powerful weapons on Kim's wish list.
During the meeting, Politburo members also analyzed the "extremely deteriorating security situation" in the region caused by the "reckless war moves" of North Korea's rivals, the report said, apparently referring to the expanded U.S.-South Korea military drills. The United States and South Korea have been expanding their military drills in response to North Korea's advancing nuclear arsenal and warn that any attempt to use nuclear weapons would result in the end of Kim's government. The Politburo members set down unspecified "important tasks" for strengthening solidarity with countries that are "opposed to the U.S. brigandish strategy for world supremacy," KCNA said. North Korea has pushed to boost relations with Russia, including defending its military action in Ukraine. It says Russia is protecting itself against the West's "hegemonic policy." The North has also sought to build on its ties with China, its main ally and economic lifeline that is locked in an intensified strategic rivalry with the United States over trade, technology and regional influence. Russia and China, both veto-holding permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, have repeatedly blocked attempts by the U.S. and others to toughen U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its missile tests. The party meeting also discussed efforts to improve North Korea's struggling economy, which experts say has been further strained by pandemic-related border closures. KCNA said there has been some progress in efforts to boost agricultural output and revive production in metal and chemical industries, though it acknowledged unspecified shortcomings. KCNA claimed progress in the construction field, citing a project to build tens of thousands of new homes in the capital, Pyongyang. It's virtually impossible to verify the claims by the North, one of the most secretive countries in the world. Experts say there are no signs of social unrest or famine in North Korea despite the pandemic-caused hardships. KCNA didn't say whether Kim spoke during the plenary meeting of the Workers' Party Central Committee. Koo Byoungsam, spokesperson for South Korea's Unification Ministry, said it would be highly unusual for Kim to sit through such a high-profile party meeting without a public speech. Koo said the apparent lack of a Kim speech might stem from the satellite launch failure and North Korea's lack of economic achievements.

At least 6 killed, dozens injured in weekend shootings across US
Associated Press/Mon, June 19, 2023
At least six people including a Pennsylvania state trooper were killed and dozens injured in a string of weekend violence and mass shootings across the U.S.
The shootings in suburban Chicago, Washington state, Pennsylvania, St. Louis, Southern California and Baltimore follow a surge in homicides and other violence over the past several years that experts say accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic.
"There's no question there's been a spike in violence," said Daniel Nagin, a professor of public policy and statistics at Carnegie Mellon University. "Some of these cases seem to be just disputes, often among adolescents, and those disputes are played out with firearms, not with fists." Researchers disagree over the cause of the increase. Theories include the possibility that violence is driven by the prevalence of guns in America, or by less aggressive police tactics or a decline in prosecutions for misdemeanor weapon offenses, Nagin said. As of Sunday evening, none of the weekend events fit the definition of a mass killing, because fewer than four people died at each location. However, the number of injured in most of the cases does match the widely accepted definition for mass shootings. Here's a look at the shootings this weekend:
WILLOWBROOK, ILLINOIS
At least 23 people were shot, one fatally, early Sunday in a suburban Chicago parking lot where hundreds of people had gathered to celebrate Juneteenth, authorities said.
The DuPage County sheriff's office described a "peaceful gathering" that suddenly turned violent as a number of people fired multiple shots into the crowd in Willowbrook, Illinois, about 20 miles southwest of Chicago. A motive for the attack wasn't immediately known. Sheriff's spokesman Robert Carroll said authorities were interviewing "persons of interest" in the shooting, the Daily Herald reported. A witness, Markeshia Avery, said the celebration was meant to mark Juneteenth, Monday's federal holiday commemorating the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. "We just started hearing shooting, so we dropped down until they stopped," Avery told WLS-TV.
WASHINGTON STATE
Two people were killed and two others were injured when a shooter began firing "randomly" into a crowd at a Washington state campground where people stayed to attend a nearby music festival on Saturday night, police said. The suspect was shot in a confrontation with law enforcement officers and taken into custody, several hundred yards from the Beyond Wonderland electronic dance music festival. A public alert advised people of an active shooter in the area and advised them to "run, hide or fight." The festival carried on until early Sunday morning, Grant County Sheriff's Office spokesman Kyle Foreman said. Organizers then posted a tweet saying Sunday's concert was canceled.
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
One state trooper was killed and a second critically wounded just hours apart in central Pennsylvania on Saturday after a gunman attacked a state police barracks.
The suspect drove his truck into the parking lot of the Lewistown barracks about 11 a.m. Saturday and opened fire with a large-caliber rifle on marked patrol cars before fleeing, authorities said Sunday. Lt. James Wagner, 45, was shot and critically wounded after encountering the suspect several miles away in Mifflintown. Later, Trooper Jacques Rougeau Jr., 29, was ambushed and killed by a gunshot through the windshield of his patrol car as he drove down a road in nearby Walker Township, authorities said. The suspect was shot and killed after a fierce gunbattle, said Lt. Col. George Bivens, who went up in a helicopter to coordinate the search for the 38-year-old suspect. "What I witnessed ... was one of the most intense, unbelievable gunfights I have ever witnessed," Bivens said, lauding troopers for launching an aggressive search despite the fact that they were facing a weapon that "would defeat any of the body armor that they had available to them."A motive was not immediately known.
ST. LOUIS
An early Sunday shooting in a downtown St. Louis office building killed a 17-year-old and wounded nine other teenagers, the city's police commissioner said. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Commissioner Robert Tracy identified the victim who was killed as 17-year-old Makao Moore. A spokesman said a minor who had a handgun was in police custody as a person of interest. Teenagers were having a party in an office space when the shooting broke out around 1 a.m. Sunday. The victims ranged from 15 to 19 years old and had injuries including multiple gunshot wounds. A 17-year-old girl was trampled as she fled, seriously injuring her spine, Tracy said. Shell casings from AR-style rifles and other firearms were scattered on the ground.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
A shooting at a pool party at a Southern California home left eight people wounded, authorities said Saturday. KABC-TV reported authorities were dispatched shortly after midnight in Carson, California, south of Los Angeles. The victims range in age from 16 to 24, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. They were taken to hospitals, and two were listed in critical condition, the statement said. Authorities said they found another 16-year-old boy with a gunshot wound when they responded to a call about a vehicle that crashed into a wall nearby.
BALTIMORE
Six people were injured in a Friday night shooting in Baltimore. All were expected to survive. Officers heard gunshots in the north of the city just before 9 p.m. and found three men with numerous gunshot wounds. Medics took them to area hospitals for treatment. Police later learned of three additional victims who walked into area hospitals with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. The wounded ranged in age from 17 to 26, Baltimore Police Department spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge said.

Top minister says Israel to keep promoting settlements despite U.S. concern
JERUSALEM (Reuters)/Mon, June 19, 2023
A top Israeli minister defied U.S. concern over settlement building in the occupied West Bank on Monday, saying the government would continue building and would not accept "preaching" from other countries. "This is our country, all of it," said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also holds some West Bank powers, during his party faction meeting. "Does anyone think that Israel will be managed like another U.S. state? I will not accept moral preaching from anybody," Kan broadcaster reported him saying. Most countries deem Jewish settlements built on land Israel occupied in a 1967 Middle East war as illegal, and their expansion has for decades been among the most contentious issues between Israel, the Palestinians and the international community. Palestinian leaders have sought to establish an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital, and say settlements undermine hopes of a viable state. On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's religious-nationalist government said it planned to approve 4,560 new housing units in various areas of the West Bank. The U.S. State Department said it was "deeply troubled" by the decision. "As has been longstanding policy, the United States opposes such unilateral actions that make a two-state solution more difficult to achieve and are an obstacle to peace," the statement said. Senior Palestinian official Hussein Al-Sheikh said the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, boycotted an economic meeting with Israel scheduled for Monday in protest of settlement growth. Another Palestinian official, Wasel Abu Youssef, called on the international community to move from statements of condemnation "to imposing a boycott on the government of the Israeli occupation" and urged Arab countries to suspend normalisation agreements with Israel. Since taking office in January, Netanyahu's coalition has approved the promotion of more than 7,000 new housing units, most deep in the West Bank. It also amended a law to clear the way for settlers to return to four settlements that had previously been evacuated. According to the United Nations, some 700,000 settlers live in 279 settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, up from 520,000 in 2012. Israel cites biblical, historical and political ties to the area and in a recent interview with Sky News, Netanyahu said Israeli settlements were not an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 19-20/2023
Why Arabs Do Not Trust the Biden Administration
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/June 19, 2023
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states apparently still do not trust the Biden Administration, largely because of its perceived abandonment of its traditional Arab allies in the Middle East and President Joe Biden's hostility to Saudi Arabia. This view began with then-presidential candidate Biden declaring the kingdom a "pariah" state -- and is continuing with US attempts, still ongoing, to revive a "nuclear deal" that will enable an expansionist Iran to have nuclear weapons potentially to topple other countries in the region.
Meanwhile, the same Biden Administration has continued to cozy up to the Iranian regime, which the US's own Department of State has called the "top state sponsor of terrorism" and which has, until recently, has not only been attacking both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates through Iran's proxy militia, the Houthis in Yemen, but has also been supplying troops and weapons to Russia for attacking Ukraine.
The message being sent is that being America's enemy pays handsomely, while, as with Afghanistan, being America's friend can be fatal.
The London-based Rai Al-Youm online newspaper said that Blinken's visit to Saudi Arabia failed to achieve most of its goals, including promoting normalization between the Kingdom and Israel. According to the newspaper, the Saudi media ignored Blinken's visit, while playing up the arrival of former Real Madrid soccer player Karim Benzema in the Kingdom....
"There are many obstacles to America's success in playing these roles, including what is related to the nuclear file, as a nuclear Iran remains a concern for the Gulf and for other countries in the region. The [Saudi] agreement with Iran may alleviate this concern, but it will not dispel it. Washington's success in settling this file in a way that does not threaten the security and stability of the Gulf states is the bottom line and it is what will determine the future of Washington's relations with the countries of the region." — Sam Mansi, Lebanese columnist, Asharq Al-Awsat, June 12, 2023.
"[W]hatever Blinken achieved during his visit to Saudi Arabia will remain weak and incomplete in the face of the dangers of ongoing tensions in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and other conflict areas, most notably the civil war that broke out recently in Sudan, in addition to the comprehensive challenges posed by the fraught relations between Iran and Israel, which may explode if there is no progress in the nuclear talks, and if more daring steps are not taken to limit Iran's continuation of uranium enrichment, and Iran's public support for Russia and its cooperation with it in the context of the war against Ukraine." — Sam Mansi, Asharq Al-Awsat, June 12, 2023.
Judging from the reactions of these Arabs to Blinken's recent visit to Saudi Arabia, it is clear that the Saudis and other Arabs have lost confidence in the Biden administration and are not pinning any hopes on it to bring security and stability to the Middle East.
Moreover, it is evident that the Saudis feel so offended by Biden that they are willing to move closer to Iran and Russia if that enables them to steer clear of the American president. It will take more than a visit by Biden or Blinken or Sullivan to repair the damage that has been done to America's relations with Arab countries that used to respect the US. In fact, it is safe to assume that the Arabs' attitudes toward the Biden administration will remain steady regardless of any effort that this administration might choose to make.
It is evident that the Saudis feel so offended by President Joe Biden that they are willing to move closer to Iran and Russia if that enables them to steer clear of the American president. It will take more than a visit by Biden or Secretary of State Antony Blinken to repair the damage that has been done to America's relations with Arab countries that used to respect the US. Pictured: Blinken meets with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 7, 2023.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states apparently still do not trust the Biden Administration, largely because of its perceived abandonment of its traditional Arab allies in the Middle East and President Joe Biden's hostility to Saudi Arabia. This view began with then-presidential candidate Biden declaring the kingdom a "pariah" state -- and is continuing with US attempts, still ongoing, to revive a "nuclear deal" that will enable an expansionist Iran to have nuclear weapons potentially to topple other countries in the region.
Saudi Arabia is not likely to improve its relationship with the Biden Administration in the aftermath of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to the Kingdom in early June, according to Arab political analysts and columnists.
"The Biden administration has misjudged its approach to the Middle East," noted Jason Greenblatt, former Representative for International Negotiations for the Trump administration. "It alienated the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, and wasn't particularly great with the United Arab Emirates."
Meanwhile, the same Biden Administration has continued to cozy up to the Iranian regime, which the US's own Department of State has called the "top state sponsor of terrorism" and which has, until recently, has not only been attacking both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates through Iran's proxy militia, the Houthis in Yemen, but has also been supplying troops and weapons to Russia for attacking Ukraine.
The message being sent is that being America's enemy pays handsomely, but, as with Afghanistan, being its friend can be fatal.
"US President Joe Biden visited Jeddah last summer and met King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman," noted Syrian author and political analyst Fatmeh Yasmin.
"That visit was a turning point in the history of the long relationship between the two countries, because it came from a president who had announced strict positions against Saudi Arabia during his election campaign. After he entered the White House, Biden quickly implemented what he pledged against the Kingdom: stopping the export of offensive weapons to it, punishing some Saudi security officials, and preventing many Saudi personalities from entering the US by not granting them visas."
Referring to Blinken's recent visit to Saudi Arabia, Yasmin said that the Biden administration is pretending that the old alliance between the Saudis and Americans has not changed.
"But Saudi Arabia, during the year separating the visit of Biden and Blinken, turned towards the Far East, unleashed unbridled relations with China, and allowed the Chinese to launch a Saudi-Iranian dialogue that led to the opening of the Iranian embassy in Riyadh after a seven-year diplomatic break... Ironically, the opening day of the restoration of the Iranian embassy in Riyadh was the day the US Secretary of State arrived in Jeddah. His visit also coincided with the visit of Venezuelan President [Nicolás] Maduro, whom the US places on the list of its enemies. Blinken, however, swallowed all that, and talked about good relations [with Saudi Arabia]."
Yasmin added that Saudi Arabia is not expected to make a full turn once again towards the US administration, as Biden's last year in office is approaching and he will devote his time to his critical reelection campaign.
Yasmin pointed out that Saudi Arabia's current policy was based on strengthening its relations with China and achieving reconciliation with Iran, Turkey and even Syria. "The current Saudi effort is completely devoted to building a Middle East in which the Kingdom would play a major role and strengthen its own economy and that of its neighbors," she said.
The London-based Rai Al-Youm online newspaper said that Blinken's visit to Saudi Arabia failed to achieve most of its goals, including promoting normalization between the Kingdom and Israel. According to Rai Al-Youm, the Saudi media ignored Blinken's visit, while playing up the arrival of former Real Madrid soccer player Karim Benzema in the Kingdom after he joined the Saudi club Al-Ittihad.
"It was remarkable that the official Saudi media ignored, and certainly deliberately, the two-day visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the Kingdom," the newspaper said.
"He was the second US official to visit Saudi Arabia in the past month after US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who was met with extreme coldness by Saudi officials and reportedly waited for three days before he had a meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince."
Rai Al-Youm noted that Saudi newspapers published news about Blinken's meetings with the Saudi Crown Prince and the foreign ministers of the Gulf states on the inside pages and in small print.
"Whoever wanted to read the news needed a magnifying glass," the newspaper said.
"This [Saudi attitude] reflects the official view of the kingdom's senior leadership. By contrast, the news and pictures of the French football player's arrival in the Kingdom appeared on the front pages."
The newspaper said that Blinken failed to convince the Saudis to normalize their relations with Israel. "The Saudi leadership had decided on its options and has redrawn the map of its international strategic alliances," it argued.
"Blinken's failed visit was an explicit reflection of these changes, and that is why we were not surprised to see the Kingdom received Blinken by reducing oil production in coordination with Russia and in an explicit defiance of the American demands to raise the production. Today, Saudi Arabia stands in the trench of the China-Russia alliance and supports a multipolar world while leaving the door partly open with the US and the West, perhaps in preparation for its semi-final closure. What is certain is that Blinken will return to Washington depressed after his visit failed to achieve most of its objectives."
Aziz Alghashian, a Saudi analyst specializing in Gulf-Israel ties, said that Saudi Arabia does not want to present a gift to the Biden Administration by normalizing the Kingdom's relations with Israel:
"This is not the American administration that Saudis want to gift a Saudi-Israeli normalization to... It's going to be a massive achievement, it's going to be under an American umbrella, and they don't want the Biden administration to take any credit for that."
In what appears as another sign of disrespect towards the Biden Administration, the Saudi Crown Prince was talking on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin while Blinken was meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan. According to some reports, Putin and the Saudi Crown Prince praised cooperation between their countries within the framework of OPEC+.
Despite the continued lack of clarity in Washington's policy, wrote Lebanese columnist Sam Mansi, the visits to Saudi Arabia by Blinken and Sullivan aimed to allow the US to play three roles: reproduce the Chinese-brokered normalization between Saudi Arabia and Iran so it could be used for other purposes; stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons by returning to the negotiations with Tehran, and confront Iran's activities in Gulf waters while activating the American role in protecting the security of the region in general.
"These three roles are considered reactions to the course of changes in the region that were anchored by the recent agreement between Riyadh and Tehran," Mansi remarked.
"There are many obstacles to America's success in playing these roles, including what is related to the nuclear file, as a nuclear Iran remains a concern for the Gulf and for other countries in the region. The [Saudi] agreement with Iran may alleviate this concern, but it will not dispel it. Washington's success in settling this file in a way that does not threaten the security and stability of the Gulf states is the bottom line and it is what will determine the future of Washington's relations with the countries of the region."
Mansi added that the Biden administration has not yet understood that Saudi Arabia, like the Gulf countries in general, gives priority today to its national interests and the aspirations of its people, and is trying to balance its relations between East and West, in addition to pursuing a policy of "zero problems" with everyone, and accordingly it is worth reading the Saudi-Iranian reconciliation from this lens. Do the three roles constitute an American strategy towards the region? The answer is no. Everything that the US administration is doing to restore its involvement in the region remains weak in the face of the Chinese openness.
Mansi continued:
"Whatever Blinken achieved during his visit to Saudi Arabia will remain weak and incomplete in the face of the dangers of ongoing tensions in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and other conflict areas, most notably the civil war that broke out recently in Sudan, in addition to the comprehensive challenges posed by the fraught relations between Iran and Israel, which may explode if there is no progress in the nuclear talks, and if more daring steps are not taken to limit Iran's continuation of uranium enrichment, and Iran's public support for Russia and its cooperation with it in the context of the war against Ukraine."
Judging from the reactions of these Arabs to Blinken's recent visit to Saudi Arabia, it is clear that the Saudis and other Arabs have lost confidence in the Biden administration and are not pinning any hopes on it to bring security and stability to the Middle East.
Moreover, it is evident that the Saudis feel so offended by Biden that they are willing to move closer to Iran and Russia if that enables them to steer clear of the American president. It will take more than a visit by Biden or Blinken or Sullivan to repair the damage that has been done to America's relations with Arab countries that used to respect the US. In fact, it is safe to assume that the Arabs' attitudes toward the Biden administration will remain steady regardless of any effort that this administration might choose to make.
*Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.

The Chinese Door and the Indian Visitor
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/June 19, 2023
It was 1971. China secretly hosted a strange, unfamiliar and enigmatic visitor known as Henry Kissinger.During that period, the country existed under the influence of Mao Zedong, widely regarded as the "Great Master."
It was not easy for the Richard Nixon administration to send its foreign minister to a country governed by a leader who perceived imperialism as a mere "paper tiger" and who shed a river of American blood when he participated in draining the US enemy in the wars in Korea and Vietnam. Kissinger exploited the intense hostility between the two most prominent communist capitals, Beijing and Moscow. He accessed the Chinese continent, which does not resemble his country, and enabled Washington to employ the “Chinese card” to curb and tame the Soviet Union.
Nine years before that historic visit, the man, who is currently sitting in “Henry Kissinger’s office” and knocking today at the Chinese gate, was born in America. His name is Antony Blinken. More than half a century later, Blinken heads to the same country. He does not need anyone to remind him that he is visiting another China in a different world. Today’s China is not Mao’s China, which was packed with hundreds of millions of poor people and whose economy faltered with rigid ideological prescriptions. The country was lucky when, after Mao, it gave birth to a man haunted by the future, not the past. Deng Xiaoping injected a drop of realism into the veins of his country and its ruling party to reconcile it with the times. He preserved Mao’s reverence but prevented him from leading the country from his grave. He pushed away old slogans and used the vocabulary of progress and development, fought poverty, and benefitted from the mechanisms of progress away from the obstacles and cages of ideological fundamentalism.
The China that Blinken is visiting is the country that lifted about 700 million citizens out of poverty. Today, it is a dynamic and competitive economic and technological fortress that also relies on an increasingly powerful army. It is an indispensable force to avoid the world’s rush into the abyss of disastrous consequences.
The visit comes at a time that is so different from the era of Kissinger’s famous trip. The Soviet empire committed suicide, and now sleeps in museums and books. From its ashes, Russia was born, and today lives in the shadow of a wounded warrior named Vladimir Putin. The man is leading a massive military and political coup against the world of the only superpower, which emerged after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the death of the Soviet Union. Putin threw a massive bomb into the lake of the world. If the footsteps of Mikhail Gorbachev erased the world that was born from World War II, which also bore the marks of Joseph Stalin and his great role in deterring Nazi Germany, then Putin’s tracks pushed the world that carries the ideas of Gorbachev into the abyss. The unipolar world received a fatal blow. The current international turmoil bears a clear title. Today, we are witnessing the birth of a multipolar world open to many dangers. America was adapting its strategy to contain the new enemy, but China’s rapid rise is greater than its ability to bear.
The story goes beyond the allure of the “Silk Road”. It relates to the features of a major coup in the adult club. It is clear that Blinken seeks to adjust to the stage of new dangers. America has no interest in seeing China go too far in supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There must be a truce that prompts Beijing to maintain a realistic policy that allows Washington to achieve its goal of preventing Russia from emerging victorious from the quagmire of Ukrainian blood. A truce allows postponing the explosion of the Taiwan matter, as the world is unable to confront two massive bombs at the same time. China, in turn, has no interest in a sharp confrontation with the West. A conflict of this kind will threaten its broad and vital economic relations with America and the European Union. But Beijing, which is skilled in using the weapon of patience in negotiations, wants guarantees that the United States will not single it out in a race similar to the one that led to the destruction of the Soviet Union.
Another major event is happening this week. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be a dear guest at the White House, on a visit that may turn historic in a multipolar world that is looking for new balances. It is clear that America has concluded that it is impossible to contain the accelerating Chinese rise without relying on another Asian giant, India.Modi’s country has the largest population in the world. It is a huge market that provides cheap labor, enjoys live technological capabilities, and lives in a democracy that shares some values with the West, despite its peculiarities. The West increasingly believes that it must face the danger of China remaining “the world’s factory”.Modi’s policies are quite realistic. More than half of his army’s weapons are from Russia. He has so far refrained from explicitly condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Moreover, India is a prominent member of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). It will not be easy for America to use the “Indian card” to curb the rise of the Chinese giant, just as it exploited the “Chinese card” to restrain the ambitions of the Soviet Union.
The world is different, so are the powerful cards. But any decisive American decision to deepen military cooperation and technological exchange with India will constitute an important Asian and international development.
Establishing the foundations of a serious alliance between America and India that also includes Japan and South Korea will convey a strong message to China, and will represent a milestone in the world looking to rearrange seats in the adult club.
What can other countries do in the turbulent world looking for new balances? In this transition phase, there will be a place for countries that master the reading of transformations...Countries that are able to prepare their economies for the world of competition and the technological race, and to build diverse relationships on the basis of common interests and exchange of experiences...Countries, whose economy supports the independence of their decisions and the freedom of their choices. In international relations, a marriage of convenience is much better than a marriage of emotions.

US needs to realize the GCC game rules have changed
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/June 19, 2023
During my recent travel throughout the GCC, I was struck by conspicuous expressions of frustration toward the US. This is despite the manifold interconnections: a high proportion of Gulf citizens receive their higher education in the US, and there are intimate associations through travel, business, and social connections.
Speaking to seasoned Arab politicians and ordinary citizens, I noted a perception that US Middle East policy had lost its way, defined by condescending out-of-touch statements and an inability to deliver on signed agreements. The bitterly partisan state of Washington politics means that any deals may be torn up as a matter of principle whenever a different president comes into office.
We are seeing a major rebalancing of this relationship as GCC states relentlessly prioritize their own strategic interests. The West is no longer in a position to simply make demands. When it has tried to, it has frequently ended up with egg on its face: regional states maintain their positions until the US makes a humiliating climbdown and comes running back, grudgingly apologizing for its capricious behavior.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, following his recent meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, asserted that Saudi Arabia did not respond to pressure when it came to human rights and other policy decisions, while adding: “We are working to find a mechanism that enables us to work together, and the partnership with Washington is still strong.”
After the White House’s unfulfilled threats of retaliation when the Saudi-led OPEC+ oil alliance cut production last autumn, the Kingdom implemented further cuts this month with scarcely a whimper from the West.
People can sympathize with what has occurred in Ukraine, but there is resentment about the manner in which the world is exhorted to unite in lockstep behind the West in a way that never occurred for conflicts in Palestine, Syria, Libya and Yemen. When Gulf states were hit with missile and drone strikes by Iran-made munitions, where was the readiness to reciprocate?
According to the rhetoric of US officials, ties with GCC states are a top foreign policy priority. So why did it take the US more than two years to name a full-time ambassador to Riyadh?
Underneath all this, the US relationship with the GCC region continues to be built on a broad range of shared interests: the $40 billion in Saudi-American bilateral annual trade supports about 165,000 US jobs, and tens of thousands of Americans live in the region. The Gulf states regularly hold joint military exercises with the US. Airlines Riyadh Air and Saudia have signed $37 billion in deals to purchase 121 Boeing aircraft for their fleets.
According to the rhetoric of US officials, ties with GCC states are a top foreign policy priority. So why did it take the US more than two years to name a full-time ambassador to Riyadh? Ratification of Michael Ratney’s appointment came only after the China-brokered Iran-Saudi deal appeared to catch America completely by surprise. Indeed, Blinken’s latest visit is thought to have taken place only after months of efforts to reset the relationship after contacts had plunged to an absolute low.
US foreign policy nowadays is defined by a complete absence of coherent strategy. Even on core policies such as Ukraine and Taiwan, Washington has flipflopped over what kind of military assistance to send, and to what extent it’s willing to risk escalating superpower tensions.
The constant telegraphing by US officials of their obsession about an Israel-Saudi normalization deal is one indicator of confused priorities — and at the worst possible time, given the increasingly far-right religious nationalist trajectory of the Netanyahu regime. Why is Joe Biden throwing around incentives and concessions for a measure that would bring no direct benefit for US citizens, aside from the prospect that Biden could possibly notch this up as a victory in the 2024 elections?
Newly revealed US talks with Iran are a further symptom of these confused policies, with Tehran apparently to be rewarded for indefinitely maintaining its nuclear program at just a few days away from military breakout capacity — as if such a scenario lets us all feel safe!
Not so long ago, the US occupied a unique position as the GCC’s principal strategic ally and security guarantor. Nations such as China and Russia were scarcely on the GCC’s radar. The calculated upgrading of relations with Beijing, New Delhi and Moscow represents a balanced recalibration of interests, to compensate for Washington’s dizzying policy U-turns and inability to sustain focus on priority issues. GCC officials have signaled their openness to looking more to European partners for arms, security and infrastructure deals, due to a perception of greater trust and reliability. America is the net loser in all this.
Newly revealed US talks with Iran are a further symptom of these confused policies, with Tehran apparently to be rewarded for indefinitely maintaining its nuclear program at just a few days away from military breakout capacity — as if such a scenario lets us all feel safe!
With Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussing an ambitious array of deals in Paris, and Foreign Minister Prince Faisal visiting Tehran, we are witnessing a newly assertive GCC approach in determinedly pursuing its interests around the world. By neutralizing Tehran as a strategic threat, the region can prioritize industry, education, technology and culture — putting the interests of citizens first.
The Arab world of 2023 is manifestly not that of just 10 or 20 years ago. With a powerful gust of fresh air, a new generation has swept into the corridors of power and society at large — a generation that the West has largely failed to understand or appreciate.
Nowhere has transformed faster than Saudi Arabia, which has opened itself up to tourism and cultural pursuits, while embarking on an ambitious economic agenda. I am elated to see how the outlook and status of women has transformed beyond all recognition. The UAE and Qatar continue to punch above their weight on the global stage. Bahrain continues to be a radiant oasis for business, culture, and the arts. Oman has quietly become a vital conduit for negotiations and peace efforts. Kuwait has made impressive investments in renewable energy, entrepreneurship and infrastructure.
American diplomats struggle to realize that this isn’t the same region they engaged with in the past. The rules of the game have fundamentally changed. The region is simply waiting for Western diplomacy to catch up.
• Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.

More efforts to end the crisis of confidence between Saudi Arabia and Iran
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/June 19, 2023
Over the past few days, Iranian media outlets have reported that Iran has invited Saudi Arabia to join a joint naval alliance that is in the pipeline. In addition to Iran, the alliance will include Gulf states like Saudi Arabia — with the aim of protecting the Middle Eastern nations’ maritime security and outlining guarantees for the safety of international navigation through new security arrangements.
The latter are likely to chiefly rely on the armies of the anticipated alliance’s member states rather than extraregional military alliances stationed in the region’s security sphere. Iran has reiterated its efforts to forge a trilateral maritime alliance in partnership with Russia and China. This invitation to the Kingdom comes against the backdrop of the two regional heavyweights’ moving ahead with the restoration of diplomatic relations under a rapport deal signed in Beijing.
It is natural that the regional powerhouses exerting influence over regional issues and desiring to protect the region’s security and stability believe in the effectiveness of collective efforts to protect the Middle Eastern security sphere. This will proceed uninterrupted as long as the countries calling for such efforts respect the principles of national sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and good neighborliness. This is in addition to the principles of noninterference in the internal affairs of sovereign states and settling of nonextensive disputes that have been unresolved for decades in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions, as well as the signed settlement agreements.
Moreover, the anticipated alliance’s member countries should abandon the destructive projects that raise concerns and suspicions about the intentions behind their involvement in collective security efforts. When all this happens, regional security arrangements could be adopted by the region’s countries.
The anticipated alliance’s member countries should abandon the destructive projects that raise concerns and suspicions
The implementation of this equation and the new security arrangements on the ground is obstructed by the consequences of the decades-long crisis of confidence between several countries of the anticipated alliance. This crisis has been created by positions and behaviors that have undermined regional peace and security. This has, in turn, inflamed disputes and exacerbated tensions in the Middle East, thereby fueling more rifts and exhausting some nation states, causing Saudi Arabia and Iran — two regional heavyweights exerting massive influence over regional issues — to be far apart, thus further complicating the crisis between them. However, this crisis has started to subside, with both countries opting to proceed with confidence-building measures since the signing of the rapport deal under which they have restored diplomatic ties.
Iran is aware of the consequences of breaching the terms of the agreement signed with Saudi Arabia under the patronage of China. The Iranian supreme leader ordered the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting to stop any negative coverage, disparaging comments and criticisms of the Kingdom. Nonetheless, following the agreement, some negative Iranian media content about Saudi Arabia was tracked, which constituted a breach of the principles of noninterference in the internal affairs of countries and the protection of their sovereignty. The Iranian media corporation quickly deleted this content after realizing how far it could potentially impact the measures taken at this stage. In recent weeks, it was noticed that the Iranian media outlets had reverted to their old rhetoric, heaping criticisms and insults on the Kingdom in newspapers and news agencies affiliated with the Iranian regime, such as the Tasnim, Fars and Mehr news agencies.
The resumption of criticisms of Saudi Arabia does a disservice to the confidence-building measures
In fact, the resumption of criticisms of Saudi Arabia does a disservice to the confidence-building measures, as well as the dissipation of the Kingdom’s misgivings about Iran’s intentions and the orientation of its foreign relations. Such rhetoric will impact the Kingdom’s desire to forge further partnerships and engage in future cooperation with Iran in the various security and commercial fields.
Saudi Arabia is moving ahead with the confidence-building measures, starting with the procedures formalizing the resumption of diplomatic relations, such as King Salman’s invitation to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to visit the Kingdom and the visit by the Saudi foreign minister to the Iranian capital Tehran, which will be followed by the reopening of embassies — a step that is expected to occur in the coming days. All these measures are taken out of the Kingdom’s keenness to enhance relations and look to the future with huge prospects in a way that mutually benefits the two nations.
In conclusion, the continuation of interference in the internal affairs of other countries — banned not only under the deal signed in Beijing but also under all UN resolutions — runs counter to the agreement’s provisions and the new guidelines set out by the Iranian supreme leader for Iranian foreign policy over the past days. This is in addition to the reiteration of former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in a Twitter post that there are no zero-sum games in foreign policy, meaning that all parties can make gains and have their interests maintained, rather than the interests of only a certain party. Major opportunities and joint interests that require more steps to build and sustain, rather than diminish and complicate confidence, await the two countries.
*Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is president of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah). Twitter: @mohalsulami

Endless Mediterranean deaths guaranteed unless broken system is fixed
Chris Doyle/Arab News/June 20, 2023
It is that time of year again, when wealthy Northern Europeans dust off their swimsuits and descend on the warm, sun-drenched beaches of the continent’s Mediterranean shores and the decks of expensive yachts. The warmer months also see an armada of unseaworthy vessels coughing up their motley cargo of “nonpeople,” either on to the shores of an unwelcoming European landmass or, all too often, to the depths of those deep waters. A banner displayed at Thessaloniki port held nothing back: “Tourists, enjoy your cruise in Europe’s biggest migrants cemetery.”
Nothing better typifies the respective worlds of the haves and the have-nots than what the Mediterranean now signifies to different people. To some, it is a summer refuge of family fun and holidays. For others, it is a deadly body of water that separates their hell from an imagined utopia — a Mediterranean roulette of extraordinary dangers for those with little left to live for. Their worlds barely ever connect. The rich do not want anything to spoil their vacations. The desperate can only imagine what they are missing.
The latest boat sinking off the coast of Greece last Wednesday has gently pricked a few European consciences once more, at least for a few days. This disaster has killed at least 78 people, almost certainly far more. The details are harrowing.
Challenging questions engulf the Greek authorities, whose narrative is being challenged. They were warned about the vessel. The Greek coastguard was present. Did it try to tether the vessel with a rope and steer it away from Greek waters? This would not be the first time.
But it is not just the Greeks. European powers are complicit in a murderous policy, in which mass drownings are just factored in as an unfortunate consequence of the “fortress Europe” approach. The first quarter of this year saw more fatalities on the Central Mediterranean route than in any year since 2017. Many European states have cut back on search and rescue operations at sea. They enter into shoddy deals with third-party states to pass the buck onto them in an effort to prevent the boats ever leaving. They care little as to how this is done or the horrific conditions of detention these people are then forced to endure.
For many, these European states have hands saturated in blood, just like the people smugglers who profit from others’ misery. Safe routes for asylum seekers barely exist. As most refugees believe, if you are a blond-haired and blue-eyed Ukrainian, you get welcomed in Northern Europe. If you are a brown-skinned Muslim or a Black African, you get turned away.
What are the drivers of this? As ever, focusing on one issue is never the full story. In Lebanon, where most people want to leave, it is economic disintegration. For Syrians, who made up a large portion of the passengers caught up in last week’s tragedy, the economic collapse in their country is key, but it is one disaster built on so many others. Afghans are fleeing the repression of Taliban rule.
Many of the Syrians, perhaps about 70, came from the south of the country, in and around Deraa. How come? Talking to those on the ground, the picture is complex. The regime is not in full control and it came to understandings with armed opposition groups, meaning the regime leaves certain areas alone. The security situation there is fraught with high levels of violent crime, murders and even assassinations.
European powers are complicit in a murderous policy, in which mass drownings are just factored in as an unfortunate consequence.
This has led to Deraa becoming a magnet for outlaws. As a zone of lawlessness, it is also a center for people smugglers, who work openly there. The regime has been handing out amnesties to young men. Fearing being called into the army in six to 12 months’ time, they head to Deraa having obtained passports from the regime. In other words, the regime knows exactly what is happening; that the aim of these youths is to get to Europe.
The smugglers have a series of prices. For a journey all the way to Europe, they charge about $16,000. To get to Libya, from where the refugees are told it might be cheaper to move on, it is about $6,000. It seems the passengers each paid about $4,500 for last week’s doomed journey. With estimates of 400 to 750 passengers on board, the people smugglers must have pocketed anything from $2 million to $4 million. It is a lucrative business.
Another option smugglers offer to families is to pay double the fee when the refugee arrives safely in the target destination. Few can afford that. Another reason Deraa is popular with the smugglers is that many Syrians from this area have, for historic reasons, access to a large number of family members who send funds from the richer Gulf countries to pay for these trips.
The smugglers also use a series of well-worn overland routes from the south of Syria to Turkiye. They have deals with Turkish border guards to let them cross the border. One source told me that Turkish border guards shoot a few refugees to show that they are doing something — about two in every hundred, he claimed. Once in Turkiye, they fly to Libya on a Syrian passport, even though there is no stamp in their passports to show they left Syria legally. Turkish officials reportedly turn a blind eye.
The jaw-dropping determination of these refugees fleeing persecution, war and economic crisis means that, as hard as the European powers try, they cannot prevent new and even more dangerous routes being risked. It is the “we have nothing to live for” reality that these refugees face that few European politicians have even started to comprehend from their cocooned world of luxury and safety.
Those considering joining this dangerous exodus know that, because Europe is embracing more and more the policies of the far right, it will only become harder to find a way in. The Syrians in Deraa are queuing up to leave, just as others are elsewhere in the south. The summer months and the soul-destroying conditions many millions face may see a bumper year for the people smugglers.
With World Refugee Day falling on Tuesday, it is time to remember that refugees and asylum seekers are people; human beings. It is time to start treating them as such. The system is broken, guaranteed to lead to endless deaths. Yes, the people smugglers need stopping, but unless the bottomless wells of desperation are tackled in the conflict zones to the south, the boats will never stop coming, no matter how deadly they are. Until then, the Mediterranean will just be the world’s greatest watery graveyard and bodies will wash ashore at the packed tourist beaches and harbors.
• Chris Doyle is director of the London-based Council for Arab-British Understanding. He has worked with the council since 1993 after graduating with a first-class honors degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies at Exeter University. He has organized and accompanied numerous British parliamentary delegations to Arab countries.
Twitter: @Doylech