English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For March 02/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2023/english.march02.23.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
Strive side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and do not be
intimidated by your opponents
Letter to the Philippians 01/21-30/:”For to me,
living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means
fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed
between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far
better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am
convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for
your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting
in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. Only, live your life in a manner
worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent
and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit,
striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no
way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their
destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For he has
graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of
suffering for him as well since you are having the same struggle that you saw I
had and now hear that I still have.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on March 01-02/2023
John
Maron/From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lebanon and Arabism/Etienne Saqr – Abu Arz/March 01/2023
‘Economic massacre’: Lebanon dollarizes economy as pound plunges
Lebanese Supermarkets Mark Prices in Dollars as Local Currency Tanks
Lira recovers as Salameh intervenes anew in market
Bayssari vows to follow in Ibrahim's footsteps as General Security head
Outgoing Ibrahim rejects 'illegal' extension solution, eyes FM post
Geagea: LF to boycott presidential vote if Hezbollah candidate has 65 votes
UN special coordinator for Lebanon urges for swift president election
Mikati, FPM trade barbs over cabinet decree signatures
Geagea discusses presidential elections with Bishop Bou Najem
Sami Gemayel meets US Ambassador
Wronecka urges president election to respond to people’s growing needs
The Hisham Itani Digital Transformation Award in partnership with AUB targets
projects in the digital transformation space
UNIDO, in partnership with Ministry of Industry, presents 6 pre-feasibility
studies in support of agri-food producers
Mawlawi meets KSA Interior Minister in Tunisia conference
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 01-02/2023
WHO Chief Visits Opposition-Held Syria for First Time after Quake
UN Calls for 'Coordinated Process' to Resolve Syrian Crisis
Low Water Levels Force Halt to North Syria Hydropower
Israel Arrests Suspects in Settler Rampage Described by General as ‘Pogrom’
IAEA: Iran has Uranium Particles Enriched to Nearly Bomb Grade
Israel Calls on Germany to Take Decisive Action against Iran
Iran Schoolgirls Allegedly Targeted With Poisonings To Stop Them From Going To
School
Iran Expels Two German Diplomats in Tit-For-Tat Move
China, Belarus presidents call for Ukraine cease-fire, talks
Russia Says It Will Only Renew Grain Deal If Its Own Exports Are Unblocked
Russia and Ukraine have a lot of the same tanks and jets, but Kyiv has a
decisive 'flesh and bone' advantage, top US enlisted leader says
Kremlin Says It Doesn’t Believe Ukrainian Denial of Attacks on Russia
EU, Russia Take Strong Positions as Ukraine Takes Center Stage at G20
Erdogan Indicates Türkiye Elections to Be Held on May 14
Earthquake Death Toll in Türkiye Rises above 45,000
Russia Tries to Close Ring on Bakhmut as Ukrainians Mount ‘Furious Resistance’
Israelis step up protests over government's legal overhaul
Titles For
The Latest
English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on March 01-02/2023
When Palestinian Terror Struck Khartoum/Amb. Alberto M. Fernandez/MEMRI/March
01/2023
The Saudi Foreign Minister in Kyiv/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al Awsat/March 01,
2023
I Went to Syria, This Is What I Saw/Lydia Polgreen/The New York Times/March 01,
2023
Biden's Executive Order Nightmare: Government Will Track Every Dime You
Spend/Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/March 01, 2023
Sharia Destroys a Child’s Life—But You Can Help/Raymond Ibrahim/March 01, 2023
Iran regime’s defiance increases
tensions with Israel/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 01, 2023
Enduring GCC-US partnership reaffirmed in key security meetings/Dr. Abdel Aziz
Aluwaisheg/Arab News/March 01, 2023
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on March 01-02/2023
John
Maron
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Maron (Arabic: يوحنا مارون, Youhana Maroun; Latin: Ioannes Maronus) (born
in 628 in Sirmaniyah or Sarmin, present Syria – died in 707 in Kfarhy, Lebanon),
was a Syriac monk, and the first Maronite Patriarch. He is revered as a saint by
the Maronite and Roman Catholic Churches, and is commemorated on March 2. He
died and was buried in Kfarhy near Batroun, in Lebanon, where a shrine is
dedicated to him.
The first Maronite Patriarch
The Patriarch of Antioch, Anastasius II was martyred in 609. With the ongoing
Byzantine–Sasanian War and general unrest in the area, Constantinople began to
appoint a series of titular patriarchs.[2] Maronite sources give the date of
John Maron’s election to Patriarch of Antioch and All the East as 685.[2] John
received the approval of Pope Sergius I, and became the first Maronite
Patriarch.
Works
John Maron works are in Syriac:
On Faith
Questions to the Monophysites
Early life
John was born in Sarum, a town located south of the city of Antioch.[1] He was
the son of Agathon and Anohamia. He was called John the Sarumite since his
father was governor of Sarum. His paternal grandfather, Prince Alidipas, was the
nephew of Carloman, a Frankish Prince, and governed Antioch. John was educated
in Antioch and the Monastery of Saint Maron, studying mathematics, sciences,
philosophy, theology, philology and scripture. He became a monk at the
monastery, adding the name Maron to his own.
John studied Greek and patrology in Constantinople.[1] Returning to Saint
Maron’s, he wrote on such diverse topics as teaching, rhetoric, the sacraments,
management of Church property, legislative techniques, and liturgy. He composed
the Eucharistic Prayer which still bears his name. As a young priest he engaged
himself in ecumenical debates with the Monophysites. Noted as a teacher and
preacher, he explained the doctrine of the Council of Chalcedon (which focused
on the nature of Jesus as both God and human), wrote a series of letters to the
faithful against Monothelitism which Beit-Marun had adopted, and then travelled
Syria to explain the heresy.
لبنان والعروبة/اتيان صقر- ابوارز/01 آذار/2023/بيان صادر عن حزب حراس الارز
– حركة القومية اللبنانية
Lebanon and Arabism
Etienne Saqr – Abu Arz/March 01/2023
A statement issued by the Guardians of the Cedars Party – the Lebanese National
Movement
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/116209/%d8%a7%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%b5%d9%82%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d8%a8%d9%88-%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%b2-%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%a8%d8%a9-etienne-saqr-aburaz-lebanon/
More than a decade after the Arab boycotted the Syrian regime, today the Arab
regimes are racing one after the other to gain the support of this regime in a
bid to normalize relations with it and bring it back to the “Arab embrace,” as
they put it.
Thus, in one moment, the Arabs forgot all the crimes of murder, abuse,
destruction and displacement committed by this regime against millions of
innocent people in Lebanon and Syria in cold blood, and in full view of the
whole world, and without blinking an eye… in addition to the weapons of mass
destruction and the explosive barrels that it used against Defenseless civilians
who were killed, destroyed, and displaced much more worse that recent earthquake
in northern Syria did… In this context, we point out that United Nations
statistics estimate the death toll of the Syrian civil war at half a million,
and the number of homeless and displaced persons exceeds 12 million.
And if the Arabs had graciously come to the aid of Syria following the
catastrophe of the aforementioned earthquake, and opened their coffers and
warehouses to help it, then on the other hand they left Lebanon to struggle with
death alone years ago in an unprecedented existential catastrophe, refusing to
extend a helping hand to it under the pretext that it fell under the authority
of the indirect Iranian occupation. Unaware that Syria is under the control of
four occupiers, directly and indirectly, namely, the Russian-Turkish-American
and Iranian occupation, which drops the argument of the Arabs and exposes their
negative intentions towards Lebanon.
O Arabs, in our name and in the name of the honorable people in this country, we
inform you of the following:
1- Lebanon does not need your help, as it will inevitably rise from its
stumbling status with its own strength, as it has been used to do throughout
history.
2- Lebanon does not belong to your Arabism. Its people throughout history were
and still are Lebanese in identity and affiliation. Therefore, we ask you to
stop calling Lebanon the “younger brother” because this description contradicts
the truth and history, and because states speak in the language of interests,
not in the language of courtesy.
3- The time has come for Lebanon to withdraw from your “esteemed” The Arab
League, which has brought it nothing but tragedies since Abdel Nasser’s war in
1958, through the Palestinian-Syrian war of 1975-2005 that produced the current
Iranian occupation.
It is your right, O Arabs, to reconcile with whatever criminals and tyrants you
wish, and it is our right to demand our withdrawal from your “esteemed” Arab
League, while preserving the duty of friendship imposed by the geo-political
reality, provided that dealing with you from now on is based on peer-to-peer and
common interests.
For you, Lebanon
Etienne Saqr – Abu Arz
*Translation from Arabic to English by Elias Bejjani
‘Economic massacre’: Lebanon dollarizes
economy as pound plunges
Houssari/Arab News/March 01, 2023
Amid warnings of looming economic chaos, the Finance Ministry set the price of
the customs dollar at 45,000 Lebanese pounds
The ministry pegged the value at 15,000 pounds only a few weeks ago
BEIRUT: Escalating political confusion sent the Lebanese pound plummeting to a
new low on the black market, trading at 90,000 pounds to the dollar on
Wednesday. The latest plunge in the local currency means the exchange rate is
more than 60 times lower than the base rate of 1,500 LBP/USD that has been in
place for the past three years. Amid warnings of looming economic chaos, the
Finance Ministry set the price of the customs dollar at 45,000 Lebanese pounds
so the state treasury could pay public sector salaries. The ministry pegged the
value at 15,000 pounds only a few weeks ago.
Shops and supermarkets also began to price products in dollars on Wednesday.
Economists and political experts predicted the Lebanese pound would drop to
100,000 to the dollar soon. Meanwhile, a man stormed a Creditbank branch in
Sidon, southern Beirut, and threatened to set it ablaze if he was denied access
to his savings. The man ended up leaving the bank without getting his money
after being assured he would face no criminal charges. Economist Jassem Ajaka
said that “there is no end to the hole the country has slipped into,” adding:
“The worst is yet to come and we are drowning in utter chaos due to accumulated
mistakes.”
Ajaka said the Finance Ministry had no option but to raise the customs dollar to
step up treasury revenues.
Sources told Arab News that the ministry estimated the cost of covering the
raises and social aid allowances that were added to public sector salaries at
8,000 billion Lebanese pounds. “The country suffers from a large deficit, and
increasing revenues is one of the International Monetary Fund’s demands,” he
said.
“After raising the customs dollar and dollarizing the economy, the issue lies
with controlling market prices in the absence of effective state institutions.
Immense chaos awaits.”Economic observers believe if the political class remained
inactive, financial, economic and banking breakdown was inevitable.
With the local currency plunging and the prices of commodities and foodstuffs
increasing by the minute, the Finance Ministry was fiercely criticized for its
decision to raise the customs dollars, a step that is likely to drastically
reduce people’s purchasing power. Hani Bohsali, head of the Food Importers
Syndicate, said the decision was surprising and would increase the prices of
essential commodities by 2-10 percent.“Even if oils and grains are exempt from
customs fee increases, their prices will rise as the local currency drops.”
Tripoli MP Ashraf Rifi warned that the local currency depreciation could result
in a real catastrophe with devastating repercussions. “The Lebanese have become
victims of an economic massacre,” he said. “The ruling authority and Hezbollah
need to go before we can start reforming what this system destroyed.” The
Council of Maronite Bishops convened on Wednesday and appealed to the caretaker
government to discharge its duties wisely and avoid any action that would
aggravate the situation. The council expressed concerns over security and called
on law enforcement agencies to tighten measures.
Lebanese Supermarkets Mark Prices in Dollars as
Local Currency Tanks
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 01 March, 2023
Supermarkets in Lebanon started pricing items in US dollars on Wednesday instead
of the nose-diving local currency, after a government announcement allowing the
practice in a country heavily reliant on imports. Since late 2019, Lebanon has
been facing a dramatic economic crisis that has seen poverty rates climb to
reach more than 80 percent of the population, according to the United Nations.
The local currency, now officially pegged at 15,000 to the greenback, was
trading Wednesday at almost 90,000 to the dollar, compared to 60,000 in late
January. An AFP photographer said a large supermarket chain in Beirut had begun
displaying prices in dollars on Wednesday, while the exchange rate of 89,000
pounds was displayed on a screen at the entrance. Domestically produced fruit
and vegetables were still priced in the local currency. "Every week, or every
day even, products are becoming more and more expensive," said Susane Zeitoun,
28, who was shopping at the supermarket. "Now I have to calculate prices into
Lebanese pounds," she added. In February, Economy Minister Amin Salaam announced
that supermarkets would be able to start pricing items in dollars, while
customers could pay in dollars or Lebanese pounds at the volatile market rate.
Each store would have to clearly announce the exchange rate it was using each
day, he had added. Since the start of the crisis, stores had begun to adjust
their prices in pounds, sometimes daily, to keep up with the fluctuating
exchange rate -- or at times pushing prices higher. Some restaurants and
clothing shops had already begun to display prices in dollars in recent months.
Shopper Sarah Rida, 37, said that "pricing items in US dollars is better". "If a
product is priced at $2, we can be sure that it will stay the same and will not
increase or decrease in price from one day to the next." Lebanon is being run by
a caretaker government and is also without a president, as lawmakers have
repeatedly failed to elect a successor to Michel Aoun, whose mandate expired at
the end of October. Authorities announced in late February that customs charges
would be tripled, a move that risks pushing prices up further. The World Bank
has said that Lebanon food price inflation reached 332 percent year on year in
June 2022, the worst in the world.
Lira recovers as Salameh intervenes anew in
market
Naharnet/Wednesday, 01 March, 2023
Lebanon’s unofficial dollar exchange rate dropped by more than LBP 10,000 on
Wednesday evening, shortly after Central Bank chief Riad Salameh announced that
the bank will start buying and selling dollars at a Sayrafa platform rate of LBP
70,000.ىThe exchange rate had crossed the LBP 90,000 mark on the black market
earlier in the day.
In a statement, Salameh said that as of Thursday, the Central Bank would start
selling U.S. dollars and buying Lebanese pounds at a rate of LBP 70,000. He
added that requests should be made through commercial banks and that the sums
would be paid within three days, setting a monthly cap of LBP 1 billion for each
individual and LBP 10 billion for each company. Salameh also noted that fuel
importers cannot benefit from the new Sayrafa rate.
Bayssari vows to follow in Ibrahim's footsteps
as General Security head
Naharnet/Wednesday, 01 March, 2023
Acting General Security chief Brig. Gen. Elias Bayssari on Wednesday hailed
outgoing General Security head Abbas Ibrahim, during a ceremony to bid farewell
to the latter on the occasion of the end of his term. “He stood as a firm
bulwark in the face of terrorism and the (Israeli) enemy’s spies,” Bayssari
said. “We will rise to the level of responsibility and confidence that you have
granted to us, and I promise you that we will exert our utmost strength, resolve
and will to walk in your footsteps inside the directorate and to implement the
plans that you have devised,” Bayssari added.
Outgoing Ibrahim rejects 'illegal' extension solution, eyes
FM post
Naharnet/Wednesday, 01 March, 2023
Outgoing General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim on Wednesday announced
that he would not have accepted any “illegal exit” for extending his term, which
expires on Wednesday. “I did not ask for extension,”
Ibrahim added, in a chat with reporters following a farewell ceremony at the
General Security headquarters. Noting that he will
continue in public life, Ibrahim said that he aspires to become foreign minister
if offered a ministerial post. Asked whether he is
eying the parliament speaker post, Ibrahim said: “May God prolong Speaker (Nabih)
Berri’s life.” Separately, Ibrahim said that he is
“optimistic” regarding the presidential file. In a speech at the farewell
ceremony, Ibrahim said that his successor, acting General Security chief Brig.
Gen. Elias Bayssari, is the best person who can “preserve” the General
Directorate of General Security. Speaking earlier at a ceremony to lay the
cornerstone for the Karantina General Security department, Ibrahim said: “What
we did and what we’re doing is a very small part of what we should offer to our
people, who deserve institutions and administrations that befit their history
and sacrifices.” “They also deserve statesmen who work
for the country and its sons instead of wasting time on rivalries that have
plunged the country and its citizens into the lowest pit of poverty and
deprivation,” Ibrahim added. Ibrahim also said he “bows” in front of “the souls
of the martyrs who fell in the Beirut port explosion and all the wounded.”
Ibrahim is one of several official charged by Judge Tarek Bitar in the blast
case.
Geagea: LF to boycott presidential vote if Hezbollah
candidate has 65 votes
Naharnet/Wednesday, 01 March, 2023
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has considered any dialogue with Hezbollah
and the FPM over presidency, as unlikely. "All of
Hezbollah's calls for dialogue are fake and misleading," Geagea said, in remarks
published Wednesday, as he told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that when Hezbollah
calls for dialogue, what it really wants is discussing the nomination of Marada
leader Suleiman Franjieh. Geagea said that he knows Hezbollah's tactics in
presidential elections, accusing the party of letting the crisis exacerbate to
force other parties to elect the candidate that it wants.
But Geagea considered that electing a president nominated by Hezbollah
would worsen the situation and affirmed that the LF would boycott the
presidential election sessions if Hezbollah managed to secure 65 votes for its
candidate. "If Hezbollah's candidate gets elected, it would further isolate
Lebanon from the Arab world and the West," Geagea said. "We would boycott that
session." The LF leader went on to say that his party
has been contacted by two sides, one international and the other local, which
suggested that the LF accepts Franjieh's election as part of a certain deal.
Geagea said he refused the deal, and that the only middle-ground
candidate that he might accept is a moderate and flexible president who has good
relations with all parties, but not a weak consensual president who has no
opinion, can't take decisions or make achievements.
UN special coordinator for Lebanon urges for swift
president election
Naharnet/Wednesday, 01 March, 2023
United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka called Wednesday
for the election of a new president "without further delay." "We are now into
the fifth month of presidential vacuum in Lebanon," Wronecka said in a tweet.
She added that responding to the growing and legitimate needs of the people
requires electing a president without further delay. "Political leaders are
expected to prioritize national interest at this critical moment," Wronecka
said. Lebanon has been without a head of state since Michel Aoun's mandate
expired last year, with a caretaker cabinet overseeing the responsibilities of
government amid a financial collapse that is stretching into its third year and
this week saw the local currency reach a record low against the U.S. dollar. The
embattled local currency, which in three years has lost more than 95 percent of
its value, dropped to a new low Wednesday against the U.S. dollar as it traded
over 89,000 to the dollar, compared with 60,000 at the start of February.
Mikati, FPM trade barbs over cabinet decree signatures
Naharnet/Wednesday, 01 March, 2023
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the Free Patriotic Movement have
attacked each other over the signatures needed for decrees issued by the
caretaker cabinet. “What MP Jebran Bassil said today regarding the need for the
signatures of all ministers on decrees and his objection against the presence of
several signatures by the prime minister represent an illegal viewpoint that has
mundane political motives,” Mikati’s office said in a statement.
“This contradicts with the constitution’s clear texts,” the office added.
“As for his claim about the use of a minister’s signature and copying it from
memos received by the premiership, this is something fabricated by Mr. Bassil’s
political imagination,” the office said, accusing Bassil of “attributing
baseless matters to the government represented by its premier” for “exposed
political motives.”The FPM-led Strong Lebanon bloc meanwhile said that “what
happened in parliament of an attempt to pass an illegal and forged decree
represented a major scandal that belongs to the series of violations that are
being practiced by Najib Mikati’s incomplete government.”“He is breaching the
limits of political action ethics and he has not settled for bypassing the
presidential post but is also finding it easy to counterfeit, as if things are
lawless and there is no accountability in the country,” the bloc added.
Geagea discusses presidential elections with
Bishop Bou Najem
NNA/Wednesday, 01 March, 2023
Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, on Wednesday met in Meerab with Bishop of
the Maronite Diocese of Antelias, Msgr. Antoine Bou Najem, dispatched by
Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rahi, in the presence of Monsignor Elie
Khoury. Discussions reportedly touched on the issue of presidential elections
and ways to hold this entitlement as soon as possible.
Sami Gemayel meets US Ambassador
NNA/Wednesday, 01 March, 2023
Kataeb Party Leader, MP Sami Gemayel, met on Wednesday with US Ambassador to
Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, with whom he discussed the latest developments and the
presidential vacuum. During the meeting, Gemayel warned against the continuous
absence of a head of state, adding that any decision the parliament or the
government might take cannot be executed without the signature of the president
of the republic. He also stressed the necessity of electing a president who can
unify the Lebanese people, rebuild the nation, and start discussions to address
crucial files, such as Lebanon's neutrality and Hezbollah's weapons.
Wronecka urges president election to respond to people’s
growing needs
NNA/Wednesday, 01 March, 2023
United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, on Wednesday
urged the Lebanese leaders to speed up the election of a president of the
republic in order to fulfill the growing needs of the people. "We are now into
the fifth month of presidential vacuum in Lebanon. Responding to the growing and
legitimate needs of the people requires electing a president without further
delay. Political leaders are expected to prioritize national interest at this
critical moment," she tweeted.
The Hisham Itani Digital Transformation Award in partnership with AUB targets
projects in the digital transformation space
NNA/Wednesday, 01 March, 2023
Hisham Itani, chairman and CEO of Resource Group, a technology group with
diversified businesses covering the Middle East and Africa, has partnered with
the American University of Beirut (AUB) to launch the Hisham Itani Digital
Transformation Award, in line with his vision to support national and regional
talents, and drive the digital transformation in the region. The newly
established award targets innovative and compelling digital transformation
projects in any field. “I am delighted to partner with The Maroun Semaan Faculty
of Engineering and Architecture (MSFEA) at AUB and launch this new award that
puts our creative minds at the forefront of the digital transformation in the
region,” said Hisham Itani. He continued, “I am looking forward to seeing the
future founders getting on this journey that will be insightful and innovative
for the participants. I am hoping this award brings hope to a generation baffled
by the most difficult national crisis the country has ever seen.”Itani, who is
an AUB graduate himself, joined his family business after graduating. He
ventured into new technologies and invested in Research and Development (R&D)
thus pioneering the digital security industry in Lebanon and the region. His
vision, knowledge, and continuous investment in new technologies led him to
expand the business in the Middle East and Africa region across several
industries including digital security, information and communication technology,
port and vehicle inspections, software development, startup incubation,
metaverse advisory, and others.
In fact, Itani’s own entrepreneurial journey inspired him to support students
and rising entrepreneurs in their own ambitions. He said, “I am aware of the
importance of giving students a platform to share their ideas and be able to
build them and turn them into profitable businesses. The idea behind the Hisham
Itani Digital Transformation Award is to provide not only monetary support but
also offer mentorship and share knowhow with the students to bring their
projects to reality. On this note, I would like to thank the MSFEA for their
support and their entrepreneurial initiative on campus, and I am hoping that
this award and similar initiatives generate knowledge-based jobs and boost the
economy.” The Hisham Itani Digital Transformation Award is now open to all AUB
students, faculty, and staff. For more information regarding the awards, go to
this link or directly apply online using this form.
UNIDO, in partnership with Ministry of Industry, presents 6
pre-feasibility studies in support of agri-food producers
NNA/Wednesday, 01 March, 2023
As part of the institutional support provided by the Productive Sectors
Development Programme (PSDP) generously funded by the government of Canada,
UNIDO in partnership with the Ministry of Industry, developed six
pre-feasibility studies to support Micro, Small, and Medium enterprises (MSMEs),
cooperatives and entrepreneurs in the agri-food sector. The reports were
presented on Tuesday 28 February 2023 in the presence of H.E. Mr. George
Bouchikian, Minister of Industry, Mr. Jamie Schnurr, Head of Cooperation,
Embassy of Canada to Lebanon, and Mr. Emmanuel Kalenzi, UNIDO Representative and
Head of Regional Office for Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
"Lebanon is going through a major and critical economic crisis. The country
needs every support from brotherly countries and international organizations.
Despite this crisis, Lebanon remains a beacon of civilizational, cultural and
scientific hub, and a bridge of interaction between East and West. We are
confident that Lebanon will rise and its ordeal will not be prolonged.” -
Confirmed H.E. Mr. George Bouchikian. The agri-food sector is a major
contributor to economic opportunities and job creation for women and youth in
underprivileged areas; therefore, there is urgency in assisting local businesses
export their products and access new markets. “We are pleased to see that
through the PSDP programme, we were able to develop portals, market intelligence
reports and training tools in support of stakeholders -institutional as well as
businesses - so they can optimize their production, expand their activities
abroad, build their export capacity and create jobs.” Sais Mr Jamie Schnurr,
Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Canada to Lebanon
In this context, these reports highlight the potential of the following
products: pickles, fresh juices, dried fruits and vegetables, mouneh, chocolate,
as well as healthy snacks and bars. The studies underline the potential of
several agri-food products in the local market and provide valuable insights and
tailored data to help MSMEs, investors and startups identify market
opportunities, improve their manufacturing process and increase their
efficiency. The studies also highlight the industry’s technical requirements and
standards that would enable agri-food businesses to maintain their businesses
and reach sustainable growth.
“Improving access to international markets for women and men-led MSMEs is a key
component of the PSDP. The pre-feasibility studies presented today constitute
part of the market intelligence tools the PSDP is providing to the Government
institutions. We believe that these reports are an important suite to support
the development of the agri-food sector in Lebanon. Enhancing the agri-food
sector will contribute to the development of the country and constitutes a
driver for job-creation particularly for rural women.” Said Mr. Emmanuel Kalenzi.
Each report incorporates three main sections: definition; macro trends including
market size, trade performance and supply as well as means of production
consisting of plant facilities, labor force, average cost breakdown, product
composition, technical requirements and equipment. Also, they provide readers
with insights on innovation and a SWOT analysis for every value chain.
Through these pre-feasibility studies, UNIDO supported by experts from the
Ministry of Industry are gathering data and transforming it into actionable
insights to efficiently promote Lebanese agri-food products. All pre-feasibility
studies can be downloaded from the Ministry of Industry’s website under the
Publications and Studies section. The PSDP is a UN joint Programme, funded by
the Government of Canada and implemented by six UN agencies (UNIDO, UNDP, ILO,
UNICEF, FAO & UN Women) and coordinated by the Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO).—UNIC
Mawlawi meets KSA Interior Minister in Tunisia conference
NNA/Wednesday, 01 March, 2023
Caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Judge Bassam Mawlawi, on
Wednesday held a meeting with KSA Minister of Interior, Prince Abdulaziz bin
Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, on the sidelines of the Arab Interior
Ministers Conference in Tunisia.
Minister Mawlawi expressed Lebanon's constant concern for Arab security,
especially the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its society. He
stressed commitment to "fighting drugs, preventing their export to Arab
countries, combating terrorism, and strengthening security cooperation in this
regard." “Our effort in Lebanon will focus on building the state and trust with
the Arab community," Mawlawi said.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on March 01-02/2023
WHO Chief Visits Opposition-Held Syria for First
Time after Quake
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 01 March,
2023
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday urged
the international community to help earthquake-hit northwest Syria, on his first
ever visit to opposition-held areas of the war-ravaged country. "The people of
northwest Syria need the assistance of the international community to recover
and rebuild," Tedros told reporters after entering from neighboring Türkiye via
the Bab al-Hawa border crossing. "I call on the international community,
governments, philanthropists, individuals, to dig deep," added Tedros, the
highest-ranking United Nations official to visit the opposition-held area since
civil war broke out almost 12 years ago. The WHO chief had already travelled to
government-controlled Aleppo and Damascus the same week as the February 6
disaster that killed more than 50,000 people in Türkiye and Syria. Tedros on
Wednesday visited several hospitals and a shelter near the Turkish border for
people displaced by the disaster, an AFP correspondent said. Turkish-backed
officials in Syria have put the death toll in opposition-held areas at 4,537,
while the Syrian government has said 1,414 people were killed in areas under its
control. The UN has launched a $397 million appeal to help quake victims in
Syria, but Tedros warned that "we are not getting as much as what is needed for
this emergency".
'Needs increasing'
"Even before the earthquake, needs were increasing while international aid was
decreasing," Tedros said. "We must not close our eyes or turn our backs on the
Syrian people." In the aftermath of the quake, activists and emergency teams in
the opposition-held northwest had decried the UN's slow response, contrasting it
with the planeloads of humanitarian aid that have been delivered to
government-controlled airports. By noon Wednesday, at least 258 aircraft laden
with aid had reached regime-controlled areas, transport ministry official
Suleiman Khalil said. UN relief chief Martin Griffiths had admitted on February
12 that the body had "so far failed the people in northwest Syria". The United
Nations says at least 420 trucks loaded with UN aid have now crossed into the
opposition-held pocket since the tragedy.
The quake came nearly 12 years into Syria's war which devastated swathes of the
country, killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions more. More
than four million people live in areas outside government control in Syria's
north and northwest, 90 percent of whom depend on aid to survive.
Crossings
The first UN aid convoy crossed into the area on February 9 -- three days after
the 7.8-magnitude quake struck -- and carried tents and other relief for 5,000.
That convoy had been expected before the earthquake. The UN largely delivers
relief to Syria's northwest via neighboring Türkiye through the Bab al-Hawa
crossing -- the only way for aid to enter without Damascus's permission. The
crossing is located in the Idlib region, which UN officials rarely visit and is
controlled by the extremist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The WHO chief said on
February 12 that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had expressed openness to more
border crossings for aid to be brought to quake victims in the opposition-held
northwest. On February 13, the United Nations said Damascus had allowed it to
also use two other crossings in areas outside regime control -- Bab al-Salama
and Al-Rai -- for three months. An AFP correspondent said a new aid convoy
entered via Bab al-Salama on Wednesday. The first UN delegation to visit
opposition-held northwestern Syria after the earthquake crossed from Türkiye on
February 14. It comprised deputy regional humanitarian coordinator David Carden
and Sanjana Quazi, who heads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs in Türkiye, and was largely an assessment mission.
UN Calls for 'Coordinated Process' to Resolve Syrian Crisis
Washington - Ali Barada/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 1 March, 2023
The United Nations Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, called for building on
the Arab and international response to recover from the earthquakes that
recently struck Türkiye and Syria. Pedersen said the earthquakes caused
"unspeakable suffering for millions of people" to carry out a coordinated
process to meet the challenges of resolving the military conflict that has been
going on for 12 years. Pedersen was briefing members of the Security Council
meeting in New York on the latest developments in the Syrian crisis. He
addressed the recent earthquake, stressing that "the immediate priority is the
emergency humanitarian response" to Syrians wherever they are. Referring to his
recent meetings concerning Syrian crisis and aid donors, he made it clear that
he saw "a remarkable goodwill among many Syrians themselves in both words and
actions to organize and send relief to their fellow citizens across the front
lines, irrespective of the challenges and hardship they also face," noting that
"Syrian women have been at the forefront of these efforts." He welcomed the
recent introduction of earthquake-related exemptions from several countries,
including the US, the UK, and the EU. The UN envoy also welcomed the Syrian
government's decision to open the Bab al-Salam and al-Rai crossing points from
Türkiye to northwestern Syria, with a "blanket approval" for crossing operations
into northwestern Syria until next July and other measures to reduce red tape
for humanitarian actors, and facilitate humanitarian financial transactional
concerning the earthquake response. The envoy said he recorded "a relative lull
in violence after the earthquake, which can facilitate the relief operations."
However, Pedersen said he was worried he has seen "reports of concerning
incidents: exchange of shelling and mortar fire between areas under the control
of the Syrian government, the Syrian Democratic Forces, armed opposition, or
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham," in addition to "Turkish drone strikes and air strikes in
central Damascus attributed to Israel, assassinations in the southwest, and the
terrible attacks attributed to ISIS in the desert."
He called for building on the four elements involving action from a different
side "if we are to move beyond responding to the emergency the earthquake has
brought and confront the challenges of resolving the conflict itself and address
the deep crisis in Syria."
The diplomat described Syria as "one of the most complex political landscapes on
the planet" because it is a territory split into several areas of control: a
government under sanctions, de facto authorities elsewhere, more than one
terrorist group, and five foreign armies.
He called on the international community to "take inspiration from the Syrian
people on the ground, who have come together against the odds during this time
to deal with their enormous challenges.""The situation today is unprecedented.
It calls for leadership, bold ideas, and a cooperative spirit. A serious
political way forward will require a serious conversation among key stakeholders
to make progress on some of the unresolved political issues of the conflict that
could block much-needed recovery after the disaster." The envoy urged "more
pragmatism" because the matter requires "realism and frankness from the Syrian
government, the Syrian opposition, and all key outside actors" to protect Syria
from the broader geopolitical disputes among key players. "It calls for a
coordinated process," the UN Envoy reiterated.
"We will need all key Arab players, all key European players, and of course the
Astana players, and the US to work in a coherent effort," he said, adding: "if
all, and I really mean all, can envisage compromise from previous positions: all
will gain." Pedersen assessed that "the approach of seeking reciprocal and
verifiable confidence measures, the so-called 'step-for-step,' is more element
now more than ever before," under Security Council Resolution 2254. "Let's build
on a step so far from all sides, with further moves from all sides. Let's in
that spirit identify and move additional confidence-building steps from all
parties to confront the challenges of recovery after the disaster and address
unresolved political issues."
Low Water Levels Force Halt to North Syria Hydropower
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 1 March, 2023
Local authorities in northeast Syria will suspend operations at a hydroelectric
dam for a week because of low water levels, two officials said on Wednesday,
leaving several million people at risk of power outages. The Tishreen dam in the
northern province of Aleppo will be out of service from Wednesday until March 8,
an online statement from Amal Khozayem, co-chair of the energy office in the
semi-autonomous region of northeast Syria, said. Khozayem said the water levels
at the dam were "nearing dead level," or the point at which a dam's water is so
low the pipes drawing water from it are exposed. Although the dam would not
produce electricity, drinking and irrigation water would be available, she
added. Syria has suffered erratic rainfall in recent years that has severely
reduced its wheat crop. Similar droughts and wheat shortages preceded the
outbreak of protests in the country in 2011. Last year, levels at Syria's dams
on the Euphrates fell by up to five meters, depleting reservoirs and leaving
farmers struggling to access the remaining water reserves. Hammoud al-Hammadin,
an administrator at Tishreen dam, told Reuters that the Tishreen dam's
suspension could impact electricity provision for seven million people. In
written comments, he said it was a worrying sign. "We're in the winter season -
when we are supposed to be at peak storage. But today, we've reached the lowest
water level in the history of the dam since it was flooded," Hammadin said.
Israel Arrests Suspects in Settler Rampage Described by
General as ‘Pogrom’
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 1 March, 2023
Police have arrested six suspects over a settler rampage in the occupied West
Bank earlier this week that an Israeli general described as a "pogrom" and which
followed a deadly Palestinian gun attack. A Palestinian gunman killed two
Israeli brothers on Sunday as they were driving in the occupied West Bank,
prompting attacks by Israeli settlers on houses and cars during which one
Palestinian was killed, officials say. Israeli police said on Wednesday they
expected to make more arrests during their ongoing investigation into the
settler violence in and around Huwara, a Palestinian village where the two
Israeli brothers from a nearby settlement were shot dead. Major General Yehuda
Fuchs, who commands the Israeli military in the area, said his forces had
prepared for attempted settler retribution but had been surprised by the
intensity of the violence, which he said was perpetrated by dozens of people.
"The incident in Huwara was a pogrom carried out by outlaws," he told N12 News
late on Tuesday. A "pogrom" is a mob attack, often approved by authorities,
against a religious, racial, or national minority. The term is usually applied
to attacks on Jews in the Russian Empire in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries.
Political tensions
Fuchs' comments came amid increased tensions within the nationalist-religious
government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which includes hard-line
settlers demanding tough action against Palestinian attacks. One of them,
far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has called on people "not
to take the law into their own hands", while his Jewish Power party has accused
Netanyahu of being weak on terrorism. "This is not 'taking the law into your own
hands,' because lawful people don't sow terror among the (civilian) population,"
said Fuchs. "Collective punishment doesn't help combating terrorism, on the
contrary it might even cause terrorism."With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan
and Jewish Passover festival weeks away, foreign mediators have sought to tamp
down tensions that surged after a spate of deadly Palestinian street attacks and
lethal Israeli military raids. "I'm worried," said US Ambassador Tom Nides at
Tel Aviv University's conference of the Institute for National Security Studies
late on Tuesday. "This is going to be a very complicated period of time we're
about to walk into, we've got to keep things as calm as possible to keep things
from getting out of control, which could easily happen," said Nides.
IAEA: Iran has Uranium Particles Enriched to Nearly Bomb
Grade
London - Vienna - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 1 March, 2023
The UN nuclear watchdog is in discussions with Iran on the origin of uranium
particles enriched to up to 83.7% purity, very close to weapons grade, at its
Fordow enrichment plant, a report by the watchdog seen by Reuters confirmed on
Tuesday. Diplomats said last week that the agency had found the traces at the
Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), where Iran is enriching uranium to up to
60% purity. Weapons grade is around 90%. While spikes in enrichment levels can
occur and this could have been accidental, this spike is relatively large.The
traces were found in the product from the two interconnected cascades, or
clusters, of advanced centrifuges at Fordow that are enriching to up to 60%. The
International Atomic Energy Agency chided Iran in an earlier report for making
substantial changes to those cascades without informing it. "Regarding the
origin of the particles enriched above 60% U-235, identified after the
implementation of the new cascade configuration at FFEP, discussions with Iran
are still continuing," the confidential IAEA report to member states said. "Iran
informed the Agency that 'unintended fluctuations in enrichment levels may have
occurred during transition period at the time of commissioning the process of
[60%] product (November 2022) or while replacing the feed cylinder'," it added.
The report also said Iran's stock of uranium enriched to up to 60%, which is
being produced at two sites, had grown by 25.2 kg to 87.5 kg since the last
quarterly report. The total stockpile of uranium enriched to that and lower
levels is estimated at 3,760.8 kg, the report said. CIA director William Burns
warned on Sunday that Iran could enrich uranium within weeks to 90 percent, the
quantity it needs for a nuclear weapon.
Israel Calls on Germany to Take Decisive Action against
Iran
Geneva - Raghida Bahnam/Wednesday, 1 March, 2023
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has sought to convince his German
counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, in Berlin to tighten sanctions against Iran,
sending a strong message before the Board of Governors of the International
Atomic Energy Agency meeting (IAEA). Earlier, Bloomberg published a report
stating that international inspectors in Iran detected enriched uranium to 84
percent, just six percent below what is needed for a weapon. The agency did not
deny or confirm the report but only said it was trying to clarify the issue from
Iran. Iran strongly denied enriching uranium at such a high rate. It invited the
IAEA Secretary-General, Rafael Grossi, to visit Iran before the meeting of the
Board of Governors next Monday. Iran's nuclear activities overshadowed Cohen's
meeting with Baerbock in Berlin, where the German Foreign Minister expressed
concern over Iran's "continued nuclear escalation."
"There is no plausible civilian justification for such a high enrichment level.
Iran must not acquire a nuclear bomb. That is our common position, which is the
objective of our diplomatic endeavors," she said. Baerbock indicated that the
Iranian regime is no longer just a regional problem, accusing it of threatening
stability and security in the Middle East. The top diplomat confirmed that
Germany is consulting with other European countries and the US on dealing with
reports that Iran has increased uranium enrichment. She was in Geneva on Monday
and participated in meetings at the UN without holding talks with Iranian
Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. Baerbock asserted it was necessary to
find a diplomatic solution because any alternative would be devastating. At a
joint press conference, Cohen said that Western countries must act now to
prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, which would be possible by
re-imposing the sanctions using the "snapback" system. Cohen called on Western
countries to increase diplomatic pressure on Iran within the IAEA, noting that
the Iranian regime is doing everything possible to obtain a nuclear weapon. He
described the Iranian regime as threatening the region, Europe, and the world.
Cohen called on Germany to classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
as a terrorist organization within Germany and at the level of the European
Union. Last week, European officials said there are no legal grounds yet to
classify the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Meanwhile, the Iranian FM
responded from Geneva to the increasing pressure on his country over its nuclear
program.
Speaking at the Conference on Disarmament High-Level Segment, Amirabdollahian
said Iran warned against any possible "unwise decision" by the IAEA Board of
Governors' upcoming meeting in March. He indicated that Iran reserves its right
to give an appropriate response. Amirabdollahian claimed his country received
messages from the US stating it was willing to return to the nuclear agreement.
He indicated that Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani received a
message from Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein after his return from Washington,
stating that the US administration was ready to agree on the nuclear deal and
pursue the talks. US State Department spokesman Ned Price denied the matter and
accused the Iranian foreign minister of promoting lies. Price said that
Washington did not send any messages to Tehran and that the issue of returning
to the nuclear agreement has not been on the table for months. Senior European
sources told Asharq Al-Awsat in Munich that now is not the right time to return
to the nuclear deal due to Iran's suppression of the protests, saying Western
countries were now focused on severing Iran's growing military relationship with
Russia. For two days in Geneva, Amirabdollahian tried to portray the protests in
Iran as "acts of terrorism" in a speech before the Human Rights Council. He
denied that the Iranian regime was practicing repression and accused Persian
media in London and Washington of inciting terrorism. Despite the meetings that
Amirabdollahian held in Geneva, they showed the increasing isolation of the
Iranian regime since the start of suppressing the protests, condemned by most
Western speakers before the Human Rights Council. The Iranian FM met with UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and foreign ministers of Finland and Belgium.
Belgium’s FM said she discussed the issue of the Belgian detainee in Iran and
called for his release.
Iran Schoolgirls Allegedly Targeted With
Poisonings To Stop Them From Going To School
Marita Vlachou/HuffPost/March 1, 2023
Iranian officials said young girls have been poisoned in about 30 schools across
the country, in an apparent effort to stop them from going to school, according
to several news reports. The BBC reported about 700 girls have been affected by
toxic gas since November, many of whom have been hospitalized, but none have
died. The girls impacted have exhibited symptoms, including nausea and fatigue,
the network added. Schoolgirls have been on the forefront of protests that have
rocked the country following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in morality
police custody in September after the young woman was arrested for allegedly not
wearing her hijab properly. The first cases of poisoning were reported in
November in the religious city of Qom, which is home to Shiite Muslim clerics
and many religious schools. Students at Qom’s Noor Yazdanshahr Conservatory fell
ill both in November and December, according to The Associated Press, but
authorities at first failed to recognize a connection between those incidents.
More cases were later reported in other cities, including in the country’s
capital Tehran and in Borujerd, suggesting the incidents weren’t isolated. Most
of the poisonings affected schools were young girls were taught, but at least
one so far was reported in a boys’ school in Borujerd, the AP added. About 100
people, including parents, protested the incidents in Qom last month, and some
families have already not been taking their children to school. Both Iran’s
prosecutor general and the Intelligence Ministry have launched investigations
into the poisonings. “The poisoning of students of Qom was intentional and
caused by available chemical compounds. Some people wanted all schools to be
closed, especially girls’ schools,” Younes Panahi, a deputy health minister,
said at a press conference Sunday, according to a report by Iranian state
broadcaster IRIB, cited by NBC News. Panahi, who did not identify who is behind
the attacks, subsequently said his remarks that implied the targeting of girls’
schools were thought to be premeditated had been misunderstood, as the
government has not confirmed that, the BBC reported.
During the news conference, Panahi said those impacted exhibited mild symptoms,
including weakness and lethargy, and none of the students suffered
complications. “The poisoned students do not need aggressive treatment and a
large percentage of the chemical agents used are treatable,” he said. Young
women opposing the strict Islamist dress code were targeted with acid attacks in
2014 in Isfahan, Iran. “If operatives of the acid attacks had been identified
and punished then, today a group of reactionaries would not have ganged up on
our innocent girls in the schools,” Azar Mansoori, a reformist politician, wrote
on Twitter, according to Reuters. Girls’ education in Iran has not been
questioned since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the AP explained, despite the
country’s very conservative leadership. Iran has even called on Afghanistan to
allow girls to attend schools and universities. Government critics in Iran,
however, have raised the possibility the poisonings could be an act of “revenge”
on behalf of the government for girls’ participation in the protests following
Amini’s death. There does not appear to be any evidence so far to support those
claims.
Iran Expels Two German Diplomats in Tit-For-Tat Move
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 1 March, 2023
Iran said Wednesday it has expelled two German diplomats over Berlin's alleged
interference in its internal affairs. The move comes a week after Germany
expelled two Iranian diplomats over a death sentence handed down to Jamshid
Sharmahd, an Iranian-German dual citizen and opposition figure accused of
masterminding deadly attacks. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it had also summoned
the German ambassador over “excessive” demands, without elaborating. Germany’s
Foreign Ministry said Iran's latest move was “completely unjustified.”“With its
(earlier) expulsions the German government reacted in an appropriate way to the
death sentence against and the massive breach of the rights of German citizen
Jamshid Sharmahd,” it said in a statement, adding that the German diplomats had
“done no wrong.”Iran has repeatedly summoned European diplomats in recent months
as it has accused Western countries of being behind nationwide anti-government
protests, without providing evidence. The protests erupted over the death of a
young woman in the custody of Iran's morality police in September. The
protesters deny having any foreign agenda and say they are fed up with decades
of corruption, poor governance and the ruling theocracy. Germany expelled the
two diplomats a day after Iran sentenced Sharmahd, who had been residing in
Glendora, California, prior to his detention. Iran accuses the 67-year-old of
leading the armed wing of a group committed to restoring the Western-backed
monarchy that ruled Iran before the 1979 revolution. Sharmahd's family says he
was only a spokesman for the opposition group and deny he was involved in any
attacks. They say he was abducted from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, in
2020 and spirited into Iran. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock summoned
Iran's charge d'affaires last week to protest against the death sentence.
Baerbock has said that Sharmahd did not have “even the beginning of a fair
trial” and that consular access and access to the trial had been repeatedly
denied. She has also alleged that he was arrested “under highly questionable
circumstances,” without elaborating.
China, Belarus presidents call for Ukraine
cease-fire, talks
Associated Press/Wednesday, 01 March, 2023
The presidents of China and Belarus joined Wednesday in urging a cease-fire and
negotiations to bring about a political settlement to the Ukraine conflict. The
joint call came in a meeting in Beijing between Belarusian President Alexander
Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia, and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.
That amounted to an endorsement of a Chinese 12-point peace proposal issued
Friday that calls for the territorial integrity of all countries to be
respected. The proposal does not say what would happen to the regions Russia has
occupied since the invasion or give details on how the peace process should
proceed, and has failed to gain much support. "The core of China's stance is to
call for peace and encourage talks ... and for the legitimate security concerns
of all countries to be respected," Xi was quoted as saying by Chinese state
broadcaster CCTV. In a clear reference to the U.S. and its allies, he added,
"Relevant countries should stop politicizing and using the world economy as
their tool, and take measures that truly advance a cease-fire and stop to war
and resolve the crisis peacefully."Belarus "fully agrees with and supports
China's position and proposals on a political solution to the Ukraine crisis,
which is of great significance to resolving the crisis," CCTV quoted Lukashenko
as saying. China has long had a close relationship with Lukashenko, and
following their talks, the two leaders oversaw the signing of a raft of
cooperation agreements in areas ranging from agriculture to customs enforcement
and sports.
However, the Belarussian leader's trip also illustrates the depth of Beijing's
ties to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his allies.
China says it is a neutral party in the conflict and has maintained contacts
with the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has
cautiously welcomed Beijing's involvement, but said success would depend on
actions not words. Despite that, China says it has a
"no-limits friendship" with Russia and has refused to criticize Moscow's
invasion, or even to refer to it as such. It has accused the U.S. and NATO of
provoking the conflict and of "fanning the flames" by providing Ukraine with
defensive arms, while also condemning sanctions leveled against Russia and
entities seen as aiding its military effort — including Chinese companies.
China has maintained what it calls normal trade relations with Russia,
and U.S. officials have warned recently that it is considering sending military
assistance to Moscow, which is running increasingly short on ammunition and
other war materiel. Beijing has called the U.S. allegations a smear campaign and
said it is committed to promoting peace talks. Lukashenko's government has
strongly backed Moscow and allowed Belarus' territory to be used as a staging
ground for the initial invasion of Ukraine a year ago. Russia has maintained a
contingent of troops and weapons in Belarus and the two neighbors and allies
conducted joint military drills. This stance left
Lukashenko even more isolated in Europe, where his country faces sanctions from
the European Union over both its role in the war and his repression of domestic
opposition. Lukashenko has been Belarus' only
president since the position was created in 1994. He brutally suppressed 2020
protests over his disputed reelection in a vote that the opposition and Western
countries regarded as fraudulent.
Russia Says It Will Only Renew Grain Deal If Its Own
Exports Are Unblocked
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 1 March, 2023
Russia said on Wednesday it would only agree to extend the Black Sea grain deal,
which allows grain to be safely exported from Ukrainian ports, if the interests
of its own agricultural producers are taken into account. The Black Sea Grain
Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye last year, expires on
March 18 and cannot be extended unless all parties agree. Russia has already
signaled it is unhappy with aspects of the deal. Russia's agricultural exports
have not been explicitly targeted by Western sanctions, but Moscow says
restrictions on its payments, logistics and insurance industries are a "barrier"
to it being able to export its own grains and fertilizers. Moscow's foreign
ministry said on Wednesday that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had discussed the
prospects for renewing the deal at a meeting with his Turkish counterpart on the
sidelines of the G20 in New Delhi. "(The) Russian side stressed that continuing
the package agreement on grain is possible only if the interests of Russian
agricultural and fertilizer producers in terms of unhindered access to world
markets are taken into account," the ministry said in a statement.
Russia and Ukraine have a lot of the same
tanks and jets, but Kyiv has a decisive 'flesh and bone' advantage, top US
enlisted leader says
Jake Epstein/Business Insider/March 01, 2023
He said part of Ukraine's success can be attributed to its recent development of
NCOs. Ukraine has a decisive "flesh and bone" advantage over Russia, an edge on
the battlefield that comes from people, not weapons, a top US enlisted leader
said this week.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine over a year ago, the
two sides have often squared off against each other using the same Soviet-era
military equipment, from tanks to combat aircraft.
Throughout the war, the US and other NATO allies have been steadily increasing
the amount of security assistance for Ukraine, outfitting Kyiv with billions of
dollars in advanced artillery systems, missile defense batteries, and other
deadly weapons. These weapons have had a tremendous impact, even as the
Ukrainian military continues to rely heavily on its Soviet-era systems, but it's
the human element of Ukraine's military that is key, a senior military official
said. Ramón Colón-López, who serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the war in Ukraine has shown him
"the decisive advantage that the human brings" to the battlefield and that
"humans are more important than hardware."Speaking before heading to Europe to
meet with NATO counterparts, Colón-López said this human aspect applies both
within a military's special forces and its conventional army. Having the "will
and the pride to fight for your nation" is much more important for winning than
technology, he said, adding that the situation in Ukraine proves the need for
militaries to prioritize their troops' development, education, and training.
Colón-López compared the conflict in Ukraine to a football game, with both sides
hitting the field with similar equipment. "It all boils down to the execution
and the strategy that actually decides who is the victor in that game," he said.
"It's no different in the military. And that is exactly what the Ukrainians have
done.""At the end of the day, the rivets and steel is not as important as the
flesh and bone if the flesh and bone is not willing to go all-in in the
execution of the wartime mission," he said, according to a transcript of his
comments provided by the Pentagon on Tuesday.
Ukraine went 'all in' on NCO development
One important aspect of Ukraine's ability to keep the invading Russian forces at
bay has been its development of its non-commissioned officers, or NCOs, which
are higher-ranking enlisted soldiers who aren't commissioned as officers. US and
Ukrainian officials have praised the role of Ukraine's NCOs during the conflict
for being leaders on the front lines. Ukraine overhauled its force after
Russia's initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014, when it illegally annexed the
Crimean peninsula and backed a separatist movement in the eastern Donbas region,
fueling years of war. Ukraine had previously relied on Soviet military tactics
and doctrine after it became an independent country in 1991, but starting in
2015, the US military began training Ukrainian NCOs. "The government of Ukraine
decided to go all in on an NCO development model," Colón-López said this week.
"They wanted to Westernize their approach. So, immediately, they enlisted the
help of the United States and also of NATO to go ahead and shift their mechanism
and their procedures." Military leaders introduced NCO training and education
based on models from NATO militaries, Colón-López said, rooted in the idea that
it would strengthen junior leadership. These NCOs were crucial components of
Ukraine's chain of command and had to develop tactics and train new recruits.
"That is the force that you see fighting today," he added. Well-trained NCOs
give an army more flexibility in combat situations by allowing leaders on the
battlefield to make the kind of quick decisions required to gain the advantage.
Russia's military, which is overly focused on senior officers, does not have an
NCO corps and has been bogged down in Ukraine by numerous command-and-control
issues, too heavily relying on its outdated tactic of upper-level leadership.
This is one of several problems that have interfered with Russian President
Vladimir Putin's war ambitions— others include communication blunders,
logistical failures, and the fact that Moscow has also been relying on poorly
trained and ill-prepared troops out on the front lines. "It is the human dynamic
that is actually tipping the scales on victory versus failure out on that
battlefield," he said. "It is definitely a decisive advantage that the
Ukrainians have that the Russians do not."
Kremlin Says It Doesn’t Believe Ukrainian Denial of Attacks
on Russia
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 1 March, 2023
The Kremlin said on Wednesday it did not believe a statement by Ukrainian
presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak that Ukraine does not launch attacks
against targets on Russian territory. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was
speaking a day after Russian officials blamed Ukraine for several attempted
drone strikes, the latest of many inside Russian territory for which Ukraine has
not publicly claimed responsibility. Podolyak said in a tweet earlier on
Wednesday that Ukraine "doesn't strike at RF's (Russian Federation's) territory"
and "is waging a defensive war to deoccupy all its territories". He added:
"Panic & disintegration processes are building up in RF, reflected by an
increase in internal attacks on infrastructure facilities by unidentified flying
objects." His comment prompted a string of jokes on Twitter about alien
activity. Asked about Podolyak's denial of Ukrainian attacks, Peskov said: "We
don't believe him." On Tuesday, a drone crashed near a natural gas pumping
station southeast of Moscow in an apparent failed attack 110 km (68 miles) from
the center of the Russian capital, the regional governor said. The defense
ministry said on Wednesday its forces had repelled what it described as a
massive drone attack on Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, a day
after accusing Kyiv of launching failed drone attacks on two southern Russian
regions. In December, Russia said six of its military personnel were killed in
what it said were Ukrainian drone attacks on air bases deep inside Russian
territory, including one base where Russian strategic nuclear bombers are
stationed.
EU, Russia Take Strong Positions as Ukraine Takes Center
Stage at G20
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 1 March, 2023
The year-long Russian war in Ukraine took center stage on the eve of a G20
foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday with the EU foreign policy
chief saying its success would be measured by what it could do to help end the
conflict. Russia said it would use the meeting to tell the world who, according
to Moscow, was responsible for the political and economic crises the world finds
itself in. Germany responded by saying it would counter Russian "propaganda" at
the G20 meeting. The foreign ministers' meeting comes days after a meeting of
finance chiefs of G20 countries in Bengaluru that was also overshadowed by the
Ukraine conflict. Delegates at the Bengaluru meeting wrangled over condemning
Russia for the war, failed to reach a consensus on a joint statement and settled
instead for a summary document. "This war has to be condemned," Josep Borrell,
the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security
Policy, told reporters. "I hope, I am sure that India's diplomatic capacity will
be used in order to make Russia understand that this war has to finish," Borrell
said. An EU source separately said the EU delegation would not support a
statement at the G20 meeting if it did not include condemnation of the war. The
comments came hours after Russia said it considered the G20 a prestigious forum
"where balanced consensus decisions should be made in the interests of all
humankind". "We intend to firmly and openly talk about the reasons and
instigators of the current serious problems in world politics and the global
economy," the Russian Embassy in New Delhi said in a statement late on
Tuesday."The destructive policy of the US and its allies has already put the
world on the brink of a disaster, provoked a rollback in socio-economic
development and seriously aggravated the situation of the poorest countries," it
said.
Impact of war
The New Delhi meeting is being attended by 40 delegations, including those
headed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. The main G20 meetings will be
held on Thursday after a welcome dinner on Wednesday. The German, French and
Chinese foreign ministers and Blinken would not be attending the dinner as they
would not arrive in New Delhi in time, said a senior Indian diplomat overseeing
the diplomatic engagements organized on the sidelines. Lavrov would attend and
be seated with the delegation from the United Arab Emirates and East Asian
countries as requested by the Russian Embassy, the diplomat said. Lavrov arrived
late on Tuesday and held talks with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam
Jaishankar, on Wednesday. He is also scheduled to meet his Chinese, Bangladeshi
and South African counterparts. A German foreign ministry spokesperson said in
Berlin that Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock "will not allow Russia to take
the stage and will firmly oppose Russian propaganda if necessary, as she has
done in the past". British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said London would
seek to work with New Delhi to make the meeting successful. Cleverly will meet
Qin on the sidelines, but not Lavrov. "Our position is that Russia's behavior
has made direct interactions with them at ministerial level inappropriate," he
told Reuters. Blinken said he had no plans to meet either Lavrov or Qin. "No
plans to see either at the G20, although I suspect that we will certainly be in
group sessions of one kind or another together," Blinken told reporters in
Tashkent. The G20 includes the wealthy G7 nations as well as Russia, China,
India, Brazil, Australia and Saudi Arabia, among other nations.
Host India said the war in Ukraine would be an important point of discussion but
"questions relating to food, energy and fertilizer security, the impact that the
conflict has on these economic challenges that we face" would also receive "due
focus". Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, the country's top diplomat, said
he also expected a clear message on terrorism. The role of crypto currencies
would be a part of the message, he said. The meeting is also being watched for
how tensions between Washington and Beijing play out, including over Ukraine and
the US shooting down last month of what it said was a Chinese spy balloon that
had drifted over North America.
Erdogan Indicates Türkiye Elections to Be Held on May 14
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 1 March, 2023
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated on Wednesday that elections will be
held on May 14, sticking to his previous plan for the vote with a date just over
three months after a devastating earthquake killed more than 45,000 people in
Türkiye. "This nation will do what is necessary on May 14, God willing," Erdogan
said in a speech to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament. There had
been conflicting signals over the likely timing of the presidential and
parliamentary elections since last month's earthquake, with some suggesting they
could be postponed until later in the year or could be held as scheduled on June
18. Before the disaster, Erdogan's popularity had been eroded by the soaring
cost of living and a slump in the lira. He has since faced a wave of criticism
over his government's response to the deadliest quake in the nation's modern
history. Erdogan, aiming to extend his rule into a third decade, previously said
he was bringing the votes forward to May to avoid holidays in June. Polls
suggest they would present his biggest electoral challenge yet. Doubts had been
expressed about the ability of election authorities to prepare and make
logistical arrangements for the voting of those affected in the quake zone, home
to some 14 million people.
Earthquake Death Toll in Türkiye Rises above 45,000
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 1 March, 2023
The death toll in Türkiye from last month's devastating earthquake has risen to
45,089, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said on
Wednesday, bringing the total toll including Syria to about 51,000. The
earthquake and subsequent powerful tremors injured more than 108,000 in Türkiye
and left millions sheltering in tents or seeking to move to other cities.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild homes within a year but it
will be many months before thousands can leave tents or container housing, and
daily queues for food, and move into permanent housing. He is due to give a
speech to his ruling AK Party deputies in parliament at 0900 GMT, with the focus
on the quake and presidential and parliamentary elections. They are set to be
held by June and present the largest political challenge Erdogan has faced in
his two-decade rule. More than 160,000 Turkish buildings containing 520,000
apartments collapsed or were severely damaged in the disaster, the worst in the
country's modern history. Some two million people were registered as having fled
the region, which has been hit by more than 11,000 aftershocks since the initial
quake, AFAD said in a statement. It said it had put up more than 350,000 tents,
with tent cities established at 332 places across the region. Container housing
settlements were being established in 162 places. On Tuesday, World Health
Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that it
would support Ankara in its response to the quake. Türkiye is "doing its best"
but still needed international support to help victims, Tedros said.
Russia Tries to Close Ring on Bakhmut as Ukrainians Mount
‘Furious Resistance’
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 1 March, 2023
Russian forces carried out relentless attacks on Bakhmut on Wednesday, trying to
encircle and storm the small eastern Ukrainian city and claim their first major
prize for more than half a year after some of the bloodiest fighting of the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Moscow of throwing waves of men
into battle in Bakhmut with no regard for their lives, and said the fighting was
"most difficult" but the city's defense essential. The leader of Russia's Wagner
mercenary group said the Ukrainians were putting up "furious resistance" trying
to hold the city at all costs. Russia also said it had repelled a massive drone
attack on Crimea, the peninsula its forces seized from Ukraine and claimed to
annex in 2014. On Tuesday Moscow accused Kyiv of launching a series of drone
strikes on targets in Russia itself.
Reuters was able to reach Bakhmut from the west on Monday - proof the city was
not yet surrounded despite Russian forces pressing from north and south to close
the last access routes. Flames and smoke rose into the sky from blazing
buildings. Constant gunfire and explosions rang out into the sky. Ukrainian
armored vehicles roared through the streets, while stray dogs wandered amid the
mud and debris. A Ukrainian soldier said in a video he posted on Wednesday on
messaging app Telegram that it was "a bit calmer" in Bakhmut. "We (have)
silenced the enemy a bit...There's a gunfight on the outskirts. A few
explosions, shells flying," serviceman and vlogger Andrii Babychev said, blasts
reverberating behind him. "But we are standing in Bakhmut. Nobody plans to
withdraw anywhere at the moment. We're standing. Bakhmut is Ukraine. Glory to
Ukraine!" he said. Reuters was able to confirm the location as Bakhmut from the
look of the buildings in the video, which matched file pictures, though not that
the video was filmed on Wednesday. Only a few thousand residents remain inside
the ruined city from a pre-war population of around 70,000. "It is frightening
indeed," said a middle-aged man bundled in a coat and woolly hat on the steps of
his apartment block. "I can hardly move my legs - they barely move - from the
stress of the situation. As long as my home is intact and I am not hurt, I will
stay here."In the town of Chasiv Yar just to the west, a grocery store was
ablaze.
'Furious resistance'
The area around Bakhmut has been the one segment of the front where Moscow has
made notable gains during a winter offensive that has seen what both sides
describe as the deadliest fighting of the war. In an audio message on social
media, Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose Wagner private army has led Russia's offensive
there, said the Ukrainian military was throwing extra reserves into the battle,
"trying to hold the town with all their strength". "Tens of thousands of
Ukrainian army fighters are putting up furious resistance. The bloodiness of the
battles is growing by the day," Prigozhin said. Since being ousted from some
territory in the second half of 2022, Russian forces have been replenished by
hundreds of thousands of reservists. Ukraine, for its part, has stuck mainly to
defense over the past three months, hoping Russia's assault will exhaust its
forces before Kyiv launches a counter-attack with new heavy weapons promised by
the West. Russia says seizing Bakhmut would open the way to fully capturing the
rest of the surrounding Donbas industrial region, one of its main war
objectives. Kyiv says the ruined city has limited strategic value but the losses
have been so huge they could influence the future course of the war. Wagner has
recruited tens of thousands of convicts from prisons for fighting in Ukraine and
its boss Prigozhin has accused the regular Russian military brass of treason for
inadequately supplying his men. Wagner received an apparent show of Kremlin
support on Wednesday when Russia's rubber-stamp lower house of parliament, the
State Duma, discussed extending censorship laws to include a 15-year jail
sentence for those who discredit "volunteer formations".
Mud
Ukrainians and Russians traditionally view March 1 as the start of spring.
Already, frozen ground has melted at the front, ushering in the season of
sucking black mud - "bezdorizhzhia" in Ukrainian, "rasputitsa" in Russian - that
has been notorious in military history for destroying attacking armies in the
region. Ukrainians declared that the arrival of milder weather proved Russia had
failed to "freeze" them into submission with missile and drone attacks on energy
infrastructure. "They wanted to freeze us and throw us into darkness. We
survived! Today is the first day of spring. Life, light, love defeat death.
Ukraine will win," Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov tweeted. The year-old war
took center stage on the eve of a G20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi on
Wednesday with the EU foreign policy chief saying its success would be measured
by what it could do to help end the conflict. Russia said it would use the
meeting to tell the world who, according to Moscow, was responsible for the
political and economic crises besetting the world. Germany responded by saying
it would counter Russian "propaganda" at the gathering. Kyiv describes Russia's
actions as an unprovoked, aggressive war to crush an independent state, which
like Russia was part of the Moscow-dominated Soviet Union until its 1991
break-up. Moscow accuses the West of provoking what it calls its "special
military operation" to eliminate security threats, and of prolonging it by
supporting Kyiv with weapons. "The destructive policy of the US and its allies
has already put the world on the brink of a disaster..." Russia's embassy in New
Delhi said in a statement before the G20 session.
Israelis step up protests over government's
legal overhaul
Associated Press/March 01/2023
Weeks of anti-government protests in Israel turned violent on Wednesday for the
first time as police fired stun grenades and a water cannon at demonstrators who
blocked a Tel Aviv highway. The crackdown came shortly after Israel's hard-line
security minister urged a tough response to what he said were "anarchists."The
violence came as thousands across the country launched a "national disruption
day" against the government's plan to overhaul Israel's judicial system. Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's allies say the program is meant reduce the
influence of unelected judges.
But critics, including influential business leaders and former military figures,
say Netanyahu is pushing the country toward authoritarian rule and has a clear
conflict of interest in targeting judges as he stands trial on corruption
charges. The government is barreling ahead with the legal changes and a
parliamentary committee is moving forward on a bill that would weaken the
Supreme Court.
The crisis has sent shock waves through Israel and presented Netanyahu with a
serious challenge, just two months after returning to power. A wave of
Israeli-Palestinian violence in the occupied West Bank has compounded his
troubles.
The rival sides are digging in, deepening one of Israel's worst domestic crises.
Netanyahu and his government, made up of ultranationalists, have branded the
protesters anarchists, while stopping short of condemning a West Bank settler
mob that torched a Palestinian town earlier this week. The legal overhaul has
sparked an unprecedented uproar, with weeks of mass protests, criticism from
legal experts and rare demonstrations by army reservists who have pledged to
disobey orders under what they say will be a dictatorship after the overhaul
passes. Business leaders, the country's booming tech sector and leading
economists have warned of economic turmoil under the judicial changes. Israel's
international allies have expressed concern. In the first scenes of unrest since
the protests began two months ago, police arrived on horseback in the center of
the seaside metropolis of Tel Aviv, hurled stun grenades and used a water cannon
against thousands of protesters who chanted "democracy" and "police state." A
video posted on social media showed a police officer pinning down a protester
with his knee on the man's neck.
Police said protesters threw rocks and water bottles at police. Several
protesters were arrested for disturbing the peace and Israeli media said at
least six protesters were wounded. Earlier Wednesday, protesters blocked Tel
Aviv's main freeway and the highway connecting the city to Jerusalem, halting
rush hour traffic for about an hour. At busy train stations in Tel Aviv,
protesters prevented trains from departing by blocking their doors.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist accused
of politicizing the police, has vowed to take a tough line. He called on police
to prevent the road blockages, labeling the demonstrators "anarchists."
Netanyahu said Ben-Gvir had his full support. "We will not tolerate violence
against police, blocking roads and blatant breaches of the country's laws. The
right to protest is not the right to anarchy," he said. Opposition leader Yair
Lapid called on police to show restraint. "The protesters are patriots," he
tweeted. "They are fighting for the values of freedom, justice and democracy.
The role of the police is to allow them to express their opinions and fight for
the country they love."
Thousands of protesters came out in locations across the country waving Israeli
flags. Parents marched with their children, tech workers walked out of work to
demonstrate and doctors in scrubs protested outside hospitals. The main rallies
were expected later Wednesday outside the Knesset, or parliament, and near
Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem. "Every person here is trying to
keep Israel a democracy and if the current government will get its way, then we
are afraid we will no longer be a democracy or a free country," said Arianna
Shapira, a protester in Tel Aviv. "As a woman, as a mother, I'm very scared for
my family and for my friends."
Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the overhaul's main architect, said Tuesday that
the coalition aims to ram through some of the judicial overhaul bills into law
in the coming month, before the parliament goes on recess for the Passover
holiday on April 2.
The Knesset also is set to cast a preliminary vote Wednesday on a separate
proposal to protect Netanyahu from being removed from his post, a move that
comes following calls to the country's attorney general to declare him "unfit
for office."
Netanyahu has been the center of a years-long political crisis in Israel, with
former allies turning on him and refusing to sit with him in government because
of his corruption charges. That political turmoil, with five elections in four
years, culminated in Netanyahu returning to power late last year, with
ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties as partners in the current far-right
government. Wielding immense political power, those allies secured top
portfolios in Netanyahu's government, among them Ben-Gvir, who before entering
politics was arrested dozens of times and was once convicted of incitement to
violence and support for a terror group. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a
firebrand West Bank settler leader, has been given authority over parts of the
territory. They have promised to take a tough stance against Palestinians, which
has ratcheted up tensions in recent weeks. Smotrich publicly called for a harsh
response to the killing of two Israelis in the West Bank by a Palestinian
gunman, saying Israel should "go crazy," shortly before Sunday's mob violence.
While he later urged restraint, he also said Wednesday that Hawara, the
Palestinian village that was attacked, should be "erased."In addition to the
protests, Netanyahu's government, Israel's most right-wing ever, is beginning to
show early cracks, just two months into its tenure. The government says the
legal changes are meant to correct an imbalance that has given the courts too
much power and allowed them to meddle in the legislative process. They say the
overhaul will streamline governance and say elections last year, which returned
Netanyahu to power with a slim majority in parliament, gave them a mandate to
make the changes. Critics say the overhaul will upend Israel's system of checks
and balances, granting the prime minister and the government unrestrained power
and push the country toward authoritarianism.
The Latest LCCC English analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on March 01-02/2023
When Palestinian Terror Struck Khartoum
By Amb. Alberto M. Fernandez/MEMRI/March 01/2023
Sudan, Palestine | MEMRI Daily Brief No. 464
March 1, 2023, is the 50th anniversary of a Palestinian terrorist attack in
Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. One could say that it was actually a Palestinian
terrorist attack on Saudi soil since the target was the Saudi Embassy in the
Sudanese capital.
The group was Black September, by this time notorious for the 1972 attack on
Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics. Earlier still, in November 1971, Black
September had assassinated the Jordanian Prime Minister Wasfi Al-Tal in the
lobby of the Cairo Sheraton. One of the Palestinian hitmen had notoriously bent
down and licked the blood on the marble floor after that shooting.
The March 1, 1973 attack in Sudan targeted a reception held by the Saudi
ambassador in honor of a departing American diplomatic colleague, George Curtis
Moore, who was the American Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM). Ten hostages were
taken by the gunmen, six of them were Saudis: the ambassador, his wife, and four
children. The other four were two Americans, newly arrived Ambassador Cleo A.
Noel, Jr. and Moore, Belgian Charge d'Affaires Guy Eid, and the Jordanian Charge
d'Affaires Adli Al-Nasser.[1]
As some may remember, after making grandiose hostage demands (including calling
for the release of members of the German Baader-Meinhof gang, Robert F. Kennedy
assassin Sirhan Sirhan, plus many Palestinian detainees in Israel and Jordan),
the eight gunmen surrendered to Sudanese authorities days later. Before
surrendering they had killed the Belgian and the two American diplomats. Before
their murder, they were allowed to write farewell messages (written on Saudi
Embassy stationary) to their families. Moore wrote: "Cleo and I will die bravely
and without tears as men should."
We now know, of course, that Black September was a subsidiary of Yassir Arafat's
Fateh organization.[2] The attack was carried out with the full approval and
knowledge of Arafat from his headquarters in Beirut. Both the killings and the
hit team's surrender were coordinated with Arafat. The Sudanese government of
Jaafar Al-Nimeiry, initially furious about the attack, handed the gunmen over to
the PLO for punishment (so it handed them over to the organization that had
carried out the attack). Sudan was reportedly pressured towards leniency by
Qaddafi's Libya, a great patron of the Palestinians at the time and a major
influence on Sudan (in 1976, Qaddafi bankrolled a land invasion by Sudanese
rebels that almost overthrew Al-Nimeiry). Some of the Palestinian gunmen served
prison time in Sadat's Egypt, three of them escaped from Egyptian custody. In
response to the Sudanese actions, the U.S. suspended economic aid to Sudan for
three years.
The immediate aftermath of this terror attack is kind of a snapshot, a scene
caught in amber of the region half a century ago. You have Black September,
forged in the wake of the PLO's failure to overthrow the Hashemites in Jordan.
You have Arafat sending the team out from his safe haven in Beirut, capital of a
Lebanon the PLO would help destabilize and destroy. You have the enabling of
Palestinian terror by Qaddafi and Sadat, both of whom would come to a bad end.
Finally, you have a Sudan at the mercy of others, fearing Qaddafi and punished
by the Americans.
Fifty years later much has changed in the region. The greatest patron of
Palestinian terror is no Arab state, but Iran (both Erdoğan's Turkey and Qatar
playing supporting roles as well). The violence is less in foreign countries and
diplomatic missions and closer to home. Last year was the bloodiest year on the
West Bank since the second Palestinian Intifada and 2023 does not look much
better. Thirty Israelis and 167 Palestinians were killed in 2022 with anger
running high on both sides.
There is both the very real homegrown tension, violence, and struggle of the
longstanding Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and simultaneously, the orchestrated
machinations of outside parties wanting to set the region on fire. There is an
"asymmetric shadow war" between Iran and Israel and the Palestinian Territories
are one of several battlefields.[3] The ruling Palestinian authority,
essentially the heir of Arafat's Fateh, is corrupt and incompetent, hard-pressed
to compete with its Iranian-backed Palestinian rivals.[4] And the question is
whether the competition is to stop those rivals or to emulate them. Arab states,
Jordan and Egypt especially, but also the Gulf states, are still invested in the
Palestinian file although nothing like they were 50 years before. An urgent
meeting held in Aqaba on February 26 with Israeli and Palestinian security
officials sought to de-escalate the tension ahead of the typically volatile
month of Ramadan in late March.
The Black September attack in Sudan was, in retrospect, one of the last
"successful" operations carried out by the group (1972 was the most
incident-filled and intensive year of Black September's existence). An
organization founded to rekindle Palestinian "revolutionary violence" and to
carry out dirty work for Fateh while it pretended to have nothing to do with it
had served its purpose. That the deaths of these three Western diplomats
advanced the Palestinian cause in any way seems extremely doubtful. But a few
years later in Lebanon, the CIA would forge a close relationship with Black
September's Ali Hassan Salameh supposedly in order to protect American diplomats
in Lebanon.[5]
*Alberto M. Fernandez is Vice President of MEMRI.
[1] Adst.org/2013/02/the-terrorist-attack-on-the-saudi-embassy-khartoum-1973,
February 20, 2013.
[2] Youtube.com/watch?v=sEnHHNVv1aM, November 7, 2008
[3] Haaretz.com/news/middle-east/2022-09-07/ty-article-opinion/.premium/how-north-korea-taught-iran-to-entrap-and-threaten-israel/00000183-1723-d6b9-a993-f72ffa420000,
September 7, 2022.
[4] See MEMRI TV Clip No. 10139 Hamas Video Gives Detailed Instructions For
Carrying Out Drive-By Shooting Attacks Against Israelis, Shows Militants
Simulating Attacks Against Pedestrians, Cars: Plan Your Moves, Avoid Police,
Finish Off Your Targets, February 22, 2023.
[5] Nypost.com/2019/06/08/how-a-cia-agent-and-the-red-prince-terrorist-became-dangerously-close,
June 8, 2019.
The Saudi Foreign Minister in Kyiv
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al Awsat/March 01, 2023
Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, becoming the first
Saudi foreign minister to do so in 30 years. He met President Volodymyr Zelensky
at his presidential residence, as well as Zelensky’s chief of staff and foreign
minister.
Prince Faisal witnessed the signing of a joint cooperation agreement and
memorandum of understanding between the two countries. The cooperation agreement
will see the Kingdom send Ukraine $100 million worth of humanitarian assistance
through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center. The MoU includes
financing $300 million worth of oil derivatives as a grant from the government
of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the Saudi Fund for Development given to
Ukraine.
Given the circumstances and timing, Prince Faisal’s visit is doubtlessly
exceptional, and the question here is: Why now? What message does it send? To
find the answer, let us begin with the story of the minister’s arrival in Kyiv,
which was narrated by Iman Shaikhain, a correspondent for the Saudi broadcaster
Al Ekhbariya - a deeply indicative story that is not just a “feature.”
to Ms. Shaikhain, after Prince Faisal’s plane arrived in Poland, he and his
accompanying delegation boarded their train and went on a 10-hour journey to the
Ukrainian capital. The train departs “from Poland’s Western border and takes
official delegations headed by leaders or officials heading to Ukraine.” She
added that while this was a regular train before, it has now “become a
mediator,” as it is “the only artery carrying the messages of Western leaders to
Kyiv.” It has been boarded by President Joe Biden, the Polish and French
presidents, the German chancellor, and British, Spanish and Italian prime
ministers.
She told the Al Ekhbariya correspondent that “300 delegations have boarded this
diplomatic “Warsaw-Kyiv” train.” And here is the story, the Saudi minister took
the same train to Kyiv that other global leaders have been taking throughout the
year-long war.
This means that Saudi Arabia arrived in Ukraine as other Western leaders did. It
did not take an exceptional route, and this is significant. It means that Saudi
Arabia is exercising its historical leadership role and that the Kingdom plays
an important role in safeguarding global stability.
The visit also tells us that Saudi Arabia is balanced in its political positions
and that it reinforces respect for international laws. The Kingdom defends the
sovereignty of states against assault. That is why, days ago, it voted in favor
of the United Nations Resolution that affirmed Ukraine’s territorial integrity
and demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces from the country.
Before taking either of these steps, Saudi Arabia hosted two summits last year.
One brought the Kingdom together with the US, and the other was a US-Gulf-Arab
summit. It has also held a bilateral summit with China and another that brought
China together with the Gulf and Arab states.
Accordingly, Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit is yet another step along Saudi
Arabia’s unwavering diplomatic path toward bringing relief, stability, and the
consolidation of peace to the world. Indeed, the Kingdom is playing a vigorous
role internationally without being drawn into the game of political
polarization. Saudi Arabia thus also enjoys a balanced relationship with the
Russians.
Saudi Arabia’s position gives Riyadh its place and weight on the world stage.
And so, we should not be surprised to see overwhelming praise for this visit.
Most significantly, this visit is a reminder that Riyadh is a sovereign actor
that makes its own decisions. It reaffirms the fortitude of Saudi Arabia’s
political rationality, which is not only needed in the region but is also
desperately needed today by the international community.
I Went to Syria, This Is What I Saw
Lydia Polgreen/The New York Times/March 01, 2023
She has no memory of the earthquake that broke her back and swallowed her
daughters. Khaira Al Halbouni only knows what her husband told her afterward. In
the middle of the night the building shook. He grabbed one daughter, Bisan, and
their son, Ali. Take Mayas, their younger daughter, and run, he shouted.
Instinctively, she reached for her head scarf. Then, nothing.
The first thing Khaira remembers is waking up in a pile of rubble. She saw a
small ray of light, then a pair of boots. She screamed. She looked for her
daughter. Almost 30 hours had elapsed.
The boots belonged to rescue workers and neighbors looking for survivors.
Eventually they pulled her out. Her spine was fractured, her arm broken, her
cheekbone shattered. But she was alive. They took her to the hospital. The
hospital was overwhelmed and undertook a grim triage: She was most likely
suffering from internal bleeding and could not be saved. She was left to die.
Her daughter was alive too, buried in rubble.
Her husband, Muhammad, had endured his own ordeal. He had lost his lower right
leg in shelling in a Damascus suburb called Harasta, earlier in his country’s
civil war. When the building shook, he realized that it would be faster and
safer to try to reach the roof from their top floor apartment than try to hobble
to the ground floor. Just as they mounted the stairs, the right wall of the
stairwell crashed down onto Bisan, killing her instantly. A piece of steel rebar
pierced her skull.
“My sister fell in the hole!” Ali cried, beseeching his father to go back. “Pick
my sister up from the hole!”
Muhammad swept Ali up the stairs. The building crumpled beneath them.
Miraculously, neither was badly hurt.
The Halbouni family was among hundreds of thousands across southern Turkiye and
northern Syria shattered by the earthquakes this month. The back-to-back
temblors delivered catastrophe on a biblical scale, flattening cities and
turning countless homes into piles of stone, steel and dust. At least 48,000
people have died. The first quake struck at an especially cruel hour, in the
early morning as people slept. Whole families perished in their beds as their
homes crumbled around them. Here in northern Syria, this calamity comes almost
12 years into one of the most brutal and intractable conflicts of the 21st
century.
More than 300,000 civilians have been killed, according to the United Nations.
Multiple investigations have concluded that Assad’s forces dropped barrel bombs
on civilians, doused neighborhoods with chemical weapons and deliberately
destroyed hospitals. Almost 100,000 have disappeared, mostly at the hands of
Assad’s pitiless intelligence services, according to the Syrian Network for
Human Rights. More than 13 million people, more than half of the Syrian
population, have fled their homes. Today some 90 percent of Syrians live in
poverty.
With the fighting largely abated and the various parties dug in, governments in
the West have become quietly cynical about Syria, resigned to the status quo,
Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told me in an
interview.
“Syria has for quite a while now been a problem that we prefer to have contained
rather than do our very best to try and resolve,” he said. With Assad firmly
entrenched with Russia’s backing, regional powers that had once been implacably
opposed to his rule are increasingly willing to mend fences. Even die-hards are
coming around: One of the first planeloads of aid to arrive in government
controlled areas after the earthquake came from Saudi Arabia, Al Arabiya
reported. Just a few years ago this would have been unthinkable.
Syria presents one of the most complex diplomatic thickets in the world, and the
task of untangling that thicket has grown vastly more difficult with Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine. Turkiye is a key actor here — a NATO member that
nevertheless has growing ties with Russia and seems increasingly willing to
normalize relations with Assad. And most of the world, with Russia’s attack on
Ukraine and the growing conflict between China and the United States, has simply
moved on and mostly stopped paying attention to the war in Syria, if they ever
did.“The world hasn’t forgotten us,” one Syrian refugee in Turkiye told me in
the aftermath of the earthquake. “They don’t know we exist.”This is a remarkable
turn of events given how the Syrian war shaped the world in which we now live.
The war fed the growth of the most fearsome terrorist group of our time, ISIS, a
death cult that beheaded nonbelievers and drew American troops into Syria. ISIS
planned or inspired terror attacks in Egypt, across Europe and as far away as
the Philippines, spawning chaos and scrambling domestic politics across the
globe.
The conflict sent waves of terrified people seeking refuge in Europe,
accelerating the rise of far-right and anti-immigrant politicians across the
continent, and indeed, the world. One could make the case that Donald Trump’s
presidency would not have been possible without the war in Syria and the climate
of fear that it helped create.
Looking back, Russia’s intervention in the Syrian conflict now looks like an
ominous escalation toward a confrontation with the United States and the West
more broadly, building toward its invasion of Ukraine one year ago. If we live
in a world made by the Syrian civil war, it is a world that has all but
abandoned the Syrian people. Muhammad Al Halbouni’s family lived it, first
fleeing from their ancestral home near Damascus in 2018, hoping to keep the
children safe from the bombs that had already taken his leg. First they went to
Idlib Province, where they stayed with relatives for a while, then moved around
until finally settling in Jindires. Here, Muhammad found an unfinished apartment
building and began building a new home for his family, cinder block by cinder
block, with his own hands.
They settled into a relatively peaceful life and found work doing odd jobs.
Eventually he saved up enough to buy a truck, which he used to earn money
transporting goods. He finished the top-floor apartment. With this part of Syria
under the control of the Turkish military and Syrian rebels, it was a period of
calm.
Then came the earthquake.
Muhammad frantically searched for his wife and daughter, and once he found them,
alive under the rubble, had to wait more than 24 hours for rescuers to help free
them. Khaira and Mayas were rushed to the hospital. Khaira defied the doctor’s
grim prognosis and would survive. In the chaos of the hospital Muhammad had lost
sight of Mayas. His crutches propelled him from ward to ward, frantically
searching for her. No one knew where she was.
The doctors told him to look outside. And that is where Muhammad found the body
of his second daughter. She had been pulled from the rubble alive, but now she
was dead.
As he told me his story, sitting on the floor of a canvas tent in a schoolyard
that has become a shelter for dozens of families, Muhammad wept. He scrolled
through his phone showing me pictures of the two girls — in matching pink
T-shirts, smiling astride a toy motorcycle, posing in front of a sculpture of a
camel.
“When we wake up the first thing that we think of is where are they? And then we
realize that they are dead,” Muhammad said.
Ali keeps asking after his sisters. Had they gone to be with their grandmother,
he asked his father? He is a watchful, sweet-faced boy with a nasty gash
stitched closed above his right eye. He sticks nearby his parents.
Every tent in this schoolyard contains a tragedy and a miracle. One man told me
his wife had died in the earthquake, but he was proud that he had been able to
rescue an infant.
The humanitarian needs here are dire. “The situation before the earthquakes was
absolutely horrific, and across Syria,” said Joe English, a spokesman for Unicef.
“We kind of forget it because it’s been 12 years, but humanitarian needs in
Syria were at the highest they’ve ever been in the past year.”
Given the chaos and suffering this conflict has unleashed, it would be foolish
to continue to ignore Syria in the aftermath of the earthquake. The grim status
quo that had prevailed is already breaking down. Turkiye, the most important
regional player, is struggling with its own recovery from the quake, and its
people have grown increasingly intolerant of the presence of millions of
displaced Syrians who are trapped there by the war.
Today, the city of Jindires is a ruin. But already, its people, the assemblage
of natives and displaced people, bonded in their suffering, have begun to
rebuild. Along the main street, between piles of rubble, shops have reopened: a
cafe with a battered espresso machine, a restaurant with glistening chickens
twirling on a rotisserie, a hardware store. The brickyards have reopened. Masons
were hard at work, slapping mortar to cinder blocks, new walls for new homes.
The Syrian people, somehow, find the courage to go on.
Biden's Executive Order Nightmare: Government Will Track
Every Dime You Spend
Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/March 01, 2023
Under this new digital currency, any transfer of funds to family, friends,
charities, or clients would be able to be tracked by the nation's central bank
that issued this virtual money. Big Brother will be in your wallet every hour or
every day. You will not be able to buy a stick of gum without a Federal Reserve
computer knowing where, when, and to whom you just put down a buck.
We should be rightfully concerned about inflation, energy independence,
aggressor nations armed with nuclear weapons, and woke public policies that
denigrate the very foundation of this great country. But these are jabs compared
to the enormous destructive power of a digital currency "option" slipped into
Executive Order 14067. When I was a sparring partner for professional boxers
many, many years ago, I was taught to be wary of the jab. It is a tactic used to
distract an opponent while setting him up for a devastating power punch that
takes him down for the count.
Biden is throwing jabs. The power punch is a little noticed Executive Order with
the innocuous number 14067 and its title, "Ensuring Responsible Development of
Digital Assets."In a 21st Century world where cryptocurrency and cybercrime are
now embedded threats to our collective financial security, this Executive Order
would seem to address these issues. That is the jab. In fact, this order
includes language that allows the Federal Reserve System to "explore" the
possibility of introducing digital currency into the United States. This means
that your cash becomes so much colored paper. That would not be the only
catastrophic impact on our society and the nation's economy. Under this new
digital currency, any transfer of funds to family, friends, charities, or
clients would be able to be tracked by the nation's central bank that issued
this virtual money. Big Brother will be in your wallet every hour or every day.
You will not be able to buy a stick of gum without a Federal Reserve computer
knowing where, when, and to whom you just put down a buck.
Like any jab, its starts with a feint.
"At this stage, the Fed is just introducing the subject into the public debate
and is weighing the options," according to Eswar Prasad, a Cornell University
economics professor who was interviewed by the Associated Press in an Aug. 24
story. Apologists for the White House insist that the Executive Order does not
implement digital currency or give Washington the power to control it. Assuming
that is true, what it does accomplish is to introduce the possibility of even
considering a currency move so radical, so profound, and so disruptive that it
make George Orwell's "1984" nightmare novel a day in the park?
We should be rightfully concerned about inflation, energy independence,
aggressor nations armed with nuclear weapons, and woke public policies that
denigrate the very foundation of this great country. But these are jabs compared
to the enormous destructive power of a digital currency "option" slipped into
Executive Order 14067. Nations have risen and fallen far from the battlefield,
their destinies determined by their economic policies. We should bring our
collective outrage to confront even the idea of introducing digital currency in
America's future: if it becomes reality, we will not recognize our democracy.
*Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
© 2023 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Sharia Destroys a Child’s Life—But You Can Help
Raymond Ibrahim/March 01, 2023
A little known, though highly controversial, Islamic teaching is back in the
news. According to a Feb. 21, 2023 report, Turkey’s highest religious (and
therefore Islamic) institution, Diyanet,
opened a special section on its fatwa website about earthquakes and answered the
question of “Can children of earthquake victims be adopted?” The fatwa stated
that it is not right for foster families to treat adopted children like their
own children and that “there is no barrier to marriage between the adopter and
the adopted child.”
The fatwa mounted criticism on social media and many public figures reacted
against the Diyanet’s response.
Journalist Fatih Altaylı also reacted to the Diyanet’s fatwa on his Twitter
account, saying: “We understand that you are really perverts, but what are you
doing in an institution like the Diyanet? Perverts. Go into the porn industry.
Don’t pollute the institution established by [founder of modern Turkish
Republic] Atatürk to give people proper religious knowledge with your perverted
imagination.”
Diyanet responded by opening a lawsuit against the journalist for “insulting our
presidency and its employees with derogatory expressions.”
The controversy amounts to this: Islam bans adoption; and Islam’s clerics, as
they often do, are trying to find a loophole. Rather than adopt, a man may
“marry,” concluded Diyanet, a destitute child of his choosing, and that is halal—a
win-win for all involved, and in keeping with Islam’s ban on adoption.
This ban is more prevalent—Canada adopted it—and negatively impacts more lives,
than might be assumed. In fact, two days ago, and one week after the above
report from Turkey appeared, on Feb. 27, 2023, Coptic Solidarity, which focuses
on the plight of Christian minorities throughout the Middle East, especially
Egypt’s indigenous Copts, launched an “online grassroots campaign” dedicated to
arguably the most infamous adoption related case in the Muslim world.
Nearly five years ago, a Coptic Christian priest heard cries emanating from
inside his empty church. He discovered a newborn baby boy, apparently abandoned
by a mother who bore him out of wedlock. The priest entrusted the babe to a
childless couple from his congregation. Considering that they had for nearly 30
years been praying for a child, they joyously embraced the boy as their own and
baptized and named him Shenouda, a popular Coptic name.
For the next four years everything went well. Shenouda became the pride and joy
of his adoptive parents’ lives. Seeing him as a “gift from God,” they spared no
care or expense on his upbringing.
Then the Egyptian state learned about this otherwise happy development and
seized the 4-year-old child from his loving parents’ arms and sent him to an
orphanage.
As with Turkey, adoption is illegal in Egypt; but there are state-approved
ways—loopholes—for families to take custody of orphan children. In Shenouda’s
case, however, although the adoption ban was initially cited, it soon became
clear that another strange Islamic doctrine was behind the government’s seizure.
Islam teaches that every human is born as a sort of prototypical Muslim (until
their parents conform them to their own religion). Accordingly, because the
religious identity of Shenouda’s biological parents is unknown, he must be
considered Muslim; and entrusting Muslim children to non-Muslim
parents—infidels—is strictly forbidden.
Since being transferred to an overcrowded and underfed orphanage, the child was
“returned” to—that is, forced into—Islam. He was issued a birth certificate
marked “Muslim” under religion and stripped of his formerly Christian name and
given an acceptable Muslim one, Yusuf.
Meanwhile, logic suggests that Shenouda was born to a Christian mother—or at
least to a mother who thought Christians would best know how to raise her
unwanted child. Otherwise, why abandon the babe in a church?
Note: If you’d like to help reunite the child Shenouda with his adoptive
parents, click here and join the Coptic Solidarity petition to Congress.
At any rate, such are the unknown casualties of Islamic law: whether destitute
children from earthquake ravaged regions must be turned into “spouses” before
they are taken care of, or whether destitute orphans must be stripped away from
loving adoptive parents because they are Christians, here is yet another example
of human suffering in the name of sharia.
Iran regime’s defiance increases tensions with
Israel
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 01, 2023
Rising tensions between the Iranian regime and Israel have the potential to
spiral into a wider conflict if not adequately addressed. There are several
reasons for the heightened tensions.
First of all, although the Iranian regime attempts to distract attention from
the direct involvement of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria, Tehran
continues to increase its military influence there and use its proxies against
Israeli targets. Israel last month carried out an airstrike in Syria on a
location where Iranian officials were meeting. Iranian leaders were reportedly
meeting to discuss developments regarding their country’s drone and ballistic
missile capabilities in Syria.
The attack occurred on the same day that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu blamed the Iranian government for an attack on a vessel owned by an
Israeli in the Arabian Gulf. He said: “Last week, Iran attacked an oil tanker
... and harmed the international freedom of navigation.”
Israeli leaders may hold the opinion that Iran’s involvement in other countries
in the region, such as Syria and Iraq, would indicate that Tehran cannot afford
to respond robustly to the Israeli airstrike and risk another military war. But
it is important to point out that the Iranian leaders are more likely to utilize
third parties, such as its militia and terror groups, in order to respond to the
Israeli attack.
As the last four decades have shown, the Iranian regime’s modus operandi is
anchored in prioritizing asymmetrical warfare and deploying its proxies — such
as Hezbollah, the Houthis and the Iraqi Shiite militia groups — in foreign
territories to attack its rivals. The Iranian leaders are cognizant of the fact
they have inferior military capabilities compared to Israel and its ally the US.
However, the most important source of tension between Israel and Iran is the
status of Tehran’s nuclear program.
The theocratic establishment’s nuclear program is closer than ever to producing
weapons-grade material and the Iranian leaders are not cooperating with the UN’s
nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. A December report by
the Institute for Science and International Security stated: “Since June 2022,
the IAEA has had no ability to monitor Iran’s centrifuge manufacturing or
assembly rate, old or new centrifuge stocks, stocks of critical parts and
material, or potential diversion of such stocks or manufacturing capabilities to
unknown sites.”
The report added: “The IAEA has reiterated its concerns about the completeness
of the information it has from Iran and its ability to accurately verify Iran’s
declared centrifuges. With Iran accelerating its advanced centrifuge
deployments, uncertainties will likely grow in the estimated number of advanced
centrifuges produced in excess of those deployed, adding concern to the
possibility that Iran will again seek to build a clandestine enrichment plant,
using advanced centrifuges manufactured in secret.”
Tehran’s modus operandi is anchored in prioritizing asymmetrical warfare and
deploying its proxies to attack its rivals.
Although the Iranian leaders continue to insist that their nuclear program is
designed for peaceful purposes, from the Israeli government’s perspective, the
Iranian regime is pursuing a covert agenda to obtain nuclear weapons. The
Israeli leaders’ concern is warranted due to Tehran’s history of clandestine
nuclear activities. The ruling clerics decided, from the outset, to conceal
their nuclear activities. For instance, Iran’s clandestine nuclear activities at
two major sites, Natanz and Arak, were first revealed in 2000 by an Iranian
opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
The NCRI also released critical information in 2017 showing that Iran’s nuclear
activities had continued at the highly protected Parchin military base, despite
the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal coming into effect. The
group stated that a location at Parchin was being secretly used to continue the
country’s nuclear weapons project. It said: “The unit responsible for conducting
research and building a trigger for a nuclear weapon is called the Center for
Research and Expansion of Technologies for Explosion and Impact, known by its
Farsi acronym as METFAZ.”
In addition, some Iranian leaders have acknowledged that the Iranian regime’s
nuclear program was always designed to manufacture atomic weapons. Former deputy
speaker of the Iranian parliament Ali Motahari last year admitted: “From the
very beginning, when we entered the nuclear activity, our goal was to build a
bomb and strengthen the deterrent forces, but we could not maintain the secrecy
of this issue.”
The former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Fereydoon
Abbasi-Davani, also said that his work was part of a “system” designed to
develop nuclear weapons. He said: “When the country’s all-encompassing growth
began involving satellites, missiles and nuclear weapons, and surmounted new
boundaries of knowledge, the issue became more serious for them.”
In a nutshell, if the Iranian regime continues to defiantly advance its nuclear
program, as well as ratchet up its military influence in Syria, tensions between
Iran and Israel will continue to grow, which could cause a wider conflict in the
region.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political
scientist.
Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh
Enduring GCC-US partnership reaffirmed in key security
meetings
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/March 01, 2023
Four joint working groups from the Gulf Cooperation Council and the US met last
month to address key security threats to the region: The Iran Working Group, the
Counterterrorism Working Group, the Maritime Working Group, and the Integrated
Air Defense Working Group. They are part of the framework set up by the two
sides several years ago that includes about a dozen standing working groups,
plus ad hoc task forces and committees dealing with different aspects of the GCC-US
strategic partnership announced at the Camp David summit of May 2015.
The meetings were held in Riyadh on Feb. 13-16 and built on the three summits
held in Jeddah last July, when leaders from Saudi Arabia, the GCC, Egypt, Iraq
and Jordan met with President Joe Biden to renew their commitment to the
region’s security.
At the Riyadh meetings, US officials reaffirmed America’s solid commitment to
this region and its security, and to its long-standing partners in the Gulf.
Officials from both sides stressed that the US and the GCC share a commitment to
expanding multilateral cooperation in order to more effectively address threats
to their collective security, and that this shared commitment to addressing the
regional security threats of today and tomorrow through expanded cooperation
remains critical.
The Iran Working Group meeting attracted probably the most media attention as it
came after the near-death, as yet unannounced, of the Joint Comprehensive Plan
of Action nuclear deal, which was not mentioned in the media readout after the
meeting and was only scantily discussed inside. The JCPOA’s failure
notwithstanding, the two sides reiterated privately and publicly that diplomacy
remained the preferred way to address Iran’s destabilizing policies and nuclear
escalation in a sustained manner. They called on Iran to choose a better
alternative than its current one that would contribute to a more secure and
stable region and benefit the Iranian people. Despite this clear commitment by
the US and GCC partners to diplomacy, Iran blasted the meeting, raising
questions about its own commitment to diplomacy.
While diplomacy remains the best choice, GCC and US officials discussed in
detail the threats emanating from Iran and how to address them. They condemned
its continued destabilizing policies, including its support for terrorism and
the use of advanced missiles, drones and cyber weapons, and their proliferation
in the region and around the world. Iran and its proxies and partners have used
these weapons in attacks striking civilians, critical infrastructure and
international maritime shipping. Saudi Arabia alone has been the target of about
1,400 ballistic missile and drone attacks over the past few years.
The working group discussed Tehran’s deepening two-way cooperation with state
and nonstate actors, which poses a grave security threat to the region and the
entire world. In particular, they condemned its ongoing provision of
conventional weapons, advanced missiles and drones to the Houthis, which has
prolonged the conflict in Yemen and worsened the humanitarian disaster there.
On the nuclear threat, the US and GCC agreed that Iran’s recent nuclear
advances, as documented by the International Atomic Energy Agency, have no
credible civilian purpose and only serve to exacerbate regional and global
tensions. They called on Iran to immediately reverse course, cease its nuclear
provocations, engage in meaningful diplomacy and fully cooperate with the IAEA
investigations into particles of nuclear material found at undeclared locations
in Iran, consistent with Iran’s safeguard obligations. At the meeting, the US
reaffirmed President Biden’s commitment not to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear
weapon.
The Counterterrorism Working Group discussed the range of terrorist threats to
the Gulf and other regions, including South and Central Asia and Africa. It
affirmed that terrorism “should not be associated with any religion, nationality
or ethnic group,” in a reference to Islamophobia. The two sides condemned Iran’s
proxies such as Hezbollah, as well as those in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. They took
Tehran to task for supporting terrorist and other armed groups to conduct
hundreds of attacks, threatening the region’s security and stability and causing
incalculable damage to its communities.
The GCC and US renewed their commitment to defeating Daesh and preventing its
reemergence in Syria and Iraq through the global coalition, including upcoming
working and focus group meetings on countering its financing and messaging,
deterring foreign terrorist fighter travel, and implementing stabilization lines
of effort in Syria and Iraq. To deal with the tens of thousands of former Daesh
terrorists and their families who are still stranded in detention facilities in
northeast Syria, they called for greater international efforts to deal with
those individuals humanely and safely, including through their repatriation to
their home countries, rehabilitation, reintegration and prosecution, where
appropriate.
There has been considerable success since the US and GCC states established in
2017 a dedicated center in Riyadh to target terrorism financing, the only one of
its kind in the world. They celebrated that achievement in Riyadh last month and
stressed the importance of strengthening international efforts to disrupt
terrorism financing.
The two military working groups on maritime security and integrated air defense
expressed the US and GCC member states’ enduring commitment to expanding defense
cooperation and interoperability between their forces to enhance their
capabilities to constrain Iran’s ability to conduct destabilizing activities and
deter it from conducting future acts of aggression. They urged the international
community to enforce all relevant UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting
transfers of arms and related materiel and ensuring accountability in this
regard.
US officials reaffirmed America’s solid commitment to this region and its
security, and to its long-standing partners in the Gulf.
Dana Stroul, US deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, who
took part in the meetings, said afterward that the tens of thousands of US
forces stationed at many bases across the region offer an important platform for
America’s efforts to promote stability across the region. The US made its
commitment clear that it will continue to support GCC military integration, a
primary goal of the GCC since its establishment in 1981. Both also stressed
their solid commitment to multilateral cooperation through the Combined Maritime
Forces and its four task forces, as well as other platforms.
The four working group meetings have thus renewed the US and GCC’s shared
commitment to the region’s security and put to rest unfounded speculation that
this partnership has wavered. By all accounts, threats to regional and global
security have multiplied, not waned, as Iran appears to further militarize its
foreign policy tools. The GCC-US security partnership will remain a solid piece
of the regional security architecture as long as those shared threats persist.
*Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the GCC assistant secretary-general for political
affairs and negotiation, and a columnist for Arab News. The views expressed in
this piece are personal and do not necessarily represent GCC views. Twitter:
@abuhamad1