English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For March 27/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
‘For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?’For from him and through him and to him are all things.
Letter to the Romans 11/25-36: “So that you may not claim to be wiser than you are, brothers and sisters, I want you to understand this mystery: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, ‘Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.’‘And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’As regards the gospel they are enemies of God for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved, for the sake of their ancestors; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all. O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?’For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 26-27/2023
Healing miracle of the blind beggar/Elias Bejjani/March 26/2023
Rahi presides over Sunday Mass in Bkirki: Oppression does not last and the oppressor will be afflicted with darkness
Bukhari Meets Geagea: Saudi Role in Five-way Committee Falls in Lebanon Interest
Gov’t Decision to Delay Daylight Savings Puts Lebanon in Two Time Zones
Daylight savings dispute leaves Lebanon with two time zones
In times of crisis, Lebanese squabble over clock change
Geagea: Delaying summer time is unconstitutional & illegal, ministerial decisions are taken at the cabinet table
Abou El-Hassan contacts Berri, Mikati, commissioned by Jumblatt to find solution to delay in daylight savings time
Quartet meeting by Agriculture Ministers of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq & Jordan kicks off in Damascus today
Lebanon's top 5 economic decisions: A recipe for disaster
Bassil calls for president who would 'build state, preserve resistance'
Lebanon at risk, free dialogue needed for survival, says FPM Leader Bassil
IMF says risks to financial stability have increased, calls for vigilance
Amwaluna Lana Association sends open letter to IMF
Cost of ignoring IMF report warnings: Lebanon's crisis deepens
Makhzoumi gathers spiritual leaders at his residence in the presence of Saudi Ambassador, calls for restoring principles of healthy coexistence in...
Internet service stops in towns of northern Bekaa, Hermel
Makary casts vote in Tripoli Engineers Syndicate elections, describes general atmosphere in the country as "sad and painful"
Lebanon’s rulers set the clock ticking down to destruction/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/March 26, 2023

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 26-27/2023
Protests erupt after Israel’s Netanyahu fires defense minister Yoav Gallant
Israel Fears Army Could Join Protests against Netanyahu Government
Benjamin Netanyahu faces revolt from his own party against judicial reforms
Defense minister urges pause to reforms as Israelis protest again
GCC appeals to US over Israeli minister’s Palestinian comments
Iraqi Army Tightens Security on Border with Syria
Iran Warns against US Targeting of Military Bases in Eastern Syria
Iranian Police Seek Doubling its Forces
Putin: Russia does not establish a military alliance with China and does not threaten any country
EU Nation Scolds Germany Over Lack Of Support For Ukraine
Putin says will deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus
Borrell: EU wants to avoid being dependent on China, as it did with Russian gas
Putin Says Will Deploy Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Belarus
An elite Russian brigade of 5,000 soldiers has been destroyed and reformed as many as 8 times after heavy losses, report says
Zaki: 32nd Arab League Summit will be held in Saudi Arabia on May 19
Gulf states protest to Blinken about the statements of an Israeli minister on Palestinians
At Least 26 Killed as Powerful Tornado Tears Through Mississippi

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 26-27/2023
The Real Reason China is Arming Russia in Ukraine/Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute./March 26, 2023
Will China Skillfully Navigate Iran’s Clamorous Waves?/Raghida Dergham/March 26, 2023
We rejected our fanatics. What are you doing about yours?/Nadim Koteich/The Times Of Israel/March 26/2023
Kissinger’s Depression!/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/March, 26/2023
Climate and the Culture of Fear/Najib Saab/Asharq Al Awsat/March 26/2023
Saudi-Iran deal opens the door to peace in Yemen/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 26, 2023
Turkiye’s political parties make preelection concessions/Yasar Yakis/Arab News/March 26, 2023

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 26-27/2023
Healing miracle of the blind beggar
Elias Bejjani/March 26/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73575/elias-bejjani-faith-and-persistence-do-miracles/
John 09:39: “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.”
On the sixth Lenten Sunday, our Maronite Catholic Church cites and recalls with great piety Jesus' healing miracle of the blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus. This amazing miracle that took place in Jericho near the Pool of Siloam is documented in three gospels:Mark 10/46-52. John 9/1-41 Matthew 20/:29-34.
Maronites in Lebanon and all over the world strongly believe that Jesus is the holy and blessed light through which believers can see God's paths of righteousness. There is no doubt that without Jesus' light, evil darkness will prevail in peoples' hearts, souls and minds. Without Jesus' presence in our lives we definitely will become preys to all kinds of evil temptations.
John 09:5: "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world".
In every community, there are individuals from all walks of life who are spiritually blind, lacking faith, have no hope, and live in dim darkness because they have distanced themselves from Almighty God and from His Gospel, although their eyes are physically perfectly functional and healthy. Meanwhile the actual blindness is not in the eyes that can not see because of physical ailments, but in the hearts that are hardened, in the consciences that are numbed and in the spirits that are defiled with sin.
John's Gospel gives important details about what has happened with Bartimaeus after the healing miracle of his blindness. As we read in the below enclosed Biblical verses that after his healing Bartimaeus and his parents were exposed to intimidation, fear, threats, and terror. But he refused to succumb or to lie.
He held verbatim to all the course details of the miracle, bravely witnessed for the truth and loudly proclaimed his strong belief that Jesus who cured him was The Son Of God. His faith made him strong, fearless and courageous. The Holy Spirit came to his rescue and spoke through him.
Romans 8:26: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans"
Sadly our contemporary world hails atheism, brags about secularism and persecutes those who have faith in God and believe in Him. Where ever we live, there are opportunists and hypocrites like some of the conceited crowd members that initially rebuked Bartimaeus, and tried with humiliation to keep him away from Jesus, but the moment Jesus called on him they changed their attitude and let him go through. Meanwhile, at the present time, Christian believers  do suffer dire persecution in many countries on the hands of ruthless oppressors, Jihadists and rulers  who refuse to witness for the truth. But despite of all the dim spiritual darkness, thanks God, there are still too many meek believers like Bartimaeus who hold to their faith no matters what the obstacles or hurdles are. Lord, enlighten our minds and hearts with your light and open our eyes to realize that You are a loving and merciful father. Lord Help us to take Bartimaeus as a faith role model in our life. Lord help us to defeat all kinds of sins that take us away from Your light, and deliver us all from evil temptations.
NB: The Above Piece was first published in 2016, republished with minor changes 

Rahi presides over Sunday Mass in Bkirki: Oppression does not last and the oppressor will be afflicted with darkness
NNA/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Boutros Al-Rahi, considered that "political blindness caused the escalating collapse of Lebanon, and it stems from suffocating interests, selfishness, and malicious goals."In his sermon during Sunday Mass in Bkirki this morning, the Patriarch said: “Political blindness made the parliamentary blocs and those influential in them insist on not electing a president for the republic so that the constitutional institutions are not organized, foremost of which is the parliament, which has lost the authority to legislate and hold accountable, and the government, which has lost the authority to hold its sessions to take procedural decisions." “Why do you direct your constitutional responsibility to destroying the state and depriving it of reforms and its resources? Rahi asked, deeming that injustice never lasts. "What bad times have brought you to where you are now...of occupation in every sense of the word of the state and its reins...But know that oppression does not last, and that the oppressor shall be afflicted with darkness," Rahi underlined, addressing the Lebanese officials.

Bukhari Meets Geagea: Saudi Role in Five-way Committee Falls in Lebanon Interest
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
The Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari on Saturday warned of the consequences of a vacuum at the top state post in Lebanon, stressing that the Saudi role in the five-way committee meeting is beneficial for the crisis-hit nation.
Bukhari warned of the “consequences of not holding the presidential elections,” after the term of former president Michel Aoun ended in October. He assured that “the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aim to secure an international safety net for Lebanon to face the challenges and risks, to preserve coexistence and to preserve Lebanon’s message in its Arab and International milieu.” The Ambassador’s remarks came during a meeting in Maarab with Lebanese Forces party leader Samir Geagea, held in the presence of MP Melhem Riachi. A statement released by the Lebanese Forces said that Bukhari and Geagea discussions focused on the need to elect a “sovereign, reformist president outside the political lineups, and on the need to fulfill this entitlement.”The talks have also stressed the Kingdom’s “firm and unchanging position” towards Lebanon, which will also witness a “positive” effect from the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement. Lebanon “will be affected positively by the Saudi-Iran agreement,” the LF statement said. As for the role of Saudi Arabia in the five-way meeting held last month in France, “it falls in the interest of Lebanon.”Saudi Arabia last month took part in a meeting over Lebanon hosted by Paris. The panel included representatives from Saudi Arabia, the US, Egypt, Qatar and France. The LF statement pointed out that the Saudi-Iran agreement included a common way to resolve differences through peaceful and diplomatic communication and dialogue. It stressed that Saudi Arabia has always extended a hand for cooperation and dialogue with the countries of the region and the world to preserve security and stability in the region.

Gov’t Decision to Delay Daylight Savings Puts Lebanon in Two Time Zones
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
Lebanon has woken up in two time zones amid an escalating dispute between political and religious authorities over the government’s decision to postpone winter clock changes till after Islam’s holy month of fasting, Ramadan, is over. Rising tensions, which reflected fragile ties between Lebanon’s social components, had forced caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to cancel a cabinet session. Mikati issued the decision on Thursday to delay entering daylight savings time till April 20, instead of rolling the clocks forward an hour on the last weekend of March. Christian political forces rejected the government’s decision and circulated audio clips and data confirming that their regions across Lebanon will adhere to universal timing and not wait until after Ramadan. The General Secretariat of the Kataeb Party, a Christian political party in Lebanon, released a statement demanding all workers in its central to attend work according to the universal time. “All caucuses will be held on schedule, according to the universal daylight savings time,” said the Kataeb. Businesses and media organizations, including two of Lebanon’s main news channels LBCI and MTV, announced they too would enter daylight savings on Saturday night as calls for disobedience gained steam. On Saturday, the influential Maronite Church said it would disregard the decision and would set its clocks forward on Saturday night. Mikati, for his part, refused to give any sectarian character to his decision and insisted that it was just an “administrative” measure. “Some want to divert attention from their obstruction of the presidential election process by targeting the government,” claimed Mikati. “We are witnessing an attempt to drag the country into a sectarian division to fuel conflicts, and to give a purely administrative procedure an abhorrent sectarian turn,” said Mikati in defense of his decision.

Daylight savings dispute leaves Lebanon with two time zones
Associated Press and Agence France Presse/March 26/2023
The Lebanese government's last-minute decision to delay the start of daylight savings time by a month until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan resulted in mass confusion Sunday. With some institutions implementing the change while others refused, many Lebanese have found themselves in the position of juggling work and school schedules in different time zones — in the same tiny country. In some cases, the debate took on a sectarian nature, with many Christian politicians and institutions, including the small nation's largest church, the Maronite Church, rejecting the move. The small Mediterranean country normally sets its clocks forward an hour on the last Sunday in March, which aligns with most European countries. However, on Thursday Lebanon's government announced a decision by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to push the start of daylight savings to April 21.
No reason was given for the decision, but a video of a meeting between Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri leaked to local media showed Berri asking Mikati to postpone the implementation of daylight savings time to allow Muslims to break their Ramadan fast an hour earlier. Mikati responds that he had made a similar proposal but goes on to say that implementing the change would be difficult as it would cause problems in airline flight schedules, to which Berri interjects, "What flights?"After the postponement of daylight savings was announced, Lebanon's state airline, Middle East Airlines, said the departure times of all flights scheduled to leave from the Beirut airport between Sunday and April 21 would be advanced by an hour. The country's two cellular telephone networks sent messages to people asking them to change the settings of their clocks to manual instead of automatic in order for the time not to change at midnight, although in many cases the time advanced anyway. While public institutions, in theory, are bound by the government's decision, many private institutions, including TV stations, schools and businesses, announced that they would ignore the decision and move to daylight savings on Sunday as previously scheduled. "Had the government taken the decision a month ago, and not 48 hours in advance, then there wouldn't have been a problem," said Pierre Daher, CEO of Lebanese broadcaster LBCI. The channel had said in a statement it would defy the government's decision as the delay would affect its operations.
Three other Lebanese networks also moved clocks forward.
But Daher said his concerns went beyond programming. "The worst thing is that the decision on when to begin summer time took a sectarian turn," he told AFP. Lebanon's powerful Maronite Church said it would not abide by the government decision which had been taken "without consultations and without any regard for international standards.""A decision like this should have been announced a year earlier to avoid harming people's lives," church spokesman Walid Ghayyad told AFP. "It cannot be made over a cup of coffee."The church's move was to prevent "further isolating Lebanon," he said.
Two prominent Christian political parties -- the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces -- have called on the government to reverse its decision. FPM chief Jebran Bassil tweeted: "Do not change your clocks, they will move forward automatically." On many phones and other electronic devices, they did. Caretaker Justice Minister Henri Khoury has backed calls for Mikati to go back on the decision, which would have "catastrophic" consequences for an economy in free fall since 2019. "The decision has created confusion and caused divisions and disturbances among religious authorities, private media and education institutions," Khoury said in a statement. Many schools, mostly Christian, went into daylight savings time, but some other institutions have complied with the government. Haruka Naito, a Japanese non-governmental organization worker living in Beirut, discovered she has to be in two places at the same time on Monday morning. "I had an 8 a.m. appointment and a 9 a.m. class, which will now happen at the same time," she said. The 8 a.m. appointment for her residency paperwork is with a government agency following the official time, while her 9 a.m. Arabic class is with an institute that is expected to make the switch to daylight savings. The schism has led to jokes about "Muslim time" and "Christian time," while different internet search engines came up with different results early Sunday morning when queried about the current time in Lebanon. While in many cases, the schism broke down along sectarian lines, some Muslims also objected to the change and pointed out that fasting is supposed to begin at dawn and end at sunset regardless of time zone. On Twitter, one user said: "Will our children read in history books that the civil war started in Lebanon in 2023 just because the clock wasn't moved forward?"Many saw the issue as a distraction from the country's larger economic and political problems. Lebanon is in the midst of the worst financial crisis in its modern history. Three quarters of the population lives in poverty and IMF officials recently warned the country could be headed for hyperinflation if no action is taken. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of President Michel Aoun ended in late October as the parliament has failed to elect a replacement since.

In times of crisis, Lebanese squabble over clock change
AFP/LBCI/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
A last-minute decision in Lebanon to delay daylight savings by a month has been met with opposition from the influential church, leaving the small country divided between two time zones.Wracked by a crippling economic meltdown and political deadlock, a seemingly odd question was added on Sunday to the growing list of Lebanon's woes: "What time is it?"The caretaker government announced on Thursday its decision to delay rolling clocks forward until April 20, instead of the last week of March as is usually the case in Lebanon and much of the northern hemisphere. But institutions including the Maronite Church, schools and media outlets insisted on turning their clocks forward at midnight (2200 GMT on Saturday). "Had the government taken the decision a month ago, and not 48 hours in advance, then there wouldn't have been a problem," said Pierre Daher, CEO of Lebanese broadcaster LBCI. The channel had said in a statement it would defy the government's decision as the delay would affect its operations.Three other Lebanese networks also moved clocks forward. But Daher said his concerns went beyond programming. "The worst thing is that the decision on when to begin summer time took a sectarian turn," he told AFP. While the government has not explained the move, a video shared widely on social media may provide an explanation. It shows a debate between caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who asks the premier to wait with the clock change until the end of the holy month Ramadan, in what appeared to be an attempt to cater to Muslims who fast daily until sunset.
'Confusion and divisions'
Lebanon's powerful Maronite Church said it would not abide by the government decision which had been taken "without consultations and without any regard for international standards". "A decision like this should have been announced a year earlier to avoid harming people's lives," church spokesman Walid Ghayad told AFP. "It cannot be made over a cup of coffee."The church's move was to prevent "further isolating Lebanon", he said. Two prominent Christian political parties have called on the government to reverse its decision. And Gebran Bassil, leader of one of them, the Free Patriotic Movement, tweeted: "Do not change your clocks, they will move forward automatically." On many phones and other electronic devices, they did. Lebanon's two major telecommunications companies advised customers over the weekend to manually set clocks on mobile phones to avoid the automatic change.
Justice Minister Henri Khoury has backed calls for Mikati to go back on the decision, which would have "catastrophic" consequences for an economy in free fall since 2019. "The decision has created confusion and caused divisions and disturbances among religious authorities, private media and education institutions," Khoury said in a statement. Many schools, mostly Christian, went into daylight savings time, but some other institutions have complied with the government. Flag carrier Middle East Airlines, while implementing the government-ordered delay, said it would move departure times by one hour to adhere to international flight schedules. Lebanese slammed the uncanny dispute on social media, with some sarcastically alluding to sectarian tensions that had fuelled a bloody civil war in 1975-1990. One user said on Twitter: "Will our children read in history books that the civil war started in Lebanon in 2023 just because the clock wasn't moved forward?"

Geagea: Delaying summer time is unconstitutional & illegal, ministerial decisions are taken at the cabinet table
NNA/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
Lebanese Forces Party Chief, Samir Geagea, said in a statement today, that “the only decision issued by the government regarding daylight savings time is Cabinet Resolution No. 5 dated 20/8/1998, which stipulates moving the clock one hour forward on the last weekend of March of every year; and therefore, the memorandum of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers dated 23/3/2023 on delaying daylight savings time is unconstitutional and illegal."Geagea indicated that the Prime Minister circulates to departments and apparatuses what the Council of Ministers decides, and does not in any way issue circulars that contradict government decisions. "Hemne, the memorandum issued by the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers on 23/3/2023 No. 28 is considered null," he said. The LF Chief emphasized that "the Prime Minister's relationship with public administrations and state employees is exclusively within the framework of ministerial decisions, and from this standpoint, these public administrations and institutions and all Lebanese citizens must advance the clock by one hour based on the aforementioned cabinet decision and in the absence of any other ministerial decision in this regard." Geagea continued: "We thus call, as a party, a parliamentary bloc, and part of a balanced opposition in the Parliament Council, on all those concerned, to implement the Cabinet decision issued on August 20, 1998, by moving the clock one hour forward, and to consider the decision of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers as if it did not occur," affirming that "the issue in question has nothing to do with the Holy month of Ramadan or the blessed Easter, nor with any other religious consideration; rather, the issue is related to public order and the application of the constitution and the law.""I hope that the Prime Minister will take into account these constitutional and legal facts and act according to his national duties,” he concluded.

Abou El-Hassan contacts Berri, Mikati, commissioned by Jumblatt to find solution to delay in daylight savings time
NNA/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
Secretary of the "Democratic Gathering" bloc, MP Hadi Abou El-Hassan, commissioned by Progressive Socialist Party Chief Walid Jumblatt, contacted today House Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, in an attempt to find a way out of the newly arising crisis following the government's decision to delay daylight saving time till next April. This came based on the need to reduce the serious divisions occuring in the country, specifically in light of the countless crises suffered by citizens. An issued statement explained that "this endeavor comes within the framework of what PSP Leader Jumblatt announced yesterday in his tweet, where he voiced a clear position in this regard, but until this moment things have not yet crystallized completely."

Quartet meeting by Agriculture Ministers of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq & Jordan kicks off in Damascus today
NNA/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
The activities of the quartet meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of the Lebanese Republic, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic began today in Damascus, in the presence of the Syrian and Lebanese Ministers of Agriculture, Mohammad Hassan Qatana and Abbas Al-Hajj Hassan, as well as the Jordanian Khaled Al-Hanifat and the Iraqi Abbas Jabr Ubadah Al-Alaywi. The meeting is held under the headline: "Towards Achieving Economic Integration at the Regional Level."

Lebanon's top 5 economic decisions: A recipe for disaster
LBCI/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
Lebanon has suffered a severe economic crisis since 2019, and the government's handling of the situation has only worsened matters. Instead of implementing policies to help the country recover, the government's decisions have led to more chaos and despair. Here are the top five economic decisions made by the authorities that have exacerbated the crisis.
1- Halting debt payments without a plan
The government's decision to stop paying its debts without a well-structured plan has isolated Lebanon from global markets and damaged its reputation. It has resulted in a loss of confidence in Lebanon from foreign countries.
2- Giving subsidies
The financial support provided by the government has been misused to facilitate smuggling and monopolies, while the subsidized food baskets have included luxury items like caviar and cashew nuts.
3- Establishing Sayrafa exchange platform
The establishment of Sayrafa exchange platform has resulted in the waste of US dollars and increased chaos in the market. And the platform is out of service most of the time.
4- Increase public sector salaries
The haphazard decision to raise public sector salaries has led to inflation, high costs, and a collapsing exchange rate. The country has yet to learn from previous experiences.
5- No Action: The worst decision of all
The government's inaction, particularly in dealing with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is the most harmful decision. The IMF has been warning Lebanon about the urgency of implementing reforms, but to date, no significant reforms have been enacted.
In summary, the government's economic decisions have been a recipe for disaster, leading to the opposite of what was intended. The authorities are running the country in the wrong direction, and the situation is becoming more severe each day.

Bassil calls for president who would 'build state, preserve resistance'
Naharnet/March 26/2023
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Sunday called for a new president who would “implement reform, build the state and preserve the resistance.”
“Preserving the resistance should be part of building the state and it should not be stabbed” in the back, Bassil said in a speech. “We want the state first, and the resistance within it would protect it. They want the resistance first and the state afterwards ... In our opinion, reconciling the two demands is possible if we agree on a president,” Bassil added. “Lebanon the entity, homeland, state, example and mission is in danger and our existence all as Lebanese will be in danger if we continue to lock horns against each other and to reject dialogue as a way for salvation. In Lebanon there is no parliamentary majority for a single camp and there will never be. We are obliged to engage in dialogue and reach an agreement, and we should stop accusing each other of treason,” the FPM chief went on to say.Warning that the alternative to dialogue is violence, Bassil emphasized that “no group in Lebanon can annihilate another group.”“The attempt to isolate the FPM is the best recipe for strengthening it, but its result will be bad for the country, because state building will fail without us. This way we would return to a clear and complete opposition and you would be offering us a service!” the FPM chief added. Commenting on the controversy related to the government’s delay of daylight saving time, Bassil said: “They want a president who would separate Lebanon from the world, the same as they have separated it from global timing with an arbitrary decision, turning the problem into a sectarian one to conceal the IMF report that condemns them.”
“You will not be able to turn the matter into a sectarian one because you want to run the country the same as you deal with the clock issue, but we will not let you!” the FPM chief added.

Lebanon at risk, free dialogue needed for survival, says FPM Leader Bassil
LBCI/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
The Leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Gebran Bassil, warned on Sunday during the movement's conference on the anniversary of March 14th that "Lebanon as an entity, nation, state, is in danger, and all of us as Lebanese are at risk if we continue to confront each other and reject dialogue as a path to salvation."He stated, "there can be no parliamentary majority for one team in Lebanon, and there is no solution except through agreement and building the state, which will fail without us." Bassil added, "an entire generation has grown up with the idea that someone like Riad Salameh should not be tried or stopped. We have also been dominated by the idea that it is impossible to liberate Lebanon in our time and that the crimes of the Central Bank governor are ongoing, with his circulars clearly made as thefts on a daily practice." "We want Lebanon to have the best ties with the world's countries, especially with the Arab and Gulf countries, but we reject anything that harms our existence," he continued. Bassil also emphasized that "they want a president without any plan, ideas, or popular backing, saying "they choose a president who will set the country's clock backward, instead of presenting a reform strategy.
"I want to tell them that it is the right time, no matter how far back they try to push it," he stressed. "I am a 'natural and logical candidate' because I am the leader of a party with the largest parliamentary bloc. I did not run for presidency to avoid being the cause of a power vacuum, and we made a significant compromise for a major solution. However, they interpreted our position as weakness and launched a campaign with false claims to dismantle the party," Bassil pointed out. On another note, Bassil revealed that "Hezbollah repeatedly assured him that it is impossible to propose or accept anyone who Bassil does not accept." "When I asked, "If 65 votes were secured for Sleiman Frangieh, will you accept him without us?" The answer came several times and at all levels that "how can you allow yourself to even think about it?" Bassil said. However, Bassil concluded by urging people to prepare to take the streets and shout together: 'Yesterday, today, and for a long time, we are the sovereignty in Lebanon! Today, tomorrow, and for a long time, we are the dignity in Lebanon! Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, we are the FPM and the Nation!'"

IMF says risks to financial stability have increased, calls for vigilance
Arab News/March 26, 2023
RIYADH: International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva said on Sunday that risks to financial stability have increased and called for continued vigilance although actions by advanced economies have calmed market stress.
Speaking during the first day of the China Development Forum, Georgieva noted that 2023 poses yet another challenging and thought-provoking year with an expected global growth rate slowing to below 3 percent. This is mainly attributed to the repercussion of the pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as monetary tightening, the IMF chief explained. Even though progressive economies have attempted to compose market stress, the overall outlook for 2024 remains weak with the growth rate estimated to stand below the historic average of 3.8 percent, she pointed out. "So, we continue to monitor developments closely and are assessing potential implications for the global economic outlook and global financial stability," Georgieva reassured. Moreover, when it comes to vulnerable and low-income countries with high levels of debt, she emphasized that the IMF is paying close attention to those in order to further support them. In addition to this, there is a risk of the world splitting into rival economic blocs, resulting in "a dangerous division that would leave everyone poorer and less secure," as a consequence of geo-economic fragmentation, Georgieva warned. That said, China has a significant role to play with regard to minimizing the risks of financial instability. It has been forecasted that every one percentage point boost in China’s gross domestic product results in a 0.3 percentage point rise in growth in other Asian economies, she said. Consequently, policymakers in China are urged to focus on further raising productivity while rebalancing the economy and shifting away from investment while moving towards more sturdy consumption-driven growth. According to conjectures, such reforms are capable of lifting real GDP by as much as 2.5 percent by 2027, and by around 18 percent by 2037, explained.
The China Development Forum is an annual high-level global conference held in China right after the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference each year. This year, the forum is taking place from March 25 up until March 27 under the theme “Economic Recovery: Opportunities and Cooperation.” The conference poses an opportunity for participants to connect with political, economic, and significant decision-makers in the Asian country.

Amwaluna Lana Association sends open letter to IMF
NNA/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
The Amwaluna Lana Association sent an open letter to the International Monetary Fund, in which it stated:
Further to the meeting the depositors’ groups and representatives had with the IMF on Monday, 20 March, 2023 , where the depositors (6 of 7 depositors’ entities) delivered a common letter that explained our situation, we are disappointed that the IMF did not take its content into consideration in its press conference of 23 March 2023, but are still hopeful that there will be a change of mind prior to your September trip.Given that the IMF has been visiting the country over the last 2 decades, and making similar reports in content about the need for better governance to slow down corruption activities, etc., your reports did NOT lead to any results. Therefore, we believe it is time to change ways of dealing with the Lebanese situation. Given that the DEPOSITORS’ money is stolen, the solution should center around solving this KEY problem since, if solved, trust and stability ensues which are two essential ingredients for a better financial and economic future. When providing proper and ethical solution, one has to be morally correct and not use double standards as means of solutions for they risk to fall in the same corner as the corrupt people and entities. Based on the above, the ONLY solution that we are humbly asking the IMF to assist us with are the following – to start with: 1. Lebanese banks and their shareholders shall return all their capital and profits acquired over the last 25 years. 2. All personnel who held public office in the country shall return all the monetary assets that they moved outside the country since 2011; those people are known to you. In your press conference, you mentioned that there are a large numbers of refugees that have exacerbated our bad economic / financial situation. We wish to confirm your information and advise you that this burden has been estimated at more than 50 billion USD. We humbly ask: What has the IMF done about it? What have your respectable members done to alleviate that burden on Lebanon and its citizens? In closing, it pains us to say that over the last decade the IMF has been a silent and false witness, and has not acted in the best interest of the Lebanese people, However, we are hopeful that, prior to your September trip, the IMF can refocus its approach in accordance with the content of this letter. Should the IMF wish to continue with the same attitude as in the past, we hereby tell you: you are NOT welcome in Lebanon, and the Lebanese people do NOT need your assistance for you would be aligning yourself with the corrupt politicians and would be undermining whatever assets we have left. GOD knows our thieves do NOT need any assistance in this feat.

Cost of ignoring IMF report warnings: Lebanon's crisis deepens
LBCI/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
While Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri were preoccupied with their urgent matter: the fate of the "daylight saving time," a crucial conference occurred simultaneously. The IMF was cautioning the country's leaders that failure to implement necessary reforms would lead to a severe and worsening crisis that would impact the lives of Lebanese citizens for years to come and that the Lebanese banking system was broken. "Whether the system is bankrupt or insolvent, you can call it whichever the way you want; essentially, you do have system which lacks liquidity and a system that is lacking capital at this point. We think Lebanon is in a very dangerous moment and is at a crossroads; we are in a situation where the status quo, the continuation of the policy in action we think is going to leave Lebanon in a never-ending crisis," an IMF official stated. However, what the IMF said is not solely linked to today but instead to 7 years back ago. The whole crisis in Lebanon could have been avoided. The Swiss newspaper Le Temps revealed in October 2021 that Banque du Liban (BDL) and its Governor Riad Salameh had deleted 14 essential pages from a 2016 report by the International Monetary Fund, which warned of the catastrophe that Lebanon witnessed three years later. The newspaper also claimed to have obtained a document from a 2016 meeting between IMF representatives and BDL officials, where the IMF team reportedly started their remarks to Salameh by saying, "you are on the brink of the abyss." Moreover, the newspaper said the IMF representatives highlighted the 4.7 billion dollar deficit in BDL, which represented 10% of the country's economy, and warned that local banks did not have the necessary liquidity to face a possible crisis. Le Temps considered that this information could have helped prevent the tragedy that Lebanon has been experiencing since 2019. But officials chose to disregard the IMF warnings and have since plunged the country into an economic abyss. Lebanon's citizens are now struggling to cope with a rapidly deteriorating economy, rampant inflation, and a severe shortage of necessities such as medicine, fuel, and electricity. With no end in sight to this crisis, it is clear that the warnings of the IMF should have been heeded.

Makhzoumi gathers spiritual leaders at his residence in the presence of Saudi Ambassador, calls for restoring principles of healthy coexistence in...
NNA/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
Head of the National Dialogue Party, MP Fouad Makhzoumi, and his wife, Mrs. May, received in their home today Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Al-Bukhari, Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdul-Latif Darian, Maronite Patriarch's representative, Bishop Antoine Awkar, representative of the Armenian Orthodox Patriarch, Father Ashmanders Sarkis Ibrahim, Deputy Head of the Shiite Islamic Council, Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, Druze Sheikh Akl, Sami Abi Al-Mouna, Head of the Supreme Islamic Council, Sheikh Mohammad Khader Asfour, Head of the Economic Affairs Department at the Saudi Embassy, Marwan al-Saleh, and media professionals. The encounter was a chance to discuss the prevailing conditions in Lebanon, in the presence of a group of Makhzoumi's work team. As he welcomed his attending guests, MP Makhzoumi stressed that "Lebanon is a country of openness and devotion," calling for "restoring the principles of healthy coexistence in the country."He recalled his visit with a delegation of deputies to the Swedish capital, Stockholm, which presides over the European Union, where they met a number of officials, pointing to the positive response the delegation received.
Makhzoumi indicated they will have another visit to Brussels to meet with officials of the European Union there, noting that "the aim of these visits is to inform officials of a road map based on reform and building state institutions, and to seek an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, as it is a mandatory passage for reforms and the only way to restore the international community's confidence in Lebanon and restore its relations with the Kingdom and the Gulf states." For his part, Ambassador Bukhari stressed "the importance of electing a sovereign, savior president who is far from political and financial corruption and carries a clear rescue program, and also designating a prime minister who possesses the same specifications to form an effective government capable of rebuilding state institutions and pulling the country out of its crises."The attendees unanimously agreed on the "positive role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," stressing that it "never stopped helping Lebanon and its people. At the end of discussions, Makhzoumi hosted an iftar for his honorable guests.

Internet service stops in towns of northern Bekaa, Hermel
NNA/March 26, 2023
The internet service has completely stopped in all the towns of the northern Bekaa Valley, the city of Hermel, and the villages of the district, NNA correspondent reported this afternoon.

Makary casts vote in Tripoli Engineers Syndicate elections, describes general atmosphere in the country as "sad and painful"
NNA/March 26, 2023
After casting his vote in the elections of the Engineers Syndicate in Tripoli to elect four Council members, Caretaker Minister of Information Ziad Al-Makary said that "the general atmosphere in the country is not comfortable, but rather sad and painful." He added, "What is happening takes us back, and an hour forward or backward will not rectify the situation."Over Sunday's electoral day at the Engineers' Sydicate in the North, Makary said: "Today's elections in the Engineers Syndicate have a democratic atmosphere par excellence. We are proud of this achievement, as we all gather to express freely and exercise our legal right to elect whoever we see fit to join the council." In line with these elections, Makary hoped that "the municipal elections will take place on time and in a democratic atmosphere, as is the case today in the Engineers Syndicate," adding, "We hope that politicians will learn from the Syndicate."

Lebanon’s rulers set the clock ticking down to destruction
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/March 26, 2023
Following a stark warning from the International Monetary Fund that time was running out for Lebanon’s economy, the country’s ingenious political leadership responded with a radical solution — unilaterally changing the time.
You couldn’t make it up. The country is facing starvation, hyperinflation and civil chaos, but the ruling class are distracted with a legal amendment to delay the introduction of “daylight saving time,” a decision that experts warn will cause travel chaos, malfunctioning electronic devices, and nationwide confusion — particularly as some organizations have already signaled that they will go ahead with the time change anyway.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri couldn’t have offered a better metaphor for the endless prevarication and incompetence of a leadership that for the past four years has been existing on borrowed time.
The head of the IMF mission in Lebanon, Ernesto Ramirez Rigo, placed the blame for the catastrophic economic outlook squarely on continued inaction by Lebanese officials, and warned that a plunge into hyperinflation would ruin the quality of life of many Lebanese for years to come.
But Lebanon’s elite still behave as if it’s business as usual — dining at the same expensive restaurants, dipping into vast hard-currency reserves stashed safely overseas, while bickering with each other over petty trivialities and leisurely going round in circles over issues of the presidency, government formation and a crisis exit strategy. Why are IMF-prescribed reforms taking for ever to implement? Because the reforms would materially compromise the wealth and impunity of this top 0.1 percent who see no problem at all with the apocalyptic status quo.
The architect of many of the catastrophes wreaked upon Lebanon, Gebran Bassil, bizarrely sought to incite a campaign of civil disobedience over the time-change issue, arguing that it was prejudicial to Christians. As if Christians, or any other Lebanese sect — in the complete absence of electricity and basic services — are in a position to know or care exactly what time it is! And as if Bassil himself hadn’t already done more than anyone alive to undermine the status of Lebanon’s Christians!
The latest IMF warning coincided with thousands of protesters, including retired soldiers, trying to break through a fence leading to Beirut’s government headquarters, and with protests erupting elsewhere across the country. Demonstrators furiously blamed the authorities’ incompetence and corruption for triggering an additional sharp decline in the value of the Lebanese pound, further exacerbating financial hardship.
These are veterans who have dedicated their entire careers to protecting Lebanon and who are among the most loyal demographics to Lebanon’s governing system. Monthly pensions for retired military personnel and public sector workers are now just over $20! “Don’t they feel guilty about the retired members of the military who have served their country all their lives, given that they are starving and not able to access medical care services?” one protester said.
Meanwhile, Hassan Nasrallah is yet again saber rattling toward Israel. After Hezbollah staged minor provocations inside northern Israel, Nasrallah dared Tel Aviv to invade: “If Israel starts a war against Lebanon for what happened, it could lead to a battle in the entire region,” he crowed. Using unusually specific language, Nasrallah threatened that the killing of even one individual could provoke a major Hezbollah response.
But Israel is already striking targets associated with Hezbollah and its allies inside Syria on a near daily basis, not to mention the killing of senior personnel from the Hezbollah-Iran axis. Everybody knows that Nasrallah has no intention of responding to this. In recent days there has been the worst outbreak of hostilities in several years between US forces and Hezbollah-aligned paramilitaries in eastern Syria, which risks triggering region-wide conflagration.
Without drastic action — and by this I mean far-reaching Arab and Western intervention — the eruption of a new Lebanese and region-straddling conflagration is simply a matter of time.
Iran-backed paramilitaries have been entrenching themselves along the Syria-Iraq border for several years now, including massive fortifications and deep underground tunnels bristling with missiles. With US President Joe Biden warning militias to “be prepared for us to act forcefully to protect our people,” there is potential for these tit-for-tat strikes to escalate in a climate in which US-Iran negotiations have long since broken down.
As Benjamin Netanyahu and his neo-fascist cronies hurl Israel into one of the worst political crises in its history — with the sole objective of keeping him out of jail — combined with Netanyahu’s own escalating rhetoric against Iran and Hezbollah, the entire region trembles on an unpredictable knife edge.
If Nasrallah does eventually get his wish and goads Israel into attacking Lebanon directly, he will already be hiding in his bunker deep underground, along with cronies and family members, while thousands of innocent Lebanese are killed and the country reduced to smouldering ruins.
It is abominable that Nasrallah’s mind is mulling over such confrontations when much of the nation is slowly starving to death in unimaginable misery. So many people are tolerating unbearable pain because they don’t have money for medical treatment, and because there aren’t any medicines in any case and the few hospitals that haven’t closed their doors scarcely function after losing most of their staff and equipment. Amid these traumas, suicide rates have soared and families routinely die at sea as they flee in unseaworthy vessels. Hospital morgues are overflowing with rotting bodies in non-functioning fridges because citizens can’t afford coffins.
Lebanon in 2023 is a semi-decomposed body gasping for its last breaths, while the rate of decline of its vital organs continues to accelerate. The entire political class appears to have resolved that it is better to hasten Lebanon’s absolute destruction, rather than to take one iota of action that might diminish their rates of accumulation of corrupt wealth. Such figures have a choice of luxury villas in Dubai, Paris or Qom to retreat to and probably have their exit plans impeccably prepared, private jets fueled up on the runway for the day when Lebanon finally disintegrates altogether.
In this climate, Nasrallah needs to watch his mouth and halt his ridiculous warmongering, because he is unleashing forces he can’t control, which will destroy his organization along with Lebanon in its entirety.
The last time Lebanon dissolved into full-blown armed conflict in the 1970s and 1980s, the resulting anarchy sucked in the entire region — Israel, Syria, the Palestinian movement, Iran and the West. The 2011 Syria conflict likewise rapidly became regionalized, even dragging in Russia, while spawning an entire alphabet of radical and terrorist factions.
Without drastic action — and by this I mean far-reaching Arab and Western intervention — the eruption of a new Lebanese and region-straddling conflagration is simply a matter of time.
The warning bells have been ringing for a long time now. Is it possible that, still, nobody is listening?
• Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 26-27/2023
Protests erupt after Israel’s Netanyahu fires defense minister Yoav Gallant
AP/March 26, 2023
JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly fired his defense minister on Sunday, a day after he called on the Israeli leader to halt a planned judicial overhaul that has fiercely divided the country and prompted growing discontent within the ranks of the military. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv, blocking a main highway, following the announcement. The dismissal signaled that Netanyahu will move ahead this week with the overhaul plan, which has sparked mass protests, angered military and business leaders and raised concerns among Israel’s allies. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had been the first senior member of the ruling Likud party to speak out against the plan. In a brief statement, Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister had dismissed Gallant. Netanyahu later tweeted “we must all stand strong against refusal.”
Tens of thousands of Israelis poured into the streets in protest after Netanyahu’s announcement, blocking Tel Aviv’s main artery, transforming the Ayalon highway into a sea of blue-and-white Israeli flags and lighting a large bonfire in the middle of the road. Demonstrations took place in Beersheba, Haifa and Jerusalem, where thousands of people gathered outside Netanyahu’s private residence.
Israel’s consul-general in New York said he was resigning on Sunday in protest after the firing. “I can no longer continue representing this Government,” Asaf Zamir said on Twitter. “I believe it is my duty to ensure that Israel remains a beacon of democracy and freedom in the world.”The decision came less than a day after Gallant, a former senior general, called for a pause in the controversial legislation until after next month’s Independence Day holidays, citing the turmoil in the ranks of the military over the plan. Gallant had voiced concerns that the divisions in society were hurting morale in the military and emboldening Israel’s enemies across the region. “I see how the source of our strength is being eroded,” Gallant said. While several other Likud members had indicated they might follow Gallant, the party quickly closed ranks on Sunday, clearing the way for his dismissal. Galit Distal Atbaryan, Netanyahu’s public diplomacy minister, said that Netanyahu summoned Gallant to his office and told him “that he doesn’t have any faith in him anymore and therefore he is fired.”Gallant tweeted shortly after the announcement that “the security of the state of Israel always was and will always remain my life mission.”Opposition leader Yair Lapid said that Gallant’s dismissal “harms national security and ignores warnings of all defense officials.” “The prime minister of Israel is a threat to the security of the state of Israel,” Lapid wrote on Twitter. Avi Dichter, a former chief of the Shin Bet security agency, is expected to replace him. Dichter had reportedly flirted with joining Gallant but instead announced Sunday he was backing the prime minister. Netanyahu’s government is pushing ahead for a parliamentary vote this week on a centerpiece of the overhaul — a law that would give the governing coalition the final say over all judicial appointments. It also seeks to pass laws that would grant parliament the authority to override Supreme Court decisions with a basic majority and limit judicial review of laws.
Netanyahu and his allies say the plan will restore a balance between the judicial and executive branches and rein in what they see as an interventionist court with liberal sympathies. But critics say the constellation of laws will remove the checks and balances in Israel’s democratic system and concentrate power in the hands of the governing coalition. They also say that Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges, has a conflict of interest. Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets over the past three months to demonstrate against the plan in the largest demonstrations in the country’s 75-year history.
Leaders of Israel’s vibrant high-tech industry have said the changes will scare away investors, former top security officials have spoken out against the plan and key allies, including the United States and Germany, have voiced concerns. In recent weeks discontent has even surged from within Israel’s army – the most popular and respected institution among Israel’s Jewish majority. A growing number of Israeli reservists, including fighter pilots, have threatened to withdraw from voluntary duty in the past weeks. Israel’s military is facing a surge in fighting in the occupied West Bank, threats from Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group and concerns that archenemy Iran is close to developing a nuclear-weapons capability.
Violence both in Israel and the occupied West Bank has escalated over the past few weeks to heights unseen in years. Manuel Trajtenberg, head of an influential Israeli think tank, the Institute for National Security Studies, said that “Netanyahu can dismiss his defense minister, he cannot dismiss the warnings he heard from Gallant.” Meanwhile, an Israeli good governance group on Sunday asked the country’s Supreme Court to punish Netanyahu for allegedly violating a conflict of interest agreement meant to prevent him from dealing with the country’s judiciary while he is on trial for corruption. The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a fierce opponent of the overhaul, asked the court to force Netanyahu to obey the law and sanction him either with a fine or prison time for not doing so. It said he was not above the law. “A prime minister who doesn’t obey the court and the provisions of the law is privileged and an anarchist,” said Eliad Shraga, the head of the group, echoing language used by Netanyahu and his allies against protesters opposed to the overhaul. “The prime minister will be forced to bow his head before the law and comply with the provisions of the law.” The prime minister responded saying the appeal should be dismissed and said that the Supreme Court didn’t have grounds to intervene. Netanyahu is barred by the country’s attorney general from directly dealing with his government’s plan to overhaul the judiciary, based on a conflict of interest agreement he is bound to, and which the Supreme Court acknowledged in a ruling over Netanyahu’s fitness to serve while on trial for corruption. Instead, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a close confidant of Netanyahu, is spearheading the overhaul. But on Thursday, after parliament passed a law making it harder to remove a sitting prime minister, Netanyahu said he was unshackled from the attorney general’s decision and vowed to wade into the crisis and “mend the rift” in the nation. That declaration prompted the attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, to warn that Netanyahu was breaking his conflict of interest agreement by entering the fray. The fast-paced legal and political developments have catapulted Israel into uncharted territory and toward a burgeoning constitutional crisis, said Guy Lurie, a research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank. “We are at the start of a constitutional crisis in the sense that there is a disagreement over the source of authority and legitimacy of different governing bodies,” he said. Netanyahu is on trial for charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate affairs involving wealthy associates and powerful media moguls. He denies wrongdoing and dismisses critics who say he will try to seek an escape route from the charges through the legal overhaul. — — Associated Press journalist Tia Goldenberg contributed from Tel Aviv.

Israel Fears Army Could Join Protests against Netanyahu Government
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
The Israeli army is on the verge of reducing the scope of operations due to many reservists refusing to report for duty in protest against plans by the ruling right-wing government to weaken the judiciary, announced Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. Halevi's warning came amid army leadership fearing that the protests might extend to regular soldiers. Israeli Channel 12 reported that about 200 pilots in the Israeli Air Force did not report to duty on Friday in protest over the judicial system proposal. The group of pilots, some of whom conducted Israeli covert operations, said they decided to halt service after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech and that they would review it within two weeks. About 100 reservists informed their commanders last Wednesday that they would stop volunteering because of the legislative process promoted by the government coalition within the framework of the judicial reform plan. In addition, 150 officers and soldiers of the Intelligence Unit 8200 announced that they would stop their military service in the reserve forces as part of their protest against the Israeli government's plan to weaken the judiciary. Israeli media also quoted dozens of regular soldiers who implicitly threatened not to carry out orders if the government proceeded with its planned overhaul. Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that 17 soldiers from the regular army formations protested in a video recording the laws marginalizing the judicial system, saying that they did not enlist in the army to protect a dictatorship.
It is the first-time regular soldiers have joined the protests among reservists. However, Netanyahu warned that the reactions pose a grave danger to the future of Israel, and could spread beyond those who oppose the overhaul. Netanyahu said he expects the security establishment to adopt a "firm position against" the phenomenon, adding that Israel can't exist without the army. "All red lines have been crossed. People who were responsible for the security of the country have suddenly adopted this cynicism," he warned on Friday. On Thursday, Netanyahu said after meeting Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the law on selecting judges would be enacted next week. Gallant is widely reported to have planned Thursday to call for a halt to the legislation over his intense concerns but put the matter off after talking to Netanyahu. The state broadcaster said Gallant had told Netanyahu that if legislative proceedings for the judicial changes were not suspended or compromised, he would vote against it. Gallant cautioned Netanyahu that the crisis posed a clear, immediate, and tangible threat to the state's security, warning that he was encountering unprecedented anger and disappointment. Earlier, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Netanyahu discussed the increased security threats and the rift in Israeli society. Barr told Netanyahu that the threats led Israel to a "dangerous place."

Benjamin Netanyahu faces revolt from his own party against judicial reforms
Abbie Cheeseman/The Telegraph/March 26, 2023
Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a revolt from within his own party over his plans to overhaul the country’s judiciary system, which have led to months of mass protest. Yuli Edelstein, a top politician from Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party, has spoken out in favour of halting the planned judicial changes to allow for discussions and revisions. Mr Edelstein’s dissent echoed previous remarks in which Israel’s defence minister exposed inner rifts within the ruling coalition and revealed the rebellion within the premier’s party. Defence minister Yoav Gallant publicly broke ranks with the leading far-Right coalition on Saturday, calling for a halt to the judicial overhaul that has divided Israel on the grounds it is undermining the country’s defence. “The growing rift in our society is penetrating the [Israel Defense Forces] and security agencies,” Mr Gallant said. “This poses a clear, immediate, and tangible threat to the security of the state. I will not lend my hand to this.”His comments came the day after Mr Netanyahu doubled down on passing a key part of the proposed legislation this week. Mr Gallant’s warnings that the proposed legislation – and the growing divide in society – could harm national security, has been widely echoed by opponents of the changes. Mr Gallant called for the legislation, which aims to curb the power of the Supreme Court, to be paused for several weeks to allow for reforms. He was publicly backed by at least two Likud politicians, but reports that he will be fired for his dissent are swelling in Israeli media. The dissenting Likud members have hinted that they may abstain from voting to ratify the bill, which is expected to come this week. “We don’t want to bury the reforms,” Mr Edelstein said on Sunday, but “bringing it to a vote before it is clear that there is support for it would be adventurism that is best avoided”. The package of reforms sparked unprecedented mass protests across Israel that have carried on unabated for over three months. Mr Netanyahu’s government has defied all calls, including from the Israeli President, to abort the shake-up. Mr Netanyahu has not yet commented on the dissent within his party.
The dissenting Likud members could threaten the coalition’s parliamentary majority should they decide to abstain from voting in their effort to slow down the judicial reforms and heal the divides in Israeli society.

Defense minister urges pause to reforms as Israelis protest again
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
Tens of thousands of Israelis have rallied anew in Tel Aviv against a controversial judicial overhaul, as Defense Minister Yoav Galant broke ranks to call for a pause to the government reforms. The latest demonstration to hit Israel's commercial hub came days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to press on with the changes despite mounting international alarm. But his defense minister said Saturday that "we must stop the legislative process" for a month in view of the divisiveness of the reforms. "The growing social rift has made its way into the (army) and security agencies. It is a clear, immediate and tangible threat to Israel's security," said Galant, who is a member of Netanyahu's own right-wing Likud party. "I am committed to Likud values... and placing the State of Israel above all... but major changes on the national level must be made through deliberations and dialogue," he added.His comments were welcomed by opposition leader Yair Lapid who hailed a "brave and vital step for Israel's security."Galant called for the halt before lawmakers are due to vote next week on a central part of the government's proposals, which would change the way judges are appointed. Two other Likud lawmakers tweeted their support for Galant, raising questions over whether the government could count on a majority if it pushes ahead with a vote. The Tel Aviv protest swelled Saturday to around 200,000 demonstrators, according to Israeli media estimates. "We're here today to show up and add our voice to the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Israelis that support the values that this country was founded on," said high-tech worker Daniel Nisman, mentioning democracy and tolerance. "This is all we can hope for, that he (Netanyahu) brings us back from the edge of the abyss," the 36-year-old told AFP. Demonstrations erupted in January after the coalition announced its reform package, which the government says is necessary to rebalance powers between lawmakers and the judiciary.
'Very upsetting'
But protester Daphne Oren-Magidor, 41, said the overhaul risked Israel "turning into a dictatorship". "The laws that are being passed right now are laws that are aimed to make the government essentially the sole ruler and destroy the separation of powers," the historian said at a Jerusalem rally. Thousands of demonstrators marched past the Jerusalem residence of President Isaac Herzog, who has been a key voice for dialogue in the dispute. Plans to hand more control to politicians and diminish the role of the Supreme Court have been questioned by Israel's top allies including the United States. U.S. President Joe Biden has expressed "our concerns over these proposals, these proposed judicial reforms", White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday. Netanyahu was also greeted by hundreds of protesters in London, where he met his British counterpart Rishi Sunak on Friday. During the talks, the British premier "stressed the importance of upholding the democratic values that underpin our relationship, including in the proposed judicial reforms," a spokesperson said.
'End the rift'
Netanyahu said Thursday that the legislation due in the parliamentary chamber next week "does not take control of the court but balances and diversifies it." A parliamentary committee has amended the draft law with the aim of making it more palatable to opponents, but the opposition has ruled out backing any part of the reform package until all legislative steps are halted. In response, demonstrators have announced a "national paralysis week," including countrywide rallies, protests outside ministers' homes and on Wednesday outside parliament. In his televised address on Thursday, Netanyahu said he would do everything "to calm the situation and end the rift in the nation." Even so, the premier said his administration remained "determined to correct and responsibly advance the democratic reform that will restore the proper balance between the authorities." Netanyahu came under fire a day later from Israel's attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, who said his public intervention was "illegal" due to his ongoing corruption trial. The top legal official cited a previous court ruling that an indicted prime minister has no right to act on a matter that could place him in a conflict of interest.

GCC appeals to US over Israeli minister’s Palestinian comments
Arab News/March 26, 2023
LONDON: The Gulf Cooperation Council said on Sunday it had written to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemning controversial comments made by Israel’s finance minister in which he denied the existence of a Palestinian people. Secretary General Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi said that the foreign ministers of the GCC had sent the joint letter, which embodied the position of the leaders of the GCC countries regarding the Palestinian cause, Saudi Press Agency reported. In the letter, the GCC called on Washington “to assume its responsibilities in responding to all measures and statements that target the Palestinian people,” and also called on the US “to play its role in reaching a just, comprehensive and lasting solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He added that the letter praised the American position which rejected the statements made by Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Albudaiwi said the 155th session of the GCC Ministerial Council, which was held on March 22 and met in Riyadh, stressed the GCC's support for the sovereignty of the Palestinian people over all Palestinian lands occupied since June 1967, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, that guarantees all the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, and rejects settlements in the occupied Palestinian lands. The US State Department said they had found Smotrich’s comments “to not only be inaccurate but also deeply concerning and dangerous.” Smotrich is part of veteran Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right government that took office in December. * With AFP

Iraqi Army Tightens Security on Border with Syria
Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
The Iraqi army forces escalated security measures on the border with Syria to tighten the security gaps between the two countries. An official source of the local administration of al-Anbar governorate announced that army forces had begun field reconnaissance operations on the border strip areas with Syria. According to the source, a security force from the Army's 7th Division, accompanied by high-ranking security leaders, toured the areas of the border strip with Syria ahead of moving the army forces from within the cities, according to the directives of the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mohammad al-Sudani. The redeployment aims to fill security gaps and clamp down on ISIS terrorists, who often carry out infiltration operations in desert areas. According to Iraqi intelligence information, the remnants of the terrorist organization are moving in those areas. The source added that according to the security plan, the army forces would be at a distance of 15 km in the Iraqi depth, while the border guards would hold the first line of defense. He pointed out that the security plan was to transfer the army forces outside the cities and hand over the security to the local police forces and the tribal mobilization forces, explaining that the evacuation of army positions from inside the towns comes after the security situation has stabilized. The source confirmed that the new security plan focuses on maintaining border security and redeploying army forces in the desert areas of the province to prevent any breaches. Meanwhile, the US military announced that a facility belonging to the International Coalition in Deir Ezzor Governorate, eastern Syria, was hit by five missiles, wounding a US service member. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Koniko gas field in Deir ez-Zor was hit by missiles fired from areas held by the regime forces and Iranian militias stationed in the city. The Observatory indicated that planes of the "International Coalition" responded by shelling the positions of the Iranian militias in al-Omal and Harabish neighborhoods in Deir Ezzor, where violent explosions were heard in the city.
Lawmaker of Fatah Alliance Intisar al-Moussawi called for ending the "repeated US violations" on the border between Iraq and Syria. Moussawi said in a press statement that Iraq still hasn't implemented the law passed by the parliament to remove all US forces from Iraqi territory. She asserted that Iraq's sovereignty was one of the most critical steps that must be consolidated by the government during the coming period by obliging the US administration to remove all its forces from Iraq.
Moussawi pointed out that the US presence on Iraqi soil means it continued to violate the country's sovereignty through repeated attacks on the border.

Iran Warns against US Targeting of Military Bases in Eastern Syria
Washington, London, Tehran - Elie Youssef, Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
Iran warned of a “decisive counter-response” if new US strikes are launched against bases operated by its proxy militias in Syria. The bases, according to an Iranian security spokesperson, were created at the request of Damascus to deal with terrorism and ISIS elements. Distinguishing between anti-terrorism military bases where Iran is present in Syria, and other centers in which militias linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard are deployed remains unclear. Iranian proxy militias have spread their presence over several east Syria areas near the border with Iraq. The death toll in US air strikes on pro-Iran installations in eastern Syria had risen to 19 fighters, a Syrian war monitor said on Saturday, in one of the deadliest exchanges between the US and Iran-aligned forces in years. The US carried out strikes in eastern Syria in response to a drone attack on Thursday that left one American contractor dead, and another one wounded along with five US troops. Washington said the attack was of Iranian origin. “Any pretext to attack bases created at the request of the Syrian government to deal with terrorism and ISIS elements in this country will be met with an immediate counter-response,” Keyvan Khosravi, spokesperson for Iran’s top security body, was quoted as saying by the semi-official news agency Nournews. Khosravi also denied accusations by US officials about Iran's involvement in the attack on US bases in Syria. “Tehran has paid a heavy price for confronting terrorism and establishing security and stability in Syria, and it opposes any action that threatens the stability of this country,” he said. Iran says its forces and allied fighters are in Syria at the request of Damascus and sees US forces as occupiers. “At the direction of President Biden, I authorized US Central Command forces to conduct precision airstrikes tonight in eastern Syria against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards,” said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Iranian Police Seek Doubling its Forces
Tehran - London – Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
Iran Special Police Commander Hassan Karami called on Saturday for doubling the number of security forces in anticipation of possible protests in 400 locations in the country. Karami said that confronting the protests would be part of the agenda of the military institution during the new Iranian year.
State-owned Mehr news agency quoted Karami as saying that the police vision included covering the unrest and possible movements of enemies in at least 400 cities and regions, noting that carrying out an operation of this size requires doubling the forces. Iranian media broadcasted a documentary about the involvement of the Nopo unit of the Special Forces during the recent protests, coinciding with the Nowruz celebrations. Karami described the protests that erupted in recent months as "extreme sedition," explaining that the forces organize their operations according to the geography and threats. He noted that the effects and repercussions of controlling the recent unrest were linked to the new political arrangement in the region. In his recent speech marking the new Persian year, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei accused the United States and its European allies of being behind the widespread protests that shook the country for months. Khamenei asserted that the economy is the country's most crucial issue, welcoming the development of diplomatic relations in Asia. He left the door open to relations with the Europeans, provided they do not "blindly follow US policies." The Supreme Leader accused the US and some European countries of being behind Iranian protests that flared in September last year, saying they sought to change Iran's identity when discussing a transition in structure and revolution. Iranian official agencies quoted Khamenei as saying that the enemy's goal was to change the government based on popular religious sovereignty into a government loyal to them in the form of fake Western democracy. He also warned that any local calls for changing the constitution reflect the enemies' rhetoric, implicitly referring to the referendum calls put forward by reformist leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and Iran's most prominent Sunni cleric Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi accused the "enemies" of being behind the country's economic crisis, especially the deterioration of the Iranian riyal against the dollar and other foreign currencies. Vahidi told Hamshahri newspaper that the recent events in the country were a conspiracy of the enemy, noting that when riots reached nowhere, they intervened economically to manipulate the exchange rate. He said that inflation is one of Iran's chronic economic problems, noting that inflation was at 59 percent during the former government, and it dropped to 40 percent.
The reinstatement of US sanctions in 2018 harmed Iran's economy by limiting its oil exports and access to foreign currency.

Putin: Russia does not establish a military alliance with China and does not threaten any country
NNA/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is not establishing a military alliance with China, stressing that it "does not threaten any country," according to "Novosti" news agency. In an interview with Russia-24 channel, when asked whether cooperation between Moscow and Beijing constituted a threat to the West, Putin said: "No, these allegations do not correspond at all to reality." He added, "We do not form any military alliance with China. Yes, we also have cooperation in the field of military-technical cooperation, and we do not hide it, but it is transparent, and there is no secret there."
Putin pointed out that "despite the transparency of relations between Moscow and Beijing, Western countries are making attempts to form a (global NATO) that includes new regions." He pointed out that NATO "approved a new strategic concept for it," announcing its "universality" and plans to develop relations with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, in a trend reminiscent of the military bloc of the "axis" countries during World War II. In this context, the Russian President touched on the agreement reached by Britain and Japan earlier this year regarding the development of relations in the military field.

EU Nation Scolds Germany Over Lack Of Support For Ukraine
RT/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
Germany is failing to support Ukraine with the required amount of military and economic support, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki claimed. In an interview with Politico, Morawiecki issued a stark rebuke of Berlin’s position on the Ukraine conflict, arguing that it has “not [been] as generous as they should have been.” Germany should be “sending more weapons, sending more ammunition, and giving more money to Ukraine because they are the richest and the biggest country by far” in the EU, he said. Despite his stinging criticism, Morawiecki insisted that he was “not attacking” the German government but rather “stating the obvious.” --- RT

Putin says will deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighbour and ally Belarus, bringing the arms to a country at the gates of the European Union. Putin has previously issued thinly veiled warnings that he could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine if Russia were threatened, reviving Cold War-era fears. He also said he would deploy depleted uranium ammunition if Kyiv received the controversial weaponry from the West, following a British suggestion that it could supply Ukraine. Putin said the move to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus was "nothing unusual.""The United States has been doing this for decades. They have long placed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies," Putin said. Putin said he spoke to Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and said "we agreed to do the same." He added that Russia had helped equip Belarusian planes "without violating our international agreements on nuclear-non-proliferation... 10 planes are ready for this type of weapon to be used." Russia has given Belarus an Iskander system that can carry nuclear weapons, Putin also said. It will start training crews on April 3 and plans to finish the construction of a special storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons by July 1.
'Most harmful'
Putin also said that Russia would respond if the West supplied Ukraine with depleted uranium ammunition. "Russia of course has what it needs to answer. Without exaggeration, we have hundreds of thousands of such shells. We have not used them yet," Putin added in an interview on Russian television. He said the weapons "can be classified as the most harmful and hazardous for humans... and also for the environment."Depleted uranium munitions are highly effective at piercing armour plate, but their use is controversial. The metal is toxic for the soldiers who use the weapons and for civilians in areas where they are fired. Putin has previously said nuclear tensions were "rising" globally but said Moscow would not deploy first. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has warned nuclear threats were creating a dangerous sense of uncertainty around their possible use. The longer Russia's operation in Ukraine grinds on, the greater the nuclear strike risk, ICAN warned last month ahead of the offensive's first anniversary.
Nuclear threat
Putin announced last month that Moscow would suspend its participation in New START, the last remaining arms control treaty between the world's two main nuclear powers, Russia and the United States. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg slammed Russia for suspending the nuclear weapons limitation treaty with the U.S., saying it marked the end of Europe's post-Cold War arms control architecture. The announcement came after Moscow last August suspended US inspections of its military sites under New START. U.S. officials have voiced fears that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it feels routed on the battlefield and could plant a fictitious story to justify its actions. Russia has already spoken of supposed Ukrainian attempts to detonate a "dirty bomb," drawing strong denials from Ukraine and a sharp rebuke from the United States, which had rare direct communication with Moscow to warn against nuclear use. Neither the United States nor Russia -- by far the largest nuclear weapons powers -- officially has a policy of no first use of the ultra-destructive arms. Russian officials have repeated that Russia would only use nuclear weapons if it was facing an "existential threat" -- but the definition of such a threat remains vague.
A recent U.S. posture review by President Joe Biden concluded that nuclear weapons should only be used in "extreme circumstances."

Borrell: EU wants to avoid being dependent on China, as it did with Russian gas
NNA/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said yesterday that the European Union seeks to avoid being dependent on China as it was with respect to Russian gas, calling for strengthening trade with Latin America, according to "Agence France Presse". Borrell said, "We discovered that dependence, which was one of the elements of building peace, is also a weapon that can be directed against us," referring to "Europe's excessive dependence on Russian gas."

Putin Says Will Deploy Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Belarus
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday he would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighbor and ally Belarus, bringing the arms to a country at the gates of the European Union. Putin has previously issued thinly veiled warnings that he could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine if Russia were threatened, reviving Cold War-era fears, AFP said. He also said he would deploy depleted uranium ammunition if Kyiv received the controversial weaponry from the West, following a British suggestion that it could supply Ukraine. Putin said the move to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus was "nothing unusual." "The United States has been doing this for decades. They have long placed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies," Putin said. Putin said he spoke to Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and said "we agreed to do the same."He added that Russia had helped equip Belarusian planes "without violating our international agreements on nuclear-non-proliferation... 10 planes are ready for this type of weapon to be used."Russia has given Belarus an Iskander system that can carry nuclear weapons, Putin also said. It will start training crews on April 3 and plans to finish the construction of a special storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons by July 1.
'Most harmful'
Putin also said that Russia would respond if the West supplied Ukraine with depleted uranium ammunition. "Russia of course has what it needs to answer. Without exaggeration, we have hundreds of thousands of such shells. We have not used them yet," Putin added in an interview on Russian television. He said the weapons "can be classified as the most harmful and hazardous for humans... and also for the environment." Depleted uranium munitions are highly effective at piercing armor plate, but their use is controversial. The metal is toxic for the soldiers who use the weapons and for civilians in areas where they are fired. Putin has previously said nuclear tensions were "rising" globally but said Moscow would not deploy first. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has warned nuclear threats were creating a dangerous sense of uncertainty around their possible use. The longer Russia's operation in Ukraine grinds on, the greater the nuclear strike risk, ICAN warned last month ahead of the offensive's first anniversary.
Nuclear threat
Putin announced last month that Moscow would suspend its participation in New START, the last remaining arms control treaty between the world's two main nuclear powers, Russia and the United States. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg slammed Russia for suspending the nuclear weapons limitation treaty with the US, saying it marked the end of Europe's post-Cold War arms control architecture. The announcement came after Moscow last August suspended US inspections of its military sites under New START. US officials have voiced fears that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it feels routed on the battlefield and could plant a fictitious story to justify its actions. Russia has already spoken of supposed Ukrainian attempts to detonate a "dirty bomb," drawing strong denials from Ukraine and a sharp rebuke from the United States, which had rare direct communication with Moscow to warn against nuclear use. Neither the United States nor Russia -- by far the largest nuclear weapons powers -- officially has a policy of no first use of the ultra-destructive arms. Russian officials have repeated that Russia would only use nuclear weapons if it was facing an "existential threat" -- but the definition of such a threat remains vague.
A recent US posture review by President Joe Biden concluded that nuclear weapons should only be used in "extreme circumstances."

An elite Russian brigade of 5,000 soldiers has been destroyed and reformed as many as 8 times after heavy losses, report says
Alia ShoaibB/usiness Insider/March 26, 2023
The same Russian brigade has been destroyed and reconstituted 8 times since the start of the war. The Russian 155th Naval Infantry Brigade suffered heavy losses in attempts to take Vuhledar. Russian failures in Vuhledar have sparked rare criticism from the country's military bloggers. An elite Russian brigade has been destroyed and reformed as many as eight times since the start of the war, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank, said in a report on Friday. The Russian 155th Naval Infantry Brigade has been repeatedly destroyed partly due to losses it has faced during Russia's efforts to take the town of Vuhledar in eastern Ukraine. At one point the entire brigade, which consisted of 5,000 troops, was reported to be destroyed near Vuhledar. Soldiers were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner, Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi, head of the united press center of the Tavriskiy District of Ukrainian defense forces, told Politico on February 12. Dmytrashkivskyi estimated at the time that Russian forces were losing 150-300 marines a day near the coal-mining town. The town of Vuhledar has been the center of intense fighting in January and February as Russian troops have repeatedly attempted and failed to seize it. Sporadic fighting has continued since mid-February, but at a lower intensity. Russian forces have experienced high casualties in Vuhledar and have lost dozens of vehicles. Videos have emerged of Russian tanks and armored vehicles repeatedly being blown up by mines and anti-tank missiles near the town.
Russia's tactical errors and battlefield losses even sparked rare criticism from Russian military bloggers, despite the fact that criticizing the war is outlawed in Russia. The ISW noted that intense criticism about Russian failures in Vuhledar was re-emerging following the failed assaults in the early months of the year, and ongoing fears about a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive. Some of these military bloggers have criticized the Russian military command for ordering ineffective human-wave style frontal assaults in Vuhledar, according to ISW. This tactic, which involves an initial frontal assault followed by assaults against fortified Ukrainian flanks, has led to little gains and high combat losses due to the challenging terrain, a lack of combat power, and failure to surprise Ukrainian forces.

Zaki: 32nd Arab League Summit will be held in Saudi Arabia on May 19
NNA/March 26, 2023
The Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, announced today that the 32nd Arab Summit is expected to be held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on May 19, according to "Russia Today" news agency.
Zaki said that following the consultations carried out by the Secretary-General of the League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, with the government of the Saudi Kingdom, and the latter's statement that it welcomed the holding of the summit on the aforementioned date, it is expected that the 32nd summit of the League will be held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on May 19. The Assistant Secretary-General added that the summit will be preceded by several preparatory meetings at the levels of senior officials and ministers, paving the way for it to be held over a period of 5 days.

Gulf states protest to Blinken about the statements of an Israeli minister on Palestinians
NNA/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
The Gulf Cooperation Council announced that it had sent a letter to the US Secretary of State to denounce the statements of an Israeli minister who denied the existence of the Palestinian people, according to "Agence France-Presse". In a letter to Minister Anthony Blinken, the foreign ministers of the six-nations bloc denounced the statements of the far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich about the need to "erase" the Palestinian town of Hawara, where two Israelis were killed by a suspected Hamas activist. In its message published on its website today, the GCC called on the United States of America to assume its responsibilities in responding to all measures and statements targeting the Palestinian people. It also urged the US administration to "do its part to reach a just, comprehensive and lasting solution" to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

At Least 26 Killed as Powerful Tornado Tears Through Mississippi
NY TIMES/Sunday, 26 March, 2023
An ominous wedge appeared in the night sky over one of the poorest regions of the American South late Friday. When it touched down, it nearly obliterated the small Mississippi Delta town of Rolling Fork in one of numerous scenes of destruction and heartbreak across swaths of Mississippi and Alabama. At least 26 people were killed, dozens more were injured, and homes and businesses were smashed to pieces. In Rolling Fork, a town of about 2,000 people near Mississippi’s western border, the extent of what was lost began to come into view at daybreak. The tornado had shredded most everything, plucking trees that had stood for decades, roots and all, and dropping them onto homes and vehicles. A fire station was just open air. Houses had rooms shorn off. --- NY TIMES

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 26-27/2023
The Real Reason China is Arming Russia in Ukraine
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute./March 26, 2023
Just as Iran has used Ukraine's brutal war to test the effectiveness of its drone and missile technology, so China's emerging industrial-military complex is reportedly looking for opportunities to conduct a rigorous evaluation of its new weapons systems; Chinese arms manufacturers are reportedly keen to test the effectiveness of their new weapons systems in Ukraine.
Chinese drones, which reports say are due to be delivered to the Russian Defence Ministry next month, would enable the Russians to deliver warheads weighing between 35 and 50 kilograms.
China's People's Liberation Army is in the midst of a massive military build-up, outspokenly aimed at making China the world's dominant military power by the middle of the century. Global defence spending fell by 1.7 percent in 2021, and the US defence budget for 2024, with a supposed increase of 3.2 percent, after factoring in an inflation of 6 percent, is actually a net cut. Meanwhile, Chinese defence spending grew by 5.1 percent to $293 billion.
As part of its military build-up, which began in 2013, Beijing is aiming to integrate artificial intelligence in its command and control structures by 2035. In addition it is investing heavily in new fleets of warships and warplanes.
The Chinese military is said to be actively preparing to launch a military offensive to capture Taiwan, most likely before or during the US presidential election in November 2024, while the US is still under the administration of President Joe Biden, regarded worldwide as stunningly weak, and while the country is likely to be distracted.
Biden's repeated statements that he seeks "competition not conflict" with China, and that "We don't want a conflict" with Russia, can only be viewed as pleas not to escalate, rather than as a thundering deterrence.
"[T]he entire military must... concentrate all energy on fighting a war, direct all work toward warfare and speed up to build the ability to win." — Chinese President Xi Jinping, to China's armed forces' operational command center, Fox News, February 15, 2023.
For all Chinese President Xi Jinping's declarations of support for Russia during his state visit to Moscow, China's real motive in seeking closer ties is evidently to exploit the Ukraine conflict to test its military firepower. Pictured: Xi shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on March 21, 2023. (Photo by Mikhail Tereshchenko/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
For all Chinese President Xi Jinping's declarations of support for Russia during his state visit to Moscow, China's real motive in seeking closer ties is evidently to exploit the Ukraine conflict to test its military firepower.
Just as Iran has used Ukraine's brutal war to test the effectiveness of its drone and missile technology, so China's emerging industrial-military complex is reportedly looking for opportunities to conduct a rigorous evaluation of its new weapons systems; Chinese arms manufacturers are reportedly keen to test the effectiveness of their new weapons systems in Ukraine.
A year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Russia's military, having lost an estimated 200,000 men and around 90 percent of its heavy armour, including around 50 percent of its pre-invasion tank fleet, finds itself in a dire predicament.
The scale of the losses has forced the Russians to pull 1950s-era T-54 and T-55 tanks out of storage for use in the Ukrainian conflict, a clear sign that Russian forces are suffering a serious shortage of heavy armour.
These chronic shortages in both men and equipment help to explain why Russian commanders are struggling to hold on to the territory Russian forces have illegally annexed in Ukraine, let alone mount fresh offensives against the Ukrainian defenders.
If Russian forces are to make any headway this year, they will need significant supplies of weapons from other nations, as Russia's corrupt defence industry is proving incapable of providing replacement weapons and equipment at the levels required by the Russian military.
This would explain why Russia has made repeated requests for China to supply arms to support its military campaign in Ukraine. So far, Beijing's official position is that it is only prepared to provide Moscow with non-lethal aid, such as helmets and dual-use items such as aircraft parts.
US officials, though, say they have intelligence showing that China is actively considering whether to supply Russia with weapons, as it has been doing since day one. The German magazine Der Spiegel reported in February that the Russian military was engaged in negotiations with Chinese drone manufacturer Xi'an Bingo Intelligent Aviation Technology over the mass production of kamikaze drones for Russia.
Russia has been using Iranian-made drones to carry out attacks against Ukraine's infrastructure and other targets, and the supply of Chinese drones, which reports say are due to be delivered to the Russian Defence Ministry next month, would enable the Russians to deliver warheads weighing between 35 and 50 kilograms.
Russian forces in Ukraine have already been using Chinese-made commercial drones, supplied by China-based Da-Jiang Innovations Science & Technology Co., known as DJI, according to an analysis of customs records, while others are transported through the United Arab Emirates.
The supply of Chinese-made military drones to Russia would, obviously, greatly enhance the offensive capabilities of Russian forces.
Western intelligence officials believe the prospect of Beijing increasing its military support for Ukraine has risen considerably following Xi's summit with Putin in Moscow this month.
China's People's Liberation Army is in the midst of a massive military build-up, outspokenly aimed at making China the world's dominant military power by the middle of the century. Global defence spending fell by 1.7 percent in 2021, and the US defence budget for 2024, with a supposed increase of 3.2 percent, after factoring in an inflation of 6 percent, is actually a net cut. Meanwhile, Chinese defence spending grew by 5.1 percent to $293 billion.
As part of its military build-up, which began in 2013, Beijing is aiming to integrate artificial intelligence in its command and control structures by 2035. In addition it is investing heavily in new fleets of warships and warplanes. China's recent advances in advanced weaponry such as missiles and guided weapons is a particular concern for the West.
Chinese defence firms now rank as some of the biggest in the world, reversing the situation whereby, only a decade ago, Beijing was relying on Russia for its arms supplies, having signed a $7 billion arms deal with Moscow as recently as 2015.
Now the tables have turned. Xi, who recently secured his third five-year-term as president, makes no secret of his desire to re-establish Beijing's control over Taiwan. The general consensus among Western security officials being that he will attempt to reclaim Taiwan by the end of the decade at the latest.
The Chinese military is said to be actively preparing to launch a military offensive to capture Taiwan, most likely before or during the US presidential election in November 2024, while the US is still under the administration of President Joe Biden, regarded worldwide as stunningly weak (such as here, here, and here), and while the country is likely to be distracted.
Biden's repeated statements that he seeks "competition not conflict" with China, and that "We don't want a conflict" with Russia, can only be viewed as pleas not to escalate, rather than as a thundering deterrence.
According to recent comments made by CIA Director William Burns, Beijing aims to be conflict-ready by 2027.
This is certainly the message Xi relayed to China's military chiefs during a visit to the country's operational command centre at the end of last year when he warned "the entire military must... concentrate all energy on fighting a war, direct all work toward warfare and speed up to build the ability to win."
*Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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Will China Skillfully Navigate Iran’s Clamorous Waves?
Raghida Dergham/March 26, 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping has sailed off, navigating between strategic cooperation with Russia and its President Vladimir Putin, and his keenness not to destroy his relations with the West and the United States. This meant that his visit to Moscow last week was ultimately reassuring to the Biden administration while bringing good economic and political tidings for Putin. Xi’s Moscow message to the Middle East – especially Saudi Arabia and Iran now brought together by a Chinese sponsored joint declaration of principles – was that the relationship between China, Russia, and Iran is a ‘troika’ not an ‘axis’ of strategic allies. The implications of Xi’s messages and signals thus deserve a careful reading.
At the level of bilateral relations between China and Russia, Xi’s visit succeeded in cementing economic ties between the two countries with huge trade agreements worth billions of dollars; crucial energy agreements, including the construction of gas pipelines through Siberia to offset the loss of Nord Stream 2; and agreements to expand technical military cooperation.
The Chinese president was keen to make it clear to all those concerned that Beijing would not supply arms to Russia to be used in the Ukraine war. He made sure to make a distinction between close cooperation between the two countries as partners with shared political outlooks especially vis-à-vis the West, and appearing as though the two countries are converging towards unity.
The two leaders agreed on the broad outlines of joint political cooperation in international forums such as the UN and the G20. They avoided – probably at the request of China – issuing joint statements that the United States could interpret as hostile. Rather, the communiques were vague and did not entail a vow to stand up to the United States. And China was very careful not to appear as though endorsing all of Russia’s positions, thereby reassuring the Biden administration.
No practical agreement or concrete steps were reached in the context of the Chinese peace plan for Ukraine. Instead, the two leaders reaffirmed general principles connected to the Chinese initiative.
The two presidents did not tackle the details of the China-Russia-Iran Troika, and stopped at reaffirming cooperation with Tehran as Putin welcomed the Chinese initiative for Saudi-Iranian normalisation.
All this means that the Chinese president Xi Jinping is a skilled navigator who is determined to adhere to China’s strategic priorities, led by the Belt and Road Initiative that requires expanding the scope of global cooperation and narrowing the prospects of antagonistic blocs and axes.
China’s sponsorship of the multidimensional Saudi-Iranian agreement built on respect for states’ sovereignty, good neighbourly relations, and non-interreference in others’ internal affairs will come under intense regional and international scrutiny. If China fails to adequately monitor the implementation of the agreement, then China itself will be vulnerable to diplomatic, political, and economic accountability. China’s prestige as a superpower that has entered the fray of mediating between Saudi Arabia and Iran is crucial for Chinese diplomacy and strategy. Logically, therefore, China will not allow itself to be caught between the claws of provocations, equivocation, and mind games. Indeed, its reputation and prestige are at stake.
This is the bet of those convinced China will be a serious guarantor committed to the implementation of Saudi and Iranian guarantees contained in the text and spirit of their agreement. At the Saudi level, the view contains almost no challenges in this regard. But at the Iranian level, the entire scene depends on whether Tehran intends to merely embellish its behavior and soften its rhetoric, or whether it will truly begin measures to change its approach and ideology, and abandon its regional project extending across Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
The first test will be in Yemen, which directly affects Saudi national security. The Chinese leadership will have to be very firm with the Iranian leadership on this issue. It will have to work to compel the rulers of Iran to stop providing military backing to the Houthis, without the duplicity of public denials coupled with continued covert support. This requires putting a clear timetable for a comprehensive resolution of the Yemen crisis that has eluded US and UN efforts so far. If China fails to do so, it will be exposed to criticism and belittlement for having thought it curried favor with Iran.
While China has a lot of leverage over the rulers of Iran, questions arise like the following: To what extent is China willing to deploy this leverage? And how willing are the rulers of Iran to abandon the logic and raison d’etre of their regime, whose policy in Yemen reflects a foundational core of Iranian policy and doctrine?
China will need Russia in its quest to influence Iran, given the nature of the military alliance between Russia and Iran from Syria to Ukraine. However, Chinese-Iranian relations themselves are deep and extensive, and Tehran is in great need for Beijing, economically, politically, and strategically.
Neither China nor Russia is willing to fall into any trap that could hurt their relations with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. Logically, they will have no doubt indicated to Iran that it needs to seriously adapt to the imperatives of China and Russia’s key interests, which will bring benefits for Iran.
Carefully reading the statements made following the meeting of Presidents Xi and Putin indicate that the troika as conceived previously by the Iranian leadership is no longer on the table. Rather, political realism has turned the troika from an axis of defiance, assertiveness, and ideological expansion into a cooperative. The big mystery is whether the rulers of Iran will genuinely and continuously accept this radical shift, and not just through softening their behavior temporarily.
The softening of behavior and rhetoric, and avoiding provocation and confrontation, are good things per se. Whatever happens, this would be a positive outcome of the Chinese-Saudi-Iranian agreement. But this is not what Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states want. It could be what the United States, which favors de-escalation, wants provisionally. But for Saudi Arabia, the goal of the process with Iran should be to bring about a radical shift in their relations and in the Iranian approach to the Arab region. In other words, while a de-escalation is welcome and expedient, the outcome depends on Iran’s approach, doctrine, and opening a new page in Middle Eastern relations.
The United States is not perturbed by the Chinese entry into the arena of influence in the Middle East, as long as Beijing does not seek to build security arrangements with the Arab Gulf States. This would be a red line for Washington, but China is not after that. It understands that the Arab Gulf States, while having resolved to assert their independence, have not considered at all abandoning their vital relations with the United States, led by security ties.
Moreover, the US administration is working in parallel to weaken Iranian dominance, for example in Iraq where Iran’s financial, political, and security grip is undermining the Arab nation. The Chinese-Saudi-Iranian agreement helps, not hinders US efforts because it creates a new climate that push in the direction of less provocation and confrontation by the rulers of Iran.
At the Lebanese level, even if Lebanon does not appear to be at the top of priority lists, Hezbollah in and of itself is an obvious component of the process of de-escalation, accords, and softer behavior. Hezbollah is at the heart of the test of whether the rulers of Iran have decided to modify the logic of the regime or merely embellish their behavior temporarily, to buy themselves time and sustain the survival of the regime and its doctrine.
China may not invest its full weight in a small country like Lebanon. But it is not ignorant of the weight of the Lebanese equation for the Gulf and Saudi Arabia, through the Hezbollah issue and its subversive regional roles guided by the IRGC in Tehran. Accordingly, China could be forced to expand its political and diplomatic compass if it is serious about being a guarantor of the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The devil is in the details, and a small collapsed and lost country drowning in corruption and illegitimate arms could become the place where China’s diplomacy slips into an unwanted failure.
Syria could be a test for Arab-Iranian coexistence and Gulf compromises, after Iran encroached into this Arab nation and the Syrian government became indebted to Tehran and reliant upon it for its survival. The Gulf engagement of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remains mysterious in its core reasons, despite its clear political and economic outlines. However, this is a complex topic that deserves a separate analysis. The bottom line here is that Syria could be an arena for bargains and an arena for either appeasing Iran through some form of partnership, or to dismantling its grip on Syria and restore the latter into the Arab fold.  China has entered a hornet’s nest whose poisons it may be unfamiliar with, or it may have studied all its features and decided it is its ideal medium. So far, even if it’s still early times, there are reasons to be optimistic about a Chinese role that goes beyond the surface. The challenge lies in inducing radical changes. So let’s wait and….hope.

We rejected our fanatics. What are you doing about yours?
Nadim Koteich/The Times Of Israel/March 26/2023
I find myself asking why every action Arabs take to foster peace with Israel is met with a rising tide of Israeli extremism
As Israel grapples with a complex political quagmire, those of us who champion peace find ourselves contemplating the nature of the Israel we will share our lives with. A perilous concoction of brews consisting of vehement antipathy toward Palestinians, the alarming retreat from any vestiges of peacemaking efforts between Palestinians and Israelis, and a resolute endeavor to dismantle Israel’s judicial infrastructure under the pretext of reform. These elements conspire to endanger Israel’s relationships not only with significant segments of its own society, but also with its regional allies and Washington.
As children, we would joyfully shout “abracadabra” before our homemade magic tricks, unaware that this incantation held deep roots in ancient history and the Aramaic language, used by various Semitic peoples, including the Jewish people. The possible origin of “abracadabra,” the Aramaic phrase “avra kehdabra,” which means “I will create as I speak,” represents the power of spoken words to create and transform reality. This concept endures today, as seen in the ultra-conservative rhetoric of Bibi Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet, which has shifted Israel’s image towards an increasingly fanatic state. The brazen declaration in Paris by Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich that, “there is no such thing as a Palestinian people,” all the while standing before a map depicting Israel’s borders encroaching into Jordan, had a profound impact on shaping Arab perceptions.
Moreover, Israel’s parliament elected to overturn a section of a 2005 law mandating the dismantling of four Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank, as well as barring new settlement construction within the region. These tumultuous events are further exacerbated by Bibi’s relentless efforts to dismantle Israel’s legal system under the guise of “reform,” which threaten to undermine the rule of law and potentially pave the way for a dictatorship.
Keep Watching
The present crisis unmasks the true nature of the conflict between the Arab Peace Axis countries and Israel, as it exposes a remarkable contradiction inherent in the Israeli state’s persona. While Israel embodies the height of modernity, showcasing notable achievements in technology, science, military prowess, and medical breakthroughs, it simultaneously harbors a stark contrast of regressive attitudes and religious extremism.
As an Arab advocate for peace, the recent developments prompt me to consider that those opposing peace in Israel appear more intransigent and unyielding than their Arab counterparts. Israel’s overtly religious persona, exemplified by Netanyahu’s administration, overlooks that the Peace Axis nations are actively combating zealotry and extremism within their own communities. This raises a critical question: how can these Arab nations reconcile coexisting with Israeli extremism? If Peace Axis countries are intent on isolating radicals within their societies, how can they accept the presence of extremists in the Israeli community, particularly when they hold positions of power? Invoking the notion that these are merely the results of democracy does not sufficiently address this conundrum. As democracy yields outcomes that counter its own principles, we are confronted with a challenge that has, in the past, unleashed unprecedented chaos during the first half of the 20th century.
Moreover, I find myself grappling with a perplexing question: Why is it that every theoretical expression and practical action taken by Arabs to foster peace with Israel is met with a rising tide of Israeli factions displaying greater fundamentalism, zealotry, and extremism? Under Netanyahu’s leadership, the current Israeli government’s political values, as expressed by its ministers, bear a striking resemblance to those of Hamas and Hezbollah, rather than the moderate governments found within the Arab Peace Axis. This iteration of Israel is far from the one we envision living alongside.
Courage
As I advocate for peace and coexistence, I often draw inspiration from individuals such as Yuval Harari, Daniel Kahneman, and Natalie Portman, pointing to Israel’s prowess in scientific and technological fields. The courage of many Israelis is evident not just among the elite, but also in daily protests in public squares, streets, and on social media. Their vision for their country largely aligns with what any sane person in the Middle East aspires to: social justice, prosperity, stability, and progress. Despite this, it is perplexing that Netanyahu’s Israel and its allies continue to undermine this vision, presenting to the Arab world an image of an Israeli equivalent to Hamas and Hezbollah.
Nevertheless, it appears that Bibi’s alliance is intent on reinforcing the beliefs of peace adversaries that they are justified in their stance, that peace is unattainable, and on persuading supporters of peace that their choice is unwise, prompting them to embrace the surging currents of extremism, fanaticism, and perpetual conflict. Urging us towards such conclusions is a disparagement of the human mind and our ability to envision harmonious coexistence. The government of Netanyahu proposes the perpetuation of history, insisting that we accept a future held captive by those dwelling in the shadows of long-gone millennia.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, once asserted that his country possessed the capacity to obliterate Israel within a mere seven and a half minutes. Paradoxically, it is the deeds of Israel’s own prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that appear more likely to precipitate such a catastrophic denouement.
It is indeed a complex crisis, evolving into an existential threat so severe that the Israeli president cautioned about the possibility of a “civil war!” Nevertheless, this crisis also belongs to those of us who look forward to a tomorrow unshackled from the insanity of the divisions that Netanyahu has exploited to an unparalleled degree. It belongs to those who hold firm to the belief in, and the pursuit of, a future where peaceful coexistence in the Middle East is possible.
*ABOUT THE AUTHORNadim Koteich is an Emirati Lebanese media personality and a leading Arab commentator. He tweets at @nadimkoteich.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/we-rejected-our-fanatics-what-are-you-doing-about-yours/?fbclid=IwAR0lHM9jYbgZUss6Vz9aX3eF8ihRhucvcIAnJipHIuOliQzuP8UXx1SWY4M

Kissinger’s Depression!
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/March, 26/2023
After China mediated Saudi Arabia and Iran’s agreement to reestablish ties, Fareed Zakaria and David Ignatius, both of whom defend the policies of former President Barack Obama and current President Joe Biden, published articles centered around the world’s most famous foreign minister, Henry Kissinger.
The two writers reminded us of the historic breakthrough in relations between Washington and Beijing that Kissinger had made through a clandestine visit to China in 1971, which put an end to years of animosity between the two countries. Zakaria describes this achievement as “a remarkable case of historical resonance” and Kissinger’s “greatest diplomatic triumph.”
As for Ignatius, he interviewed Kissinger and began his article by saying: “Henry Kissinger must have a sense of deja vu as he watches China broker a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran,” referencing Kissinger’s success with China during the Nixon era.
I asked a diplomat who was involved in the process about this. “I don’t think Kissinger feels a sense of déjà vu in as much as he feels depressed,” he told me. He then added that Kissinger “has dedicated his life to keeping Moscow away from Beijing,” and we are seeing them come closer together.
The diplomat also mentioned that US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski had always cautioned that nothing could be more dangerous than Russia and China coming together in Eurasia. “With Iran, a third player has been added to the mix.”
As far as Saudi Arabia is concerned, genuine interests link it to China and Russia. These shared interests were imposed by the political recalibration of Riyadh, which began the announcement of the AlUla Agreement. They have been reinforced by the world’s current state of affairs, the most prominent feature of which is the Ukraine war. Saudi Arabia cannot be reproached, as even the French President has announced his intention to enhance the prospects for peace in Ukraine by turning to China. The French President’s visit attests to the soundness of Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy. I do not favor labeling it “zeroing problems,” as one cannot have a problem-free foreign policy. The language of politics is one of interests, and it is currently in Riyadh’s interest to ensure the success of its historical initiative, Vision 2030.
As for my sources, they tell me that Beijing is expanding “diplomatically.” It is doing so without military bases or political dictates, taking the opposite approach of US foreign policy, one that Zakaria is now advocating and that we and the levelheaded have argued in favor of since Obama’s term in office.
Zakaria says that China’s mediation of the deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran “exposes a deep-seated flaw in American foreign policy, one that has gotten worse in recent years.” I believe that this flaw began to emerge during George W. Bush’s term and became stronger under Obama. It has now deepened. The most basic example is the shameful US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which cost Washington its credibility.
Zakaria adds that Washington has “lost {its} flexibility and suppleness” and that US foreign policy “consists of grand moral declarations that divide the world into black and white,” with sanctions and damaging legislation constantly readily threatened. This has made “the political atmosphere so charged that merely talking with a “foe” becomes risky.”He also argues that “America’s unipolar status has corrupted the country’s foreign policy elite” and that US foreign policy “is all too often an exercise in making demands and issuing threats and condemnations,” while divergent perspectives and compromise are absent. To sum up, this is not to suggest that the United States is done for or to argue for replacing; rather, I am saying that we all remember the unfair criticism leveled at the countries seeking moderation led by Saudi Arabia and that Washington’s “elite” has now woken up to the fact that such criticism only applies to their own foreign policy, not that of our countries. Thus, we cannot blame Kissinger if he has become depressed so late in his life.

Climate and the Culture of Fear
Najib Saab/Asharq Al Awsat/March 26/2023
The report issued a few days ago by the international scientific body advising the United Nations on climate change brought nothing new, except for confirming what has been known for years: that the climate is changing faster than expected, and the impact will be multiplied should there be no prompt practical plan. However, credible solutions are still remote, because countries did not abide by what they promised in conferences and climate treaties over the past three decades.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which includes scientists from all over the world, has issued since its inception in 1988 a series of scientific reports that have been the basis for climate agreements since COP summits began 27 years ago. The last report was a summary of the committee's work over five years, and its conclusions and recommendations are supposed to form the scientific foundation for the political options to be considered at COP28 in the UAE at the end of the year.
The most prominent conclusion of the report is that limiting the rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees by the end of this century is no longer an achievable goal, due to the delay in implementing the required commitments to reduce carbon emissions. This means that the range of irreversible impacts will expand, whether it is rising seas, heat waves, droughts, or the accelerating frequency and scale of extreme natural disasters. These demand an increase in adaptation budgets, in preparation for dealing with snowballing impacts that can no longer be reversed. However, this does not mean that our fate has been sealed, and that we have to succumb, as some operators of polluting industries and activities like to promote, in order to continue accumulating profits with business as usual. Accelerating emissions reduction measures, even though they will not stop the temperature rising by just 1.5 degrees, will at least put a limit to this increase, keeping it more manageable. It might also be possible, over a period of time, to absorb part of the excess greenhouse gases, either through natural methods such as increasing forest areas, or industrial procedures by capturing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it safely. The unchecked increase in emissions puts the ramifications of climate change beyond control.
The report also concludes that our action today will determine the future of humanity for thousands of years to come, as it may lead to extreme changes in ecosystems that entail radical modifications in the patterns of life as we know it. Nevertheless, the report confirms that a solution is still possible, by developing realistic policies based on scientific facts, for which governments can be held responsible. However, it also places big portion of the responsibility on the people, as it calls on them to voluntarily change their consumption patterns in a way that leads to the rational use of resources and the reduction of emissions. This is a crucial challenge, as public policies are the main driver for any radical change in consumption patterns, rather than voluntary change in behavior. Nor can billions of people in poor countries, who lack the most basic conditions of life such as water, food, electricity, health and education, be asked to care about climate issues, while their main concern is securing the basic requirements of their day to day life. Those same requirements are often ignored by the same politicians spreading climate threats.
It has been very useful for the report to base its findings on scientific facts; however, it is equally necessary to explain them to the public in an easy and accurate manner, with an explanation of the available options and possible solutions and alternatives. This helps in forming a cognizant and vigilant public opinion, well equipped and motivated to pressure authorities to adopt appropriate policies that respond to climate challenges.
However, the result is completely different, which is not the fault of the report authors. Organizations and the media present the report in a context of fear, warning of the inevitable extinction of the human race, without offering explanations, defining responsibilities or presenting possible solutions. The loudest demonstration of this attitude was the statement by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, describing the report as the last warning before the climate time-bomb detonates. It is true that the Secretary-General's warning comes with the best of intentions, but it would have been more useful, instead of intimidating people who lack the most basic requirements of life, to address governments and hold them accountable to their commitments. It would also have been more useful, and credible, for him to lead the way by putting an end to squandering in United Nations bodies themselves, by imposing measures to enhance efficiency and directing resources to help advance climate action. It is equally necessary for the international organization to start with itself, by putting an end to excessive travel by its staff and conference invitees, and changing its rules to shift from business to economy class for all its staff, limiting it to absolutely necessary trips. This will save millions needed for real work to help alleviate suffering of the poor, as well as contributing to a significant reduction in emissions. Research shows that air passengers seated in business class are responsible for up to 4 times more carbon emissions than if they fly coach. Personal photos and comments shamelessly shared on social media by some participants in international environmental conferences, from Bangkok and Sharm El-Sheikh to Cancun, show a passion for tourism and entertainment more than an interest in saving the planet and humanity. This is an additional proof that a deep revamp of the system is overdue.
The release of the last climate report coincided with the publication of an article in the European Journal of International Law on the "Discourses of Fear on Climate Change in International Human Rights Law," written by Dr. Anne Saab, Professor of International Law at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. The article warns against the spread of the fear rhetoric regarding climate change, as it is one of the most serious threats to human rights. Indeed, scientific facts prove the devastating effects of climate change, and their disclosure is necessary to draw attention to the problem and spur action. The article cautions that "over-intimidation and mixing scientific facts with sentimental rhetoric can wear people down and drive them away from caring, right up to opposing climate policies." It calls for not limiting concern to climate change only, at the expense of other basic human needs. While world leaders have been warning of "climate's last chance" for the past twenty years, they are missing the fact that most of the world's population does not have the luxury of thinking about climate change. The article concludes that abandoning the language of intimidation and fear and converting scientific facts into realistic policies is a condition for achieving effective climate action supported by international law.
Climate change is not the primary cause of hunger, thirst, disease and deterioration in the quality of life, but rather wrong policies and neglect of reform. Climate change exacerbates these calamities, and is, in one way, triggered by them in the first place. Therefore, politicians and leaders of organizations should not be allowed to use climate as an excuse to justify their shortcomings, through intimidation and mixing science and politics with emotions and populist speeches spreading fear.

Saudi-Iran deal opens the door to peace in Yemen
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 26, 2023
One of the most important issues linked to the recent agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran is a possible end to the conflict in Yemen. This month’s deal was a step in the right direction, as the Iranian government has asserted that rapprochement with the Kingdom will help achieve this critical objective.
The Iranian leaders appear optimistic that the detente between Tehran and Riyadh will indeed bring peace to Yemen. In a meeting with UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg just a few days after the agreement was sealed, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian insisted that his government “backs any negotiations which would help establish peace and stability in Yemen.”
It has also been reported that Iran’s permanent mission to the UN believes the deal with Saudi Arabia stands to contribute to the realization of a permanent ceasefire in Yemen. A statement released by the mission said that the reinstatement of diplomatic ties would have “positive” implications on the bilateral, regional and international levels. “It appears (therefore) that reestablishment of political relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia will accelerate the achievement of a ceasefire in Yemen,” the statement noted.
Several other positive developments have occurred since the Saudi-Iranian pact was reached. For example, the UN has initiated “intense” diplomacy as a result. Grundberg told the UN Security Council this month that there has been “a step change in the scope and depth of the discussions.” He also urged Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthi rebels “to seize the opportunities” created by the new momentum. Grundberg added: “The parties must seize the opportunity presented by this regional and international momentum to take decisive steps towards a more peaceful future … This requires patience and a long-term perspective. And this requires courage and leadership.”
One critical step that would help bring peace and stability to Yemen would be for Iran to stop delivering weapons to the Houthis. The Iranian government can order the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to refrain from providing any military assistance to the Houthis. Fortunately, the Iranian leaders have pledged that they will do so, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reported that Tehran has agreed to “halt covert weapons shipments to its Houthi allies” in “a move that could inject new momentum into efforts to end one of the region’s longest-running civil wars.”
One critical step that would help bring peace and stability to Yemen would be for Iran to stop delivering weapons to the Houthis.
By halting its deliveries of weapons to the Houthis, Iran’s legitimacy will be enhanced not only in the region, but also on the global stage due to the fact that Tehran will show that it is respecting international law and honoring the UN’s arms embargo on the Houthis. UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which was passed in 2015, stipulates that “all Member States shall immediately take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to” the Houthis. It covers “weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment, and spare parts for the aforementioned, and technical assistance, training, financial or other assistance, related to military activities or the provision, maintenance or use of any arms and related materiel, including the provision of armed mercenary personnel whether or not originating in their territories.”
One of the major reasons for the intensity, scope and length of the conflict in Yemen is the Houthis’ ability to acquire weapons, without which there would be a greater incentive for the group to reach an agreement in order to bring an end to the conflict. While Yemen does not pose a national security threat to Iran, it does to Saudi Arabia, since it shares a border with the Gulf state.
Generally speaking, when nonstate actors believe that a government is backing them financially and militarily, they will have less incentive to reach a deal.
Another benefit that the Iranian government will gain from shifting its policy toward the Houthis and halting its weapons deliveries is economic. Halting its financial, advisory, intelligence and political support to the Houthis would not only enhance Tehran’s legitimacy, but it could also save the Iranian leaders a significant amount of money.
In a nutshell, thanks to the Saudi-Iranian agreement, Tehran can play a critical role in bringing peace and stability to Yemen. And the latest development to come out of Tehran — Iran’s reported decision to stop arming the Houthis — is a positive step in the right direction, which will undoubtedly increase regional peace, security and stability.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Turkiye’s political parties make preelection concessions
Yasar Yakis/Arab News/March 26, 2023
The Turkish parliament has decided to hold this year’s national elections on May 14. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supported this date because it coincides with the 77th anniversary, to the day, of the 1950 elections. The 1950 elections marked the end of the monopoly in power of the Republican People’s Party, established in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.
Several negotiations took place this month between the various coalitions formed among the political parties ahead of the confirmation of the ultimate date for the parliamentary and presidential votes.
Beginning with the ruling Justice and aevelopment Party, known as the AKP, it sealed agreements with two parties. One of them is the New Welfare Party. This party is the continuation of the Welfare Party, established by the conservative leader Necmettin Erbakan. His son Fatih Erbakan established a party that he named the New Welfare Party to emphasize that it is the continuation of the party established by his late father.
Fatih’s negotiations with the AKP looked as if they were going to fail at one stage. There were two critical points in the negotiations. One was the AKP’s request that the New Welfare Party should not participate in 23 constituencies because it had previously lost in these constituencies by a small margin. Therefore, it was expected that, when the New Welfare Party did not participate in these constituencies, the conservative votes would go to the AKP. How this controversy was ultimately solved has not been disclosed. Some serious exchanges of concessions must have taken place behind closed doors. The sober faces of the negotiators during the signing ceremony may be a sign that the agreement did not please everyone.
The second bone of contention was Fatih’s request to amend the law on the “Protection of the Family and the Prevention of Violence Against Women.” Public opinion will soon know the exact extent of the amendment. However, independent from the bargaining between these two parties, the disclosure of the fact that there was disagreement on this subject has led to a wider debate on the subject. It involved the deputy chairman of the AKP in charge of family affairs as well as the minister of family. They had to side with women’s rights. We will soon find out the details of this bargain.
The ruling AKP is doing everything it can to promote Ince so that he steals as many votes as possible from the opposition parties.
Another important agreement was made between the AKP and its successful former Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek. He had parted ways with the AKP several years ago and returned to his former job in international finance.
The third major negotiations were conducted by the AKP with HUDAPAR. This is a political party known for brutal assassinations of its opponents. Several years ago, Erdogan did not spare any blame for this party. It is mainly based in southeastern Anatolia, although it also has a presence elsewhere in Turkiye. It has no seats in parliament and received just 0.3 percent of the votes in the 2018 general election. In light of this background, it is unclear whether the AKP’s bargaining with this party will increase its votes or, on the contrary, turn undecided voters away from the AKP.
Another set of negotiations were held, this time between the main opposition Republican People’s Party, known as the CHP, and the pro-Kurdish HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party), whose nationwide political strength is estimated to be about 12 percent. These negotiations were concluded with a wide-ranging concurrence of views. So, the agreement can be considered to be sealed.
Many presidential candidates have already applied for the post. Each of them needs 100,000 signatures for their candidacy to be confirmed by the Supreme Electoral Council. It is obvious that the competition will take place between Erdogan and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the CHP. The remainder must have applied in the expectation that, in the second round of voting, they may negotiate concessions with either of the leading two parties.
Muharrem Ince has become an active player in the upcoming elections. He has decided to participate under the banner of his Homeland Party, which is a breakaway from the CHP. He ran as the CHP candidate in the last presidential election and won about 30 percent of the vote. The opposition parties tried to persuade him not to run as an independent candidate this time around, as the votes cast in his favor will be deducted from the opposition parties. The ruling AKP is doing everything it can to promote Ince so that he steals as many votes as possible from the opposition parties. There is strong pressure coming from the opposition quarters to persuade him to give up. But he still maintains his ambivalent position.
If Erdogan wins again, he will have a hard time fulfilling the exaggerated promises he is currently making. For now, however, his first target is to win the elections.
*Yasar Yakis is a former foreign minister of Turkiye and founding member of the ruling AK Party. Twitter: @yakis_yasar